Grand Battle Groups

[ravenflight]

Hi All,

I'm trying to get my head around Grand Battle Groups (GBG). In particular I'm looking at the possible GBG's available to the Huguenots on P104-106 of Trade and Treachery with the Landsknechts and Royal Swiss... and in particular the Landsknechts.

I believe this is a legal formation:

10 Bases of Pike
2 bases of Halberdiers
4 bases of Arquebusiers

Total 16 bases.

I presume the formation would be something like a later Pike & Shot formation, with 2 Arquebusiers, 5 Pike & 1 Halberdier, 5 pike & 1 Halberdier, 2 Arquebusiers.

Now, lets assume an impact combat. Naturally you want to try to get your Halberdiers to expand into a blank space so that they get the ++ for being 'HW in overlap', but I'm no sure about where legal formations start and end. Being in essence a FoG:AM player converted to FoG:R I get a little lost in some of the formations.

So, if you're fighting (lets say) a Tercio who is Musket, Pike, Pike, Musket - we both have the same width - can the Halberdiers expand so that they are:

Halberdier, Arquebus, Pike, Pike, Arquebus, Halberdier?

Naturally this assumes I get them all there without casualties .

Any assistance would be appreciated, and pretend I'm an idiot because really, I've got no idea.

[daveallen]

I think you're right, you could expand the halberdiers in this fashion, but it would take at least three rounds of combat to achieve.

Having used keils quite a bit (literally dozens of games), I can think of only a couple of occasions where I got the chance to expand the halberdiers into an overlap. Better in my view would be to get the benefits of an extra file of pike from the start.

These include counting armoured to shooting, and having 13 bases for HpB calculations rather than 10. Also, against a tercio you'd get a + for the file fighting his arquebusiers.

Regards,

Dave

[ravenflight]

I think you're right, you could expand the halberdiers in this fashion, but it would take at least three rounds of combat to achieve.

I'm not sure I understand why.

On impact (assuming you initiate impact) you can expand to create an overlap - why would it take 3 turns?

Sorry if I'm being dumb - I'm a little sick so may not be thinking... probably am not thinking.

[kevinj]

On impact (assuming you initiate impact) you can expand to create an overlap - why would it take 3 turns?

I think he means to get both out. You could only expand one of your halberdiers in the turn that you charge, you can't create an overlap in his turn and you need to wait until your next turn to expand the second one.

[ravenflight]

On impact (assuming you initiate impact) you can expand to create an overlap - why would it take 3 turns?

I think he means to get both out. You could only expand one of your halberdiers in the turn that you charge, you can't create an overlap in his turn and you need to wait until your next turn to expand the second one.

Ahh, right... I'd be happy to get one out, and I don't expect to get another out before I take at least ONE casualty to stop me getting the second out. That does make me wonder though, are you better to get 2 dice at ++ or recude the number of hits you receive by being + with your pike. Guess it depends on the situation and timing.