Like this fall’s Hinterland, there are some interface issues that can interfere with the immersion and there isn’t enough variety in terrain or missions. But this is a good game at a good price and the two titles both point to a reasonable secure future for Tilted Mill’s new mid-size games plan.
If you go into Mosby‘s expecting a wargame, you will be greatly disappointed. The real time battle stuff is more light action RPG than tactical masterpiece. You are best served by making good use of your soldiers’ skills and you will choose missions based on what you can afford and what you can gain. I like the light strategy layer very much, and the two modes are so well integrated that you can easily forgive where the battle engine gets tedious.
A word of warning. There is a steep jump in difficulty once 1864 rolls around. Things are running smoothly and then you are no longer surrounded by Yankee cowards. You will be outmanned and outgunned, so use the early months to practice sneaking up and killing the Union troops as quickly and painlessly as you can. Scouting is essential, as is a well timed saber strike from an expendable horseman.
I was less optimistic:
http://jaguarusf.blogspot.com/2008/12/mosbys-confederacy-review.html
Although I was very excited about Mosby’s Confederacy when it was first announced, I have to confess that I haven’t bought it due to the overwhelmingly negative feedback, in the middle of a season swamped with good games.
Hinterland was just this side of “good enough” for me, and by most accounts MC is considerably worse. Yours is the first good review I’ve seen. Cheap or not, I think Tilted Mill needs to add some polish to their games.
Yeah, I’m pretty confident my opinion will be in a solid minority, Chris. Where many games are repetitive, Mosby’s is blatantly so. Plus, I think the audience drawn to the title is probably expecting something completely different; I know that I was.
But the game builds up a nice tension, especially once you learn how steep the climb will be at the end. It is sometimes tempting to start over and see if you can get the ideal A-Team operating out of a single village. And then Mosby dies. Game over.