"The Devil To Pay rules available?" Topic

I read a nice review of The Devil To Pay ACW rules in the latest issue (#6) of ACW Gamer, but can't determine if the rules have actually been released. The listed website for ordering the rules online doesn't seem to be active at the moment (at least when I attempted to order a copy today).

Does anyone know if these rules have been released, and where/how they may be purchased at the moment if they are available now?

Thanks!

Right here: link

I helped write and develop them.

Pete;

Let's try a game at Carl's on Tuesday night.

Thanks Pete, and thanks for helping to bring them to fruition….ordering now.

Dave

P.S. I see in the Gallery section of the DTP website, that there's photos of an AWI Battle of Princeton shown, and apparently using the DTP rules system (rings on the flag stands)!? Is there a AWI module or ruleset in development?

Corp Commander,

Good job, you beat me to the link.

Thanks. My order has been placed.

What does the colored ring on the unit's flagstaff indicate?

AWI is on the way. It requires a few rule expansions but works wonderfully. The order and discipline of the British Regulars and the hit and run tenacity of the Colonists is captured nicely.

We had a lot of fun with that game, btw. Peter Rice and Andy Ally are working on it.

I'm working on taking my Peninsular Campaigns of the Civil War and making scenarios for DTP. My old rules were at Fire & Fury scale so the conversion is not simple.

I received these rules today and have given them a pretty good read through, but have not played them yet. Each player takes the role of a brigade commander. There are no scenarios provided and there are no tables provided for randomly generating your forces. However, the latter should not be too difficult to work up yourself. Each regiment is 4-6 stands in size, typically. Batteries have one stand per section. The no. of figures per stand is not important, only the no. of stands in the unit matters.

The heart of this system is the deck of 14 action cards: 2 MOVE, 2 FIRE, 2 CHARGE, 2 RALLY/REFORM, 4 CARPE DIEM and 2 WHISKEY. The turn ends when the second WHISKEY card shows up. The CARPE DIEM card allows the highest die roll player to choose the action and then all the players on his side may perform the action if they have any orders left to expend, followed by any players of the opposing side. Each of the other types of action cards have one that says "Union player first" and one that says "Confederate player first". The no. of orders that a regiment or the brigade commander can expend are replenished at the start of each turn. Brigade commanders may issue 1 to 3 orders to their inf. or cav. regiments in a turn, depending on their quality (these orders may not be given to art. batteries). Infantry regiments may expend up
to 2 orders in a turn, batteries may conduct up to four. The no. of orders available is noted by markers such as curtain rings, chits or poker chips near the unit. Casualties are doled out one per stand until all of the unit's stands have a hit marker on them. Any further hits are noted by placing a second hit marker on each stand. This is bad, because once a stand suffers a second hit it is removed from play immediately (art. batteries are exempt from this second hit rule). This is why it is important to try to rally off your hits as soon as you can do so. Any stand with one hit marker on it is ineffective for firing or melee.

Firing is accomplished by rolling one die per effective stand in the firing regiment/battery, with die reductions and additions for target's cover, formations of both the firer and target, range, enfilade, etc. Hits are scored with each roll of 5+. The quantity of modifiers is fairly short and reasonable IMO. A unit can always roll one die for firing, no matter what shape it's in, as long as it has figures remaining on the table.
A MOVE card allows units to move, but not to within 1" of any enemy unit. Brigade moves are possible, where the entire brigade moves with just one order expended by the brigade commander. This is the way to do it if you can!
A CHARGE card allows a move of up to 4" and contact with the enemy. Charging units gain two extra dice in the melee resolution. A player that acts second in the charge sequence may commit add'l. units to the fray if they are within 4" of the melee (I can foresee some pretty large melees here). Confederate units may perform a charge w/o the regiment or its commander expending an order. A defending unit can expend an available order to stand and fight, thereby gaining two extra die in the melee resolution. Again in this phase hits are scored on a roll of 5+. The loser of a melee suffers an add'l. casualty, retreats 6"-8" and is disordered. The melee winner finishes disordered too.
Attached leaders (whose unit suffers any hits) will be shot from the saddle with a die roll of 6, and are then replaced by a weak commander. If this weak commander is subsequently killed, he is not replaced and the brigade will have to operate without a leader, which means that it has even less orders available.
Units can skedaddle if they wish before any action card is played if they wish to escape a bad tactical situation. It is then moved away from the enemy 3D6 inches, no terrain penalties, faces the enemy and disordered.
I'm sure that there is a lot that I left out. This was not intended to be a full blown lengthy review. These rules appear to be fun and should reproduce the ebb and flow we so often read about in ACW battle descriptions. They should be playable solitaire too. Not knowing what that next action card will be is going to make for some tense moments on the table. I am very happy that I added these rules to my collection.

Coopman, thanks for the read-through review.

I'll be hoping to get my copy in the mail any day now.

The key to the cards is winning critical Carpe Diem cards. The winner chooses an action and in the spirit of the rules can't discuss it with the team and must choose an action that benefits them. This is then applied to everyone. So if you desperately want the next action to be fire you better roll high when the card comes up so you can declare it.

Also know when to pull out of a fight and move in reserves is important. Committing everything you have binds your forces, making maneuver difficult. In terms of capturing line warfare I think they do a good job. We worked hard at creating that effect.