Longstreet ACW - Skirmish at Jones Farm

After spending an eternity looking for a set of ACW Regimental rules, I finally settled for Longstreet by Sam Mustafa.  Okay, they have been out for a few years now, so I'm a bit late to the party.  I played a solo game to learn the game mechanics & I was very impressed.  I used the Longstreet Lite version available from his website http://www.sammustafa.com/honour/

They are a taster of the main rules, but give you the mechanics of how the game works.  You also can download the event cards needed to play the game.  I ordered the main rules from Lone Star Minis (the British distributors) http://www.northstarfigures.com/list.php?man=130&page=1 

The book arrived last week, a very nice publication.  I also managed to get hold of a Longstreet Card Set from EBay.  It appears the cards are now OOP,  but the author is planning to release some more card sets this spring.

I then showed Spav how to play the game, using a cross between the Lite & Basic rules.  Here is that introductory game.  We each took 3 Regiments of 6 elements & a Battery of 4 guns made up of  2 elements.   A basics of the rules are, one person goes then the other.  Each player has a pack of event cards, which you deal 6 to yourself each turn.  You follow a Fire phase, then either a movement of a 'movement into combat'.  Each phase is activated by the cost of a card.  During each phase you then play other cards to modify movement/firing etc.  Some cards can be played to interrupt your opponents phase as well, again modifying factors etc.  The mechanics ae very simple & you only use 6 sided dice. Anyway download the Lite rules to get a full understanding.

The field of Battle... dumu dum duum

Thee 30th Arkansas head along the left flank

The 5th Alabama head straight up the road

The Mississippians advance

The  Union side of the field allows for a better deployment

The Union Battery on the hill has a good view of the battlefield

The guns open up on each other.

The Union guns sustain a casualty, but take out the Rebel guns

Short, sharp & brutal.

A few rounds of movement

Ho Ho Ho, a handy card to play just as your opponent lines up  a Charge...

The games descends into a few rounds of musketry.

A casualty here & there

The Union Battery can only inflict small losses, but they all add up.

Spav tries to maneuver his troops for a concentration of fire power.

A plan starts to develop, some cards I hoard in preparation for mighty melee.  

In go the lads!

However the New Yorkers hold.. 

The Irish Regiment is sent packing

More Union casualties

Another round & the Rebs pile in again...

Extra cards are played that will allow the Rebs to re-roll failed dice during melee combat.

The resulting combat is a Rebel victory, but one of the Reb units retreats along with the Union troops.

Finally, Spav gets his act together & the Union guns get to fire canister at the Rebs.
He also plays a card which allows artillery to fire an extra two die rolls.
I fear the worst as he now has whopping 4 die rolls.

I need not fear, he rolls 1's & 2's.  All he hits are a 'flock of birds' flying over the battle field....lol

The Rebs hold the middle of the battlefield

The end is near, Spav reforms the Union line

Another round & the Reb firing brings another casualty.

End of round phase, the Rebs make the victory roll.
To achieve victory, you half the number of elements on both side, taking the lowest figure.
You then roll a D6 & add to the elements destroyed  (7 casualties & 4 on the die = 11 victory)

Both Spav & I really liked how the game played.  The mechanics, whilst simple were very good. Having the Fire Phase at the top of your round really changed how you played the game.  It seemed odd that you had to make the choice between moving/changing formation OR charging into melee combat.  But it worked!  Along with the playing of the cards, it led to the player having to make more choices.  All in all, more fun....

We will be playing more, a well done to the author.  I still love DBACW rules, but these are for the bigger Battles.

Has anyone played Lasalle/Blucher by Sam Mustafa? If so how do they compare?


The flags are from the fantastic Dansk Figurspilsforenings
http://www.krigsspil.dk/download/download_4.html