Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Scales well
Deep strategy
How it plays
How does it play?
"Hold the Line: The American Civil War" is a block wargame that uses modified rules from the Hold the Line wargame system.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Action Points
Spend a limited allowance of points across several possible actions each turn.
Dice Rolling
Roll dice to introduce uncertainty into actions, production, movement, or resolution.
Hexagon Grid
Use a hexagonal map where each space connects evenly in six directions.
Line of Sight
Visibility between pieces determines valid targets, movement, or effects.
Simulation
Model a real or imagined system through detailed cause-and-effect rules.
Read the full game description
"Hold the Line: The American Civil War" is a block wargame that uses modified rules from the Hold the Line wargame system. Infantry, artillery, cavalry, leaders, and even gunboats are deployed on the game board allowing players to refight great battles from the American Civil War. The game comes with a game board and terrain tiles so you can set up and play one of the 12 included scenarios or create your own. Each turn players receive a fixed number of action points based on the historical leaders. They then roll a die which adds a random number of action points. During each of their turns they spend these action points to move, fire, close combat, or rally their units, all with the goal of eliminating enemy units and/or capturing terrain objectives leading them to victory. A new morale system enhances the Hold the Line system even deeper while maintaining simplicity. Units are either green, veteran, or elite. During close combat a special morale die is rolled to determine if the units runs following close combat. The game comes with a large mounted board, terrain tiles, blue blocks with labels, gray blocks with labels, dice, rules, and scenarios. Complexity 3 Playing Time 1 to 2 hours per battle, 2 players.