A
House Divided 3rd Edition:
Further Developments
by Alan Emrich
When my copy of A Housed Divided 3rd Edition came off the boat from
Holland in June of 2002 and arrived at The Eagle’s Nest (my gaming attic),
what everyone had said about the physical quality was true. The components are
beautiful and make the game very compelling to play.
So, naturally, that's just what I did -- play it.
And when I did it reminded me that I had my A House Divided archives tucked away somewhere and vaguely remembered some stuff I cooked up for the 2nd Edition of the game too late for publication. Well, now of course it’s also too late to make the 3rd Edition, but thanks to personal computers and the internet, I can make some useful game aids and provide you with the rest of the rules I cooked up for this cardboard classic lo those many years ago.
This .zip file contains v3.1 Basic Rules, Advanced Rules, the Players Mats (pictured here), and even my suggested v4.0 counters (that you can make yourself). Note that these are "Living Rules" that I will update as errata is generated. This version is the May 2006 edition.
The Player Aid Mats are presented as four 8.5" x 11" sheets for ease of printing. I would suggest that the Confederate halves be printed on light gray cardstock and the Union halves on light blue cardstock, but each to his own. I recommend affixing sheets 1 and 2 together, and then doing the same for sheets 3 and 4 and placing them on the west and east edges of the map as illustrated to the right (note that this picture is an older edition of the mats, but the layout is still correct).
These Player Aid Mats will organize everything for you and put all the information you need to play at your fingertips. Every Advanced and Optional rule is included (although these are shaded in gray so that they can be easily ignored for those playing with only the Basic Game rules).
Old Data
These are the loose odds and ends that went into making the 3.1 version of the game. All of this is incorporated in the above link, but for those who want to see the bits that made up the whole, here they are:
River / Naval Battle Marker
One thing I cursed myself for not making sure got included in the 2nd Edition counter mix was a River / Invasion Battle marker. This marker was actually added to the new counter manifest I sent to GDW lo those many years ago, but for some reason it was not included in the 2nd edition counters (which I did not get to proof and included errors in the Leader units as well.) This marker was designed to remind players that the defending units received +1 to their fire value with the front side labeled ‘Turn 1’ and the reverse side labeled ‘Turn 2.’ I suggest printing them out on crack-and-peel paper or find some other way to affix them to both sides of one of the two blank counters included in the game.
Note:
Originally, I submitted for the 2nd edition that the first round of a
River / Invasion Battle would allow the Defender to fire at +2 combat value (and
not just +1). It was only after the rules were printed that I found out that it had
become just +1 for both rounds. I'm not sure if that was a decision made based
on any particular playtest feedback or a simple expedient decision made at the
time the rules were in layout. In any event, now you know the rest of the story
and may want to try your next game's River / Invasion Battles by granting +2
combat value for the Defender on the first round (and the usual +1 on the second
round).
The Second Battlefield Marker
This is just a useful idea. The second Battlefield marker can be used as the Battle Turn marker on the Battle Day Turn Record Track.
Resting the Army [Neutral Optional Rule]
This rule recreates the historical lulls after many Civil War battles. It required some considerable time and energy torest, reorganize, recover stragglers / deserters, and incorporate replaments into these increasingly massive groups after the chaos of battle.
Units do not recover automatically after a battle; they remain on their reduced (red number) side until Recovered.
The value on the Recruitment die roll (see Rule 7.0) is the number of Recruitment Points the player may spend during that Recruitment Segment.
Each Recruitment Point can still be used to recruit a Militia unit in your Draft Pool (as usual). Alternately, each Recruitment Point may also be spent to recover one reduced-strength unit on the map (flipping it back up to its white-number side).
For Example: if a player had two Recruitment Points this turn, he could recruit two Militia units, recover two reduced units on the map, or do one of each (spending up to his total of two Recruitment Points).
In the same manner, each March (4.0) can be spent to either activate a box (as usual) or recover one reduced unit on the board. Remember, you can only spend a maximum of two Marches on a given unit per Player Turn, and recovering it counts as one of them.
Confederate Naval Options [Pro-Confederate Advanced Rule]
Just as the Union player may make Naval Invasions when he rolls a ‘6’ for Marches that game turn (4.2.4), now the Confederate play may similarly make a naval decision.
If the Confederate player rolls a ‘6’ for Marches that turn, he may ‘commit’ one of his three Naval Resources by spending four Marches to do so. To indicate the commitment of that Naval Resource, place a CSA Flag marker in that Box on the Confederate Naval Display. While the CSA Flag marker resides in that Box, the special rule corresponding to it is in effect:
Ocean Raiders: +1 to the CSA Maximum Army Size.
Riverine Ironclads: Union player is prohibited from making River Jump Moves (4.2.2).
Coastal Ironclads: +1 to all Confederate port coastal defense values (5.0). That means a port with no recruiting value now has a coastal defense value of ‘1.’
Foreign Navy: This Box works differently than the domestic Confederate Navy Boxes. When Foreign Intervention occurs, place a CSA Flag marker in the Foreign Navy Box on the Confederate Naval Display to indicate that its effect is ‘on.’
During any Union Movement Segment, the USA player may flip a CSA Flag marker in any one CSA Naval Resource Box (including the Foreign Navy box) to its USA Flag side by spending two Marches to do so. The USA Flag marker in a Confederate Naval Resource Box indicates that its corresponding special rule is no longer in effect.
In the three CSA Naval Boxes, a USA Flag marker also indicates that the Confederate player may no longer employ that Naval Resource for the rest of the game. That’s right, each of the three domestic Confederate Navy Boxes represents a once-per-game event.
Unlike the domestic Confederate Navy Boxes, the CSA player can flip Flag marker in the Foreign Navy Box back to its CSA-side. He does this in lieu of taking a Foreign Intervention replacement when one is available that turn (i.e., when he rolls a ‘5’ or ‘6’ that turn for Recovery & Recruitment).
Important Rules Clarifications and Errata
Units that reinforce the defenders in a battle (5.2.4) fought at a permanent entrenchment (i.e., they’re defending Washington, Richmond, Fort Monroe, or Vicksburg) are not considered entrenched during that battle.
If a unit that was entrenched routs in battle, it loses its entrenchment (both during and after the battle).
The morale (8.1) of a Confederate notional Coastal Defense unit at a port that is invaded never breaks. It must be hit twice and 'killed' in order for the Union invader to win that battle.
In the Like Battlefield Targets Optional Rule (2.2), an important word was omitted. The third sentence of the first paragraph should read: "Even then, the infantry pieces may choose to ignore the enemy cavalry pieces as targets and, instead, start ganging up on enemy infantry pieces."
Modify the Supply Advanced Rule (2.0) as follows:
The second paragraph of 2.1, Tracing a Supply Line, should read: "A supply line may be of of any length. It may be freely traced through friendly owned boxes along railroads and/or rivers. It may also be traced through boxes along roads but only if the boxes on both ends of that road are occupied by at least one friendly unit. Union and Foreign Intervention pieces in ports or able to trace a supply line to a port are automatically in supply (exception: if using Optional Rule 4.2, Fortress Monroe, the Union may not trace supply to either Yorktown or Norfolk if the Confederates control Fort Monroe)."
Add the following sentence to the end of the paragraph of Advanced Rule 2.2, Effects of Being Out of Supply: “A player may not Recruit in a city that is out of supply.” Note that supply does not affect promotions, only recruitment.
Questions & Answer Clarifications
Basic Game Rules
4.0 Movement
Q: If a unit uses two marches, and then subsequently reinforces a battle, it could end up moving as far as five boxes during a single turn. Is this right?
A: Yes. The two March limit for movement applies only during one's Movement step. Think of reinforcing a battle as a 'free move.'
4.2.3 Union Naval Moves
Q: After a naval move, can units entrench? (I know they can't move again, but can units use a second March to entrench?).
A: Yes, absolutely. The unit could not move further, but it could stay in place and entrench (if it were on a recruitment city, of course, and another March was spent to entrench that unit).
4.2.4 Naval Invasions
Q: If a naval invasion battle isn't going well for the Union, can they retreat from a Naval Invasion?
A: Yes. Under the Basic Rules, they can only retreat as they could from any other battle (as per Basic Rule 5.2.5). If you're employing Optional Rule 3.1 (Naval Evacuations), Union pieces may also retreat back to Washington.
4.2.5 Entrenchment
Q: I play that for one march, you can entrench everyone in a city space who doesn't move using that march; not just one unit. This seemed clear, but there was some wording in the rule that left me just slightly confused.
A: Sorry about the confused wording. You're correct in that you can entrench everyone for whom that March was not otherwise used. Think of it this way... once you pay the March for a particular box, each individual unit in that box can do one March's worth of activity (e.g., moving or entrenching).
5.1 Resolving Battle Rounds
Q: Can a battle line change between combat rounds? That is, can you bring in units from reserves to fill in for routed units, or rotate units from the battle line to the reserve and vice versa? Or is the battle line fixed in place until the end of a combat day? The command limit states only the number of units that can attack in a combat phase, so I take it that battle lines are fluid between combat rounds?
A: Battle lines are fluid between combat rounds, but it is important to note that there are no "reserves," per se. Think of it this way...
 |
Units are either on the battle line and are able to both shoot and be shot at, or they're not. There is nothing in-between, they're either 'in' or 'out.' And routed units, and units in adjacent boxes that have not yet reinforced that battle, are definitely 'out.' |
|
Every time it is his turn to fire during a battle round, the firing player chooses from among all those pieces present on both side's battle lines (that is, both his firing units as well as the defender's target units). Thus, which units are doing the shooting and which units they're firing at is completely fluid and can change freely with every player's battle round. |
Q: Does a battle line screen units that are not attacking (in reserve, not routed units)? If so, this would allow a battle line consisting of entrenched units to screen unentrenched units, which looks a little odd to me.
A: Again, there is no "reserve" in a battle line. Thus, no units can be "screened." If a unit is present in the battle line (i.e., in that box where the battle is taking place and not currently routed), it can be freely chosen as a target by the firing player.
5.2.1 Entrenchment
Q: With the rules as written, it seems that the defender can choose which units, entrenched or unentrenched, can form his battle line. Is this correct?
A: No. The firing player always chooses his targets from among all the enemy pieces present in the battle (with possible exceptions when using the Like Battlefield Targets optional rule.) Thus, he could select entrenched or unentrenched units, or a combination of both. He could even opt to fire at a unit he has no possibility of hitting.
For example, a '2' value Militia Infantry unit fires at an entrenched enemy Crack Infantry unit (with its cumulative -2 die roll modifier when being shot at). Mathematically, of course, the attacking unit has no chance to hit its target. However, such a futile effort means that enemy unit has been attacked during that round; this is important because that might make it possible for other attacking units to select other targets more advantageously (possibly even 'ganging up' on some of them).
5.2.3 Rivers
Q: You could have some attacking units entering a battle by crossing a
river and others entering the same battle from a different square where they
would not have to cross a river right? So you would have to keep track of which
units to apply the modifier to and which units not to apply the modifier to,
correct?
A: Yes, you have to keep track of which units belonging to the player
whose game turn it is are 'river targets' and which are not. That's why you need a River / Naval Invasion Battle marker (see above). That way,
you could place it between the pieces that were and were not affected to keep
them separated.
Q: Does the river defense modifier apply to units reinforcing a battle?
If it does, do you count it for two battle rounds from the time it comes into
the battle, or two battle rounds from the time the battle started?
A: Yes, it applies to reinforcements, but it's only the first two rounds
of battle that are affected by a River / Naval Invasion battle modifier,
regardless of when any reinforcements might arrive. Thus, only the first
reinforcement for the defender, which could arrive (at the earliest on the
second round of battle) would receive this benefit.
7.0 Recruiting
Q: When does the cavalry come in the game? The Dutch rules book doesn't say anything about starting with cavalry at the start of the game, only that start with the militia cavalry in the Recruitment Pool.
A: Neither does the US rules book. Essentially, you have to keep getting that '1' militia cavalry unit recruited and then promoted. Once it is promoted to a '2' veteran unit, the '1' unit goes back into the recruitment pool and, thus, can be recruited again and added to the map as a new cavalry unit. Repeat this process to add more and more cavalry units. Remember, you get a 'free' promotion every turn, so using it on your militia cavalry will enlarge your cavalry arm.
Maximum Army Size
Q: If you lose a Recruitment City, does that also mean that your side's Maximum Army Size becomes smaller and/or your opponent's Maximum Army Size becomes larger?
A: Yes. That value should always reflect the current 'city count' for both sides. Make adjustments as every city changes ownership.
8.0 Drafts
Q: Is it allowed to start recruiting at the very start of the game? I mean, since The Union has already 12 militia in stock, this doesn't seem fair towards the Southern troops.
A: That would be unfair if it were true. The Union should NOT have 12 militia in the recruitment pool. Those 12 infantry units should be set aside. During each April turn of 1862, 3, and 4, four of them are added to their recruitment pool through the "Union Drafts" (8.0). All the Union should start with in its recruiting pool is the same thing the South has: one '1' militia cavalry unit.
9.0 Capturing Cities
Q: When do you use the flag markers? Only after you've won a battle? Or anytime you occupy an enemy city? And what happens to the flag when you leave the city after a while? Do you have to put a flag and a unit on a city you have just conquered?
A: Because there are so few flag pieces in the 3rd edition of the game, we only place them after all friendly troops leave a Box that has a different color than the troops leaving it. (While they're there, the troops themselves denote who controls the city, so you only need flags to remind you who controls it when those troops leave.) If the Box was only controlled by cavalry pieces, then no flag is left in its wake when they leave (e.g., the box reverts back to its original owner as indicated by its printed color on the map).
Q: Regarding cavalry and space control: Does space control revert to opponent (or back to neutral if applicable) at the moment the cavalry leaves the space, or at the end of that player turn? This may be important, for example if I plan to recruit in that city at the recruit step, but the cavalry has left.
A: Since "cavalry units alone (without infantry units) control a box only while they occupy it," the moment they no longer fulfill that condition (i.e., the instant they leave that box) it reverts back to the box's original color. So, if you want to recruit there, you'd have to have that cavalry unit stay in that box until your Recruitment step.
Advanced Game Rules
2.0 Supply Q:
Can an army that is surrounded and/or out of supply, promote a unit (either
as part of the free promotion per turn or even two units if, as the CSA, the player
rolls the die right)? A: Yes. Promotion
has nothing to do with supply. Q:
Can I trace supply from an enemy
recruitment city which is now under my control? A: Yes. Promotion
has nothing to do with supply. On his 'March to the Sea,' Sherman would be
tracking supplies from Union-controlled cities such as Chattanooga and Atlanta.
4.0 Containment Q: Can CSA units
reinforce costal defense battles against a Union naval invasions? If yes, does
costal defense count as a "unit" for the CSA battlefield limit on the command
table roll? A: Yes and yes. Q: Must Union units fight a containing force in order to leave a port
by naval transport? A: No, they may freely sail out.
5.0 Coastal Garrisons Q: If control of a space changes such
that the USA controls a port, but the Rebels manage to retake it, are the
coastal garrisons reinstated for future invasions or are they permanently
destroyed once taken? A: If it is once again a Confederate controlled box, they coastal
garrisons are reinstated there. The only time they don't exist is while the box
in question is not Confederate controlled.
8.1 Battlefield Morale Q:
A: Nothing. It will either recover morale that night (8.11) and rejoin the battle line (on its flipped side) where it can shoot and be shot at again, or just sit there doing you absolutely no good at all (but it can't be shot at anymore, at least) waiting for the battle to be decided.
After the battle is decided, all flipped pieces (on both sides) that survived that battle could be eliminated due to desertion/stragglers. By looking at the die roll modifiers, you'll see that routed units are more vulnerable to this process than flipped units that are still in the battle line (and not cowering back on the map with broken morale).
Q: What happens if it survives desertion after the battle, but is on the losing side? Does it retreat or is it eliminated?
A: If it is on the losing side and survives desertion, it is NOT eliminated; it retreats (along with any other survivors on the losing side).
Q: What does the phrase "considered eliminated for the purposes of winning or losing the battle" mean?
A: Well, rule 5.0 (Battles) says, "Battle rounds continue until one player wins the battle, either by eliminating the entire enemy army..." So, these routed units, although alive (but removed from the battle line back to the map box where the battle is taking place), are considered eliminated for the purposes of seeing if the battle has been won. In other words, if I rout your the last unit in your battle line, I win the battle. I didn't ELIMINATE them all (yet... there's still desertion to be rolled that might finish them off for me), but the fact that I routed the last of them and you have no more guys left on the battle line to fight means I win that battle.
8.2.2 Leaders and Battles Q:
Does a player use any Recruitment value to replace a lost leader or does that
leader return 'for free.'
A: The leader's return is "free."