I found a regimental level scenario (
WSS 56) for the central engagement of the
Battle of Bull Run: the attack of the Union army on Henry House hill, guarded by
Thomas Jackson. The scenario was easy enough to adapt to
Black Powder. I made the following adjustments to your average BP game:
- Since there were more than twenty regiments per player and only a short evening to play, all regiments are small without any special rules. All commanders have the same leadership value of 8.
- All the measurements are halved for 6mm scale play, and musketry range is reduced further to 9 inches as the small regiment is now "normal".
- Most orders are given as brigade orders for the whole brigade and we're a bit more flexible with what can be done with one order.
These mods led to much faster gameplay as there were no stats or special rules to check out, and the small regiments were easier to rout (which fits nicely with the amateur armies fighting this first battle of a long war). We finished the game in less than four hours, including setup.
I forgot my camera again but here are some pics from my cell phone that are not that bad:
The game looked quite nice with lots of regiments moving about. The Union army, plagued by poor command rolls advanced on the hill. The Confederate artillery was especially effective, breaking one Union brigade early on. A flanking attempt by the Union troops on the Confederate left was blocked by timely reinforcements. A long battleline was drawn and a heavy exchange of fire followed. The Confederates ended on the losing side this time around, falling to musketry fire while holding back the single charge the Union troops launched.
A bit dicey, the musketry duel that decided the battle, but it was still great fun!
