Slitherine

Do troops greater than 2 inches inside a gully become visible to enemy outside the gully if they shoot at them?

Also 2 BG (enemies) are 4 inches apart in the same gully. Can they see (or shoot at) each other?

Thank You
Gino
SMAC

Troops in a gully are only visible "from outside" at 1MU. (pg 131) There is nothing to prevent enemy troops in the same gully from seeing and shooting each other.

The Visibility Effects section on page 132 deals with light foot only. If the rule were to stand exactly as written, it would lead one to believe that light foot would expose their position by shooting from a gully while medium archers could shoot and remain hidden.

I think we are left with two possible interpretations:

1. The Visibility Effects rule should be applied to ALL troop types that can shoot, not just light foot. In that case anyone who shot out of a gully would become visible.

2. The Visibility Effects rule does not apply to light foot in a gully. I that case any troops could shoot out of a gully without being seen by their target.

I personally prefer #1.


Terry G.

This territory has been touched on a few times over the past couple of years. The FAQ makes the LF visibility rule clear, and gullies are not one of the applicable terrain types.

Currently, troops in gullies can shoot out without being visible in return.

This makes perfect sense. Hiding and shooting from undetected positions is actually the classic pattern of cowardly and unsportsmanlike ambushers - suffering the degradation involved is is almost penalty enough for troops that dishonor themselves by using such methods. To engage them you must manfully advance upon the gully and shoot or charge the cowering villains once you discover them.

Agree with Mike here!

FWIW as a "house rule" we allow shooting back at troops hidden but known to to be present in a terrain feature due to their having shot, but at an extra -1 POA as you don't know exactly where they are!

Martin