Charge! Issues 3-4

Since I’ve only just now started subscribing to Charge!: The Official Newsletter of the Johnny Reb Gaming Society, I’ll be reviewing the first two years of the newsletter two issues at a time in a similar format to my reviews of North & South, Blue & Gray, America’s Civil War, and Civil War Times Illustrated. Back issues of Charge! cost $5.00 plus $1.00 shipping per issue. The newsletter comes spiral-bound (think Kinkos here), and is usually around 20 pages long. Many of the maps and illustrations are in color. Typical articles include scenarios for Johnny Reb, painting figures, creating terrain, special rules for certain out of the ordinary situations, and historical pieces on a unit or battle.

Charge! Issue 3

Page 1
Trivia Answers for Issue #2 Trivia
The trivia answers from Issue #2 are reprinted here.
Page 2
Ask John Hill!
In this section, Johnny Reb creator John Hill responds
to gamer questions to clarify rules.
Page 3
JRIII for Beginners or “JR Newbie Survival 101”
by Doug Rogers
Getting gamers new to these rules (or any miniatures rules
for that matter) sometimes involves a learning curve. In this article
Doug goes over some ways to get new gamers involved, keep them interested,
and ensure that they will stick around for the long haul.

Page 4
Johnny Reb III Basing by Gary Sapp
Page 4 contains a chart by Gary Sapp which shows gamers how to base
different-sized regiments. Regardless of size, each regiment up to 610
men uses 4 stands with various figures per stand. The chart shows succinctly
how many figures per stand should be used. As I start out in JRIII, I’m
sure I’ll be referring to it periodically.
Page 5
Wilson’s Creek: August 10, 1861, Missouri by Scot Gore
This scenario was designed specifically with JRIII in mind. In it,
Scot covers the smallish early-war engagement at Wilson’s Creek. Although
Lyon lost the battle, he saved Missouri from Confederate control. The
scenario contains some interesting rules on Confederate troop activation
(they were surprised in camp when the battle started). Infantry armed
with shotguns are not covered in the core JRIII rule book, so Scot created
an entry for this weapon as well. The map is 5×10 feet, but looks rather
easy to set up.
Page 10
Designing Your Own Scenarios by Scott Mingus, Sr.
Award-winning scenario designer Scott Mingus gives 11 tips for creating
your own. He also points the reader to some good web sites for research.
Page 11
Scratchbuilding Fences And Stone Walls by Daniel Erdman
Daniel Erdman takes the reader through the steps necessary to scratchbuild
worm fences, post and rail fences, and stone walls.
Page 13
Hood at Atlanta: Background by George Anderson
In preparation for a series of scenarios covering Hood’s attacks on
Sherman around Atlanta, George Anderson describes the events leading up
to the Battle of Peachtree Creek.
Page 16
Hood at Atlanta: Peachtree Creek by George Anderson
This scenario is the first in a series of three covering Hood’s fights
with Sherman at Peachtree Creek, Bald Hill (Atlanta), and Ezra Church.
This scenario appears to be written with JR2 in mind, but it looks easily
adaptable to any miniatures rules. Anderson writes a nice background of
the battle. One thing I don’t like as much is that pretty much every regiment
is marked as “average”. It gives the scenario a more generic
feel than I’m comfortable with. The map is well-designed and measures
5×7 feet. This is a larger scenario, so I’d recommend it mainly for veteran
miniatures gamers.
Page 22
The Napoleon by Philip M. Cole
Licensed battlefield guide Phil Cole talks about the ubiquitous Napoleon,
the 12-lb. “gun-howitzer” used so often during the war. The
Napoleon was a smoothbore gun, so it wasn’t as effective as rifled cannon
at long ranges. Where the Napoleon did its damage was close in, essentially
acting as a giant shotgun.
Page 25
Artillery Tables for JR3 & Ask John Hill Artillery Questions
The artillery tables for JR3 are printed on this page, along with some
artillery-specific questions for JR3 designer John Hill.
Page 27
Splashing to Glory: Streams and Rivers, and Their Effect on Civil
War Battles by Doug Kline
Doug Kline, owner of Battlefield
Terrain Concepts
, talks about rivers and streams and the effects they
cause on a Civil War battlefield. He goes on to give the reader ideas
on how to realistically model waterways on the gaming table.
Addendum
15MM ACW Barn by David Glenn Jr.
At the end of the issue there are two identical templates for model
15mm barns by David Glenn, Jr. These would make a nice addition to anyone’s
battlefield.

Charge! Issue 4

Page 1
From The Editor’s Desk by Scott Mingus, Sr.
Scott discusses the resurgence of miniatures gaming in the Gettysburg
area in his editorial.
Page 2
Ask John Hill!
In this section, Johnny Reb creator John Hill responds
to gamer questions to clarify rules.
Page 3
Hood at Atlanta: The Battle of Atlanta by George Anderson
In the second part of a three-part series, George Anderson covers the
Battle of Atlanta in a scenario designed mainly for Johnny Reb. Anderson
has an excellent historical introduction to the scenario. This is a rather
large scenario and probably shouldn’t be attempted by new players. The
map is 5×7 feet.
Page 9
Morgan’s Raid by Scott Mingus, Sr.
Scott Mingus writes a background article on John Hunt Morgan’s raid
into Indiana in 1863. Morgan ended up getting captured on July 26, 1863
in New Lisbon, Ohio.
Page 11
Corydon: July 9, 1863, Indiana updated by Scott Mingus, Sr.
This scenario article covers the small Battle of Corydon, where members
of the Indiana state militia ambushed Morgan’s men. The scenario is very
small, with a brigade on each side and only a 3×3 foot map. This one looks
good for beginners. It originally appeared in the Johnny Reb scenario
booklet and has been updated by Scott.
Page 13
Buffington Island: July 19, 1863, Portland, Ohio updated by Scott
Mingus, Sr.
Scott updated this scenario depicting a portion of Morgan’s Raid as
well. It originally appeared in “A Clash of Sabers”, which is
one of many scenario booklets for ACW miniatures gamers written by Ryan
Toews and George Anderson. This is a medium sized scenario with some naval
units involved on a 4×7 foot map.
Page 16
The Sutler’s Corner: Product Review
In this section, the editors review products associated with miniatures
gaming. In this particular issue, Sanath Fernando’s painted miniatures
are covered. Sanath, based in Sri Lanka, has a website at www.miniaturelovers.com.
Page 16
Bonus Ask John Hill!
In this bonus section, Johnny Reb creator John Hill responds
to gamer questions to clarify rules.
Page 17
Early’s Attack on East Cemetery Hill: July 2, 1863: After-Action
Report by Doug Rogers
Doug Rogers writes an interesting AAR describing the action in this
scenario, which originally appeared in Scott Mingus’ Enduring Valor:
Gettysburg in Miniature Vol. 2
. The game was played on May 15, 2004
and was sponsored by the North Coast Historical Wargamers of Lake County,
Ohio.
Page 19
JR3 – Ground Scale Conversion Chart
This handy chart takes real-world distances in inches and feet and
converts them to Johnny Reb scale yards, feet, and miles.
Page 20
Digging for Protection: Hasty Entrenchments in the ACW by Doug
Kline
Terrain guru Doug Kline handles a discussion of hasty entrenchments
during the war including their effect on defense and attack. He follows
this up with a specific discussion of hasty works in JR3 games.
Page 23
Modeling Roads for Your Miniature Battlefield by Burkhard Schulze
Burkhard discusses techniques for modeling realistic looking roads
in ACW miniatures gaming.

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