Valour & Fortitude rules for ACW

The V&F rules by Jervis Johnson and the Perry Miniatures gaming group have seen their support expanded from just covering Napoleonics, to include new ACW army lists.

Basically the core rules are thought suitable for a wide range of periods and it is the army lists that are intended to bring the period to life, so it is good to see the rules spreading their wings.

Though I am of course interested in taking the ACW version for a spin, the intent of this post is to show how under version 2 of the V&F core rules, the game originally designed for the big table with fairly big forces, can work with a just couple of brigades per side, bringing a more sustained game to the 6’ x 4’ playing area than the original version did.

Please use the ‘read more’ tab for a small AAR and some rules observations. 

At the time of writing, the new list additions only cover the Eastern Theatre 1863 - 65, but other lists are to follow. The rules and lists are available as a free download from the Perry Miniatures website (thank you).

For a Sunday game, I am throwing down a scenario with just two brigades per side, plus some supporting artillery. This will be a meeting engagement. The game is played on a 6x4 and I will use the standard measurements from V&F, so rifled muskets will be firing at up to 18´´ and a regiment of foot in line will move up to 8´´ .... though movement can be doubled at the sacrifice of not changing formation at the end of movement.

The forces today will be somewhat generic with all units classed as seasoned. So the points are roughly even per side, with the Confederates having just 4 points less, as their artillery is smoothbore.

We will assume each side has a third brigade off table and that the divisional commander is with them - these will not be arriving today ….. perhaps another time :-)

Just to throw a bit of opening chaos into the mix, the table starts without units on it. Each friendly formation (brigades and gun batteries) tests to move onto the table at the start of each turn. The player needs to roll a 1-4 on a D6 for a formation to arrive on the table (up to a standard move - not Double). Units that have not arrived by the end of turn 2 will automatically arrive at the start of turn 3.

In V&F, victory is based upon a combination of capturing objective points and inflicting ‘defeats’ on the enemy. The players decide on the number of turns that will be played at the start of play, or simply state what time the game will end, such as 10 PM (sounds a useful time for club games).

We will let our game run for 10 turns.

Above - The Union guns get onto the table and deploy, firing as the Confederate left advances through the Top Field, hitting the 25th Virginia and producing the game's first casualties.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

In these lists, light and smoothbore artillery are still firing on 1D6, but rifled cannon get 2D6, which is a bigger increase in effect between smoothbore and rifled guns than we might see in other sets.

There is also a new ammo type - 'shell', giving more favourable modifiers and making ACW artillery overall more effective.

Above - Holmes’ Brigade is attacking in column of three regiments towards the orchard. They are supported by guns. Note the base with the two Union soldiers behind a fence is an objective marker here. Assaults and supports are working the same as they did under the napoleonic lists, though the cards add in some ‘specials’ such as Rebel Yell.

Above - a table shot as the sides close (click for detail).

Above - On the Confederate left, Kershaw’s units are taking quite a few hits. All of this sees the rules working as they do with the Napoleonic lists, though most of the ACW troops can use both Skirmish and Open Order special rules, the latter might be useful here!

Above - In this round, looking in the Orchard, the Confederates just can’t quite make contact with the Union troops, as the fencing took 4´´ off their movement, so the Union infantry get off a round of fire, which inflicts 2 hits and we shall see this come to matter in the melee. 

Above - On the Union right, a lot has happened. In the far distance (left) the 5th New York Volunteers (Zouaves) have managed to get into the paddock to outflank the opposing brigade, but 5th Ohio (nearest the camera) have been shot to ribbons, they have 4 hits so are now shaken and have retreated behind the hill in the hope of rallying. The guns have taken to the high ground to improve their view, but they also have losses.

Above - On the Confederate right, the melee goes in. They claim support (from the rear unit) and play the Rebel Yell card, but it is not enough. They take the most hits and including the two hits they took previously from fire, leaves them taking Valour Tests, they fail and rout. There is another shaken regiment in the brigade that routs as a consequence and so a Defeat Marker is placed with the Brigade commander.

At the same time the Union artillery on their right routs, taking 5th Ohio (who are currently shaken due to the number of hits) with them. The Brigade Commander Richardson takes a Defeat Marker for the lost units.

In a matter of moments the Confederate right has collapsed and the Union right has likewise collapsed. These failed brigades will now disengage and retreat from the field, as they are vulnerable to suffering further loss and causing the brigade gaining Defeat Markers. 

It is turn 7 and I play into turn 8 to see whether further damage to those brigades will result as they withdraw. It doesn’t and the game comes to a natural conclusion.

On the face of it, one might think this is a draw, but I put out three objective markers to try and prevent that. Counting things up, the Confederates hold 2 objectives, the Union 1. Both sides have suffered the gain of a defeated marker, so all totalled up, the Confederates win with 3 victory points to 2.

I got an entertaining game that lasted a couple of hours. effectively two areas of battle opened up, each independent of the other, with no sure way of knowing how things would turn out, so there was good play with some local nuance. 

An extra brigade per side would have just given a bigger battle rather than necessarily a more interesting one. Bigger brigades might have added in a bit more sustainability, but overall, this playing supports my earlier impression that the V2 V&F rules are usable with small forces on a smaller table.

All the mechanics seem to work well and the lists are giving an ACW environment. The eye catching differences between the Napoleonic List and these are that ACW artillery gets a good uplift from the ‘shell’ rules and rifled guns get a bit more again, Infantry can make good use of Open Order, the ACW cavalry in melee are much less effective than Napoleonic cavalry and the cards bring in some specific flavour giving terminology such as Rebel Yell and Withering Fire, though some is just re-stating of what has gone before in the Napoleonic lists i.e. a 5 value card here is called 'Seen the Elephant', while in the Napoleonic lists a 5 value card is called 'Stubborn' … the effects are identical.

Objective marker

The lists to this game are always seemingly a work in progress, but this has been a nice early move by Jervis Johnson and the Perry’s team to show the intention to move these rules across several periods (I understand the Franco-Prussian War has lists in play testing).

Anyway, it gave a nice chance to get the toys out on a Sunday afternoon on the dining room table and play to a conclusion.

Resource Section.

My sister webspace ‘COMMANDERS’  showcases the various figure and boardgame systems that I am enjoying and gives a flavour of where current projects are up to. Link.

https://commanders.simdif.com

Anyone wanting a more in depth look at the mechanics of the rules, I did a post in September looking at the launch of version 2 rules. LINK

https://battlefieldswarriors.blogspot.com/2023/09/valour-fortitude-v2-on-table.html