"Black Powder - suggestions for corn field rules" Topic

I'm planning on making some terrain to represent corn fields to use in my Civil War games of Black Powder. Does anyone have any suggestions for how to treat fields in a game? I don't want to just use the same rules as woods or rough ground, both because I want some variety in how the terrain affects the game, and because I don't think they would have similar effects in reality.

First, if the corn is high enough, it's going to make visibility practically non-existent. So maybe limit units to only firing at another unit within 6", and only charging one within 12". Any other suggestions on visibility?

Also, not being able to see anything would probably make it hard to effectively command units, so there should probably be some kind of penalty to the command value. Maybe just -1 to the command value if a unit receiving the order is in a field. Or maybe decrease the distance for the officer range modifier. Instead of -1 for every full 12", make it -1 for every full 6" away from the officer.

Any other suggestions? Has anyone else come up with rules for fields in their games of Black Powder?

How long did the corn stay up once the fighting started?

Would it be too much if you gave it the same effect througout the entire game?

Would you hear movement in the corn as stalks rustled? If stalks were dry enough, would there be fires due to musket flash at percussion cap or muzzle?

I think any units in the corn would be flakey…:-)

At Antietem, both sides could see the shimmer and glimmer of bayonets as the troops moved through the Miller cornfield. I would imagine that the high corn provided much cover value.

I would consider just slowing down the movement rate of the troops in the corn. Once they pass through, they probably knocked most of its down.

Fritz -

It would provide just concealment (a matter of visibility), not cover (protection).

I wouldn't think corn (unless they stopped to eat it) would slow them down much at all.

On the other hand, the tall grain at Quatre Bras hid charging cuirassiers from a British line that failed to form square in time. It also reduced field of fire for artillery. I would remove all concealment once troops had passed over it.

Several accounts of Waterloo mention that the heavy rain the night before had beaten down the crops, increasing visibilty but making the ground slick and muddy.

At Antietam, the attack of A.P. Hill's men across the 40-acre Otto cornfield greatly enhanced the suprise of the Union troops struck by the Rebels.

I participated in the 135th anniversary Antietam reenactment and after a few ebbs and flows of troops through the cornfield they had planted it basically ceased to exist, and we weren't even firing real bullets!

For gaming purposes I'd give concealment for the first unit passing through but after that, it wouldn't provide much. The biggest limit on visibility was actually the black powder smoke to be honest. The air was so still and humid that it wouldn't dissipate. All you could see was the orange flashes of their muzzles as they fired at us.

I haven't built or seen a model yet that really captures the essence of a cornfield and its slow destruction when subjected to marching units and the often accompanying bullets and exploding shells. I think if I were to try it, I'd start out with a bare field. Place on top of that tiles that represented corn in full growth and in partly trampled states. Perhaps use some kind of painted wire or craft store plant to represent the corn stalk. And if you're really industrious, build some destroyed patches of corn which a few units have passed over.

Some day I'll actually try this… :)

At Genghis Con (Denver, CO), I placed several 4" by 5" green carpet tiles on the table. Each had 2 stalks of corn bases. When the first unit passed through, I removed 1 corn stalk base. There still was enough corn to block line of sight. When the second unit went through the corn field, I removed the second corn stalk base. The field was trampled which allowed visibility through it. The players liked it.
John

Be sure to add some orchards to the battlefield as well: this way you can have fruits, nuts, AND flakes!

Seriously though, I think I'd simply treat fields as rough ground per the rules, in order to keep it simple. If you want to apply command modifiers , I think that decreasing the range works better. In fact, I rather like that idea.

As far as visibility in a corn (maize) field goes, I would simply treat any formed unit advancing through the field for first time as being a unit that is "not a clear target" as per page 44. Once they have advanced through the field it becomes rough ground as usual.

Just my thoughts.

We treat cornfields as rought terrain. Even full size corn stalks don't provide cover, only concealment. And once a regiment marches into the corn, even concealment goes away.

Simply treat cornfields as a LOS obstacle like woods are, and you can only shoot at a guy within 2 " or so of the edge. (WHatever it says in BP). But add no cover modifier. This way cornfields provide concealment but not cover.

This should only be good for the first regt that walks through the cornfield then you can consider it sufficiently trampled.

Use teddy bear fur for trampled corn – simly spray the right colour and then pat it down to represent the flattened crops.

Of course, you then have a -1 on morale in "country" units for being spooked at seeing crop circles…..

Is it perhaps worth mentioning that the word "cornfield" means different things depending on where one lives?

As I understand it, a cornfield in australia and america involves maize – jolly green giant corn on the cob.
Elsewhere it means wheat.

Some good suggestions. To keep it simple, maybe just best to consider a unit in the field to be "not a clear target", as Pachinko suggested. Once this first unit finished moving through the field, it ceases to have an effect. But I still have to think that first unit marching through would be slowed down by having to push through and knock down the densely packed stalks.

Scott Migus in this Scenario book on Antietam addresses this very point. Also there was a posting here or on the JRIII list about four years ago about highth and density of corn in the 1860 vs the types we see today in a modern field. I tend to agree with the way Scott addresses them in Undying COurage. I will post the section here as it is one of about 1/2 dozen ACW books I still have. The rest are file 13 or worse.

Cornfields page 6, The cornfields were hight in mid September. Us the bROKEN MOVEMENT RATE IN CORNFIELDS, uNITS IN A CORNFIELD MUST BE SPOTTED (VISIBILITY ROLL REQUIRED AS WITH LIGHT WOODS RULES) or else it is considered to be area fire using one less (D60 DIE. eVERY TIME A UNIT TAKES A casualty in a cornfield, add 1" to the next visibility die roll due to corn being cut down by fire.

Sorry for the typo's but I anti retyping.
VR
James Mattes

Firstvarty1979 ,i have had a similar reinacting experience at Stoney Creek,hot humid @ dusk,the smokes and fog hangs ,the muffled rattle of musketry and tongues of flame,even acrid scent of goex in the stale air…those who have never reinacted can never know how the sensation feels.Thanks for bringing that moment back to me.