Clash of Wills Game

“Clash of Wills-Shiloh 1862” is a two-player game pitting the Union forces against the Confederates. The game board reflects the actual battlefield in southwestern Tennessee, with the Union army positioned around Pittsburg Landing and the Rebel army defending the Roads to Corinth. The game includes 74 military counters, including infantry, cavalry, both leader and veteran units and a pair of Union gunboats. In addition, 55 cards are included that can be strategically played, along with two sets of 6 dice used by each player. The colorful rulebook nicely mixes text with photos and examples, so that the game can be played very quickly. As was the case in the actual battle, the Union military far outnumbers the Confederates, and this fact is reflected in the game by the relative number and strength of the competing military units. The South, as in the actual battle, has their best opportunities on day 1 of the engagement, when surprise is a key factor. The North gets their act together and shows their true colors on day 2 of the battle. The game is designed such that either side (player) can win the battle (game), depending on the strategy employed and a bit of luck. Each player sets up their military units on the game board as described in the rules. Then, the battle begins. The Confederate player goes first, and is allowed to roll 4 of his 6 dice to start his turn on day 1 of the battle. The Union player can only roll 2 of his 6 dice to start his turn on day 1 of the battle. However, the tables are turned on day 2 of the battle, when the Union player can roll 4 of his dice and the Confederate player can roll only 3 dice. The more dice rolled on each turn greatly increases the odds for success as the game progresses.