Hello everyone!
I’ve begun work on my new game A Nation Divided. In it, you play a Union Army officer whose leadership is tested when the pivotal Battle of Gettysburg ends in a shock Confederate victory, forcing you to take command of a battered regiment during the desperate flight away from Gettysburg. With the fate of the Union hanging in the balance, you must rebuild your regiment, defend against Lee’s advancing forces, and ultimately help turn the tide of the war despite this historic setback all while ensuring you and the men around you survive to see it to completion.
Expect tough choices, emotional, realistic and gritty writing, immersive battles, choices (both large and small) that have lasting impacts, characters that feel like actual people and a true (or as true as I can get it) representation of what it could’ve been like if things went just a little bit different way back in 1863.
Genderlocked to Male as you’ll be playing a Union Civil War Officer in 1863-1865, however there’s a deep customization to be had with that, in which only a portion is currently implemented.
Summary
You are a Union officer thrust into the crucible of America’s bloodiest conflict. As the Army of the Potomac reels from a devastating defeat at Gettysburg, you rise from company commander to regimental leadership, shouldering the immense burden of command in a war that threatens to tear the nation apart.
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Lead men through the smoke and thunder of battle. Make split-second tactical decisions that determine who lives and who dies as your regiment faces Confederate forces across bullet-swept fields.
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Forge your command philosophy. Will you lead from the front with saber drawn, direct from a position of strategic oversight, or balance both approaches as circumstances demand?
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Shape a regiment in your image. Train your men as agile skirmishers, disciplined defenders, or ferocious shock troops while nurturing the talents of your subordinate officers.
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Navigate the politics of war. Contend with rivalries within the officer corps, manage relationships with superiors, and confront the moral complexities of a conflict that pits American against American.
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Witness history unfold. Experience an alternate Civil War timeline where the Confederacy’s victory at Gettysburg shifts the strategic balance, but the ultimate outcome remains unwritten—and partially in your hands.
Your decisions on and off the battlefield will test your leadership, your courage, and your humanity as you and your men march through the blood-soaked fields of: a nation divided.
Current State
As of 03/04/25: Prologue, Chapters 1-4 of Act 1 playable.
Characters
- Lt. James Winters: Harvard-educated intellectual with a methodical approach to command. He serves as your Executive Officer in Company A at the start of the game. Well-dressed with wire-rimmed spectacles and an impeccable uniform.
- Lt. Samuel Cooper: Practical and straightforward farmer’s son from western Pennsylvania. Serves as a Platoon Leader in your company. Stocky with a thick beard and a practical rather than regulation appearance.
- Sergeant Tobias Lynch: Career soldier with 15 years of service, including the Mexican War. Your First Sergeant with a weather-beaten face and graying temples. Professional, disciplined, and willing to give unvarnished advice.
- Colonel James Preston: Regiment’s commanding officer with a patriotic, authoritative personality. A political appointee with limited military experience but genuine concern for his men. Distinguished with gray at his temples and an aristocratic bearing.
- Lieutenant Colonel Edward Harrington: Regimental Second-in-Command. Professional, steady, and by-the-book but pragmatic. Former militia officer with political connections but genuine courage.
- Colonel Francis Heath: Brigade Commander following command restructuring. Efficient, direct, and focused on mission accomplishment.
- Colonel Peter Hox: Commander of the 15th Massachusetts Infantry. West Point graduate with an aristocratic bearing and tradition-bound approach.
- Captain William Bishop: Company D Commander who is politically astute, calculating, and ambitious. Former merchant from Massachusetts with political connections.
- Captain Marcus Walton: Company C Commander known for being aggressive, brave to a fault, and innovative. Former New York firefighter who organized his station to enlist after Fort Sumter.
- Captain Marcus Reynolds: Company E Commander who is determined, quietly courageous, and paternal toward his men. Small-town sheriff from Pennsylvania who raised a company from his county.
- Lieutenant Jackson Parker: Young officer with an earnest personality, anxious to prove himself. Son of a country doctor, educated at a small college in New York.
RO's
- Henry Wilkes: Young political aide with carefully calculated charm. Senator Fairchild’s right hand, he navigates Washington’s corridors of power with the practiced ease of someone who understands that influence flows through committee clerks more often than decorated generals. Impeccably dressed, perfectly groomed, with an uncanny ability to measure a person’s value to his patron at first glance.
- Clara Emley: Head nurse at Armory Square Hospital with Irish roots and mathematical precision. Her red hair escapes practical confinement as she manages the ordered chaos of wounded soldiers with unflinching directness. She categorizes battlefield injuries with the same efficiency she assesses visitors, her clinical detachment balanced by unexpected philosophical depth.
- Elizabeth “Libby” Harrison: Sanitary Commission volunteer carrying both a Harvard professor’s daughter’s intellect and a fallen officer’s widow’s determination. Brown hair arranged with elegant simplicity frames a face dominated by perceptive eyes that miss nothing. She navigates Washington’s administrative labyrinth with remarkable effectiveness, her analytical mind concealing occasional glimpses of vulnerability beneath professional competence.
Changelog
- 03/08/25: Chapter 5 first draft, Chapter 4 and 3 improvements, first RO intros ~196k words
- 03/06/25: Chapter 3, Chapter 4 first drafts ~140k words
- 03/04/25: Chapter 1 rewrite, Chapter 2 first draft ~100k words
- 03/01/25: Initial Act 1, Chapter 1 draft ~76k words
- 02/27/25: Prologue fleshing / expansion ~66k words
- 02/25/25: Prologue update ~41k words
- 02/24/25: Initial Posting, ~28k words (I think)
To play the demo, go here: CoGDemos
Please let me know any and all feedback, this is a dream of mine that I’ve spent way too much time thinking about over the years and I’ve finally grown as a writer (and person) to the point in which I’m ready to tackle it completely. I’m excited to share this journey with you all!
quick question though is the conversation with morris and parting ways the current end of the demo? If so i might suggest putting end point cause i currently have a endless loading at that spot when i try to go to next page.