From: Roberto Chiavini Subject: more reviews STONEWALL AT CEDAR MOUNTAIN (Ivy Street Games) The first DTP release from Ivy Street is this peculiar recreation of the battle of Cedar Mountain, between the armies of Stonewall Jackson and Nataniel Banks, something of a prelude to the Antietam Campaign of the ACW. This is a brigade level battle, with graphics decent enough for a DTP project (the map is pleasant to the eyes, while the counters are perhaps a little mistaken as choices of colors) and a system that is simple, but not introductive, and really fun to play. Each army has three different infantry division (made up by 2 to four different brigades), plus three artillery and one cavalry units. Each army has a single leader (Jackson and Banks), plus the divisional commanders. Each commanding counter has a rating for combat (0) one for effectiveness (used to make several different morale checks) and one for movement; the combat radius is 3 for all units. The same ratings are used even by the combat units, which have two different counters (one is for the reduced unit), but the cavalry, that has only one counter (because they have only one kind of formation). Infantry and artillery units have two sides, one with the combat/unlimbered value, the other with the marching/limbered formation. The system use an initiative chit draw method, which is almost the standard in several of today wargame designs. Simply, you put one chit for each division plus two chits for the artillery units (they may be activated two times each turn): when you draw the chit for a particular division, you may activate all the units of that division. Each division has an order chit for each turn, decided by you the commander from turn to turn, but to change the order it may occur up to two turns (more if your division commander is isolated, i.e. more than 18 movement points from your army leader). The order are attack (you have to attack at least one enemy unit if you can), advance (you may move but not enter enemy ZOC), retreat (you move back), hold (you stay where you are). Combat may be bombardment (very simple, with your artillery units, based on distance, up to six hexes, normally to retreat the enemy or make him test for rout) or combat assault: in this case, you roll a die adding/subtracting several modfiiers (Combat ratio, flank/rear attack - yes there is also facing -, combined assault and defensive support). Victory is based partially on territorial objectives (you sum up the points each turn) and partially by enemy units routed or eliminated. There is an introductive scenario (good only for the new wargamers), a six turns scenario and the 15 turns complete battle. Play is smooth, the rules are well written, almost perfect in their intelligent approach toward the new and the veteran players, and the system is fast enough to consent more than one play in an afternoon. The situation is even very interesting and the game is well balanced. The only drawback (but I'm nitpicking a lot) are the uncut counters, a real pain to cut with scissors or a cutter. I also don't like very much the combat result table (absolutely not bloody as I like it, but all in all good for this kind of game). I rate this game 8 out of 10.