Battleground 7: Bull Run
Encyclopedia
Battleground 7: Bull Run is a turn-based strategy
computer game developed by TalonSoft
in 1997, the seventh issue in the popular Battleground series. It simulated combat at the 1861 First Battle of Bull Run
and the 1862 Second Battle of Bull Run
, using both a video version of miniature wargaming
and board gaming
. Terrain hex maps are 3D
or 2D
with various scales and sizes.
The basic platform for the Battleground series involves individual infantry
and cavalry
regiment
s, artillery
batteries, and commanders. All are rated for strength, firepower, weaponry, morale, and movement. As a unit takes fire, it may become fatigued, disordered, or routed to the rear. Players compete against the computer's artificial intelligence
or against another player via modem. Players may try a variety of individual scenario
s, or refight the entire battle of First or Second Bull Run (known as Manassas in the South
). A Fog of War
option enhances playing against the computer, as it hides units that are not in direct view of the enemy.
The game features video clips of battle reenactments
, as well as Civil War
music by folk singer Bobby Horton.
Turn-based strategy
A turn-based strategy game is a strategy game where players take turns when playing...
computer game developed by TalonSoft
TalonSoft
TalonSoft was a Baltimore, Maryland-based computer game developer founded in 1995 by Jim Rose and John Davidson. The company specialized in wargames; many of its releases were acclaimed within the wargaming community....
in 1997, the seventh issue in the popular Battleground series. It simulated combat at the 1861 First Battle of Bull Run
First Battle of Bull Run
First Battle of Bull Run, also known as First Manassas , was fought on July 21, 1861, in Prince William County, Virginia, near the City of Manassas...
and the 1862 Second Battle of Bull Run
Second Battle of Bull Run
The Second Battle of Bull Run or Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, as part of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of an offensive campaign waged by Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia against Union Maj. Gen...
, using both a video version of miniature wargaming
Miniature wargaming
Miniature wargaming is a form of wargaming that incorporates miniature figures, miniature armor and modeled terrain as the main components of play...
and board gaming
Board game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
. Terrain hex maps are 3D
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
or 2D
2D computer graphics
2D computer graphics is the computer-based generation of digital images—mostly from two-dimensional models and by techniques specific to them...
with various scales and sizes.
The basic platform for the Battleground series involves individual infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
and cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
s, artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
batteries, and commanders. All are rated for strength, firepower, weaponry, morale, and movement. As a unit takes fire, it may become fatigued, disordered, or routed to the rear. Players compete against the computer's artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
or against another player via modem. Players may try a variety of individual scenario
Scenario
A scenario is a synoptical collage of an event or series of actions and events. In the Commedia dell'arte it was an outline of entrances, exits, and action describing the plot of a play that was literally pinned to the back of the scenery...
s, or refight the entire battle of First or Second Bull Run (known as Manassas in the South
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
). A Fog of War
Fog of war
The fog of war is a term used to describe the uncertainty in situation awareness experienced by participants in military operations. The term seeks to capture the uncertainty regarding own capability, adversary capability, and adversary intent during an engagement, operation, or campaign...
option enhances playing against the computer, as it hides units that are not in direct view of the enemy.
The game features video clips of battle reenactments
American Civil War reenactment
American Civil War reenactment is an effort to recreate the appearance of a particular battle or other event associated with the American Civil War by hobbyists known as Civil War reenactors or Civil War recreationists...
, as well as Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
music by folk singer Bobby Horton.