| Gunnar | 23 Mar 2016 9:23 a.m. PST |
So I'm just now getting into ACW, and looking around for suitable 6mm rules I stumbled upon Altar of Freedom. Impressed with what I saw, I promptly purchased them and then went on to write a first impressions piece on my blog. Really looking forward to trying these rules for real and writing some AARs. It would be nice to hear other people's opinions on AoF and also how they compare to other ACW rules. |
| KTravlos | 23 Mar 2016 9:33 a.m. PST |
They are a good set of rules. Beware good units as they can easily push back a line via exploitation. Deploy three brigades deep to avoid that. |
79thPA  | 23 Mar 2016 10:15 a.m. PST |
The turn clock reminds me of Piquet. What size are the brigade bases? |
| Gunnar | 23 Mar 2016 12:27 p.m. PST |
@ KTravlos Interesting, could you elaborate as to how the exploitation works? @ 79thPA Recommended size is 30x60mm for infantry and cav and 30x30mm for artillery and generals (the "Baccus standard") but any base size will work as long as all units have the same base size. |
| KTravlos | 23 Mar 2016 1:30 p.m. PST |
well from my two games the most usual result of battle was the defeated unit falling back one base depth and the victory pursuing one base depth. This meant that the victor had intimidate contact and another battle with the now worse of defeated unit. I tried fixing it with having two units one behind the other, but a good victor unit will push them both back and hit them until they break. Only with three units did the victor hit a fresh defender. |
| darthfozzywig | 23 Mar 2016 5:05 p.m. PST |
I've only played a couple of games so far but we really like the rules. Also happy to play an army-level game with a decent command and control system that fits on my table. (Shaking my fist at your 10' x 14' boards, Fire & Fury!) I like how the focus is on your corps and divisions, even if you're pushing brigades. One player (unfamiliar with DBA-style games where units are more often pushed back rather than eliminated) was frustrated with his inability to kill units, but that's a function of coordinating your divisions. The two scenario books are excellent, as cover pretty much every battle in the East and West, respectively. |
| Gunnar | 23 Mar 2016 11:43 p.m. PST |
Thanks for the input, gents. I can imagine that the system of recoils and follow-ups could potentially be exploited. But on the other hand, couldn't it also be used to bait enemy units into undesirable positions, for example? |
| KTravlos | 24 Mar 2016 6:16 a.m. PST |
Yes, but you will see that quite quickly the turn clock eats up your priority points and you might find yourself unable to react. Also flanking can be hard to pull off here. |
| donlowry | 24 Mar 2016 5:10 p.m. PST |
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| coopman | 24 Mar 2016 6:59 p.m. PST |
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| 6mmACW | 29 Mar 2016 9:35 a.m. PST |
A very thorough review of the game, Gunnar. We are releasing a free PDF campaign supplement in the next couple weeks that will also allow players to refight the Vicksburg campaign on a custom map of the region. It's been a real blast through the play-testing. |
| maciek72 | 30 Mar 2016 7:38 a.m. PST |
Once I was interested in AoF rules but I could'nt imagine how brigades of different size (some even three times more numerous as others) can be represented by stands of equal lenght. |
| 6mmACW | 30 Mar 2016 11:56 a.m. PST |
Sure, and that's a fair question. At an army-level scale, a "base" really just represents an area in which a brigade would be operating. In game terms, there are 7 possible ratings for brigade strength, accounting for the manpower differences, as it wasn't uncommon in the war for a 900-man brigade to sometimes be facing a 2,000+ man brigade. Big difference! |
| maciek72 | 30 Mar 2016 12:19 p.m. PST |
In the war one brigade of 2000 men could be confronted with two brigade of 900 each.
In AoF if I choose side with bigger brigades ( ANW vs AoP ) and I form one continous line with my strong brigades who will stop me ? |
| 6mmACW | 31 Mar 2016 5:57 a.m. PST |
If you haven't played AoF before, I can see where you might think that. But…it doesn't pan out that way. There are obvious advantages to having larger brigades (higher strength modifier), but having multiple small brigades within supporting distance of each other also offers combat bonuses. Also, if you study the OOBs at most all the historical engagements, each army usually has a mix of large and small brigades. |
| Glenn Pearce | 31 Mar 2016 8:13 a.m. PST |
Hello Gunnar! I've never played AoF, but I can certainly tell you that they have nailed 6mm ACW with Baccus figures and 60x30 bases. Their only real competition is the ACW rules from Baccus which are on the same bases and cover both brigade and regimental games. So you could play both with no problems. Your appraisal matches my thoughts as well and hopefully you have seen their videos which truly demonstrate just what a pleasure it would be to play their games. It's very clear that they have put a lot of thought into their gaming system. With only one goal, a very satisfying ACW gaming experience. Let us know how you make out with some feedback from your own games. Best regards, Glenn |
| Gunnar | 07 Apr 2016 11:35 a.m. PST |
@ 6mm wargaming Thanks a lot. I saw that the free supplement is released now, and I think that's such an awesome thing of you to do. Kudos! @ Glenn Pearce I was considering Baccus' Polemos ACW rules, but the word on the street is that they are a bit cumbersome and overly complicated. Which is a shame, since I love the Baccus miniatures and the whole "6mm evangelist" ethos behind the company. Anyway, we'll hopefully be playing some AoF at club in May, and I'll be sure to post some updates on how things are panning out. |
completes a Confederate river ironclad.
