April 19, 1865: Players are reminded at all times of the strict historical nature of this game and the hours of historical research, as well as the bags of popcorn that were involved in doing this research. Players must act in a historical manner as the research involved is designed to make the game as historically accurate as possible. After all, this is a historical simulation not a game.
I. THE PLAYERS
PONY SOLDIER I AM SIERRA CHARCIBA, WHO YOU SEND AGAINST ME NOW!
Americans
Five commands exist, with one player assigned to each command. They are, with the forces that make them up, the following
- Command Group: Major Dundee, Bugler Ryan, Samuel Potts, and three men
Confederate Group: Captain Tyreen, Sergeant Chilliens, and four men.
Union Group: Sergeant Gomez, Wiley, four men, and two pack mules.
"Colored" Group: Sergeant Aesop, five men, and the flag.
Artillery Group: Lieutenant Graham, Preacher, four men and the howitzer.
French
- Command Group: Colonel, Standard Bearer, Trumpeter.
Lancers: 6-8 Groups, each group with an officer and up to eleven men.
Light Horse: 2-4 Groups, again with one officer and up to eleven men.
Mounted Infantry: A maximum of 2 groups, each with an officer and eleven men. (These are the only French troops equipped with small arms, and have been added for game.)
For purposes of fun, actual units of this period such as the Belgium Legion, Austrian Legion, Mounted Companies of the Foreign Legion, etc can be used to add color to the game.
TERRAIN
An area about 5' square is needed. The Rio Grande should be 12-16" wide, with 6" of sand bar on the south band and 6-9" of sand bar on the north. Two feet of Mexico should exist on the south side, with only one way down to the sand bar. Likewise on the north side, only one way exists up to Texas, with the remaining space used for Texas. The Rio Grande counts as broken terrain, all other terrain is open.
VICTORY CONDITIONS
UNTIL THE APACHE IS TAKEN OR DESTROYED
Victory is based on the survival of the following figures or the American players and their exit safely from the Rio Grande.
DUNDEE, TYREEN, GOMEZ, AESOP, GRAHAM, RYAN, the "Baby Howitzer" US Flag, and the Pack Animals. If the French capture/kill a majority of these items, they win the game.
SPECIAL RULES AND SUCH
LIEUTENANT GRAHAM, WHEN I LEFT I GAVE YOU A SPECIFIC ORDER - YOU FAILED TO CARRY IT OUT!
NO SIR, YOU LEFT ME THE COMMAND. FROM THEN ON, I GAVE THE ORDERS.
1. The game on Turn ZERO, and only the Americar units may move, entering the board on the south edge at a Charge Rate. No Fire or other orders are allowed during this turn. As part of this turn Major Dundee rolls a D6 and adds 6 to it, which establishes the number of turns before the French reinforcements may enter the board. The French players are not allowed to know when this will occur.
2. Lieutenant Graham shall roll a D6+1 for rounds of case and 2D6+1 for currently rounds of shell remaining for his artillery piece.
3. French units may not move up the slope into Texas proper, they may not leave the stream bed and sand bars of the Rio Grande on the north side of the river.
4. American named characters if shot may save themselves by quoting a line from the movie. No card is then turned for the effects of the wound. The line need not be one spoken by that character.
If hit in melee, they may reduce the effects of an injury one level by doing the same. No line may be used more than once by any player on the American side. The line must be quoted before the card is turned for possible effects.
5. If killed or wounded in melee, a French officer may pick one American figure and shoot him in the back by rolling a D6 for 5 or 6. The American player may not use the save rule against this injury.
6. The flag can only be carried by a named character or by a French officer. If the figure carrying it is killed or wounded in melee, the attacking figure is not hit, the attacking figure captures the flag.
COMMAND PHASE
I HAVE BUT THREE ORDERS OF MARCH
WHEN I SIGNAL YOU TO COME, YOU COME
WHEN I SIGNAL YOU TO CHARGE YOU CHARGE
WHEN I SIGNAL YOU TO RUN YOU FOLLOW ME AND RUN LIKE HELL
A leader figure can issue one of following orders to any troops under his command at the start of the turn: MOVE; HOLD; CHARGE; (French Only); MOUNT/DISMOUNT(Americans Only)
French troops given a RALLY Order by an officer will spend the turn reforming. If no officer survives, the French Colonel (if he rallies the uni) may take an officer figure out of the "Dead" pile and replace a figure in the newly rallied unit with it. These new units can be made up of figures from any French unit. If the French Colonel is killed or wounded this ability is lost.
MY BOYS CAN TAKE THAT OUTFIT, THE WALKING ONES ANYWAY, WITH ONE HAND TIED BEHIND OUR BACKS.
HOWS THAT, AESOP?
THE'RE SOFT, O.W., THEY AIN'T NEVER BEEN SOUTH.
MOVEMENT
| Unit | Move | Charge |
|---|---|---|
| FRENCH | 3D6 | 4D6 |
| AMERICAN | 3D6 | 4D6 |
| Mounted | 4D6 | 5D6 |
| Pack Train/howitzer | 3D6 | 4D6 |
| Foot | D6+3 | 2D6 |
Movement in the Rio Grande costs 2" for every 1" of movement actually carried out. Mounting/dismounting, including limbering/unlimbering the cannon cost half of the movement for the turn.
SMALL ARMS FIRE
IF ANY OF YOU DAMMED GRINGOS SHOOTS BEFORE I GIVE THE SIGNAL, I SWEAR TO GOD I KILL YOU.
Belgium Legion/French Mounted Infantry all are equipped with Rifle Muskets, 1 die per 2 men 21"/42"
Americans - Henry Rifles, 2 dice per man 15"/30"
Half dice if firing unit has MOVE, RALLY, or MOUNT/DISMOUNT Order
MODIFIERS
Firing while Mounted or Long Range -2
TO HIT: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
For every 2 hits scored roll a D6, on a roll of a 1 an officer or named character in the target group is hit, even if that figure is the only target figure in the area.
ARTILLERY FIRE
AS NAPOLEON SAID: "ONLY THUNDERBOLTS CAN BE PREFERRED TO CANNON."
12# Mountain Howitzer
1-2 Crew - ROF 1
3-4 Crew - ROF 2
CASE Short Range 10", Long Range 20", 4 dice per shot.
SHELL Short Range 10"/45", Long Range 45"/90", 2 dice per shot
Short Range hit on 2-6, Long Range hit on 4-6
Artillery fire checks for officer casualties in the same manner as small arms.
CASUALTY TABLE
HE'S ALL RIGHT, DOCTOR, HE'LL LIVE FOREVER AND HAVE A 100 CHILDERN BUT IF TIME AND BATTLE PROVE THAT YOU HAVE A WEAKNESS FOR BEING SHOT IN THAT VICINITY, I'D WEAR AN IRON BOARD WITHIN MY PANTS.
| CARD | FRENCH | AMERICANS |
|---|---|---|
| Hearts | Dead* | Dead |
| Diamonds | Serious Wound* | Serious Wound** |
| Spades | Retreats # | Unhorsed in Melee ## |
| Clubs | Retreats # | No effect if SA Fire |
* These figures appear as French Reinforcements
# These figures flee to the rear, where they can be rallied
** The first of these has no effect on a named American Character
## Unhorsed Americans may attempt to catch a new mount during the next phase on a die roll of a 5 or 6. Named characters may add 2 to this die roll
All hits taken on French figures arriving as reinforcement cause them to be taken back to the south end of the board, and they will enter again on the following turn.
MORALE
THESE BOYS MAKE THE APACHE LOOK LIKE A BUNCH OF MISSIONARIES.
NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE VALUE OF A EUROPEAN EDUCATION.
Americans do not worry about morale.
Any French unit with an officer has good morale and will follow orders. If no officer exists, the unit is considered to be shaken and will fall back to be rallied. Thus if the officer is shot during the fire phase it will not close into melee, or if in a melee the unit will have to withdraw.
MELEE
YOU BOYS WANT A FIGHT? WELL I'VE GOT ONE FOR YOU - COME UP HERE AND LOOK. WE HAD FORGOTTEN ABOUT THE FRENCH BUT THE FRENCH HADN'T FORGOTTEN ABOUT US.
Match figures up and roll a D6 for a 6 to hit. If one side has more figures then the other it may put two or more figures on each figure from the other side as long as the extra figures are placed as evenly as possible. Thus you can not triple up on a figure unless all other figures in that command have at least two figures on them.
The following Modifiers exist: (Natural 6s always hit.)
French Officer +1
Lance Armed +1
Belgium Legion -1
Charging +1
Revolver Armed (Americans) +2
Mounted +1
Hussars +1
American Named Character +1
If French units being rallied or which have fallen back in disorder are meleed, the number of die they get is halved.
Americans may divide their melee attacks against more then one target, i.e. a charging American character on horseback instead of rolling 1 die for a 1-6, may roll 3 die for 5,6, or two die for 4-6, etc. After number of hits is totaled, pull cards as in the Casualty Table
If after a melee is fought, both sides are in good morale, fight another round with the troops present. Continue fighting rounds of melee till one side breaks morale or is destroyed.
SERGEANT GOMEZ, DISMOUNT THE MEN AND PREPARE TO MEET A MOUNTED CAVALRY CHARGE FROM THE FRONT.
DESIGNERS NOTES
I would like to point out this game breaks important new ground as on the American side the figure ratio is such that each American figure actually represents 2/3's of an actual person.
THE WAR WILL NOT LAST FOREVER.
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