Mr. Lincoln's War

Review: American Civil War Rules

Review by David Williams

Rules by Stephen F. Phenow and Terry L. Gore

Mr Lincoln's War (MLW) is a set of regimental combat rules for the American Civil War (ACW). Troop scale is 1:80 per base, gun scale 1:2 and ground scale 1": 25 yards.

MLW sets out to put the player in the role of the divisional commander. Your army will comprise several brigades with attached artillery.

It is worth quoting Terry L. Gore; "Prompted by my desire to reflect the reality of the Civil War on the gaming table, I began to outline a system which stressed simplicity, realistic combat ranges and results, a workable ground-to- troop scale, and a way to allow the player to use traditional tactics gained through experiences in wargaming itself."

After half a dozen games, I think the writers have succeeded.

The basic units in MLW are regiments and artillery batteries. With a troop scale of 1:80, this results in units from 4 to 10 stands. Fire & Fury basing works fine, as would just about any basing system. Regiments are formed into brigades commanded by Brigadiers. Regiments can form the variety of formations you would expect.

Brigadiers transmit orders to units within their brigades. Order chits represent orders. For each order there are limitations on what units can do. Although some of the definitions of orders are somewhat vague, common sense quickly overcomes this drawback. A key point is to plan ahead at least one or two turns as you may find your Brigadiers capabilities over stretched, particularly if he is incapacitated!

The core of MLW's success is the interaction between the order system and the sequence of play. Players recover (rally) troops, place new order chits (orders staying in place until overwritten by new orders or lost through failed morale), check risk to generals then dice for initiative. Artiller y from either side under Defend orders can now carry out counter battery fire. Things now start getting tricky.

Units from the player with the initiative with Charge orders now charge. Enemy units under Movement or Charge orders can counter charge; other enemy units take a morale test. Defending enemy artillery and infantry now fire followed by the charging units.

All other units of the phasing player now move followed by the other player's charging and movement. Mounted units of the first player that did not move earlier in the turn now get a reaction move to the second player's move. Both players now fire and close combats are resolved. Movement in MLW is simple but effective. Troops maneuver faster outside engagement range (ie 12") and bad going is factored in by a die roll each time a unit moves through rough ground determining how fast the unit moves that turn.

One of the really unique concepts in the game is the manner in which units change formations. To move from column to line, a unit must wheel parallel to enemy and face to the right or left. This means not only that you must maneuver troops as they actually were, but also that you are faced with the rather crucial decision as to how far back you change formation. If you deploy too close to the enemy you expose yourself to being charged in the flank and if you deploy too far back, your attack is slowed down as you waddle forward in line.

Skirmishers in MLW really impress me. I have been playing Horse and Musket period games for some twenty years and used most commercial sets of rules as well as a number of homegrown sets. MLW is the first (literally) that portrays skirmishers effectively.

Skirmishers move forward and screen the following formations from small arms but not artillery. They are fragile when faced by aggressive close order troops, but can quickly move out the way when charged. Even if you are not interested in ACW gaming, MLW is worth playing to gain an insight into how skirmishers operate on the Horse and Musket battlefield. A big statement, but try it. Both small arms and artiller y fire mechanisms are simple. The nice touch in the mechanism is that a unit's order determines, in part, how effectively a unit fires. For example, in a charge, the charger fires under the "poor" table whereas, troops on Defend orders fire on the "best" table. Again, MLW shows a keen (and almost unique) appreciation that troops formed up and deployed for defence have a marked edge over manoeuvring troops.

The small arms and artillery categories you would expect are all represented from smooth bore muskets and shot guns through to rifled muskets. Ranges look right. It is worth noting that when to fire your first volley is a key decision as it is by far and away the best you will get. Close Combat uses the approach of working out the result first then the effect of the close combat. This is a model I have seen several times of late and I can't particularly fault it. A charge works if you have prepared the way with artillery fire. Go in against prepared enemy in good order and your chances of success deteriorate markedly.

When a unit declares a charge, a die is rolled to determine the charge movement bonus. The die roll is added to the basic movement rate. The result is the total movement for the unit's charge. The unit will keep on going as long as enemy troops either break before combat or as a result of a close combat fight.

I had the frightening experience of a column of rebels throwing a 6 and getting a total charge move of 12" when the charge started only 1" away from my front line. With several units already shot up, I had a whole brigade broken up in one turn. I was struck by how I had read of such incidents in the past, but never had rules allow it to occur. That is until MLW. Morale is fragile. Units don't like being shot up and really can get very upset by friends breaking and running away. Morale is represented by a series of steps from disordered through to routed. Morale is recovered in the reverse order.

Rather then testing for every hit on a unit, units test each time a stand is removed (infantry stands for example take 3 hits).The test is taken immediately the stand is removed. Now harking back to the turn sequence, troops on Defend orders that get a good volley at charging troops can cause a morale test. The charging troops take a morale test then and there. Hence a charge home test is built in without complicating the turn sequence.

The morale factors encourage you to support units. I have also noticed in games that we have started to drop units back behind the front line to recover rather than just plugging away and hoping for the best. A tricky manoeuvre in reality and one that most rules simply do not allow.

Well you may have guessed by now that I am a fan of MLW. It is pitched at a scale that appeals to me and it works. Also, at $35.00, it not the most expensive set of rules around. So what's the catch? My main gripe is poor editorial work, mainly vague language and errors in the cheat sheet. My impression is that the authors had to rush the rules to the printers to meet a deadline. The worse sins occur on the cheat sheet where a number of factors have been left out and a couple of things not in the rules have been left in (I assume from early versions). Not huge problems, but disappointing in an otherwise first class product.

On the up side, MLW has Web site at: http://www.angelfire.com/me/mrlincwar/index.html Worth looking at before you buy and especially after you buy as it contains some clarifications and will contain scenarios.

In conclusion, MLW is a fresh approach to ACW gaming and I am impressed. The rules do not force you to adopt historical tactics, but it is unwise to ignore them. Worth a look even if you are not an ACW gamer. I got my copy from Essex Miniatures however, I am sure most major suppliers will stock it.

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