American Civil War Game Club (ACWGC)

This may have been discussed before, but is there any benefit to dismounting an officer? Why not always leave him mounted so he always has 24 mp's. Why ever dismount an officer? Even though a mounted officer makes for a bigger target, it doesn't appear that mounted officers take casualties at higher rates then dismounted officers. Anybody know why'd you want to dismount an officer?

Thanks

Maj Gen Boyd Denner,
2nd Division Commanding
II Corps
ANV
"God Bless the Alabamians" Gen. Robert E. Lee - The Wilderness 1864

To give his horse a break!!![;)]

<b><font color="gold">Ernie Sands
General, Commanding, Army of Ohio

ACWGC Cabinet Member
ACWGC Records Site Administrator
</b></font id="gold">

Seems I remember that mounted officers had higher percentages associated with casualties when fired upon/meleed in a stack? Wives tale?


General Jeff Laub
Union Chief of the Army
ACWGC Cabinet Member
http://www.geocities.com/laubster22/UnionHQ/

I just checked with JT on this not long ago. The only difference is the movement rates, no change in casualty percentage, etc.

LGen. Hamilton
II Corps
ANV, CSA

Thanks Rich (and JT). That was my hunch. No benefit to dismounting.


If it was desired to one day make a change maybe something along these lines would work:

a) Dismounted officers have less of a chance to get wounded/killed/captured, but only get 12 mp's.

b) Mounted officers get 24 mp's, receive one extra hex of command range (due to being seen by more of their troops), but also have a higher chance of getting wounded/killed/capture since they're offer a bigger profile to the enemy.

Just a thought....regards...

Lt. Gen. Boyd Denner
II Corps Commanding
ANV
"God Bless the Alabamians" Gen. Robert E. Lee - Wilderness 1864

I too was under the impression that a mounted officer was more prone to getting hit in the BG games. Seemed to me like everytime I sent a mounted officer into the line he got hit.

Gen. Ken Miller
1/2/VI
AoS

<font color="beige"><b>Well I'll be darned.....[}:)]

No need to get off my high horse when making charges now![:p]</b></font id="beige">

<center> <font color="beige"><b>Maj.Gen. R.A.Weir </b></font id="beige">
<font color="blue"><font size="4">AoA Chief of Staff</font id="size4"></font id="blue">
<b>ACWGC Cabinet Member</b>

<font color="yellow">THE CALVERT LINE</font id="yellow">
<font color="beige"><b>4th ENGINEERS
2nd - II
<font size="5">AoA</font id="size5"></b></font id="beige"> </center>

I whipped out my BG manual for Bull Run, and on page 34 under <b>5.2 Leaders</b> it says:

"A mounted leader is more likely to be eliminated in this manner as one who is dismounted."

So obviously JT is wrong. What does he know about this game anyway...[:o)]

Anyway, it seems it was at least implied that mounted leaders were more prone to being casualties in the BG series.

HPS says:

<i><b>Per-Side Leader Loss Values</b>
Fire Wound: the percentage chance that a loss check will result in a leader in the target hex being wounded. When there is a loss of x against a unit, a loss check will occur relative to every leader in the hex with the probability of:
x / (x + 10)
Fire Kill: the percentage chance that a fire result check will result in a leader in the target hex being killed.
Melee Wound: when a leader is involve in a melee that results in losses for his side, then the percentage given is the probability that the leader will be wounded as a result of the melee.
Melee Kill: when a leader is involve in a melee that results in losses for his side, then the percentage given is the probability that the leader will be killed as a result of the melee.
Melee Captured: when a leader is involve in a melee that results in losses for his side, then the percentage given is the probability that the leader will be captured as a result of the melee.</i>

No mention of mounted or unmounted, so those of us who learned by the BG system have been drawing unneccesary opportunity fire by dismounting. Perhaps others, such as myself, were also confused that mounted leaders <i>move</i> as mounted cavalry, and assumed they therefore suffer fire effects of mounted cavalry.

Lt. General Dirk Gross
XIV Corps/AoC

To me, the reason you have the office dismount would to have him be less conspicuous to capture. It is very difficult to see dismounted officers in some terrain. Of course thisis a double-edge sword if you forget where an officer is.

Lt.Col. Drex Ringbloom,
1/3/VIII
Army of the Shenandoah

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Dirk Gross</i>
<br />I whipped out my BG manual for Bull Run, and on page 34 under <b>5.2 Leaders</b> it says:

"A mounted leader is more likely to be eliminated in this manner as one who is dismounted."
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

I was practically certain I recalled that, but too lazy to find the manual (it's hidden in a pile of no-longer-needed manuals for computers games right back to 1990 in some box in a corner), and anyway I don't play BG any more. I am relieved to see my memory is not all that bad.

Regarding HPS, that something is not in the manual is never ever sufficient proof for its not being there. A lot of things in these games are completely undocumented.

Gen. Walter, USA
<i>The Blue Blitz</i>
3/2/VIII AoS

West Point Class of '01