From: Steffan O'Sullivan Subject: Dixie FAQ - Columbia's answers Dixie Frequently Asked Questions Answers by Tom Dalgleish, Columbia Games Compiled by Steffan O'Sullivan , who can forward any feedback on Tom's requests for input below. Also, send any further Dixie Questions to sos@oz.plymouth.edu for inclusion in the FAQ, and I'll get Tom to answer them. Q1) Is "The Middle Ground" a seperate position? In other words, are there six or nine positions on board, not counting reserves? A1) The Middle Ground is not a position (except to contain Creek cards, and others that will appear in later expansions such as Ravines, Rivers, etc.) It is the border between the USA and CSA positions. There are only six positions in the basic game, plus the reserves. In the following diagram, the Middle Ground is the line marked MG: -----------Reserve (Hand)----------- / | \ ||--------|---------||--------|---------||--------|---------|| || || || || || USA || USA || USA || || Right || Center || Left || || || || || || || || || MG-||------------------||------------------||------------------||- || || || || || CSA || CSA || CSA || || Left || Center || Left || || || || || || || || || ||--------|---------||--------|---------||--------|---------|| \ | / -----------Reserve (Hand)----------- The only movement is across single lines, plus the Outflanking maneuver detailed in the rules. When you "cross the middle ground", you engage the enemy's position; that is, you now occupy that position - with the enemy if he is there, or as sole occupant if you move into an empty position. Q2) If I capture an enemy position, and am then fired upon by the enfiladed enemy, which morale bonus do I use for my general? Do I use the Offensive bonus because I'm across the Middle Ground, or the Defensive bonus because I'm now the defender of that position (even if he's not entering it, just firing from an enfiladed position)? A2) When you enter an enemy position your General is on OFFENSE in all cases. Q3) Re: the Bridge card. Can it be used as a Special card, like the Ford? Or is it used exclusively like the Stream card? A3) The BRIDGE card is a CREEK card with a Movement Limit of 3. If a Creek and a Bridge show up in the same position, eliminate the basic CREEK. Q4) Does the movement restrictions of a Creek or Ford apply to General or Special cards? A4) NO. Q5) Rule 7.7, Enfilades: do artillery fire at long or short range? Both enfilading and enfiladed artillery? A5) Delete reference to "long fire enfilade". All enfilade fire is a SHORT range, as is return fire from the Enfiladed cards. Q6) Rule 7.7, Enfilades: it specifies that all normal terrain rules applicable to the *enfiladed* position apply. What about to the captured enfilading position? Does a Woods or Hill terrain there help on defense or offense? A6) With respect to Enfilade, the captured terrain has NO effect on Offense, but does apply to Defense. But if the captured position is engaged from the enemy Reserve (terminating the Enfilade effect) then the Terrain in the captured position applies normally (Offense and Defense). Q7) Can terrain cards drawn after the initial placement be used as decoys in left, center, and right positions? Obviously, they couldn't take a hit, and must be removed if revealed, but it seems a waste to just hold them in your reserve. A7) A Terrain card SHOULD NOT be played as a Decoy. There are numerous other cases of doing this kind of thing such as playing a Ford as a decoy, playing two generals in the same position, etc. Obviously, since cards are deployed face-down, players can take chances here, hoping to move the card back to the Reserve before the "error" is discovered. Hence, stopping this ploy is almost impossible, so players can either allow this practise or not (House Rule). At the very least, any such decoy should be automatically eliminated. That's not much of a threat with Terrain cards, mind you. I am considering allowing Terrain cards to be played in unengaged positions during play. We can rationalise this as the battleline moving into new terrain, etc. Any comments? Q8) The long range "unlimited ammunition" for artillery seems ahistorical for 1861, more suited to later years. Is there any easy way to limit long range ammunition? Perhaps on a roll of "1", the unit may not fire until it returns to the reserve and then again to the front lines to represent replenishing ammunition? A8) This would work, but it would be common. Ammo Depletion Special cards will appear in SHILOH. Q9) When a unit passes a morale test, is the marker removed, or does it operate at reduced CV for the rest of the game? A9) Marker is removed. Card operates normally. Q10) What happens to units that must disengage back across the Middle Ground, but there is not enough room for all of them in the position they are retreating to? If the answer is, some are routed, enough to allow the rest to occupy the position, who decides which units are routed? A10) The hard case rule is to ROUT the offending card(s). But I'm considering a "Disorganization" rule, whereby ALL cards in the overstacked position must make a Morale roll. Each card that fails, moves to the RESERVE. Players with an opinion may register a vote. Q11) Can Uniform Confusion be played on a sharpshooter? Obviously, it only has a chance to hit a General of his own force when both forces have Generals in the same position. Can it be used even then? Can it be used when the sharpshooting side has no General in the position, merely to nullify the card - the sharpshooter can't identify the General because of the confusion? A11) A sharpshooter shooting his own general isn't much of a Sharpshooter! The second idea is cute. Why not? Q12) Color Guards: do they take a hit? If so, do they then go back into the player's reserve, to represent numerous soldiers ready to take up the flag? A12) When they take a hit they are eliminated immediately (like a General). Since a player can protect the Color Guard by deciding which card takes a hit, this seems like enough of an advantage. Think of the hit as an enemy capture of the colors. Q13) If I use Double Canister on a Hill Terrain, does the Hill +1 CV affect the unit before or after doubling? A13) Terrain effects are always last. Double for the Special card, then add +1 CV for the Hill. Q14) Do you really mean there can be duplicates of all Specials? Even the Fords or Southern Railroads? A14) In the 2nd Edition rules (to be published in March) I've prohibited duplicates of Fords. I left Southern Railroads as is, but prohibit as a House Rule if it offends. When Battlepoints (BPs) are used to balance decks, this is NOT an issue. Q15) Are there tournament rules coming? Play each side with a set number of points, perhaps? How would victory points be allotted? A15) I'll post some Tournament Rules in a few weeks. For now, players should play a Tournament game with a Custom deck of 300 BPs, and 30+ cards. Players may have to play both CSA and USA in a Tournament, so they need to have Custom decks for both sides. The loser of a Tournament game may challange his opponent's deck. If it violates the 300 BP limit, the victor is SHOT. -- -Steffan O'Sullivan sos@oz.plymouth.edu