Commander lost and artillery

[Rekila]

Commanders lost and artillery:
We roll for commander lost, fighting on the first rank, just after the combat and before any cohesion test is made. It speed up game and seems more logical. What a better example of “more than one reason to test” that loose the combat and the commander! We begin doing that when learning the rules in an unintentional manner and when discover the mistake, try to change to the “correct” method without success. We only success in forget to roll for commander lost!
Artillery is another point of conflict, we have used very often and the rules as they are don’t work, simply artillery is not worth the cost!

[jlopez]

Commanders lost and artillery:
We roll for commander lost, fighting on the first rank, just after the combat and before any cohesion test is made. It speed up game and seems more logical. What a better example of “more than one reason to test” that loose the combat and the commander! We begin doing that when learning the rules in an unintentional manner and when discover the mistake, try to change to the “correct” method without success. We only success in forget to roll for commander lost!
Artillery is another point of conflict, we have used very often and the rules as they are don’t work, simply artillery is not worth the cost!

And artillery was used successfully and decisively on how many battlefields within the period?

[lionheartrjc]

I don't see much wrong with artillery that needs fixing. The only thing that strikes me as possibly needing any form of alteration is the short range of light artillery.

The Romans are perhaps the best known (certainly in the West) example of using Light Artillery on the battlefield with their bolt shooters. Generally it seems to have been used:
a) to goad opponents into attacking
b) to pick off individuals (perhaps in combination with a)).

With this in mind, it certainly seems to have had a longer range than ordinary bowfire.

Basically the rules should have the effect that nobody wants to stick around in front of artillery. They either should attack or move away.

I am not sure that Heavy Artillery really should appear in Ancient Battlefields. The exception is probably the very end of our period where FoG(R) may be a better ruleset anyway.

[hazelbark]

Drilled light artillery has a role in a non-manuver army.

But its more fun and marginal which is historical.