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A House Divided: War Between the States 1861-65
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Rules assistance for Battles of the American Civil War
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–8 players
- 240 min
- Complexity 2.5/5
Rules assistant for Battles of the American Civil War
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Battles of the American Civil War is an expansion for Volley & Bayonet released in 1995 for 2–8 players and 240 minutes per game. It was designed by Frank Chadwick and Greg Novak (I) and its main mechanics are Point to Point Movement, Simulation, and Measurement Movement.
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About the game
Battles of the American Civil War was the first expansion for the Volley & Bayonet "big battle" miniatures rules. While most of the rules for the American Civil War were given in the basic V&B rules, the BACW source book ties them together in a more cohesive set. The BACW book adds rules for multi-day battles and entrenchments, and adds a point system for constructing ad hoc balanced ACW battles. A strategic game (heavily based on GDW "House Divided" rules) is included, allowing players to play a campaign game if they so desire. Scenarios and orders of battle are included for: Second Manassas Antietam Brandy Station Gettysburg Third Winchester Shiloh Stone's River (Murfreesboro) Champion's Hill Chickamauga Franklin
Designers
Publishers
- Game Designers' Workshop (GDW Games)
Questions and answers
Battles of the American Civil War supports 2–8 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Battles of the American Civil War is 240 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
Battles of the American Civil War has a complexity rating of 2.5 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Battles of the American Civil War belongs to these categories: Wargame, Miniatures, and Expansion for Base-game. Its main mechanics are Point to Point Movement, Simulation, and Measurement Movement. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Battles of the American Civil War are: Frank Chadwick and Greg Novak (I). These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Battles of the American Civil War as an expansion for Volley & Bayonet. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Volley & Bayonet to use it. Check that your edition of Volley & Bayonet is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.