Scourge of War Boards

The CantCharge thing is meaningless because there is zero delay in changing formation. You just run in column right up the enemy, and then click line and click charge immediately.

In other words, it was rare for a Colonel to order his regiment to fix bayonet, charge, and the men fought hand to hand to the death.
BUT it did happen.

Little Powell wrote:

In other words, it was rare for a Colonel to order his regiment to fix bayonet, charge, and the men fought hand to hand to the death.
BUT it did happen.

I agree that is did happen. It's just that it was exceedingly rare that there was large scale hand to hand fighting. As Davinci said, most hand to hand fighting was between a few individuals not regimental or even company size scrums. It is so rare that the individuals that were bayoneted are commented upon in the OR. Nobody writes about individuals that are shot, unless they are an officer.

There are many reports of bayonet charges being ordered and carried out. However, they always end with one or both sides retreating, or the charging unit stopping and firing their weapons instead, (ala Irish Brigade at Bloody Lane).

This behavior is what is missing in SOW, no fear of doom. The game probably generates a reasonable number of charges. But every charge results in a melee. I think most agree now that that is unrealistic.

As for fixing the melee problem, it once again goes back to the need to increase the fatigue and morale malus of charging units and a morale check before a successful charge.

As for fixing the melee problem, it once again goes back to the need to increase the fatigue and morale malus of charging units and a morale check before a successful charge.

Four and a half months gone and no more comments, and no change in the game. Willard is absolutely correct - the way SoW models morale and cohesion and firepower is completely at variance with what the battle accounts inform us happened.

Meless should be EXTREMELY rare. "One per battle" is way too many. I gave up playing with the GCM group because certain players there use gamey, unrealistic, unhistorical tactics that get them easy wins. But that happens because the game code lets them do it. That is the issue.

Almost all attempts to make physical contact in SoW should fail, the rate should be that about 90% of attacks should stall. Of the 10% remaining, the defenders should fall back 5% of the time and the other 5% should result in a melee.



The autocharge rule is a horrible anachronism, it unbalances play and is a bane of frustration to me and other players in my group even having moved my MP gaming to a group that plays more historically. The game should NOT invoke an autocharge when units get close, it should invoke an AUTO-AVOID. Much closer to history and the ACW battlefield. Units should go to ground or stall yards apart and firefights should develop until one sides morale fails and it falls back.

The game should take its prime focus as morale. Morale and unit cohesion (the two are interwoven).

Please make some changes, SoW is a fantastic game but it has some glaring errors in it.