American Civil War Game Club (ACWGC)

I've been having a discussion about modifiers with some people.

Some things affect fire only, some fire and melee?
I haven't had time to fully figure this out, so I know some of you probably do know these:

Trenches: Fire -60%... so trenches have no effect on melee?

Breastworks: Combat -50%... these affect both fire and melee?

Terrain combat modifiers: These affect fire but not melee? I'm not sure yet.
I know woods don't seem to affect melee. I just noticed that streams DO affect fire combat??

And, one thing I had forgotten is that if a unit moves in its turn, it loses "some" modifiers, hexside only? So if you shift behind breastworks, you lose their effect.

Thoughts? Definitions?

Thanks...
Edit/Delete Message

Major General Thompson
Chief of Staff
AoS

Hi, General,

Good questions. The actual modifier percentages are in parameter data. Hexside features like walls and fences affect melee. As near as I can tell, terrain type doesn't. Uphill is a modifier. The rules say that the largest hexside modifier for the hex applies for melee. If you have a question about a specific situation, set up a test without fog of war and deselect on-map results. Then when you plot a melee, it will show the total modifiers. Best if you do it with like morale type infantry or deselect quality modifiers.

I don't think a unit moving affects modifiers. Again, you can do the same type test for fire if you deselect on-map results and fog of war. The box will show total modifiers when you shoot.

MG Mike Mihalik
1/III/AoMiss/CSA

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by P.A.T.</i>
So if you shift behind breastworks, you lose their effect.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

That would be news to me.

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

West Point Class of '01

It gets a little difficult to determine which modifiers affect Fire, which affect melee, and which affect both. The problem is that the parameter table doesn't have a separate list for melee and fire. Some apply to both, some to just one type of combat. The only sure way is to test it.

If you move a unit it will lose the benefit of hexside modifiers like breastworks, fenses, etc. Obviously this only affect the defensive fire against the unit though. The reason for it is so attackers moving up adjacent to say a unit behind a stone wall won't get the wall benefit when they receive defensive fire but they will the next turn.

Hexside terrain like streams don't affect fire combat but do affect melee combat.

Hex terrain like woods, rough, etc. do affect fire combat but not melee.

Fire and melee calculate their affect quite differently. Fire is by unit or stack and all modifiers are accumulative. So if the defender is behind a fence in a woods hex they get both mofifiers.

Melee on the other hand is resolved using all attacking and defending units committed to the attack. It uses the highest hexside modifier not the sum of all. Attackers should keep this in mind. Committing an extra 400 men to the melee may actually reduce your odds if they have to go up hill and across a stream. And the unfortunate exception if you want some bonuses like attack through rear or A/B rating it must apply for all units attacking.

LG. Kennon Whitehead
Chatham Grays
1/1/III AoM (CSA)

Thanks Kennon,

I figured you'd have the info.

I'll have to check the firing across streams again. I did think I'd seen it and it surprised me. So, must have been something else.

Thanks!

Major General Thompson
Chief of Staff
AoS

"If you move a unit it will lose the benefit of hexside modifiers like breastworks, fenses, etc. Obviously this only affect the defensive fire against the unit though. The reason for it is so attackers moving up adjacent to say a unit behind a stone wall won't get the wall benefit when they receive defensive fire but they will the next turn."

I thought (a process that has hurt me many times over - thinking) that the hexside modifier applied only to the unit(s) occupying the hex that contained the hexside modifier and that units in the hex on the other side did not get that benefit unless the hexside modifier was for both hexes (e.g. a stream). For example, when I build breastworks, I thought that they would only be a modifier for who occupied my hex and that the Reb who approached them from the other side would not get the benefit of a breastwork modifier no matter how long he stayed there.



Lt Gen Ned Simms
1/1/VIII/AoS/USA
Blood 'n Guts hisself, a land lovin' pirate. Show me some arty tubes and we'll charge 'em.
VMI Class of '00

Hi, Ned,

For manmade hexside defenses, one side is always protected and one side is never protected. This includes breastworks and embankments. You can tell which side is the protected side for embankments by right clicking on the terrain symbol to the upper left of the screen. If it says "embankment" you are protected. If it doesn't, you aren't. For breastworks, you have to put on your glasses and squint at the hexside. The breastwork will actually be in the protected hex if you look close. Obstacles like walls and fences protect a unit only if it remains immobile. Even if it just deploys skirmishers, it loses the protective benefit for that player turn.
Conversely, the breastworks and embankments protect any time you are behind them, even if you just moved there. Hope this helps.

MG Mike Mihalik
1/III/AoMiss/CSA