How to Play Death Battle!

1. Game Objective

Death Valley: Battles for the Shenandoah is a regimental-level simulation game of American Civil War battles. The objective is to command your forces within a system that emphasizes the importance of the chain of command, leader personality, and the tactical difficulties of maneuvering large contingents of troops in the heat of battle. Victory is achieved by fulfilling the specific conditions of each scenario, as detailed in the Battle Book for each battle.

2. Setup

To set up the game, follow these steps:

• Map: Use the map of the chosen battle, which uses a hexagonal grid to regulate movement and combat.
• Units: Separate the Infantry, Cavalry (Mounted or Dismounted), and Artillery units. Each unit has Combat Strength, Cohesion Rating, and Movement Allowance values.
• Leaders: Organize the leaders by level (Brigade, Division, Corps, and Army Commander).
• Markers: Separate the Activation Markers (AM), Efficiency Markers (EM), and other informational markers.
• Distribution: Each player receives their units and leaders according to the Initial Placement instructions for the scenario.
• Activation Pool: Place the AMs in an opaque container for drawing during the game.

3. Game Flow

The game is structured in turns, each representing approximately one hour of real time. The game sequence is:

1. Initiative Segment: Players roll a die to determine who holds the Initiative.
2. Orders Segment: The Chain of Command and corps Efficiency are determined, brigade Orders are changed, orders are given to reinforcements, reserves are positioned, and engineering is performed.
3. Activation Segment: The player with the Initiative chooses the first division to activate. Then, players draw AMs from the Pool to activate commands. During activation, units can perform Change of Orders, Brigade Coordination, and the Action Phase (Movement, Fire, Shock Assault, Rally, or Construction).
4. End of Turn Segment: Commander movement, replacement/recovery phase, Combat Effectiveness check, and turn marker advancement.

4. Actions and How to Play

Units operate under Orders (March, Advance, or Attack), which define what they can do:

• Movement: Expenditure of Movement Points (MPs) to move units between hexes.
• Fire: Use of small arms or cannons to inflict casualties. This can be Phasing Fire, Non-Phasing Fire, or Prepared Fire.
• Shock Assault: Hand-to-hand combat to dislodge the enemy. Requires specific prerequisites and die resolution.
• Rally: Used to recover Disordered or Routed units.
• Construction: Creation of Breastworks (trenches) for defense.

Units must be within the Command Range of their leaders to operate at maximum efficiency. Out of Command units suffer penalties to activation and changing orders.

5. End of Game and Scoring

The game ends according to the victory conditions stipulated in the Battle Book specific to each scenario. Scoring is based on territorial objectives, casualties inflicted on the enemy, and other criteria defined by the scenario. Consult the manual for details on this section.

6. Tips for Winning

• Maintain the Chain of Command: Out of Command units activate fewer times and have difficulty changing their Orders. Keep your leaders close to their brigades to ensure they respond promptly to your tactical needs.
• Manage Efficiency: Intelligent use of Efficiency Transfer allows you to concentrate activation power in a specific division for a decisive attack, sacrificing the activity of other less critical divisions at the moment.
• Pay Attention to Orders: Do not underestimate the restrictions of Orders. Attempting to perform an attack with a brigade under March Orders is impossible; plan the transition to Attack Orders in advance during the Division Orders Phase.