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Civil War OnLine
Rule Book
Last modified June 19,
2018
This document provides
the rules of the Civil War OnLine (CWOL) game. CWOL is
divided into four game modules. The first module, Rolling
of the Drums (ROTD), is the land warfare component of
CWOL. The second module, Wood, Iron, Steam, and Canvas
(WISC), is the naval warfare component of CWOL. The third
module, Specie, Loans, and Greenbacks (SLAG), is the
financial and economic component of CWOL. The fourth
module, Constituents, Legislation, and Policy (CLAP), is
the political component of CWOL. Each module has its own
rules, which are linked from this document. This document
contains the rules that apply to all four modules and
establish the framework in which each module is played.
1. Nations and
Players
1.1. CWOL is a game played between two
nations, the Union (or USA) and Confederacy (or CSA). Each
player in the game is assigned to one of the two nations.
1.2. Each side is composed of a number
of states and territories. Each player is a citizen of
exactly one state. Border states are part of both the Union
and the Confederacy. The states are:
- Union: Maine (ME), New Hampshire (NH), Vermont (VT),
Massachusetts (MA), Rhode Island (RI), Connecticut (CT),
New York (NY), New Jersey (NJ), Pennsylvania (PA),
Delaware (DE), Ohio (OH), Michigan (MI), Indiana (IN),
Illinois (IL), Wisconsin (WI), Minnesota (MN), Iowa
(IA), Kansas (KS), Nebraska Territory (NE), Dakota
Territory (DK)
- Border: Maryland (MD), Kentucky (KY), Missouri (MO)
- Confederate: Virginia (VA), North Carolina (NC), South
Carolina (SC), Georgia (GA), Florida (FL), Tennessee
(TN), Alabama (AL), Mississippi (MS), Arkansas (AR),
Louisiana (LA), Texas (TX)
Thus a player whose home state is (say) Indiana will
necessarily be assigned to the Union nation, and one whose
home state is (say) Georgia will be assigned to the
Confederate nation, but a player whose home state is
Kentucky could be assigned to either the Union or
Confederate nation.
1.3. The CWOL map contains cities and
ports. Each city has a primary loyalty to one side; to the
Union in the Northern states, to the Confederacy in the
Southern states, to one or the other side in the border
states varying from city to city. Those ports which are
also cities have the same primary loyalty as the city. Two
of the off-map ports which are not also cities have
primary loyalty to the Confederacy: Ship Island and Dry
Tortugas. The other off-map ports are in foreign countries
and do not have a primary loyalty to either side. Each
city, and the two off-map ports of Ship Island and Dry
Tortugas, are controlled by one side or the other; control
can change during the game. The other off-map ports are
not controlled by either side at any point in the game.
1.4. Each player in the game has both
a background and a political affiliation. The background
is either political or military; the political affiliation
is either Republican or War Democrat for Union players,
and either Confederate Nationalist or States Rights for
Confederate players. A player's background and political
affiliation are determined at game start, along with his
or her side and home state. The way in which different
events affect a player's score depend on that players
background and political affiliation; see section N below.
Players may not change backgrounds, political
affiliations, sides, or home states during the game.
1.5. Each player has a rank. All
players start at the rank of Brigadier General, and may
rise to the ranks of Major General, Lieutenant General, or
General during the game. They also have a naval rank; all
start at the rank of Captain, and can rise to Commodore or
Rear Admiral during the game. Some players also hold
political offices; see the CLAP rules for details.
2. Game
Sequence
2.1. CWOL is played
as a series of six campaigns: Fall/Winter 1861/62,
Spring/Summer 1862, Fall/Winter 1862/63, Spring/Summer
1863, Fall/Winter 1863/64, and Spring/Summer 1864. Each
season is divided into 12 turns. Normally turns will
be run twice a week. There will be a week's pause in the
game at the end of each campaign, and pauses for holidays
as necessary during the game. [More details on turn
schedules] A full game
normally takes at most 41 weeks of game time - six
campaigns of six weeks each plus five between-campaign
one-week pauses.
2.2. At the start of
each game there are three special turns; a regiment build
turn, a unit build turn, and a deployment turn. Each state
begins with a starting army and navy which is not as large
as the army and navy that side actually fielded in fall
1861, or can afford. On the regiment build turn, state
bloc governors can form regiments and batteries, units
can be reassigned and players can change their
passwords. Units can also be moved to
strategic squares where a side wants to build NBs on the
unit build turn (ask the GA for a manual move for this -
it is required that the NB build be performed if a unit is
moved.) On the unit
build turn, each state can use those regiments to build
additional units, and also build ships, headquarters
units, and pontoon bridge trains, to complete its starting
forces. Exception: RI, RG, RT, IC, and TR ships may not be
built on the build turn; only FR, SL, and GB types can be.
Also on the unit build turn, supplies and stores can be
purchased, units can be reassigned, players can change
their passwords, and units can be rebuilt and ships
recrewed (though this is usually not necessary). (At
the moment fortifications can be built but only to level
1. Changes may be needed here.) At the end of these two
turns, ministers receive updated ministry reports, but
position reports are not sent (actually they might be). On
the deployment turn, units can be moved according to the
deployment turn move rules, using the deployment
turn unit and ship orders forms. Also, units can
be reassigned and players can change their passwords,but
nothing more can be built. After the deployment turn, the
first game turn is scheduled as turn 1 of the Fall/Winter
1861/62 campaign.
3. Scoring for
Sides and Victory Conditions
3.1. Each
nation has a morale score that tracks the will of the nation
to continue the war. The score starts at 750 and varies
between 0 and 1000. Winning battles and taking cities causes
a nation's morale to rise; losing battles, losing cities,
and taking casualties (even in winning battles) causes a
nation's morale to fall. In addition, Confederate morale
rises by 1 point per turn and Union morale falls by 1.5
points per turn. (Other events can also cause national
morale to change (see the CLAP and SLAG rules for details).
If a nation's morale falls to 0, the game ends and that
nation loses.
3.2. There is also an international
opinion score that tracks the will of the European powers to
support the Confederacy. The score starts at 500 and varies
between 0 and 1000. If it rises to 1000, then the game ends
in a Confederate victory as the major European powers
recognize the Confederacy and enforce peace. The amount of
financial and economic assistance the Confederacy can get in
Europe also depends on the value of this score.
3.3. If the game does not end early,
then at the end of the sixth campaign, Spring/Summer 1864,
the North holds a Presidential election. If Union morale is
above 250 at the end of that campaign, then the Union wins;
if Union moral is below or exactly equal to 250, then the
Confederates win.
4. Scoring for
Players and Individual Standings
4.1. Each
player has a score that tracks his or her personal
accomplishments in the game. Players earn points for
commanding units that win battles and capture cities. They
lose points for commanding units that lose battles, lose
cities, and take casualties. Players who command army and
corps headquarters get points for the units that get supply
and communications from their headquarters units. Players
also get points for holding political ranks such as
Congressman and Governor, or for serving in the national
leadership. Other events can also cause a player's personal
score to change. Players with military backgrounds get more
points for military events, and players with political
backgrounds get more points for political events. Political
events affect different players differently depending on
their political affiliation. For example, emancipation
benefits Republican Union players but harms Democratic ones;
a Confederate draft benefits Nationalist players but harms
States Rights players. A chart showing the different events
that can affect individual player scores will be
forthcoming, and will be subject to change at the end of
CWOL8.
5. Player
Behavior
5.1. Each
player is expected to respond to email from the leadership
of his or her nation, and to officers whom the leadership
may appoint to command over him, in a timely and
responsive manner. Players who fail to do so may not
receive command of units or ships. Players are strongly
encouraged to notify their leaders if they must be
temporarily absent from the game, and should expect to be
temporarily replaced if they do not communicate with their
government for several days or longer.
5.2. All
players are expected to conduct themselves in a manner
which does not disrupt the game or reduce the ability of
other players to participate in the game. Disruptive and
obnoxious behavior will not be tolerated and will result
in removal from the game. Forging emails, or altering the
content of forwarded emails without acknowledgement of the
alterations, will normally result in removal from the
game.
5.3. Each
player is expected to serve his or her nation loyally. It
is against the rules of CWOL to purposefully act against
the interests of one's nation. Violation of this rule will
result in sanctions up to and including removal from the
game.
Module rules:
ROTD Rules - land warfare
module
WISC Rules - naval warfare
module
SLAG Rules - economics and
finance module
CLAP Rules - political module
Rules maintained by Stephen Schmidt: last modification
date at top of page
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