From: Sam Pullen <spullen@relgyro.Stanford.EDU>
Subject: Foraging and Rail Cutting in GDW's A HOUSE DIVIDED

	Recently, I have been reading James McPherson's well-known one-volume
history of the Civil War era, "Battle Cry of Freedom", and it has
re-awakened my interest in GDW's strategic game on the war, "A House
Divided", which I played rather frequently years ago.  One thing that
strikes me about McPherson's description of the campaigns of the Civil War
is the degree to which supply considerations influenced the decisions made
by both sides, and this is something I think should be more directly
represented in the game.

	Alan Emrich's 2nd edition designers notes on the Internet
(http://members.aol.com/AlanEmrich/ahd2note.htm) mention that he more or
less removed or de-emphasized the supply (particularly foraging) and rail
cutting rules that were in the 1st edition of the game.  I played the 1st
edition but can no longer find my copy (I still have the 2nd edition), so I
don't recall exactly what these rules were.

	Can someone who still has a copy of the 1st edition rules remind me how
the original rules for foraging and cavalry rail-cutting read?  I vaguely
recall what they were, and here would be my off-the-cuff suggestion for the
way these rules might read:

FORAGING:   Units (and stacks) that cannot trace a supply line can remain
in supply by foraging in their current location box.  Each box on the board
may be foraged for a maximum of three (3) turns (i.e., 3 months, which do
not have to be consecutive) before being exhausted.  Use markers with
"FORAGE-1", "FORAGE-2", and "EXHAUSTED" to indicate the status of boxes
that have been foraged (no marker means no foraging has taken place).  All
forage markers are removed from the map at the end of the October turn of
each year (to model the yearly harvest, which replenishes the food supply).

Optional Rule:   Union units cannot forage at all in 1861 game turns.  In
1862, Union units cannot forage in boxes with FORAGE-2 markers.  No Union
foraging restrictions apply after 1862.

CUTTING RAIL LINES: During the movement phase, cavalry units may cut one
rail line that connects to each box through which the cavalry unit moves
(use rail-cut markers to indicate which line is cut).  Cavalry units which
do not move can still cut one line that leads to the box they are in
without expending any marches.  Rail lines that are cut cannot be used to
trace a supply line.  They can be used as a road for movement, but the road
movement rate is halved in this case.  

	Rail lines in the 'friendly' territory of a given side can be repaired at
no cost at the very end of each turn if that side desires (after all supply
determination is done).  Cut rail lines in 'enemy' territory can only be
repaired by having one infantry unit move adjacent to the cut rail line or
start adjacent to the cut rail line and expend a march in place.  In this
case, the repair takes effect after all movement by that side is completed.

	Some of the provisions above may be too convoluted for this game, which
emphasizes simplicity.  I would like to compare these to the actual 1st
edition rules.  Any thoughts?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Sam Pullen                                        Hansen Labs / GP-B    -
- Research Associate                                Stanford University   -
- Aero/Astronautics                                 Stanford, CA. 94305   -
- e-mail:            spullen@relgyro.stanford.edu                         -
- office phone:      (650) 723-8116                 FAX:  (650) 725-8312  -
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