Secession 1861

Secession 1861 is a fun, three-part solitaire game: the Early War which leads to Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, then the Mid War followed by Lincoln’s reelection effort, then the Late War. You win by having enough success that Lincoln is defeated in 1864, or holding out until an exhausted Federal government gives up its efforts. Oh, you could also seize Washington and dictate terms from the White House! The game comes with a 12 page, richly illustrated game manual (4 pages of “core rules”), a 8.5" x 11" card stock two-sided tactical “Battle Board”, with separate instructions, 89 two-sided, pre-rounded 5/8" game counters representing the Northern armies and the storied brigades and divisions of the Union and Confederacy (the “Iron Brigade” rides again!), 3 decks of game cards for the Early War, Mid War, and Late War periods, and 2 dice – blue and grey, of course!

A 12 page game manual walks you through how to play the game, starting with 4 pages of “Core Rules”. The way to learn the game is to simply familiarize yourself with the “Core Rules”, then reference the 8 pages of “Game Details” when the action dictates you do so. All Fortress Games are designed to ‘jump right in’, but undoubtedly none more so than Secession 1861.

The game also comes with a a 4 page fold-out instruction on how to conduct battles on the tactical “Battle Board”, where the storied units of the war ride again, from “Hood’s Texans” to the “Iron Brigade”. There is no better way to race toward Victory than to triumph in the war’s big battles!