Sunday, March 26, 2023

More Bull Run campaign ideas

 I was unable to get in a face to face game today, due to key player (with the vehicle) being unable to travel today.

This afforded me some open time for thinking and planning.

I took the opportunity to connect with another ACW game player and we chatted about the 'operational' level command and actions that lead to a battle in the Manassas region ... what might be needed for details on a tabletop battle after laying out the parts on the big paper maps I have made.

This led to a discussion of what might be needed in sorting out a bigger battle like the Gettysburg one, or better viewed as the second invasion by General Lee of the union states.

I have taken the time to generate a simple gamebox for Cyberboard and have a sample map here:


a 'sample map' for a first actions ACW campaign

Each hex here is 1.1 miles (I had troubles getting it any closer), so marching each brigade can do 6 hexes, cavalry 9 and rail can run units 20 hexes (all counted along the rail lines) per day.

a close-up view of a possible in progress action

Obviously there's more possibilities and we'd be looking at something more massive (with more distance on each hex) in any sort of 1863 second invasion scenario, and the potential for using this tool to generate the tabletop situation is tantalizing.

What do you think?

5 comments:

daveb said...

What's the "proposed RR" to the east all about? Is it actually a route? Or a rail bed? Nothing at all?

MurdocK said...

are you talking about the line from Alexandria to Fairfax Courthouse and further east?

I thought that was a turnpike?

MurdocK said...

I looked over the main map set and those lines are 'proposed RR' meaning that it may be in some form of construction?

Like the line cut at Gettysburg that was used as a fire pit?

daveb said...

It's a bit weird, right? Like...probably no rails. Probably surveyed. Is it levelled? A decent road? I was staring at the map and it sorta jumped out.

MurdocK said...

even more than decent road, is it a 'cut' or 'embankment' where you have a natural in-built 'covered way' ...