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?
The Lost Cause: The American Civil War: 1861 - 1865 (States of Siege #4) from the publishers website: After the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860, State after State in America’s “Deep South” seceded from the Union that the North felt must be preserved.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Action Points
Spend a limited allowance of points across several possible actions each turn.
Campaign Card Play
Play cards to command conflicts and carry consequences through a campaign.
Dice Rolling
Roll dice to introduce uncertainty into actions, production, movement, or resolution.
Chit-Pull System
Draw tokens to determine which units, factions, or events activate next.
Point-to-Point Movement
Move along explicit connections between named locations or nodes.
Solo / Solitaire Game
Provide rules and objectives designed for a single player.
Read the full game description
The Lost Cause: The American Civil War: 1861 - 1865 (States of Siege #4) from the publishers website: After the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860, State after State in America’s “Deep South” seceded from the Union that the North felt must be preserved. In the ensuing war, brother fought brother as the Confederacy resisted with all its might for over four years in The Lost Cause. This States of Siege solitaire game puts you in the shoes of Jefferson Davis and the Confederate High Command as the Union armies close in from five different directions. With famous Generals like Lee and Johnston leading armies for their new nation, much of the conflict also takes place on the waterways and in the halls of power of foreign governments. Told through the use of Headline and Broadsheet Event cards, history unfolds before your eyes as you direct the Southern war effort on land, sea, the diplomatic and home fronts, in an effort to secure independence and survive as a nation. Can you organize the Confederacy and devise the plans necessary to secure victory? Can you make the best use of scarce Southern resources, allocating them at the right place and time to preserve the Confederacy? Or will relentless Union pressure make it all a Lost Cause? Game Data: Number of Players: 1 Ages: 14 and up Playing Time: approx. 1 (Basic Game) to 1 1/2 hours (Advanced Game) Complexity: 3.5 (Basic Game) or 5 (Advanced Game) on a 9 scale Solitaire Suitability: 9 on a 9 scale Scale: Each unit is one Union Army or Civil War Leader, and each turn is one month Game Components: • One 11” x 17” color Basic game map • One 11” x 17” color Advanced game map • One 8-page, color Basic Game Rules booklet • One 6-page, color Advanced Game Rules booklet • 32 color, die-cut 5/8” mounted game pieces • 24 color, die-cut 3/4” mounted game pieces • 48 (total) ‘Headline’ and 'Broadsheet' cards • One 8.5” x 5.5” color player aid mat • One page of designers notes and extensive examples of play