American Civil War Game Club (ACWGC)

Posted - Oct 18 2005 : 7:05:45 PM
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Dearest Caroline,

I know your heart is heavy regarding the role I am about to perform for our government. While I, too, share your desire to see this war over quickly we must be patient as we rely on Providence and President MacBeth. I have inquired often to President MacBeth as to how I can best be of service. That he has not responded as of yet I do not take as any indication of his lack of faith in my abilities but in the great weight upon his shoulders to balance all and to put the most capable people in positions most advantageous to our Cause.

You know, as I have told you many times, I do not desire the glory of a warrior's wreath. I would be more than satisfied to retire to our home and live out the remainder of my days in peace, at your side. Until that time comes, however, I must be available to assist the President in any way as he struggles against those who would wantonly destroy the Union.

If my duty is to remain here in Washington, I will send for you to join me. If I am asked to take the field, however, you must remain where it is safe. I expect this matter to be resolved, one way or the other, in the near future, if rumors are to be believed.

Rest assured, my sweet Caroline, that I will not rest until the foe is vanquished from our land. A house divided cannot stand. But I do so look forward to returning to your arms once more and long for the day we can once again be together. Until then, may Providence watch over you and the household.

Your never to be humble partner in life,

DA Groce


Col. David Groce
3/2/1 AoP
"Taking the high ground"

Gentlemen,
I have completed, today, all Confederate OOBs of new forces just recruited....Once I complete the updates of existing OOBs (that can only be done after turn 5 purchases, and distribution on the new weapons presently being manufactured)the Rebs will be done.....I will start on the Yanks newly recruited forces tommorrow (or later tonight).......Just so ya'll know, the movement rules will not change this turn....so any newly recruited force cannot be moved this turn, unless they are recruited in a city which has an existing force AND they are attached to said force (in other words, placed under the command of an existing human leader in that city)....Rail and Naval transport rules will be as follows: Infantrymen are 2 cargo units each, cavalrymen with horse are 5 cargo units each.....cannons are 333 cargo units each (including 25 men, horses, limbers, gun, and 15 rounds in the limber), supply wagons are 500 cargo units (they can carry either 250 arty rounds or 400 small arms supply points).....Now comes the fun part.....Rail Movement will be much more flexible than before, if somewhat abstract....We will assume that since there are 2 months to a turn, that both sides were able to transport wepons and ammo to their forces and distribute them.....however, for the purpose of moving any existing force the Yanks will recieve 50,000 Rail Cargo Points and the Rebs will recieve 35,000 rail cargo points per turn.....when moving a force, supplies must be included if you want them to have them when they fight.......Transport ships will be able to handle 4000 cargo units each per turn.....feel free to ask questions.....Regards, Hank

BG Hank Smith
Army of Georgia
Smith's Division CO
Carroll's Corp

Gentlemen,
We are getting close on turn five.....We are down to figuring maintenence cost for POWswhich will be coming out of your budgets, then I believe we can give you your turn 5 money....then once arms are manufactured and shipped to the forces recieving them....we can look at moving and fighting.....All OOBs of newly formed forces are now complete.....Regards, Hank

BG Hank Smith
Army of Georgia
Smith's Division CO
Carroll's Corp

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by notso</i>
<br />I heard a rumor today.

It said that the Union is in dissaray and that the Confederates are this close ... this close ... to kicking the Union behinds because the Confederates have superior leadership and moxy on the field of battle.

I heard that the Union leadership couldn't find their way out of the latrine unless a Confederate private showed them the way. Ouch!


2nd Lt Larry (Notso) Quick
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

Lt. Quick,

That was no rumor. It's etched in stone. Cemetery headstones, to be exact.

Next port for the CSA Navy: Chicago. Not that we'd want to stay. I heard another rumor: That people actually <i>live </i>north of the Mason-Dixon line. B-r-r-r-r. Once the Federal government sues for peace, I expect CSA President Hinkle will be gracious enough to give back all the territory we've taken -- and will be taking.


Your humble servant,
Gen 'Dee Dubya' Mallory

David W. Mallory
ACW - General, Chief of the Armies, Confederate States of America & Cabinet Member
CCC - Sergeant, Georgia Volunteers, Southern Regional Deaprtment, Colonial American Army

Gents.....

I just thought I'd send out a note to let ya'll know to get ready....I believe I finished the economics for turn 5 tonight.....Notso is out of pocket, so I can't get him to take a final look before sending ya'll your budgets.....therefore I am waiting till tommorrow at least before sending them......But, point is.....we are extremely close at this point.....I think you will find extreme flexibility in this economic engine....I am going to use ya'll to playtest it, so it may get easier or harder as the game progresses....I took a guess at the levels I set for now....we'll see how it goes.....Thanks for your patience....Hank

BG Hank Smith
Army of Georgia
Smith's Division CO
Carroll's Corp

Gen Mallory,

That seems to be the problem with you Southern gentlemen.

You take what you cannot have and give what you cannot take. And then complain when the good citizens of these cities you occupy enlist in the Union Army.

Have a care, sir, even Chicagoans (?) have pride in their town. Remember, there are many parts of Great Britain that are warmer and natives of that place went out and conquered the world. I wouldn't want to upset them Chicagoans (even them New Yorkians) in case they do the same - startin' with your place![;)]

regards

MG Mark Oakford
I/XVIII, AoJ

Thank you for assembling a special site to provide updates on the progress of the 'Fight The War' project. This has always been my favorite threads at the old Mason Dixon Tavern.

Sadly, circumstances beyond my control forced me to resign my commission as an active member of the ACWGC, but I do enjoy reading your entertaining and highly creative submissions - letters, diary entries, commendations and the 'news reports' from the front.

I commend all of you for your hard work on this project. You've done an outstanding job of providing us 'civilians' with a compelling narrative, filled with tales of glory, disaster and uncertainty, all told with equal portions of drama and good humor. I look forward to reading the latest 'news' from Turn 5 as soon as it becomes available.

Sincerely,

Charles S. Hayes
lately of the Copperheads Brigade, AoA

Gentlemen,
I am having graphics done for Confederate Gunboats, and I have just playtested a scenario of 1 Confederate "Ironclad", accompanied by an unarmed transport, versus 3 Union wooden warships....The transport could not fire, as it was unarmed, and the Ironclad eventually sunk all three woodens, although it's fatigue was 896 and it had lost 6 of it's 8 guns.....so there was lots of suspense....I did find out that ships can rout (thought so), and there is a little strategy to using them (not a lot unfortunatly)....
Now I will mention that the Ships will be armed with a variety of weapons, loosley based on the 5 most common types in use by each side....which means about a thrird of the Rebs will be armed with 32 lb smootbores, and a little over a quater of the Yanks will get 9" dahlgrens....I will not go further into the process than to tell you that the actual arnament is determined by a dice roll when each ship is built....
There is one more possibility to add Naval variety....Presently the rules state that woodens are automatically 4 guns and ICs are automatically 8 guns.....I could also vary the number of guns for each.....using a dice roll, I could say that woodens will have 2-4 guns determined by a 3 sided dice roll and that ICs will have 6-8 guns, also determined by a 3 sided dice roll (This would not affect any ships already built this turn).....Kindly give me feedback of ya'lls preferences here.......BTW, I think we shall have refit rules....If a wooden looses 2 or more guns (under the persent rules for number of guns), or an IC looses 4 or more, they must go into drydock for a turn to refit.....They will be out of action for a turn and the replacement guns must be purchased before that ship can take to the water again.....Thanks to Ken Miller for his assistance in these matters........Regards, Hank

BG Hank Smith
Army of Georgia
Smith's Division CO
Carroll's Corp

In playtesting the naval scenario mentioned above, I had a bit of uncontrolled cerebral flatulence....I believe we can do a pretty good job of introducing River obstructions that can be blasted aside by the attackers (eventually)....I am not promising new graphics for this, but maybe......Regards, Hank

BG Hank Smith
Army of Georgia
Smith's Division CO
Carroll's Corp

Ken Miller has done a great job and the Confederacy now has Naval units....he is looking into making the river obstructions also.....Regards to all......Hank

BG Hank Smith
Army of Georgia
Smith's Division CO
Carroll's Corp

River Obstructions are now available for use in the Campaign......Due to Ken Millers brilliant work, they are now playtested and workable.....They will require some house rules, but definatly add something to the game that was not there before!!!!
Regards,

Hank

BG Hank Smith
Army of Georgia
Smith's Division CO
Carroll's Corp

The President was worried.

All the armies were in place, the recruits recruited, the forts manned and the ships shipped, but would the Generals follow their orders?

He wandered onto the lawn of the White House.

For how long, he thought, would the city enjoy the tranquility of this beautiful fall? How long before the Rebels would fall upon it from North and South, from Baltimore and Manassas?

He summoned his aide, a slack-jawed young man with dribble on his chin.

'What is our best intelligence of the Rebels' intentions?'
'Err... That is to say... In other words...'
'So we have no idea what they are planning?'
'Oh no, sir, we know they are planning a Christmas ball in Richmond. It's in all the newspapers.'

The President sighed.

What was best? To defend the Capitol until the last drop of blood, or to evacuate and give the Rebels a propaganda triumph?

He made his decision...

(To be continued)

<b>Molly's Tale: A Novella of the 'Fight the War' Multiplayer
by CS Hayes

Chapter One:</b>

The old Colonel laid aside the latest edition of the Richmond Rag and sat staring into the fire. Molly entered the study quietly and set a cup of tea on the small table at the Colonel's elbow.

She did not speak, knowing better than to interrupt the Colonel when he was in one of his 'moods', but Molly worried. The Colonel had become increasingly melancholy since the War began. He rarely went out anymore, received few visitors and had lately begun taking more and more of his meals in the study, where he spent endless hours pouring over those dreadful scandal sheets from Baltimore and Washington for news about the fighting in the west.

Of course she knew what was wrong. Molly had served the Colonel for 35 years; following him across the great western plains to that first lonely posting in the deep, red wood forests of northern California, and then to the bloody walls of Chapultepec down in Old Mexico.

The Colonel’s natural gift for organization and logistics had made him a favorite of that old scoundrel, Winfield Scott. But his success as a Quartermaster had been a double-edged sword. She had seen his frustration grow as the Colonel had applied for one field command after another, only to be denied, until finally one day Scott himself called him into his tent.

Standing there with a half dozen of the Colonel’s own transfer requests in his hand, Scott had made his position clear, “Sir, I am well aware of your ambitions, and I am also well aware of your qualifications, but I can not spare the best damn supply officer in the Army. You may consider all current and future requests for transfer denied.â€

Sir,
You have impressed and inspired me.....We should be giving you more material for your work shortly.....Hank

BG Hank Smith
Army of Georgia
Smith's Division CO
Carroll's Corp

Charley
This club has a fine bunch of writers but your novella is about as good as it gets!![:D] Thank you for a most entertaining piece of work and by the way its nice to read a neutral observer as oppossed to the propoganda we normally get!!![;)]

Field Lt. Tony Best