Subject: [Consim-l] American Civil War (SPI, 1974), part 1 From: "T. Michael Sommers" Date: Sat, August 4, 2012 1:33 pm To: "Consim-l" Priority: Normal Mailing List: Unsubscribe | List Archives | Post to List | Reply to List | Help | Subscribe Options: View Full Header | View Printable Version | Download this as a file | View Message Details DESCRIPTION American Civil War appeared in S&T 43 in 1974. It is a strategic level game of the Civil War. It covers the entire war in 16 seasonal turns. Components are typical for SPI at the time. Land combat units are interchangeable strength points. There are also leaders, 4 to each side at most, and for the Union there are naval and riverine units, and railroad repair units (USMRR). Land movement is fairly standard, with movement allowances changing with the seasons. Land units can also move by rail, but only a few strength points (SP) per side per turn. Both sides also have limited river transport. Union units can move by sea, again with limits. A moving force that moves next to an enemy force it outnumbers by 2:1 or more can make the enemy retreat or fight during movement. Combat is standard, using a differential CRT. In most cases the differential can be voluntarily reduced to reduce losses. If not outnumbered 2:1, defenders can retreat before combat. Land units have a Primary ZOC, which is pretty standard, and a Secondary ZOC, at a distance of 2 hexes. Units can move through enemy ZOCs, but they must pay an MP penalty. Units can build forts, which triple them on defense. Cities have an intrinsic defense strength, which, once destroyed, never comes back. Command control rules are harsh. The original rules use a table of hex-number endings, but I just rolled a 10-sided die for each stack. The Union starts off with a 60% chance of being out of command control; the Confederates 40%. Both improve with time. Units out of command control can't do anything at all. Leaders can help reduce the chance of being out of command control. The South starts with one leader, Lee, at level 2 (levels go from 0 to 3). The North gets Farragut, a special leader, also level 2, on turn 2. Otherwise leaders are created when a force inflicts losses on the other side. Leaders get a promotion after being in (or near) battles that inflict 3 losses on the enemy (only when attacking for the North). In summer and autumn, each side suffers attrition, which can be quite brutal. Small garrisons can be wiped out, leaving vital spots unguarded. Supply is crucial. Units must trace a supply line of no more than 5 hexes to a supply source. The 5 hex limit is inclusive of both end points, and all of the 5 hexes must be clear terrain. That is, if you are in a swamp or rough terrain, you must either be sitting on a supply source (or next to a source, when the source is a hexside), or you are out of supply. Unless you can forage, and only small forces outside of enemy Primary ZOCs can do so, you die if you are out of supply. Ultimate supply sources differ for each side. For the North the ultimate sources are two railroads leading off the north edge of the board in Illinois and one in New Jersey. For the South, the ultimate source is their supply net. From the ultimate sources, every connecting rail hex and navigable river hexside is a source. The North can also trace supply by sea for a limited number of strength points. The South's supply net not only provides supplies, but also is the key to victory. The South has a number of supply cities. These connect by rail and river to form a net or nets. Each city (and thus net) can support only a limited number of army points, which number varies with time. Plus, to stay in the war, the South's largest net must be at least as large as a limit that also varies with time. The North has 3 USMRR units that can convert or repair Southern rail lines so the North can use them. Once a rail line is converted, it is lost to the South forever, even if they recapture it. The same applies to cities as supply sources. Geography Given the importance of the Southern supply net, a description of it is in order. The Confederate rail net has several choke points. There are only two lines that cross the country in the east-west direction. One goes west from Petersburg, across the Appalachians, through Knoxville, and then to near Chattanooga. From there, one branch goes west through Chattanooga and Decatur to Memphis, and another goes south through Atlanta, Montgomery, and Mobile, then north to Meridian, and then west through Jackson to Vicksburg. The other route goes south from Richmond to Wilmington and then to Charleston (or alternately from Richmond southwest to Columbus and then to Charleston). From Charleston it goes through Augusta to Atlanta, or through Macon to Atlanta or Montgomery via Columbus. Thus if the North takes Charleston, Chattanooga, and Mobile, the South is cut into 3 parts. Chattanooga and either of the other 2 will cut the South into 2 parts. This is not enough to win, but it will definitely hurt the South. Rivers don't help the South much, since the only ones of any length run north and south. In fact, other than the Mississippi system, only the Chattahoochie is more than a few hexsides long, and it doesn't connect any place significant. All this means there are, except for seaborne attacks, only two avenues of approach for either side. In the east, down through Virginia, and in the west, along the Mississippi and a band about 6 hexes wide on its eastern bank. The South has very little chance of moving north, and none at all of doing so and staying in supply. REPLAY I played the game solitaire. Turn 0 (Setup) The South gets 13 SP and Lee, which can be placed anywhere in the South, except in the Union-sympathetic area in the Appalachians, and in Fortress Monroe and Fort Pickens, which are occupied by the Yankees. One SP was placed in New Orleans, one in Mobile, one outside Fort Sumter (they aren't allowed to setup inside, which I think is silly), and one in Norfolk. Out west, one SP was placed in Memphis, one one the east bank of the Mississippi where Missouri, Tennessee, and Arkansas meet, one between the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers just inside Tennessee, one in Nashville, and one southeast of Chattanooga. In Virginia, 3 SP were placed in Manassas, and one, along with Lee, in Richmond. The Yankees get 18 SP. Three were placed in Missouri, just across the river from Cairo, 3 in Cairo, 1 across the river from Louisville, 1 in Cincinnattie, 1 in DC, and the rest in Arlington. The Yankees also get one USMRR each in Cairo, Cincinnatti, and DC, and 3 naval points off the Jersey shore. Turn 1 (Summer '61, attrition) Confederates There are no reinforcements for either side on turn 1. Attrition hit the Confederates hard; they lost 5 of their 13 SP. The SPs in New Orleans, outside Chattanooga, at Sumter, and in Richmond were lost, as well as 1 SP in Manassas. The command control level is 3 (this will only be noted when it changes). Only the force in Mobile, and the two on the rivers in the West, as well as Lee, who has no army, were active. Lee moved to Norfolk (Here is a potential rule ambiguity. Leaders left alone due to combat displace to the nearest friendly force, but Lee was left alone due to attrition. Should he also have displaced?). The other forces all built forts. Yankees Attrition killed the SP in Cincinnatti, and 3 of the 9 in Arlington. The command control level is 5. No Yankee forces are active. The USMRR unit (not subject to command control) in Cincinnatti started converting the B&O in West Virginia, and the one in DC headed west from Point of Rocks, converting the B&O to Harpers Ferry. The rules are not clear whether the USMRR can trigger the state militia, but I assumed it does, and the Virginia militia appeared in Richmond, which was unoccupied due to attrition. The naval units moved to the south edge of the map, heading eventually to New Orleans. Although the garrisons in Pickens and Monroe were unsupplied, they survived by foraging. After turn 1 Losses This turn Cumulative South: 5 5 North: 4 4 Turn 2 (Autumn '61; attrition) Confederates For reinforcements, 1 SP appeared each in Richmond, Wilmington, Charleston, Chattanooga, Decatur, New Orleans, and Texas. The Confederates get 7 SP in reinforcements each turn. Each SP appears in a specific hex (Texas only) or city, or in one of two or three cities. Only one SP was lost to attrition: the one in Memphis. The Confederates did well with command control, too. Only the forces in New Orleans, Memphis, and Richmond were inactive. The SP in Decatur moved to the fort on the Mississippi (which I'll call Island No. 10). The force in Charleston mpoved into Sumter. The Texans move, partly by rail, to Knoxville. Lee moved to Richmond. The other forces built forts, if they didn't have one already. Yankees Northern land reinforcements are the same every turn: 6 SP in DC, 3 in Cincinnatti, and 2 in Cairo. Naval reinforcements arrive every other turn, and are variable. This turn, 3 naval points (NP), 1 riverine point (RP), and Farragut arrive near Asbury Park (or maybe it's Manasquan). Attrition got the SP across the Ohio from Louisville, 1 SP in Cincinnatti, and the garrison of Fortress Monroe. Only 2 forces lost their command control die rolls. Unfortunately, these were the forces in DC and Arlington. In other words, the entire army in the East. So it will not be possible to reinforce Fortress Monroe. The force in Cincinnatti split, 1 SP going to the spot opposite Louisville, the other building a fort. Four SP from Cairo, plus the 3 in Missouri, crossed the river into Tennessee to attack Island No. 10. The Tennessee militia appeared in Memphis. The two USMRR units in West Virginia continued converting the B&O. Only Wheeling remains unconverted. Farragut and his force moved to the south edge of the map off Florida, while the other naval force moved to off Louisiana. At Island No. 10, 7 SP attacked the 1 SP in the fort (tripled). The differential was +4, voluntarily reduced to +1. Each side lost 1 SP. As a result of the combat, a new Yankee leader was created (leader A), who I'll call Grant, just for some historical color. The Yankees now have the sealift to supply Fort Pickens. After turn 2 Losses Attrition Combat This turn Cumulative This turn Cumulative Total South: 1 6 1 1 7 North: 3 7 1 1 8 Leaders: South: D 2 0 (Lee) North: A 0 0 (Grant) Turn 3 (Winter '62; no attrition) Kentucky automatically joined the Union. Confederates Reinforcements in Richmond, Raleigh, Savannah, Decatur, Memphis, and Texas. The forces in New Orleans, Memphis, Savannah, Raleigh, and Manassas were out of command control. In the East, 1 SP from Richmond occupied Fortress Monroe. The rest of the Richmond garrison built a fort. The forces in Decatur and Knoxville built forts. The SP in Chattanooga went to Nashville, 1 SP from Nashville went to Fort Henry Donelson (what I'll call the fort between the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers), and the new Texans almost made it to Chattanooga by rail. Yankees Only the forces in Cairo and across from Louisville are in command control. The 2 reinforcements from Cairo move to Grant's force. The force across from Louisville built a fort. One USMRR unit returned to DC, the other converted Wheeling, and then went to Across From Louisville. (The third has stayed in Cairo.) The 3 naval units entered the Mississippi. They tried, but failed, to run past New Orleans. Farragut and his force moved to just outside Louisiana. After turn 3 Losses Attrition Combat This turn Cumulative This turn Cumulative Total South: 0 6 0 1 7 North: 0 7 0 1 8 Leaders: South: D 2 0 (Lee) North: A 0 0 (Grant) Turn 4 (Spring '62; no attrition) Confederates Reinforcements in Richmond, Raleigh, Charleston, Decatur, Nashville, New Orleans, and Texas. The forces in Texas, New Orleans, Nashville, Savannah, and Raleigh were out of command control. Lee took 2 SP from Richmond to inside the fort in Manassas. Charleston built a fort. The Texans outside Chattanooga moved inside the fort there. One SP from Decatur moved to Memphis. Yankees In addition to the normal reinforcements, the North got 1 riverine unit in Cairo, and 1 naval unit off Jersey. Grant and the force in Cairo were out of command control, as was the force in Arlington. The DC force, however, can, for the first time in the war, do something. The Yankees have 7 spare (that is, not used to supply Fort Pickens) sealift points. Up to now, they have had points, but no one was active to use them. They used them to move 3 SP to near New Orleans. One stack of 3 is in a swamp right next to the city, but the other could only get to a clear hex one hex from the city. They will, command control permitting, attack next turn. In Kentucky, 6 SP from Across From Louisville move to just southwest of Bowling Green, closely followed by a USMRR unit. The Confederate Kentucky militia appeared in Nashville. The naval reinforcement moved to the south edge of the map. In Virginia, 12 SP from DC moved to Arlington. They attacked Lee in Manassas. The defenders had 3 SP in a fort, plus 1 outside, for 10 SP, so the attack was at +2 differential. Each side lost 2 SP. Each side also created a leader, and Lee got a point towards a promotion. (I'm not entirely sure this is the right way to handle leaders and losses. That is, I'm not sure it is okay to use 1 loss to create a new leader while using another to help promote an existing leader. The rules do not explicitly forbid it, though.) The leader counters are B and E, so I'll call them Burnside and Early. After turn 4 Losses Attrition Combat This turn Cumulative This turn Cumulative Total South: 0 6 2 3 9 North: 0 7 2 3 10 Leaders: South: D 2/1 (Lee); E 0/0 (Early) North: A 0/0 (Grant); B 0/0 (Burnside) Turn 5 (Summer '62; attrition) Confederates Reinforcements in Richmond, Raleigh, Charleston, Nashville, Decatur, New Orleand, and Texas. Attrition cost 1 SP in Fort Henry Donelson, 1 in Raleigh, and 1 in Manassas. Texas, Raleigh, and Decatur were out of command control. 1 SP moved from Nashville to Fort Henry Donelson. Leader E went by rail from Virginia to Memphis. One SP went from Richmond to Manassas. Lee went to Raleigh. An SP from Charleston went to Manassas. Memphis, New Orleans, Savannah, and Wilmington built forts. Yankees Attrition cost 2 SP from Grant's force, 2 from Cairo, 1 from Cincinnatti, 4 from Arlington, and 1 from DC, for a total of 10. The force right next to New Orleans, the force in Arlington, the force in Cairo, and the force in Cincinnatti were without command control. The active force near New Orleans, being too small to attack the city by itself, even with naval support, moved to attack Mobile. The 3 naval points moved to support them. Farragut move next to the force next to New Orleans, where he should have been before, so that his leadership can help that force next turn. The naval force in the river again failed to get past New Orleans. The Bowling Green force moved to southeast of Nashville, cutting its supplies. Then Grant moved to attack Fort Henry Donelson. The USMRR unit retreated towards Louisville. There are 10 sealift points, 4 used for supply, leaving 6 for naval transport. Two SP landed near New Orleans, and 3 moved to Fort Pickins, from which they will attack Pensacola this turn (since they landed in a fort they can attack the same turn). The most recent naval reinforcement moved to near Louisiana. Grant attacked with 6 SP against 4 (1 tripled in the fort plus 1 outside), for a +2. Each side lost 1; the Confederates created a new leader (the only Confederate leader I can think of is Forrest, and he doesn't seem appropriate, so I'll just call him Johnston). Grant gained a point towards promotion. The force at Fort Pickens attacked Pensacola at +2. It took the city at a cost of 1 SP. Three SP plus 3 NP attacked Mobile (1 SP in a fort, tripled, plus the city strenth) at +2. Each side lost 2, so the unit in the fort was eliminated, as was the city strength. The Yankees lost 1 SP and 1 NP and took the city. The Union created a new leader (C) in Mobile; I can't think of any Cs, so I'll just call him Sherman. After turn 5 Losses Attrition Combat This turn Cumulative This turn Cumulative Total South: 3 9 2 5 14 North: 10 17 3 6 23 Naval: - - 1 1 1 Leaders: South: D 2/1 (Lee); E 0/0 (Early); F 0/0 (Johnston) North: A 0/0 (Grant); B 0/1 (Burnside); C 0/0 (Sherman) Turn 6 (Autumn '62; attrition) Confederates Reinforcements in Richmond, Raleigh, Savannah, Atlanta, Selma, New Orleans, and Texas. Attrition took 1 SP from Memphis, 2 from Nashville, 1 from Knoxville, 1 from Richmond, and 1 from Manassas. The forces in Memphis, Fort Henry Donelson, Atlanta, Manassas, and Norfolk were out of command control. I badly miscalculated as the North, and the attempt to isolate Nashville failed. Lee and 2 SP from Raleigh went to Manassas and entered the fort there. The other SP in Raleigh went to New Berne. One SP from Savannah went to Montgomery. Two SP from Texas went to Memphis, using rail movement, and the other went to Meridian. An SP from Decatur went to Corinth. The SP in Selma built a fort. Yankees The regular land reinforcements, plus 1 RP and 1 NP off New Jersey. Grant lost two SP to attrition, as did the force near Nashville. Burnside lost 3 SP, as did the DC garrison. That was 3 6s and 2 5s out of 11 rolls. Except for the troops near New Orleans, and those in Cairo, all Yankee troops are out of command control. Five of the North's 12 sealift points are needed for supply, but since the DC garrison is useless this turn, the sealift points were used to transfer a USMRR unit from DC to Mobile (they don't need command control). The one from near Louisville moved to DC, and the one in Cairo started south, and converted 3 railroad hexes, cutting off Nashville from Memphis. Four SP from Cairo joined Grant. New Orleans is now too strong to attack, so 2 SP went to Mobile, and the other 3 stayed in place to attack the port of Proctorville. The naval reinforcements moved south. The 3 NP outside New Orleans finally ran the batteries there, and those at Baton Rouge and Natchez, and got as far as Vicksburg. One NP moved into the Chattahoochie, cutting off Florida. The other 2 NP moved next to New Orleans. Farragut and 1 RP moved to between Mobile and Pensacola, to use his leadership in both places next turn. Three SP attacked Proctorville at +2, voluntarily reduced to +1. The attacker lost nothing, and the city fell. After turn 6 Losses Attrition Combat This turn Cumulative This turn Cumulative Total South: 6 15 0 5 20 North: 10 27 0 6 33 Naval: - - 0 1 1 Leaders: South: D 2/1 (Lee); E 0/0 (Early); F 0/0 (Johnston) North: A 0/0 (Grant); B 0/1 (Burnside); C 0/0 (Sherman) The situation at the beginning of turn 7, Winter '63: Confederates: New Orleans: 3 SP in a fort Meridian: 1 SP Selma: 1 SP in a fort Montgomery: 1 SP Memphis: Leader E (who I'm calling Early), 5 SP, and a fort Between the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers: Leader F (Johnston), 1 SP, and a fort (which I'm calling Fort Henry Donelson) Nashville: 2 SP and a fort Corinth: 1 SP Decatur: 1 SP in a fort Chattanooga: 1 SP in a fort Knoxville: an empty fort Atlanta: 1 SP Savannah: 1 SP in a fort Charleston: 1 SP in a fort Fort Sumter: 1 SP Wilmington: 1 SP in a fort New Berne: 1 SP Norfolk: 1 SP in a fort Fortress Monroe: 1 SP Richmond: 1 SP in a fort Manassas: Leader D (Lee), 4 SP, and a fort Yankees: Proctorville (near New Orleans): 3 SP Mobile: Leader C (Sherman), 4 SP, 1 USMRR Pensacola: 2 SP Fort Pickens: 1 SP Cairo: 1 SP in a fort Midway between Memphis and Nashville: 1 USMRR Outside Fort Henry Donelson: Leader A (Grant), 7 SP SE of Nashville: 4 SP Across from Louisville: 1 SP in a fort Cincinnati: 6 SP and a fort DC: 4 SP, 1 USMRR, and a fort Arlington: Leader B (Burnside), 9 SP On the Mississippi at Cairo: 1 RP (riverine point) On the Mississippi at Vicksburg: 3 NP (naval points) On the Mississippi at New Orleans: 2 NP On the coast between Mobile and Pensacola: Farragut, 1 RP On the Chattahoochie near Tallahassee: 1 NP Off the coast of Florida: 1 NP, 1 RP Turn 7 (Winter '64; no attrition) Both sides' command control rating improves this turn. Confederates: Reinforcements at Richmond, Raleigh, Augusta, Chattanooga, Decatur, Jackson, and Texas. The forces at Texas, Memphis, Fort Henry Donelson, Meridian, Atlanta, Corinth, and Raleigh are out of command control. In all command control phases, I don't bother rolling if I don't plan to use a force. The forces at Fort Henry Donelson and Nashville are in supply, but only barely. The force at Jackson moved next door to Vicksburg. The reinforcements that arrived at Decatur and Chattanooga moved to surround the Yankee force outside Nashville. It was a very bad mistake to put that force there. They are probably doomed due to being out of supply. The reinforcement at Augusta and 1 SP from Richmond moved to Manassas. The forces at Montgomery and New Berne built forts. Yankees: No naval reinforcements this turn, just the usual land reinforcements. As usual, the Yankees suffer atrociously in command control: all forces on the Gulf, Grant, Cincinnati, and DC are out of command control. The 4 SP outside Nashville are out of supply. The 3 NP at Vicksburg ran the batteries there, went to Memphis, and partly ran the batteries there. The 2 NP near New Orleans tried to run those batteries, but failed. The 2 naval units off Florida moved to off Louisiana. The riverine unit at Cairo moved up the Tennessee to Paducah. The USMRR unit in the west converted another rail hex, and then moved north. It can't do any more now because of ZOCs. Two SP from Cairo joined Grant. The force in Arlington is too small to attack Manassas, so it moved to DC. The 4 SP outside Nashville attacked the 2 SP putting them out of supply at +0, because they are halved for being out of supply. Each side lost 1 SP. The force outside Nashville is eliminated for being out of supply. After turn 7 Losses Attrition Combat This turn Cumulative This turn Cumulative Total South: 0 15 1 6 21 North: 3 30 1 7 37 Naval: - - 0 1 1 Leaders: South: D 2/1 (Lee); E 0/0 (Early); F 0/0 (Johnston) North: A 0/0 (Grant); B 0/1 (Burnside); C 0/0 (Sherman) Turn 8 (Spring '63; no attrition) Confederates: Reinforcements at Richmond, Raleigh, Augusta, Nashville, Decatur, Jackson, and Texas. The Yankees are doing so badly because of command control problems that the Confederates are running out of unit counters. Forces in Texas, Meridian, Memphis, and Nashville were the only ones out of command control. Memphis is doing as badly as the Yankees in this regard. The SP left over from putting the Yankee force outside Nashville out of supply moved to Fort Henry Donelson. The SP at Raleigh, Atlanta, and Augusta moved to Montgomery, planning an offensive against the Yankees on the Gulf coast. Forts got built in Vicksburg, Jackson, and Corinth. Yankees: In addition to the usual land reinforcements, they Yankees got an NP off Jersey and an RP in Cairo. A relatively good turn for command control: only Grant and Pensacola were out of command control. Five out of this turn's 15 sealift points were needed for supplying the forces on the Gulf coast. Since the Confederate unit in Corinth was now in a fort, it lost its ZOC, so the western USMRR unit could convert the rail lines all the way down to that city. It then ran back to Cairo. On the Gulf coast, Sherman and 4 SP moved north to Meridian, where they used the double-match option against the city and its garrison. The garrison retreated, and Sherman attacked the city at a reduced differential of +1. The Yankees lost an SP, and the city fell. Sherman gained a promotion point for the city. Sherman stopped in Meridian, which gives him lots of choices for next turn. The USMRR unit in Mobile moved up the rail line to Meridian. The 3 SP in Proctorville went by sea to Mobile. The NP and RP off Louisiana moved to between Pensacola and Fort Pickens, where they can help defend in case of a Southern offensive in that direction. The 2 NP near New Orleans again failed to run the batteries there. The new RP at Cairo moved down the river a little bit. The new NP moved to off Florida. The force at Cincinnati, with 11 SP moved to attack Fort Henry Donelson. Six SP from DC moved by sea: 3 on either side of Moorehead City (one in a swamp). Burnside and 18 SP from DC moved next to Manassas. At Fort Henry Donelson, 11 SP attacked across the river against 2 SP in the fort. Thed differential was thus +3 (2 tripled plus 2 for the river). Each side lost 2 SP, the fort was destroyed, and Johnston skedaddled to Nashville. The Yankee force advanced after combat. Since the attackers were next to Grant, he gains two promotion points. Johnston also got a promotion point, despite his army having been destroyed. At Masassas 18 Yankee SP attacked 5 Southern SP in a fort plus 1 outside, for 18:16 or +2. Each side lost 1 SP, and Burnside and Lee each got a promotion point. Sherman attacked out of Meridian at a reduced differential of +1. Each side lost 1 SP (this eliminated the Southern force), and Sherman got a promotion point. After turn 8 Losses Attrition Combat This turn Cumulative This turn Cumulative Total South: 0 15 4 10 25 North: 0 30 4 11 42 Naval: - - 0 1 1 Leaders: South: D 2/2 (Lee); E 0/0 (Early); F 0/1 (Johnston) North: A 0/2 (Grant); B 0/2 (Burnside); C 0/2 (Sherman) Destroyed Southern Supply Cities: Mobile, Pensacola, Meridian Turn 9 (Summer '63; attrition) Confederates: Reinforcements at Richmond, Wilmington, Augusta, Nashville, Selma, Jackson, and Texas. Attrition: 1 SP in New Orleans, 2 at Nashville, 1 at Wilmington, 1 at Norfolk, and 1 at Richmond. Only Texas was out of command control. One SP from Jackson, 1 from Selma, and 4 from Montgomery moved to attack Sherman at Meridian. An SP from Richmond moved to replace the Norfolk garrison. The SP at Augusta moved to New Berne. Early and 3 SP moved from Memphis to Corinth. The Confederates attacked Sherman with a reduced differential of +2. The Confederates lost 2 SP and Sherman 1. The Confederates created a new leader, G, who I'll call Bragg. Sherman does not get any promotion points because he was defending. Yankees: Only land reinforcements. Attrition: 1 SP at Fort Pickens, 2 at Cairo, 1 from the force that took Fort Henry Donelson, 2 at Cincinnati, 1 from one force outside Moorehead City, and 3 from Arlington, for a total of 10. (Semi) good luck at last for command control. Only the 2 forces at Moorehead City are out of command control. Six sealift points out of 16 were needed for supply. The force at Pensacola split: 1 SP went to Fort Pickens to replace the garrison, and the other built a fort. One SP in Mobile built a fort, while the other 2 joined Sherman, who retreated from Mississippi and moved to Alabama, to a point equidistant (approximately) from Selma and Montgomery. From here he also threatens Columbus. Meanwhile, the USMRR unit moved back to Mobile, crossed the river, and moved up the line towards Montgomery, converting along the way. Grant, along with 2 SP from Cairo, moved to attack Memphis. The force that had taken Fort H. D. moved to attack Nashville. Cairo's USMRR unit converted rails all the way to Memphis. An SP from Cincinnati went to the spot across from Louisville. In the east, 6 SP moved by sea from DC to Pensacola and joined Sherman. Burnside and his force at Arlington built a fort. Lee's force is too big to attack this turn. The USMRR unit in DC moved to near Louisville. The naval unit off Florida moved north to Moorehead City. The two near New Orleans got part way past the batteries. Other naval units shifted their positions a bit. Grant attacked Memphis with 11 SP. Memphis had 2 SP in a fort, plus the city's intrinsic defense, for a total of 7. The attack was resolved at +4. Grant lost 2 SP, and the Confederates 1. Grant got a promotion point and a promotion. At Nashville, the attack was 8 to 5 or +3. Each side lost 2. The Confederates took their loss as 1 SP plus the city. This leaves 1 SP in the fort. Johnston got a promotion point. After turn 9 Losses Attrition Combat This turn Cumulative This turn Cumulative Total South: 6 21 4 14 35 North: 10 40 5 16 57 Naval: - - 0 1 1 Leaders: South: D 2/2 (Lee); E 0/0 (Early); F 0/2 (Johnston); G 0/0 (Bragg) North: A 1/0 (Grant); B 0/2 (Burnside); C 0/2 (Sherman) Destroyed Southern Supply Cities: Mobile, Pensacola, Meridian Turn 10 (Autumn '63; attrition) Confederates: Reinforcements: Richmond, Wilmington, Augusta, Nashville, Decatur, Memphis, and Texas. Attrition: 2 from Texas, 1 at Jackson, 1 at New Orleans, 1 at Montgomery, 1 at Memphis, 1 at Decatur, 1 at Wilmington, and 2 at Manassas, for a total of 10. Command control: Memphis, Decatur, and Meridian were out of command control. The 1 SP at Augusta moved to Montgomery to replace the garrison lost to attrition. An SP from Richmond went to Manassas. One of the Texans replaced the lost garrison of Jackson, while the other joined Bragg outside Meridian, An SP from New Berne went, partly by rail, to Wilmington, which is a more important city. Yankees: In addition to the land reinforcements, the Yankees get 1 NP and 1 RP off the Jersey Shore. Attrition: 2 from Grant's force, 1 from Across from Louisville, 1 from Cincinnati, 1 from next to Moorehead City, 2 from DC, and 1 from Arlington, for a total of 8. Command control: Cairo, and everything in the East was out of command control. The naval reinforcements went to Moorehead City. One day the North may be able to attack it. Two SP from Cincinnati moved, party by rail, to reinforce the troops outside Nashville. Sherman and 9 SP moved on Montgomery. He attacked in a double-match at +4. Each side lost 2 (the defender should have lost 3, but he didn't have that many), and the city fell. Sherman got 2 promotion points, and a promotion. Sherman then finished his movement by moving next to Columbus. He did not have enough movement points left to double-match attack. The USMRR in Alabama converted 3 hexes towards Montgomery. The one in Tennessee converted some lines towards Nashville. In the combat phase, Sherman attacked Columbus. This called forth the Georgia militia, who stopped eating their goober peas long enough to aid in the defense of that city. Sherman had 7 SP, the defenders 1, plus 1 for the city, plus 2 for being across a river, for a total of 4. This gives a +3 differential. Each side lost 2, the city fell, and Sherman got another promotion point. This made me realize that I had forgotten to activate the North Caroline, Mississippi and Alabama militias. To compensate, I added 1 to Moorehead City, 1 SP to Bragg's force (now in Alabama), and 1 to Memphis. Next Grant attacked Memphis with 7 SP against 2 SP in a fort plus the city, which also adds up to 7. But 3 naval points joined in, giving a +3 differential. Grant lost 1 SP and 1 NP, and Memphis lost 1 SP. Grant got a promotion point. At Nashville 8 SP attacked 2 in the fort (the city strength had been destroyed earlier), for a +2. The North lost 2 SP and the South 1. Johnston got a promotion point and a promotion. After turn 10 Losses Attrition Combat This turn Cumulative This turn Cumulative Total South: 10 31 4 18 49 North: 8 48 7 23 72 Naval: - - 1 2 2 Leaders: South: D 2/2 (Lee); E 0/0 (Early); F 1/0 (Johnston); G 0/0 (Bragg) North: A 1/1 (Grant); B 0/2 (Burnside); C 1/2 (Sherman) Destroyed Southern Supply Cities: Mobile, Pensacola, Meridian, Montgomery, Columbus Turn 11 (Winter '64; no attrition) Units in forts now have a Primary ZOC. Both sides' command control improves. Confederates: Reinforcements: Richmond, Raleigh, Augusta, Nashville, Selma, Memphis, and Texas. Command control: Jackson, Decatur, and Nashville were out of command control. Bragg moved to just south of Montgomery, overrunning the USMRR unit (which returned to DC), and cutting off Sherman from supplies. The Texas reinforcements moved to Jackson. The Augusta reinforcements moved to Atlanta. Early and 2 SP moved from Corinth to Memphis. The Raleigh reinforcements moved by rail to Macon. Moorehead City built a fort. Yankees: Only the normal land reinforcements. Command control: Good luck this turn. Only the force outside Nashville and 1 SP at Moorehead City are out of command control. Four sealift points were needed for supply, leaving 13 available for transport. Grant moved from Memphis to Corinth, where 4 SP from Cairo joined him. Two SP from Cincinnati moved by rail to reinforce the Nashville force, while another reinforced Grant. Sherman, out of supply, moved from Columbus to attack Atlanta. One SP from DC moved by sea to the mouth of the Chattahoochie, so that that river can supply Sherman. This is a requirement I had not noticed before. Two other SP move to reinforce the Moorehead City attackers. Five SP and the USMRR moved to Mobile. Sherman is now back in supply, so he attacked Atlanta with 5 SP. The defenders have 1 SP and the city, so the differential is +3. The string of lousy die rolls continued (virtually all have been 3 or less, this time it was a 1), and Sherman lost 2 SP and the Confederates 1. They lost the SP, and Sherman got a promotion point and a promotion. At Corinth, Grant attacked with 11 SP against 2 SP in a fort plus the city, giving a +4. Another 1 was rolled, and Grant lost 2 SP, and the city point was destroyed. Grant got a promotion point. At Moorehead City, 3 SP and 2 NP attacked 1 SP in a fort plus the city, for 5:4 or +1. Each side lost an SP, the South taking theirs as the city point. After turn 11 Losses Attrition Combat This turn Cumulative This turn Cumulative Total South: 0 31 1 19 50 North: 0 48 5 28 77 Naval: - - 1 2 2 The above table does not include city defense points lost. Leaders: South: D 2/2 (Lee); E 0/0 (Early); F 1/0 (Johnston); G 0/0 (Bragg) North: A 1/2 (Grant); B 0/2 (Burnside); C 2/0 (Sherman) Destroyed Southern Supply Cities: Mobile, Pensacola, Meridian, Montgomery, Columbus Destroyed City Defense Strengths: Nashville, Corinth, Moorehead City Turn 12 (Spring '64; no attrition) Confederates: Reinforcements: Richmond, Raleigh, Augusta, Atlanta, Decatur, Memphis, and Texas. Command control: Everybody in command control. Bragg moved against Sherman, pinning him between himself and Atlanta. He launched a double-match attack at +3. He lost 2 SP and Sherman lost 1. He gained a promotion point. The reinforcements from Memphis and Decatur went to Corinth. The Texas reinforcement went to Meridian, as did the one from Jackson. The Raleigh reinforcement went to New Berne, while the one from Augusta went to the Florida rail terminus on the Chattahoochie, with the idea of building a fort and keeping the Yankees from using the river for supply. The Richmond reinforcement went to Manassas. Atlanta and Macon built forts. In the combat phase, Bragg attacked again, this time at +2. He lost 2 SP, and Sherman lost 1. Bragg got another promotion point. Yankees: Normal reinforcements, plus an RP at Cairo and an NP off Jersey. Command control: Grant, Sherman, Cairo, DC, and 2 SP at Moorehead City are out of command control. Seven out of 19 sealift points were needed for supply. Five SP from Mobile march on Meridian, and launch a double-match attack at +3. The attackers lose 2 SP and both defending SP are eliminated (the CRT called for 3, but they didn't have that many). The attacker then moved west to Jackson. The USMRR unit at Mobile moved up to Meridian, and then converted one rail hex to the east and two to the west. The two naval units at Memphis failed to run the batteries there. Farragut didn't quite make it to Moorehead City (he should have been there a long time ago). The riverine unit that had been at Moorehead City moved to Florida (half a movement point short of making it to the Gulf). The 3 SP at Cincinnati moved by rail to reinforce the Nashville force. The SP in Florida moved to attack the Confederate SP on the river, and was joined by an NP from Pensacola. They attacked at +1, again rolling a 1, and the attacking SP was lost, while no Confederates were lost. At Nashville, 11 SP attacked 2 in a fort at +5. Two attackers were lost and all the defenders, and the city fell. Finally. Johnston displaced to Decatur. At Moorehead City, 3 SP and 2 NP attacked 1 SP in a fort at +2. A 5 was rolled (when a 1 would have been sufficient), and each side lost 2 SP (according to the CRT; the defenders only had 1 to lose). The city fell at last: the Yankees landed there a mere 18 months ago. At the end of the turn, Sherman and his 1 remaining SP died from lack of supplies. After turn 12 Losses Attrition Combat This turn Cumulative This turn Cumulative Total South: 0 31 9 28 59 North: 1 49 10 38 88 Naval: - - 0 2 2 The above table does not include city defense points lost. Leaders: South: D 2/2 (Lee); E 0/0 (Early); F 1/0 (Johnston); G 0/2 (Bragg) North: A 1/2 (Grant); B 0/2 (Burnside); C 2/0 (Sherman) Destroyed Southern Supply Cities: Mobile, Pensacola, Meridian, Montgomery, Columbus, Nashville, Moorehead City Destroyed City Defense Strengths: Nashville, Corinth, Moorehead City Turn 13 (Summer '64; attrition) The end of this turn is election time up north. If the Confederates have a supply net worth 40 or more points, McClellan will win the election and the war will end. Confederates: Reinforcements: Richmond, Wilmington, Charleston, Atlanta, Decatur, Jackson, and Texas. Attrition: 1 SP in Jackson, 1 in Selma, 1 with Bragg, 1 in Macon, 2 in Memphis, 2 in Corinth, 1 in Charleston, 1 in Richmond, and 2 in Manassas, for a total of 12. A very bad year. Command control: Chattanooga, Bragg, and the force on the Chattahoochie in Florida were out of command control. Johnston and 1 SP from Decatur reinforced Corinth. The Texas reinforcements reinforced Jackson. One SP from Wilmington moved to into Charleston, while an SP from Atlanta did the moved to Macon. Yankees: Normal land reinforcements. Attrition: 1 SP at Pensacola, 3 SP from Grant, 2 at Nashville, 2 at Cincinnati, 3 at Arlington, and 1 at DC, for a total of 12. Command control: Everybody except the forces in Arlington and DC are out of command control. Typical. Forty percent should have been OCC, while 77% of the mobile forces failed their die rolls. Four sealift points were needed for supply, leaving 16 for transport. USMRR units in the west converted the rails near Nashville. The USMRR in Mississippi returned to Mobile, so that it can move by sea to North Carolina, if the game continues. Three SP moved by sea to cut off Norfolk (worth 2 supply points). One replaced the garrison of Pensacola. Nine more moved to Moorehead City, then next to New Berne. They don't have the strength to double-match. Farragut and 1 RP moved next to Moorehead City, and 3 NP moved next to New Berne. Burnside and 6 SP moved into DC. At New Berne, 9 SP and 3 NP attacked 2 SP in a fort plus the city, for +5. A 5 was rolled, so each side lost 3: 2 SP and 1 NP for the North, and 2 SP and the city point for the South. The city fell. After turn 13 Losses Attrition Combat This turn Cumulative This turn Cumulative Total South: 14 45 0 28 73 North: 12 61 0 38 100 Naval: - - 0 2 2 The above table does not include city defense points lost. Leaders: South: D 2/2 (Lee); E 0/0 (Early); F 1/0 (Johnston); G 0/2 (Bragg) North: A 1/2 (Grant); B 0/2 (Burnside); C 2/0 (Sherman) Destroyed Southern Supply Cities: Mobile, Pensacola, Meridian, Montgomery, Columbus, Nashville, Moorehead City, New Berne Destroyed City Defense Strengths: Corinth Here is the largest Southern supply net at the end of turn 13: Richmond 4 Raleigh 1 Wilmington 2 Savannah 5 Charleston 5 Columbia 3 Augusta 5 Knoxville 3 Atlanta 6 Macon 2 Chattanooga 3 Decatur 1 Total 40 So the South got exactly the minimum they need to win, Lincoln lost the election, and the war ended with Southern independence. COMMENTS While I don't think I played a great game for either side, I think the biggest factor in the Northern loss was lots of terrible command control die rolls, and lots of bad combat die rolls. Of course, it is only too easy to blame luck for one's own failings, but look at the last turn: 77% of Union mobile forces (that is, forces other than fort garrisons) could not move. The Union forces that landed at Moorehead City had to wait 5 turns before they could attack. There was only 1 6 rolled on the CRT, and only 2 or 3 5s (higher numbers are better for attackers, and the South rarely attacked). And Fortress Monroe was lost when its garrison was lost to attrition on the same turn that the only possible source of reinforcements was out of command control. If it sounds like I'm whining, I am. I want to like this game, I really do, but it has some serious problems. Take attrition. I think having attrition in pre-20th century games is a very good idea, because sickness and accidents were a very serious source of losses. The problem is with the implementation, and the problem with the implementation is that the size of the forces is so small that when attrition losses occur they are disproportionate in particular cases. Overall, things may even out, but it is too easy to lose a third, a half, or all of a force to attrition. I'm not sure that that every happened, at least in this war. But did happen in the game, and in the case of the loss of the Fortress Monroe garrison on the same turn as DC was out of command control, it might have decided the entire war, since it meant that Richmond could only be approached overland. This problem could have been avoided if all the forces had been multiplied by 10, for instance, so that what is in the actual game a force of 1 SP could lose a reasonable fraction of its strength without being exterminated. But that would have required a lot more counters, which would have increased production costs. I think there is a simple solution to the elimination of 1 SP forces by attrition: just make 1 SP forces immune to attrition. Of, if that is too extreme, allow the player to take the loss from another force. Command control is another problem with the game. Not in principle, but again in application. (I'm assuming that the player is not using the original hex-number based table, which involves far too much totally artificial gamesmanship.) Specifically, I think it is too extreme to not let forces out of command control do anything at all (except, presumably, eat and sleep). An out-of-command-control (OOCC) force that is out of supply won't even have the sense to try to get into supply. I would allow OOCC forces to fortify, move by sea or rail, or move with half their movement allowance. (OOCC) I would not let them attack, or enter a Primary ZOC, or enter a Secondary ZOC unless they do so by leaving a Primary ZOC, or move adjacent to an enemy-occupied fort or an enemy city with an intact defense strength. I would also, or alternately, give forces in or next to DC or Richmond a better command control rating (perhaps as if a leader of rank 1 were present). As for an alternative to the hex-number-based system, I rolled a 10-sided die for each force, with a result of 1 through the current command control level plus 1, inclusive, meaning that the force was out of command control (adjusting for leaders, of course). Next time I will slightly modify that, and allow all forces under the influence of a particular leader to use a single die roll, so that they are all either in or out of command control. After all, if Grant can get one corps off its collective butt this turn, he should be able to get them all going. Supply is another serious problem. Quite simply, the supply rules prevent some things that happened in the real war from happenig in the game. Lee can't invade the north without losing his entire force to supply attrition. Chattanooga can only be attacked from the east without the surviving attackers also being eliminated due to lack of supply. Sherman's march to the sea is also impossible. I don't think there a simple fix to this. One thing that would help would be to allow foraging to take place in a zone of control, but this wouldn't help much. Amphibious operations are a problem, too. Even with perfect command control, an amphibious attack takes 3 turns or 9 months: 1 turn to move to a port, 1 to move by sea, and 1 to attack. But as we saw with the attack on Moorehead City, one seldom gets perfect command control. That particular operation took a year and a half to take the city. That, I think, is unreasonable. My fix would be to allow land movement before embarking, and to allow an attack on the turn of landing. Or perhaps allow just two of the three steps in a single turn. CONCLUSION Even with these problems, I think the game is a pretty good simulation. Some of the problems are inherent in any simulation at this level. For instance, more turns would solve some problems, but that would mean a monster game, which is not what this is. Or a thirty-page rule book would solve some other problems, but again, that would be a different level of game. The game does capture the strategic realities facing both sides, and the victory conditions are what they should be. That is the basic test of a wargame. -- T.M. Sommers -- tmsommers2@gmail.com -- ab2sb _______________________________________________ Consim-l mailing list Consim-l@mailman.halisp.net https://mailman.halisp.net/mailman/listinfo/consim-l