On To Richmond

On to Richmond! Support Center

Volume 6 in the Great Campaigns of the Civil War series, "On to Richmond!" was released in May 1998 by Avalon Hill. This support center is the place to come to help you get started with this new game. We'll be posting rule clarifications, strategic tips, errata, and more at this location.

On to Richmond! is a strategic boardgame simulating the Union army's attempt to capture the Confederacy's capital of Richmond during Spring 1862. There is a basic game that consists of seven scenarios of different play length and complexity. The advanced game allows players to simulate the entire campaign.

New article on Union Advanced Game Strategy added 11/3/98. Click here.

Contact The Designers

On to Richmond! was a joint design and development by Joe Balkoski and Ed Beach. To send us email, click on one of the buttons below:

Joe Balkoski | Ed Beach

Map Clarifications

County Names: several of the county names on the map are partially obscured by nearby woods hexes. Please note the locations of the following counties:

Isle of Wight: on the south bank of the James River, near the east edge of the south map.
Sussex: right above the Turn Track at the south edge of the south map (Waverly is the County Control Seat for Sussex County).

Terrain Identification: we received the following question about identifying the terrain type of a hex...

Q: What kind of terrain is hex N2611? The background color in that hex is rolling but it has rough markings. N2610 has only the rolling color with no symbols. In a case like hex N2611 which has precedence, the color or the symbol?

A: The symbols take precedence. Here are the steps to reliably identify the terrain type of a hex:

Look for the presence of a city, woods, swamp, or rough symbol in a hex.
If a city, woods or rough symbol (darker green brushstrokes against a lighter green background) is present, you are done, the hex is of that type. Note that a forest symbol takes precedence over a rough symbol (which creep into the edge of some woods hexes).
If the swamp symbol is present, use the background color to determine if it is a swamp hex (dark green) or a provisional swamp (light green).
If there is no symbol, the hex must be either rolling or clear. Use the background color to determine to determine if it is a rolling hex (green) or a clear hex (tan).

Rule Questions

This question and answer section is divided into the following three pages:

Retrofitting On to Richmond Rules into Previous Games in the Series

New artillery, flank attack, and retreat rules were created for On To Richmond! Click here to see the details; these rules can all be retrofit into any of the earlier games in the series. We've also had a question about retrofitting the combat chart...

Q: I noticed the Combat Chart results are slightly different than in other games. If the artillery rules from OTR are retrofitted to previous games, which Combat Chart is used, the one in the original game or the one in OTR?

A: The only difference in the combat chart is in the +3 and +4 rows for the attacker. Several people had suggested that the D result on +3 and the E result on +4 were a sharp transition. So we changed it to:

+2 D

+3 F

+4 f

+5 E

That's the only change on the whole chart though! Feel free to retrofit this change into any of the games if you like it better, but it is not a required change for the new artillery rules to work.

Scenario Descriptions

Here is a list of the scenarios included in the game:

The Warwick Line: hypothetical early April assault near Yorktown
Johnston's Retreat: covering Battles of Williamsburg and Eltham's Landing in early May
The Gates of Richmond: hypothetical Union attack on Richmond
Seven Pines: Johnston's failed attack in late May
Stuart's Ride: can you ride around McClellan?
The Seven Days: mini-campaign covering all aspects of the Seven Days
Retreat to the James: last 3 days of the Seven Days -- Savage Station, Glendale, Malvern Hill
The Peninsula Campaign: advanced game, including rules for amphibious movement, gunboats (Virginia vs. Monitor), much more!

Articles

Several articles have already been written about this game, as listed below.

Click here to read the Coming Attractions article on "On to Richmond!" that appeared in a recent issue of The General (vol 31., #6)
Click here to read a preview of "On to Richmond that will appear in the next issue of Volunteers
Click here to read the "First Look at On to Richmond!" that was to appear in The General were it not for the sale to Hasbro.
Click here to read "Bridge over the Mattapony: Union Strategies in the On To Richmond! Advanced Game" (new article!)

Play Aids

Click here to download auxiliary "On to Richmond!" Charts and Tables and a game summary sheet (courtesy of Jay Meyers).

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Great Campaigns of the American Civil War, Stonewall Jackson's Way, Here Come the Rebels, Roads to Gettysburg, Stonewall in the Valley, Stonewall's Last Battle and On to Richmond are trademarks of Avalon Hill Games, Inc. used with permission. Avalon Hill Games, Inc., a Hasbro affiliate. All rights reserved.