American Civil War Game Club (ACWGC)

Took the time to read all of the posts and responses from Rich I could find in the Mason-Dixon. I am up to 12 pages of information in WORD format i.e. various posts just copied for search and summarization. This does not yet include the other possible forms like the other Taverns and for us Yanks, the Quartermaster Depot.

It has taken me a couple of hours to find and to peruse them enough to know which contained answers. It will take a lot more time to summarize it and I will attempt to do so. One problem is to check to see of those posts that pre-dated the actual patch to see if what was proposed actually was included in the updates. Most of the really useful information comes from Rich Walker. A couple people did empiracal tests of their own with interesting and telling results. An example of something to be checked is Rich saying that for a gun to be spiked, the spiker must not have moved in the turn it is doing the spiking and must not be undisrupted.

One recurring theme of the early posts when Capture of arty and spiking came out was a cry for documentation on it. There was talk of John T evenually including the info in the manual so may be my attempt at a KISS...simple summary of this stuff all in one post is a waste of time.

Please, all, accept my sincere apology for first not having the patience to wade through all this stuff to begin with, and second for actually reading some responses so quickly that an important and fundament point didn't register...the continually like in "You don't have to continually occupy the spiked gun" but rather just by the end of the game. My whole complaint was that oversight. The fact that I didn't occupy what I spiked was the problem.

I shouldn't have wasted all of your time.







Colonel Tom Ciampa

2nd Bgde,1st Cav
XIV Corps, AoC
Games: TS/BG: AN, BR, CH, GB, SH - HPS: AT, CTH, GB, OZK, SH, VK

This is often the learning process in these games and our Club. Some of that learning is what makes the Club fun and rewarding. First, you have a group who can help through the issue. Second, we have the luxury of many of the designers belonging to the Club or at least monitoring the boards. Third, we all share in the learning experience. etc etc etc.

Keep charging, Colonel, you're doing fine!


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

There is a lot of information pertaining to the mechanics of the game engine that isn't accessible to the gamer. I still don't know what it takes to kill a gun or a crew. I do know that in my Peninsula game my Union opponent seems to take out a gun on about 50% of his shots with batteries, while my sections have only killed a couple. Then there is the unwritten rule where a unit whose rear sides are occupied but frontal hexsides are in enemy zones of control is eliminated, even if there is a frontal hex unoccupied, and even with weak ZOC. John could probably make some money with a book revealing all the secrets in the game engine.

With all this wrangling over the artillery capture rule, let me take this opportunity to once again thank Rich Walker for making the rule a reality. It isn't perfect, but it is far better, imho, than the old system where guns just disappeared. He has also been the guiding force behind density modifiers and cavalry scouting, among others. While none of the implementations has been flawless, I believe each is an enhancement to the game. And, for the most part, each enhancement can be selected or rejected as the players choose. I might add, hopefully not in error, that Rich was the only ACW game designer present at the ACW game discussion and will work to implement other enhancements. Thanks, Rich, my hat is off to you.

MG Mike Mihalik
1/III/AoMiss/CSA

Well I certainly will second all of that. None of my rant about this issue was ever a criticism and I should have had the presence of mind to thank him as well. All of these "mysteries" are ONLY illuminated by his posts. They are, however, all over the place and that is why I am going to try to summarize his wisdom on at least this spiking thing so that newbies will have one post to go or an amendment to the artillery war college paper.

And thank you General Laub for you very kind comment...

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by mihalik</i>
<br />There is a lot of information pertaining to the mechanics of the game engine that isn't accessible to the gamer. I still don't know what it takes to kill a gun or a crew. I do know that in my Peninsula game my Union opponent seems to take out a gun on about 50% of his shots with batteries, while my sections have only killed a couple. Then there is the unwritten rule where a unit whose rear sides are occupied but frontal hexsides are in enemy zones of control is eliminated, even if there is a frontal hex unoccupied, and even with weak ZOC. John could probably make some money with a book revealing all the secrets in the game engine.

With all this wrangling over the artillery capture rule, let me take this opportunity to once again thank Rich Walker for making the rule a reality. It isn't perfect, but it is far better, imho, than the old system where guns just disappeared. He has also been the guiding force behind density modifiers and cavalry scouting, among others. While none of the implementations has been flawless, I believe each is an enhancement to the game. And, for the most part, each enhancement can be selected or rejected as the players choose. I might add, hopefully not in error, that Rich was the only ACW game designer present at the ACW game discussion and will work to implement other enhancements. Thanks, Rich, my hat is off to you.

MG Mike Mihalik
1/III/AoMiss/CSA
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Colonel Tom Ciampa

2nd Bgde,1st Cav
XIV Corps, AoC
Games: TS/BG: AN, BR, CH, GB, SH - HPS: AT, CTH, GB, OZK, SH, VK

Thanks for the kind words

I'm trying to get with John about the manual, also, I'll include some additional info with my next title in my personal notes about such things as we have discussed.

BTW, Lee Hook (designer for Vicksburg was present, but was only there for the music)

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by mihalik</i>
<br />There is a lot of information pertaining to the mechanics of the game engine that isn't accessible to the gamer. I still don't know what it takes to kill a gun or a crew. I do know that in my Peninsula game my Union opponent seems to take out a gun on about 50% of his shots with batteries, while my sections have only killed a couple. Then there is the unwritten rule where a unit whose rear sides are occupied but frontal hexsides are in enemy zones of control is eliminated, even if there is a frontal hex unoccupied, and even with weak ZOC. John could probably make some money with a book revealing all the secrets in the game engine.

With all this wrangling over the artillery capture rule, let me take this opportunity to once again thank Rich Walker for making the rule a reality. It isn't perfect, but it is far better, imho, than the old system where guns just disappeared. He has also been the guiding force behind density modifiers and cavalry scouting, among others. While none of the implementations has been flawless, I believe each is an enhancement to the game. And, for the most part, each enhancement can be selected or rejected as the players choose. I might add, hopefully not in error, that Rich was the only ACW game designer present at the ACW game discussion and will work to implement other enhancements. Thanks, Rich, my hat is off to you.

MG Mike Mihalik
1/III/AoMiss/CSA
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

Lt. Col. Richard Walker
I Corps
Army of the Mississippi
2nd Brigade, 3rd Division
"Defenders of Tennessee"