I. INTRODUCTION Our Moccasins Trickled Blood is simply my idea of combat on the Ohio Frontier during the 1790's. When writing these rules I had to decide between playability and detail, and I chose playability. These are quasiskirmish rules, written to fight large battles like St. Clair's Defeat (1791) and Fallen Timbers (1794), but with a feeling of a skirmish level game. If one chooses to add rules to the framework outlined within, by all means, do so. But it is not the intent of these rules to bog down a game, rather to encourage participants the opportunity to play, as opposed to constantly burying their heads in a rulebook. A set of rules is often the cumulating of years spent playing other rule sets, and then deciding what one likes and what one doesn't. These rules are influenced by Greg Novak's Rise and Fight Again (itself a derivative of Gentlemen of France Fire First) and Woodland Wars, both sets which I have played, liked somewhat, and then disregarded. Why? Simply because my interpretation of Ohio Frontier combat is different than the "feel" those rules systems gave, and there were certain parts of those rules I didn't like. Does that mean I consider those rules "bad"? Not at all. Parts of both of the aforementioned rules I have used in Our Moccasins Trickled Blood, with modifications, so, in my opinion, those rules have positive aspects that I have enjoyed. Acknowledgements Very rarely is a set of rules the doing of one person, and Our Moccasins Trickled Blood is no exception. Many thanks go out to the members of the Wayne's Legion Historical Gainers, whose very existence is the reason for these rules. Also a big "thank you" goes out to Craig Charron, who ran these rules and received feedback from gainers at Peninsula Campaigns, Pro or Con, and Spartacon. Participants in events at Rally 'Round the Flag and Advance the Colors deserve a few kudos as well. Thanks to everyone who has been involved, in one form or another. II. GAME SCALES One infantry or cavalry casting equals 15 men. Each artillery crewman casting equals two guns. One inch of gaming table equals 15 yards. One turn equals 10 minutes of real time. In our group, we base our figures individually. Infantry and artillery crew are mounted on I" square bases, while mounted troops are on I" by 2" stands. However, whatever basing system you decide to use is acceptable. III. SEQUENCE OF PLAY Phase One 1. The Indian Commander will roll a six-sided die (using Table 1) to determine the amount of operations its units have this turn. Each unit will then carry out that number of operations as defined in Part IV. One die roll for the entire command. 2. Units attempting to charge will close to within 2" of their intended target. 3. The American player(s) will check morale for any units that were fired upon will stand or units charged from the front will stand and fire. 4. The Indian player(s) check morale for any units that were fired upon to see if they would continue their charge. 5. All charging units in good morale may move into contact with their target if sufficient movement exists, and all melees are fought. 6. All Indian units which are still in rout from a previous phase move their skirmish movement away from the enemy, unless in cover or beyond enemy small arms range. Phase Two The American player(s) now move using steps I through 6 above. Table 1: Operation Determination Unit Type One Operation Two Operations Three Operations Indians 1 or 2 3 or 4 5 or 6 Militia 1, 2, or 3 4 or 5 6 Regulars 1 2, 3, 4, or 5 6 IV. OPERATIONS All movement, fire, and other actions are carried out by the use of operations. After determining the number of operations a unit has (using Table 1), the unit selects its operations from the following table: Table 2: Operations MOVE CHARGE CHANGE FACING AND/OR FORMATION RALLY OR REFORM FIRE LIMBER/UNLIMBER LOAD MOUNT/DISMOUNT Units may carry out more than one operation per turn, if the die roll determined from Table 1 yields more than one operation. If an Indian unit has rolled a six for its operation determination die roll (a result of three operations), the unit could do any of the following combinations of operations in the course of the turn: MOVE, MOVE, FIRE FIRE, LOAD, MOVE MOVE, LOAD, FIRE CHANGE FACING, MOVE, FIRE RALLY, REFORM, LOAD MOVE, FIRE, CHARGE or any other combination of the allowed operations. Also, normally only the phasing side is allowed to use operations during their turn. However, if a non-phasing unit that is charged from the front passes its morale check and its weapons are loaded it may issue fire at the charging unit. The operation expended to issue this fire is deducted from the unit's next die roll. A unit that suffers a disorder result must spend its next operation reforming. A unit that suffers a rout result must spend its next two operations rallying and then reforming. Example: A Canadian militia unit suffered a rout result during a melee with a Legion unit. The next turn, the Canadians must use its first operation rallying, and its next operation reforming (into any allowable formation the owning player wishes). If the Indian side has only one operation available, the unit can only rally, and must wait until the next turn to reform. V. FORMATIONS All units must be in one of the following formations: Line: A double rank of figures, with all figures in contact with one another. A line may be bent to conform to terrain. Open Order: A single rank of figures, with all figures in contact with one another. A unit in open order may be bent to conform to terrain. Column: A formation with more than two ranks. and only two files. Skirmish: A line of figures (either single or double rank) with one figure spacing between the figures. Again may be bent to conform to terrain. Mass: A group of figures that is as wide as it is deep, with all figures touching one another. Only Indian and Canadian Militia units may use this formation. Disorder: A clump of figures as equal in width and depth as possible. Units in disorder have a facing. Limbered: A battery that is ready for movement. It may not fire. Unlimbered: The battery is ready for action. It may only move by prolong. VI. MOVEMENT Units move at the following rates as determined by their type and formation. Remember that each operation spent for movement allows a unit to move once. Thus, a unit that uses two operations for movement would move twice the distance given in the table. TYPE COL LINE OPEN SKIR MASS LIMB UNLIMB Legion Infantry 6" 4" 6" 8" - - - Legion Cavalry 10" 8" - 12" - - - Militia 4" 3" - 6" - - - Mounted Militia 8" 6" - 10" - - - Indians - - - 10" 8" - - Canadian Militia 4" 3" - 8" 6" - - British Infantry 6" 4" 6" 8" - - - Artillery - - - - - 6" 2" Charging Units: Any units which charge receive a 50% movement bonus on the last movement operation only. All units that charge are considered disordered at the end of their turn, after melee has occurred. Units do not have to charge to enter into contact with the enemy, but if the unit does not charge it does not gain either the movement or melee bonus. Command: All units that wish to move must have an officer/leader with or attached to the unit. Terrain Effects: Hills: All non-skirmish movement costs 2" per I " moved, no charges uphill. Roads: All units in column receive a 50% movement bonus. Thicket: Movement halved. Visibility reduced to 4". Open Woods: Visibility reduced to 8". Units moving in open woods are spotted at 12". VII FIRE Small arms fire may be conducted by all infantry figures against the closest enemy unit in their arc of fire. The fire arcs for all units depend upon their formation, and are as follows: Line/Open Order: To the front of the unit, and a 45' arc on either side of the unit. Column: As line, but only the front two ranks may fire. Skirmish: The are of fire is 180' to the front of the figure, but the figure may not fire through other figures of the unit. Mass: Only the front two ranks may fire, at 180' from the front, but not through other figures of the unit. Units in disorder fire as in mass, but only half the eligible figures may fire. Artillery may fire at the closest enemy unit within a 30' arc of either side of the battery, and must be unlimbered to fire. A battery may not use canister if there is a friendly unit within the fire arc. Roll a twenty-sided die for each eligible figure that can fire in the unit. To hit the die roll must be equal to or less than the corresponding number on the following table. TYPE CLASS A CLASS B CLASS C CLASS D CLASS E RANGE Legion Infantry 6 5 4 3 2 8" Legion Rifles 6 5 4 3 2 12" Militia 5 4 3 2 1 8" Indians: muskets 5 4 3 2 1 8" Indians: bows 6 5 4 3 2 4" Canadian Militia 5 4 3 2 1 8" British Infantry 7 6 5 4 3 8" Artillery: ball 7 6 5 4 3 24" Artillery: canister 8 6 4 3 2 8" Rifles and artillery take two operations to reload. Any Indian unit may fire up to half of its eligible figures using bows without being spotted. If any hits are scored, roll a ten-sided die. On a result of 10 the officer or leader of the unit is killed. Mounted targets are considered one class higher when being shot at. Target Types: Class A: formed troops (including mass) in the open Class B: formed troops in woods, skirmishers in the open. Class C: formed troops in thicket, skirmishers in woods, artillery crews. Class D: skirmishers in thicket, any troops behind ramparts. Class E: any troops in earthworks. VIII: MORALE Units that have been fired at by artillery, have taken a small arms casualty, are initiating a charge, or are the target of a charge must check morale. The unit must roll equal to or less than the unit's morale rating on a ten-sided die to continue the desired action or pass morale. Unit morale ratings are as follows (the two ratings for Indians are for in cover/in open): Legion Infantry 9 Indians 8/6 Legion Dragoons/Artillery 8 Canadian Militia 7 Militia 6 British Infantry 9 Modifiers: Unit without officer or leader -1 Every two casualties this turn -1 Unit is disordered -1 Unit is under half strength -1 Unit is charged in flank or rear -2 Indian unit attempting to frontally charge formed troops, artillery, or works -2 Indian unit being charged by formed troops -2 Higher level leader (general/chief) attached +1 Unit is in cover +1 Indian unit attempting to charge skirmishers +1 Unit is behind works +2 Indian unit attempting to charge a flank +2 Failure of Morale: The effects of failing a morale check are as follows: Failed by 1 or 2: The unit immediately moves back the number of operations that it failed its morale by, and ends up in disorder facing the enemy. Use the unit's skirmish movement rate. It takes one operation to reform the unit. Failed by 3 or 4: The unit immediately moves back the number of operations that it failed its morale by, and ends up in rout facing away from the enemy. It takes one operation to rally the unit, and one operation to reform it. Failed by 5 or more: The unit immediately moves back the number of operations that it failed its morale by, ends up in rout facing away from the enemy, and suffers a permanent morale reduction of one rating (i.e. - a unit with a morale rating of 9 now has a rating of 8). It takes one operation to rally the unit, and one operation to reform it. IX. MELEE Units that move into melee do so in the following manner. The attacking figures are placed next to the enemy figures that they are meleeing, with the requirement that both units stay in their current formations. Thus skirmishers must keep their spacing, columns must keep their depth, etc. In some cases the attacker may be able to double up on the defender, or in the case of skirmishers attacking a line (but why?), the defender may be able to double up on the attacker. In either case, no more than two figures may melee with any one figure. For each figure in engaged in melee roll a ten-sided die and apply the following modifiers: Officer or general, NCO/leader or chief +2 Formed Troops with bayonet +2 Mounted figure +3 Defending works or thicket +3 For one additional figure attacking +2 Figure (non-Indian) charging +1 Indian charging in skirmish order +1 Indian charging in mass +2 Figure is disordered -2 Figure is attacked from flank or rear -2 If a figure's die roll is twice or more than that of his opponent, then the opponent is killed. If a figure beats his opponent but doesn't double him, then the opponent falls back one skirmish move. Whichever side has the highest losses in the melee is considered the loser. The difference in casualties (both kills and retreats) is used to determine the loser's outcome. Use the Failure of Morale table to find the loser's results. The winner occupies the vacated position. Example: A unit of the Second Sub-Legion is engaged with a unit of Canadian militia. The 2nd SL has three figures retreat and two figures killed. The Canadians have had six figures retreat and one figure killed. The Canadians have the most total casualties (seven vs. five for the 2nd SL), and therefore loses the melee by two. Using the Failure of Morale table, the Canadians must immediately move back two skirmish moves (16", picking up its retreated figures along the way, and ends up in disorder facing the enemy. It must spend its next operation reforming. X. OPPOSING FORCES IN THE FALLEN TIMBERS CAMPAIGN AMERICANS Major General Anthony Wayne 1 Ldr LEGION OF THE UNITED STATES Left Wing - Lt. Col. Commandant John Hamtramck 1 Ldr 2nd Sub-Legion Dragoon Troop 3 figures Artillery Company 2 guns/4 crew 1st Battalion 6 figures 2nd Battalion 6 figures 4th Sub-Legion Dragoon Troop 3 figures 1st Battalion 9 figures 2nd Battalion 6 figures Left Wing Rifle Corps 4 cos. (musket) from 2nd Sub-Legion 12 figures 4 cos. (rifle) from 4th Sub-Legion 12 figures Right Wing - Brigadier General James Wilkinson 1 Ldr 1st Sub-Legion Dragoon Troop 3 figures Artillery Company 2 guns/4 crew 1st Battalion 9 figures 2nd Battalion 9 figures 3rd Sub-Legion Dragoon Troop 3 figures Artillery Company 2 guns/4 crew 1st Battalion 9 figures 2nd Battalion 9 figures Right Wing Rifle Corps 4 cos. (musket) from 1st Sub-Legion 12 figures 4 cos. (rifle) from 3rd Sub-Legion 12 figures KENTUCKY MOUNTED MILITIA Barbee's Brigade 1 Ldr 1st Battalion 16 figures 2nd Battalion 16 figures 3rd Battalion 16 figures Todd's Brigade 1 Ldr 1st Battalion 16 figures 2nd Battalion 16 figures 3rd Battalion 16 figures Price's Advance Guard 10 figures INDIANS AND BRITISH At Fallen Timbers: Wehyehpihehrsehnwah (Blue Jacket) 1 Ldr RIGHT WING - Buckongahelas 1 Ldr Canadian Militia 4 figures Wyandots 15 figures Delawares 15 figures CENTER - Gushgushagwa 1 Ldr Ottawas 13 figures Potawatomies 9 figures Chippewas 35 figures LEFT WING - Michikinqua (Little Turtle) 1 Ldr Shawnees 18 figures Miamis 9 figures At Fort Miamis 24th Regiment of Foot 16 figures 4 9-pdrs 2 guns/4 crew 4 6-pdrs 2 guns/4 crew 2 small howitzers 1 gun/2 crew XI. MODIFICATIONS FOR 1790-92 The United States Army in the time period of 1790-92 wasn't the impressive force it later became under Anthony Wayne. To reflect these differences, I suggest the following modifications: 1. American Regulars weren't as proficient in this time period. Use the militia line on the Operation Determination Table when rolling for American Regulars, thereby reducing the average number of operations they can perform each turn. 2. Also, the Americans suffered from morale issues. Rate the First American Regiment's morale at 8, the Second American Regiment's morale at 7, and the Levies with a morale of 6. American artillery should be rated at 7. 3. The Indians under Little Turtle were able to surprise the American forces on a consistent basis. Anytime the Americans only have one operation for their turn, Indian units may take one free operation prior to any American action. The Indians may fire (if their weapons are loaded), charge to contact (the Americans can fire in their defense if their weapons are loaded), or move away from an American unit that is within charge distance. Example: An American unit is ready to smash into the flank of an unfortunate Shawnee band However, the Americans have only one operation this turn, and so the Shawnee band decides to move away from the threatening American unit. XII. The Future of Our Moccasins Trickled Blood I have been talking for years about putting together a "wargamer's guide" to this period of American history, one which would include historical background information, scenarios, uniform information, flags, and just about anything else a gamer might find interesting. The guide would also include these rules. The guide would be sold for minimal cost (like five or ten bucks), if there were enough interest in the period to begin with. One day I will get around to publishing this guide, but in the meantime I would like to solicit your help. Play test the rules, then send me your thoughts, ideas, suggestions, and criticisms. If possible, I will incorporate these ideas into Our Moccasins Trickled Blood. OMTB Rule Changes (MW 117) Back to MWAN #114 Table of Contents Back to MWAN List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2001 Hal Thinglum This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com