Hi chaps, what's your preferred rules for ACW, was looking at larger battles and smaller scale minis
Fire and Fury. Accept no substitutes. It is THE ACW ruleset.
:D
http://luddite1811.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/ACW (http://luddite1811.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/ACW)
Quote from: Luddite on 20 December 2014, 12:01:53 AM
Fire and Fury. Accept no substitutes. It is THE ACW ruleset.
:D
http://luddite1811.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/ACW (http://luddite1811.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/ACW)
Had to argue with
We play with black powder and find it perfect for ACW. There is supposed to be a supplement coming out sometime as well.
Take care
Andy
Regimental Fire and Fury
Splitter ;)
My preferred ACW rules are Altar of Freedom. They are grand tactical scale where players represent army or corps commanders. You can refight the big battles such as Gettysburg or Shiloh in a reasonable amount of time on a 6x4' table. Emphasis is more on commanders' ability to influence a battle.
Regimental Fire & Fury for my 15mm (which also get involved in Longstreet campaigns) and Altar of Freedom with my 6mm for full big battles.
Depending on which players and what style of game either:
Blackpowder - generic, no fuss, leisurely
Longstreet - card driven, mini campaign, fast and clean
They Couldn't Hit an Elephant - big battle period feel
But it's probably my least favourite period (that I actually play / have figures and rules for) :-\
Fire and Fury (the original not the Regimental version).
They Couldn't Hit an Elephant gives a good game as well.
I have read, but not played, Altar of Freedom.
I like what I read. A big big plus for me, is that the creators have tried to accommodate players with little space and time. With two 160 page scenario booklets (about 36 battles), and scenarios for 3x3, 4x4 and 6x4 tables, this system is godsend for people like me. But I cannot say much about the actual gameplay until I run a game.
On Black Powder. I like the system. As long as you are willing to put some time into thinking through the army lists (though ready made ones are available in the rulebook) it can give a good game. You can play at any level of command as long as you decide what a unit represents (in your case either regiment or brigade), and adjust formation options as needed (though I dare say at both level line, mixed formation and column are all you will need).
That is my cant!
For Black Powder enthusiasts might I recommend 'Crucible of Valour', a properly developed set of rules for use with Black Powder, which can be found in the e-magazine 'ACW Gamer' issue 1. It includes many optional rules for both sides, including the Rebel Yell and an extensive section on using ACW artillery in Black Powder, as well as unit stats for various ACW units and a played through scenario showing how the adaptations work.
Longstreet for me but it's not big battle
Hi Ironduke
Fire and Fury give a great game and feel for the period. That said, for 6mm figures and limited time then Altar of Freedom.
Cheers Paul
Fire and fury.
Great rule system.
they were out or print but don`t if you can get them now.
My copy is completely knackered so wouldn`t mind a new set.
Jim
An interesting big battle set, where the unit is a brigade, is the recently re-released and updated On to Richmond, where who moves when is determined by card draws, each card representing a division. As well as introducing fog of war, it is also a good way of playing solo. Available from Scale Creep as a downloadable book.
It very much depends upon your playing style. If you feel that you want to be able to control each unit each move then there are rules, which must not be named, which allow you to do this.
In that case, F&F and RF&F are not for you. They are founded on the idea that each unit does not act precisely as desired at that moment by the overall commander. However they do not require a commander to issue written rules at the start and only amend them in accordance with circumstances, but you can do that if you choose.