Calvary vs Calvary Combat Question

[Johndeterreneuve]

Hi,

I am trying out the quick start scenario with the abridged rules.

The Austrian have flank support and are partially up hill. The French have attacked. Both small units in Tactical formation in the open.

The French have 2 hits on 6xd6. 1 cohesion loss to the Austrians, they become disordered. Do the Austrians loose 1/3 dice then or do they attack first. They have 6xd6+2xd6(flank support)+1xd6(partially uphill). If they throw 9xd6 and have 5 hits they cause 2 losses of cohesion and the French waver.

Do both units then retire, i.e. 1xd6+2 each, with no pursuit.

Remember, I am using the abridged rules.

Thanks,

John

[hazelbark]

Close combat dice for hits are resolved simultaneously.

So calculate each players dice then roll.
Then determine the effect of hits.
The number of hits does not determine who wins.
Then you go to the combat resolution section.

In essence the player with the worst cohesion state will outcome first. And if equal the inactive player outcomes first.

[hazelbark]

So in your example the French waver and teh Austrians are disordered.

So the French will outcome 1st.
Meaning retire d6+4

The Austrians then have a CMT to not pursue, otherwise pursue. D6+2

[Johndeterreneuve]

Thanks Hazelbark,

I had to adjust the throw slightly as I missed that infantry can not offer flank support to cavalry, so the Austrian throw was 7xd6, still caused the French to waver.

OK for the retire, but pursue always puzzles me, I wonder if you can explain it. So pursuit is bad?

So essentially if the Austrian have no CMT (they do not), they have to pursue. I presume they are pursuing the wavering and retreating French. What happens if they recontact them? Say if there are intervening enemy troops in the way, is there another full charge and combat sequence?

Thanks,

John

[deadtorius]

if they get hit in the rear they drop cohesion, if they break or were already broken they are destroyed.
If not destroyed they will turn to fight the pursuers.

If contacting the front edge corner of a wavering unit they test as if assaulted, fail they test they break.

if enemy is contacted in the 1st half of the pursuit they may not make a reaction move or fire. In addition another combat phase occurs between the contacting units. Only one additional round of combat can take place and all 1st round combats must be completed before any second round combats can occur.

So pursuit may not be all that bad after all.

The combat resolutions chart lists in order who has to retire first and who can make a pursuit. If you are steady cavalry will always pursue. If you are disordered you must pass a CMT to not pursue, so cavalry is pretty much going to pursue on you.

[hazelbark]

Agreed its not pusuit is bad. It may allow you to run down your beaten foe.

But you may not want to pursue into a position where the counter strike is serious.

Saturday's game Russian Dragoons broke my chassuers. Caught them and destroyed them. The Russians were sitting in front of an artillery battery and an infantry unit after that.

[Johndeterreneuve]

Thanks very much, I am about 1/2 way through the quick start scenario and am quite enjoying the rules. I just really want to clarify the combat process though, so if I could go over it to make sure I have it right. I would really like someone to check it through. I do have the book, but am using the quick start rules for this starter scenario.

Combat takes place between 2 small cavalry units. Both start steady and both end up with 1 cohesion loss, so they become disordered.

As they both end up from the combat disordered, you start to resolve the non-active player first.

I refer to the combat resolution table on top of page 61. Go to the bottom of the table under the Retire Disordered Units, and see in the first line that the non active player Retires units in contact and the active player responds with Halt no Pursuit.

So only the inactive player retires, I then refer to the Outcome Moves table on the bottom of page 61. Go to cavalry and look under Cohesion state Disrupted and see that the unit retires 2xd6+2 and the active player stays put.

If I change the scenario slightly and end up with the non active player wavering (2 cohesion losses). I would go to the Combat Resolution table and see that the Non active player Retire units in contact and that the Active player May Pursue. Then again go to the Outcome Moves table and see that the Inactive player Retires D6+4 under the wavering column. Finally I go to the Pursuit table on page 65 and see that under disordered cavalry column the Active unit has to take a CMT test not to pursue, and if failed then pursues d6+2.

I hope I have it right and I appreciate the time taken to go through my post.

Thanks,

[david53]

Thats the way we have played it so i hope you got it right

It is so much different from FOG AM were you have cavalry charging across the table fighting loads of times and never suffers.

Here it seems you can be spent very easy(Ie would this cover the cavalry being blown/tired after a fight?)

[Johndeterreneuve]

Thanks David

[deadtorius]

We found that out about cavalry this weekend too. Make one charge and take some hits and they are pretty much done as far as taking on anything other than broken foot.

I managed to get my Cuirassier into the flank of a wavering unit that was destroyed, but that left me facing 2 small batteries of Med guns.... I decided to charge the veteran battery, end result was steady cuirassier broke and were spent thanks to the gunners standing and shooting. There were not friends anywhere near so if they had failed the CMT it looked like an auto destroy on the battery

[david53]

I like this about Cavalry being spent quite easily just need to be careful what you do with them unless your british that is.

Dave