I have read through the Black Powder rules thoroughly, and I can definitely affirm that they are the most readable set of wargame rules I have encountered in a long time. There is a wide range of wargamers, from the hardcore simulators to the chess players to the doofus hobbyists. I happily place myself in the latter category. I'm a professional historian. I wargame to have fun with my passion. Black Powder hits my sweet spot. Priestly and Johnson actually have the nerve to have a sense of humor about their gaming. How refreshing!
Anyhow, before I delved too deeply into my Union and Confederate armies (each side has 11 infantry regiments, 2 cavalry regiments, and four artillery batteries painted), I thought I would give the rules a test drive on a small (2' x 4') board with a small solo game. I got my new roads from Foxhole Terrain down, my scratchbuilt fields, trees, hills, and fences. One thing is clear: if I'm gonna game the ACW, I'm gonna need a heckofa lot more trees. My forest looks thin, and I'm using a board that is just 1/3 the size of my usual one.
At the south end of the board, a small Union brigade of three brigades and two guns protect a crossroads. For this game, fences will provide cover, but hedges will not. That means that the unit holding the Union right is hanging out there.
Opposing them is a four-regiment Confederate brigade, three units emerging from the treeline and a fourth in reserve. A single gun section lumbers up the road.
Here is a view from the south end of the battlefield.
And a better look at the Union position.
The Confederates begin their attack! More to come after I play this scenario out.
1 comment:
Neat looking set up. I look forward to seeing how it plays.
I'm building ACW armies for Black Powder too.
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