Firing with Bow*

[MikeHorah]

Can someone just clarify for me - in the shooting dice table under " Light foot.....or any troops with......or Bow*" it says 1 per two bases in effective range and 1 per 3 outside effective range. That is front rank only is it not?

[philqw78]

First 2 ranks

[grahambriggs]

So Mike say you had a Battle Group of MF facing up the page as follows:

XXXX - these shoot
XXX - these shoot
XXX - these don't shoot

So you have seven bases who can shoot. with troops with Bow* you get one die per two full shooting bases. Here you'll get three dice. If you wanted to maximise your shooting, you could expand the group in the movement phase (simple move for drilled, complex for undrilled):

XXXXX
XXXXX

Then you have ten bases shooting, and 1 per 2 gives you 5 dice.

[MikeHorah]

Thanks guys that helps! Just about to begin constructing an Early Byzantine ( why? do I hear someone say Belisarius innit ) and was trying to understand the half bow and all bow* options under V2.0 for Bucellarrii.

[philqw78]

Half bow is better.

If half bow and the lancers die you are then in a skirmish line and can run away instead of charging to doom.

If Bw* and a base dies you only have one shooting dice left with your three bases

[spike]

Half bow is better.

If half bow and the lancers die you are then in a skirmish line and can run away instead of charging to doom.

If Bw* and a base dies you only have one shooting dice left with your three bases

....and their cheeper in points too!

[batesmotel]

Half bow is better.

If half bow and the lancers die you are then in a skirmish line and can run away instead of charging to doom.

If Bw* and a base dies you only have one shooting dice left with your three bases

On the other hand, they're all still lancers so better at impact if a target offers itself. so there are advantages either way.

Chris

[MikeHorah]

Oh pooh and I thought it was all getting clearer.....

[batesmotel]

Generally the FoG philosophy is that troops specialize in a single weapon and aren't equally good with all. Troops with lance and bow* are primarily lancers who also have some missile capability as well. So the bases will always function as lancers and if they charge in a single rank you will have 4 lancer bases. BGs that are half lancers and half bow are assumed to have some troops that specialize with lances and others that specialize with bow. If in 1 rank at impact they will be less effective and since the lance armed bases in the front rank will tend to be lost first to shooting or combat, the impact effectiveness of the BG can decline more rapidly while they will retain their shooting effectiveness. Due to the 1 die/2 bases the lance, bow* troops drop more quickly in shooting effectiveness but retain more impact effectiveness. A BG with all lance, bow* bases is slightly more expensive than the mixed BG (about 2 points) but this isn't much as a percentage. So it pretty much comes down to whether retaining impact capability or shooting capability is more important in how you intend to use the BG.

Chris

[MikeHorah]

Thanks yes I get that philosophy in general terms - it was the application that had me perplexed in this case ( not that hard to perplex me!)

I started off trying properly to understand the limitations of bow* in such a formation and whether it was worth the extra cost. (None of my other armies so far have had that option). I shall probably go for the simpler option less I confuse myself ( again easily done) . As they ask in Wales ( apparently ) when ordering a curry -" do you want 'alf and 'alf?" meaning do you want chips AND rice!