Q - I play JR II. How do I convert my existing batteries and regiments to JR III?

A - For artillery, the JR II battery of 2 sections of Napoleons and one section of 10# Parrots would be converted to one battery of three sections with mixed guns. The easiest way to convert regiments from JR II scenarios to JR III scenarios is to simply remove one stand. Hence, a five-stand, 25-figure regiment will convert to a four-stand, 20-figure regiment and a five-stand, 20-figure regiment will convert to a 16-figure, four-stand regiment.

Q - Do buildings block line of sight? Can a unit fire through them?

A - It is true that the buildings are out of scale and that their presence really represents a built-up farm area, but, it is for that exact reason I have them blocking fire. They would represent a serious clutter factor - fences, gardens, small trees, outbuildings, whatever that would prevent some parts of a formed firing line from seeing the target. Hence, when engaging through or across a building and/or built up area, I usually adjudicate the "who" can fire on a stand-by-stand basis - which captures the effect of some guys being blocked while others would not.

Q - Are there any modiflers for a unit on a hill for either fire combat or for defending the hill against a charge?

A - According to many military writers of the late 18th century, there was no firing advantage in a musketry duel of being uphill. Musketry investigations by the British after the Napoleonic Wars and the US, to a lesser extent, prior to the Civil War actually revealed that in a musketry exchange between equal units, the fellow at the bottom of the hill almost always took less casualties. This was due to the well known, at the time, effect that soldiers with a height advantage almost always shot too high. Shooting too high was probably the most common musketry mistake, which being uphill only made worse.

Occasionally if the hill was steep enough, being uphill was a most serious artillery disadvantage. For example, at Little Round Top, the Union artillery on the top of the hill could not fire directly at the advancing Rebs coming up that rocky slope due to an inability to depress the tubes sufficiently. The Confederates had the same problem on Missionary Ridge, and this effect contributed significantly to the Union taking the position.

However being up a hill did have some advantages. The most obvious one is that it may enable you to fire over other friendly units. The other obvious advantage is that it improved the commander's visibility once the firing began. If the hill was high enough, a commander could see above the musket smoke that often tended to lie relatively low to the ground. It is my opinion that this potential visibility advantage negated, to some extent, the shooting-too-high phenomenon discussed in the first paragraph.

The other historical advantage that is indirectly modeled in JR is in a charge. That advantage is that the slope could slow the charge and cause it to go into disorder prior to contact with the defender. This effect is modeled by having an upslope movement, depending on the steepness of the slope being defined as either broken or rough terrain. With less movement and fewer dice to roll for breakthrough, the problem for the attacker is that the probability is much greater that he will impact the defender in disorder - simulating the fatigue of climbing the hill - thereby, greatly increasing the probability that he will be suffering the "+4, in disorder" penalty in the dice-down for impact. And that is serious enough disadvantage that the attacker will probably lose the impact dice down.

Q - How does fire penetration work when a unit fires on a skirmish line?

A - If a unit is less than two inches behind a skirmish line, it suffers the same casualties as the skirmish line. However beyond that two-inch distance, there is no fire penetration. A firing unit could fire over or through the skirmish line in an attempt to hit the unit behind it as area fire (losing one die, page 7).

Q- Can a unit charge an enemy in its rear, even if it is not facing the object of the charge?

A - JRIII does not prohibit a unit from making a charge in any direction, provided it is in a straight line directly against an enemy. So, yes, a unit could charge - in disorder - to its rear, if an enemy unit was there. My reading and experience as a re-enactor has led me to believe that a unit would do what it had to do, though it might be a little messy.