Johnny Reb 2 continues to be the most workable set of regimental rules on the market. Personally, I have a real "love-hate" relationship going with it. The rules flow smoothly until you get to labor-intensive situations like charges and isolation checks. And then there are all those "ambiguities."

Here are twenty-two "house rules" that our Oklahoma City gaming club has experimented with over time. Most have resulted from the use of plain common sense. As with any seasoning, don't add too much with your first time out.

1. Artillery Officers [+1, +2]

   Reason: The experience of Colonel Pelham, the Bledsoe Brothers of Missouri, and General A. H. Alexander should be taken into account, just like infantry officers. Artillery officers only affect the morale of artillery crews, not infantry. Naturally, infantry officers affect everyone's morale.
   
   

2. Increase artillery range for canister to 6"

   Reason: More accurately reflects the use of grapeshot.
   
   

3. Crews retaking abandoned guns

   If an artillery crew moves half or less of its movement to re-contact abandoned guns, the crew may fire those guns in the moving fire phase, but are halved for firing purposes. If the crew moves over half its movement distance, it may not fire until the next turn.
   
   

4. General rules for artillery crews

   Crews may never go prone. Artillery crews can man and fire any abandoned or captured pieces belonging to either friend or foe. Crews manning captured artillery which was out of ammunition will be out of ammo until the supply is replenished.
   
   

5. Artillery "hits"

   Units "hit" by artillery must undergo morale checks. This is probably the most overlooked (ignored?) rule in JR2. (The rule reads "hit", not "kill." The authors emphasized this rule clearly.) Rule 4.4.1 clearly demonstrates that morale checks occur for first kills and artillery hits. This is further confirmed by reading Rule 4.3.6.d which gives the example of friendly artillery fire on the backs of skirmishers. The example specifically states that "even if the friendly skirmishers make their saves, they must still make morale checks for being hit and for being fired on in the rear, etc." Thus, artillery hits trigger morale checks regardless of the saves made by the targeted unit.
   
   

6. Artillery fire through woods modifier

   If the scenario takes place during the foliage season for trees (spring, summer, part of fall), use the following modifiers:

   Each 2" of light woods reduces artillery fire by 1.
   Each 1" of heavy woods reduces artillery fire by 1.

   Artillery fire through more than 6" of woods is prohibited during the foliage season. Reason: If 1" of ground scale is 40 yards, it should be very difficult to see and accurately direct artillery fire through the foliage of the woods.
   
   

7. Artillery units may first fire

   Artillery units may first fire and receive a +1 modifier on the fire table. Reason: Artillery units often "first fired," but they often suffered from any corresponding charges!
   
   

8. Counter-battery fire: mixed guns

   Kills are attained form battery fire from mixed guns (rifle and smoothbore.) The defender gets to save against smoothbores, despite the presence of the rifled guns. To counter this effect, the attacker must fire by section(s) to obtain the rifled gun benefit.
   
   

9. Counter-battery fire: flank fire

   If an attacking artillery unit achieves flank fire on opposing artillery pieces, proceed with the flank fire results ( x 1H casualties.) Reason: This represents the increased silhouette of the the target gun, horses, and caissons.
   
   

10. Artillery on wooded slopes

    Artillery units attempting to set up on a wooded hill must spend two turns clearing the area to obtain a 45¡ field of fire. If the unit desires a greater field of fire, it must spend two more turns for each additional 45¡ of increased fire.
    
    

11. Pipe cleaners

    We use colored 1H" pipe cleaners to indicate a unit's status. They are easy to place on stands and are easily removed without chipping paint on figures.

    Purple: Unit hasn't delivered its opening volley. (Marker is removed after the unit has delivered its first fire.)
    Yellow: Shaken.
    Red: Routed
    Orange: Disordered.
    Black (the "circle of death"): Used to encircle casualty figures on stands.
    Yellow and white twisted together: Out of ammo.
    
    
    
    
12. Fire to and from disordered units

    We arrange disordered units in a "checker-board" square formation. This provides a facing for the unit and prevents "fudging" on movement and fire. Fire from a disorganized unit occurs from the edge of the center stand. Fire to a disorganized unit is measured from the nearest stand.

    All movement is resolved using the center stand as the moving unit. Reason: A disordered unit is by its nature chaos incarnate. The center stand represents the average position of the unit for firing purposes. Note: an enemy's fire is not hindered by this disorder. The enemy merely fires at the nearest target.
    
    

13. Extended movement with officer present

    Per JR2 rule, except make every officer roll for disorder; a "1" always causes a unit to go into disorder.

    Example: An elite unit (morale 2) with a +2 officer is going for extended movement. This unit would be permitted to move extended movement forever without this modifier.

    Note: I personally do not care for this rule because C.S.A. General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson and Union General F. J. Herron (among others) effectively force marched their troops into several key battles.
    
    

14. Routs: skirmishers

    Routed skirmishers do not affect the morale of any unit which sees their initial rout. Reason: No unit which sees friendly skirmishers rout the first turn has to conduct a morale check. So what magical event changes this for subsequent turns? JR2's rule on this matter seems a bit arbitrary.
    
    

15. Routs: movement

    Units which rout as a result of a charge must rout straight back away from the charging unit during the initial rout. See example in JR2. Such units may rout normally during subsequent turns.

    All other routed units may move up to 45¡ during their retreats. But remember: "Move routed units in a direction consistent with maximum survival . . . towards friendly troops and/or protective cover." Obviously one can't circle the table with routed units.
    
    

16. Misprint in Fire Modifier Table Close range is x 2, not up 2; see JR2, 4.2.3.a. Opening volley is up 2, not x 2; see JR2, 4.2.2., second paragraph.
    
    
17. Officer Casualties

    Use the following table, and measure the actual distance from the closest enemy to the officer's stand any time during the turn.

    Distance:	Roll:	Off. Casualty Check on a:
    Under 2"	1d6	5,6
    2" to 5.99"	1d6	6
    6" to 5.99"	2d6	12
    12" to 23.99"	3d6	18
    24" or more	4d6	24

    Officer Check

    2	Aide-de-camp splatters officer; no results.
    3	Aide-de-camp severely wounded; no results.
    4	Officer has hat shot off; no results.
    5	Officer has horse shot beneath him; no results.
    6	Officer is pinned beneath horse for half of 1d6 turns; no benefits while pinned.
    7	Officer stunned by expended shot; loses benefits for 1d6 turns.
    8	Officer receives a light wound and loses benefits for 1d6 while surgeon checks the wound.
    9	Officer is wounded. If officer is immediately removed, the enemy player gets no VP's. However, the player may continue to use the officer with full benefits, but the controlling player must roll on the following table each turn, with a +1 added each turn: Rolls of 2 to 7 yield no results. Rolls of 8 to 12 results in death of officer. (This is our "General A. S. Johnston Rule.")
    10	Officer sustains a severe wound and will lose a limb. Remove after game.
    11	Officer sustains a severe wound and will die shortly after the battle.
    12	Officer dies a spectacular death and splatters everyone. -2 morale to all units seeing death instead of -1.

    Note: Results of 7-12 [from the effects described above] trigger morale checks from the units which see the officer wounded.
    
    

18. Morale modifiers, all situations

    Unit's situation	Effect
    Defender is formed on a wall or fence:	-1
    Defender is in works or entrenchments	-2
    Defender is in heavy works or coastal fort	-3
    Out of ammunition	+1
    The rebel yell! (to Union troops, '61, '62)	+1
    Size differential between charging unit(s) and charged unit(s); +1 per 2:1 ratio. (maximum +3)	+1

    Example: a 200-man CSA regiment is defending on a fence. 3 x 400-man Union regiments charge the position. Resolve each charge separately, but use the above modifier to reflect that the Rebel regiment is witnessing six times is strength charging directly for them.
    
    

19. Merged units (modified)

    Merged units may have a maximum of five stands. To merge, mark merging units with FM markers. If merging units are from separate brigades, use rallying officer or nearest divisional-level to determine who will control them. Use the morale of the merging unit with the most figures, or that of the unit with the lowest morale if the merging units are of equal size. No morale check for first kill on a merged unit. Merged units do receive the opening volley benefit.
    
    

20. Smoke

    This is determined after routs/rallies and after orders are placed. Check for smoke after four turns of infantry fire or after two turns of artillery fire. Smoke severely limits the range over which units can see and fire.
    
    

    Smoke Check: Roll on 1d6

    Turns 1 and 2	1: Smoke occurs
    Turns 3 and 4	1,2: Smoke occurs
    Turns 5 and 6	1d3: Smoke occurs
    Turn 7 and on	1d4: Smoke occurs

    If smoke occurs, roll 2d6 for maximum sighting distance on the following table:

    2	Intense smoke	.5d6"
    3,4	Severe smoke	1d6"
    5,6	Smokey	2d6"
    7	Poor visibility	3d6"
    8,9	Hazy and windy	4d6"
    10,11	Windy	5d6"
    12	Windy and clear	6d6"

    
    
    

21. Roll "2" on fire

    Instead of applying the result of being out of ammo, roll 1d6. If a 1,2, or 3 is rolled, the unit is out of ammo. If a 4,5,or 6 is rolled, the units turns a delivers a volley into the nearest friendly unit. This better reflects the constant danger of friendly fire.
    
    

22. Surrendering units

    Any unit which accepts the surrender of an enemy unit may roll 2d6. A roll of 9 or higher causes the rolling unit to increase its morale [by one grade] for the remainder of the battle. (Militia to green, green to average, average to elite.)

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© Copyright 1995 The American Civil War Society

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