Rifle and Sabre
Simulations Publications, Inc.
44 East 23rd Street
New York NY 10010
Price $8.00

Rifle-Musket
Conflict Magazine
301 Curlew St
San Diego CA 92103
Price $3.00

Charging regiments of infantry, mounted and dismounted cavalry units armed with repeating rifles, dueling batteries of cannon, rifled and smoothbore -- these powerful sensations of Civil War battle have been an irresistible lure to historian and wargamer alike. Although many simulations have been spawned by this exciting era, most have been on the strategic (i.e. WILDERNESS CAMPAIGN, ATLANTA, and LEE MOVES NORTH) or the grand tactical-operational (GETTYSBURG, SEVEN DAYS BATTLES, BULL RUN, etc.) scale. Only two true tactical level Civil War games are currently available: SPI's RIFLE AND SABER and Simulation Design Corporation's RIFLE-MUSKET.

R-M arrived with one of the infrequent issues of CONFLICT magazine. One nice feature of this periodical is that it appears that the $10 subscription price is for a six year term - - at the present publishing rate of one issue per year. Despite this obvious drawback, the quality of the magazine and games published by SDC makes it worth the long wait between issues, With the exception of the early games (e.g. NORAD), exciting simulations have consistently accompanied the well-produced Conflict magazine. R-M, then, is in the tradition of HUE and KHALKIN-GOL.

R-M is the simulation for Civil War devotees. Unlike the previous efforts mentioned above, R-M yields the authentic feel of a Civil War battlefield. I had the good fortune to be reading Bruce Catton's trilogy The Army of the Potomac when the game arrived. It may be that the designers drew upon Catton in devising R-M for Catton is at his best in describing regiment and battery level actions. Many times while reading the text I found myself visualizing the action in terms of the R-M simulation -- expecially the battle for Little Round Top where Catton reaches a narrative peak. If you cup of tea in war games is avant-garde design features and imaginative mechanical innovations, R-M is not for you (not your bag of tea?). The rules are fairly conventional, little is new. But the adaptation of technical and historical data to these standard rules makes R-M a simulation of the highest interest.

RIFLE AND SABER, of course, can be purchased directly from S&T or at your local hobby shop. It is the last in the S&T series of tactical level games which include GRENADIER, PHALANX, SOLDIERS, etc. This comparative review will concentrate on the factors that make each game/unique and enjoyable in its own right. While both are "tactical", they are different enough in mechanics and scale to make the playing of each a rewarding experiance. In our judgement R-H is the more .'realistic" while R&S has the edge in "playability".

Mapsheet

R&S features the typical S&T 22" by 28" tactical mapsheet, Clear h"es predominate with a scattering of village and woods hexes. two roads, one forked stream, and a concentration of hills and a forest in the northwest sector. R-M comes with two geomorphic mapsheets (each 10" by 14") which fit together much like the three boards in PANZERBLITZ Although the R-M maps include relativeiy more river and road squares, it is the slopes and highlands, prominent on both mapsheets , that Play a dominant role in Civil War scenarios.

SCENARIOS

True to its subtitle "tactical combat 1850-1900", R&S details 17 scenarios, from the 1857 Battle of Fatehpur (during the Sepoy Mutiny) through a typical action of the 1900 Boer War. Included is a section of particular interest entitled "creating scenarios" -- more about this later. Portions of three Civil War battles are treated in R&S: 1st Bull Run, Shiloh, and Gettysburg (Little Round Top, and Pickett's Charge). Only three scenarios are included in R-M: Little Round Top, Battle of New Berne, and the Battle of Monocacy. But it is relatively easy to invent or recreate battles using the basic tools of R-M.

COUNTERS

Both games employ 1/2" square counters -- the standard S&T size. R&S uses starkly contrasting red add blue counters while R-M employs a more muted light blue and tan. Typical counters are reproduced:

Those who wish to go beyond the basic scenarios and create their own will wish to purchase or make more counters. R&S actually contains three distinct counter mixes, each dealing with a different technological period of the 19th Century. The Civil War period uses the counters designated 'MZ' for muzzle-loading infantry weapons and 'MA' and 'MAH' for muzzle loading artillery and horse artillery respectively. The purchaser is provided with the following counter mix:

Muzzle-loading infantry counters: 35 blue and 30 red
Cavalry: 15 of each color
Muzzle-loading artillery: 5 of each color
Muzzle-loading horse artillery: 2 of each color

This is an adequate number of counters to play the given scenarios, but since units are on the company level one is barely able to use the equivalent of one actual brigade (20-60 companies). During the Civil War the number of brigades in a division ranged from one through four. A brigade could be anywhere from two through six or more regiments. And a regiment at full strength was composed of ten companies.

R-M, too, provides an adequate number of counters for the scenarios included in the game, but a grossly inadequate quantity for the player wishing to expand the horizons and scope of the original. Included in the basic R-M are:

Infantry counters: 13 of each color
Cavalry: 4 blue and 3 tan (plus dismounted counterparts)
Skirmishers: 9 blue and 10 tan
Various artillery: 10 blue and 8 tan

Extra counter sheets may be purchased from the respective publishers. S&T's price of $1.50 per additional sheet encourages one to make his own duplicate counters. SDC, however, offers spare counter sheets for the amazingly low price of 35t apiece.

SCALE

The unit scales of the two games are different. R&S is on the company-squadron level while R-M is regimental, Both games use batteries as the standard for artillery units. The physical scale of the two simulations is approximately the same: 100 meters per hex for R&S, 300 yards per square for R-M.

HEXES vs SQUARES

The last time we saw squares in a wargame was in the AH GETTYSBURG. Our first impression was to see the squares in R-M as an anachronism, something that could and should have easily been avoided. But upon playing the game, we found it a refreshing change. R&S uses a hex pattern more familiar to wargame aficianados.

FACING

Facing is of vital importance in R-M while it plays no formal role in R&S. In R-M one's units can only fire in a 180 degree arc (i.e. into front or side squares). An arrow printed on the counter determines the facing of the unit. In R&S a unit can fire into any adjacent hex so facing, as such is nonexistent. In R-M one is able to gain advantage by firing on an enemy's flank.

Two types of combat bonuses are possible: partial enfilades when the enemy unit is facing 450 from the firing units, and full enfilades, when the enemy unit is facing 900 from the attacker. Although the facing rules introduce complications, we found the effects of the rule not only accurately reflect Civil War battles but add a further dimension to play.

In essence R&S has a type of enfilade. If four attacking units manage to concentrate their fire upon a single enemy unit, the enemy suffers automatic elimination. Since the stacking limit in R&S is three units per hex, a fourunit-against-one combat would entail a quasi-flanking manuever.

FIRE

Range of fire in R&S is three hexes for muzzle-loading infantry, two for cavalry, eight for artillery cannister, and twenty for artillery shot fire, Range attenuation (resulting in half attack strength) affects artillery beyond seven hexes, Regular infantry fires at full factor up to its limit of three hexes.

R-M has a similar but more highly refined range system that tends to personalize the differing weapons with which Civil War armies were equipped. For example, infantry regiments armed with Springfield rifle-muskets have a range of two squares, sharpshooter companies armed with Sharps breech-loading rifles have a range of four squares, while dismounted cavalry units equipped with magazine-loading Spencer repeating rifles have a range of only one square. Artillery in R-M is differentiated according to the type of gun. Smooth-bore cannon such as the Napoleon 12pd., have a range of 5 with an attack strength of 3. The later rifle-barreled cannon, such a-s the Rodman 3" Ordnance, have a range and attack strength of 6. Counters for the Whitworth breech-loading rifled cannon are included but, due to the type of ammunition fired, its extended range of 10 squares does not compensate for its low fire strength of only one, This piece is all but useless in the game but we appreciate it's inclusion in the counter mix as it adds to the realism and enriches the learning potential of the simulation. The entire strength of all units in R-M falls off beyond half their maximum range. An infantry regiment, thus, must be adjacent to the enemy to give the full effect of massed fire. A Rodman battery may fire at maximum strength up to three squares, a long distance in a game entailing 300 yards to the square.

COMBAT RESULTS TABLE

The CRT's differ markedly. R&S uses the standard S&T approach: add up the firing factors and divide by the total defense factors. Automatic elimination comes at 6-1 odds and at 1-1 chances are only one in three of achieving a disruption result. Disrupted units must retreat their full movement allowance. Disruption lasts for one turn during which the affected unit may only move one hex, can- not attack, and defends at half strength. Although units may freely retreat through enemy zones of control, retreating through one's own units risks disrupting the non-combative units too. Hence one must always be careful to provide an open retreat path fordisrupted units in order to avoid the possible disruption (panic) of an adjacent stack.

R-M uses an entirely different type of combat resolution mechanism that is similar to those used by John Hill for artillery fire in VERDUN and BAR LEV. One simply totals the number of attack factors employed, rolls a die, and consults the Fire Table which is partially reproduced below:

Die Roll	TOTAL NUMBER OF FIRE FACTORS
	1	2	3	4	5	7	10	12	15	17	20	40+
1	0	0	0	0	2	2	2	3	3	3	4	7
2	0	0	0	2	3	3	3	5	5	5	5	8
3	0	2	2	4	4	5	5	5	10	15	16	23
4	1	2	2	4	5	5	5	6	12	15	16	23
5	2	2	3	4	5	6	6	7	15	15	16	23
6	2	3	3	4	6	6	10	12	15	15	16	36

For example, two confederate infantry regiments are firing at two Union regiments at a range of two squares. A Confederate artillery battery is firing long range (more than half of maximum) at the same targets. The infantry units have an attack factorof 8 each, and the artillery (a 12 pd,) adds 3 to the attack - a total of 19 attack factors. Thus the "17" column on the fire table would normally be used. However, since all three attacking units are firing at over half their range, we must move to the left three columns on the Fire Table (to the "10" column). The-attacker must now decide whether he is firing at both Union regiments or just one. The defense factor of each regiment is 10 and since the "10" attack column runs from a " damage quotient" of 2 (die roll = 1) to a maximum "damage quotient" of 10 (die roll = 6), the wisest decision would be to concentrate the attack on only one of the units. If, the die roll is 4 the resultant damage quotient is 5. If the damage quotient is half or more than the defense factor the defender is disrupted. A damage quotient equal to - ormorethan the defense factor results in the elimination of the defending unit. In our case, the "5" result causes the disruption of one Union regiment and that unit must retreat two squares and remain there for one full turn.

Notice that in the above example, if the three Confederate units had been firing at close range, the "17" column and a die roll of 4 yields a damage quotient of 15 - eliminating one unit and disrupting the other. Unlike R&S where a unit disrupted a second time is eliminated, no such provision is made in the R-M rules. However, a hint is given in the rule that fire effects in R-M are cumulative. In the above example, after the disruption result was inflicted on the Union regiment, another Confederate unit in attack position could then fire at the disrupted unit, If this second attack produced adamage quotient of 5 or more, the defender would then be eliminated.

TARGET ATTITUDE

Another variable factor between the two games is target size and target position. In R&S the only ill effect of being stacked is that artillery-shot affects all the units in a stack separately - normally only the top unit is affected by fire combat. In R-M the number of units (combined target factors) in a square is of crucial importance.

Each type of combat unit is assigned a target factor (defense value) number. Thus an infantry regiment equals 10, a skirmisher unit equals 1, a Rodman battery equals 5, etc. No more than 60 target factors can be in the same square. Firing into a square containing 30 or more target factors gives's the attacker the advantage of moving six columns to the right on the Fire Table - reflecting the extreme vulnerablity of massed formations. A concentration of 6 thru 29 factors results in no change on the Fire Table, but a sparsely defended square (1-5 target factors) forces the attacker to shift six columns to the Zeft on the Fire Table. This, cbviously, makes it extremely difficult to destroy skirmisher and artillery units which are not stacked with other types.

SEQUENCE Of PLAY

A basic difference between the two games is that in R&S one fires first, then moves -- thus all units, even artillery, may both fire and move in the same turn. In R-M the movement phase comes first , then the units may or may not (depending on the unit type) be able to fire. An infantry (or dismounted cavalry) unit may not move more than one square and fire. A cavalry unit may move up to four squares and still be able to fire. Artillery batteries may either move or fire, but not both in the sane turn. R-M does feature simultaneous fire so that units which have exceeded the above limits may still fire defensively during the enemy's fire phase. The latter sequence is much more realistic, in our opinion, It forces the player to think out his moves to a greater extent than usual - one cannot rush headlong into battle without prior thought.

SHOCK - FINAL RUSH Both games ultilize a charge type of attack (in addition to fire) which takes place at the end of a turn. The main difference is that the R-M attacker must undergo defensive (simultaneous) fire and is disadvantaged by having the defender's fire moved three columns to the right on the Fire Table. This simulates the effect ofvolleyfire on the charging ranks and can be quite devastating. In R&S we confront the ludicrous ability of cavalry to charge up to 12 hexes in order to shock-attack an enemy unit passively awaiting-the attack (no defensive fire).

The final rush, shock-attack resolution systems are also quite different. We favor the R-M system where the attacker at least has a chance to gain the defender's square. In R&S, while a defender is often disrupted and forced to retreat the attacker is atso disrupted and cannot advance into the vacated hex.

ZONES OF CONTROL- HOSTILE SQUARES

Both simulations use the ZOC concept but apply it quite differently. Units in R&S do not have to attack when in an enemy ZOC and may enter the ZOC with no movement penalty. Leaving an enemy ZOC, however, causes the disruption of the unit.

Disrupted units do retain their ZOC and no unit may move directly from one enemy ZOC ot another. R-M employs an entirely different system. The concept of ZOC is transmuted into "hostile squares" and it takes a bit of getting used to. A diagram in the rules folder illustrates adequately the various "single hostile" and "double hostile" (controlled by two separate enemy stacks) squares a unit may enter. It is a complex system, but it worked well in actual play. As with most effective new games cancepts, it becomes second nature after a few games. Unlike R&S a unit in R-M must attack (by either fire or final rush) upon entering a hostile square.

FORTIFICATIONS

Both games make use of field fortifications. Earthworks are found in R-M while R&S makes use of improved positions and trenches. Trenches and earthworks are simlar concepts. They may not be constructed during the course of the game and once placed may not be moved or destroyed. Earthwork counters have a facing arrow and only protect units under the counter and facing the same direction. The trench and improved position counters in R&S provide all-around protection for units stacked with them. A trench triples a unit's defensive strength while earthworks cause the attacker to shift seven columns to the left on the R-M Fire Table. Defense against final rush and shock attacks are similarly increased.

The R&S improved postition markers represent the ability and prepensity of 19th Century armies to dig in. Unlike the other two types of fortifications, improved positions may be constructed during the game. They double the defensive value of a unit within but are considered destroyed if left unoccupied, It is unfortunate that the designers of R-M did not make provision for the construction of such temporary entrenchments. Many times in Civil War battles, regiments successfully seizing an objective would immediately begin digging themselves in, preparing for the inevitable counterattack.

CAVALRY

In the use of cavalry we find two distinct approaches to the problem of mounted fighting men in the Civil War. R&S has gone to the extreme in simplification. A cavalry unit dismounts and is immediately replaced with the standard muzzle infantry unit. No provision is made for the different weapons characteristics of many Civil War cavalry units. R-M is at its best in its treatment of cavalry and its dismounted counterpart. Not only are there different types of cavalry units (based on weapons but cavalry regiments also have skirmisher as well as infantry components.

Cavalry units are armed with a variety of weapons, from the Sharps breech-loading rifle to the powerful Spencer repeating carbine. Upon dismounting, a cavalry unit is replaced with the appropriate dismounted cavalry counter - corresponding to the weapons the original unit was armed with.

Dismounted cavalry have a range of only one square but they pack considerable punch. Often the high number of fire factors will keep the enemy at a two square range, giving the player time to bring up reinforcements.

SOLITAIRE PLAY

Although R&S and RM are designed basically as two-player simulations, they both are admirably suited for solitaire play. Because the element of ego-involvement (winning or losing) is absent, solo-play is potentially a much Fore rewarding Zeay,ning experience than competitive play Since many players are solitaire gamers (by choice or necessity), the following section suggests some possiblities for such a player.

Most of the games we have played solitaire with R&S have involved attacks on fortified positions. One side, usually the red, occupies a trench and outpost line with a strong reserve force held back for counterattacks. The blue side is given a three to one advantage in both infantry and cavalry while artillery is allocated fairly evenly. Since the red units are entrenched, the defensive value of their units is two or three times that of the blue.

For games involving several sets of counters use of another map is advisable. We prefer the MUSKET AND PIKE (S&T) mapsheet because it has a great deal of open terrain. Fighting in the large forest on the R&S map tends to bog down the play. In multiple-counter situations one may also wish to incorporate some random order of battle. In the above example the defender will need to retain a portion of his troops in reserve to be rushed to an area under heavy assault - but he, of course, has no way of knowing where the main assault will be. In this case it is useful to diagram the defense network, labeling the various parts A, B, C, etc., then he can place garrison units on the map and on slips of paper, write down the various locations these main reserves could be placed. Do the same for the attacker. Divide the offensive force into several assault groups, with perhaps one or two planned feints.

A main assault force is held in reserve to exploit any possible breeches or weak points in the formation. Wait about ten turns befor committing these troops to the battle, When they begin approaching the threatened area, draw one of the defender's reserve location slips and place these units on the map. With luck these units will appear near the critical strikepoint. If not, C'est la guerre.

When playing solitaire there are a few guidelines the attacking and defending forces can follow. For example, in use of artillery, one side may concentrate its artillery into one large battery, while the other may parcel out small batteries to boost the firepower if individual infantry units. Or, further, one side may use massed attack columns while another may spread its infantry into wave attack.

Although R&S does not include skirmisher units as R-M does (in the tradition of S&T's GRENADIER), it is easy to incorporate the concept. A stacked assault force can be screened from enemy fire by individual counters. As these "skirmishers" are destroyed replace them with units from the stack. You lose units but you do not expose your stacks to the potentially devastating fire of massed artillery (firing shot which affects all the units in a stack). If the enemy's artillery units are placed on hilltops (to eliminate line of fire restrictions), however, you have little recourse but to abandon stacking and move your assault forces in single unit waves.

The article that accompanies R-M in CONFLICT is excellent because one can incorporate the lessons of the article with the game. This is not to say that the game perfectly simulates the contents of the article, however. In some cases it appears that the article has more in c?mmon with R&S, as many of the illustrative examples use company-level actions. If you try a massed attack in R-M, with three or more regiments stacked together, you will find the casualty rate appalling (a shift to the right of 6 columns on the Fire Table).

The only ill effect of being stacked in R&S is the vulnerability of all the stacked units to artillery shot. In one of the games we set up, the equivalent of a Union brigade (60 infantry companies) advanced from the edge of the mapsheet toward a string of improved positions some 20 hexes away.

The Confederates had massed all their artillery (6 MA) into one battery on top of a hill. It took the brigade seven turns to approach the fortified lines. On each of these turns the Rebal artillery massed its fire against one stack, achieving three to one odds against each unit in the stack.

At 3-1 the CRT yields four chances out of six of a disruption, one chance of eliminating a unit, and one "no effect". The best policy ts to hammer away at a stack of three units for two consecutive turns. If the three units are disrupted by the first barrage, a second cannonade results in automatic elimination since the disrupted units defend at only half strength. Using this tactic the Confederates would be able to destroy up to nine units before the actual assault began.

RECOMMENDATION

We enjoyed both games and simply cannot recommend the purchase of one over the other. Like salt and pepper, they're inseperable in the wargamer's library. RIFLE AND SABER is an old friend of ours and has given us many hours of enjoyment. RIFLE-MUSKET is much younger and from a company that apparently is having severe problems scraping the money toqether to publish another issue.

We'd like to take this opportunity to give CONFLICT magazine a plug. Subscribe, but wait until they publish another issue, and you will receive a war-gaming military history magazine on a par with S&T. We need a magazine like CONFLICT. The wargaming world will suffer a great loss if it allows this fine publication to go under.

STRATEGY & TACTICS needs no plug. Without a doubt it is at the pinnacle of its influence in the wargaming community. It would be a marvelous thing indeed if there were two, three, even four magazines of that caliber. S&T brought thousands of first-timers into the hobby with their progressive eye-catching advertisements, and quite a few old-timers had their interest rekindled by accidentally happening upon one of their publications. RIFLE AND SABER and RIFLE-MUSKET are games of comparably high quality and interest. Let's hope that in the future we will always have the efforts of more than one company to compare.