Turn Sequence 1. Confederates Move 2. Confederates Shoot 3. Union Move 4. Union Shoot 5. Charges 6. Melees Formations There are only two formations - line and column. The names of these formations can be very confusing for the students. At school, when they are told to "get in line" they line up one behind the other, in what we call column formation. With the kids I call the formations "firing line" (like a firing squad), and "marching column." Units may change formation at the start or end of their movement, but can only change formation once per turn. Sharpshooters The two Sharpshooter units may be deployed as units or they may be broken up. If they are broken up one or two sharpshooter bases may be added to any Union unit that is deployed at the start of the game. If they are broken up they must stay with their adopted unit for the remainder of the game. They are treated as a part of their adopted unit for all purpose, but continue to shoot as sharpshooters. Movement Infantry can move 6" if they are in line formation or 12" if they are in column formation. Commanders may move 12". Artillery can move 12" but it may not fire on a turn when it was moved. Artillery can pivot in place during movement and still fire.Units may about face (turn 180 degrees) once per turn. Units may move backward while still facing to the front at half speed. Units lose half their movement when moving on Big Round Top or Little Round Top, they also lose half their movement if they cross the stream (pay this penalty only once, the first time they get to the stream). Units may not move within 1" of an enemy unit except when charging. Fire Units that are in line formation and artillery that didn't move this turn may fire. Range is measured from the center of a unit to the nearest part of the target unit. Units may only fire to the front and may not fire through narrow gaps between friendly units, or over the heads of friendly units. Roll one die per base or two dice per gun model. The chart indicates the number needed for a hit. Remove one base for each hit rolled by the firing unit. It takes three hits in the same turn to remove an artillery base. Note that you only use the 1" firing column when shooting at a charging unit. If a unit is reduced to a single surviving base then the last base is immediately removed. Shooting 1" 12" 24" Infantry 5-6 6 - Sharpshooters 4-6 5-6 6 Artillery 4-6 5-6 6 Protective Cover Targets in cover get saving throws. Roll one die for each hit. Ignore the hit if the roll is a 6 in woods, or a 5 or 6 in Devil's Den. Charges Both sides may charge during the charge phase. A unit may not declare a charge unless it is in line formation and within 6" of an enemy unit. If it matters the Confederates charge first. A player may measure to see if a unit is within charge range. One enemy unit must be chosen as the target of the charge. A unit that wishes to charge must first pass a morale check. If the unit fails moral nothing happens, it cannot charge this turn. If the unit passes its morale check then the target must pass a morale check. If the target fails it loses one base and immediately retreats 12", the charging unit is moved into the position vacated by the retreating target unit. If artillery is the target and it fails morale it is eliminated. If the target passes the morale check it has the option of firing at the chargers or counter charging. If the unit counter charges the two units meet in the middle and fight a melee. If the target decides to fire at the chargers it does so at a range of 1". If the charging unit survives the fire it moves into contact with the target and they fight a melee. Morale Checks If a unit has to take a morale check Roll one die. If the roll is less than or equal to the number of bases (plus a commander if one is present), then it has passed. If the role is greater then it fails. Artillery must roll a 4 or less to pass a morale check. Melee Each side rolls one die and adds in any bonuses. High roll wins. The loser removes one base and retreats 12". If it's a tie each side loses a base and rolls again. Unit Movement Shooting 1" 12" 24" Infantry in Line 6" Infantry 5-6 6 - Infantry in Column 12" Sharpshooters 4-6 5-6 6 Commanders & Artillery 12" Artillery 4-6 5-6 6 Melee Bonuses Has more bases than the enemy: +1 Confederates charging: +1 Terrain Advantage (higher ground, in cover, etc.): +1 Officer attached: +1 Hitting the flank or rear: +1 Opponent is artillery: +1 Commanders Each Brigade Commander (and Joshua Chamberlain) is represented on the table. A Brigade Commander may ajoin or leave one of his units during movement. This unit gets a +1 bonus on all melee rolls and the officer counts as a base when testing morale. Every time a unit with an attached commander is completely eliminated by enemy fire (last base removed), or is engaged in a melee (win or lose) roll one die. If the roll is a 6 the commander is a casualty and is removed from play. This is the only way a commander can be eliminated. Map "We are the Flank" The Big Fight for Little Round Top Gettysburg Historical Background and Set Up Fast Play Rules for Students Paper Soldiers and Little Round Top (very slow: 114K) Back to Table of Contents -- Junior General Report # 4 Back to Junior General Report List of Issues Back to MagWeb.com Magazine List © Copyright 2004 by Matt Fritz. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles covering military history and related topics are available at http://www.magweb.com