1862 War in Virginia
1862 War in Virginia Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Introduction
1862 War in Virginia is a solitaire game on the Civil War campaigns in Virginia. You take the role of the Confederates against a Union Artificial Intelligence (AI) player to determine the outcome of the Civil War in 1862.
Game Board
On the map, there are four tracks that have advancement routes to Richmond with locations along the routes. Two of the tracks have routes that connect Washington and Richmond. Locations are circles and fortified locations are pentagons. Confederate and Union armies attempt to advance into and occupy opposing locations by attacking opposing army markers defending the location.
The map has a box for Confederate play reserve attacks which are markers placed in the box. There is also a space for showing that the Confederate ironclad Merrimac is in play: the ship marker is placed in the space.
The game board shows tables used for game play.
Game Components
Game markers represent armies, leaders, game trackers, etc.
Union Army Markers: Each Union army is named for the track it is on and has a value that is its battle rating. This rating value must be exceeded to push back any advancing Union army when attacked by the Confederate player. Union army markers have 2 values, a high one on the front side and a lower value on the back. Conditions can change which value is in play, but all start at their highest value.
Confederate Army Markers: The Confederate army markers are named for each track but they do not have a rating value. They are used to show the position on the track where the armies face each other. They attack Union army markers on their tracks.
Leaders: Union and Confederate Leaders are a limited number of markers and their DRM can vary. They are placed with the army marker on a track. They combine their DRM value with armies when attacking an opposing marker in a town or advancing.
Confederate Reserve Markers: These markers are used by the Confederate player to make additional attacks beyond those received by Action Cards. They are also used to transfer the R. E. Lee leader marker between Confederate army markers.
Confederate Merrimac Marker: This represents the ironclad Merrimac near the James River. It affects Union advances along the James track if it is in play.
Action Cards: There are 28 cards in the deck. Each turn one is drawn and revealed. They are used for events, to show Union advances, provide the Confederate player with a limited number of attacks and provide the historical background.
A six sided die is used to determine outcomes/choices and results.
Set Up
The Confederate army markers start in the following locations: Valley in Winchester, Overland in Manassas, Peninsula in Yorktown, and James in Norfolk.
The Union army markers start as follows with their highest value in play: Valley in Harpers Ferry, Overland in Manassas, Peninsula in Ft. Monroe and James in Ronake Island.
Place the McClennan marker with the Pensula army marker in Ft. Monroe.
Place the Merrimac marker in play in the Hampton Roads box.
Place 2 Confederate reserve markers in the reserves box.
Place all other markers (Lee, reserves, etc.) beside the game board. They may enter play later in the game.
Shuffle the deck of Action cards and place face down in the Action cards space on the game board. Remove the top 4 cards without looking at them and set them aside. They may or may not enter play later in the game. You are now ready to begin play.
Sequence of Play Each Turn
- Reveal the top Action card from the draw deck.
- Implement any event and special instructions from the Action card.
- Advance Union armies indicated on the Action card.
- The Confederate player uses the number of attacks provided by Action card.
- Place the Action card face down in the discard pile and repeat steps 1-5.
Playing Action Cards
Each Action card played from the play deck represents a turn as it is revealed and the actions on it are resolved. The actions usually state an event and lists Union advances for the turn. It may have special instructions. It also provides a number of attacks available for the Confederate player to use in that turn. The effects of action cards are generally applied in the turn played.
The Action card instructions are played/applied in the sequence they are listed on the card. That is: Events first, Union advances second, and Confederate attacks last. Any special instructions are applied as they are stated.
Action card advances and retreats are 1 location unless stated otherwise. Action card instructions may override game rules.
Resolving Events
Events on Action Cards are usually applied first before any Union advances or Confederate attacks. Some events are conditional and may or may not be played depending on the conditions at the time of play. Some events provide special rules that are in effect for the turn the card is in play. They may override game rules.
Resolving Union Advances
The Action Card will state which, if any, Union army advances for the turn. Union army advances are mostly automatic except when advancing into Richmond or when the Merrimac is in play.
If the Action Card states that a Union army advances it moves one location closer to Richmond on its track, and the Confederate army that was in the location retreats one location. Some Action Cards require a die roll to see if the Union army advances, based on the die roll results and the Union army rating. If the Union army fails to advance it remains in place and the opposing Confederate army on the track remains in place. Other Action Cards may call for the Union army to advance when certain conditions are met.
Union advances into Richmond: When a Union army front marker is adjacent to Richmond and an Action Card states that it advances, the advance is not automatic. The advancing Union army front marker must roll a die to see if it advances into Richmond. The die roll result, applying any DRMs, must be equal or less than the advancing Union army marker value.
Example: The Union Peninsula army marker is adjacent to Richmond with McClennan attached to it which provides a +1 DRM. The Union Peninsula army is rated at 3. It must roll a 4 (Army value 3 + McClennan 1 DRM = 4) or lower to advance into Richmond. If it rolls a 5 or 6 it does not advance and remains in place.
If the Merrimac is in play, all Union advances along the Southside front by the Union army marker are NOT automatic even if the Action Card states this. Instead, a die is rolled, applying any DRMs, and the result must be equal or less than the value of the Union army Southside marker for it to advance.
Some Action Cards call for an automatic Union army retreat. When that occurs move the Union army back one space on the track towards Washington on the Valley and Overland tracks or towards Ft. Monroe on the Pensula track or Roanake Island on the James track.
McClennan Leader marker: It is always placed with a Union army marker on a front and advances and retreats with the army marker. When in place it provides a +1 DRM to the value of the Union army marker it is with. It has no affect on automatic advances. Some cards may transfer it between fronts depending on select conditions.
Example: The McClennan marker is with a Union army rated at a 2 value. This increases the value to a 3 (+1 for McClennan plus the Union army value of 2 = 3). Any Confederate attacks against that Union army marker must roll a 4 or higher to cause it to retreat. Conversely if that Union army is advancing but is required to roll a die to advance, a die roll of 3 or less is required for the Union army marker to advance.
Resolving Confederate Player Attacks
Confederate attacks cannot be saved from turn to turn. Use them or lose them. Confederate attacks are completed AFTER the action card event(s) are implemented and Union advances are resolved.
Confederate attacks on opposing Union army markers in locations on front tracks result in a Confederate advance or no result. The attacking Confederate player rolls 1 die and compares the result, after applying DRMs, to the Union Army marker rating value. If the die roll result exceeds the Union army marker rating value the attacking Confederate player marker(s) on the track advance into the location and the Union defending marker(s) retreat 1 location. Otherwise there is no result and the attacking Confederate markers and defending Union markers remain in place.
Confederate attacks on Washington: When a Union army front marker from the Valley and/or the Overland front are forced to retreat into Washington, the Union army front marker can no longer be attacked. Instead, the Confederate player must attack the defense value of Washington itself. It is a 6 which means only a 6 attack die roll, modified to a 7, can advance a Confederate army marker into Washington, which wins them the game automatically.
Confederate Reserve Attack Markers in the Reserve Box can be used to make additional attacks in a turn beyond those received by the Action Card. To use them the Confederate player removes one marker from the Reserve box and performs an attack on a Union army marker in a location. The Confederate player can use any and all Reserve Attack markers available for a turn. The Reserve Attacks can be used against the same location or multiple locations depending on the number available. The markers used are placed off the game board. They may not be used again unless returned to the Reserve Box by an Action Card.
Confederate attacks on the Union army markers in Ft. Monroe and Roanake Island are not allowed.
Confederate attacks on fortified locations on tracks apply a -1 DRM to the die roll result.
DRMs applied to Confederate attacks are cumulative.
Example: A Confederate attack on the Union army marker at Falmouth applies a -1 DRM. The Action Card played states that Confederate attacks this turn apply a -1 DRM. An attack on the Union army marker at Falmouth would apply a -2 DRM to the attack die roll.
R. E. Lee Leader marker: The R.E. Lee comes into play by an Action Card. When in play it may be placed with any Confederate army marker. It provides a +1 DRM to each Confederate attack by the army marker it is with. It may be transferred to any Confederate army marker for the expenditure of 1 Confederate reserve marker and the transfer occurs at the beginning of the Confederate attack phase.
Anytime the Confederate Valley army is in Harper's Ferry or South Mountain flip the Union Overland army from a 3 rating to a 2 rating. Once the Confederate Valley army is south of Harper's Ferry the Union Overland army flips from a 2 rating to a 3 rating.
Anytime a Union army is adjacent to Richmond, the Confederate player may not attack locations north of Winchester on the Valley track or Falmouth on the Overland track.
How to Win
The Confederate player wins the instant he is able to enter Washington with a Confederate army before the game ends. Otherwise he can achieve a draw if the Union side does not enter Richmond by the end of the game. The Confederate player loses and the Union side wins the instant a Union army enters Richmond before the game ends.
The game ends when the last card is played from the draw deck.
Key Game Concepts
- Leaders and army markers on the same track must attack, advance and retreat together.
- Any time an event or Union advance causes a retreat of Confederate player markers, the Union markers advance into the vacated location.
- Confederate armies attack adjacent Union armies on tracks to push them back. Roll 1 die and if the die roll result, applying any DRMs, exceeds the Union army value being attacked, it retreats one space and the Confederate army advances one space on the front.
- The McClennan and R.E. Lee markers are not applied to die rolls for battle results on Action "Battle" cards (Seven Days Battles, Valley Battles, etc.). However, they do apply for the attacks and advances on those cards.
- Advances and retreats are 1 location unless stated otherwise.