Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)

About

"Grand Tactician: The Civil War " is a real-time strategy game that combines a strategic campaign with tactical battle game-play, allowing players to choose their side in the American Civil War and participate in historical battles. The game features five campaign scenarios, twenty stand-alone battles, and the ability to change history through various what-if scenarios. Players must manage and support great armies, maneuver them to defeat the enemy, and consider the morale of their citizens.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865) screenshot

+16

75%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,837 reviews

gameplay46 positive mentions

stability138 negative mentions

The game offers a unique blend of grand strategy and tactical battles, providing a comprehensive experience of the American Civil War.
The attention to historical detail is impressive, with customizable units, realistic supply chains, and a deep economic system.
The developers are responsive to community feedback and actively work on updates and improvements, enhancing the overall gameplay experience.

The AI is often inconsistent and can behave irrationally, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
The user interface is clunky and can be difficult to navigate, making it hard for players to manage their armies and resources effectively.
The game is plagued by bugs and performance issues, particularly during large battles, which can detract from the overall enjoyment.

gameplay
244 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
74%
7%
Gameplay in this title is characterized by a steep learning curve due to its complex and often unintuitive mechanics, which include unique features like order delays and a detailed economic system. While many players appreciate the depth and historical accuracy, they also express frustration with bugs, clunky interfaces, and AI issues that can disrupt the experience. Overall, the game shows potential for engaging strategic and tactical gameplay, but it requires significant refinement to reach its full potential.
- “The gameplay mechanics are quite in-depth and intriguing too.”
- “From the gorgeous maps, interface & soundtracks which will get you immersed to the actual game mechanics with order delays, feuds, and national morale, this game will make you feel like you are actually handing out orders to officers and their men.”
- “This game has a lot of potential; I found many of the mechanics of the game exciting and immersive in the civil war experience, such as the creation of avatars, the new character campaign mode, and the battle for foreign recognition for the CSA.”
- “It takes forever to learn how to play the game since there are a lot of game mechanics that are not intuitive.”
- “The tutorial is completely useless, and there is no rhyme or reason to any of the mechanics.”
- “At the moment this game is almost unplayable: the AI just isn't working, some mechanics aren't really working as well or are just way too clunky.”
graphics
165 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
67%
12%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players noting that they appear outdated, often likening them to titles from the 90s or early 2000s. While some appreciate the aesthetic and detail in certain aspects, such as the campaign maps, others criticize the battle graphics for being subpar and poorly optimized, leading to performance issues during large engagements. Overall, while the visuals may not meet modern standards, they are considered adequate by some players who prioritize gameplay over graphical fidelity.
- “This is a truly beautiful game as I am going to call it, strictly on the aesthetic level.”
- “The graphics are beautiful in that everything was crisp.”
- “The graphics and detail are stupendous.”
- “At the highest zoom level, the graphics are from the 90s.”
- “The graphics are a pathetic joke.”
- “The concept is amazing, but what we got was essentially mid-1990s graphics, AI, and mechanics for a 2021 game.”
stability
145 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
95%
The game is widely criticized for its numerous bugs and glitches, which significantly impact gameplay and user experience. Many players report issues with AI behavior, unit controls, and overall stability, leading to frustration and a sense that the game is not worth its price tag. While some acknowledge the game's potential and the developers' responsiveness to feedback, the consensus is that it remains a "buggy mess" in its current state, particularly for an early access title.
- “In any case, it's not that buggy and vastly surpassed by the superlative design and the effort of the devs to update and upgrade.”
- “The best part is that the developers are always answering questions and responding to issues with the game very quickly, so I would not worry about bugs in the long term.”
- “If one is expecting a polished, bug-free experience, I would wait; some things such as save slots or mid-battle saves aren't yet implemented and that is a deal breaker for some.”
- “The game is a buggy mess.”
- “Unfortunately, the game can be quite buggy as I've lost an entire Confederate campaign save when a battle I was playing didn't load past the battle results screen.”
- “It's buggy, glitchy, crashes 50% of the time you try and load into something, and the most uninformative extensive manual ever.”
music
78 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
45%
5%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its authenticity and ability to immerse players in the Civil War era. While some find the soundtrack delightful and well-suited to the game's historical context, others criticize its repetitiveness and limited selection, suggesting that it can become annoying over extended play. Overall, the soundtrack is often highlighted as a strong point, contributing positively to the game's atmosphere despite some technical shortcomings.
- “The soundtrack is superb and you'll learn to love the fiddle.”
- “The music captures the period very well.”
- “The music is very nice, authentic civil war music that I actually keep on a lot of the time, unlike many strategy games.”
optimization
70 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
60%
27%
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with players reporting severe performance issues, particularly during large battles, resulting in low frame rates and frequent stuttering. Despite some updates showing minor improvements, many users feel that the game remains unacceptably buggy and poorly optimized for a title at its price point, often requiring significant mods to address core issues. Overall, the consensus is that substantial optimization work is still needed to enhance gameplay and performance.
- “With the recent update, graphics and optimization are much better; still rough around the edges and not anywhere near done, but it's a fantastic game overall.”
- “This game could definitely be optimized better and some bugs worked out, but it is very enjoyable so far.”
- “Probably the biggest issue in the current state is the optimization of the game.”
- “Should a game that is marketed at triple-A price and remains an unoptimized slog be judged by a mod that adjusts nearly every core gameplay system?”
- “Totally unacceptably bad performance to the point that it negates whatever gameplay it may offer.”
- “Currently there are glimpses of great things to come, but it’s too buggy, poorly optimized, and not intuitive enough to keep me coming back for more.”
replayability
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
55%
14%
The game's replayability is a mixed bag; while it offers numerous alternative historical paths and strategic choices that enhance replay value, some players find the inherent limitations of the conflict and AI challenges reduce overall replayability. Many appreciate the depth and variety in campaigns and decision-making, but others feel that the game could benefit from further refinement and additional options to fully realize its potential. Overall, it has significant replayability, especially for those interested in exploring different scenarios and strategies.
- “The game has great replayability by allowing for ahistorical but plausible paths such as British intervention on either side, industrializing the South, a more strongly abolitionist North, or what if the US took Cuba before the war and it seceded with the Confederacy?”
- “Excellent replayability, with numerous decisions on many levels.”
- “It has major replayability and you'll learn a lot of Civil War history just by playing this game.”
- “Inherent limited replayability due to the nature of the represented conflict, which does not allow for a lot of variations in tactics or strategy.”
- “For this reason, the replayability suffers.”
- “You will have a large amount of depth that will be before you; I really only wish there were more options for replayability, the Union is a walkover and the South is a joke.”
grinding
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
95%
Players frequently describe the grinding aspect of the game as tedious and frustrating, often exacerbated by numerous bugs and a lack of clarity in gameplay mechanics. While some find enjoyment in the game's depth and strategic elements, many feel that the repetitive nature of battles and the AI's behavior contribute to a long-term grind that detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the game requires significant time investment and patience, which may not appeal to all players.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “However, the game has significant issues: numerous bugs make playing tedious and, at times, outright frustrating.”
- “It's not a challenge, but it does become a tedious exercise.”
- “There is a long-term grindy feel to it, and from the beginning the devs have told us this; it is more a game where you sit down with your coffee and do some thinking.”
story
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
67%
17%
The game's story is primarily a backdrop to its gameplay, allowing players to choose their backstory and influence the narrative through military and political decisions. While it incorporates elements like newspaper snippets and character interactions, some players find the repetitive nature of battles detracts from the overall storytelling experience. Overall, it offers a blend of historical context and player-driven narrative, appealing to those interested in the civil war theme.
- “I really love the idea of being able to choose the backstory before the campaign.”
- “The management and tactics portion are rather vast with sections including the military, policies, and finances which affects how the story plays out.”
- “There are some tidbits of newspapers with events that occur during the story which are fun to read as well.”
- “Even though it also is basically just a map with story elements.”
- “It's really boring after a while to fight the 18th battle of Missionary Ridge even if the conditions for engagement are always different every time; this isn't World War I.”
- “If you're looking for a bit of story with your Civil War game?”
atmosphere
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
70%
10%
20%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its beautiful graphics, immersive soundtrack, and depth, creating an engaging experience for players. While many enjoy the overall ambiance, some note that the presentation of information could be improved for better accessibility. Overall, the atmosphere significantly enhances the enjoyment of the gameplay.
- “Beautiful atmospheric music and sound effects.”
- “Only a few hours into my first 1861 campaign, there is a great atmosphere and feeling in the game (especially when the music plays).”
- “The real reason to embrace this simulation is the atmosphere.”
- “Ambitious with tons of depth and atmosphere.”
humor
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
89%
33%
The humor in the game is derived from its numerous bugs and AI mishaps, which often lead to absurd and comical situations, such as artillery units blindly charging into enemy lines or naval squadrons getting stuck in mountains. While the developers' ambitious efforts are appreciated, the game's complexity and ongoing issues have resulted in a mix of frustration and laughter for players, who find the glitches both entertaining and indicative of the game's overall quality.
- “It's actually hilarious to turn on AI control as your myopic artillerists will simply push their guns right into enemy lines because they can't see them from 10 meters away.”
- “While updates have improved AI as well, some have also buggered it in funny ways, like the most recent.”
- “A kind of funny but at the same time, game-breaking bug, was when a Confederate naval squadron somehow lodged itself firmly into the Appalachian Mountains, while simultaneously finding its way into the Great Lakes, with movement arrows zig-zagging across the entire continental US.”
- “They are making a game that is so overly complicated it's not funny.”
- “The jokes fall flat and feel forced, lacking any real wit.”
- “The humor tries too hard and ends up being cringeworthy instead of funny.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game combines real-time strategy and RPG elements, offering an intellectually stimulating yet emotionally engaging experience. However, the tutorial has been criticized for feeling tedious and reminiscent of unneeded academic lessons, leading to frustration with the developers' perceived complacency and lack of quality.
- “The fusion of real-time strategy and RPG elements creates a gaming experience that is both intellectually stimulating and emotionally engaging.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as a blatant cash grab, with users feeling that it prioritizes profit over quality. Additionally, there is a sentiment that the game's presence on Steam serves as a more effective promotional tool for the Epic Store than the game itself.
- “This game at this point is nothing more than just a cash grab.”