‘61-‘65 is a fast play, Company-level American Civil War game based on the popular Song of Blades mechanics. Playable with 40-100 miniatures per side in less than two hours, ‘61-‘65 puts you in command of a Union or Confederate Company, with a Captain and several Lieutenants, Sergeants and Corporals. Send your skirmishers ahead, keep a tight formation and – wait to see the white of your enemy’s eyes before firing your volley!

Three scenarios included, one for each main period of the War (1861-62, 1863, 1864-65);
Simple rules that require decision making and encourage keeping a chain of command;
Playable in any scale, with single based models;
Profiles for Officers, NCOs, skirmishers and enlisted men for each major period;
Easy measuring system, no bookkeeping, minimal amount of markers;
Rules for multiplayer battles and for playing the game as a Song of Drums and Shakos variant with as few as 6 to 15 figures (SDS required);
Optional rules for Cavalry and Artillery;
Quick rules for setting up a table in pickup games;
Sgt. O’Reilly hints on play, formations, combat, and much more….

‘61-‘65 plays at company level, meaning that a player controls a company (98 men in the game) and one figure is one man. The models move and fight as units of 4-8 men each. Smaller games can be played (with about 50 figures per player) and of course with enough players, large tables, and plenty of time, you can play much larger actions!

Figures as independently based but we suggest using magnetic trays for rank and file to speed up movement. Command figures are on a separate stand containing a leader, a drummer and a flag-bearer.Other leaders are single-based. Skirmishers are represented by two single figures in front of a rank and file unit.

Confusion/disorder in units is represented by turning the disordered figures with their back to the enemy. As corporals rally them back in line, they can recover and be turned back to face the enemy. Casualties are represented by removing figures. Units with less than 4 figures run back to the player’s baseline and can be rallied later.

‘61-‘65 is 34 pages.
ALSO AVAILABLE IN ITALIAN.

Company Level Games
A company level game represents a “zoom out” on the battlefield compared to the typical skirmish game. 
It’s still detailed, because you can see the actions of single figures, but at the same time the focus shifts from the heroic actions of the single soldier to the way small bunches of men are coordinated by efficient leadership. ‘61-‘65 models this by bunching the figures in units of 4-8 men, and requiring an uninterrupted chain of command to receive leadership benefits.

Other Company Level Games
Playing at company level offers a new, exciting tactical challenge and can be seen as the natural “evolution” from skirmish rulesets. As the players buy and paint more models, the size of the battles can increase. The rules must skip some details or the game would be too slow. We will eventually release company level games for other periods and genres.

A Battle that could be represented by these rules
“Directly in front of our regiment and across the creek, which flows along the base of the mountain, is on level ground. At this point is situated a block-house and rifle-pits, the latter between the house and mountain, and both now held by rebel sharpshooters, who were continually picking off our canniers. General Geary, evidently contemplating an advance of his line, called for twenty volunteers from the Twenty-ninth (Ohio) regiment to dislodge these troublesome occupants of the block-house and rifle-pits. In response to this call two men from each company came quickly forward, and at once advanced across the creek and ravine. The rebels soon discovered the detachment; and opened fire upon it. Sergeant Griswold, of Company B, in command, rapidly advanced his men up the rise of open ground lying between him and the enemy, and with a rush amidst a perfect storm of bullets, closed on the rifle-pits, capturing all who remained in them.

We now approach the rear of the block-house and demand its surrender. The rebel lieutenant in command exclaimed from the window of the house: “You d-d yanks, take us if you can!” and immediately opened fire. The door of the house is soon battered down, and the rebels attempt to cuttheir way out. Finding themselves covered by nearly a score of rifles, aimed by determined men, all, with the exception of the rebel lieutenant and one other, threw down their arms and surrendered. The rebel officer fired on the captors and lost his life by his rashness. We now had a total of twenty-one prisoners. Several others were killed or badly wounded. The former were sent at once to the rear, and the little force deployed along the road to hold the position until reinforcements should arrive.”

From “Journal History of the Twenty-ninth Ohio Veteran Volunteers, 1861-1865” by John H. SeCheverell, 1883.

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