Light foot, useless units?

[Strategiusz]

Lets say there is no limits and no obligatory purchases. You can buy what and as many you want. It seems to me that nobody will buy light foots.

OK, a single slinger or archer unit can sometimes find a target and shoot almost every turn in some situations, so it can be useful. But many light foot javelineers as we are forced to use? Useless! They can shoot 2 or 3 turns and then units start to fight melee and LF can't even attack enemy from the back. They cant stop enemy non-skirmichers from routing (eliminate them) with their zone of control. I use them to pursuit routed enemy units, if I can, to be sure they will not rally, but it is rarelly possible and not worth the points spent to all those LF. Of course I use them to fight enemy LF, but that's because my opponent is forced to use LF too.

Do you buy LF when you can avoid this? Do you think they are useful?

[MikeMarchant]

Probably the greatest influence LF have int he game (and this is not, to my mind, in the least bit historical) is their abilit to make heavier troops chase them. A carefully palced LF unit can prevent units from attacking your flank or rear or just leading troops a merry dance. There is nothing more irritating than having your cavarly positioned to charge the enemy rear only to have them decide to chase off a couple of skirmishers instead. Or your HF instead of charging the enemy line, decides to ignore all sense and instead goes off chasing LF. Doesn't seem in the least bit realistic to me, but it happens all the time, and there are plenty of players who will use their LF in this role (including me, becuase if I don't I'm at a big disdvantage).

They are also useful for helping prevent units anarchy charging, picking off frragmenrted enemy units in the rear, and as you said, pursuing routing units, leaving your better troops to do the fighting.


Best Wishes

Mike

[Brigz]

Doesn't seem in the least bit realistic to me, but it happens all the time, and there are plenty of players who will use their LF in this role (including me, becuase if I don't I'm at a big disdvantage).

Doesn't seem in the least bit realistic? What you described above sounds exactly like what skirmishers were supposed to do.

[TheGrayMouser]

Only my opinion but the issues w LF in FOG stems from there speed, the fact that they can approach mounted troops and with the exception of light horse can count on evading, and they contribute the armies BPs'. Although this serves a purpose, ie you cant use them as cannon fodder, it means wins and losses will often revolve around th eplayer is better at the "light foot level" and is able to capture 3-4 lf, which can make the differnce in many a battle. The skillful use of evasion settings to trap unweary lights or even heavies is f course bad historical use.
GMT games had the best approach, lights would pull away form heavies but drop cohesion as they did so....

[MikeMarchant]

Doesn't seem in the least bit realistic to me, but it happens all the time, and there are plenty of players who will use their LF in this role (including me, becuase if I don't I'm at a big disdvantage).

Doesn't seem in the least bit realistic? What you described above sounds exactly like what skirmishers were supposed to do.

I'm not aware of any battles where the heavies approaching the enemy line abandoned their intention to charge the line to chase off after a few skirmishers instead. If that had been the case I doubt we would have seen the rise of a Roman Empire.


Best Wishes

Mike

[Strategiusz]

Cannae? Romans instead of going forward like a road roller they moved inwards in pursuit of not LF but lets say protected MF.

[stockwellpete]

Light foot units also have a very important screening role to prevent your main force being shot up by enemy archers. They can also take control of important areas of terrain at the beginning of a battle. The biggest problem that I have with them is that they remain as skirmishers throughout the battle. Once the main battle lines are engaged then skirmishers should really fight as MF from then on.

[Jonathan4290]

I definitely think LF have a lot of uses if used in some moderation obviously. Screening main body, taking control of key terrain at beginning are definitely good uses. I would add screening flanks/rear, sometimes just to make an enemy unit have to shoo them away before they can charge your main units, delaying them, sometimes defending units' rears until they can reposition to protect themselves. LF also have missile capabilities and while not devestating, can disrupt enemy units with arrows, slings etc. They can also disrupt the enemy main attack by being in the way and forcing the enemy main line to attack staggered. If theres no LF in the way, the enemy can carefully plan the attack so each unit attacks its desired target and with proper rear support.

I like to think of the opening battle of the lights as a first phase to gain some small advantages in score. Play it okay and the score is 0-0, play it wrong and you could start 0-8.

Now, light horse on the other hand are also useful but make little sense to buy instead of getting regular cav if available. They should probably drop their cost in the digital version.

[RagnarOneTooth]

I love light foot, I use them in bad terrain and tell them to hold if I need to to let others do their job where they can match heavies who find themselves on 2 dice or less, I use them to screen my heavy's and to draw shock troops out of line as they tire of their stings and advance to chase them off, then their lien disrupted I am able to engage my heavies to advantage, while looping the lights around to chase routers and ensure they don't rally, loot baggage,and occasionally to rear charge.
My lights will also try and engage enemy lights in such a way that engaged they create a confused cushiony mass in front of the enemy heavies, keeping parts of their line out of contact for a short time.
Against cavalry and skirmisher armies my lights are much needed to pin more mobile enemies long enough to allow the heavies to engage.
The bow and slingers can pepper enemy heavies slowly falling back to to my own heavy line, if I can keep enemy lights and cav off them, when this works I've seen pike walls arrive shattered and disrupted when they eventually hit my hoplites often piecemeal, meaning even average hoplite can defeat superior pike. Unlike MF you can withdraw through your heavies and a lot of the tiem MF wouldn't charge anyway. The 360 arc of fire means unlike MF you don't need to be drilled to perform a firing withdrawl and of course their speed helps. The jav light spear guys are great to take out enemy LF or pin them for the cav and heavies.
You must look after them of course , usually in close to the heavies until threats are neutralised, or in a skirmisher army thinking well in advance how close to get where to withdraw and not letting yourself get surround and cut off. Sometimes it's best to fall back off the board rather than hold and be routed, but better not to be there in the first place.