Field Commander Lee, core game

Field Commander - Robert E. Lee builds on the design and gameplay of Field Commander - Napoleon (currently ranked #97 in the Wargames category on BGG!!) to put the player firmly in control of the Army of Northern Virginia during the American Civil War, with the Union forces controlled by an AI.

Seven Days Battles (June 25 - July 1, 1862)
After Lee replaced Johnston as the commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, he aggressively pushed back against McClellan's Union army, which had advanced along the Virginia Peninsula to threaten Richmond. Starting with the Battle of Oak Grove, the Rebels clashed again and again with the Army of the Potomac, panicking McClellan and causing him to withdraw his forces until the final stand in the  Battle of Malvern Hill. 

Second Manassas (August 22 - August 30, 1862)
With Richmond safe and McClellan in retreat, Lee marched north, hoping to take advantage of the divide that separated the Army of the Potomac and the Army of Virginia, commanded by the more-aggressive Pope. The Northern Virginia campaign started properly on July 19, but in the game we focus on the final days.
Despite some early, inconclusive skirmishing starting on August 22, heavy rains had swollen the Rappahannock River, making it impossible for Lee to cross and engage Pope directly. Instead, Jackson, along with JEB Stuart, led his divisions, comprising the Left Wing, north at a rapid speed to destroy the Union supply station at Manassas Junction.  Pope, now outflanked and in danger of having his supply line cut, raced back to engage Jackson. Though arriving later, Longstreet's Right Wing was able to pivot into Thoroughfare Gap, unite with Jackson's Left Wing and drive the Army of Virginia from the battlefield. 

Antietam (September 14 - September 17, 1862)
This campaign covers McClellan’s fighting advance through the gaps of South Mountain, the siege at Harper’s Ferry, Lee’s concentration of forces outside Sharpsburg, and the bloodiest single day of fighting in American history at the Cornfield, Bloody Lane and Burnside’s Bridge.

Chancellorsville (April 30 - May 3, 1863)
Considered widely as Lee’s masterpiece, the Confederate general took the risk of dividing his forces to befuddle and defeat the larger Union army. The Battle starts shortly before Lee and Jackson have their fateful meeting at the Orange Plank – Furnace Road crossroads, where the decision was taken to send Jackson on a long, flanking march to catch Union forces ‘in the air’; that is, not anchored to a defensive point. With special rules to capture the drama of the Hidden March, the player must simultaneously hold back the Union advance from Fredericksburg to Salem Church, east of Chancellorsville.

Gettysburg (July 1 - July 3, 1863)
Over three days of fighting the doom of the south was sealed. Outnumbered and outgunned, and with seemingly endless Union reinforcements arriving regularly the player must maneuver carefully and pick the weakest part of the Union line to launch an overwhelming attack. The player will need all his skills that he has sharpened in the previous campaigns to emerge victorious at Gettysburg!!

Background:

The American Civil War was fought between the Confederates in the south and the Union in the north between April, 1861 and May, 1865. Although it is referred to as the 'American' Civil War, most of the fighting was conducted in the eastern third or so of the country. The area of the greatest concentration of battles was then further divided into two theaters: The eastern and the western, with the dividing line being provided by the Appalachian Mountains, which run approximately south west from Newfoundland in Canada to Central Alabama, and include the Great Smokies. 

The causes and origins of the Civil War continue to be hotly debated more than 150 years later, but the central issue was slavery. Southern states were agrarian and relied on slaves for labor; the north was more industrialized and less reliant. As such, slavery remained an economic issue for the south but became a moral issue for the north. Southern states wished to prevent any interference from a Federal government. An additional power dynamic in play was the desire by the Republican party to prevent the establishment of slavery in any future states joining the Union. If this were achieved, then the delicate balance of power that existed between the slave and non-slave states would be broken.

Things came to a head with the election of Abraham Lincoln in November 1860. The Southern states began to ready themselves for war if needed.
Lincoln became president on March 4, 1861. By this time Federal assets and possessions in the south had either been seized or were cutoff; one such example of which was Fort Sumter.

Fort Sumter controlled the Charleston harbor in South Carolina. It was occupied by Union soldiers that were slowly starving. On April 6 Lincoln announced that he planned to send supplies by sea to the garrison. On April 12 Fort Sumter was bombarded by Confederate artillery and thus the American Civil War began.

The war in the eastern theater would be initially fought by the Union Army of the Potomac and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Initially the Union met with the greater successes, culminating in Lincoln ordering General McClellan to land forces south east of Richmond, between the York River and James River. McClellan advanced, pushing back the Confederate defenders almost to Richmond until, at the Battle of Seven Pines, he was halted. There, the commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, General Joseph E. Johnston, was wounded.

His replacement was Robert E. Lee.

Gameplay:

Field Commander - Robert E. Lee is based on the Field Commander - Napoleon design, with some important differences and developments.

Difficulty Levels: The player may choose to tailor his experience of Field Commander Robert E. Lee by modifying the Difficulty Level between Regular, Hard and Veteran. There are various ways the difficulty level can affect the game and the player can choose one or more effects, or mix different Difficulty Levels to produce different effects. For example, the player could choose to use the Regular Fog of War table, combined with the Hard Command Points option and the Veteran Special Rules of a particular campaign. 

Scout Counters: Greater availability and use of Scout counters to create decision-heavy gameplay and the manner in which cavalry were employed on the battlefield during the American Civil War as compared to the Napoleonic era.

Command Points: Command Points replace Supply Points. Command Points are used in a similar manner however, but represent reforming broken Forces or calling to arms odd Brigades and Regiments that are marching on different roads. Command Points can also be accumulated when a Force reaches certain Regions on the Battlefield Sheet and reflect greater morale.

Union Orders: Each Campaign map includes a Battle Area, which is distinct from the rest of the game board (you can see it described with red borders on the sample map art). Union Forces follow Campaign Map Orders until they enter the Battle Area, at which point the Battle Area Orders table is followed. This simulates more carefully the Union actions once battle commenced properly.

Union Tactics: Aggressive vs Defensive. No more sitting at the back of the Battlefield sheet blasting the advancing enemy. The Union AI will only attack when the odds are in its favor.

Special Battle Plans: An expanded range of Special Battle Plans for the Union AI to use that simulate combat in the ACW. The Union AI will now only charge en masse, while Flanking Fire and Hidden March threaten the rear of the Confederate army. No place on the battlefield is safe!

Capturing Artillery: Rather than Destroy artillery, both the Confederate player and the Union AI will instead capture 'abandoned' artillery and use the cannon to their own advantage. Historically this was especially important to the Confederates who suffered at the hands of superior Union guns and ammunition.

Artillery Range Attenuation: The further away the target, the less effective the artillery!

Each Campaign introduces detailed Special Rules that highlight the key events, features and commander personalities of each battle.

Example #1:
Along with Longstreet, Lee owed much of his early success to the skill of "Stonewall" Jackson. Lee's masterpiece - victory at Chancellorsville - was made possible by the actions of Jackson and the men he commanded. Jackson's achievements, and the decisiveness of his assault, are reflected in the following Special Rules for the Chancellorsville campaign. 

Example #2:
Another of Lee's stalwart commanders was J.E.B Stuart, the colorful cavalry commander. After dominating the battlefield for years, Stuart's absence from the early stages of the Battle of Gettysburg cost the Confederacy dear.

Components:

• Basic Rulebook
• Advanced Combat and Optional Rules
• 5 gorgeous Campaign maps
• 5 detailed and nuanced Campaign Information Sheets
• Double sided Battlefield sheet for Basic and Advanced combat.
• Turn Tracker sheets with prompts for Late Arrivals and Special Rules.
• Player Help/Fog of War sheets for Regular, Hard and Veteran Difficulty Levels
• Counter Sheets
• d10

Battle Packs:

Each Campaign offers an optional supplementary Battle Pack that highlights a smaller, key engagement in the wider battle. The driving design goal has been to create 'lunch time solitaire games' that is, games that can be set up, played and tidied up while you sip a coffee and enjoy a bagel! Extensive use of Special Rules allow the unique circumstances of each clash of arms to be replicated simply and quickly and make each battle different! 

While most of the Force counters found in the Field Commander - Robert E. Lee core Set represent divisions, the counters in each Battle Pack detail historical Brigades, Regiments and Companies. 

Each battle is fought on a modified, wider, Advanced Battlefield Sheet.
Terrain features and unique events are covered with Special Rules.
Each Battle also has a unique Turn Tracker that highlights the Special Rules.

For example, the Special Rules for The Cornfield reflect the problems for both the Confederate and Union Forces in fighting in a restricted area with limited visibility. Both the player and the Union AI are restricted in the availability of Battle Plans. The Mixed Orders Special Battle Plan reflects the deterioration of command and control as the Battle progressed.