This Hallowed Ground

Author: Jay White

Publisher: Jay's Wargaming Madness, 2023

Period: American Civil War

Scale: Midsize; Regimental

LIBRARIAN'S SUMMARY

This Hallowed Ground is a regimental American Civil War ruleset from the prolific blog Jay’s Wargaming Madness. The rules blend familiar mechanics from mainstream systems like Black Powder, Fire and Fury, and Kings of War, but reassembles them into a unique 4-page package. An order-based command system lies at the heart of the game, offering both friction and constant decision-making. Regiments degrade through worn, shaken, and broken states, and coordinated attacks with supporting units are key to success. Players who enjoy This Hallowed Ground will be rewarded with multiple iterations of the same system on Jay's Wargaming Madness blog, including multiple historical periods beyond the American Civil War.

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WHAT YOU NEED

To play This Hallowed Ground, you’ll need miniature units representing regiments, organized under brigade-level commanders, along with a standard tabletop (6'x4' works comfortably for most games). The system uses d6 dice for all tests, measuring tools in inches, and simple markers to track unit states like disorder, worn, and shaken. Each unit must be issued orders every turn, so players will also want clear unit identification or rosters to track command structure and status. The rules support a range of figure scales and basing styles, making it easy to adapt to existing collections, and scenarios can be as simple or as detailed as desired.

Jay's blog offers scenario material and after action reports, and he generously offered to reformat three historical scenarios for the Wargame Library. All three scenarios are available for download below to help players jump into This Hallowed Ground right away.

HOW IT PLAYS

COMMAND: Each player removes Disorder and resolves orders
SHOOTING: Each player fires small arms, then artillery
MELEE: Initiative player determines order of combat resolutions

This Hallowed Ground has undergone updates and rewrites dating back at least ten years on Jay's Wargaming Madness. It appears to be one of his most revisited and popular systems. The Wargame Library currently carries Version 4.4. It's a six page PDF, with four pages of rules, one page of unit types, and a final page of formation examples.

The game design revolves around a clean, short turn sequence: Command, Shooting, and Melee. The Command Phase is the centerpiece. Every unit is issued an order—Hold, Advance, Run, Charge, or Rally—and many of these require an order test based on the unit’s condition. Fresh troops respond reliably, while worn or shaken units become increasingly unpredictable. Fail a test, and the unit becomes disordered, grinding your plan to a halt. This creates a strong sense of battlefield friction. Do you push a worn brigade forward, knowing it might stall at the worst moment? Or keep your line steady and sacrifice momentum? Commanders provide rerolls within command range, reinforcing the importance of positioning your leadership effectively. And critically, not all orders are as easy to execute as others. Ordering a formation to hold its ground requires just one success, while inspiring a bayonet charge requires three successes (a d6 roll of 4+ is a success).

Movement is straightforward, allowing formations to wheel, oblique, and maneuver in a way that feels natural on the table. Charges are particularly dynamic, with outcomes ranging from failed advances to faltering attacks or full-blooded assaults that slam into melee. Defensive fire, counter-charges, and morale checks all interact to make charges feel tense and consequential. Shooting and melee both use a dice-pool system, where unit size, formation, and circumstances modify the number of dice rolled. This keeps resolution fast while still rewarding good positioning and support. Units can attach to artillery for combined effects, and multiple units can support attacks, encouraging historically grounded coordination.

The morale system, clearly inspired by Fire & Fury and Kings of War, sees regiments degrade through states—steady, worn, shaken, and ultimately broken. Victory is determined by a fairly conventional Victory Point system where points are awarded for broken commands, wearing down enemy regiments, and scenario-based objectives. The four page game has a very slick presentation, but it reads much more like a quick reference guide than a complete game. Players who only read the 4-page game will undoubtedly be left with questions. A much longer 2015 version of This Hallowed Ground is also available and plenty of clarifications can be found in this 24-page PDF. Thanks to the author, both the 4-pager and 24-pager are available as direct downloads here at the Wargame Library. Jay's blog includes after action reports, photos, scenarios, and plenty of outstanding photos. His Little Roundtop starter scenario appears here.

FINAL Note

This Hallowed Ground is a great example of how much can be done with a focused, free ruleset. While its DNA is clearly rooted in larger commercial systems, it stands on its own as an excellent brigade-level experience. Its biggest strength is the order system, which injects just enough uncertainty to keep players engaged without becoming frustrating. At times, the dice-driven command friction can feel swingy, especially for players who prefer tighter control, but that unpredictability also leads to much of the game’s tension. For players looking for a fast, easily adaptable American Civil War game—This Hallowed Ground is an excellent addition and a true Hidden Gem.