Battle Cry (game)

"Battle Cry" is a board wargame based on the American Civil War, designed by Richard Borg and published by Avalon Hill in 2000.citation
contribution=Battle Cry
last=Hickman
first=Tracy
author-link=Tracy Hickman
title=Hobby Games: The 100 Best
editor-first=James
editor-last=Lowder
editor-link=James Lowder
publisher=Green Ronin Publishing
pages=21–23
year =2007
isbn=978-1-932442-96-0] While superficially similar to conventional board wargames, it borrows from miniatures wargaming with its use of plastic figures and its simplified rules.cite journal
title=Pyramid Pick: Battle Cry
journal=Pyramid (online)
url=http://www.sjgames.com/pyramid/login/article.html?id=1727
publisher=Steve Jackson Games
last=Connors
first=J.C.
date=2000-06-30
accessdate=2008-02-18] The map is initially composed of blank hexes, although additional cardboard hexes can be placed to alter the printed terrain and recreate a wide variety of battles, as per scenario instructions. The game manual includes fifteen official scenarios (battles) and Avalon Hill published three extra scenarios, called "The Jackson Campaign", for the Origins 2000 and Gen Con 2000 conventions.

Players command a variety of units: infantry, cavalry, and artillery. Each unit is composed of a varying number of plastic figures. During each turn, players alternate playing cards from their hands. These cards allow a player to activate a number of units on a specified flank-left, center, or right. Attacks are made by rolling a number of dice, depending on the attacking unit and any defensive terrain. Each six-sided die is labeled with each unit symbol; if the rolled symbol matches the target's unit type, a single figure is removed.

The player who scores the required number of victory points, as determined by the scenario instructions, is the winner.

The same game mechanics were later used in "Memoir '44" and "Battle Lore", published by Days of Wonder, and in "", published by GMT Games.

According to reviewer J.C. Connors "Battle Cry"'s simplicity means that s who cut their teeth on past Avalon Hill games ... will probably find themselves unsatisfied. It's not a historical simulation ... a particular strategy that worked in real life might not be possible. But "Battle Cry" isn't meant to reflect those things -- it's meant to be a fast battle game with a historical flavor."

"Battle Cry" won the 2001 International Gamers Award for "General Strategy, 2-Player" category. [cite web
url=http://www.internationalgamersawards.net/viewarticle.php?action=more&articleid=7
title=2001 International Gamers Awards Finalists and Recipients
accessdate=2008-02-18]

Milton Bradley game

The title, "Battle Cry", was also used for a 1961 Civil War board game produced by the Milton Bradley Company as part of their popular "American Heritage" series, which was reprinted in the 1970s.

References

External links

* from Wizards of the Coast
*
* [http://www.boardgamegeek.com/file/1269/Battle%20Cry%20-%20The%20Jackson%20Campaign.pdf "The Jackson Campaign"] at BoardGameGeek
* [http://www.thewargamer.com/BattleCry/ "Battle Cry" website]
* [http://grognard.com/reviews1/batcry.txt "Battle Cry" reviews] at grognard.com