Over the Hills

Let the computer do the work whilst you enjoy the game. English Computer Wargames present computer moderated Wargames Rules now covering the period, 1600 to 1789, Over the Hills... is a suite of three programmes providing pretty well all you need to wargame the Age of Enlightenment, bar a wargames table and figures.

Army Creation	Battle Management Program	Campaign Program
Firstly, the Army Creation and Campaign programme which provides 352 Army Lists ! combining over 5,000 different troop types. (to see printed versions of sample Army Lists, follow the hyperlink above...). This enables you to create the army of your choice by providing historical templates as a base. The template produces a standard unit of the chosen type, equipped with the correct weaponry, adopting the historical drill and reflecting appropriate firepower, aggression, confidence and steadiness. Having chosen a unit, if you disagree with the template or wish to illustrate a particular incident then you are able to change its’ attributes as you wish. Using the standard templates, the construction of even large armies can be accomplished very quickly. To save you having to think up large numbers of names for officers or units in divers foreign tongues, the game includes an Auto-name function storing several million names in 36 different languages.		After the battle you can return to the Campaign Programme to work out the results of the conflict. Ammunition is replenished and order restored. On the winning side the wounded and malingerers return to duty, whilst amongst the losers, neglected wounded die and the disheartened sling away. All troops gain experience, but naturally the effects on the winners are more beneficial than on the losers. The Campaign Programme is of course replete with Courts Marshal, medals and decorations, re-training and re-equipping, strategic and grand tactical movement and all sorts of horrible diseases. After the battle can you execute that fool who led your reserve to the slaughter without your orders ? Or is his influence at court too great. Would anyone object if you awarded your illegitimate son the Croix d’ Or or would they notice that he spent most of the battle hiding under his coach ? If you get it right, you will have a better, happier more loyal army.... if you get it wrong, your personal prestige and control of the Army will suffer.
*Weapons* The game covers over 230 different small arms and 160 different artillery pieces in use during the period. For example: The leBourgeoys Mosquette, a flintlock already available in 1660. Rate of fire 2RPM. Effective range 30yds. long range 300yds. Efficiency 78%.	The Battle programme allows you to array your troops in their historical formations to face the foe. You then act as a General, issuing orders to your Brigadiers and they to their Brigades. Whether your troops will accept the orders or not depends on the command control rating of your army and individual units and on the abilities of your officers. These will all vary with nationality and time period. Your men approach the enemy and commence the slaughter with a bewildering variety of weapons, firing steady volleys of musket shot, loosing divers cannon balls and bags of canister with astoundingly different levels of competence. As the battle rages, command control rears its’ ugly head with increasing frequency, as cowards refuse to advance and rash popinjays launch your carefully husbanded reserves in death or glory charges. All morale tests are conducted automatically for you as the ammunition is expended and the charges are launched. If their nerve holds they will then slash wildly with sabres, stab with lances or jab away with their trusty bayonets until one side gives way.	*Administration* Finally there is a Staff Programme to enable you to merge files, create new Column or Wing structures and move individual units or whole Columns from one file to another. You may also, similarly move officers about and generally re-organise your forces as you want them.
*Formations* The formations available to the various troop types reflect the evolving shape of warfare as the century progressed. For instance, French Infantry begin the period drawn up 8 ranks deep and progress to 5, then 4 and eventually 3, as their firepower increases. Austrian Cavalry include amongst their repertoire, Cavalry Square. Apparently, so much in awe were they of the wild Turkish sabres that they formed hollow squares whilst mounted, and planted boar-spears to form a protective hedge. From this fortress, in theory, they delivered a steady fire of carbines to drive off their foes !		The scope of Over the Hills...encompasses all the Wars of the European Powers from the Wars of Louis IVX to the Seven Years War and the American War of Independence. It also cover Colonial conflicts in the New World, Africa and Asia. But why then restrict yourself to the Europeans ? The game also covers the Wars of African Kings and Asian Potentates. For example, chart the rise to power of the Asantehene on the Gold Coast, the Wars of the Poligars and Tangorenes of the Vijaynagar Remnants, or the conquest of Persia by the Afgan, Nadir Shah.

Now expanded to cover the English Civil Wars and Thirty Years War and other 17th Century conflicts

In short, we provide all that you would expect for the complete 18^th Century experience (except the butt of Dry Sack). The Age of La Grand Turenne, of Marlborough and Frederick the Great, Charles XII and George Washington lies open before you.

Over the Hills... for the PC. requires a 286 processor, or better, EGA graphics or better and 4meg of RAM. .

Reason in the Age of Warfare !