When a game is first published, the authors are usually confident that they have thoroughly playtested the system and have solved all of the problems that could ever exist. This, however, is seldom the case. As the system is further tested by other gamers, new situations develop that were unforeseen by the designers. Additionally, new information (at least new to the authors) comes to light concerning the nature of war in the period that is being simulated. And finally, mistakes of the authors come to light. All too often authors ignore these flaws and simply continue to rationalize earlier positions regardless of the strength of arguments to the contrary.
This article is an attempt to avoid that unfortunate tendency in our industry. I have taken to heart as valid many of the criticisms of SNB3. Therefore, I am presenting what I call a set of optional rules for use with SNB3. While I strongly suggest the use of these rules modifications, none are mandatory. Indeed, no particular rule in any simulation is mandatory. Just be sure, before you change it, that you know why an author put in such a rule.
I would like to thank Bob Huey, Gordon Derr, Gary Mosier, and Bart Johnson for their input in this matter. I would also like to recognize the contribution that Brian Scherzer made by the publication of his review of our rules.
OPTIONAL RULES
1) DEFEND ORDERS: In the rules, a unit or ME operating under defend orders may advance up to 16" (13") beyond the ME baseline. This distance should be reduced to 10" (8").
2) GRAND TACTICAL MOVEMENT: The modifiers for infantry moving through light woods should be 3/4, and for dense woods 1/2.
3) SKIRMISHER FIRE: The fire of all skirmishers should suffer a modifier of x.5. This represents the reduced fire control in such a dispersed formation.
4) SMALL ARMS TABLE: The medium range for small arms fire should be 4.1" (3.1") to 8" (6"). This does not change the firefight range, however.
5) CARBINES: Troops with carbines should continue to use the values given in the rifled musket table, but the ranges should be short 0-3" (2"), Medium 3.1"-6" (5"), and long 6.1"-10" (8").
6) SMOOTHBORE MUSKETS: All smoothbores should use the carbine values and ranges. The x.75 modifier should no longer be applied. Smoothbore muskets and carbines are not distinguished.
7) RIFLED ARTILLERY: During and after the war, a great debate raged concerning the efficacy of rifled over smoothbore artillery. In the game, there is no question that smoothbores are better. In order to better simulate the uncertainty concerning the relative value of these weapons, the following adjustment should be made: 10 pdr Parrot, 3" Ordnance, and 14 pdr James rifles should be considered as medium rifles; 20 pdr Parrots and 12 pdr Whitworths should be considered as heavy rifles. 30 pdr Parrots should be considered as siege rifles. Continue to use the original classification of these guns for purposes of movement.
8) LARGER SIEGE GUNS: Naval guns and permanently emplaced artillery were often very much heavier than is simulated on the SNB3 artillery tables. Guns and rifles with a bore diameter between 4.2 and 6 inches use the siege table as is. Those with a diameter over 6 inches and up to 10 inches apply a X2 modifier. Guns over 10 inches apply a X3 modifier.
9) MORTARS: In the modifiers to mortar fire, the word hour should be deleted. Thus, each round of fire will allow for correction, and a reduction of the negative modifier.
10) BRIGADE MASS: In order to simulate the attack by brigades in column, this special rule is recommended. A brigade column is formed by placing regiments that are themselves in line formation in a single column with the front of each regiment in contact with the rear of the regiment before it. See illustration:
For units to be considered in a brigade column, they must all move together. It requires at least one full tactical impulse to form a brigade column. Units that are forming such a column may do nothing else in that tactical impulse. Except for units in skirmish order, all regiments, which are in good morale status, of a brigade must be part of the brigade column.
When a brigade column engages in close action, the morale of only the front unit is considered. There is a close action modifier of +10% for each regiment after the first in a brigade column. This modifier is allowed only for the attacker. Brigade columns which are themselves attacked frontally must fight only with the front regiment. If it loses, subsequent regiments may be engaged via breakthrough.
Even when in brigade column regiments check morale independently. If a regiment breaks morale, all units behind it in that column suffer the +10% modifier for having friends move through their ranks in any subsequent tests. if the front unit fails morale while going into close action, the morale of the next unit in line is used to resolve the close action. Casualties suffered by all regiments in the brigade column count in the close action resolution, as do any castings that fail morale.
Remember, non-frontline units may suffer casualties as a result of small arms and artillery fire on the front unit.
11) BAYONET CHARGES: This rule is intended to simulate the same thing that sabre charges do for cavalry. A unit that conducts a bayonet charge may add an additional 2" (1") of movement. Fire conducted by a unit conducting a bayonet charge suffers a x.5 modifier. A unit that wins a bayonet charge adds 20 to the severity die roll.
12) BREAKTHROUGH COMBAT: All close actions that result from a breakthrough must be conducted as bayonet charges. This simulates the reduced ability to deliver measured volleys and a greater reliance on steel and the musket butt. Note that simply occupying the space does not allow second line units to issue opportunity fire. Only if a breakthrough move is taken, which includes any intention to engage in breakthrough combat, can units issue opportunity fire after a close action.
13) TARGETS OF SMALL ARMS AND ARTILLERY: It is very important in SNB3 to suppress enemy fire. However, we were somewhat negligent in stating exactly how much a single regiment or battery can suppress. We now clarify this by noting that a formed unit or battery can suppress enemy units in an area equal to twice the frontage of the firing unit. Thus, a unit that occupies a frontage of 3" could suppress up to 6" of enemy frontage. Skirmishers can suppress a frontage equal to their own frontage. The area of a single die roll to be suppressed must be contiguous (that is, if a brigade fires by adding all figures together, then the area that is suppressed must be contiguous). If any portion of a unit is suppressed, the whole unit is suppressed.
14) CASUALTIES FOR CLOSE ACTION AND FIREFIGHT: In the rules, one must keep track of all casualties suffered throughout the impulse. This turns out to be quite difficult. Therefore, we recommend that only those casualties suffered as a direct result of the acting ME's actions should count for close action and firefight calculation. Thus, if an artillery ME fires on a brigade which is then later in the same impulse attacked by an infantry brigade, only those casualties suffered due to the enemy infantry brigade count for close action modifiers. However, if the attacking ME suffers opportunity fire from MEs that are not the object of its assault, those casualties will still count against it in the close action. In addition to simplifying the close action and firefight resolution, this also simulates the difficulty of coordinating units not under a single command. Note that a preliminary artillery barrage still has the effect of reducing defensive fire and will cause morale checks. Also, the practice of directly attaching artillery to brigades becomes more desirable, since an attached battery could inflict casualties that would then be counted when the infantry attacked.
15) CASUALTIES FROM DEMOLITIONS: On page X/3 there is an error. The last sentence in the first paragraph that begins, "Units in a demolished structure..." should read, "Each unit in a demolished structure or within the area of destruction must take a morale check after rolling on the table below to determine how many casualties the unit suffers." Also add, "All units that suffer from a demolition are disordered for all of the next hourly round."
16) ARTILLERY AMMUNITION: Batteries that exhaust their ammunition retain one final round of canister that will allow them one last shot at a range of 12.5" (10") or less. A battery need not stand down to replenish its ammunition, it need only withdraw until it is out of engagement range of ANY enemy, including skirmishers. When one grand tactical movement phase has passed while the battery meets the above requirement, then it is resupplied.
17) BRIGADE AMMUNITION: Whenever a brigade or formed unit of a brigade of infantry issues small arms fire, there is a chance that the brigade has begun to exhaust its ammo. If the die roll to inflict casualties is above a certain threshhold (say 96 or above), then the brigade suffers a X.5 modifier to all subsequent fire. A unit that suffers a second roll above the established threshhold will suffer an additional X.5 modifier (effectively a X.25 modifier). This may continue until the brigade has no effective fire remaining. The brigade must breakoff and remain for one full grand tactical phase beyond engagement range in order to replenish its supplies. This rule should only be used by experienced and well organized players. The roll to exhaust ammo can be adjusted to represent especially low ammo supplies or especially plentiful ammo. This number must be stated for both sides before the game begins. Remember that neither side, nor even all the formations of the same side, need have the identical roll to exhaust ammo.
18) AMMO TRAINS: Rather than requiring batteries and brigades to simply get out of action to replenish ammunition, ammo trains can be used. Each division has one ammo train, as does each corps. Brigades and batteries that spend a grand tactical phase within 10" (8") of a train are considered to be resupplied. As long as a division train can trace a line that has no enemy within 16" (13") to the corps train, the division train is in supply. A division train that is out of supply will exhaust its supply on the percentage die roll of 96 or above. The dice are rolled at the end of the hourly round; for each battery and brigade engaged in tactical combat, add +5 to the die roll. If the division train has exhausted its supply, no battery or brigade can replenish its ammo until the train has reestablished lines with the corps train.
The corps train may be used to supply batteries or brigades directly. A division train will supply only those batteries or brigades within its division unless the corps commander attaches himself to the train. A division train is represented by a wagon with a crew of four. The corps train is represented by a number of wagons equal to the divisions in the corps, with four crewmen for each wagon. Trains move at siege artillery rates. Trains count as artillery for targets. A train that has lost all of its crew can be recrewed by two stands of infantry. A train cannot function while it has no crew. Train crews are treated like artillerists for purposes of close action. If a train is captured (all crew killed or driven off and the space occupied by enemy troops), it cannot function. A train is considered destroyed if it is occupied for one complete tactical impulse in which the captors do nothing else. A train may be limbered up and moved by enemy troops after it has been occupied for two complete impulses.
I hope that you find these optional rules helpful in creating even more accurate and enjoyable simulations. Feel f ree to adopt any that you wish to adopt and ignore the others. The last three optional rules, the ammo rules, should only be used when all players are familiar with the rules and in relatively small games. All of the others are strongly recommended.
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