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War-gaming on a tabletop battlefield with miniature figurines is an attractive and absorbing hobby. But until now, it has always presented a newcomer with the daunting prospect of spending weeks, if not months, in painting the armies before they are ready for action. As a result, many people lose interest before they ever get to play a game. WoFun miniatures now offer a revolutionary solution to this problem. The figurines come ready-printed in full color, and all you have to do is simply press them from their sprue and slot them into their bases. No paints, no glue – all the hard work has already been done for you! Best of all, a ready to use 28mm WoFun regiment costs less than a similar number of unpainted hard plastic miniatures and is far cheaper than metal castings. The 18mm scale troops are even more economical. So now you can buy affordable, battle-ready armies and get straight down to wargaming action. As someone who has spent more than fifty years of his life enjoying war-gaming – painting armies, fighting battles and writing my own rules – I was interested to learn about this brilliant technical breakthrough which could open up the hobby to a new audience. So, I was very happy to be asked to contribute to the WoFun project by writing a series of rules for download by customers. They are aimed specifically at gamers who have never played a historical wargame before and are designed as a simple introduction to the hobby, to get players used to the idea of battlefield manoeuvres and rolling dice to decide combat.
and when the armies did meet in battle the number of men involved could be enormous. At Gettysburg, perhaps the best known battle of the war, there were around 175,000 men engaged. These rules are designed for much smaller affairs, perhaps the sort of engagements between advance- and rearguards which often took place before or after the big battles or the sort of isolated struggle for a key terrain objective which often formed part of a much larger encounter. This is a two-player game which sets out to recreate the warfare of this period in a simple way. These rules are suitable for beginners to the hobby of historical tabletop wargaming and have been written with the WoFun Games Peter Dennis Signature collection in mind. After the basic rules you will find some suggestions for a more advanced and challenging game. Each player needs an army (see below for an example of a small battle), a handful of dice (the ordinary, 6-sided kind) and a ruler or tape measure. You will also need some “smoke” markers (cotton wool balls are ideal) and some small counters or stones to record casualties on units– alternatively use spare individual WoFun figurines, laid face down. All measurements in these rules are expressed in “base widths” (BW) so they can be used with any scale of miniatures. A 28mm scale WoFun base is 4cms wide or 3cms in 18mm scale. . Andy Callan
As WoFun launches additional products, I will be writing rules in this style for each new historical collection, and I look forward to working on this exciting collaboration.
The American Civil War (1861-65) was a bloody and bitter struggle which left scars on the nation that have not yet healed. The war ended with the Union preserved, slavery abolished and the Confederacy crushed but for a long time that outcome seemed in doubt thanks to some brilliant examples of generalship which are studied to this day. There were many major actions in the field 1
The Army strength number is used later in the A Company (base) of Infantry has 2 ranks of 4 figurines game to measure Victory (see Stage 5. below) A Company of Cavalry has 1 rank of 3 figurines A Company of Artillery has a cannon and a crew of 3 or 4
The Union army has six units: 4 regiments of Infantry each of 5 companies plus a Command company (with a flag). 2 artillery companies. The Army has 26 companies plus one mounted General giving a total Army Strength of 27.
The Confederate army is organised in the same way. In the ACW Starter Pack besides the armies described above we added a bonus sprue of skirmish infantry. You will find in the box three bases of skirmishers – three for each side that fought in this war. (see Advanced Rules p10) 2
GET READY TO START THE BATTLE
Set up the two armies, facing each other and 15 BW apart (so, 60 cms in 28mm scale, 45cms in 18mm scale). The diagram shows a typical starting line-up (but you can choose to arrange the armies in any way you wish – you are the General! Each unit should have all its stands arranged in a line and touching each other, with the command stand in the middle.
1. Shoot: musketry and cannon fire 2. Move: the armies manoeuvre on the battlefield 3. Fight: the clash of sabres and bayonets 4. Discipline: units test their will to fight 5. Victory: check to see if the battle is won or lost.
Both Players roll a dice. The one with the highest score (roll again if it is a tie) shoots first with their army and then the other side shoots back.
Ready to start?
Who can shoot? Any of your units which have enemy troops who are in range and inside their Shooting Zone (see the diagram). Unless a General is with a unit to order otherwise, it must shoot at the nearest enemy within its Shooting zone. You can’t target the enemy General or shoot through your own troops. You do not have to shoot if you don’t want to.
Note: Ignore any references to Cavalry in these basic rules – these will only be introduced in the advanced game. The game is played as a series of turns. Each turn has 5 stages that must be played through in the same order each time:
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How far? Long range for Artillery is 25 BW, for Infantry it is 10BW, for dismounted Cavalry 8BW. Always measure ranges from the centre of the shooting unit’s line. Put smoke markers in front of each unit that shoots. What’s the damage? Count the number of companies shooting and roll dice as follows: Cannons: Artillery roll 3 dice per company. Muskets & Carbines: Troops on foot roll 2 dice per company (including the Command company). Halve the number of dice when shooting at Artillery (halves always round UP). Any 6s rolled are hits on a target at Long range (over 4BW away for infantry, 8BW for Artillery). Any 5s and 6s rolled are hits on a target at Short range (4BW or less for infantry, 8BW for Artillery). Artillery crew make a poor target, so always halve the number of dice when shooting at them. Put 1 casualty marker behind a target for each hit it takes. When it gets to 3 hits, remove one company (the Command company is the last one you lose) and put it in a “Dead Pool” on your edge of the table. Carry forward any spare hits. So, a target which started a turn with 1 hit and then took 4 more hits from enemy fire would lose 1 company and carry forward 2 spare hits).
Both Players roll a dice. The one with the highest score (roll again if it is a tie) moves their army first and then the other side moves next. Who can move? You can move as many or as few of your units as you wish. Any of your units which have not shot this turn can make a full move (see below). Otherwise, any unit which has already shot this turn (and so has a smoke marker) can move only half distance. When a unit moves remove its smoke markers. How far do troops move? Infantry: 5BW (or 3BW if they shot this turn) Cavalry: 9BW Artillery: can’t move at all (in this basic game) but they can pivot on the spot. These are maximum move rates for movement straight ahead or obliquely within the forward movement zone (this is the same as the shooting zone). Take 1BW (2BW for Cavalry) off a unit’s maximum move if it makes a manoeuvre. This is a) when any of its companies end their move outside the movement zone by moving sideways, rearwards or in any other way OR b) when it pivots on one end of its line and “wheels” the other end. Measure a manoeuvre by the distance covered by the company that moves the furthest. Manoeuvres under fire are very difficult. A unit cannot manoeuvre or allow a “passage of lines” (let another unit of friendly troops move through it) in the same turn it lost a base to shooting. When you move a unit don’t forget to move any hit markers with it. 4
An attack is any move that will bring troops into contact with the enemy so that two units are touching at the end of the move.
The bluecoats have stands 1, 2 and 3 in contact and 4 is overlapping D. Bases 5 and 6 are neither in contact nor overlapping so they are not involved in this round of fighting. Four stands in total count in the fight giving a total of 8 dice but they hit for 4s, 5s and 6s, since they are defending against a frontal attack.
Work out fights between opposing units one at a time, in an order chosen by the Player who has the lowest losses so far in the battle (the least number of companies in the “Dead Pool”).
The Union troops have a clear advantage on the dice odds here so chances are the rebels will be driven off.
Who can fight? Count up all the companies that finished their move touching or overlapping an enemy company (see the diagram, below).
Frontal attacks against Infantry who have not been “softened up” first are always a risky business! How to work out Fights Roll two dice for every company of Infantry or Cavalry in the fight. Units attacked in their flank or rear count only one company.
Example of Play
A depleted Confederate Regiment of 4 companies (A-D) is making a desperate attack on a fullstrength Union regiment (1-6). The rebels are cunningly attacking only one end of the enemy line, to maximise their chances of success. The attack has come in at an oblique angle but if any of the attacking bases end their move touching an enemy base the rest can also move into contact, even if this means moving them a little bit further. Rebel bases B, C and D end their move touching an enemy base and A is overlapping enemy base 1. All 4 of these bases count in the fight. Infantry roll 2 dice for each base in a fight, giving a total of 8 dice and hitting for 5s and 6s.
Cavalry attacking other Cavalry or into the flank or rear of Infantry hit for 4,5,6. Infantry defending against a frontal attack hit for 4,5,6 Otherwise, all companies hit for 5 or 6. Artillery who are attacked are automatically overrun – put them in the “dead pool”. Who wins the fight? Count the number of hits taken. The unit that took the most hits in the fight is the LOSER. If both took the same number of hits this round of fighting is indecisive and the fight will continue next turn, but if Cavalry draw or lose a fight with Infantry they must immediately retreat to outside musketry range (10BW), facing away from the enemy. Once you have worked out if either side has won or lost the fight you can now remove a company for every 3 hits taken and carry forward any excess hits (as for shooting). The losers are pushed back 2BW by the winners and must take a Panic test (see below) if they 5
have just lost one or more companies in the fight. If they fail the test they Panic and run away (see below) which may affect nearby friendly troops. Otherwise the fight continues next turn. Any attackers who won the first round in a fight hit for 4,5,6. All other troops in a continuing fight now hit only for a 5 or 6. In the case of a continuing Cavalry vs Cavalry fight, if another Cavalry regiment moves up from behind to support (touch) a regiment that is already fighting, the second regiment’s companies also count in the fight, hitting for 5 or 6 and any hits taken in the fighting are shared between the two regiments. (A skilful use of “reserves” was a mark of a good Cavalry general). If neither side has run away after a second successive turn of fighting the original attackers must immediately fall back beyond musketry range (10BW), still facing their opponents.
cause nearby friendly troops to take a Panic Test. 2. Check to see if any units must take a PANIC TEST: A unit must test: a) if it lost a company after being on the losing side in a fight. b) if any friendly troops run through it after failing a Panic Test c) if it sees friends run past it within 4BW (Infantry ignore Cavalry who run past and vice versa).
Roll a dice for a Panic Test- minus 1 for each company the unit has lost so far and minus 1 if
friends are running through it. So a regiment with 2 companies lost and friends running through it takes 3 off its dice roll.
1. Check each unit to see if it has suffered HEAVY LOSSES:
If the final score is 0 or less the unit panics and runs away (as above).
Any unit that has lost half of its companies (3 infantry from a 6-company regiment) is “worn out” and all it can do from now on is to hold its position and defend itself.
A unit never takes more than one panic test in a turn for seeing friends run past no matter how many units run away,
If the unit went below half strength as a result of losing a Fight it must run away 8BW, straight back towards its own table edge, avoiding the enemy but running straight through any friendly troops who are in the way during the first 4BW of its move.
3. Pursuit: If Cavalry defeat enemy troops who then run away or panic roll a dice: 1,2,3 means they must pursue (chase them) for that many turns, at 10BW per move. If the pursuit takes them off the battlefield they do not return. 4, 5 or 6 means they hold their position.
Any unit reduced to just one company always runs away. After they have run 8BW put the runaways in the Dead Pool but before this happens they might 6
Who wins the battle? At the end of each turn check both army’s losses by counting the companies in their Dead Pools. If one army has lost more than half of its original army strength (so, a loss of 14 companies in the case of the armies in the example battle, above – note that a lost General counts the same as a lost company), then it is defeated and the other side can claim Victory (Hurrah!). If both armies have lost more than half then the battle is indecisive and both armies must retreat. Time to fix a re-match! If neither side has reached this threshold for defeat, the battle continues.
unit shoots or fights. b) Re-roll a failed Panic Test. If this fails to stop the panic he runs away too and quits the battle! c) Halt or order a Pursuit. d) Direct Fire at a target other than the nearest enemy. Any time a unit led in person by a General loses one or more companies to Shooting or Fighting he is in danger. Roll a dice (you can’t re-roll this one!). If the score is 1 he is wounded and out of action for the rest of the battle (so he can’t do any more re-rolls or rallying). Put him in the dead pool. The army simply ignores the loss of their General and carries on fighting (in all the smoke of battle they don’t know what has happened to him).
Finally, remove any smoke markers from the battlefield and START THE NEXT TURN
The General figurine represents you, as the Army Commander. Always move your General first before you move any other troops. He can move up to 10BW. If he joins a unit (put him behind it, touching a company) he can also move when it does. By joining a unit to lead it in person he hopes to encourage it to fight better. A General who is leading a unit can: a) Re-roll one dice that is a miss whenever the
Once you have played these simple rules a few times you may wish to try something a little more challenging. The core rules are the same as before but now you have to deal with the added complexity of terrain features, issuing orders, new types of troops and some special tactics.
Instead of a plain battlefield, some extra terrain features will make the game rather more interesting as well as being more typical of the fighting in this period. Unless you are going to reproduce a historical action, one Player sets out the battlefield terrain, then the other chooses which side of the table to deploy on. Hills: Any Troops moving on a steep hill risk becoming disordered (see 5. below). Low hills do not affect movement but they block line of sight for shooting. Artillery on a hilltop 7
can fire over friends below so long as the target is more than 6BW away from the nearest friends in the line of fire. Bad Going: (Woods and swamps): Infantry regiments in bad going make only a half move and always become disordered (see 5. below). Cavalry and Artillery cannot operate at all offroad in bad going. All infantry fire inside woods is at close range (4BW or less). Roads: All troops move 50% extra on a road but they must be in a column (with companies one behind the other, rather than side by side) in order to do so. Forming a column takes a full turn. Streams, Walls, Fences and Fieldworks as obstacles: Unless the difficulty of crossing a battlefield obstacle is agreed beforehand and known to both players, the first time a unit tries to cross it roll a dice: 4/5/6: Easy to cross. The unit gets to the other side but cannot move any further this turn. 2/3: Difficult to cross. Try again next turn or cross this turn but become disordered. 1: Very difficult to cross. Infantry can only cross by becoming disordered. Cavalry cannot cross. Artillery can only cross easy obstacles. “Snake” fences are always easy obstacles as troops can simply dismantle them. “Post & Rail” fences can be either difficult or very difficult The result obtained by the first unit trying to cross an obstacle applies to any other unit trying to cross it later in the battle.
buildings give no protection against shooting. Troops inside a wood can only be hit by other troops who are also inside it and at short range. They also halve their dice. Halves always round UP. Infantry defending fieldworks, walls or fence-lines always re-roll 1s in the first round of a fight.
In the basic game, all troops are rated the same. In this more advanced game there are now 3 different grades of troops. These gradings should be used with an army points system (see 6 below) so that the best troops cost more to deploy on the table. 1st Class (Veterans): Battle-hardened regulars or high status units, who keep their heads in a crisis. Special rules apply to 1st Class troops as follows: Bayonet Attack: Infantry can make a bayonet attack against other Infantry or a defended position (a wall, earthworks or a village) by shooting AND making a full move into contact in the same turn. In a fight they always hit for 4,5,6 whether attacking or defending. Manoeuvres: Infantry and Cavalry under fire can manoeuvre freely or allow a Passage of Lines. Counter-charge: Cavalry always react to an enemy attack by meeting it half way – both sides count as attackers in the fight. Fire Control: (see 3. below). Infantry always pass the test.
Cover: Always halve the number of dice when shooting at a target behind fieldworks. Infantry (but not Artillery) shooting at enemy who are behind a wall or lining the edge of a wood halve the number of dice they roll. Fences and wooden 8
Panic: Infantry and Cavalry always re-roll a failed Panic test (once). Pursuit: Cavalry may choose whether or not to pursue a beaten enemy 2nd Class (Trained): Units with some battlefield experience who are usually reliable (most troops are like this). The standard rules apply in all circumstances. 3rd Class (Raw): Newly-recruited or poorly-trained troops who are liable to lose their heads if things get tough. As well as in the usual circumstances, they always take an immediate Panic test whenever they: a) lose a company to shooting or
guns roll only 2 dice per company at Long range and they never use Rifled Guns. Target Priority: Artillery can ignore the “must shoot at nearest enemy target” rule in the case of skirmishers or if they are given “standing orders” at the start of the game to bombard a position.
b) see any friendly troops run past them.
1. Artillery: In this advanced game Artillery operate in 2company batteries. Guns were often deployed in massed batteries (3 or more guns in this game), sometimes behind earthwork emplacements. Field guns can now be moved to new positions using horse teams. All guns can swivel in position up to 45 degrees before firing but then roll 1 less dice per company. Various types of artillery were in use but to simplify things these can be categorized as: Field guns: They can move 6BW per turn while they are pulled by a horse-team or 2BW by hand. They can unlimber or limber-up and move 3BW in the same turn. Short range is 4BW, Long is 25BW. They roll 3 dice per company at Long or Short range. OR Rifled Field Guns: These have an Extreme range of 26-35BW (roll 2 dice). Confederate Artillery: was generally weaker than its Union opposition, due to difficulties in supply and manufacture. They were often forced to deploy in smaller batteries with a mixture of types of gun. In game terms this means their field
2. Cavalry Operate in small regiments of 4 or 5 companies and Brigades of 3-6 regiments. American Civil War cavalry were also capable of fighting on foot and were often expected to do so during a battle. Sabre charges against enemy infantry were rarely successful in this period. Cavalry Tactics Confederate Cavalry were better-mounted in the early years of the war and put greater reliance on the use of revolvers and carbines, rather than sabres, in a fight. A fierce charge and the shock of mounted firepower often gave them the edge. So, in this advanced game, when Cavalry fight Cavalry: A Confederate Cavalry regiment, which is attacking for the first time in a battle gets a “charge” bonus, hitting for 3,4,5,6 in the first round of a fight. Otherwise, in a Cavalry vs Cavalry fight, the Attacker hits for 4,5,6 in the first round. Dismounted Cavalry Any Cavalry regiment can dismount to fight on foot – simply replace each of its mounted companies with a base of dismounted skirmishers (3 figures) and leave one base of horse-holders. They can make a half move and dismount (or mount-up) in the same turn. Once on foot they 9
fight like infantry skirmishers (see below). Late-war Veteran Union cavalry were often equipped with rifled, breech-loading carbines, which gave them a tremendous amount of firepower. They roll 3 dice per company (not 1, like other skirmishers) making them some of the best troops on the battlefield! 3. Infantry Infantry Columns This is any formation deeper than a single line of bases. It is used when marching along roads or to pass through a narrow defile. Columns are a dense target so they double the number of hits taken when under fire. Infantry Skirmishers. An infantry regiment can deploy up to two of its companies as skirmishers – replace each one with 3 bases of skirmishers with 34 figures to a base, with a gap between bases to show their loose formation. They can rejoin the ranks of their regiment in any turn in which it neither shoots nor moves. Skirmishers usually deploy in front of their regiment (remember you can’t shoot through your own troops!) or on its flanks but they must stay within 5BW of it and must keep at least 5BW away from the nearest enemy. If they are attacked they always “skedaddle” (run away) and get a free move of 1 dice x BW (cavalry may still catch them!). Other troops don't take a Panic test when they see Skirmishers running away – they expect this sort of behaviour from them! Skirmishers can be useful for drawing the fire of enemy Infantry because of the “must shoot at the nearest enemy” rule. Troops shooting at them halve the number of shooting dice. Skirmishers roll only 1 shooting dice per base, but hit for 5 or 6 at any range up to 10BW (12BW if they are rifle-armed). They can shoot AND move up to 4BW in the same turn and are not slowed or disordered by bad going or by an orders roll of 2. If caught in a fight Skirmishers roll only 1 dice per base
Infantry Attacks Confederate troops used their “rebel yell” to try and intimidate their opponents. But this overreliance on aggressive tactics often led to them take heavy casualties. So, any Union troops in the open (not behind any cover) and attacked by Confederate Infantry must do a special Panic Test just before a fight takes place. If they pass the test they re-roll any 1s in the first round. Bigger and smaller regiments In the basic game, all infantry regiments have 6 companies. Now you can also have big regiments of 8 or 10 companies or a small regiments of 4. Big regiments are harder to control, so they reroll any Orders dice roll of 6. (see 4. below) Small regiments are not disordered by a roll of 2. You need to keep a special note of the original strength and subsequent losses of these units.
In the basic game, troops always move as you wish, like chess pieces. In this advanced game, you must give orders to units before they move. To do this, say the order out loud (e.g. “20th Maine advance to the right oblique”), point to where you want the unit to go (to show your opponent what you are trying to do) then roll a dice to see if your troops obey the order. Units in a Brigade organization (3-6 units) may be given a single order if they are all ordered to do the same thing (e.g. “Brigade advance”). An individual unit joined by a General always obeys, so you don’t need to roll a dice for it. Other troops must always roll a dice before moving: If it is a 1 they fail to move (orders can be misheard amidst the chaos of battle!). If it is a 2 10
and they are moving on a steep hill or making a manoeuvre they get Disordered. (see 5, below) Minus 1 from the dice roll if the unit shot in this turn. (Once troops had started shooting it could be hard to get them to stop!) (Also see special rules for big and small infantry regiments, above). Wounded Generals: If a Brigade or Army Commander is wounded in action all of the troops under his command must halt for the rest of the current turn and minus 1 off any orders rolls in the following turn. After that a replacement General takes over. He can’t do any re-rolls.
of forces on your tabletop battlefield: Infantry or Cavalry: 3 points per company (4 points if 1st class, 2 points if 3rd class). Artillery: 6 for a Field Gun, 8 points for a Rifled Field Gun Each General: 5 points (in a big battle you might want to have one General for each Brigade of Infantry or Cavalry (3-6 units) as well as one Army Commander. An army should have no more than half as many guns as there are regiments. Work out the overall Army Strength (the total number of companies, guns and Generals) at the start of the battle and halve it to calculate the threshold for Victory or Defeat. To finish a big battle quickly reduce the threshold to 40% or less.
SOME FINAL WORDS OF ADVICE Troops risk their ranks becoming disordered by terrain or faulty manoeuvres (see 1 and 4, above). Show disorder by staggering a unit’s companies to make an irregular line. A disordered unit rolls only half the normal number of dice in a fight or when shooting. Disordered units who do not shoot may be ordered to re-form their ranks at the start of the Move stage. If they roll 3 or more they obey the order to re-form but may then make only a half move on this turn. If they fail the order they remain disordered but may halt or move at the choice of the Player A disordered unit always gets an extra minus 1 when making a Panic Test.
Some wargamers like exactly evenly-matched sides and rulebooks often provide army lists to allow them to do this. We don’t have the space or inclination to do this here. In reality, opposing armies were never exactly equal but one side was rarely too much bigger than the other as an outnumbered General could usually refuse battle and march away. However, you might like to use the following simple points system to achieve a rough balance
The Civil War battlefield was ruled by chance events, so celebrate your victories but try not to brood on your defeats: “With those same dice, Grant might have done little better” (Stephen Vincent Benet). No wargames rules, however long and detailed, can ever hope to cover all the possible sets of circumstances that might occur on the tabletop battlefield. If a situation comes up that is not covered in these rules and you and your opponent can’t agree on how to play it, don’t spoil the game by getting into a petty argument. Instead you should simply reduce it to a question of “Can I do something – Yes or No?” and roll dice to decide. Then leave it to discuss after the game and perhaps agree a “House Rule” for use in future. This sort of thing has exercised rules writers since the very beginnings of the wargaming hobby: “There is not a piece of constructive legislation in the world...that we do not regard the more charitably for our efforts to get a right result from this apparently easy and puerile business of fighting with tin soldiers...” (H.G.Wells, 1913) Andy Callan Nottingham, England October 2021 11
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