James Allen at Out of Eight Games has written what appears to be the first review of Western Civilization’s Forge of Freedom: The American Civil War. Allen has a firm 5-8 scale (it’s rare for a game to score in the 4 or lower range) and Forge scores a 7. His comments are usually worthy of notice. He’s not a complete fool.
I haven’t played Forge of Freedom yet (too much other stuff to do) but one of Allen’s comments gives me pause.
Forge of Freedom allows the player to tailor how many of the game’s rules they want to have activated. This is probably one of its greatest attributes as it changes how complicated or straightforward you want to game to function. Forge of Freedom includes three pre-set levels of difficulty, but it also allows you to customize each individual setting. Is unit attrition too annoying? Is Fog of War dumb? Don’t care about European intervention? Hate governors? Forge of Freedom allows you adjust 30 different facets of the game. This is unlike Western Civilization Software’s previous game Crown of Glory, where everything in the game was piled on top of you from the beginning. Flexibility is always a good thing in computer games as it allows a single title to appeal to a large range of people. Thus, Forge of Freedom is not just geared to grognards, but also to people who just want to order troops around and not have to worry about supply or unit attrition.
Doesn’t there come a point where too much rule switching reveals a lack of confidence in the game design? If you can ignore 30 facets of a game and still make the game what you want it to be, how crucial are these to the basic game design in the first place? When does flexibility become lack of confidence in the initial design document?
In other words, can a game be too customizable?
“If you can ignore 30 facets of a game and still make the game what you want it to be, how crucial are these to the basic game design in the first place?”
So-called “optional rules” have been almost de rigueur in wargames for decades. It was the solution to the “you didn’t simulate [item]” complaint that wargamers have been making almost since someone discovered that you could recreate wars on a dining room table using cardboard and dice. The difference is that there was always a “core game” onto which you added rules the designers had deemed extraneous or unbalancing but which added some historical flavor or detail. But this:
“Thus, Forge of Freedom is not just geared to grognards, but also to people who just want to order troops around and not have to worry about supply or unit attrition.”
seems like a pretty core game compromise. If two of the fundamental aspects of warfare in the 19th century somehow make the game less enjoyable, it seems that there is something wrong with the way they incorporate them into the design.
Plus, a lot of the extra rules for tabletop wargames meant extra book-keeping – something that computers handle really well. Chrome rules and the like added simulation or difficulty for people who cared about that sort of thing and didn’t mind having a turn take seven minutes longer than it would in the core game.
I think the fact that the game still works with any or all of the changes shows a lot about the game’s design. And I’m glad I’m not a complete fool.
Glad you stopped in, James. Love your blog.
Troy,
I’m still on the Intermediate game, but in this case the ability to turn on and off different rules seems to work really well. As I get into the Advanced game my opinion might change, but I can see what Western Civ was trying to do and I like it.
On another note, while I’m waiting for AGEOD’s new Civil War game, I’ve decided to take the plunge and buy Birth of America based on your posts and several other sites. I’ve been told it really is an excellent game.
Brett S.
ACW Gaming & Reading
Thanks! Oh, and games can score a 4/8….oh yes. Like the Left Behind game, or Star Trek Legacy (which has yet to be posted). I’ve actually given 18 out of 197 (8%), so it is possible and yet so painful at the same time. And I’ve actually given one 3/8 and one 2/8. Yucko!
Brett, you won’t be disappointed in Birth of America. It is a really good game. One of the best wargames of the year. One of the best I’ve seen in a long time.
James, you’ve only used half of your rating scale 8% of the time? Do you just get sent the good games? ;)
Well, an industry average score is about 70% (from Gamerankings), which works out to between a 5/8 and a 6/8, so I based my scale off of that. And I usually specifically request games, rather than being sent a bunch of games from lots of publishers, so I tend to try to get good games to review, although it is fun to review really bad games every once in a while.
I was under the impression that Left Behind was really bad. It isn’t?
Left Behind is really bad…that’s why I gave it a 4/8 (which is really bad for me). Some originality saved it from being a 3/8.
I am thinking seriously of buying Forge! I want the download and the diskette(s). James, what would you advise? Thanks. L3
James do you know what the 3/8 and the 2/8 were?
Oh and from what I’ve seen of this game already there is nothing to be worried about.