Fire and Fury
Tactical Notes

by Michael Pierce

(As a new FIRE AND FURY player at Gettysburg '99, I asked my Confederate oneline net if anybody could give me a basic introduction to the system. Mike was supportive enough to do so, and I reprint his work here. I was also lucky enough to play a practice game with Fred Hubig and a few others at Cold Wars '99; this is also a good idea if you get a chance before the actual battle weekend. Or you can take some of your own pieces and just push them around a bit. Note that these notes were written for unmodified F & F--Ed.).

LEADERS: The replacing, attaching and detaching of leaders is the first step of the Maneuver Phase and it is critical to the successful maneuvering of your brigades. Some items to remember:

    A leader who moves to attach to a brigade may only move with the brigade for the balance of his movement allowance--effectively reducing the brigade's movement.
  • A leader is vulnerable to Fallen Leader Checks only when attached.
  • Command radius is line-of-sight, not affected by terrain movement effects, but can't be traced hrough impassable terrain or enemy bridgades, or more than 2" into woods or towns.

FORMATIONS:

The double line of battle is the jack-of-all-trades of formations, (especially for the Rebs). Its drawback is a reduction of firepower since only first rank can fire. But its advantages are that it is relatively compact for maneuver, and packs a punch in Charge Combat (since both ranks can fire). A field column is more compact yet and gets a +1 in Maneuver, but is further reduced in firepower and is a better target (+1).

  • Cavalry can only be in line of battle. It must pay half movement to mount/dismount--if Maneuver roll is Tardy or Rally, the brigade may only mount/dismount.
  • Artillery can do two maneuver actions in any one player-turn; limber, unlimber, move, change facing while unlimbered, or fire. So, a battery that moves and unlimbers in the Union player turn may not fire in the Union Offensive Fire Phase, but must wailt until the Union Defensive Fire Phase.
  • Artillery may only unlimber when positioned by an Army, Corps, or Division leader within Command Radius. A brigade commander may only position batteries already attached to his brigade. Batteries do not require leaders to limber, move, or remove markers.
  • Battlelines may not change facing by more than 45 degrees during movement. Brigades that move more than half movement rate to the rear are considered to have done an about face. The enemy can fire with a +1 enfilade bonus.
  • Remember the Refuse The Flank option.
  • Brigades may not end the Maneuver Phase intermingled. Passage of lines cost (3") must be paid or the brigade may not penetrate the friendly brigade.
  • Formation changes must be the first action taken by the brigade in the Maneuver Phase.

FIRE:

  • The most important fact to remember is that each taret may only be fired at once each Phase. Be careful to coordinate fire with neighboring units so maximum fire is placed on the enemy. Also be careful of the dreaded Low On Ammo. I remember once having four batteries fire at a single Yankee battery and rolling a "10." It was nice to see that Yankee wrecked, but it played heck with my follow-up to have to send the battalion back to replenish!
    • Artillery bateries attached to a brigade are special cases. An infantry or cavalry brigade must fire at least half its Fire Points at the brigade and the remainder at the battery. Artillery may fire counterbattery at the attacked batery and ignore the brigade.
    • A unit being charged must bring max FPs to bear on the unit charging it.

    CHARGE

    This is the tricky part. I recommend you read this section of the rules carefully.

    • For the attacker, all brigades that contact an enemy brigade/battery are participating--which means they will count towards the Charge Combat and share its rewards/effects. What modifiers are taken is bawed on whether more than half the atatacking stands get the modifier--it may not be worth it to send in that large, disordered bigade if it makes the attack take a -1 mod for disorder (and doesn't give you any outnumbered benefits).
    • For the defender, all brigades that have been ontacted will be involved; either as participating or as incidental stands. A participating defender is one which haws been targeted byan attacker, ir which has more than half its stands involved.
    • Charges must be made by the most direct route. Brigades that have changed formation, moved by the flank, or made an about face can't charge.

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    © Copyright 1999 by Pete Panzeri.
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