Weird War ACW?

[Rick]

Just curious, but has anyone ever produced a weird war wargame set in the American Civil War? I know Deadlands, the Silver Bayonet and Tombstone edge into the 'Weird Old West' genre but I was wondering if someone had done a set of rules specifically for a 'Weird ACW' game?

[Cholmondely Percival IV]

Dracula’s America by Osprey comes closest, as far as I’m aware, though as with most Wild West games it’s set in the aftermath of the war. I’ve not played it but imagine it should be easy enough to alter the setting slightly.

[v_lazy_dragon]

Not Weird as in 'zombies and werewolves', but super-science ACW is definitely a sub-species of Victorian Science Fiction (VSF); there is a dedicated ACW scenario book for GASLIGHT, and Brigade Games did a supporting figure range for it

[Rick]

Actually, rather than simply adding 'zombies and werewolves' I was thinking of something more like 'A War Transformed' with a mix of American and European mythology. I can see the potential of several different factions, not just 'North against South' and different 'flavour' of mythology for the different factions. Could be a lot of potential there.

[Ultravanillasmurf]

Looking at the figure ranges, Dracula's America has plenty of local mythology,  plus add some Silver Bayonet for both.

[Keeper Nilbog]

There was a Kickstarter a while (several years) ago that was based around a "Weird Wild West/ACW", but I think it didn't fund (I know I chose not to back).
And I'm surprised nobody has mentioned "Wild West Exodus" - not exactly ACW, but ball park and has both Union and Confederate, along with First Nation options.

[Daeothar]

Some movies for inspiration: 'Jonah Hex' and 'Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter' both exploit this subject matter in (approximately) the correct timeframe

[Rick]

I did have a brief look at 'Wild West Exodus' a little while ago but it just didn't appeal to me for some reason. I've been playing some form of VSF since Frank Chadwick's 'Space 1899' series came out - I liked that approach but some of the more recent steampunk offerings haven't appealed - perhaps a little too far down the rabbit hole!

[Mac Finn]

Hiya Rick
Deadlands made a (large) skirmish rules set for the Great Rail Wars, which was the Weird West in their universe for the Deadlands RPG. If you were a fan of the RPG, the game was appealing but a little clunky.

I would also suggest In Her Majesty's Name as you can easily adapt it to the genre and timeline and include (or not) magic, Steam power, Europeans , Etc...

[HerbertTarkel]

Dracula’s America is lots of fun, I have the 3(?) books for it, and it’s well put together.

[swiftnick]

I like Dracula's America! It is a great skirmish game. Just the thing for confederate zombies.

[carlos marighela]

There's a weird war version of the ACW available over on TMP. You do have to piece the rules together from various threads (look particularly for threads posted by 'Doc McBain' or 35th OVI*). Fortunately it's repeated so regularly and so often it's easy to get the gist by opening almsot any random thread.

Basically, it runs like this. The Confederates are in reality just a bunch of misunderstood, bleeding heart civil rights activists forced in to war by their love of something (never quite defined) called 'states' rights'. These 'states' rights' are sort of Holy Grail with added super powers of moral suasion to anyone that falls under their powers.

Slavery still exists but it is in no way the causus belli of this struggle and it exists in a very different way. In TMP Alternate ACW slavery is very popular amongst the enslaved. The good thing about this alternate ACW is that it allows you to recycle classic Hollywood tropes from Birth of a Nation through to Gone With the Wind. You can also use the archaic term 'negroes' as often as you like without fear of offence, as this is a historical term.

There are also cultist types, folks dressed up in white sheets with heroic leaders like Nathan Bedford Forrest. It's a very different type of cultist though, their white sheets denote good rather than evil and signifies their commitment to advancing the development of their 'negroes' under their benevolent tutelage.

If you kill a cult leader or any significant Confederate officer a magical statue springs up where they fell and this immediately dispels 'wokeness' another undefined term that seems to be the motivating force for the Union side. Indeed, the whole causus belli of the Union seems to be this desire to enforce 'wokeness' and 'political correctness' across the land.

The 'rebs' are just doing God's Work**.

These magical statues are a major component of the game. I'm not sure if anyone specifically manufactures one but I'm sure there are 54mm ACW officer figures that can be bunged on a plinth and painted to look like bronze statues. Confederate flags are similarly important. They act as kind of death ray to woke liberal Union troops and any uppity 'negro' ungrateful for his or her benevolent treatment.

It's a popular alternative universe these days and its appeal has spread far beyond The Molestor's Page.

 


* 35th Overtly Vulgar Inbreed? Openly Vacuous Idiot? It's never explained but like everything else on TMP Alternate ACW, easily discerned. I do question the 35th bit though, there's definitely more than that out there.

** As communicated to teens at some southern Bible Madrassa.