Landaknechte Battle Group

[david53]

Hi There

Moving for the first time into the early Renaissance period Trade and Treachery Imperial army.

How if I use my Landaknechte Battle group's with 14 Pike bases and 2 Heavy Weapon Bases.

What is the legal formation for both the Pike and HW bases?

regards

Dave

[hazelbark]

You must maintain a keil if at all possible.
So you need two files 4 deep.
So you have 16 bases total. But the two HW can be out on their own as an overlap. I don't have my rules with me to see if you can deploy out there.

But you should think of yourself as bascially 4 x 4 until you throw out overlaps.

[david53]

Thanks for that answer

regards

[madaxeman]

Thanks for that answer

regards

3 x 5 plus an odd one at the back might actually be better way to deploy 14+2 bases,

- You can afford to lose some bases and still expect to have the 4-rank bonus at impact /melee
- You want to have the HW chaps "not" making up a 4th rank when you are in combat, as then it may be difficult to move them out into an overlap as by moving them you lose a POA...which I am not sure is allowed ? However that may just be me misremembering the rules....

[hammy]

I appreciate this is partially hijacking a thread but it is about Landschnects

Looking at an early Hugenot army and they have BG of upto 16 bases of mixed pike and arquebus. I am trying to decide a few things.

1) Is making this unit a GBG a good plan (as far as I can see it is not a kiel or tercio so a GBG which can easily be flanked may be a bad idea)

2) Is there any point in heavy weapons (as the BG includes shot I don't think the HW cannot ever be put in overlap)

3) the resulting BG will probably have a frontage of 4 bases, this seems rather small for what is in effect just a big pike and shot BG

I have been vaguely thinking about taking 7 pike and 5 arquebus so I can lose 1 of each without losing the 3 ranks of pike or 2 of shot. Does that make sense?

[timmy1]

Hammy

1, It is a keil. mP29. 'Some later deep pike formations also had shot wings. These only count as keils if they do not qualify as tercios'. (I have been using this army to refight Dreux.)

2, MAYBE the HW can expand. P34. Other mixed formations. 'Unless specified otherwise in our companion army list books, battle groups having a mix of bases with missile capability and bases with a close combat capability... Such battle groups that include shot must adhere to the formation rules that apply to pike and shot units. Heavy weapon or swordsmen bases can be in a file with pike or shot.' I read this as the HW can be behind the shot wings and expand.

3, see my answers to 1 and 2 above. Yes it is not great but if it is 4 bases wide and you expand the HW from behind the shot...

In summary, I love the GBG option but it is expensive and very vulnerable to being taken from the rear...