Artillary

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Forst
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Artillary

Post by Forst »

Started using artillery in my games and find that the rules seem a bit loose, so have adopted the following:-

A) unlimbering - effectively takes one action to unhitch and a second to get the gun pointing roughly at the target while the limber gets out of the arc of fire. So effectively two actions, unless the target is already behind the gun!. ( reverse to limber?)
B) guns then take 2 actions to load. (State what's loaded?)
C) arc of fire is 180 degrees BUT it fires at the group straight ahead! So before firing need to point it in the right direction ie at the target group, this takes 1 activation as a wheel to fire uncontrolled or as part of the lay action for controlled. The fire is then a separate action. (Lay is still needed to fire controlled even if target is already in front as it is a refining of the aim!)
D) Round shot keeps going on a narrow front, so all hits are shared on the target group and any group in the line of fire behind it, but nothing to the side. It can take down whole files of men, but on a narrow front, even in formations. Skirmishes still count as cover as they are spaced out, but others don't even behind skirmish screens.
E) Canister spreads laterally and behaves more like a volley, so spreads hits between target group and any other group adjacent if in formation or within 2inch either side if not, or the units behind a skirmish screen like a volley.
F) no limber (max of 3 rounds (State what), unless in a defensive position already stock piled),
G) treat uncontrolled fire like similar volleys, ie they keep going without changing line of fire unless control is established to shift aim (wheel = movement) between shots. Most artillery can fire controlled so adjust on the lay action!

My thinking is that it is a single piece, not a battery, so arc of fire can be wide as it can pivot easily, but effect will be narrow for just one round, at game scale ranges. The limber is effectively treated as troops sent to do a separate task, but in this case also carries spare rounds. Rolling for the movement to clear the line of fire, could introduce problems for the gunners leader if they are slow as he will then have to prioritise the gun crew or limber crew when activating!
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BaronVonWreckedoften
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Re: Artillary

Post by BaronVonWreckedoften »

Forst wrote: Tue Jul 05, 2022 7:19 am Started using artillery in my games and find that the rules seem a bit loose, so have adopted the following:-

A) unlimbering - effectively takes one action to unhitch and a second to get the gun pointing roughly at the target while the limber gets out of the arc of fire. So effectively two actions, unless the target is already behind the gun!. ( reverse to limber?)
This video should give you all you need to know about how a gun came into action (ok, six of them in this case, but you get the gist). If you don't want to spend your youth watching the guns fire 41 times, fast-forward to 11:00 and see the guns being "picked up" and taken away. I posted this because some of the actions are counter-intuitive; whilst they represent early 20th Century practice, the Napoleonic version would not have differed much.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e03D51v6KbA
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Contrarius
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Re: Artillary

Post by Contrarius »

@Forst, we had a discussion on limbering of artillery a few years back (thread should still be visible). You are of course right in stressing how long it takes arty to get the basic things done, but they’d be pretty well useless in the game if you don’t accept a few short cuts. My rationalisation is that there’s always a lot of waiting around in battle and these mundane tasks get done ‘in the background’ without needing specific activation.
I’m also pretty sure (from reading Mercer’s Waterloo diary) that arty can trundle about the field fully loaded so don’t need to reload every time they move.
Forst
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Re: Artillary

Post by Forst »

I have no problems with guns being loaded while moving, as long as the type of round is stated up front. I would suggest that if they have been loaded and then moved onto the table by horse drawn limber, that there is a risk of misfire as something could have been dislodged! Say 1 on d6?

Once on table, if manhandled loaded then the risk is much lower to be a non issue!I As most of my SP games are AWI or similar the guns are mainly the small battalion guns type, and once deployed tend to be moved by hand.
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Captain Reid
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Re: Artillary

Post by Captain Reid »

Artillery is definitely one of the more abstracted units in the game.

Personally I'd be very careful about letting artillery move while loaded. Not so much from a 'realism' perspective as from one of balance. If you like you can regard the 'reloading' after movement as the crew reorganising themselves preparatory to firing. You're not going to push even a light gun 20 yards (5" on the table) across country with three guys while the other two carry the rammer, sponger, balls, etc etc.

Equally I'd be wary about insisting on the presence of a limber for them to fire more than three rounds. In theory it's fine. But actually a limber takes up a ton of space and because of how artillery is deployed (in contact with a DP), likely would end up off table quite often anyway).

As it stands, a gun is quite often almost useless, but in other games will prove decisive. Any changes that potentially make it more decisive (i.e. that improve the frequency and/or flexibility of its firing) are something I'd be very wary of.

That said, I do modify the rules for guns in the games I play or umpire. It's fair to record that several players are still unhappy with the power of guns despite this (especially them having Sharp Practice).

- Artillery fire straight ahead, the arc of fire being drawn between the wheels of the gun, not the base it is mounted on (slight modification to p.46).
Artillery may pivot while remaining loaded. Dice for distance as usual, both Actions are required (i.e. you cannot, therefore, pivot and fire unless you use Step Out to do so).
- Skirmish Troops fired at by round shot always count as if in Hard Cover.
- Artillery Crew who Evade may only do so if they if they have not yet Activated and Evading counts as their Activation for the turn. This means Evading may only be performed once per turn (a change to the FAQ concerning p.32).
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Forst
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Re: Artillary

Post by Forst »

I agree about game balance, but the card sequence can make any unit weak or strong depending on the scenario. It's one of the things I most like about the rules.

I would be very wary of giving artillery Sharpe practice, that is a step too far for me!

Most rules ignore the general bulk of artillery in the field, to me it's a feature, and connection at deployment is a feature of SP, so again I don't see a problem. You have to decide whether to bring the gun on early and clear the deployment area (but risk it being destroyed without support) , or bring on the line troops and bring on the guns later!

Given the scale of the actions being fought, guns are a liability, easy prey to skirmishers. But deadly if in the right place at the right time, or essential to deal with demolition requirements like the door to the fort!
Contrarius
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Re: Artillary

Post by Contrarius »

First time I used arty they mangled a Group of 95th Rifles with their first shot. Since then I’ve used them in nearly every game and their performance hasn’t been so spectacular or overwhelming. I no longer worry about them (too much...).

Don’t have a problem with the better trained units employing Sharp Practice either — gives you something to use those spare flags on.
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