Rules in Action - Commander Attributes, Unit Upgrades, Commander Attribute Improvement

In Day One of THE WINTER WAR simulation, some of the rules and procedures came into effect.

Commander Attributes: A few new officers had to be represented in scenario files where there was contact.  For example, in the complete official order of battle, individual companies of Ashby's Cavalry appear under Lieutenant Colonel Turner Ashby. Ashby is the only officer to have commander attributes (initiative, loyalty, leadership, ability, style and quality) assigned. When a company (or group of companies) of Ashby's Cavalry goes into action without Ashby being on the field (e.g. at Romney), an officer is needed in the order of battle file and is assigned commander attributes. These are randomly assigned each time an new officer is needed and affect performance under AI (and all skirmishes are under AI).

After an engagement, officers are eligible for upgrades of the commander attributes. A die is randomly rolled for each commander attribute of commanders who were engaged during the day. Anytime the roll of the die is higher than a command attribute, the attribute is increased by a value of 1.  (The only exception to this is style, which is considered innate to the commander and does not change.)

Casualties: There were approximately 20 casualties in the skirmish at Kern's Farm (Romney) on Day 1. These have been deducted from the strengths of their respective units and will not appear in the order of battle for Day 2.

Ammunition: Ammunition expended has been deducted from the ammunition carried by the men. All units engaged in Day 1 were cavalry, who do not have an ordnance wagon with them. They will have reduced ammunition on Day 2. (Men used between 3 and 10 rounds each in the skirmish.)  If infantry or artillery had engaged, the men would have been resupplied at night from their brigade or battery ordnance wagons.

Unit Quality: THE WINTER WAR unit quality system starts with a unit quality based roughly on each unit's service in 1861. As units engage, quality is upgraded based on cumulative grades registered in the game during engagements.

All of these rules have been applied in creating the order of battle for Day 2 of simulation. Some officers have gained experience. One unit has also moved to a higher level of unit quality, demonstrating that even a small skirmish can improve the quality of units on the field (although at the cost of some unit strength).