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Shiloh was a confused, chaotic engagement fought in dense thickets. Many of the soldiers had never been in combat. Even the troops who had previously been engaged at Fort Donelson or some other battlefield had never seen fighting at this level of intensity. Most of the regimental and brigade commanders were new to their jobs. No officer could confidently predict the performance of his men once the firing started, and some regiments melted away after the first volley. Other brigades fought like tigers as the soldiers formed ragged lines and blasted away at the enemy maneuvering through the smoke-shrouded trees.
In the 1970s the craftsmen at SPI developed a relatively simple rule that added real depth to a series of low complexity wargames. The innovative concept was “Untried Units” and it was fun! The rule for Untried Units first appeared in a futuristic game called Invasion: America. The actual combat strengths of certain units were unknown until the moment a battle began. When a unit’s true value was revealed the player could be in for a nasty surprise if the formation turned out to be a panic-stricken mob of green recruits that dissolved under enemy fire. Stronger formations could also appear, representing troops with better leadership. This interesting system was used in a number of other games including Panzergruppe Guderian and Fulda Gap.
The basic idea could be used in a Battle Cry scenario.
In my Shiloh scenario all of the infantry brigades are considered to be untried at the beginning of the game. A poker chip is used to indicate the formations waiting to "see the elephant" -- Civil War slang for experiencing heavy combat for the first time -- in this session.
A brigade can "see the elephant" by coming under rifle fire or launching a close assault. Being subjected to artillery bombardment, skirmishing with cavalry, or simply firing at the enemy does not meet the requirement. In this example brigade #1 is merely firing at the Union formation and remains in untried status. Brigade #2 is receiving fire from the Union formation and has "seen the elephant" while brigade #3 is launching a close assault and also qualifies.
A single battle die is rolled for each brigade. A result of crossed-sabers reveals a superior formation. A special officer miniature is placed with the brigade as a marker to indicate the unit's elite status, as shown with brigade #2 in this image. After any other result the formation functions like a typical unit; the poker chip is removed to remind both players that this brigade has "seen the elephant" and won't roll again.
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