10. OPTIONAL RULES

"War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it." — General William T. Sherman, 1864

"The dead covered more than five acres of ground about as thickly as they could be laid." — Private Sam Watkins, 1864

These mechanics add deep historical flavor, "friction," and narrative progression to your battles. They are completely optional and should only be used if both players agree before the game begins.

1.0 Pre-Game Command Bidding

• [OPT-10-1.1] The Bidding Phase: Instead of rolling for standard Turn 1 initiative, both players receive a pool of 15 Pre-Battle Points. Before deployment, players secretly allocate these points across four categories using a piece of paper.
• [OPT-10-1.2] Resolving Bids: Reveal the allocations simultaneously. The player who bid the most points in a category wins that specific advantage. (Ties result in neither player getting the advantage).
• Scouting: Winner may move or remove one terrain piece (excluding rivers) up to 6.0" before deployment.
• The March: Winner forces the enemy to deploy their entire army first.
• Initiative: Winner automatically takes the first turn of the game.
• Logistics: Winner selects one enemy artillery battery; it begins the game with a "Low Ammo" marker.

2.0 The Clean Barrels (First Volley)

• [OPT-10-2.1] Pristine Muskets: Historically, the very first shot a regiment fired was meticulously loaded in camp. To represent this, place a small visual token (such as a white cotton puff or a brass percussion cap) next to every infantry regiment during deployment.
• [OPT-10-2.2] The Bonus: When a regiment fires its muskets for the very first time in the game, it receives a flat +1 To-Hit modifier on its shooting dice.
• [OPT-10-2.3] Fouled Barrels: Immediately after this first attack is resolved, remove the token. The regiment will never receive this bonus again during the battle, representing black powder fouling and combat stress.

3.0 The Friction of War Events

• [OPT-10-3.1] Triggering Friction: At the start of the turn, if both players roll the exact same number when generating their Commander's Staff Pips, the Active Player must pause and roll 1D6 on the Friction Table below before issuing any orders.

4.0 Hidden Deployment (Blinds)

• [OPT-10-4.1] The Tokens: During deployment, instead of placing miniature regiments on the table, players deploy numbered wooden blocks or "Blind" tokens. Each player receives exactly 1 Blind for each of their real Brigades, plus 2 "Dummy" Blinds.
• [OPT-10-4.2] Maneuvering Blinds: Blinds move exactly like troops during the Maneuver phase, at a flat speed of 9.0" across any terrain.
• [OPT-10-4.3] Unmasking: A Blind is immediately revealed if an enemy unit or enemy Blind moves within 12.0" (visual range), or if the controlling player voluntarily unmasks it to shoot.
• [OPT-10-4.4] The Trap: If a revealed Blind is a Dummy, it is instantly removed from the table. If it is a real Brigade, replace the token with the actual miniatures, facing any direction the controlling player wishes.

6.0 Historical Army Traits

• [RULE-07-5.1] Army Traits Overview: To capture the distinct doctrinal and historical character of famous units and theater characteristics without creating bloated rule exceptions, units may be assigned one or more standard Historical Traits during scenario design:

• [RULE-07-5.2] The Rebel Yell Doctrine:
• Application: Confederate infantry regiments with the Rebel Yell trait gain +1 to their Opposed Melee Roll when executing an Assault or declaring a Reaction 5: Counter-Charge .
• Psychological Shock: When a Rebel Yell unit successfully closes into base contact against a Green or Regular Union unit that is not in heavy earthworks, the Union defender must pass an immediate Discipline Check (4+) before melee dice are rolled. Failure imposes a Disorder Marker on the defender prior to calculating the melee score.
• [RULE-07-5.3] Seen the Elephant (Green Units Under Fire):
• Application: Applies to newly recruited or unblooded units.
• The Test: The very first time the regiment suffers an unsaved hit or a natural 6 from enemy musketry or artillery during the game, it must take an immediate Discipline Check (5+ on 1D6).
• Failure: The unit immediately receives a Disorder Marker, halts in place, and cannot move forward for the remainder of that turn.
• [RULE-07-5.4] Iron Discipline (Elite Formations):
• Application: Represents crack shock formations (e.g., The Iron Brigade of the West, The Stonewall Brigade, Hood's Texas Brigade, The Orphan Brigade).
• Suppression Immunity: The unit ignores the first natural 6 Disorder result inflicted on it during each game turn. It takes the casualty hit, but ignores the suppression disorder.
• Elite Rally: Rallies naturally on a roll of 3+ on 1D6 in Phase 5.

7.0 The Horse Holder Rule (Detailed Dismounting)

• [RULE-08-2.1] The Decision to Dismount: American Civil War cavalry functioned primarily as mobile dragoon infantry. An unengaged mounted cavalry regiment in good order may dismount during Phase 2: Active Maneuver Phase by spending half of its movement allowance (4.5").
• [RULE-08-2.2] The Horse Holder Deduction (The 1-in-4 Rule):
• Historical cavalry drill regulations required one man in every four to remain in the rear holding the reins of four horses.
• Stand Conversion: When a cavalry regiment dismounts, detach 1 stand to serve as the Horse Holder Stand. The remaining stands are placed forward as a Dismounted Skirmish Line.
• [RULE-08-2.3] Deploying the Dismounted Skirmish Line:
• Dismounted stands fight in Skirmish Order (spaced with up to 0.5" gaps between bases).
• Defensive Benefit: Dismounted cavalry in open ground count as being in Light Cover (5+ Save) due to their dispersed, prone firing postures.
• Terrain Exploitation: Dismounted cavalry may enter dense woods, rocky ridgelines, and structures without formation disorder penalties.
• [RULE-08-2.4] The Horse Holder Stand (Vulnerability & Movement):
• The Horse Holder stand is placed 2.0"–3.0" directly behind the center of the dismounted firing line, preferably in dead ground or behind cover.
• Movement: Horse holders move at 4.0" in open ground or 8.0" on roads. They must maintain a distance of no more than 4.0" from their parent dismounted line.
• Combat Vulnerability: Horse holders cannot shoot. If targeted by enemy fire, they receive no cover save. If contacted by an enemy charge, the horse holders are Captured / Destroyed: the stand is removed, and the parent dismounted regiment can never remount for the remainder of the battle.
• [RULE-08-2.5] Remounting Procedure:
• To remount, the dismounted firing stands must fall back into physical base contact with their Horse Holder stand.
• Spending half of a turn's movement allowance (4.5") remounts the unit, restoring the full starting mounted stand count. The unit may move the remaining 4.5" as a mounted line or column.

8.0 Advanced Artillery Tactics

• [RULE-05-8.1] Overhead Fire: Artillery batteries deployed on a higher elevation contour (e.g., a Level 1 Hill) may fire over the heads of friendly infantry on a lower contour (e.g., Level 0) without triggering Friendly Fire penalties. However, the friendly infantry must be at least 3.0" away from the artillery bases, and the target must be at least 3.0" behind the friendly infantry.
• [RULE-05-8.2] Counter-Battery Fire: Artillery firing exclusively at enemy artillery stands executes Counter-Battery Fire. If a natural 6 is rolled to-hit on the shooting dice, it does not just cause a crew casualty; it scores a direct hit on a caisson, limber, or gun carriage, destroying the enemy gun stand outright and removing it from play.
• [RULE-05-8.3] Bouncing Solid Shot (Enfilade): If an artillery battery fires spherical case or solid shot (Medium or Long Range) directly into the flank of an enemy line of battle, the shot bounces laterally down the ranks. The battery rolls +2 bonus dice on the attack, representing the devastating "bowling ball" effect of enfilading round shot.

7.0 Pre-Planned Written Orders (Token System)

• [OPT-10-7.1] Design Intent: This optional module replaces the dynamic activation system. It forces players to pre-plan their entire brigade's actions before any movement occurs, perfectly simulating the rigid, un-cancelable nature of 19th-century orders.
• [OPT-10-7.2] Phase 1 (Order Placement): After rolling for Staff Pips, the active player must place a face-down Order Token behind every single regiment and battery under their command.
• Tokens Available: Move/Advance, Assault (Costs 1 Pip), Hold Position / Fire, Change Formation.
• [OPT-10-7.3] Phase 2 (Execution): All tokens are flipped face-up simultaneously. The active player must execute the revealed orders exactly as written. If a unit reveals an Assault token but the target has moved out of range due to a reaction, the unit must still move its full 9.0" Double-Quick speed in a straight line toward where the target used to be. If a unit reveals a Hold / Fire token, it cannot move or pivot during Phase 2.

8.0 Elite Sharpshooter Regiments (Optional Trait)

In specific historical scenarios, an army may be permitted to field a dedicated sharpshooter regiment (e.g., Berdan's 1st US Sharpshooters). We strongly recommend limiting this to a maximum of 1 regiment per army.

• Full Skirmish Deployment: Unlike standard infantry, this entire regiment may deploy in Skirmish Order. All physical stands in the regiment are spread apart with exactly 1.0" intervals between them. (Dispersing into or recalling from this formation costs half of the unit's movement allowance).
• Movement: The regiment moves at the standard Skirmish speed (8.0"). They ignore all movement penalties and friction checks for crossing Difficult Terrain (woods, rough ground, fences).
• Firing (Offensive): They fire with their normal weapon profile (usually Rifled Muskets or Breechloaders), rolling 1D6 per stand. Because they are dispersed, they do not block Line of Sight. Friendly units may fire "through" the gaps in the sharpshooter line at targets beyond them without penalty.
• Receiving Fire (Defensive): Enemies suffer a -1 To-Hit penalty when firing at the sharpshooters due to their dispersed nature. Enemy units may also choose to fire "through" the sharpshooters to target formed friendly lines behind them.
• Receiving Charges (Evasion): If charged by enemy formed infantry or cavalry, the sharpshooters may use the Skirmish Evade (Reaction 3) to fall back 4.0"-6.0" through friendly lines for free.
• Melee Weakness: Because they are dispersed, they cannot declare an Assault against enemy formed lines. If they are charged and cannot (or choose not to) evade, they do not automatically die like a 1-stand screen, but they suffer a catastrophic -2 penalty to their Opposed Melee Roll.

9.0 Seeing the Elephant (Premature Firing)

• [OPT-10-9.1] Design Intent: This rule simulates the terrible fire discipline of raw recruits. Green troops facing a terrifying bayonet charge often fired their volleys too early out of panic, leaving them unloaded and defenseless when the enemy actually closed the distance.
• [OPT-10-9.2] The Panic Fire Check: When a Green (Inexperienced) regiment is targeted by an enemy Assault and the enemy reaches the 4.0-inch Reaction Trigger Window, the Green defender must immediately pass a Discipline Check (4+).
• [OPT-10-9.3] Failure Consequences: If the check is failed, the Green regiment panics and fires early. They are forced to use their Closing Defensive Volley at maximum range before the attacker enters point-blank distance. They suffer a -2 To-Hit penalty on this volley (representing erratic, long-range panic fire). Because they have fired early, they have empty muskets and receive a -1 penalty in the ensuing Opposed Melee Roll.

10.0 The July Sun (Heat Exhaustion)

• [OPT-10-10.1] Design Intent: Simulates the grueling physical toll of fighting in heavy wool uniforms during mid-summer campaigns like Gettysburg or Bull Run, where heatstroke caused as many drop-outs as enemy bullets.
• [OPT-10-10.2] The Exhaustion Threshold: If a regiment moves at Double-Quick speed (or declares an Assault) for two consecutive game turns, they succumb to heat exhaustion.
• [OPT-10-10.3] Forced Disorder: At the end of their movement on the second consecutive turn, the unit automatically receives a Disorder Marker. They cannot Double-Quick or charge again until this marker is removed via a Rally action.

11.0 Uncontrollable Pursuit (Breakthrough Frenzy)

• [OPT-10-11.1] Design Intent: Historically, when a regiment finally broke an enemy line in brutal hand-to-hand combat, they often became intoxicated by victory. Officers lost control as the men charged wildly forward into the enemy rear, breaking their own battle lines and exposing themselves to counter-attack.
• [OPT-10-11.2] The Frenzy Check: If a regiment completely destroys or routs an enemy unit in Melee, they must immediately pass a Discipline Check (4+).
• [OPT-10-11.3] Breaking the Line: If the check is failed, the victorious unit becomes Frenzied. They must immediately make a free, mandatory forward move of 4.0 inches directly toward the nearest enemy unit or objective, breaking formation with their parent brigade. They receive a Disorder Marker at the end of this uncontrolled pursuit move.

12.0 Refusing the Flank (The Chamberlain Maneuver)

• [OPT-10-12.1] Design Intent: Bending a battle line backward to protect an exposed flank (like the 20th Maine at Little Round Top) was one of the most difficult maneuvers to execute under fire. It required intense officer coordination to pull men backward without the rank-and-file thinking a general retreat had been ordered.
• [OPT-10-12.2] The Command Friction Check: Normally, wheeling or pivoting is a free maneuver. However, if a unit attempts to pivot its wing backward (Refusing the Flank) while within 12 inches and Line of Sight of an enemy unit, it requires direct officer intervention. The parent Brigadier must expend 1 Staff Pip and the regiment must immediately roll a Discipline Check (4+).
• [OPT-10-12.3] Resolution & Retries: The outcome depends on the D6 roll:
• Success (4, 5, 6): The men understand the orders and successfully execute the maneuver.
• Standard Failure (2, 3): The maneuver fails due to battlefield noise and confusion. The unit remains in its original facing, and the 1 Staff Pip is wasted. The player may attempt the maneuver again immediately if they have another Staff Pip to spend.
• Catastrophic Failure (1): Total chaos! The men misinterpret the order as a general retreat and break ranks. The unit remains in its original facing but immediately receives a Disorder Marker. The Staff Pip is wasted, and no further attempts may be made to maneuver this unit this turn.

13.0 Digging In (Hasty Breastworks)

• [OPT-10-13.1] Design Intent: Especially from 1864 onward (e.g., The Wilderness, Spotsylvania), ACW troops learned to throw up logs, fence rails, and dirt piles almost immediately after halting. This rule allows dynamic manipulation of battlefield terrain.
• [OPT-10-13.2] The Digging Action: During Phase 1 (Command & Maneuver), an infantry regiment may spend 1 Staff Pip and declare they are "Digging In." The unit may not move, fire, or participate in Assaults this turn.
• [OPT-10-13.3] Placement & Protection: At the end of the turn, place a Hasty Works marker along the unit's front facing.
• If the unit was in Open Ground, they now count as being in Light Cover (5+ save) against fire crossing their front.
• If the unit was already in Light Cover (such as a woodline or rail fence), they upgrade that position to Heavy Cover (4+ save).
• Works may not be built in marshes, across streams, or inside masonry structures.

14.0 Spiking the Guns (Artillery Overrun)

• [OPT-10-14.1] Design Intent: When infantry overran an enemy battery, they often hammered rat-tail files into the touchholes of the cannons ("spiking" them) so the enemy couldn't use the pieces if they counter-attacked and recaptured the ground.
• [OPT-10-14.2] Capturing the Battery: If an infantry unit successfully wins a melee against an artillery battery, the battery's stands are removed, and the infantry occupies the guns.
• [OPT-10-14.3] Spiking vs. Hauling: During their next Command Phase, the occupying unit's Brigadier must decide the fate of the guns:
• Spike the Guns: By spending 1 Staff Pip, the infantry permanently disables the battery. Remove the guns from the table. Even if the enemy retakes the hill, the artillery cannot be recovered or used.
• Haul them off: The player may attempt to drag the guns to their own board edge for Campaign Victory Points, but doing so prevents the unit from moving faster than half-speed or firing until the guns are secured. If the enemy counter-attacks while the guns are still on the table, the guns are recaptured intact.

15.0 The Rebel Yell / Union Huzzah (Psychological Shock)

• [OPT-10-15.1] Design Intent: Represents the sheer, coordinated psychological terror of an entire brigade roaring its battle cry during a massive bayonet charge, breaking enemy nerves before the lines ever physically clash.
• [OPT-10-15.2] The Declaration: Once per game per army, a Brigadier may spend 2 Staff Pips at the start of Phase 4 (Assault & Melee) to unleash their faction's terrifying battle cry across their entire brigade.
• [OPT-10-15.3] The Psychological Effect: For that entire Assault phase, every enemy unit charged by that brigade suffers an automatic -1 penalty to all Reaction Saves and Discipline Checks.
• [OPT-10-15.4] The Recoil: Such intense adrenaline comes at a cost. At the end of the turn, every unit in the brigade that participated in the charge receives a Disorder Marker due to physical exhaustion and broken formation, regardless of whether they won or lost the melee.

16.0 Desperate Valor (Command Action)

• [OPT-10-16.1] Design Intent: Civil War soldiers were professional and deeply disciplined. Charging into defensive volleys or depressed canister fire was viewed as suicidal, yet units routinely executed these orders when strategically necessary, driven by raw unit cohesion and extreme leadership. This rule gives players the historical tool to push men through this brutal slaughter.
• [OPT-10-16.2] The Order: During Phase 1 (Command & Maneuver), a Brigadier may spend 2 Special Staff Pips to order "Fix Bayonets / Desperate Valor" for a single regiment that is declaring an Assault.
• [OPT-10-16.3] The Benefit: The intense command focus grants the charging regiment incredible nerve. During the ensuing Assault phase, the regiment gains Advantage on all Discipline/Morale checks (roll 2D6 and drop the lowest). This allows them a vastly higher chance to absorb punishing defensive volleys or point-blank canister without breaking before contact.

17.0 Caught Flat-Footed (Forced Reaction Penalty)

• [OPT-10-17.1] Design Intent: Adapted from the Johnny Reb 3 'Forced Conditional Hold'. It heavily penalizes units that are caught marching or moving in column formation when suddenly ambushed by a charge, reflecting the panic of attempting to unpack into a fighting line under extreme duress.
• [OPT-10-17.2] The Trigger: If a unit is declared as the target of an enemy charge while currently deployed in Road Column or Assault Column.
• [OPT-10-17.3] The Penalty: If the targeted unit does not have a Reserved Staff Pip to spend on a Defensive Reaction (such as Refusing the Flank or forming a Closing Volley), they are caught completely flat-footed.
• [OPT-10-17.4] Resolution: The flat-footed unit automatically suffers a -1 penalty to their Melee Shock score, and must immediately take a Discipline Check. If they fail, they are Disordered before the enemy even makes contact.

18.0 The Second Line of Battle (Support Morale)

• [OPT-10-18.1] Design Intent: Simulates the massive psychological comfort a regiment felt when they knew friendly reinforcements were deployed directly behind them, ready to step up and plug the gaps.
• [OPT-10-18.2] The Support Bonus: Whenever a regiment is required to take a Discipline Check (whether from a Closing Volley, taking heavy casualties, or preparing to assault), they gain a +1 Bonus to their 1D6 roll.
• [OPT-10-18.3] Eligibility: To claim this bonus, there must be a friendly, formed regiment (not skirmishers) deployed within 3.0 inches directly behind the center of the testing regiment. The supporting regiment cannot currently have a Disorder marker.

19.0 Plunging Fire & Overshoot (Rifled Muskets)

• [OPT-10-19.1] Design Intent: While highly accurate at long ranges, the rifled musket's Minié ball had a severe, rainbow-like trajectory. In the blind panic of an incoming bayonet charge, soldiers frequently forgot to adjust their rear sights back down to zero, causing their defensive volleys to fly harmlessly over the attackers' heads.
• [OPT-10-19.2] The Overshoot Penalty: When a unit equipped with Rifled Muskets fires a Defensive Closing Volley against an incoming Assault, they only score hits on a 5+ (instead of the standard 4+).
• [OPT-10-19.3] Smoothbore Superiority: Units armed with Smoothbore Muskets or Repeaters do not suffer this penalty. This creates a distinct tactical advantage for smoothbores when defending a static line against a charge, simulating their point-and-shoot reliability at close range.