"Large Scale ACW rules" Topic

I'd always thought of F&F as large scale ACW rules because each unit is a brigade, but when you think about it it's not really all that large, considering how big the units are in terms of figurines. The scale is really only something like 1:60.

Are there any really large scale ACW rules out there that allow you to fight a whole battle without a lot of figures? (Not HFG -- tried those a few times for ACW, hated them.)

You might try Field of Battle by Piquet. They have the large unit feel.

Volley And Bayonet.

2nd vote for Volley and Bayonet,

Third for Volley and Bayonet.

Or take a look at the boardgame Battle Cry. It's a hex based miniatures system in a box. Most people just play with the Hasbro components, but the game plays fine with an upgraded set of minis and terrain.

Volley and Bayonet – one base represents the whole brigade. You can make the base a mini diorama of the brigade in action. I use 25mm figures wth 10 figures per base.

Volley and Bayonet.

Question about V&B -- since units are mounted on a square base, does it have any of the linear feel of ACW battle? I don't know anything about the rules but that looks sort of awkward to me. Thoughts?

not much of a linear feel. More of a "mob" feel, and that's ok with me. I've always had the impression that an ACW battle in full roar looks more like a mob encounter from a bird's eye perspective than a series neatly dressed lines. Lines are buckling, bending, morphing, mixing, skirmishers are thick, smoke everywhere, people streaming to the rear, etc. . . The game is about two enemy forces trying to exist near each other. One isn't going to make it. Formation doesn't matter as the brigadier & div generals (as reflected in their ratings) are making all the brigade and lower decisions including formations.

If you're playing ACW, there's nothing to stop you from using 3 X 1.5" bases instead of 3" squares. That will give a more linear look.

The square vs. linear base is important in Napoleonic games and again in the Crimea where the Brits made a fetish of the line formation.

The square base in ACW represents a line with a support line, but is not really required.

Go with the regimental stands (3x1.5") and you will get more of a linear feel. Based on my experience, there are generally not significant gapes between brigade stands as the divisions generally try to maintain cohesion.

I thought the regimental stands in V&B were only for the 18th century?

Thanks. By they way, each unit is a brigade? So if you use 10 25mm models on a base, each model is around 180 men?

"So if you use 10 25mm models on a base, each model is around 180 men?"

Depends on the actual size of the brigade. They varied a lot in the ACW. The figure-to-men ratio is pretty much irrelevant in V&B anyway, since it is a stand based game.

"I thought the regimental stands in V&B were only for the 18th century?"

And early Napoleonic armies. But since the infantry on both sides is the same, there's no reason not to use linear stands while using the combat stats for the massed stands. It only affects the way it looks.

Yeah, each stand is a brigade of 1500-3000 troops. What matters is the number on the roster, not the number of figures on the stand.

Second (belated) vote for Field of Battle by Piquet.

We are working in the layout of the Polemos ACW rules which we hope to release in July/August this year. As with our Napoleonic and newly released FPW sets these will contain two sets of rules. One will be with one base representing a formation of 4-500 men and the other with one base representing a brigade of 2-2500 men.

Both will let you play large scale actions, but the second Brigade based version sounds as if it might go some way to meeting your needs.

Cheers

Peter

We use Fire & Fury for moderate-sized battles, but Volley and Bayonet for the big battles – and we do not re-base, we use the Fire & Fury as single brigades – at least it is consistent for both sides and, further to Larry's comment, looks better

"Fields of Blue and Gey" is a free set of rules on the internet. Just google them. 1 stand equals a brigade. Very interesting rules which need some tweaking. Can't beat them for free!

Yeah, Frederick, I actually like the idea of representing lots of guys on a 3x3 V&B base, but I'll be using 25s rather than 6s or 10s and you can't really do that with 25s without their looking like a scouting party.

How do you use the Fire and Fury bases? Every unit is, say, four bases across or something similar?

Unit, as in actual figures size, is always a problem. Personally I always say damn to convention and collect both sides. In a stand based game this is easy, in other styles of game (1 figure is X) I can see it is not. I like to work off the unit factors rather than going into the mathematics of 'men in unit' – which a stand method gives you.

Although slightly off subject, I'm currently building some armies of the Crusades (c.1120), I'm not using the standard basing for my rules, which is 4 stands, 8 figs in a unit for skirmish infantry and light cavalry, 12 for most cavalry and infantry, and 16 for close order infantry – all based on 60mm wide and 30mm or 60mm depth (cavalry / infantry). I'm basing infantry in 12s for skirmish, 20 for 'unorganised', and 30 for 'close order'. My cavalry are are based 12 a unit or 18 a unit depending on 'usual' tactic. (bases 60mm x 60mm infantry, 60mm x 90mmm cavalry)

As I'm collecting 'all' sides conventions are irrelevent; as are most ground and figure scales within a wargame. At the end of the day it is what FEELS right.

James.

Mrs Jones – we use two Fire & Fury bases side to each – gives a bit of depth – I know a bit bigger than 3 inches, but it looks better (at least in 15 mm)

As a few people have pointed out you may like to keep an eye out for Volley & Bayonet II. The version II is soon to be released.

Using V&B I have refought Gettysburg, Antietam, 1st & 2nd Bull Run, etc etc. These can be with as multi-player games or with as few as two players. For example I have fought the entire three days of Gettysburg with one player on each side and several times with multiple players per side.

There is a scenario book available with scenarios for many of the ACW battles.
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