Rifles, Railroads and Rebellions is based upon C’est la Guerre: Fast Play Wargame for the Age of Muskets. This system was designed to provide a fast yet satisfying game play, not necessarily a “realistic” simulation of battle recreation. Bases or ‘Units’ in the game do not represent a certain number of men or artillery pieces but are abstract representations of force.
Rifles, Railroads and Rebellions uses
- a simple command structure to manage battlefield movement without dealing with morale or having the players issue orders,
- a troop grading system so that better trained more effective troops can have an advantage over poorly trained less effective troops, and
- a method to account for casualties and losses without an overly complicated accounting system.
Rifles, Railroads and Rebellions is an abstraction. A Unit in the game does not necessarily equal a particular organizational unit, formation in the field, or a specific number of soldiers. Each base is a representation of force, and as such issues such as the size of one battalion, regiment, brigade, or squadron should be set aside. The player should concern himself with tactics such as troop placement, command access, gun placement and terrain features. The goal is to recreate the “feel” of the period, not necessarily every detail of it.
-description from publisher