"Rules where a base is a battalion?" Topic

Are there any rules where the base is a battalion? So the brigade would be the smallest command level.

FM

You can play Volley and Bayonet at a regimental scale where 1 stand equals a regiment.

You could also do something with Larry Brom's ACW set called something like A Glint of Bayonets if memory serves.

Those are the only suggestions that I have.

Just go with Brigade Fire and Fury

John Hills "Across a Deadly Field" might be close to what you what, but it proved to not be very popular after the success he had with Johnny Reb.

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Kim

My five base ACW regiments are contained within a unit sabot base so technically my 28mm troops are one base units. I use With Hot Lead and Cold Steel, Black Powder and FIre and Fury.

I think 1870 uses battalion bases?

With the more scale agnostic rules, you can call a base whatever you like eg the Neil Thomas nineteenth century ones. Units are made up four bases, so they could easily be four (big) battalion bases in a brigade.

Adding to what Martin said, 1871 is the newer more streamlined version. Both give good games. Both have wonderful historical background and different scenarios in each. Well worth the price even if you play the other (or even an unrelated set).

On to Richmond started out as a FPW rule set, got converted to ACW and published. Then they did a mod back to FPW. A unit is a brigade made up of a variable number of stands. Buy a PDF:

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Rules summary:

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1870 and all its variants (1859, 1866, and 1871) indeed do use base as a battalion scale.

And also 1859/66/71 have the brigade as the lowest command level. Your brigade usually has 2 regiments of 3 bataillons plus maybe a jaeger bataillon or a artillery battery. And the base acts on its own, so you dont play the bases like it is a brigade unit.

Worth keeping in mind the huge size differences of ACW regiments. If a base=a battallion (and the bases have the same frontage) you've averaged them out to where what you're really saying is "base=X many men."

Bloody Big Battles?

Republic. It is free, and the basic unit of maneuver is the brigade with each base being 275 men (not specifically a battalion).

Currently it is in beta development, but fully functional:

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Shardik, thanks for mentioning BBB.

BBB uses an elastic scale. However, 1,000 men per base (ie, roughly a battalion) is pretty typical: five of the nine Franco-Prussian War scenarios in the BBB rulebook use that scale (the rest use 1,500 or 2,000 men per base).

As Robert notes above, ACW regiments varied hugely in size. So too did FPW battalions, or indeed battalions in any war. Men per base makes more sense.

"They Died for Glory"

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Don't use ACW rules. Accept no substitutes.

You can do it with Valour & Fortitude, ideal for 6mm troops and large armies, for larger scales / smaller armies its often worth splitting just to fit around table terrain