"Johnny Reb 3 Basing for small/understrength regiments" Topic

I'm starting to get into 10mm ACW and I want to play JR3. Looking at the rules it's hard to understand how to base regiments that have 200 or less men in a given scenario. How is this usually done?

That's one of the reasons I took one look at the original JR and threw it in the "sell at my next flea market" pile.

Patient: "Doctor OFM it hurts when I do this"
Doctor OFM: "Well don't do that."

scott mingus would be the one to ask about it.

he seems to understand JR111 really well. He answered this for me years ago for the irish brigade at Gettysburg.

I don't remember the answer unfortunately, i believe it was to treat the whole brigade like a regiment size wise. meaning bases with 1-2 figures but put together like a regiment.

I dont play it – but maybe this will help

Rules review that discusses it

link

or topic here – also covers it

TMP link

JOFM +1

I have seen many 8 fig JR3 regiments (240) men at conventions, they have no power and disappear quickly. The game mechanics really under power them. The fire table works best and is most representative when the regiments are 12 to 16 figs. Above and below that the fire table skews their effectiveness. 8 figs are useless and 20 figs are monsters, blowing large holes in everything.
If you multiply both sides OBs by a constant- 0.8 for large units or 1.2 for small units, it brings the units back to their effectiveness for the game mechanics.
For basing, you just have to extrapolate from the 10mm figure on page 2. 3/4 of an inch for 4 figures and plus or minus an eighth of an inch per fig. 5/8" for 3 fig and 7/8 for 5 fig. If you choose to make 1 fig stands, they should be at least 1/2" wide for handling and not falling over. The depth of the stand is less important, whatever looks good to you, but, to me I like the depth less than the width, so they are rectangular.
Hope this helps, I love JRIII in 10mm.

I have seem many things written about the basing "requirements" for JRIII and Across a Deadly Field. It doesn't impact the playability at all, if the units were "Based for F&F and JRIII", which means that units were based on 1" square bases no matter the number of figs.
For 10mm, I think if you go with 3/4" bases for 2-5 figs, it should work fine.

John Hill regularly grouped understrength regiments into combined units in his scenarios. Nothing wrong with combining units or spreading out the strength of a brigade through to make more average or effective units.

I combine smaller regiments into larger ones all the time for scenario creation.

Thanks for all the responses! Not sure what I'll do. I don't like the idea of 1 or 2-figure stands, and in a regimental level game, I'm not sure I get combining regiments.

Not uncommon for smaller formations to join together to form "regular" size battalions on the field of battle. Heck the entire Stonewall Brigade at Sharpsburg only numbered around 200 men. I am sure they were fielded as one battalion.

What do you mean they were fielded as one battalion? Weren't they commanded by their own colonel? At Gettysburg in the Peach Orchard you had a quite a few individual union regiments that maneuvered, fought and routed on their own even though they had less than 300 men. That was an essential part of what happened. I don't see how you do that in JR without making 1 or 2 figure stands.

Played in a Port Gibson game at a gathering of JR players in April. Lots of regiments with 2-man stands. They are extremely fragile. But small units were present on several battlefields. Play them once in awhile to experience how difficult it was. Or consolidate low strength units, lots of examples in history. Or avoid doing those battles.