HOME OVERVIEW SEQUENCE OF PLAY COMMAND MOVEMENT COMBAT SUPPLY PRODUCTION RESOURCES

MOVEMENT


Federal Cavalry Column - Rappahannock River, VA, 1862
Ground combat units have their movement allowances printed on the counters. Movement costs depend on the type of hexside terrain crossed and the hex terrain they move into. Refer to the Terrain Effects Chart for the costs. Units can also move by rail or naval/river transport. Most units can only move when they receive initiative (as explained in the Command rules). This includes combat units, Headquarters, Leaders, supply trains, seige trains, and rail repair units.

Naval/river units do not use initiative, (but any units being transported by water DO require initiative). Naval/river units can always move during every movement phase.

Once ground units get initiative to move, you can send them in any direction. They do not have to stay within command range of any Leader, and can even leave the roster of a Headquarters and walk away, if you so wish.

Zones of Control
Most combat units (excepting those with a parenthesized combat factor) exert a Zone of Control (ZOC) into the surrounding 6 hexes of the hex they are in.

Units must stop moving once they enter an enemy ZOC, with the sole exception that cavalry units can ignore ZOCs projected by purely infantry units. ZOCs do not extend across rivers, all-sea, or mountain hexsides, regardless of the presence of any roads, railroads, or ferry crossings. Units that begin their movement in an enemy ZOC can leave, but once they encounter an enemy ZOC again they musts stop. Units that begin their movement in an enemy ZOC can move directly into another enemy ZOC, but then must stop their movement for that phase.

In most cases, unit(s) can never enter a hex occupied by an enemy units(s). The only instances where this is allowed are under the provisions of Seige, or if entering a hex occupied soley by an enemy Lone Leader.



The yellow highlighted areas show where the unit's ZOC extends into. ZOCs do
not extend across river hexsides, regardless of the presence of bridges or fords.


One Hex Movement - NOT
Unlike in most other games, there is no guarantee of a minimum "one hex movement". In WBtS - if a unit does not have enough movement points to move into a hex, then it can't move there. Note, however, that sometimes you can "force march" a unit to raise its movement allowance.

Force March
A player can decide to inflict a "Force March" upon his infantry, cavalry, and supply trains to increase their movement allowance for the current movement phase. This can add 1 or 2 movement points to the unit's movement allowance, its up to the player. However, units that are force marched have to risk the consequences of attrition. For any units that are force marched, roll on the Force March Attrition Table. Its safer to force march in friendly territory than in enemy territory.



Published in Harper's Weekly, November 7, 1863.
Depicts a troop train moving through a cut on the Nashville-Louisville line.
Rail Movement
The maps are criss-crossed with rail lines that can be used to transport troops, Leaders, Headquarters, and supplies. Generally, only railroads that a player owns can be used. The extent of each side's rail lines are indicated by rail head markers. The rail lines in Kentucky and Missouri are neutral, and can be used by both sides.

Each strategic turn, each side gets an allotment of rail transport capacity (points) they can use for the 4 game turns in the month.

Rail movement involves costs to both the rail capacity and to the unit(s) being moved. A unit expends 1 of its movement points to entrain, and 1 of it's movement points to detrain, and it costs a player 1 rail transport point for every factor of combat strength (or point of supply). So for example, to move an infantry division of strength 5, it would cost 5 rail transport points.

Units by rail can move up to a potential 50 hexes by rail. But, to entrain, it costs 10 of those "hexes". To detrain, its another 10. So if a unit, in one turn, entrains - moves by rail - detrains, then it could move a maximum of 30 hexes by rail, since 20 of those were used up to entrain (10) and detrain (10).

For example, with a combat unit of strength 8, with a movement allowance of 3, - it could entrain, move by rail up to 30 hexes, detrain, then expend it's last movement point to move away from where it detrained. It would cost 8 rail transport points.

Important concepts for understanding rail movement:
  • A unit can entrain and detrain in any hex where there is a usable rail line.
  • It costs 1 rail transport point for each strength of unit moved. For example, a 4 strength infantry unit would cost 4 rail transport points.
  • A unit can move up to 50 rail hexes when entrained.
  • To entrain a unit, you use up 10 of those 50 rail hexes.
  • To detrain a unit, you use up 10 of those 50 rail hexes.
  • A unit can remain entrained from one movement phase to another, as long as there exists (or will exist) enough rail movement capacity to enable the unit to remain entrained or detrain in the next movement phase. If not - then the unit must detrain in this movement phase. Units that are to be entrained and left entrained at the end of the movement phase must have a destination and a ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival), from which you cannot deviate. You can either depend on player honesty, or the players can agree to write down the destination and ETA of entrained units on a piece of paper. If it turns out the unit(s) cannot reach their original destination, then they are removed from play.

    So the total combinations are:
    1) The unit entrains, and moves up to 30 rail hexes, and detrains.
    2) The unit entrains, and moves up to 40 rail hexes, remaining entrained at the end of the movement phase.
    3) The unit was entrained from a previous movement phase, moves up to 40 rail hexes, and detrains.
    4) The unit was entrained from a previous movement phase, moves up to 50 rail hexes, remaining entrained.

    Supply trains, siege trains, railway repair units and supply can move by rail. The cost to the rail transport capacity is the same as 1 combat strength factor (for supply, it costs 1 per supply point).

    Leaders and Headquarters can move by rail at no cost to the rail transport capacity, but entrain and detrain and move by rail following the same mechanism as combat units.

    Units may entrain and detrain in enemy ZOC. Entrained units do not project a ZOC. Entrained units cannot attack. If an entrain unit is attacked, it is detrained, and defends at half strength. Entrained units can leave an enemy ZOC, but must stop upon entering an enemy ZOC.

    Water Movement
    In the game there are various ocean and river going vessels represented. There are river and naval gunboat flotillas, ironclads, and river transports and naval transports.


    river transport
    naval transport
    river gunboat
    naval gunboat
    ironclad

    Naval units ('naval units', as used here, means both true naval units and river units) don't use Command to move. Players can always move their naval units each turn (subject to the rest of the rules). They have a movement of 40 or 50. Moving a naval unit at sea costs 1 movement point per hex entered. When moving along a river, you pay for each hexside - keep the arrow on the counter pointed towards the hexside it is on. Note that on some rivers there is a "head of navigation" printed. River units can not proceed past these heads of navigation (there are some exceptions, see the rules). Enemy ZOCs do not affect river units, they can travel along a river right past enemy units. However, they are stopped by forts. River transports cannot enter a hex occupied by enemy river, naval, or ironclad flotillas. River transports and flotillas can operate on river hexsides (both tidal and non-tidal) and coastal hexes. Naval transport and naval gunboat flotillas can only operate on tidal river hexsides, coastal hexes, and all-sea hexes. Naval units can cross Florida by starting in a all-sea hex along the southern edge of the Atlantic or the Gulf, then they expend all their movement allowance to get to the other edge all-sea hex. River units cannot get around Florida.


    Union Transport Fleet on the Tennessee River
    Water Transport of Units
    River Transports and Naval Transports can carry units. As with rail movement, combat units, Leaders, Headquarters, supply trains, siege trains, railway repair units and supply itself can be transported by water. Leaders and Headquarters can always move by naval or river transport even if the player does not physically have river transport or naval transport units available.

    Each naval or river transport can carry up to 10 strength points of combat units or supply (supply trains [by themselves], siege trains, and railway repair units cost 1 strength point each). To embark and disembark, the units being transported pay an MP cost as indicated on the Embarkation/Disembarkation Cost Chart. Note that most units, as indicated on the chart, can embark and disembark in Ports, Clear, and Forest terrain. You treat Swamp hexes as Forest for purposes of this chart. All cities and towns on coastal hexes or navigable rivers are considered ports.

    Units may disembark directly into an enemy controlled, but not enemy occupied, port. Transport units cannot embark or disembark anything to/from a beseiged fort or fortress.

    Anything being transported by water needs a movement command to be transported. If a unit is going to stay embarked for more than one movement phase, then it only needs its initial command to embark - but its destination must be specified (the player can secretly write down the destination on a piece of paper). If it becomes necessary to change the destination in the next movement phase, then a new order must be issued. You can use an automatic order, or trust to luck and try to roll the commander's initiative rating. If you fail the attempt to change the destination, then you must continue to your original destination, and if the destination hex is now an illegal place to disembark or invade, then your units are considered "lost at sea", along with the transport.

    River transports can be used as temporary ferry crossings at the hexside they are at, for friendly troops. Units simply pay the ferry crossing cost. The river transport providing the ferry service cannot move the entire movement phase. There is no limit on the ground units that can cross this temporary ferry. Temporary ferries cannot exist in the presence of an enemy occupied fort or fortress.

    Amphibious Assault
    Infantry divisions and brigades may amphibiously assault:

  • They must be adjacent (or on the adjacent hexside) to the hex the enemy defenders are in at the beginning of the movement phase. They attack the enemy occupied hex from the water.
  • Combat supply is not used.
  • The attacker's strength is halved.
  • A Leader must be present and he must successfully roll for attack initiative.
  • If the defender retreats (or retreats into a fort or fortress), the attacker lands the attacking force.
  • If the defenders do not retreat and remain in occupation of the hex, then the attacker losses are tripled and the survivors remain embarked.


    • War Between the States is Trademark of Decision Games, Bakersfield, CA. USA