Combat: Specific Cards
Q: “Bermuda Hundred”: Can the Confederate choose a general that is already engaged, if only to force the rest of the text ("and Union must discard any two non-general cards")?
A: Yes
Q: “Command Failure”: If I play this card and all of my opponent’s generals are currently engaged, could this card be negated by my opponent?
A: No
Q: “Crisis at the Crossroads”: If I play this card and disengage my general and later re-engage him, can I immediately play “Just a Flesh Wound” to prevent his being discarded?
A: Yes
Q: “Crisis of Command”: Do you have to specify which generals will engage to draw cards when the card is played? Or can you engage one, see what card you have drawn, and then decide to engage more?
A. You may engage one general at a time, see what card you have drawn, and choose whether or not to engage another.
Q: "Discord in Confederate Command Structure": If the Rebels have 4 attack cards in play and I play this card, what must they do? Is the extra card cancelled?
A: The Rebels do NOT have to cancel a card, but they may not play any further attack cards unless they are reduced to less than three attack cards in play.
Q: “Faulty Staff Work”: Can any +1 Attack card qualify as an attack to be used, or just the Frontal Assault +1 side of a card?
A: Any +1 Attack card may be used; usually one of these: “Frontal Assault,” or “Repulse Assault and Counter-attack.”
Q: “Lincoln finds a General”: It just says discard and doesn't reference whether the General discard must come from the hand or the table.
A: The discard is a General that is in play on the table.
Q: “Massed Artillery”: Does this card negate the effect of future played “Massed Infantry cards”? Example: I have a Massed Artillery on the table. If the opponent plays two Massed infantry cards, will both be negated?
A: Yes, if you have a Massed Artillery card in play any “Massed Infantry” cards played by your opponent will be canceled immediately. However, your opponent may choose to play a “Heroic Effort” or “Command Failure” to try and prevent cancellation of his “Massed Infantry”card.
Q: “Refuse Flank”: What happens when my opponent has a +3 “Enfilade” in play and I wish to play a second “Refuse Flank”? Can I do so freely, getting a net gain of 1 for the three cards, or can I play it but only reduce the enfilade to zero, or can I not play it all?
A. You may play more than one “Refuse Flank” on an opponent’s “Enfilade” card. This is similar to you playing two -3 “Massed Artillery” cards on an opponent’s +1 “Frontal Assault” and reducing him by a Combat Value of five.
Q: Union card "Strategic Withdrawal": Is the discard done before or after drawing cards for that theatre.
A: The Confederate player first draws his cards for Combat, then he returns three cards at random to the top of his Play Deck. Note that the Confederate may choose to cancel the battle in the Strategic Movement Phase.
Q: “Union Repeating Weapons”: If played with a Defend card, and there are no opponent attack cards in play, is the -2 for Union Repeating Weapons still effective? There's nothing stated on the card about this.
A: If your opponent does not have any Attack cards in play, your Defend cards are ineffective until your Opponent attacks.
Combat Situations
Q: If a card is played in response to an opponent's card, does it count towards the maximum you can play during a round? If not, is there any limit to the number of responses that can be played to your opponent's cards?
A: Play of a card that contains the text “Play immediately” does not count toward your maximum when it is your turn to play in the round. Normally, you will be able to play only one “Play immediately” card in response to an opponent’s play. Ex. Your opponent cancels your “Massed Artillery” card. You may immediately play a “Heroic Effort” to save your “Massed Artillery.”
Q: Example: My +2 Attack card is cancelled by text that says “cancel any one +1 or +2 attack card.” If I play a similar card to cancel the one just played, does my cancelled card come back into play?
A: No. The only such cards that come back into play are those found on the card text of: “Massed Infantry,” “Massed Artillery,” “Counter-Battery.”
Q: Are the special events with prerequisites cancelled after they are played, if the prerequisites are no longer met? For example, the Confederate plays a “Co-ordinated Attack”, then the Union cancels an attack to take the Confederacy below three cards in play, or a “Massed Artillery” is played after a “Bayonet Charge.” Do these still provide their bonuses because their conditions were met when they were played, or are they cancelled?
A. These cards are not cancelled. They are still in effect because the conditions were met when they were played.
Command Points
Q: The rules say to place one Command Point (CP) card in each theater (minimum of half your total CP's), then one card in your reserve. Can you place more than one card to reach your desired totals? Example: I have 9 CP's. I play the 4 card in West and 1 in the East. I now do not have another 4 card to place in my reserve. Can I place a 1 and 3? Are the CP cards a limiting factor if I don't have the right one?
A: The number of cards is not a limiting factor. Use any combination of cards you wish. The 300 card limit to the deck prevented us from providing additional CP cards.
Q: I understand that when all the Victory Condition cities in a theater fall, no more CP's are placed in that theater. Does this mean that the Confederate can no longer play a Strategic Offensive in the East after the fall of Richmond?
A: Correct. When all the Victory Condition cities in a theater fall, no more battles may be fought there. That theater is essentially inactive, save for the rules concerning generals in that theater, or for a card that may apply to that theater (ex. Union “Appomattox Campaign” card)
Q: Can a battle be fought if there are no CP cards present in the theater, just as if both players had placed a 0 CP card?
A: Yes. If a Battle card has been placed in a theater, the battle is fought, even if neither player placed any CP cards there.
Strategic Movement Phase/Blocking
Q: If Richmond is blocked by Peninsula Campaign, does all the text on the Peninsula Campaign card apply? That is, does the Union still have to decide to go via land or sea?
A: No, the Union player must choose to invade by land or sea only when he places the Peninsula Campaign card. If the Confederate blocks Richmond and intercepts the Army of the Potomac on the Peninsula, it is not an amphibious operation.
Q: If the Confederate blocks with a Battle Card from his hand (not the Battle Deck) and the USA plays a Turning Movement card, is the Confederate Battle card physically moved into the USA player's control (i.e. removed from the CSA deck)?
A: No. The three such Battle Cards found in the Confederate Play Deck—“Chickasaw Bluffs,” “Kennesaw Mountain,” and “North Anna,” are simply placed in the Confederate Discard Pile if they have been “turned” by Union “Turning Movement” card.
Battle Cards
Q: How do battle cards get drawn from the deck?
A: The Union player must place at least one Battle Card. He chooses any Battle Card he wishes from the Battle Deck, subject to restrictions found on the card itself and on the Flow Chart.
Q: What is the significance of battles "held" (won?) by either side? If Union, they will not be fought again? If Confederate, they can be fought again?
A: Any non-invasion battle won by the Union player is placed on the Union side of the table and is not fought again unless the Confederate chooses to fight it by playing one of his five strategic offensive cards. A non-invasion battle won by the Confederate player is simply placed back in the Battle Deck and may be fought again. If the Confederate wins an Invasion battle at either Perryville, Antietam, or Gettysburg, that card is removed from play and may not be fought again. (see special rules for Washington, D.C.). If he Union wins an Invasion battle, the card is returned to the Battle Deck and may be fought again.
Q: In a recent game the Confederate took Washington, D.C.. The rules state that no battle is fought in the East on the following turn unless placed by a Confederate strategic offensive. Does the automatic retaking of Washington count as the Union mandatory placement of a battle?
A: Yes
Miscellaneous
Remove or Place General Cards: There should be a slight change in the wording of the first sentence of section G4: “When generals are first put into play, they must be placed in the Theater of War listed on their card.
Q: When considering an immediate end to the game, what is meant by "runs out of cards in his play deck"? Does this mean drawing the last card or not having a card left to draw? In other words, when the Union is drawing cards in phase A, does the game end when he has three cards in his deck all of which he draws or only when he has two or less cards so he can't draw the third.
A: “runs out of cards in his Play Deck” means when the last card is drawn.
(Errata)
The wording is a little confusing regarding Battle Event/Attack Card for the first combat--under Campaign Game setup. It reads 'the Union player must play at least one Attack card in this first major battle of the war,” and a few paragraphs later it reads 'The Union must play at least one Battle Event in this first major battle of the war.” Clarification: The Union must play at least one Attack card in the Battle of Manassas, the game’s first battle.
(Errata)
On Union card #63, “Ironclads Developed,” CP should be added after the +1.
Added on August 16, 2004 from ConsimWorld BCOF folder
Q: Is it true that once a general has been Engaged in a battle, he is done for that battle? I went with yes because in the example of play, no general is used twice. The rules do not make mention of any limit other than that the maximum per player turn is the number of generals.
A: An engaged General is unable to play a Battle Event unless he is Disengaged. A General may be engaged and disengaged during a Battle as often as you have cards to do so. See "Disengaged" in the Glossary; In the Ex. of Play, see p. 10, right-hand column, 2nd paragraph: Gen. Meade is disengaged by "Rally 'Round the Flag," then he is engaged again to play another Battle Event.
Q: Is it true that the negative modifiers on battle/option cards apply to the opposing side? I went with yes, even though it is not stated anywhere that I could determine.
A: The modifier on a Battle Card, such as the -3 for Vicksburg, benefits the Defender, the Confederate. Note "Victory Condition Cities" in the Glossary.
Q: Is it true that if a Massed Artillery is played, the opposing player loses the CV from one card already played AND gets a -3 to his CV (assuming #2 is true)? Wow, that is powerful - a well timed Artillery Barrage can mean a Major Victory easily!
A: The text on Massed Artillery cards state that when played ALL of an opponent's Massed Infantry Columns are canceled. All Massed Infantry Columns are worth a CV of +2, but only require a one-star general to play. Your opponent has no choice--these cards must be canceled, but please note that no other attack card is ever canceled by Massed Artillery. If your opponent has no Massed Infantry Column in play, there is nothing for him to cancel.
Q: So if you play such a vulnerable Massed Infantry Column, expect it to be canceled by Massed Artillery...unless...you save it with "Heroic Effort" or "Command Failure." Sure, if your opponent plays two or three Massed Artillery cards it may stagger your attack, but there will still be chances to cancel that artillery ("Counter-Battery" comes quickly to mind, but there are others).
A: A Major Victory (+4 CV) is only determined after all Combat is concluded; that is, when both players Pass in that Battle.
Q: Who chooses the cancelled card in a case like #3? I played that the player paying the card chooses the card to cancel.
A: See above---no choice in regard to Massed Artillery and Massed Infantry Columns.
Q: Is there any procedure or order for playing the Battle Cards or can the initiative player pretty much choose whichever battle he wishes? I am playing them in the order listed on the sequence card, but do not know if that is the proper way. When I get more comfortable with how to manage things, I am assuming that one of the invasions may be chosen instead (assuming the order on the sequence card MUST be followed).
A: The Union player places one or two Battle cards each turn--his choice (see D in Sequence of Play). The Union player will always choose which Battle is fought first (see H in SoP), UNLESS the Confederate has played a Strategic Movement card in that phase (see H in SoP, under "exception").
Q: Are Frontal Assaults and/or Counter-attacks considered attacks? I assume yes.
A: Yes, as per "Attack Card" in the Glossary.
