Turn 3 Over

Turn 3 is over. Reports should be out this week. Turn 4 (the last turn in the 1st month of the campaign) will be in September. Game play will be the same as Turn 3. After Turn 4, players will be able to apply the resources they earned in July 1861 to build-up their forces.

There will be a few additional rule changes in play starting after Turn 4:

• Simulation Balance: The simulation started with some differentiation in units available to the armies. After Turn 4, the simulation will be balanced with the same units, weapons and support available to each army.
• Simplification: Some features (and units) will be eliminated from the options for August 1861. (e.g. Heavy Artillery, Fortifications and several other items will not appear on the "menu" of options available for August 1861). Some of these may be added back later if the simulation continues.
• Cost Reductions: Many features will have reduced costs in resource points for August 1861.
• Railroad Guards: Regiments can be designated railroad / guards for a period of one month. The must stay on the railroad lines, but can be broken up into detachments and will have added movement features. 
• Supply Lines: The rules instituted in Turn 2 will remain in effect
• Objectives and Points: The rules instituted in Turn 2 will remain in effect
• Detachments: With the exception of any railroad guards, the rules instituted in Turn 2 will remain in effect. (Cavalry can still be detached by battalion, artillery by section, infantry cannot have detachments unless assigned as railroad guards.)
• Warning of River Conditions: Players will be informed of the river levels before they issue orders for the next turn. A weather module is used and the river levels were normal in Turns 1 and 2, low in Turn 3, and will be normal in Turn 4. There have been no problems fording the river and none are expected in Turn 4.

New rules will not take effect until after Turn 4. Although new units and support cannot be called up until after Turn 4, a list of the revised options available and resources costs will be provided with the Turn 3 reports in the event that players want to start planning how they will develop their armies. 

As another note, quality upgrades will be applied after Turn 4. All units that were present on the field in July 1861 will have a minimum quality/experience of "trained" (1) in August. Some units may have attained a higher level based on cumulative grades. Quality/Experience levels are applied across entire regiments (cavalry and infantry) based on the cumulative grade of the regiment, rather than by individual battalions. Artillery quality/experience is assigned by individual gun crew based on its cumulative grade

New units arriving in August 1861 will have a quality of "green" (0), unless they receive training.

Speaking of training.... the artillery has been highly ineffective at long range so far. Target practice would give increased accuracy, up to a +2 increase.  It is something to think about.  Likewise, infantry and cavalry target practice would give a +1 in accuracy.  When two regiments or battalions of equal size fight each other, it has been extremely close as to which unit with withdraw based on casualty thresholds. A +1 accuracy bonus and an added loading bonus might be a big enough difference to inflict casualties at a higher rate than a unit of the same type and size.