ACW Regimental bases rule options

[robh]

Anyone know of ACW rules where 1 base = 1 regiment?

I use V&B for other games already and have an easy option to go to wing scale with those, but ACW is not in my area of expertise at all so am wondering if there are published rules specifically for this level.

I am not interested in multiple smaller bases and sabots as I would be doing diorama style basing (Impetus/Tercios type) with small or very small figures.

[Axebreaker]

Sure, you could just use Black Powder as units are removed as whole. You would have to make some adjustments, but it would work. Perhaps you would need a marker of some sort to show what formation they are in and your all set I would think.

Christopher

[robh]

Thanks for that, prompted a line of thought I had not considered.

I had always assumed the ACW was a "Regimental level" war. Certainly the accounts stress Regimental involvement in the battles, there are no battalions or companies to necessitate regiments being spread across multiple bases.

[Norm]

Polemos by Baccus 6mm go down the single base route.

[shandy]

I've been pondering on a similar question... the thing is, you would have to indicate formation changes (at least column and line, plus with many rules open line and skirmishers deployed).

During the ACW, the smallest tactical unit really was the brigade, but all division-level rules (where you command several brigades, like in Black Powder) I know still require individual regiments to make formation changes. With smaller level rules like Longstreet you command one brigade, but again you need to indicate formation changes (Longstreet has also base removal, but I guess you could use casualties markers instead).

With army-level rules like Altar of Freedom, one base would be one brigade, so no need for formation changes, but this is probably not feasible with figures larger than 6mm.

Anyway, I'm thinking about indicating formations with markers - skirmishers are easy enough, but column is a pain as a line always looks daft when you turn it 90° and just say it's a column now... as if the guys were crabs scuttling sideways 

[robh]

After the suggestion of Black Powder earlier I started looking at "upscaling" lower level rule sets but came up with that same issue. Taking out formations by replacing the multiple bases by markers is an option.

But my preference is still to go with a higher level set of rules and downscale to regimental bases. I am looking at probably 3mm or, thanks to Forwardmarchstudios possibly 2mm figures.
V&B or Altar of Freedom would both work and in the tiny scales it would not be cost prohibitive to have a stock of "March column" bases to replace units when needed.

The regimental bases requirement is driven as much by the terrain as a rules issues, There are just so many damn trees. I suppose I am really looking at brigade bases that work around the terrain rather than having to remove it to fit the troops in.

[SteveBurt]

What's wrong with Fire & Fury (brigade level)? Units are brigades, but are made up from 2 to 12 stands of figures, each stand being 150 or 200 men.
V&B and Chamberlain (the ACW version of Blucher) are 1 stand = 1 brigade, which is bets for really big battles.

[robh]

I don't know anything about the new Fire and Fury set, played a few games of the original many years ago and thought it OK.
I am definitely looking at tactical or grand tactical games though, V&B level but bases as regiments using 3mm figures.
Chamberlain I have not heard of. I thought Sam's ACW was Longstreet which is too low a scale. I will take a look.

[shandy]

I can highly recommend Altar of Freedom. It's mainly about command & control, it gives a reasonably fast game and it looks good in 2mm!



One stand is one brigade, with four Irregular infantry blocks representing a regiment each.

[robh]

Nice looking set.  2ft square battlefield?

Are you able to compare AoF and V&B?  I have V&B (with home rules to build in the lacking command and control) and Grand Armee so am wondering what else AoF would give.

[SteveBurt]

Chamberlain is a (free) ACW version of Blucher. You need to buy Blucher, but if you already have it, Chamberlain can be downloaded from the Honour Forum

[jon_1066]

Make trees/forests your troops can fit under.

https://www.6mmacw.com/forests.html

My take on it:
http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=106905.msg1350853#msg1350853

Wire fence mesh with hanging basket liner glued to the top then foam scatter on top of that.  The mesh is 1" so plenty of room for 6 mm figures, 2 or 3 mm would fit easily.

That way you can base however required for the rules and not worry about fitting units in amongst the trees.

[robh]

If this project comes off I will be doing something with "clump" wood sections so bits of the woods can be removed to put figures in place without having to take away entire wooded areas each time. But each clump would be a mini version of those yes.

But the whole thing is a big "If" at the moment, I have not sorted out rules: probably V&B but considering other options.  Or figures: Irregular 2mm would be the cheapest/simplest option but I am interested in seeing what happens with the ForwardMarchStudios 2/3mm plastics. The O8 3mm stuff looks nice but I have some of their aircraft and absolutely hate the hard alloy they use.

[shandy]

Nice looking set.  2ft square battlefield?

Thanks! Yes, it's a 2'x2' battlefield - as I use smaller bases (for the smaller figures), I've reduced all the distances. I can play Gettysburg on a kitchen table - as soon as I've painted the figures, that is 

Are you able to compare AoF and V&B?

Sorry, I don't know V&B (Volley & Bayonet I presume?). I'm not really a big battle gamer, so I only know very few rules.
What I like about AoF is the C&C mechanism and that it's quite fast - coming from skirmish gaming I'm not really interested in too long games. It does give a nice period feeling though!

I can also recommend Irregular 2mm figures - it's what I use. Though it would be interesting to play with large (=long) regiments of ForwardMarchStudios minis...

Like jon_1066 suggested, my forests are made so that troops can be placed under them. Easy enough to make, especially at that scale.

[robh]

I can play Gettysburg on a kitchen table

That is exactly the sort of thing I am aiming at, not necessarily true ground scale, just to get a big battle on a standard table.

Are the 4 sections that make up your brigade bases separate or permanently fixed?