Sk fire
Moderators: Laffe, Vis Bellica
Re: Sk fire
T,
Artillery do not gain any modifiers for being shot at by skirmishers.
Batteries can be targeted.
DB
Artillery do not gain any modifiers for being shot at by skirmishers.
Batteries can be targeted.
DB
Re: Sk fire
then were doing something wrong. Batteries are getting slaughtered. On average the battery will take 2 hits per turn and the sk base will take one. By the time a single sk base is gone the battery has lost 6-7 and is probably cause casualties to itself rather than the skirmishers (avg roll 7 -2 for sk -2 6+ casualties, final roll 3.
Re: Sk fire
I'd be asking why skirmishers are allowed to sit so long hammering away at your battery.....
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bigduke1327
- Posts: 40
- Joined: Mon May 22, 2017 9:17 pm
Re: Sk fire
Artillery isn't an anti-skirmisher weapon, other skirmishers are.
Bring up your own skirmishers to protect the battery and concentrate your artillery fire on better targets like close order infantry, or limber your battery up and move it to a better position.
Mart
Bring up your own skirmishers to protect the battery and concentrate your artillery fire on better targets like close order infantry, or limber your battery up and move it to a better position.
Mart
Re: Sk fire
You need to chase off the enemy Skirmishers with either your own Skirmishers or light cavalry. If that fails use some Line Infantry. But artillery fire is wasted on them.
John
John
Re: Sk fire
Haven't seen any of those really work. Moving the gun would be the result I'd want in the first place. Cav chasing sk can't fight my cav. And leave the cav wandering between the lines in musket and close gun range.
Sk is really strong. -2 to hit, 3 hits to reduce a base, which might not reduce their fire and no minus for moving and firing in the same turn. And can fire from beyond the range of formed inf.
Sk is really strong. -2 to hit, 3 hits to reduce a base, which might not reduce their fire and no minus for moving and firing in the same turn. And can fire from beyond the range of formed inf.
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siggian
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- Location: Windsor area, Ontario, Canada
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Re: Sk fire
It's the presence of clouds of skirmishers as an important feature of battle that distinguishes the French Revolution/Napoleonic era from the previous one. They became important because they became an effective weapon in major battles.
I suspect that if Dave were to come out with a Seven Years War rules, skirmishers will be a whole lot less effective (and less numerous).
I suspect that if Dave were to come out with a Seven Years War rules, skirmishers will be a whole lot less effective (and less numerous).
Re: Sk fire
T,
In the Napoleonic Wars if an unsupported battery was attacked by skirmishers its normal response was to retire to a safer position.
There are very few accounts of batteries slugging it out with skirmish screens, probably because the battery would come off worst, as you've described.
Actually the number of casualty dice for an average skirmish screen is 3, (that's 3 to 4 bases). So if we take 3CDs, each requiring a 5 or 6 to hit, this presents an average casualty per turn of 1 casualty rather than 2, (getting 2 casualties a turn is down to approx. 26%). The battery on average will also cause a steady 1 to 2 hits per turn, so both units are trading casualties at almost an equal rate. Both also have chances at gaining a Discipline Test result, which is a far worse result for the skirmishers if they fail (a retreat result with more casualties).
But as I've said above, this is not the sort of fight at a battery really wants to get into. Your gunners are outnumbered, being targeted by numerous pesky riflemen who just won't stand still and insist in taking cover, while your gunners stand rigidly to attention by their guns after each drill, presenting neat targets for the goods shots in the skirmish screen.
Hope that helps.
DB
In the Napoleonic Wars if an unsupported battery was attacked by skirmishers its normal response was to retire to a safer position.
There are very few accounts of batteries slugging it out with skirmish screens, probably because the battery would come off worst, as you've described.
Actually the number of casualty dice for an average skirmish screen is 3, (that's 3 to 4 bases). So if we take 3CDs, each requiring a 5 or 6 to hit, this presents an average casualty per turn of 1 casualty rather than 2, (getting 2 casualties a turn is down to approx. 26%). The battery on average will also cause a steady 1 to 2 hits per turn, so both units are trading casualties at almost an equal rate. Both also have chances at gaining a Discipline Test result, which is a far worse result for the skirmishers if they fail (a retreat result with more casualties).
But as I've said above, this is not the sort of fight at a battery really wants to get into. Your gunners are outnumbered, being targeted by numerous pesky riflemen who just won't stand still and insist in taking cover, while your gunners stand rigidly to attention by their guns after each drill, presenting neat targets for the goods shots in the skirmish screen.
Hope that helps.
DB
Re: Sk fire
Thanks DB.
Our brigades tend to 6-8 bn, and one was half Fr lights, the other converged grenadiers, both with sk tasking. So much bigger than your expected average. My battery was supported on one side by a British line regiment on one side and another in a built up area on the other flank.
Not sure what a defend order allows, but sk does out range the formed line and the rifles, which I had it this case, out range most canister.
We'll keep playing and see if we can adjust. But our battles tend to the large size. 3 members of our group each have an 1813 Prussian Corps and a Russian Corp. We can easily deploy over 100 French/Allied battalions (3 in wide in line each of 24 figures). Though we haven't done anything close to that with your rules. I think 35 vs 25 inf, the LFS version of Placenoit.
Our brigades tend to 6-8 bn, and one was half Fr lights, the other converged grenadiers, both with sk tasking. So much bigger than your expected average. My battery was supported on one side by a British line regiment on one side and another in a built up area on the other flank.
Not sure what a defend order allows, but sk does out range the formed line and the rifles, which I had it this case, out range most canister.
We'll keep playing and see if we can adjust. But our battles tend to the large size. 3 members of our group each have an 1813 Prussian Corps and a Russian Corp. We can easily deploy over 100 French/Allied battalions (3 in wide in line each of 24 figures). Though we haven't done anything close to that with your rules. I think 35 vs 25 inf, the LFS version of Placenoit.