The American Civil War
The American Civil War Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- 1.0 Introduction
- 2.0 General Course of Play
- 3.0 Game Equipment
- 4.0 Sequence of Play
- 5.0 Movement
- 6.0 Zones of Control
- 7.0 Stacking and Unit Buildup and Breakdown [Substitution]
- 8.0 Combat
- 9.0 Double-Match
- 10.0 Supply
- 11.0 Command Control and Leadership
- 12.0 Attrition
- 13.0 Cities
- 14.0 Forts
- 15.0 Militia
- 16.0 Reinforcements
- 17.0 Riverine Units
- 18.0 Victory Conditions
- 19.0 How to Set Up and Play the Game: The Scenarios
- OPTIONAL RULES
- 20.0 Game Strategy and Designer's Notes
1.0 Introduction
[1.0] American Civil War is a simulation, on a strategic scale, of the fratricidal War between the States between June 1861 and June 1865. The simulation is primarily of the land conflicts between the North and South with some secondary simulation of the Union Naval and Riverine forces. The game covers the entire war in seasonal turns. Optional scenarios allow Players to simulate the effect of border states changing sides, of European recognition of the Confederacy, and of European intervention in the conflict.
2.0 General Course of Play
[2.0] American Civil War is basically a two-player game. Each Player moves his units and executes attacks on Enemy forces in turn, attempting to fulfill the victory conditions. To move from one land hex to another each army unit expends a portion of its Movement Allowance. Sea Lift Capacity makes the amphibious transfer and supply of Union ground units possible. Union Naval and Riverine units move along river hexsides in simulation of their unique movement capabilities.
Combat is resolved by comparing the total Combat Strength Points of adjacent opposing units and expressing the comparison as a difference between attacker and defender. A die is rolled and the outcome indicated on the Combat Results Table is applied to the forces involved.
There is one basic version of this game using the rules sections 1.0 through 18.0. Additional scenarios may be played modifying the basic rules as noted.
3.0 Game Equipment
3.1 The Game Map
The 22" x 34" mapsheet portrays the south-central and south-eastern portions of the United States in which the significant campaigns of the Civil War took place. A hexagonal grid is superimposed upon the mapsheet to regularize the movement and position of the playing pieces.
3.2 The Playing Pieces
Two differently colored sets of playing pieces are supplied. They are known as "units" and represent formations of the two opposing armies, the Union navy, Union riverine flotillas and Union railway specialists. They are distinguished by "nationality," type and Combat Strength, as represented by the numbers and symbols printed on their faces.
IMPORTANT: Units represent nothing more than a collection of Strength Points of a certain type and "nationality." Like money they are completely interchangeable so long as their type and total value remains the same. Two army units each worth five are the equal of three army units each worth three plus one army unit worth one. Both collections of units represent a force of ten Strength Points and are equal in every way. Players may alter the composition of units on a given hex at any time so long as the Strength Point total of the force in the hex remains constant. See the Stacking Rules for further details.
3.21 Summary of Unit Types
- Army Ground Forces: a unit showing its Combat Strength (the numeral printed on the unit).
- Permanent Garrison: a unit whose Combat Strength is printed in parentheses. It may only defend and may not move or attack.
- Leader: a unit showing a Leader I.D. letter and a Leadership Rating. The labels on the printed unit read "Leader I.D. letter," "Leader," and "Leadership Rating."
- Special Leader (Farragut): a Special Leader unit bearing the name Farragut and a number.
- Fort: a unit bearing the Fort symbol.
- Naval: a unit bearing the Naval symbol.
- Riverine: a unit bearing the Riverine symbol.
- Unsupplied marker: a "U" marker.
- Railroad Repair: a unit marked "US" and "MRR" (the printed label reads "Railroad Repair").
- Union RR Junction marker: a marker bearing the printed triangle symbol (labelled "Union RR Junction marker").
3.22 Definition of Basic Terms
Combat Strength is the basic attacking and defending power of a unit quantified in Combat Strength Points. Units with a Combat Strength of (1) may not attack or move and are placed only in Forts Sumter and Pickens, in accordance with the rules on setting up the game.
Movement Allowance is the basic movement ability of a unit quantified in Movement Points; in most cases a unit expends one Movement Point of its total Movement Point Allowance for each hex entered. Movement Allowances are not printed on the units. The Movement Allowance for all units varies with the Season being played and is indicated on the Turn Record and Reinforcement Chart.
3.3 Game Charts and Tables
The game makes use of various charts and tables as part of its play-system and also to organize data into an easily retrievable form. The use of these graphic aids is explained in the appropriate rules sections. Players should examine the charts and tables on the map and in the rules before reading further in the rules text.
3.4 Game Equipment Inventory
Each game of American Civil War should contain the following components:
- One 22" x 34" game map
- One die-cut counter sheet (200 pieces)
- One rules folder
- One box*
- One die*
*non-subscription version, only.
4.0 Sequence of Play
4.1 The Game-Turn
Each of the Sixteen Game-Turns is split into two Player-Turns. Each Player-Turn is divided into seven Phases. All action must take place in sequence as outlined below or it is illegal and not permitted. The Player whose turn it is is called the Phasing Player.
4.2 Sequence Outline
A. FIRST PLAYER-TURN (normally the Confederate Player)
- Reinforcement Phase. The Phasing Player takes the reinforcements allotted him and places them on the map as outlined in the Reinforcement Rules (no reinforcements on Game-Turn 1).
- Attrition Phase. The Phasing Player eliminates Strength Points from his existing forces as outlined in the Attrition Rules. Note that this Phase is only operative in the third and fourth seasons of every year.
- Command Control Phase. The Phasing Player rolls the die and consults the Command Control chart to determine which army units are active and which units are inactive during his Player-Turn.
- Supply Judgement Phase. The Phasing Player determines which of his units are in supply or out of supply. Place "U" marker on unsupplied units.
- Movement Phase. The Phasing Player may move any or all of his units in any direction subject to the Movement Rules up to the limit of the Seasonal Movement Allowance. Rail, River, and Sea Movement take place during this Phase interchangeably with normal land movement. Double-Match Movement and Combat also take place interchangeably.
- Combat Phase. The Phasing Player executes attacks on adjacent Enemy units as outlined in the Combat Rules.
- Supply Attrition Phase. The Phasing Player eliminates any of his units which have remained unsupplied and are unable to forage. Remove "U"s.
B. SECOND PLAYER-TURN (Union Player)
Repeat Phases One through Seven for the Union Player who becomes the Phasing Player.
C. VICTORY EVALUATION AND LEADER PROMOTION INTERPHASE
- At the conclusion of every Southern Player-Turn, Players should evaluate the territorial situation in light of the victory conditions.
- Leader Promotions can be given as points are accrued, at the end of a Player's Turn or at the end of every Game-Turn, by mutual agreement.
5.0 Movement
Commentary
There are several different and contrasting types of movement that an army unit can execute during a Movement Phase. There is normal or land movement which simulates an army unit on the march, there is rail movement which simulates the effect of moving army formations by rail, and there is sea movement which simulates movement by naval transport.
Naval units have a different system of movement from army units, and riverine units have a unique system of movement when operating on rivers and move like naval units when operating on the sea. And lastly, the USMRR units have a rail movement and a repair movement. All of these types of units with their contrasting movement abilities are moved during the Movement Phase.
There is no set sequence in which a Player must move his varying unit types, i.e., he doesn't need to move all his army units before moving any of his riverine units etc., so long as he strictly obeys the Movement Procedure.
General Rule
During the Movement Phase the Phasing Player may move as many or as few of his "active" units as he desires so long as their Movement Allowance is not exceeded. Unused Movement Points may not be accumulated from Phase to Phase nor transferred from unit to unit. "Active" units are defined as those units which are free to act after the application of the Command Control Rules (11.0). Any aggregation of Strength Points which is moved as one unit or one stack of units is considered a "force" or "formation." Such a "force" must originate in a single common hex.
Procedure
Move each unit or stack of units ("force") tracing the path of movement through the hexagonal grid. Once a force has been moved and the Player's hand withdrawn from that force it may not be moved again during the Movement Phase. Forces must be moved one at a time.
5.1 How to Move Units
[5.11] During the Movement Phase only the Phasing Player's units are moved, with the exception of the non-Phasing Player's units which are retreated in accordance with the rules of the Double-Match option (9.13).
[5.12] Movement is calculated in terms of Movement Points. Units expend Movement Points from their Movement Allowance when moving through the hexagonal grid. The cost to move varies with the terrain entered and traversed and the proximity of Enemy units.
[5.13] A moving "force" may divide into two or more detachments during the execution of its move. Each detachment then would constitute a separate force which could proceed on its own, up to the limit of the Seasonal Movement Allowance after deducting the Movement Points expended before the detachments were created (see 7.0).
Example. Force Z (composed of a 4 Strength Point unit, plus a 2 Strength Point unit, plus a 3 Strength Point unit) starts the Movement Phase in hex A. The Phasing Player moves them together in a stack to hex B expending 11 Movement Points in transit. In hex B he removes the original units and substitutes a 5 Strength Point unit and four 1 Strength Point units. He detaches the 5 Strength Point unit and moves it to hex C expending up to an additional 13 Movement Points (assuming a 24 Movement Point Season). The remaining four 1 Strength Point units are moved in turn to hexes D, E, F, and G respectively.
Detachments in turn may further divide creating sub-detachments so long as every detachment is at least 1 Strength Point. Though a Player's hand may be removed from some of the detachments when moving other detachments, this is not considered a violation of the Movement Procedure since he is in the process of completing the movement of the original force.
[5.14] Once detached, units may never recombine during a Movement Phase for purposes of Movement. They may, however, recombine for purposes of Combat (see 5.15 below).
[5.15] Once a force and all of its detachments and sub-detachments have ceased moving they may not move again during the Movement Phase. A force from hex A may not combine in movement with a force from hex B. This would be a violation of procedure. Forces from different hexes may terminate their respective movements in the same hex and on the subsequent Combat Phase combine their respective strengths in an attack. But a Player may not move force A to hex C, then move force B to hex C, and then proceed to move the combined force A+B to hex D. Force A would have to remain in hex C or move separately.
[5.16] The Movement Allowance is variable; it depends on the quarter of the year (season) as indicated on the Turn Record/Reinforcement Track.
[5.17] No regular combat may take place during the Movement Phase. Only Double-Match Combat is permitted in the Movement Phase. Double-Match Combat is not considered regular combat; it is a type of movement option (see 9.0).
5.2 Movement Inhibitions and Prohibitions
[5.21] Army units may not cross all-sea hexsides or tidal river hexsides except when executing sea movement or with the aid of Riverine units, or at specific ferry points.
[5.22] The effects of terrain, supply and enemy unit's Zone of Control are cumulative and under no circumstance may a unit move to a given hex if it lacks the Movement Points necessary to enter a given hex.
[5.24] A unit may not move directly from one enemy Primary Controlled hex to another Primary Controlled hex unless it has met the requirements of Double-Match movement.
[5.25] Units may freely enter or move through hexes containing other Friendly units. There is no additional Movement Point expense for stacking or unstacking with other Friendly units.
[5.26] Units may not enter a hex containing an Enemy unit except as noted in cases 5.63 and 17.3.
5.3 Seasonal Movement
[5.31] The Turn Record/Reinforcement Chart indicates in what season each Game-Turn is played. The Movement Allowance for all units, land, naval, riverine, and USMRR, is relative to the season (quarter) in progress (1) winter = 16 Movement Points; (2) spring = 24 Movement Points; (3) summer = 24 Movement Points; (4) fall = 20 Movement Points.
5.4 Rail Movement
GENERAL RULE: Both Confederate and Union Army units may move by rail. Units which move by rail may only move along railroads, contiguous rail-hex by contiguous rail-hex (i.e., that are adjacent and connected by a rail line through a common hexside). Units may combine rail movement with normal movement in the same Player-Turn. Units may only move by rail on Friendly or repaired rail lines.
PROCEDURE: Units expend one Movement Point to simulate entraining and one Movement Point to simulate detraining. While moving by rail, units multiply their Movement Allowance by ten and expend one Rail Movement Point for every Railroad hex entered, ignoring all other terrain effects (i.e., Rail Movement consumes one tenth of a normal Movement Point per hex entered).
CASES:
[5.41] The Union Player may move a maximum of three Combat Strength Points by rail per Player-Turn. The Confederate Player may move a maximum of two combat Strength Points by rail per Player-Turn.
[5.42] Units moving by rail may enter but not leave an Enemy Secondary Zone. Units may never enter an Enemy Primary Zone by rail.
[5.43] A unit may entrain and detrain several times during the course of its movement (this is often necessary to cross un-bridged rivers or to get around Enemy units). This action does not count against the Strength Point limits in 5.41 above. A Player may execute as many Rail Movements as he can with any one, two or three (for Union) unique Strength Points.
[5.44] Railroads do not negate terrain for purposes of normal movement. Only those units which are moving by rail are able to ignore intervening terrain. Players should note that there are several points at which railroads are cut by rivers. In order to cross these rivers the entrained unit must detrain, cross the river in normal movement and then entrain again. Depending on the terrain on the trans river hex this action could cost up to nine normal Movement Points (one to detrain, one additional for the river hexside, six for a swamp hex entered, and one to then entrain).
[5.45] Only Army units and USMRR units may use Rail Movement. Riverine and Naval Units may not use Rail Movement.
[5.46] Units moving by rail use the equivalent of one tenth of a normal Movement Point per hex entered. A unit that moves 31 hexes by rail uses 3.1 Movement Points. When calculating the total Movement expense all fractions are rounded up. In the example above, 3.1 Movement Points would count as 4.0 Movement Points.
[5.47] Units must end their Movement Phase detrained. Units may not be left in an entrained pose.
5.5 Terrain Effects Chart (see map)
The amount of Movement Points expended by Army units executing normal land movement varies with the type of terrain in the hex entered and the type of terrain of the hexside that is crossed. These various costs are summarized in the Terrain Effects Chart. The cost to enter a hex is cumulative (x points to cross a hexside plus y points for the hex entered).
5.6 Naval Movement
GENERAL RULE: Only the Union Player has Naval Units representing a viable sea-going Navy. Only the Union Player may use Naval Movement.
PROCEDURE: Naval Units move during the Movement Phase, tracing a path through the hexagonal grid.
CASES:
[5.61] Naval units may only enter all-sea hexes, coastal hexes and tidal river hexsides. Naval units expend 1/2 Movement Point to enter an all-sea or coastal hex. When naval units enter a tidal river hexside they move in a fashion similar to a Riverine unit (see 17.0). Naval units expend one Movement Point for every Tidal River hexside entered.
[5.62] No more than six naval Strength Points may operate on all the tidal Mississippi river hexsides at any point in the game.
[5.63] Naval units ignore the land terrain in a coastal hex, since they are assumed to be operating only within the sea part of the coastal hex. This means a Union Naval unit may be placed in the same hex with a Confederate land unit and vice versa.
[5.64] The lower parts of Florida and the Mississippi River delta are not shown on the mapsheet. The Movement Point costs for naval or riverine units to circumnavigate or enter these areas is summarized on the map.
5.7 Riverine Movement
Riverine units have such unique movement abilities and unusual effects that they are a separate rules section to themselves (17.0).
5.8 River Transport
Both Players may move land units by river movement, simulating the transport of ground formations by riverboats.
River movement takes place along navigable river hexsides. A unit expends one Movement Point to embark and one Movement Point to disembark. Embarkation and disembarkation takes place on a hex adjacent to a navigable river hexside.
River Movement expends one Movement Point for each hexside entered. The Confederate Player may move a maximum of one Combat Strength Point by River Movement per Player-Turn. The Union Player may move a maximum of two points per Player-Turn. River Movement may take place only along Navigable and Tidal River hexsides. River Movement may not take place through hexsides adjacent to Enemy garrisoned forts.
Note: There are no "river transport" units representing the boats being used in river movement of land units.
5.9 Sea Movement
GENERAL RULE: The Union Player may only make use of Sea Movement. During his Movement Phase he may move his "active" army units, or his USMRR units by sea. The total number of land units which may be sea-moved in any one turn is limited by the Sea Lift Capacity for the Game-Turn in progress (see the Turn Record/Reinforcement Track).
For purposes of this section only : a coastal hex is any hex which contains both land and sea and/or any hex which is adjacent to a tidal river; a port hex is any coastal hex which contains a city; a coastal-fort hex is any coastal hex which contains a fort (either pre-war or wartime vintage); a simple-coastal hex is one which contains no cities or forts.
PROCEDURE: Units must begin the Movement Phase in a Friendly port or coastal fort hex. They may be transferred from the Friendly port (or fort) to any other Friendly port, Friendly coastal fort, or unoccupied coastal hex, regardless of the presence of Enemy Zones of Control.
CASES:
[5.91] It costs five Movement Points for land units to transfer any place along the Atlantic Coast, five Points any place along the Gulf Coast and fifteen Points to transfer from the Atlantic Coast to the Gulf Coast or vice versa. You do not count the hexes passed through.
[5.92] Land units may never embark from a simple coastal hex, not even the coastal hex onto which they may have previously disembarked. Subject to Sea Lift Capacity no more than three land points per turn may be landed per simple coastal hex. You may land on several coastal hexes per turn at a rate of no more than three points per hex. The presence of other Friendly units does not affect this.
[5.93] Subject to Sea Lift capacity an unlimited amount of points may be transferred from ports to ports and forts and vice versa.
Units may use Sea Movement to transfer from a port or fort on a tidal river to any coastal hex on a tidal river. However, they expend one Movement Point for every Tidal river hexside entered in addition to the normal Sea Movement Costs. They may not move past fortified Enemy units.
[5.94] Units which disembark on a simple coastal hex may not move any further on that Movement Phase nor may they attack during the subsequent Combat Phase.
[5.95] Units which disembark in a port hex or coastal fort may expend any remaining Movement Points in normal land movement. To determine the balance of Movement Points deduct the cost of the Sea Movement plus the cost of entering the terrain in the landing port or fort hex from the seasonal Movement Allowance. Note that in the fourth and first quarter of any year a unit may not move from the Atlantic coast and land in a Swamp hex on the Gulf Coast since it would lack the necessary Movement Points to do so.
[5.96] Land units may not remain at sea for a turn. They must land in the same Movement Phase that they go to sea in.
[5.97] Sea Lift Capacity: The Union Player has a Sea Lift Capacity to move and supply land Strength Points, measured in Sea Lift Points. Beginning with zero on Game-Turn one this capacity constantly increases every Game-Turn. One Sea Lift Point can either supply two land Points or move one land Point. Thus on Game-Turn six, the Sea Lift Capacity is twelve Points. Assume that the Union Player has twelve land Points tracing supply to a coast or port hex. During his Supply Judgement Phase he must allocate six Sea Lift Points to supply the twelve sea-dependent land Points. This leaves his six Sea Lift Points with which to transport up to six land Strength Points during the Movement Phase.
[5.98] Unused Sea Lift Points are not accumulated from Game-Turn to Game-Turn, e.g., if the Union Player expends ten Points on Game-Turn six he still gets only fourteen Points on Game-Turn seven.
[5.99] The Union Player may not voluntarily leave sea-supply-dependent units without supply. He must expend sea lift points for supply purposes before using any excess for movement purposes.
6.0 Zones of Control
Definition
The six hexagons immediately surrounding a hex constitute the Primary Zone of Control of any army unit(s) in that hex. Hexes upon which a unit exerts a primary zone of control are called Primary-controlled hexes. All twelve hexes adjacent to Primary controlled hexes constitute the Secondary Zone of Control of the unit(s); to be known as Secondary-controlled hexes. In effect, a unit has a Zone of Control extending for two hexes in every direction.
[Diagram in the original: a unit (Combat Strength 2) in the centre hex, the six hexes surrounding it shaded as its Primary Zone of Control, and the outer ring of twelve hexes forming its Secondary Zone of Control.]
General Rule
Primary and Secondary Zones of Control inhibit the movement of Enemy army units. All units must expend an additional five Movement Points to leave an Enemy Primary or Secondary-controlled hex. A unit may not move directly from one Primary-controlled hex to another Primary-controlled hex unless it meets the requirements for Double-Match Movement. Units are never forced to have combat on account of entering a Primary or Secondary-controlled hex.
Cases
6.1 Movement Effects
[6.11] There is no additional Movement Point Cost for entering an Enemy controlled hex per se beyond the normal terrain cost for entering the given hex.
[6.12] A unit may leave a Secondary-controlled hex and enter a Primary-controlled hex or another Secondary-controlled hex so long as it has the five Movement Points remaining in its Movement Allowance over and above the normal terrain expense. Likewise a unit may leave a Primary-controlled hex for a Secondary-controlled hex by paying an additional five Movement Points.
6.2 Combat Effects
Zones of Control do not affect combat: attacking is completely voluntary and the presence of an Enemy Zone of Control in a Friendly occupied hex does not force combat. However, the presence of Enemy controlled hexes may affect Combat Strengths by their effect on supply.
6.3 Terrain Effects
Terrain affects the unit's Zones of Control. Secondary Zones of Control do not extend into rough terrain hexes, swamp hexes, active Enemy city hexes, or into or across all-sea and any navigable river hexsides. Primary Zones of Control do not extend into or across all-sea or tidal river hexsides, or active Enemy city hexes.
6.4 Supply Effects
A unit supply path may not be traced through an Enemy Primary controlled hex unless the hex is occupied by a Friendly unit. Thus, for supply purposes Friendly units negate Enemy Primary Zones of Control. Secondary Zones of Control have no effect on Supply.
6.5 Multiple Zones of Control
It is entirely possible for a given hex to lie within Friendly Unit A's Primary Zone of Control and Friendly Unit B's Secondary Zone of Control. In all such cases the hex is considered to be a Primary-controlled hex for all purposes.
The presence of more than one Zone of Control (i.e., the effect of multiple units extending their Zones into one given hex) does not multiply the effect of the Zone of Control. It still takes only five additional Movement Points to leave a controlled hex irrespective of the number of units which control the hex.
Friendly Zones of Control have no effect on Friendly units. Nor do they have any affect on Enemy Zones of Control.
Naval, USMRR, and leader units have no Zones of Control.
6.6 Forts and Zones of Control
Units garrisonning a fort are a special case. In 1861, '62, and '63 a unit in a fort has no Zone of Control over adjacent hexes. In 1864 and '65 a unit in a fort has a normal Primary Zone of Control but never any Secondary ZOC. In all the years 1861-65 a unit in a fort has a specialized Zone of Control extending into any adjacent river hexsides which prohibits Enemy river movement (5.8) and can restrict Riverine unit movement.
6.7 Riverine Units' Zone of Influence
Riverine units have a specialized Zone of Control or more properly Zone of Influence which affects the Confederate Player's ability to cross river hexsides, use river movement, use rivers for supply, which is detailed in 17.0.
7.0 Stacking and Unit Buildup and Breakdown [Substitution]
Commentary
Terrain permitting, it is theoretically possible for all of a Player's units of all types be stacked in one given hex. All units, ground, naval, riverine, and USMRR represent multiples of one Strength Point formations. It is merely for the convenience of the Players that units in denominations of greater than one Strength Point have been included in the counter mix, it being obviously easier to move a unit worth six points than a stack of six units each worth one point.
General Rule
Units in a given hex may be substituted for by other units at any time so long as the correct Strength Point total in the hex remains the same. There is no limit to the number of Strength Points which may be placed in a given hex. Units of the same type are merely denominations of Strength Points and may be exchanged freely so long as the correct Strength Point total remains the same.
Cases
[7.1] There is no Movement Point expense to build up or break down units. A Player simply picks up a stack of units worth five, six, seven, or eight Points and replaces it with a unit counter worth the same value or vice versa. There is a limit to the number and denominations of units provided with the game. This counter mix is the product of the game development and merely represents the most commonly used denominations of units. It is not meant to be a limit on play. If the need arises for unit denominations in excess of those provided with the game, the Players may "coin" their own.
[7.2] The Union Player may not convert Naval units into Land units or vice versa. Nor may Riverine units be converted into Land Units or vice versa. Naval Units may not be converted into Riverine units or vice versa, etc., etc.
8.0 Combat
General Rule
Combat occurs between adjacent opposing units at the Phasing Player's discretion. The Phasing Player is the Attacker, the non-Phasing Player the Defender, regardless of their overall strategic position.
Procedure
Total the Combat Strengths of all the attacking units involved in a specific attack and compare it to the total Combat Strength of all units in the hex under attack. State the comparison as a difference between the attacker's total Combat Strength and the defender's total Combat Strength. Consult the Combat Results Table, roll the die, and read the result on the appropriate line under the difference. Apply the result immediately, before resolving any other attacks being made during that Combat Phase.
Cases
8.1 Which Units May Attack
[8.11] During the Combat Phase of his Player-Turn, the Phasing Player may attack any and all Enemy units adjacent to Friendly units. Only those Friendly units directly adjacent to a given Enemy unit may participate in an attack upon that unit.
[8.12] Attacking is completely voluntary; units are never compelled to attack, and not every unit adjacent to an Enemy unit need participate in any given attack. Friendly units in a stack that are not participating in a given attack are never affected by the results of the attack.
[8.13] An Enemy-occupied hex may be attacked by as many units as can be brought to bear in the six adjacent hexes.
[8.14] No unit may attack more than once per Combat Phase, and no Enemy unit may be attacked more than once per Combat Phase.
Except that defending Enemy units which retreat as a result of the procedure outlined in 8.5 below may be attacked again in a different, unrelated combat by other Friendly units.
8.2 Multiple Unit and Multi-Hex Combat
[8.21] All units defending in a given hex must be involved in the combat, and they must all be attacked as a single strength. The defender may not voluntarily withhold any units in a hex under attack. The attacker must attack all the units as a whole, i.e., the Strengths of all the units in the hex are totalled, and this total Strength is attacked. Different units in a given hex may not, therefore, be attacked separately.
[8.22] Units in a hex that contains an attacking unit need not participate in that same attack or any attack. Thus when one unit in a stack of two is attacking a given hex, the other could attack a different hex or not attack at all.
[8.23] If a unit (or units) is adjacent to more than one Enemy-occupied hex, it could attack all of them in a single combat. Thus units in a single hex can attack more than one other hex. The only requirement is that all attacking units must be adjacent to all defending units.
8.3 Combat Differential Calculation
[8.31] Combat situations are expressed as a difference of Attacker's total Strength Points minus Defender's total Strength Points. For instance, if seven Strength Points attack four Strength Points, the combat differential calculation is expressed as "plus-three" and the appropriate "+3" column is consulted on the Combat Results Table.
[8.32] Unfortified units defending in swamps are doubled in Combat Strength. Units which are attacked only through a river hexside have two Points added to their total Combat Strength. Units in forts are tripled in defense. Units which are in forts in a swamp are only tripled, not sextupled; if attacked through a river hexside they still received two untripled Points.
[8.33] Attacking units which are judged to be unsupplied at the instant of combat are halved in total Combat Strength. Round a fractional total up, i.e., 7.5 = 8 Points.
[8.34] Calculating Attacker's Total Strength and Defender's Total Strength: Attacking units which are judged unsupplied at the instant of attack are halved in strength. Total the strength of all the attacking units and round up any fractional total to the next higher whole number. The defender's total strength is derived as follows:
a. Add the strength of all the unfortified units in the hex. b. Multiply this strength by two if the hex is a swamp hex. c. Triple the strength of any units in a fort. d. Add the strength of the unfortified units to the strength of the fortified units. e. If applicable, add the intrinsic City Defense Strength of one point. f. If ALL of the attacking units are attacking through river hexsides, add two points to the defending strength.
8.4 Combat Results
[8.41] COMBAT RESULTS TABLE [see map]
[8.42] Explanation of Results. The CRT determines the losses (if any) to the attacking and defending forces. All losses are calculated in terms of face value Strength Points and are indicated on the table as a set of numbers divided by a slash as follows:
attacker's face-value loss/defender's face-value loss
Note: an asterisk indicates the loss of a Leader (if present).
These losses are extracted immediately by both Players, removing the participating units and replacing them with units representing the correct reduced Strength Point totals of the participating units. In multi-hex, multi-unit combats, the Friendly Players apportion the Strength Point losses among their units as they see fit.
[8.43] Advance After Combat. If as a result of combat an Enemy force is totally eliminated from a given hex, Friendly participating Strength Points which survived the combat may advance into the vacant hex.
[8.44] Attacks may not be made at worse than minus 1 attack superiority.
8.5 Retreat Before Combat Option
The defending Player may choose to retreat in the face of an attack. He may do so only when confronted with enemy units which total less than 200% of his defending units' Strength.
PROCEDURE:
The Attacker announces that he is attacking a given hex with units at an adjusted total strength. If the total defending strength is more than half the attacking strength, then the Defending Player may retreat his units one hex into any non-Enemy Primary-controlled hex. He may not retreat into a Primary-controlled hex. The Attacking Player may advance his units into the vacated hex. The Combat between these given units is then deemed to have been executed. If the Defending Player chooses to stand and fight the combat is resolved normally.
[8.51] The defending Player may choose to retreat a fraction of his defending Strength leaving the remainder to face the attack. This remaining fraction must be at least 51% of the total attacking force, unless the defending force is on an intact Friendly City hex whose Intrinsic Defense Strength is intact. In which case the defending units may be all or partially retreated leaving the Intrinsic Defense Strength to face the attack alone.
8.6 Voluntary Reduction of Combat Superiority
If the Defender has chosen to stand and fight (or if the attacking strength is at least double the defending strength), the relative strength differences of the opposing forces are calculated. The Attacking Player may then voluntarily attack at a reduced superiority.
Example: A Union force of five points announces it is attacking a Confederate unit of one point tripled to three points by being in a fort. The Confederate Player decides to stand and fight. The Union Player announces he is voluntarily reducing his superiority to a "plus 1" and rolls the die.
8.7 Riverine Units in Combat
Riverine units have a Combat Strength of "one" (their only denomination). This point may be added (untripled) to the defensive strength of any garrisoned port or fort in a hex adjacent to the hexside the riverine unit is in. The results of the Confederate attack may only be assessed against the defending Union land units in the fort and/or port. The Riverine unit is never affected by the Confederate attack. If the Confederate attack succeeds in eliminating the Union Army defenders the Confederate units may occupy the vacant hex.
8.8 Naval Units in Combat
Naval Units have several denominations of Combat Strength. They may be interchanged in a similar fashion as Army units are. The Combat Strength of naval units may be used for attack and defense in combination with Union Army units. Naval units may only be used to attack Confederate held coastal hexes or hexes adjacent to tidal river hexsides. They may only attack in combination with Union Army units on a one for one Strength Point basis and losses to the attackers are distributed accordingly with the Army units bearing the first, third, fifth Strength Point loss, etc. If the Union Player uses Naval units in an attack he may not voluntarily reduce the attack superiority. In defense, Naval units add their Strength to any garrisoned port or fort in their coastal hex or hex adjacent to their hexside position.
Naval Strength Points used in defense are not required to be matched on a one for one basis with Army Points so long as there is at least one Army or City Point involved.
9.0 Double-Match
General Rule
The normal rules of Movement and Combat reflect the fact that without an overwhelming superiority of force it was extremely difficult, if not impossible, for one side to crush the other, or for that matter to even make extensive advances into hostile territory. In both Sherman's advance to Atlanta and Grant's steamroller to Richmond, the North was finally able to field forces twice the size of the opposing armies under one effective command. This meant that they were able to force the Confederates to either stand, fight and die, or to retreat.
Definition
Double-Match describes the situation in which one's Friendly force is at least twice the strength of an Enemy force. The Friendly force must begin its Movement Phase in the same hex. In computing the relative strengths of the opposing forces, all supply, terrain and fortification effects are measured.
Cases
9.1 Effect on Movement
[9.11] A Double-Match force may move from one Enemy Primary Zone of Control to another Primary Zone at the normal cost of five additional Movement Points. In this Movement the Double-Match force measures only the strength(s) of the unit(s) whose primary zone it is leaving.
[9.12] A Double-Match force may force enemy units to combat during the Combat Phase (this is a simple corollary of case 8.5 under Combat).
[9.13] A Double-Match force may insist that opposing unit(s) retreat from its path. The opposing units then have an option:
(a) they can stand and fight during the Movement Phase, or
(b) they can retreat one hex (see 8.5 for procedure).
This is known as the Double-Match option. Exercising the Double Match option costs the Phasing Player's units five Movement Points.
9.2 Double-Match Combat During the Movement Phase
[9.21] Assume that the Enemy force accepts combat during the Movement Phase. The Phasing Player must attack the enemy force with at least two to one odds (exception to 8.6). This attack is executed immediately and casualties extracted immediately just as though it were a normal combat. If the Enemy force is eliminated by this combat the remains of the Double-Match force may advance into the vacant hex at Zero movement cost and then proceed with the remainder of their Movement Phase (remember to subtract five Movement Points for exercising the Double-Match option). If the Enemy force is not totally eliminated (there are surviving points) the Double-Match force may exercise the Double-Match option again (assuming it is still 2 to 1 or better in strength and the Double-Match force has at least five Movement Points left), or complete its Movement Phase in some other fashion. A Double-Match force may exercise the Double-Match option for as many times as it has Movement Points.
[9.22] Assume that the Enemy force declines to stand and fight when given the Double-Match option. It then retreats one hex which may not be to a Primary Zone of Control. The Double-Match force may then move into the vacated hex or it may move elsewhere. In either case it first expends five Movement Points for exercising the Double-Match option. If the Enemy force cannot retreat because of blocking terrain or Primary Zones, it is forced to accept the Double-Match combat.
10.0 Supply
General Rule
Supply affects a unit's ability to move and to fight. Units are said to be either "supplied" or "unsupplied" for movement and attack. The state of supply is dependent on the unit's distance from a Supply Source. See the Supply Effects Chart for the effects of supply.
Procedure
Units trace supply to Supply Sources by counting hexagons through the hexagonal grid. Supply for movement purposes is determined in the Phasing Player's Supply Judgement Phase and holds for that unit for the entire Movement Phase following. A unit which is judged unsupplied is unsupplied for the entire Movement Phase even if at some point in its movement it reaches a position where it could trace supply. A unit which is judged to be supplied is supplied for the entire Movement Phase even if it moves out of supply. Supply for Combat is determined at the instant of combat.
Cases
10.1 Union Supply Sources
[10.11] The origin of supply differs for each Player. The Union Player derives his ultimate supply from the mapedge hexsides #1601, 1801 and 5101 and, for a limited amount, from Sea Lift Capacity. From these map edge hexsides Union Supply radiates along functioning Railroads and navigable River hexsides making any railroad hex or river hexside along this radius of supply a source of supply itself. A Union unit can trace supply to any railroad hex and or navigable river hexside which links in a continuous path with any of the above three hexsides. Note that the railroads run through hexes while rivers are along the hexsides. Railroads are considered to link with rivers where they cross the river hexsides or where they terminate on the river hexsides (which is usually some riverport though they are not all identified as a city on the map since to do so would upset the militia and intrinsic city defense balance). A functioning railroad is defined as one that is not interrupted by an Enemy unit sitting on it. A functioning navigable river is defined as one that does not flow past an enemy occupied [fort; the printed word reads "for"] or an intact enemy city. Supply derived from Sea Lift Capacity originates from any coastal hex which is occupied by a Union Army unit. This supply radiates from such a coastal hex in a normal fashion along navigable river hexsides and Union operated railways. Tidal rivers are, of course, navigable rivers for purposes of tracing supply.
10.2 Confederate Supply Sources
[10.21] City Supply Centers and Ports. Supply Value in a Given Year
| Name | 1861 | 1862 | 1863 | 1864/5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas (0129) | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Arkansas (0119) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Memphis | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Jackson | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| N. Orleans | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Mobile |
PORTS [supply value of "1" for all year]: Pensacola, St. Marks, Arsena Otie, Jacksonville, Moorehead City, New Berne.
The Confederate Player derives his ultimate supply from his supply center cities and ports. Both Players should now refer to Southern Supply Centers and Ports Chart (10.22). You will note that all of the Southern cities identified on the map with a supply symbol are cross referenced on this chart with a year and a numeric value. The number refers to the number of Army points that a given city could supply in any season of a given year. For example, in 1863, Columbus, Georgia can supply six Land Points, Jackson, Mississippi, three Points, etc. You will also note that these supply center cities are linked together by railroads and/or navigable rivers. Supply for Confederate units originates in the total network (or supply grid) formed by the linking of all these cities together by rail and/or river. Thus, in 1861 the Confederate Player can supply a total of sixty Land Points from his Supply Centers. In the same fashion as Union Supply, Confederate Supply radiates from this Supply grid along functioning railroads and rivers. Note that Southern raillines and rivers may serve for the purpose of tying the supply grid together and also as a source of supply.
[10.22] Texas and Arkansas: The states of Texas and Arkansas are given arbitrary supply centers. Their supply point value is fed into the supply grid only when the South holds the Memphis, and/or New Orleans, and/or Vicksburg crossing points. If and when the North controls the Mississippi river the supply centers for Texas and Arkansas can be used only to supply Trans Mississippi units (units west of the Mississippi). Confederate Trans-Mississippi units are considered to be in supply (up to the capacity of the Trans-Mississippi grid) so long as they operate within the states of Texas, Arkansas, Western Louisiana, and Southern Missouri (below the Missouri River), and so long as they remain unsurrounded by Union Primary controlled zones.
10.3 Supply Requirements
To be in supply (supplied) a unit must be able to trace a path of hexagons from itself to a supply source. This path may not exceed five hexes of clear terrain in length and the count includes the hex the unit is in, the hex the supply source is in or whose hexside forms the supply source (river hexsides) and no more than three intervening hexes. This path is known as the UNIT SUPPLY PATH. The unit supply path may not trace through rough terrain or swamps. A unit in rough terrain or swamps is in supply only when it physically rests on a supply source and/or is in a hex, one or more sides of which is a supply source.
10.31 Effect of Supply on Movement
Active units which are judged "unsupplied" at the Supply Judgement Phase are halved in Movement Allowance. Active units which are judged "supplied" may not end their Movement Phase in an unsupplied position unless they were accompanied by a Friendly Leader throughout the entire path of their Movement.
[The printed page repeats this last sentence as a stray fragment ("which are judged 'supplied' may not end their Movement Phase in an unsupplied position unless they were accompanied by a Friendly Leader throughout the entire path of their Movement"). It is the same rule and is given once here.]
10.4 Supply Source Limitations
The three Union ultimate supply source hexsides may supply an unlimited amount of Union land Points; thus, any Union supply source linked with these three hexsides may supply an unlimited amount of land points. Southern Supply is not unlimited. It varies with the year and the total of supply center points tied into any one Southern supply grid; thus, any Southern supply source or sources may not supply any more land points than the total of the supply grid it is linked to. This assumes that as play progresses the Southern Supply Grid will become fragmented by Union occupation. Naturally on Game-Turn one the Southern Supply Grid is all one piece. The Union Player may derive a limited amount of supply from the sea (see Sea Lift Supply Capacity Rules). In this case the Union supply source is defined to be any Union occupied coastal, fort, or port hex and any functioning railroad or river which is linked to it.
10.5 Southern Railroads
COMMENTARY: As the Union advanced into the South an organization called the U.S. Military Railway assumed the job of repairing and running Southern Railroads under Union control. In many areas the rails and roadbeds were in need of replacement or conversion to another guage, rolling stock had to be forwarded and all the appurtenances of a functioning railway erected almost from scratch (either the North or the South usually saw to it that most railroads did not fall into Union hands intact).
GENERAL RULE: The Union Player may not use Southern Railroads for any purpose until they have been "repaired" by the U.S. Military Railway. After a Southern railroad has been repaired the Northern units may move along and draw supply from it just as though it were a Northern Railroad (the South was never in a position to operate Union Railroads; in fact, it wasn't able to keep up its own rail service to pre-war levels).
Southern railways are permanently destroyed for all Southern purposes only by the passage of USMRR units along them (since there aren't enough counters in the mix to provide "Union Operated" markers for each and every rail hex that the USMRR may repair in the course of the game, we provided a limited amount of junction markers so that the Players can keep some track of where the USMRR has been). In addition, Union army units temporarily interdict Southern Railways whenever and wherever they physically occupy them. N.B., simply passing a Union army unit over a Southern Rail hex doesn't do a thing to the Southern Rail hex. Only if the Union unit is there during the Southern Player-Turn is the Rail hex interdicted.
PROCEDURE: When performing "repairs" the Union Player moves a USMRR unit along the Southern Railway at a rate of three hexes per season, regardless of terrain. A railway hex traversed by a USMRR unit is considered "repaired" and eligible for Union use.
CASES:
[10.51] When executing normal movement, USMRR units may only move along Union-operable Railways, or by Sea or River Movement. They have the same seasonal Movement Allowance as Army units. When moving by Rail they do not count toward the three Army point limitation on Rail Movement. When moving by sea each one counts as five Army points. When moving by river each one counts as one Army point.
[10.52] USMRR units have no Combat Strength or Zone of Control. Confederate units may ignore them when moving or fighting. Confederate units may destroy USMRR units by moving onto or through them. However, the destroyed units are not removed from the game but simply replaced in Washington, Cincinnati, or Cairo at the Union Player's Option.
[10.53] USMRR are not affected by Command Control Rules. They are free to move on every Union Player-Turn.
[10.54] CONFEDERATE RETAKING OF SOUTHERN RAILWAYS. The South had no resources with which to repair destroyed railways or with which to restore service on railways which the USMR had operated. This means that if the South, in a counteroffensive, recaptures former Southern Territory it may not use USMR railways for purposes of Movement or Supply or for tracing a Supply Grid. However, this action does re-destroy the Railway for Union use. It must be repaired anew by a USMRR unit. A USMRR consumes five Movement Points to repair a Southern Rail hex.
[10.55] LIMITATIONS ON USMRR. USMRR units may not enter a Confederate Secondary or Primary Zone of Control. If caught in one they must leave as soon as possible. USMRR units may not leapfrog through each other in the same Movement Phase in order to repair more than three hexes of Railroad per Railway per turn.
[10.6] SUPPLY ATTRITION AND FORAGING. Army Points which were judged unsupplied in the Supply Judgement Phase of a Player-Turn and which remain unsupplied by the Attrition Supply Phase of that same Player-Turn are eliminated unless they are able to forage. Units forage at the following rate:
- Three Strength Points per clear terrain hex.
- One Strength Point per rough or swamp hex.
Points in excess of these foraging rates are eliminated. City, fort or port hexes are calculated to be foragable or not foragable on the basis of the other terrain in the hex.
An unsupplied unit may not forage in an Enemy Primary controlled hex. It is eliminated. Note that foraging simply allows unsupplied units to survive. It in no way creates supply for the unsupplied unit.
11.0 Command Control and Leadership
General Rule
Army units are subject to Command Control. Units which are in Command Control are "active." Units which are not in Command Control are "inactive."
Procedure
In the Command Control Phase of the Player-Turn, the Phasing Player rolls the die and cross references the result with the Command Control level of his army units. All land units in hexes ending in the numbers cross referenced to the die roll are rendered "inactive." All units in other hexes are "active."
Cases
[11.1] Inactive units may not move, may not attack, may not fortify, may not enter forts in the hex they are rendered inactive in, during the course of the Player-Turn. In effect, they are completely useless to the Phasing Player in his Player-Turn (inactive units return to normal active status at the end of that Player-Turn).
11.11 Command Control Table (see map)
[11.2] Active units are free to execute any maneuver or attack outlined in the Game Rules. They may move through or stack with inactive units. Inactive units may not combined with active units to execute an attack.
11.3 Leaders
Each Player may use up to four leaders in any given Game-Turn. Each leader has a command control "rating" which begins at "zero" and can rise to "three" with battlefield promotions. The rating of a leader benefits army units stacked with or adjacent to the leader by reducing the command control level of the benefitted units by the leader rating. For example: On Game-Turns 1-6 the Union Army is at command control level 5. Let's suppose on Game-Turn 4, the Union Player has a leader (rating 2) stacked in Washington with a presumed force of 17 points. On his Command Control Phase the Union Player rolls a 3 on the die. The Washington force would not be affected by a loss of Command Control since their Command Control level is reduced from five to three by the leader (rating 2), and cross referencing a three die roll with a level three shows that only units in hexes ending in 1, 3, 7, and 8 lose Command Control and the Washington hex ends in 6. Of course, if the die result had been a 4 or 5 the presence of the leader would be an embarrassment to the Union Player since it would benefit the Washington units right out of Command Control. [Hello McClellan!] Leaders also benefit Friendly units by permitting them to move out of supply (see 10.31).
11.31 How Leaders Are Created and Then Promoted
The Confederate Player begins the game with a leader (rating 2, presumed to be Lee) which he may deploy freely. Thereafter he has the potential to create and promote three more leaders. The Union Player receives a unique leader (Farragut) on Game-Turn 2 (see 11.3, below). In addition to Farragut he has the potential to create and promote three more leaders.
A leader is created by placing a leader counter (rating 0) on the map. A Player may create a leader after any combat (Double-Match or normal) which results in at least a one Strength Point loss to the Enemy. The newly created leader is placed on top of or adjacent to any Friendly unit which participated in the combat. The conditions for creating a leader are the same for both Players. The conditions for promoting a leader (raising his rating) differ for each Player.
Confederate leaders are promoted one level for every three Union Strength Points that are lost in one or more combats with Confederate units that the Confederate leader is stacked with or adjacent to.
Union leaders are promoted one level for every three Confederate Strength Points that are eliminated in one or more attacks by Union units that the Union leader is stacked with or adjacent to.
Players must keep track (on a piece of scratch paper) of the progress of their leaders toward promotion. Enemy Strength Point losses may not be switched from the column of one leader to benefit another leader. If two or more Friendly leaders are in position to benefit from the same battle, the Friendly Player may apportion the Enemy Strength Point losses as he wishes, but he can't change his mind at a later date.
11.32 How Leaders "Die"
Leaders die (are removed from the game) as a result of participating in combat. The Combat Results Table has certain results marked with an asterisk (*). If a leader is adjacent to, or stacked with, units that are affected with an asterisked result, he is presumed to be killed and is removed immediately. If there is more than one Friendly leader who could be killed the Friendly Player may chose which of the leaders is to die. After a leader has been killed, the Friendly Player may begin the process of creating and promoting a new leader beginning with some battle subsequent to the one which killed the old leader. At no time may a Player have more than four leaders in play. However, there is no limit to the number of new leaders he may create and promote subject, of course, to the old leaders being killed off. For example, when leader C, rating 3, is killed, a new leader C (rating 0) can be created after some subsequent battle as detailed in 11.31 above.
11.33 How Leaders Move
Leaders have the same Movement Allowance that army units possess. However they expend only one Movement Point to enter a hex regardless of the terrain entered or crossed. They may not voluntarily enter an Enemy controlled hex (Primary or Secondary) unless accompanied by a Friendly combat unit.
If all the Friendly Strength in a hex with the leader is eliminated by Enemy action (with the leader surviving) the leader is simply displaced by the Friendly Player to the nearest Friendly occupied hex. A leader must always end its Movement Phase stacked with some Friendly combat unit(s).
11.34 Farragut
Farragut is immortal. He appears with the Game-Turn 2 Union Reinforcements. Thereafter, he must accompany a Riverine unit (moving like a Riverine unit). He may not enter the Union or Virginia. He is a 2 rating to begin with and may be promoted to a 3. He is never killed. Since he moves as a Riverine he can only enter sea and coastal hexes and river hexsides. He does benefit Union army units which are stacked with him or adjacent to him. Since he is immortal the Union Player is limited to a maximum of three other (normal) leaders in play at any one time.
12.0 Attrition
General Rule
In the third and fourth Seasonal Game-Turns of every year, Player's land forces undergo attrition (losses due to desertion, disease, etc.). See the Attrition Table for attrition effects.
12.1 Attrition Effects Table (see mapsheet)
[Printed as "21.1" in the source; the cross-reference heading is 12.1 by section order.]
12.2 Attrition Procedure
In the Attrition Phases of the last two Game-Turns of each year, each Player rolls the die once per Phase per hex occupied by his land forces. This die result is cross-indexed with the appropriate "Land Strength Points in Hex" column on the Attrition Table and the indicated number of Land Strength Points are immediately eliminated (removed from the map).
13.0 Cities
General Rule
All city hexes have an intrinsic defense of one Combat Strength Point when attacked by Enemy units.
Procedure
Whenever a city hex is attacked by Enemy units, the Friendly Player adds one point to the total Defense Strength in the hex. If there are no Friendly units in the city hex it defends itself at a strength of one.
Cases
[13.1] For purposes of extracting combat losses, the intrinsic defense of a city counts as one face-value Strength Point and may be used by the defending Player computing his losses in a combat.
[13.2] If the intrinsic defense of a city is destroyed in combat, it is considered destroyed from the remainder of the game.
[13.3] The presence of a fort on a city hex does not triple the intrinsic Defense Strength of a city. However, a city does receive the river hexside bonus of two points when attacked exclusively through a river hexside. A city in a swamp is not doubled.
[13.4] A city does not have a Zone of Control. Its Defense Strength is activated only when attacked.
[13.5] A city may be the object of a Double-Match attack. Since it cannot retreat it would automatically stand and be the object of an attack.
[13.6] The destruction of the intrinsic defense of a city does not automatically destroy the city itself. That destruction requires the physical occupation of the city hex by an Enemy unit.
[13.8] The cities of Wheeling, Knoxville, Chattanooga, though lying within the borders of the Confederacy are in Union sympathetic territory. They do not possess an intrinsic defense when attacked by Union units or Confederate units.
Note: So long as garrisoned by at least one Confederate Strength Point, Knoxville and Chattanooga do contribute to the Southern Supply Grid.
[13.9] Except for 13.8 above the question of which cities are Union or Confederate is determined by which side of the border they lie on. Depending upon the Scenario chosen the cities in Kentucky, can be Union or Confederate.
14.0 Forts
General Rule
Forts triple the face value strength of units which are garrisoning them for purposes of defense. Garrisoned forts served to limit the extent of Riverine Zones of Control and act to impede the movement of Riverine and Naval units.
Procedure
Forts are constructed by active units which do not move in the Player-Turn of construction. Simply place a fort marker on any active unit which has not moved in its Movement Phase (this is voluntary, the Phasing Player need not construct a fort).
Cases
[14.1] Units are deemed to garrison a fort when they are placed under a fort marker. Units which are placed on top of a fort marker are considered to be outside of the fort and do not benefit or suffer from the fort.
[14.2] The act of garrisoning or ungarrisoning a fort does not consume Movement Points, but it may only be accomplished by active units. Inactive units may not construct a fort nor may they change their status vis-a-vis the fort in their inactive state (if a unit is rendered inactive by Command control and it lies on top of a Fort Market, it may not be placed under the Fort Marker and vice versa).
[14.3] Units garrisoning forts never exert a Secondary Zone of Control. If a hex is occupied by units in a fort and units outside of a fort, only the units outside of a Fort have a Secondary Zone of Control. See case 6.6.
[14.4] Units in a fort may not attack. They must come out of the fort (place themselves on top of the fort marker) to attack (thereby making themselves vulnerable on the Enemy Player's turn).
[14.5] Forts may be abandoned by the garrisoning Player by simply moving the garrison out of the fort or by losing the garrison to attrition. The garrisoning Player may then destroy the fort by removing it from the board or he may leave it vacant. If he leaves it vacant it may be occupied by either Player at a later time by simply moving a unit into it. [If the Union Player occupies a vacant Confederate Fort he simply moves a Union unit under the Fort Marker and replaces the Confederate Fort Marker with a Union Fort Marker. Vacant forts have no effect on the game.]
[14.6] Forts Sumter, Monroe and Pickens are permanent Coastal Fortifications. They may not be destroyed by either Player. If garrisoning units are eliminated by Enemy attack the fort simply becomes vacant.
[14.7] Forts are eliminated (removed from the map) when their garrisoning units are eliminated by combat.
[14.8] A garrisoned fort in a hex adjacent to a navigable river hexside interdicts a Riverine unit's Zone of Control and interferes with the passage of a Riverine unit through the hexsides it is adjacent to. A garrisoned fort may interdict two or more river hexsides on two or more rivers. For example, a garrisoned Confederate fort on hex 1713 would affect five river hexsides.
15.0 Militia
General Rule
Whenever a state is first invaded, the state's militia are mobilized.
Procedure
Place an Army unit (value one Strength Point) on any city hex in the state invaded.
Cases
[15.1] The Militia unit is placed immediately by the Defending Player even though this action takes place during the Phasing Player's Movement Phase (the Phasing Player suspends his movement temporarily while the placement is made). Militia placement may not be delayed.
[15.2] If the Phasing Player attacks a city hex either in Double-Match or normal combat through a border hexside (example: Corinth is attacked by Union units in hex 1617), the non-Phasing Player immediately places his Militia unit and may place it on the city attacked before executing the combat.
[15.3] Once mobilized the Militia unit becomes part of the Owning Player's regular field army and may be moved as though it were a normal unit.
[15.4] Only one Militia Strength Point may be mobilized per state per game. Once it is raised no additional Militia may be raised in the state concerned even if the state is totally cleared of invaders and then reinvaded on a subsequent Game-Turn.
[15.5] The shaded area in the center of the map encompassing most of the mountainous regions of Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina was a Union sympathetic area. Union units may move in this area without triggering Confederate State Militia. Only when they enter a Southern State outside of this area or attack across a hexside into a Southern city outside this area (Decatur is the only city that abutts the area) do they trigger Confederate Militia.
[15.6] If Arkansas is invaded the Confederate gets his Militia unit on hex #0119.
[15.7] Union garrisoning of Sumter, Pickens, Monroe, and/or Norfolk under the rules for setting up the game does not trigger the Militia in the states concerned. Additional Union units are required.
16.0 Reinforcements
General Rule
Beginning with Game-Turn 2, each Player receives reinforcements during the Reinforcement Phase of his Player-Turn. Reinforcements may be used on the Player-Turn on which they appear.
Procedure
Reinforcements are Strength Points that are brought into play in accordance with the Turn Record/Reinforcement Track. The Confederate Player receives a maximum of seven Army Strength Points per Game-Turn. These are placed as follows:
- City Group 1. 1 pt. in Richmond
- City Group 2. 1 pt. in Raleigh or Wilmington
- City Group 3. 1 pt. in Charleston or Savannah or Augusta
- City Group 4. 1 pt. in Atlanta or Chattanooga or Nashville
- City Group 5. 1 pt. in Mobile or Selma or Decatur
- City Group 6. 1 pt. in New Orleans or Jackson or Memphis
- City Group 7. 1 pt. in hex 0129 (Texas supply hex)
The Union Player receives eleven Army Strength Points per Game-Turn placed as follows:
- 6 pts. in Washington
- 3 pts. in Cincinnati
- 2 pts. in Cairo
The Union Player receives a varying amount of Naval Strength Point Reinforcements per Game-Turn. These are always placed in hex 5201. On all even numbered Game-Turns the Union Player receives a Riverine unit (strength of 1) which is placed either in hex 5201 or Cairo or St. Louis as called for on the Turn Record/Reinforcement Track.
Cases
[16.1] LOSS OF REINFORCEMENT CITY GROUPS. The Confederate Player has seven reinforcement areas. The Confederate Player may only receive reinforcements in undestroyed Southern cities (see Victory Conditions, case 18.0), which are not surrounded by Union units and/or Union units' Zones of Control. A surrounded city is one which has no line of supply to another supply source city. Once a city is taken, it may never receive reinforcements.
[16.2] Whenever all the cities in a reinforcement City Group are either destroyed or surrounded, the Confederate Player may not receive a reinforcing point in that Group. He may, however, receive that Group's point in a city in an adjacent area (adjacent is defined by the Group numbers), subject to a maximum limit of two reinforcement points per Group per Player-Turn.
Example: Richmond falls to the Union. The Confederate Player may take the Richmond point in Raleigh or Wilmington (Group 2). Assume that both Raleigh and Wilmington fall or are surrounded then the Confederate Player could take the Group 2 point in a city in Group 3, but he would lose the Richmond (Group 1) point, reducing his Reinforcements to six points for that turn.
[16.3] If all the reinforcement cities in a reinforcement City Group are destroyed, the Confederate Player may never again take a reinforcement point in that Group (he could still receive it in an adjacent area). If, however, he relieves an undestroyed surrounded city(s) he restores the reinforcement City Group to its full ability to raise reinforcements.
[16.4] A reinforcement city may raise up to two points per turn (in the example above, Raleigh could raise two points, or Wilmington two points, or they could each raise one point at the Confederate Player's option).
[16.5] POSSIBLE EFFECTS ON UNION PLAYER'S REINFORCEMENT CITIES. If the Confederate Player occupies or surrounds the three Union Reinforcement cities, the Union Player may take his reinforcements as follows:
- If Washington is occupied/surrounded then six points to Baltimore (or if not available, then to Philadelphia).
- If Cairo is occupied/surrounded then two points to St. Louis (or if not available, then to Springfield).
- If Cincinnati is occupied/surrounded then three points to Columbus (or if not available, then to Pittsburgh).
Unlike Southern cities, Northern cities are never destroyed. If retaken by the Union they regain their ability to raise reinforcements. [Note: For the South to take all the Northern reinforcement cities would be an incredible development and would presume a totally incompetent Union Player. For the South to seize any Northern city would be an extraordinary event.]
If both Cairo and St. Louis are held by the Southern Player, the Union does not receive a Riverine unit on Game-Turns four and eight, etc.
17.0 Riverine Units
Commentary
Union Riverine Units represent flotillas of shallow draft war craft including ironclads. Along navigable rivers and coastal estuaries they could project a lot of fire power. The Confederacy had nothing which could match them afloat. Even heavy batteries, well fortified and sited, were often ineffectual in stopping their free movement along the rivers of the Western theater. Their presence turned the Mississippi, Tennessee, and Cumberland into highways leading South for the North and imposed strategic barriers for Southern movement. Once the Southern fortresses of Island #10, Vicksburg, and Port Hudson were reduced, it was the Riverine flotillas that prevented any Southern reinforcements from crossing the Mississippi. At Shiloh, the heavy guns of the flotilla sheltered the defeated Union army on the evening of the first day.
General Rule
Riverine units move along river hexsides and their location is always within a river hexside. The riverine unit counter is physically placed on the hex-grid within a hex with the prow of the boat silhouette pointed to the river hexside that the unit is located in. Riverine units may move at sea exactly as Naval units.
17.1 Riverine Movement
The Riverine Movement Allowance is equal to the Seasonal Movement Allowance. Riverine units expend 1/2 Movement Point per Navigable or Tidal River hexside entered regardless of the terrain within adjacent hexes. The Riverine unit counter may freely move through and/or come to rest on Confederate land units, since its presence is merely to indicate the hexside location of the Riverine unit. When moving at sea, Riverine units expend 1/2 Movement Point per Sea hex.
17.2 Effect of Confederate Zones of Control on Riverine Units
Unfortified Confederate units have no effect on Riverine Movement. Riverine units may not freely enter a hexside of a fortified Confederate unit or the hexside of a Confederate city. Instead they must "run" past the batteries. They "run" past by rolling the die. A 1, 2, or 3 and they may enter the hexside; a 4, 5, or 6 and they may not enter the hexside on that Movement Phase. They must repeat this process for every hexside of the fortified unit. Thus a fortified unit in the loop of a river may force a Riverine unit to "run" up to five hexsides. The riverine unit must run each hexside in succession, and it is conceivable that it could become "trapped" by a fort. That is it could get halfway through the loop of a river, be stopped by a bad die roll from proceeding, attempt to retrace its steps, be stopped by another bad die roll, and thereby end its Movement Phase. It is possible for a Riverine unit to remain trapped by bad die rolls for the entire game, that is, roll 4, 5, or 6's on every succeeding Movement Phase as it tries to leave the fort dominated river loop.
A Riverine Unit located within a hexside adjacent to a Confederate fortified unit loses all of its effect on Confederate or Union army units. It is neutralized.
17.3 Effect of Riverine Units on Confederate Movement
Riverine units have no Zone of Control into land hexes. Their presence on a hexside has no effect on Confederate movement into or out of that hex, except that Riverine units prohibit Confederate Movement across navigable river hexsides within fifteen river hexsides of a Riverine unit. In other words, a Riverine unit has a "radius of interdiction" of fifteen river hexsides which prohibits Confederate river crossing. This interdiction radius is negated and curtailed by a fortified Confederate unit or city hex (see diagram).
17.31 Diagrammatic Example of Riverine Interdiction Radius
[Diagram in the original: a hex-grid map with a river running through it, a Riverine unit marked on one bank, and two "Confederate Garrisoned Fort" markers (each valued 1) on the river. Labels read "Confederates may not cross" along the stretch of river inside the interdiction radius and "Confederates may cross" beyond it, with the garrisoned forts curtailing the radius.]
17.4 Effect on Union Movement
Union units may not cross tidal river hexsides except through a Riverine unit. This means a Union unit on the west side of the Mississippi below Memphis can never cross to the east side until it can cross through the hexside that a Riverine unit is in. The same holds true for the James river and other tidal rivers shown on the map. [Note: Confederate units can cross the tidal Mississippi at indicated ferry points within areas that are shielded from the Riverine interdiction by Forts.]
17.5 Effect on Combat
Riverine units have a value of one Combat Strength Point. The Union may add this point to an adjacent Union garrisoned fort or port which is under Confederate attack. A Riverine unit alone may never be attacked by a Confederate unit. Confederate units may not attack Union units across Riverine-interdicted river hexsides.
18.0 Victory Conditions
Commentary
The South is fighting for independence and the North is fighting for reunification. The South has basically two ways of achieving victory. First, by winning decisive battles on Union territory and occupying important Northern cities, thereby presumably encouraging intervention by France and/or Great Britain and presumably completely discrediting the Republican administration. Second, the South can prolong the war and make it so expensive in money and lives that if by the election of 1864 the issue still seems in doubt, the Northern voters will return a peace administration which will make an accomodation for the South. Historically, the North defeated the South by occupying its most important population and manufacturing centers, by isolating it politically and commercially from Europe, by shattering its transportation network, by destroying its most fertile areas, by splintering it into political fragments and finally by forcing its two largest field armies to surrender in the open field.
General Rule
The Northern Player wins the game by destroying the Confederacy as a viable nation. He does this by occupying (and thereby destroying) supply center cities and ports and by interdicting the Southern railway and river grid in such a fashion that the Southern supply grid is shrunken and fragmented to a point that the largest single piece of it remaining in Southern hands is too small to support the war effort.
The Southern Player wins by preventing Northern victory, i.e., by retaining a large enough supply grid to support a nation; or by seizing certain Northern cities and thereby provoking a political and diplomatic collapse of the Union war effort.
Cases
[18.1] The game is sixteen Game-Turns long. Either Player may achieve victory on any of these Game-Turns. However, the victory conditions are always evaluated after the Southern Player-Turn which means, in effect, that the Northern Player has no Sixteenth Player Turn. The thirteenth Game-Turn which corresponds to the 3rd season of 1864 is a critical Game-Turn for victory determination. The Northern Player must have reduced the largest Southern supply grid below a certain level by the end of the 13th Game-Turn or the "Peace Party" is presumed to win the November election, which means the game is over and the Southern Player wins. If the Northern Player succeeds in "remaining in office" the game continues until (at most) the end of turn sixteen (or sooner if the Northern Player wins). If by Game-Turn sixteen the Northern Player has failed to subdue the South, the game is over and the Southern Player is the winner.
[18.2] The Southern Player can win an instant automatic victory by seizing and holding (physically occupying with an army unit) two of the three Union Replacement cities (Washington, Cincinnati, or Cairo) at the end of any Southern Player-Turn. In addition, the Southern player receives permanent "at large" supply points for seizing any of the above cities. The Southern Player may add these permanent "at large" supply points to his supply grid when determining the victory conditions (these points may not be used to supply his armies; they are brought into calculation solely when determining victory).
[18.3] Once a Southern city has been physically occupied by a Union army unit(s), it is considered destroyed for all purposes even if it is reoccupied by the South at some later point in time. It may not provide supply to the South nor may it serve as a reinforcement deployment point. [Note: The city can survive even if its intrinsic Defense Strength is eliminated. The sole criteria is whether or not a Union unit actually entered the city.] A Northern city is only affected by Southern occupation for as long as the city remains in Southern hands. As soon as there are no Southern units in the Northern city, it reverts fully to its previous status. If a Northern Replacement city is occupied or surrounded, the replacement points are deployed by the Northern Player at the listed alternate cities (see Reinforcements).
[18.4] The following chart cross-references the Game-Turn with the minimum size of a viable Southern Supply Grid, with the special Game-Turn 13 Supply Grid size, and with the permanent "at large" supply point value of seizing Washington or Cincinnati or Cairo.
18.41 Supply Point Victory Threshold
Minimum # Points in Largest Southern Supply Grid for South to Preserve Victory; Points "At Large" for Washington, Cincinnati and Cairo.
| Game-Turns | Minimum Points in Largest Southern Supply Grid | Points "At Large": Washington | Points "At Large": Cincinnati | Points "At Large": Cairo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | 19 | 15 | 10 | 10 |
| 3-6 | 21 | 10 | 5 | 5 |
| 7-10 | 25 | 10 | 5 | 5 |
| 11-12 | 30 | 20 | 10 | 10 |
| 13* | 30 | 20 | 10 | 10 |
*The Northern Player must have reduced the largest Southern Supply Grid (including any permanent "at large" supply points) below 40, or he loses the election and the Southern Player automatically wins the game.
[18.5] If the Southern Player holds two of the three Northern cities at the end of any Southern Player-Turn and the Northern Player has also succeeded in reducing the Southern Supply Grid below its viable minimum, we arbitrarily assign victory to the Southern Player because the Northern Player must be incredibly inept to allow such a happening.
19.0 How to Set Up and Play the Game: The Scenarios
For convenience, the Union Player should sit on the North side of the mapsheet; the Confederate Player on the South side. It is strongly recommended that the various sets of counters be punched out from the die-cut counter sheet and segregated by type and strength. This will greatly facilitate playing the game.
There is one basic scenario in American Civil War which describes how to set up the game for play, for placement of Union garrisons, and Kentucky neutrality. By the adoption of one or more optional rules described in 19.2 through 19.6, the Players may vary the conditions under which the basic scenario is played, by either deleting, amending, or adding to the standard rules (1.0 to 19.1). In effect, these modifications create new scenarios.
19.1 Setting Up the Basic Scenario
Players take the following steps:
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The Northern Player places a Union Army Strength Point on hex #4611, Fort Monroe, and a garrison Strength Point "(1)" on hex 2031, Fort Pickens. These units are considered to be in the forts.
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The Southern Player deploys thirteen Confederate Army Strength Points in any manner he sees fit within the bounds of the Confederacy as shown on the map. The Southern Player deploys Leader A with a 2 rating with any Southern unit in Virginia. If the Southern Player leaves Virginia vacant, he places the leader with any out-of-state unit.
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The Northern Player deploys eighteen Army Strength Points freely within the Union. He places one USMRR unit each in Washington, Cincinnati, and Cairo. He places three Naval Strength Points in hex 5201. He receives no initial leader(s) unit.
19.11 Initial Placement Restrictions
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Neither Player may deploy units within Kentucky.
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No unit may be initially placed in a hex where it would be unsupplied.
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Confederate units may not be deployed within the shaded Northern-Sympathetic region of the Confederacy. This is a restriction on initial deployment (only) and in no way restricts Southern movement on Game-Turn one and thereafter.
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The Northern Player may not deploy units in Missouri except on rail hexes.
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Except for the Union coastal garrisons specifically noted above, all units on both sides are deployed unfortified and no unoccupied forts may be deployed.
19.12 Kentucky Neutrality
Kentucky is neutral territory on Game-Turns One and Two. Northern units are absolutely prohibited from entering Kentucky on those turns unless the Southern Player invades it first. The Southern Player may invade Kentucky on Game-Turns One or Two, but if he does so the state ceases being neutral and instantly becomes a Union state with the following consequences:
- Its state militia (1 Point) is immediately deployed by the Northern Player.
- Its cities immediately realize an Intrinsic Defense Strength.
- Its railroads instantly become Union railroads.
- The Northern Player may freely enter Kentucky on his immediately following Player-Turn.
If the Southern Player does not invade Kentucky on Game-Turns One or Two, it automatically becomes a Union state on Game-Turn Three. However, as compensation the Southern Player receives one Army Strength Point in Nashville, instantly, upon the entry of the first Northern unit into Kentucky on Game-Turn three or thereafter.
Players may now commence the first Game-Turn.
OPTIONAL RULES
Optional Rules used to modify the basic scenario.
19.2 Optional Garrisons
Instead of automatically placing his two initial units in coastal forts, the Northern Player rolls the die once for each of the following four locations. If the die so indicates, he places the appropriate unit on the hex.
| Location | Die Roll for Placement | Garrison Type and Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Pickens | 1, 2, 3, or 4 | (1), in fort |
| Sumter | 1 or 2 | (1), in fort |
| Monroe | 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 | 1, in fort |
| Norfolk | 1, 2, 3 or 4 | 1, not in fort |
1 = one Army Strength Point (1) = one Garrison Strength Point
The Army Strength Points necessary to garrison either Monroe or Norfolk are deducted from an initial Union Strength of nineteen Points. If he has to garrison both locations he will only have seventeen Points for his initial deployment. The garrison Strength Points do not count against the initial Strength of the Union deployment. To repeat they are totally immobile, have a maximum Strength of 1 (untripled) and may be used only if called for by this rule. Otherwise they do not appear in the game.
19.3 Kentucky Joins the Confederacy
Kentucky is part of the Confederacy from go. The Southern Player may deploy in it. Kentucky cities, militia and railroads are wholly Southern except that the Kentucky cities have no Supply Point value.
19.4 Virginia is Neutral
Virginia is treated in a manner similar to Kentucky (19.13) [printed as "19.13"; the Kentucky rule is 19.12] except that it joins the Confederacy on Game-Turn Three. The North may invade Virginia on Game-Turns One or Two, but if it does so the Southern Player may instantly place six Militia Strength Points on any Virginia cities. The Southern Player may take his Game-Turn Two Reinforcement Point normally placed in Richmond, in Raleigh instead. The Southern Player may not enter Virginia until Game-Turn Three unless the Union Player invades first.
19.5 Reverse the Sequence of Play
Let the Union Player go first in setting up and in play. Victory conditions will still be evaluated after the Southern Player-Turn (making the game a full sixteen Game-Turns in length). This simple modification aids the Union Player tremendously, and in order to balance the game, five Points should be deducted from the required Southern Supply Grid Minimum across the board in order to give the Southern Player any chance at all.
19.6 Southern Incentive to Invade the North
For every Southern Strength Point maintained in any Northern city throughout a Northern Player-Turn, the Southern Player receives an additional Strength Point over and above his normal reinforcements in his following Player-Turn. This point may be placed "at large" in any Southern reinforcement city, in excess of the normal reinforcement limits. Note that after Game-Turn Two, Kentucky cities are Northern cities except, of course, if 19.3 is in effect.
19.7 Lee Stays in Virginia
Except for a brief period along the Eastern seaboard in early 1862, R.E. Lee spent the entire war in Virginia in either a command position or advisory position. Indeed, it was the secession of Virginia that caused Lee to resign from the U.S. Army. Using this rule the Confederate Player is forbidden to let the leader A (rating 2) with which he begins the game, to leave the state of Virginia so long as there is a single Confederate Strength Point left within the state.
19.8 Inter-Theater Transfer
Occasionally political considerations militated against the optimum movement of units on both sides. This was particularly true as regards transfers from the east and the west and vice versa during 1861 and 62.
The Eastern Theater is defined as: New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, D.C., Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina.
The Western Theater is defined as all the other states.
During each Game-Turn of 1861 and 62, each Player must roll the die to determine if he may transfer any units from one theater to the other. A 1, 2 or 3 and he may transfer as many units as he wishes between theaters. A 4, 5 or 6 and he may not transfer troops at all. This rule does not apply to 1863, 64 or 65.
19.9 Foreign Intervention
For any one of a variety of implausible reasons, England and/or France actively support the South with money, supplies and naval support. Strip all naval reinforcements from the Union from Game-Turn three and thereafter. Increase the Southern reinforcement rate by one "at-large" Strength Point.
20.0 Game Strategy and Designer's Notes
20.1 Game Strategy and Tactics
Tactical.
The Combat Results Table reflects the tactical realities of the Civil War. Infantry units armed with a rifle-musket completely dominated the battlefield. Cavalry was eliminated as a battlefield arm and even as a force for decisive pursuit. Artillery, the decisive defensive arm in Napoleon's battles, was forced to engage at a range in which its contemporary shells and fire control was ineffective in supporting attacking infantry. Battles became very bloody and usually indecisive in and of themselves. Shiloh, Gettysburg, Wilderness, and Chickamauga were two and three day slug fests which left the winners as exhausted as the losers and incapable of completely destroying the beaten foe.
Most battles resulted in approximately equal casualties to each side. In Civil War you should not expect to destroy an Enemy force in battle unless you are prepared to lose an equal number of points yourself. Obviously, you should never attack with a larger combat differential than is necessary to achieve your desired result. To do so merely invites unnecessary casualties to your forces. Let us presume you have a force of eleven points attacking an unfortified enemy force of three points, giving an initial differential of plus eight which guarantees you an elimination of the enemy force. However, unless you have an imperative reason to eliminate the defender you would be foolish to execute the attack at plus eight. The most points you can kill is three (since that's all he's got) while you will probably lose five yourself. Attack at plus four which gives you a fifty percent chance of eliminating him, while minimizing your loss at two points. However, assume that he has six points and you have fourteen yielding the same plus eight differential. In this case you should attack with plus six or seven or plus eight, depending upon the percentage of his force you want to kill versus your possible casualties.
Attacking fortified units calls for careful management of the combat differential also. Remember you only need to kill the face value strength of the Enemy defenders in order to eliminate him. Forts triple the strength of the defending units, but losses from combat are extracted at face value strength which means that in a normal combat you can eliminate a fort and its occupants without inordinate excessive losses to your forces by careful selection of the size of the combat differential.
Defensive tactics consist of retreating or not retreating depending on the strategic value of maintaining your position (of course, this assumes that you have the option to retreat). If your forces are unfortified and the hex you occupy has no particular value to you, or to the attacker, retreat, by all means, unless you wish to accept and inflict casualties. If your position is fortified you usually should hold your ground, if there is a chance to preserve at least one point in it after combat. Forts are not all that easy to build and if you can retain it you will at least force the attacker to remain partially concentrated to successfully attack the fort on his next turn.
If your defensive position contains an intact friendly city and in taking losses you have the choice of losing the city's intrinsic militia point or an Army Strength Point, you should in almost all cases give up the Army Strength Point rather than the city Militia Point. It's a long game and the intrinsic point never suffers attrition; it always will serve to protect your city from an easy occupation by the enemy. Only if you visualize an immediate need for the mobile army point which can only be met from the force under attack should you give up a city point to preserve the army point.
Grand Tactical or Operational Notes
Northern Player:
Your grand strategy must be offensive, which means your operations must be geared to preserve a maximum mobile force on every Game-Turn. This begins with your initial set-up. Unless faced with a known "kamikaze" you can assume that on Game-Turn one, your opponent will not strike north. Therefore, leave only one Point in hex #4406 and one point in Washington, and set-up the remaining strength in three Point forces on hexes ending in one, three, five, seven, and nine, all the odd numbers. These hexes include Cairo and Cincinnati. Under no circumstances place units on hex ending in zero. This set-up minimizes the effects of attrition and of command control. On every Game-Turn thereafter, through Game-Turn six (at least) remember to optimize the odd numbered hexes and to preserve your forces in multiples of three if possible on attrition turns. If, as you should, you plan and execute an amphibious campaign, note that by placing forces on both Baltimore and Washington you will have some forces available for embarkation unless you roll a command control die roll of three. Fortify Washington, Cincinnati, and Cairo as soon as you can and then forget about them except for a garrison of one Point (two Points on attrition Game-Turns).
In 1861 and 1862 you should attack anywhere and everywhere, if for no other reason than you want to create leaders. Don't be afraid to expose your forces to counterattacks. It'll cost him as much as you. The grain of the hex field aids attacks on the North-South axis, since you can combine three hexes on one while preserving a broad front of attack. Smash all Confederate forts on the Mississippi, Tennessee, and Cumberland as soon as you can so that your Riverine units can penetrate and canalize Confederate movement options. Remember above all to keep your USMRR units moving. Seize a port on the southeast coast "ASAP" and get a USMRR unit down there. This will put it in excellent position to "repair" the hell out of the heart of the Southern railway grid. By 1863 you should be in a position to drive on one of the three strategic Axis', the Mississippi River, Nashville-Savannah, or Richmond-Wilmington. Take what the "Reb" will give you and run. In late '63 you should concentrate towards the state of Georgia. This means driving on and seizing Chattanooga at the very least. At some point before the weight of numbers gets too one-sided, your opponent may strike at Washington or Bowling Green in order to disrupt your supply lines and possibly, depending upon the optional rules, garnering points. Your best defense, of course, is a constant wide-front offensive which leaves no avenues of approach free from at least secondary zones of control. You usually don't need to build forts except at key railway and river junctions such as Memphis, Nashville, Paducah, etc. If you do build, try to keep at least one Point on top of the fort so that you can combine the strength benefit of the fortified Point(s) with the zones of control of the unfortified Strength Point.
Southern Player:
Your strategy is defensive. Normally you gain nothing by invading the North except a lot of grief. On Game-Turns one and two you should turn western Tennessee into a Maginot line with forts along the rivers and railroads. At all costs fortify Nashville and Memphis and hexes 1814 and 1515. In the east, set up at hex 4407 and fortify it along with Fredericksburg, Richmond, Petersburg, and Norfolk. After Game-Turn one get Lee out of Virginia. Use him as a fort builder and "recruiting sergeant" in the initial Game-Turns, by moving him around to minimize command control effects on your troop concentration. Fortify Wilmington, Charleston, Savannah, Mobile, Pensacola, and New Orleans. Keep them garrisoned with at least one Strength Point. Hold the Cumberland Gap by fortifying hex 2915. Like the Yank, you want to keep your forces in multiples of three to minimize attrition losses, but you often do not have the strength to do this and still spread to cover a front and to cover your fortifications. So you take your chances. Above all you don't want to leave a clear alley to the deep South open to any material Yankee force with a leader. The Movement Allowances being what they are, an unopposed force which doesn't have to pay Movement Point penalties for Zones of Control can go a long way. Once he gets a sizeable force into Alabama or Georgia, even if it is unsupplied, it still will take a lot of killing. It rarely pays you to attack, giving and taking heavy losses, except for the final Game-Turns when you may have to do so to recapture links in the final supply grid.
Pay attention to city supply values in any given year. For example, Nashville can support four points, and you should garrison it with three points in a fort and one point on top. This is a self-sufficient garrison which can stand all but the heaviest Yankee attacks. In line with this, you should use your mobile western field army, whatever it consists of, to keep Nashville connected with the South as long as possible. Field armies for both players should remain dispersed in adjacent sequentially numbered hexes to minimize the effects of command control and attrition, except of course, when you must mass in preparation for a Double-Match on a subsequent turn.
Double-Match (Both Players)
Because Washington receives large reinforcements and inevitably bad command control, it usually accumulates enormous Strength Point totals. Thirty Points is not unusual. This means that it is a natural, though involuntary, source of Double-Match forces for the Northern Player. With these numbers he can usually swamp Virginia with successive waves of Double-Match forces peeled off of the Washington stack when it finally gets free. The secret lies in tailoring the size of each wave to the size of the presumed rebel positions in its path. If the rebs have only one Strength Point fortified in hex 4407, don't use all thirty points initially on this position. Peel off six and force the Reb out one way or the other. When this Double-Match initial force is spent, peel off another and send it deeper into Virginia and so on. When on defense against a Double-Match force it is usually a real toss-up whether to stand or run. If you can give ground retreat, because the combination of Zone of Control penalties and Double-Match option costs will quickly exhaust the Double-Match force's Movement Allowance.
Grand Strategy (Both Players)
The heartland of the South consists of Montgomery, Columbus, Macon, Atlanta, and Augusta. In 1864 and 1865 these intact cities, if tied together, create a grid of twenty-four Points. This is sufficient for a Southern Player victory if he holds out until Game-Turn sixteen. Obviously, he must hold other inter-connected cities on prior Game-Turns eleven through fourteen to stay alive. Mobile, Savannah, and Charleston are each worth five Points. So the essence of the Southern Player's strategy is to hold the heartland and at least two of the three outlet ports through Game-Turn thirteen, holding one port through Game-Turn fourteen, and then holding out in the heartland until the end. The three Florida ports connecting by rail to the Chattahoochie River which in turn connect to Macon and Columbus by river and rail are often overlooked by the North and can garner three bonus points to the Southern player. Two things the Southern Player must remember: (1) once the North occupies a city it's gone forever. So he should not be allowed a cheap shot at any heartland city. (2) Only the USMRR can permanently take out a Southern railroad. If he can get a USMRR unit into your heartland railway grid, you might as well burn a hole in the map. So you fight long and hard to hold Tennessee and the Southeast coast, if for no other reason than to keep the USMRR at bay. Remember, the most it can advance on one Player-Turn is three hexes per railway, so be guided accordingly.
As the war winds down and the game approaches an end, the Union Player will be taking chances using his leaders to force troops out of supply onto railways of the heartland grid. The Southern Player will need a field army to counterattack and force these Northern units off of the grid, thereby restroing it to its use as a supply line. Railways are pretty much what the strategy of the war is all about. The Southern Player has two east-west routes. One is obvious: the Lynchburg-Chattanooga-Decatur-Memphis line. This route, while obvious, is also vulnerable, and the South will probably lose it by 1863. The other is much more tortuous: Vicksburg-Meridian-Mobile-Atlanta-Columbia, etc. This is vulnerable to amphibious incursion, in the Mobile area and in hex 3623. So be guided accordingly. Eastern Virginia is a theater of war in which the South can profitably delay the North. It offers easily defensible terrain which can restrict the movement of the largest Northern armies. The Southern Player must beware, however, of tying up excessive forces in Virginia while permitting the North to run wild in the west. In the end, you must be prepared as the Southern Player to give up Richmond, your capital, and retreat with your forces largely intact toward the heartland. The name of the game, after all, is to survive. You don't win any kudos by holding Richmond until you lose.
20.2 Designer's Notes
The American Civil War is another one of those games that went down easy during design and development and came up shining and looking like a winner. Being a strategic game it immediately brought with it numerous, extremely difficult problems. Fortunately, our experience at doing games in general and large scale strategic games in particular enabled us to solve all, or at least most, of these problems quickly and efficiently.
First, of course, we had to solve some basic design problems. Many of these problems were peculiar to strategic level games. It was a big help to have only recently completed the design of the World War II game. The World War II game provided us with, so to speak, a model. Many of the basic design ideas in the Civil War game came directly from the World War II game. Most of these are fairly obvious. We're using a hex grid, three-month turns, and point-value units which are interchangeable.
The similarities are less apparent when it comes to treatment of geography in the Civil War game. In the World War II game, geography was kept rather simple. Basically, this is what we did in the Civil War game. But, since the area covered in the Civil War game was not quite as large as that covered in the World War II game, we were forced to include more geographic detail (one Civil War hex is 25 mi. across). This is most noticeable in the presence of rivers and militarily significant towns and cities. We also had to include railroads, if only because they were so important, so few, and so obvious on a map of the scale necessary for the Civil War game. The rivers, of course, presented some unique problems of their own. They were used primarily for transport, and in this respect they were not navigable for their entire length. Therefore, we had to classify each river by the portion that was navigable and that portion that was not. The rivers also had a certain effect on land movement. But this was more as a minor obstacle than anything else. The major geographic feature was the Appalachian Massif which has the effect of dividing the theater of the war into two parts, the east and the west.
With these basic and fundamental problems solved, all that remained was to add the necessary details as simply and as efficiently as possible. This was the second, and perhaps most important, aspect of designing and developing the American Civil War game.
In order to add the details to the American Civil War game, we had to analyze those elements which gave the conflict its "flavor." To ascertain these elements we had to penetrate the "fog of the Civil War." This meant examining in detail some of the truths, as well as many of the myths which make up the commonly accepted perception of what the American Civil War was all about.
One of the most ignored aspects of the American Civil War was the problem of economics, particularly of the South. Much is made of the industrial might of the North during the Civil War and the economic deficiencies of the South. But what is not generally known, is that the South was not all that economically deficient. And it was primarily the loss of key economic areas early in the war that produced, in the South, enormous hardships which towards the end of the conflict had a very direct affect on the fighting.
[A paragraph of research acknowledgement, a credit, is omitted here.]
A considerably detailed analysis of the Southern economy during the war was necessary during the design and development of the game. What we initially came up with was the economic potential of the various areas as shown in the rules, as well as their actual production at the beginning of the war. The early prototypes of the game allowed the South to vary the build-up of production (supply ability) capacity during the war. It was later found out that in the majority of the games played, the South followed pretty much the same production increase patterns. That is, they tended to increase the productive capacity of the interior areas while leaving the border production areas pretty much the same since these areas were most likely to be overrun by Union forces. We thus simplified this earlier system by introducing a set increase in production capacity for all the games. The optional variable production building chart will probably show up in MOVES magazine one of these days. For the South, their very ability to wage war was dependent upon their ability to produce the materials of war, and thus supply their forces in the field as well as raise new forces. This is the primary reason why Sherman's "March to the Sea" was so decisive in determining the outcome of the war. This march effectively cut in half the last viable Southern supply network, in addition to destroying or neutralizing many of the key Southern production areas.
Another misunderstood element in the Civil War was the effects of time and space upon the conduct of the campaigns. Generally speaking, the armies themselves moved rather slowly. While there were occasional bold strokes and rapid marches, they were not that frequent and were usually conducted against little or no resistance. To solve these problems we came up with the two-hex radius Zone of Control. This enable fewer units to hold a wider front. This made rapid and deep penetrations of enemy territory highly unlikely and quite difficult. This was just as it was during the war. Deep penetrations of enemy territory were still possible, of course, but one needed overwhelming force on a particular point in order to achieve this goal.
The North, of course, had an alternate means of penetrating the periphery of the Southern defenses. This was through their use of sea power, not only on the coasts themselves, but also up the navigable rivers. What hampered the use of sea power for the North, as well as the employment of their superior forces in general, was the effect of Command Control. This, probably, is the single greatest factor contributing to the Southern successes and near victories during the early years of the war. The quality of Northern leadership, and, at times, Southern leadership, was quite low. Opportunities were constantly lost due to inactivity or excessive passivity on the part of sundry generals on both sides. What made this low level of command control so crippling was the unpredictability of it. Even the best generals, at times, did not go where they were supposed to go, when they were supposed to go there. This resulted in many confused campaigns where neither side was capable of doing what they planned to do.
Many of the command control problems were traced to political factors influencing the war. This connection is not evident in the game itself, although the political factors are represented at various points in the game (such as the neutrality of Kentucky and effects of Southern units invading the North), as well as more widely in the optional rules.
As with most games, the goal of the American Civil War game is to illuminate a few basic elements of the campaign and show how they were interrelated with one another. This, we feel, we had done with regard to the war economies, particularly of the South; the time and space factors; the influence of command control on sea power; as well as, some of the political factors that influenced the course of the war.
The most interesting aspect of the design and development of the American Civil War game is how specifically we worked into the game these various factors. For example, the time and space factors were made to "work" by the use of the Double-Match rules. This, quite simply, forced the attacking player to gather overwhelming force against a particular point in order to not only penetrate, but also to force a battle. The Double-Match rules show that it is not always possible to force a battle on your terms. Or any terms at all for that matter. These rules quite simply and elegantly re-create the ebb and flow of the campaigns during the Civil War.
Supply and the importance of railroads is quite graphically shown in the supply rules. This shows why campaigns were simply not fought in certain areas of the United States. Railroad supply was absolutely necessary for the enormous armies used during the period. Foraging, of course, is allowed in the game, but it is realistically shown to be capable of supporting only very small forces on a given amount of territory.
The command control rules introduce not only the element of unpredictability among the various leaders in the Civil War, but also the ability of more efficient leaders to rise up to positions of power. The command control rules, then, add a very essential human element to the war as a whole. Another important human element was the impact of attrition on the course of fighting. On both sides there were rather high desertion rates as well as considerable losses (much higher than battle losses in fact) from non-combat casualties due to disease. Since the American Civil War was fought all year round with little regard to the normally accepted principle of "winter quarters," the desertion and diseases tended to be highest in certain seasons of the year. For the sake of simplicity, without sacrificing too much realism, we have thus concentrated the attrition of the armies into only two of the four yearly seasons. The attrition, of course, was random and this again accounts for the unpredictability that always dogged the supreme commanders of both sides.
Cities, forts and militia were all important factors in the fighting. And while not critical, each added their own little element of realism to the war as a whole. Cities, of course, contain large concentrations of population. And these large concentrations of people were the basis of the militia organization that every state maintained. For this reason, the cities have an intrinsic self-defense capability, and in addition, each state has its own mobile militia. This makes invasion that much more difficult, Which is how it was. To further aid the defense, and the defense had a distinct advantage during the Civil War, we introduce the concept of field fortifications or "forts." These forts were not invulnerable, of course, and many Southern disasters can be traced to the mistake of tying up large forces inside of fortifications. At the same time, however, fortifications time and again enabled outnumbered Southern forces to withstand the assaults of far superior Union forces.
The overall manpower situation was quite decisively in favor of the North. The flow of new forces to the armies was fairly consistent from quarter to quarter throughout the war. This enabled us to work the reinforcement problem rather smoothly. The Northern reinforcements tended to stage out of the major cities for the simple reason that this was where most of the equipment and war materials were manufactured, and it was most efficient to equip the troops here and then move them to the front. The Southern economy was basically the same, but was more diffuse. And because the Southern Railroads were not quite as efficient as the Northern Railroads, the Southern forces tended to concentrate over a wider area. All this, of course, was built into the game.
One of the more interesting aspects of the game was the treatment of Riverine or River gunboat forces. While not unique in the annals of warfare, the use of Riverine units reached something of a peak during the American Civil War. It should be noted, however, that the use of Union sea power was certainly not by itself decisive. The blockade of Southern ports did not affect the overall Southern position that much since Confederate blockade runners were able to get through with large quantities of essential supplies despite the blockade. The blockade, like the Union clearing of the Mississippi, had more political and psychological impact than anything else. These naval accomplishments did, of course, have substantial impact upon the course of the war, but not as substantial as is commonly believed. And the game shows this. The Union naval forces were primarily just one more powerful weapon in the North's already bulging arsenal.
The optional rules cover some of the more likely speculations that have grown up during and since the war was fought. These, we feel, act as something of a dessert to an already substantial and excellent meal (game). The American Civil War is one of the games we are particularly proud of because it has, we feel, successfully and efficiently dealt with this major historical event. We hope you'll agree with this and feel that you will if you play the game often enough.
[The designer's signature initials at the end of the notes, and the section 21.0 Design Credits (designer, development, research, playtesting and production credits), are attribution and are omitted.]