05. RANGED COMBAT, WEAPONS, COVER & GUNSMOKE

1.0 Sequence of Ranged Combat & Firing Eligibility

• [RULE-05-1.1] The Ranged Combat Phase (Phase 3): During Phase 3: Active Ranged Combat Phase , the Active Side resolves shooting for all eligible infantry regiments, dismounted cavalry, and unlimbered artillery batteries. Ranged combat is resolved unit-by-unit in an order selected by the active player.
• [RULE-05-1.2] Firing Eligibility Criteria: A unit is eligible to execute ranged fire in Phase 3 if it meets all of the following conditions:

1. Did Not Move (Hold Position): It did not execute an Advance or Double-Time move in Phase 2. To fire, a unit must have chosen the "Hold Position" order. (Exception: Units that only performed a Pivot/Wheel or Formation Change may fire, but suffer a -1 to-hit penalty).
2. It did not declare or participate in an Assault/Charge during Phase 2 .
3. It is not currently in physical base-to-base contact with an enemy unit in Melee.

1. It is not deployed in Road / March Column .

1. It has a valid, unobstructed Line of Sight to an enemy unit within its forward 45^\circ arc of fire .

1. It did not fire as an Opportunity Fire reaction during the opponent's preceding turn , unless it has since moved out of its smoke.

2. [RULE-05-1.3] Target Nomination & Priority Rules:

3. The active unit must declare a single enemy regiment, battery, or structure as its target before rolling dice.
4. Target Priority: A firing unit must target the closest unengaged enemy unit (i.e., not currently locked in physical melee base-to-base contact) within its forward 45^\circ arc , with the following mandatory exceptions:
5. Enfilade Opportunity: If an enemy line exposes an open flank within effective range, the firer may bypass a closer frontal target to rake the exposed flank.
6. Artillery Priority: Artillery batteries may bypass forward enemy skirmish stands to target formed infantry lines, columns, or enemy artillery batteries.
7. [RULE-05-1.4] Measurement Origin & Firing Arcs:
8. All ranges are measured from the center-front edge of the Color Stand for infantry regiments, or the center gun tube for artillery batteries, to the closest stand of the designated target unit.
9. The firing arc is strictly restricted to the 45^\circ forward cone extending outward from the front-left and front-right corners of the unit .
10. [RULE-05-1.5] Enfilade & Flank Raking Fire:
11. An enemy unit is in an Enfiladed / Flank Position if the firing regiment is positioned entirely behind the line projected outward at 90^\circ from the target's front corner .
12. Enfilade Benefits:
13. Firing down the length of an enfiladed battle line grants a +1 to-hit bonus to all shooting dice.
14. The target unit is denied all Light Cover saves from frontal linear obstacles such as split-rail fences or low stone walls.

Example: An attacking regiment positioned entirely within the enfilade zone (behind the 90-degree flank projection line) pours raking fire down the length of the enemy line, gaining a +1 to-hit bonus and ignoring any frontal fence cover.

2.0 The Stand-Based Dice Pool & Master Weapon Profiles

• [RULE-05-2.1] Dice Pool Formulation:
• Infantry in Line of Battle: Rolls 1D6 per stand firing in the front rank. (A 5-stand regiment rolls 5D6).
• Infantry in Assault Column: Rolls 1D6 per front-rank stand only (typically 2D6, see ).
• Artillery Batteries (Unlimbered): Rolls 2D6 per gun section stand (a full battery of 2 stands rolls 4D6).
• Skirmish Stands: Roll 1D6 per skirmish stand.

Master Small Arms Weapon Table

• [RULE-05-2.2] Small Arms Weapon Matrix: Compare each D6 rolled against the target number for the weapon type and range band. Dice meeting or exceeding the target number score Hits.

Master Field Artillery Weapon Table

• [RULE-05-2.3] Field Artillery Matrix: Artillery rolls 2D6 per stand. Hits are scored on dice meeting or exceeding the threshold:

• [RULE-05-2.5] Artillery vs. Deep Formations: A regiment deployed in a deep Assault Column presents a massive vulnerability to artillery fire (bowling-alley effect). An Assault Column suffers a -1 penalty to its Cover Saves against all incoming Artillery fire (Canister, Shell, and Solid Shot).

• [RULE-05-2.4] Concentrated Battery Fire (Staff Pip Spend):

• By spending 1 Staff Pip during Phase 1 , a player may authorize up to 3 artillery sections within the same brigade to combine their firing dice into a single concentrated barrage targeting one enemy stand.
• Concentrated battery fire forces the target regiment to roll all cover saves at a -1 penalty.
• [RULE-05-2.5] Low Ammunition Rules (Optional Historical Chrome):
• If an infantry regiment or artillery battery rolls two or more natural 1s on its shooting dice pool during a single volley, it immediately receives a Low Ammo Marker.
• Units with a Low Ammo Marker suffer a -1 penalty on all future shooting dice until an unengaged turn is spent resupplying from the brigade wagon train.

3.0 Defensive Saves, Casualties & Micro-Damage

• [RULE-05-3.1] The Cover Save Step: For every hit scored by the firing unit, the defending player rolls 1D6 Cover Save. Unsaved hits inflict physical casualties and attrition.

Example: Hits scored by a firer result in unsaved hits directly in open ground (no save), or after cover saves (5+ for light, 4+ for heavy) when in cover, where every 2 unsaved hits removes 1 stand and odd hits are tracked with micro-dice.

• [RULE-05-3.2] Master Cover Save Categories:
• Open Ground / Pasture: No Save. All scored hits become unsaved casualties.
• Light Cover (Save on 5+):
• Standing behind Split-Rail / Snake Fences .
• Deployed inside Orchards, Cornfields, or Light Woods .
• Positioned in sunken dirt tracks or behind low earthen berms.
• Target is in Skirmish Order (dispersed formation).
• Heavy Cover (Save on 4+):
• Lined behind Stone Walls .
• Deployed inside Sunken Roads or engineered Breastworks / Field Earthworks.
• Garrisoned inside Stone Farmsteads or masonry town sectors .
• [RULE-05-3.3] Casualty Stand Removal (2 Hits = 1 Stand):
• Every 2 unsaved hits inflicts the permanent removal of 1 physical stand (60–75 men) from the regiment. The owning player removes stands from the outer flanks, preserving the center Color Stand until last.
• Micro-Damage Tracking: If a unit sustains an odd number of unsaved hits (e.g., 1, 3, or 5 hits), the excess 1 hit is tracked by placing a small colored micro-dice directly behind the regiment's Color Stand. This hit carries over and will combine with future hits to remove the next stand.
• [RULE-05-3.4] Regimental Shatter Threshold:
• An infantry regiment reduced to 1 stand remaining immediately shatters. Its tactical integrity is destroyed; the final stand is permanently removed from the tabletop, and the loss is counted toward the Brigade Faltering Clock .

4.0 Suppression: The Natural 6 Disorder Trigger

• [RULE-05-4.1] The Suppression Rule: Black powder firepower was as much psychological as it was physical. When subjected to intense fire, units must test their nerve. The volume of fire required to trigger this test depends on the distance.

The Shock Trigger (Range Dependent): * At Short Range (0–6"): A single natural 6 rolled to hit by the firing player acts as a Shock Trigger. * At Medium/Long Range (>6"): The fire is more dispersed. It requires TWO natural 6s rolled in the same volley to act as a Shock Trigger.

• [RULE-05-4.2] The Discipline Save: When a Shock Trigger occurs, the defending regiment must immediately make a Discipline Check (1D6 against their rating: Veteran 3+, Regular 4+, Green 5+). If they fail, they receive a Disorder Marker.
• Modifiers to the Discipline Save:
• Fresh (>75% stands remaining): +1
• Spent (<35% stands remaining): -1
• In Cover (Light or Heavy): +1

• Crossfire (Fired on by multiple enemy units this phase): -1

• [RULE-05-4.3] Resolution Timing & Multiple 6s: The Discipline Save is made immediately, regardless of cover saves against casualties. Rolling extra 6s beyond the required trigger does not force multiple saves; however, every 6 still counts as a valid hit for casualty purposes.

• [RULE-05-4.4] Tactical Effects of Being Disordered: A unit with a Disorder Marker suffers severe tactical restrictions:

• Movement: Cannot Double-Time; movement speed is reduced by -2.0 inches.

• Shooting: Suffers a -1 to-hit penalty on all shooting dice.
• Assaults: Cannot declare an Assault/Charge.
• Melee: Suffers a catastrophic -2 penalty on Opposed Melee Rolls . If forced to retreat from melee while already Disordered, it suffers 1 Micro-Hit via the Double Disorder rule instead of routing.

5.0 The Gunsmoke Obscuration Rules

Example: A stationary firing regiment creates a smoke bank, imposing a -1 to-hit penalty on any line of sight extending beyond 6.0 inches toward the enemy target regiment.

• [RULE-05-5.1] The Smoke Bank Trigger: Whenever a stationary infantry regiment or unlimbered artillery battery executes a volley in Phase 3 (or fires an Opportunity Volley in Phase 2), place a Smoke Marker (a 1-inch tuft of gray/white polyfiber) directly against the center-front base of the firing unit.
• [RULE-05-5.2] The Obscuration Penalty:
• Any line of sight that passes into, out of, or through a Smoke Marker at a distance greater than 6.0 inches (Short Range) suffers a -1 to-hit penalty on all shooting dice.
• This penalty applies universally to both infantry and artillery.

• It applies to the unit that generated the smoke attempting to fire out, as well as any other friendly or enemy unit attempting to fire into or through that smoke marker. Gunsmoke never restricts or penalizes movement, it only obscures vision.

• [RULE-05-5.3] Point-Blank Smoke Penetration (0–6"):

• Target units within 6.0 inches are close enough that muzzle flashes, battle flags, and closing battle lines are clearly visible. Firing at targets within 6.0" ignores all smoke penalties.
• [RULE-05-5.4] Smoke Dissipation & Clearing: Smoke is removed from the table under three specific conditions:
• Advancing Through Smoke (Instant): If the regiment executes a forward movement during Phase 2, it steps out of its own smoke bank; remove the Smoke Marker immediately.

1. Holding Fire (Turn Clean-up): If a smoked unit chooses to hold its fire for an entire active phase (letting the air clear and barrels cool), the Smoke Marker is removed during Phase 5: Clean-up .

2. Windy Weather Condition: If the scenario designates a "Brisk Wind" weather condition, all smoke markers on the table are removed automatically at the end of every active player's turn.

3. [RULE-05-5.5] Multi-Regiment Smoke Walls: If three or more adjacent regiments in the same brigade fire from stationary positions, their individual smoke markers merge to form a continuous Smoke Wall. Line of sight through a Smoke Wall is completely blocked beyond 8.0 inches, preventing long-range artillery bombardment from targeting units behind the line.

6.0 Friendly Fire & Intervisibility Restrictions

• [RULE-05-6.1] Strict Prohibition on Firing Through Formed Friendly Lines:
• Under no circumstances may a formed infantry line or artillery battery fire through another formed friendly unit.
• If a friendly formed unit blocks any portion of the firing arc to the intended target, the firing regiment must either nominate an unobstructed target or reduce its dice pool to include only those individual stands possessing a clear, unblocked line of sight.
• [RULE-05-6.2] Firing Through Skirmish Screens:
• A parent regiment deployed in Line of Battle is permitted to fire through its own detached Skirmish Screen .
• Screen Obstruction Penalty: The muzzle blast and visual interference of the skirmishers imposes a -1 to-hit penalty on the parent regiment's volley.
• [RULE-05-6.3] Artillery Overhead & Plunging Fire:
• Artillery batteries deployed on Level 1 or Level 2 elevated terrain may fire solid shot or shell overhead across friendly units deployed on lower ground (Level 0), provided both safety clearances are met:
• The friendly unit must be at least 6.0 inches away from the artillery gun muzzle.

• The friendly unit must be at least 4.0 inches away from the targeted enemy unit.

• Canister Safety Rule: Canister (0–6") can never be fired overhead across friendly troops.

7.0 Master Shooting Modifiers Summary Matrix

| Firer is Disordered | -1 To-Hit | — | |

| Firer Targeting Enfiladed / Flank Arc | +1 To-Hit | Denies Fence Save | |

| Firing Through / Out of Smoke (>6") | -1 To-Hit | — | |

| Firing Through Friendly Skirmish Screen | -1 To-Hit | — | |

| Target in Light Cover (Woods, Fences, Crops) | — | Saves on 5+ | |

| Target in Heavy Cover (Stone Walls, Earthworks) | — | Saves on 4+ | |

| Target in Road Column Formation | — | -2 to Saves | |

| Concentrated Artillery Battery Barrage | — | -1 to Saves | |

| Target in Skirmish Order (Dispersed) | — | Saves on 5+ | |

8.0 Comprehensive Worked Firing Examples

Example 1: Point-Blank Buck & Ball Volley in Open Ground

Example: The 5th Virginia Infantry (5 stands with smoothbore muskets) fires upon the 19th Indiana Infantry (5 stands in open pasture) at a short range of 4.0 inches, allowing no cover saves.

1. Setup: The 5th Virginia (5 stands, Smoothbore Muskets) targets the 19th Indiana in open pasture at a distance of 4.0" (Short Range).

1. Dice Pool & Target Number :

2. 5 stands = 5D6.

3. Smoothbore Muskets firing Buck & Ball at Short Range (0–6") hit on 3+.
4. Dice Rolled: [3, 5, 2, 6, 4].
5. Result: 4 hits scored (rolls of 3, 5, 6, and 4 meet the 3+ threshold).

1. Suppression Check : The roll includes a natural 6. The 19th Indiana immediately receives a Disorder Marker.

1. Saves & Casualties :

2. The 19th Indiana is in open ground (no cover save). All 4 hits are unsaved.

3. 4 hits / 2 = \mathbf{2 stands removed}.
4. The 19th Indiana is reduced from 5 stands to 3 stands, receives a Disorder marker, and its health state drops from Fresh to Worn.

1. Gunsmoke : Place a Smoke Marker directly in front of the 5th Virginia.

Example 2: Rifled Muskets Firing Through Gunsmoke at a Stone Wall

Example: The 2nd Wisconsin Infantry (5 stands with rifled muskets and a smoke marker from the previous turn) targets the 4th Virginia Infantry (behind a heavy stone wall) at 10.0 inches, facing heavy cover and a smoke penalty.

1. Setup: The 2nd Wisconsin (5 stands, Rifled Muskets) fires at the 4th Virginia deployed behind a heavy stone wall at 10.0" (Medium Range). The 2nd Wisconsin already has a Smoke Marker from firing last turn.

1. To-Hit Calculation ( / ):

2. Base To-Hit at Medium Range (6–14"): 4+.

3. Smoke Obscuration Penalty beyond 6": -1 to-hit (Target number becomes 5+).
4. Dice Pool: 5D6. Rolls: [2, 5, 1, 6, 4].
5. Result: 2 hits scored (rolls of 5 and 6 meet the adjusted 5+ target).

1. Suppression Check : The roll includes a natural 6. The 4th Virginia receives a Disorder Marker behind the wall.

1. Cover Saves :

2. The 4th Virginia rolls 2D6 for its Heavy Cover Save (4+).

3. Save Rolls: [4, 2]. One save succeeds (4); one save fails (2).
4. Result: 1 unsaved hit.

1. Casualty Tracking :

2. 1 unsaved hit is insufficient to remove a full stand (requires 2 hits).

3. Place a micro-dice showing 1 behind the 4th Virginia's Color Stand.

Example 3: Long-Range Rifled Artillery Plunging Barrage

Example: Battery B, 4th US Artillery (2 stands with 3-inch ordnance rifles on a level 1 hill crest) fires overhead across a friendly line at the 28th North Carolina (an assault column in a valley) at a long range of 24.0 inches, reducing their cover saves.

1. Setup: Battery B (2 sections = 4D6, 3-inch Ordnance Rifles) is deployed on a Level 1 ridge. It fires overhead across a friendly line in the valley at the 28th North Carolina, marching in Assault Column at a range of 24.0" (Long Range).

1. Overhead Safety Check :

2. Friendly unit is 8.0" from the battery muzzle (>6" required).

3. Friendly unit is 6.0" from the enemy column (>4" required). Safety clearances met.

1. To-Hit Roll :

2. 3-inch Ordnance Rifles at Long Range (20–36") hit on 4+.

3. Dice Pool: 4D6. Rolls: [4, 2, 5, 6].
4. Result: 3 hits scored (rolls of 4, 5, and 6).

1. Suppression : The natural 6 inflicts an immediate Disorder Marker on the North Carolina column.

1. Saves & Casualties ( / ):

2. The target is in open ground (Base: No save), but because it is in Assault Column, any potential cover saves would suffer a -1 penalty.

3. 3 unsaved hits = 1 stand removed, with 1 hit carried over on a micro-dice.
4. Battery B places a Smoke Marker on the crestline.

9.0 Designer Notes & Historical Commentary

The Lethality of Civil War Musketry & The "Smoke Blind"

Popular Civil War history often overstates the lethality of the rifled musket, imagining infantry lines dropping entire brigades at 400 yards. In actual battle, combat studies from Antietam, Gettysburg, and Chickamauga show that the vast majority of decisive firefights took place at 50-120 yards (2.0"–5.0" tabletop scale).

Why? Because after the first two regimental volleys, the battlefield became an impenetrable wall of dense, blinding black powder smoke. Officers could not see targets 100 yards away; soldiers aimed low into the sulfur clouds, firing at muzzle flashes and red battle flags. Barrels fouled with heavy lead and carbon residue, making reloading progressively harder.

The Gunsmoke Obscuration Rule elegantly recreates this historical reality without bogging the game down in chart calculations: 1. It creates a natural firepower degradation: standing in one place and firing turn after turn degrades your accuracy (-1 to-hit beyond 6"). 2. It encourages aggressive tactical movement: to deliver a truly devastating volley, an attacking commander must advance through the smoke bank to reach Short Range (0–6"), where the smoke penalty disappears and Smoothbore Buck & Ball hits on a deadly 3+. 3. It gives meaning to Artillery Positioning: placing rifled batteries on elevated ridges allows them to see over the smoke banks of the valley, providing accurate plunging fire when infantry lines are blinded below.