Pass Through Fire

Pass through fire is firing that occurs during the defensive fire phase when an enemy unit moves through the arc of fire of one of your units. The rules I use state the you should make a 'mental note' of where you would like to fire at that unit. I'm not big on 'mental notes' so I use props to remind me.

Example
A Confederate column begins its movement outside of the arc of fire of the Federal Battery.

During its movement the column passes through the artillery's arc of fire and end its movement once again outside of the arc.

Rather than trusting my memory and relying on 'mental notes', I place a marker at the spot I will be firing on the column during the defensive fire phase.

This works well for infantry firing defensive fire at a retreating enemy when you want your troops to fire before the enemy gets beyond short range.

Ongoing Projects

My first love was, and still is AWI, Revwar, The Revolution. I painted my first minifigs in 1972. 25mm.
Sadly they are long gone but in their place are Blue Moon 18s.
I began painting these about a year ago. The British are nearly complete, the Continentals are 80% there.
At this point I'm looking at rules trying to find the set that feels right for me. There are a lot out there.
British Grenadier looks good. The RF&F variant isn't bad but doesn't address Lt Infantry, Indians or Militia well enough and that's a problem. There are also a number of free rules online that could provide a basis for a home grown set. My ideal set would put an emphasis on leadership, moral and training.

Another ongoing project is my Baccus 6mm AWI as well as 6mm ACW. These were based for Polomos rules. Here's a sample:

6mm Union

6mm AWI

My most current project is ACW 15mm. The Battle of Kernstown.
I'll post some pictures once the armies are more organized.

Roads and Creeks

Here are a couple of quick ways to make roads and water.
In the first method I use 3Ms indoor/outdoor tread. It's 1" x 5 yards at about $9.

It has an adhesive bottom so it will stick to your gaming surface and follow contours nicely.
I like the texture and the look. Even unpainted, it looks like a road.

Rather than applying it directly to your gaming table, you can mount it on corkboard, balsawood or a number of other surfaces. In doing so you can add flocking to the edges of your roads & creeks.

Another method I use is paintable sealent. I spread it out on silpat, a flexible baking sheet, and let it harden overnight. The following day it's ready for painting and flocking.

Hope you found this helpful.

A little ground cover

Nothing says dull like a flat mono colored gaming table But it doesn't take much to change all that. Every real battlefield has a varying amount of trees, woodland, hills, rivers, roads, ponds, fences, walls, houses and so forth. The list is a long one but don't be daunted by it. Making your own terrain can be fun and a welcome break from painting those little men.
  Corduroy is perfect for plowed fields. Cut out the desired shape and simply glue it ( I use hot glue) to a base. Something as simple as cardboard. Add a perimeter of stonewalls or fences, a little foliage and you've got a nice little field.

Teddy bear fur works well as an open green field and really helps to break up the table.

Again I just glue it to a base, cardboard was used here and then add the finishing touches of fence and foilage.

Blue Moon's Ambulance Corp

Blue Moon makes a fine 15/18mm figure. Their ACW line brigades well with Old Glory
but they are a bit too large for other manufacturers. 
But when you have units that are away from the massed infantry a small difference in scale
is not readily noticeable. Such is the case of the BM Ambulance Corp which I will be using as
the Heavy Casualty marker in my RF&F games.

Surgeon on the left with his aides. Preacher and nurse on the right giving comfort

Close up of the doc at work