Fury in the West
| Game | Fury in the West | Complexity | Low-Medium |
| Company | Avalon Hill | Time | 3+ hours |
| Period | American Civil War | Solitaire | Medium |
| Type | Battle | Rating | 7 |
Background
Fury in the West is a recreation of the Battle of Shiloh during the American Civil War.
On April 6 1862, 45,000 Confederates (Army of Mississippi) surprise 49,000 Union troops (Army of Tennessee) at Shiloh church. Despite superior numbers, the Union troops were scattered in various camps.
In the initial confusion, Confederate troops threw back the Union defences and attacked towards Pittsburgh Landing on the Tennessee River, as the Federals scrambled to stop them.
By nightfall, the Confederates were still short of Pittsburgh Landing.
During the night, the Federals were reinforced by the arrival of a fresh Union army (Army of Ohio). April 7 saw a reverse in roles as the Federals counterattacked and retook ground lost during the first day.
Fury in the West makes for an interesting afternoon of gaming, as both players need to attack and defend.
Game Mechanics and Components
Playing pieces represent infantry brigades, artillery batteries, cavalry squadrons and commanders.
Infantry and artillery units have variable strength points, which represent the effective combat strength of the unit. Cavalry units have a single strength point.
Strength points can be lost during combat. In addition, infantry units lose strength points through stragglers whenever they move. Stragglers can be recovered by staying stationary throughout movement. Losses through combat are permanent. A unit which lost all its strength points is eliminated.
The centerpiece of the game is of course the infantry units. They have reasonable combat strength, and unlike the artillery (see below), they can advance into enemy ZOC.
Artillery units are as useful as infantry in defensive positions. However they may not advance into an enemy ZOC, and therefore, have limited uses in the attack.
Commanders enhance the performance of units through increased movement points to infantry as well as a favourable combat modifier. The increased movement rate will ensure that a unit reaches its destination faster. More importantly, it also reduce straggling losses and therefore, the time needed to rest the unit before it is sent into battle.
Victory
Victory is determined by victory points. VPs are awarded for the elimination of enemy strength points, with bonuses for elimination of entire enemy units; and control of specific sites on the mapboard.