Over the last few years our local club, the Trowbridge Irregulars, have become converts to the 'Fire and Fury' rules for the American Civil War. This was due mainly to the appeal of the Adler Miniatures 6mm (or should we say 8mm?) ACW range, whose figures look (in our opinion) so much better than 15mm when used with the 'Fire and Fury' basing system, and the series of small ACW battles published in Wargames Illustrated over the last couple of years. However, as the stock of available scenarios was expended I turned to alternative sources for small scenarios suitable for an enjoyable game to fill an afternoon or evening.
One of our favourite Wargames Illustrated scenarios was published in Issue 65, was written by Mark Dudley, and covered Spring Hill. Mark had based his article on a scenario written for John Hill's 'Johnny Reb' rules which was published in the scenario book 'To The Sound Of The Guns'. I decided to take the process further by analysing the scales and troop descriptions used in both sets of rules in order to devise a method of readily converting 'Johnny Reb' scenarios (of which there have been many published in the wargames press) to 'Fire and Fury' using the 200 and 150 Scales as described on page 10 of the rules. The example included with this article is based on the 200 Scale - conversion to the 150 Scale is just as simple.
My analysis started with a comparison between the Spring Hill scenario in Wargames Illustrated and the scenario in 'To The Sound Of The Guns'. This was followed up by a direct comparison of 'Fire and Fury' and 'Johnny Reb' to confirm the conversion procedure, and to resolve several minor anomalies in the selection of troop and leader qualities.
The result is a quick and simple method by which a short scenario can be developed. To show just how easy it is I will illustrate the point by taking one of scenarios presented in the 'Johnny Reb' rules and converting it to 'Fire and Fury'.
Conversion Factors
1. Infantry and Cavalry
For each brigade total the number of figures and divide by 10. This gives the number of stands in an 'Fire and Fury' brigade when using the 200 Scale. For the 150 Scale divide by 7.5.
All brigades are considered to be veteran unless more than half their figures under the 'Johnny Reb' system are 'Elite', in which case the Brigade is considered to be Crack. Conversely, if more than half their figures are 'green' under the 'Johnny Reb' system the brigade is considered to be 'Green' under the 'Fire and Fury' system.
2. Artillery.
Add the number of Sections making up all batteries allocated to a Division or Corps reserve. Divide by 4 to get the number of 'Fire and Fury' Batteries in the 200 Scale. Divide by 3 if using the 150 Scale. Fractions of 2 (or 3 sections if using the 200 Scale) can be represented by damaged batteries, or can be grouped with other 'leftovers' to form complete batteries. 'Johnny Reb' features 'average' and 'elite' batteries, but 'Fire and Fury' does not differentiate between grades of artillery - when converting between systems ignore the quality of the battery.
3. Leaders
Benefit 2 leaders are considered to be 'E' leaders, benefit 1 leaders are considered to be normal. (This does not fit exactly with the scenario in WI65 but the definitions in this scenario do not seem to conform to any logical system and thus the alternative above is suggested).
4. Table Size
'Johnny Reb' ground scale is 1" to 40 yards. 'Fire and Fury' ground scale for the 200 Scale is 1" to 60 yards. 'Fire and Fury' tables using this scale should generally be 2/3 the size of the 'Johnny Reb' equivalent,(a 6' by 4' table becoming a 4' by 2' 8" table) but slightly larger tables are acceptable, e.g. 5' by 3' in this example. 'Fire and Fury' ground scale for the 150 Scale is 1" to 45 yards, so maps for the original scenarios can be used without having to be scaled down.
5. Time
One turn in 'Johnny Reb' equals 15 minutes. One turn in 'Fire and Fury' equals half an hour. Simply halve the number of turns to convert from the former to the latter. Where events are timed to occur on odd turns, the exact turn of entry is decided by the referee, or could be decided randomly. For example, a 'Johnny Reb' scenario calls for a brigade to arrive on turn 7. In 'Fire and Fury' terms the organiser could have the brigade entering on turn 3 or 4, or could make the entry time random (e.g. rolling a d6, it enters on turn 3 if the roll is 1 to 3, or turn 4 if the roll is 4 to 6).
Summary:
| Troop Type | Conversion (200 Scale) | Conversion (150 Scale) | Quality, Notes etc. |
| Infantry, Cavalry | 'Johnny Reb' figures/10 | 'Johnny Reb' figures/7.5 | > half Elite = Crack > half green = Green otherwise Veteran |
| Leaders | 1 per Corps, Brigade, Division, etc. | Benefit 2 = Elite Benefit 1 = Normal | |
| Batteries | 'Johnny Reb' Sections / 4 | 'Johnny Reb' Sections / 3 | Fractions > 0.25 become damaged batteries |
| Ground Scale | Multiply by 2/3 | Unchanged | Round up to nearest foot, possibly expand by 1 foot. |
| Time | Halved | Odd turns rounded as desired by the organiser, or choose randomly between possible turns. | |
Worked Example: The Battle of Lynchburg, Virginia, June 18th 1864. (200 Scale)
The Union force as described in "To The Soujnd of the Guns" is as follows:
Army of West Virginia
Maj. Gen. David Hunter , benefit 1, points 5
1st Division
Brig. Gen Sullivan, benefit 1, points 3
1st Brigade
Col. Augustus Moor, benefit 1, points 2
3 regiments, 25 figures each, rifle musket, average
2 regiments, 25 figures each, rifle musket, green
(a total of 125 figures, 60% average, 40% green)
2nd Brigade
Col. Joseph Thoburn, benefit 1, points 2
3 regiments, 25 figures each, rifle musket, average
(a total of 75 figures, 100% average)
2nd Division (elements)
Brig. Gen Crook, benefit 1, points 3
1st Brigade - arrives Turn 3
Col. Hayes, benefit 1, points 2
4 regiments, 25 figures each, rifle musket, average
(a total of 100 figures, 100% average)
Independent
2 regiments, 25 figures each, rifle musket, green
(a total of 50 figures, 100% green)
Artillery
Battery: 3 sections, 12 pounder Napoleon, average
Battery: 1 section 24 pounder howitzer, average
1 section, 20 pounder Parrott, average
Battery: 3 sections, 12 pounder Napoleon, average
Battery: 3 sections, 3-inch rifle, elite
(a total of 11 sections)
The Union force, translated into 'Fire and Fury' terms for the 200 Scale, is as follows:
Army of West Virginia
Maj. Gen. Hunter 1 Leader
1st Division
Brig. Gen Sullivan 1 Leader
Moor's Brigade 12/9/6
Thoburn's Brigade 8/6/4
2nd Division (elements)
Brig. Gen Crook 1 Leader
Hayes' Brigade 10/8/5 *enters Turn 1
Independent 5/4/3
Artillery
2 Batteries
Similarly, the Confederate force according to 'Johnny Reb' is as follows:
Advance elements of 2nd Corps
Lt. Gen Jubal Early, benefit 2, points 5
Ramseur's Division
Maj. Gen. S. Ramseur, benefit 1, points 3
Johnston's Brigade
3 Regiments, 20 figures each, rifle-musket, average
(a total of 60 figures, 100% average)
Lilley's Brigade
3 Regiments, 20 figures each, rifle-musket, average
(a total of 60 figures, 100% average)
Lewis' Brigade
2 Regiments, 20 figures each, rifle-musket, average
(a total of 40 figures, 100% average)
Gordon's Division
Maj. Gen. John B Gordon, benefit 2, points 3
York's Brigade
3 Regiments, 20 figures each, rifle-musket, average
(a total of 60 figures, 100% average)
Evan's Brigade - enters Turn 2
2 Regiments, 20 figures each, rifle-musket, average
(a total of 40 figures, 100% average)
Artillery
Battery: 2 sections, 3-inch rifle, average.
Battery: 2 sections, 12-pounder howitzer, average.
Battery: 3 sections, 12-pounder Napoleon, average.
(a total of 7 sections)
In 'Fire and Fury' terms using the 200 Scale this force becomes:
Advance elements of 2nd Corps
Lt. Gen Early 1 Leader E
Ramseur's Division
Maj. Gen. Ramseur 1 Leader
Johnston's Brigade 6/5/3
Lilley's Brigade 6/5/3
Lewis' Brigade 4/3/2
Gordon's Division
Maj. Gen. Gordon 1 Leader E
York's Brigade 6/5/3
Evan's Brigade 4/3/2 *roll a d6; 1-3 enters Turn 1, 4-6 enters Turn 2
Artillery
2 Batteries, one marked as a damaged battery.
Table Size
The table used for the 'Johnny Reb' scenario is 8' by 4'. Multiplied by 2/3 gives a size of 5'4" by 2'8". This can be rounded up to 6' by 3'.