American Civil War Game Club (ACWGC)

I know you are suppose to set the rules before you play...but what is the general rule for a column attack...the question is...if you cross a bridge..and the next hex is a non-town hex...can you attack the enemy in the adjacent hex.....or do you have to wait until the next turn so you can change formation and then attack...

Gen. John Dragan 3/3/2

I don't believe there is any club rule restricting column meleeing. If the game allows it, it is all right to do it. But a lot of people like me find column melee ridiculous considing it is suppose to be road column. So you will need to negociate a house rule to cover it. Most people will agree to one even during the game as long as it is done before their is a problem.

Usual one I use is that if the only way to cross or enter terrain is in column then you can melee from column for that unit during the turn it uses column movement to enter or move through that terrain. This can be further modified if specific situations. If you are using Turn play where the unit does have the ability to change back to line once crossing a bridge then you can limit how far the unit can go after crossing and still use column melee. Some people might want to say no column melee in towns regardless since towns are a special situation where units tended to all get disrupted.

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General Kennon Whitehead
Chatham Grays
AoT II/1/3 (CSA)

I think that we can add to what Gen Whitehead writes that an overrun should also always be allowed in column.

Apart from it, I Believe that it is more a question of not being able to walk 12 hexes on a road before attacking than just column melee.

But I also believe that the target should be taken into considération :
Imagine à 999-strong regiment walking on a road in a forest and bumping into the rear of an unattended lone gun or a depleted regiment with 10 privates left. Less than a minute would be necessary for the leading company to capture the target, with the company at the not even knowing the reason why their march is shortly halted. I see no reason in this case for a change of formation to line...
Therefore, I Will not argue if you attack me in column John

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Lt. Gen. Francois Chatain
CO XX Corps and Adjutant, AotC, USA
Red Badge of Courage Tournament Deputy Director

I normally specify use of a column melee house rule when looking for a game although if my opponent wishes to use the separate melee phase for the HPS games this is not as big an issue as that eliminates the Blitz Attack that made column melees so popular in the early days of the HPS games that caused many to go to a no column melee rule.

For Turn Based games without a seperate melee phase my standard house rule on infantry column melees.

Infantry in column can initiate a melee if.
1. It is on a ford/bridge hex.
2. It just crossed a ford/bridge hex and enters an enemy ZOC.

This allows you to melee to get across a defended creek/stream and it keeps you from setting up one hex back of the crossing and getting two free shots at the column before it can melee. So you can move up to the crossing, probably take some artillery or gun fire, cross the bridge/ford and change into line and maybe advance 1-2 hexes if you don't get D'd by the opportunity fire. If you cross a creek/stream that you can't see beyond the crossing hex without having enough MP to go into line as soon as you cross or continue in column after crossing you deserve to get shot to pieces.

I would also agree with Col. Chatain's observation that a remnant unit or a limbered gun that was run into by a column would be a legitimate target and would not complain about an opponent meleeing such a unit in column.

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Gen. Ken Miller



The McKeesport Union Guard

3/1/II
Chief of Staff
AotP

Gentlemen <salute>

There are too many opinions on what should and shouldn't be allowd, and the club rules are pretty specific on what is or isn't allowed. I've even had it presented once to me that units weren't allowed to advance at night.

There are no "house rules", there are the ACWGC rules. What opponents negotiate prior to their game is between them, but referring to them as "house rules" is misleading as it gives the impression that everyone follows them. Pointing out to your opponent that your last actions aren't prohibited by the ACWGC rules is a bit unsettling to them when they based their previous moves on that "house rule".




Highest regards,

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General Neal Hebert
Edward C. Walthall Division (2nd aka "Gator Alley")
II Corps, Army of the West
CSA Cabinet Secretary

I agree with what you are saying Gen Hebert as I often run into those who think that 'house rules' are a standard way of playing that everybody in the club goes by. If you read some of the posts from the past on house rule preferences then it would lead you to believe that whatever that poster was saying was the standard way of playing and that everybody in their right mind played that way. That gets reinforced if a new person in the club has their first opponent(s) playing with house rules. However, ACWGC Rule 5.4 specifically addresses house rules (and thus gives them their 'authorized' name) which I will repeat below:

5.4 House Rules. Many officers prefer specific ‘house rules’ when they play. All house rules are optional and must be agreed to ahead of time by both players. The Club does not require that any optional rules (either house rules or those provided within the games) be used.

To get back to Gen Dragan's question though, I have no idea since I seldom play with any house rules regardless of whether or not they are good ones. I'm not smart enough to keep up with different house rules and game options for every game that I have going. That means that I'm also not smart enough to answer your question. My wife can confirm that if necessary.

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Gen Ned Simms
2/XVI Corps/AotT
Blood 'n Guts hisself, a land lovin' pirate. Show me some arty tubes and we'll charge 'em.
VMI Class of '00

I agree..........I play too many games to keep track of special rules.
I play with the game engine as designed and all options on........except two.
If I play a battle with night turns........we agree before the game begins not to attack at all at night.
Although, I must admit I avoid multi day battles.

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Lt. Gen. C. N. Matthews
Pickett's Infantry Division, I Corps,
Army of Northern Virginia, CSA

Gentlemen:

This is a topic that surfaces so often that maybe you men can enhance this discussion so as to define the melee process in column to such a degree that it can become part of the rules as an advisory or suggested formula/opinion for play. Discussions like this help all of us improve play and prevents hard-feelings. Salute and thank you.

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Dave Danner
General
Commanding Cumberland Rifles, II Division, XV Corps
Army of the Tennessee
S = √ 30 x d x f + - e