View source for The English Civil War (board game)

{{Short description|Board game}}
'''''The English Civil War''''' is a board wargame that was published by Philmar in 1978.
==Description==
[[File:Cover_art_for_Philmar_English_Civil_War_board_game.jpg|thumb|right|Box cover art]]''The English Civil War'' is a strategic level wargame simulating the [[English Civil War]],<ref name=bgg /> designed by Roger Sandell and Hartley Patterson.<ref name=dragon27 />
The game differs from most wargames of the time in its distribution of units. In this game, each player must allocate troops to the left wing, centre and right wing. The combat between the cavalry troops in the wings (left versus right, right versus left) are resolved first. If any cavalry units are left, they can then be sent to help in the centre.<ref name=dragon27 />
The game components are:
*  49 cm by 61 cm mounted map
* thin coverstock counters for military units
* 20-page rulebook (The last two pages are removed and used as tactical combat displays)<ref name=bgg />
==Reception==
In the July 1979 edition of ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' (Issue #27), [[Tim Kask]] found the cover art on the box to be "the most wretched piece of artwork I have ever seen on a game box." He was also not a fan of the game counters, finding that they "leave much to be desired, not in their printing, nor even in their coloring." However, Kask found the actual game to be "simple, it has some interesting innovations, plays well, play fairly quickly [...] and has some interesting objectives and mode of play." He concluded with a thumbs up, saying, "I would recommend the game highly to anyone interested in either this period of history or in [...] an interesting area movement game — fast moving, fun to play and easy to pick up."<ref name=dragon27>{{cite journal|last=Kask|first=Tim|authorlink=Tim Kask| date=July 1979 |title=Philmar's The English Civil War: Don't Let the Wretched Box Put You Off |journal=[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]|publisher=[[TSR (company)|TSR, Inc.]]|issue=27|pages=31}}</ref>
Reviewer David Cox was ambivalent about the game, saying, "English Civil War is not the worst game that I have played. Nor is it the ugliest game that I have played. It is probably a reasonable simulation of the war." He found the use of a lot of dice created "a loss of control by the players and luck will play a big role." He concluded that this game would probably be "a must-have item" for English Civil War buffs, but warned others that "If you are looking for an exciting and easy game to play you probably should avoid this one. If you see it cheap in a garage sale by all means purchase it. Then give it to a friend and play it when you go and visit him."<ref name=bgg>{{cite web | url =https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/334300/crowned-heads-versus-roundheads | title = Crowned Heads versus Roundheads | last =Cox
| first =David | date =2008-08-20 | website =BoardGameGeek | access-date =2020-02-29}}</ref>
In the 1977 book ''[[The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming]]'', game critic Charles Vasey called the game "rather long but quite accurate, with a very good tactical module."<ref name=palmer>{{cite book | last =Palmer  | first =Nicholas | authorlink =Nick Palmer | title =The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming | publisher =Sphere Books | date =1977 | location =London | pages =149}}</ref>
==Reviews==
*''[[Games & Puzzles]]'' #74<ref>{{cite web | url=https://boardgamegeek.com/wiki/page/Games_and_Puzzles_magazine | title=Games and Puzzles magazine &#124; Wiki &#124; BoardGameGeek }}</ref>
==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Board games introduced in 1978]]
[[Category:Board wargames set in Modern history]]
[[Category:Wargames introduced in 1978]]