Slitherine

Any helpful hints from the olde hands at this re: light artillery?

Placements that have worked well or failed miserably?
Must-have infantry behind them?
Creep your line forward with them just in front?

Any thoughts would be appreciated in the never-ending pilgrimage to end the poodle-loving reign of the deadtorious one.

Blathergut wrote:Any helpful hints from the olde hands at this re: light artillery?

Placements that have worked well or failed miserably?
Must-have infantry behind them?
Creep your line forward with them just in front?

Any thoughts would be appreciated in the never-ending pilgrimage to end the poodle-loving reign of the deadtorious one.

Jim Gibson used them rather well against me at Britcon. Had them behind his infantry line, shooting through a gap.

They actually seemed to do rather well this weekend at a local tournament in Hamilton Ontario where we played a massive 1700 points per side 15mm FOGR demo game. It was suggested to place them out front and then try to keep friendly troops behind them as they moved up...... ever so slowly. I was quite impressed with them and bought a Warlord frame gun so some day it might just make it onto the table as a LT ART and give them a whirl again. I did manage to shoot the enemy LT Arty to break, but my own got caught by the enemy without its rear support, situation changes as you move across the table and I could not make a CMT to get out of column and back behind the guns.
As for the Poodle, alas no 15mm poodles in the game so I guess the Poodle will have to wait for his revenge in the next game we do.

rbodleyscott wrote:

Blathergut wrote:Any helpful hints from the olde hands at this re: light artillery?

Placements that have worked well or failed miserably?
Must-have infantry behind them?
Creep your line forward with them just in front?

Any thoughts would be appreciated in the never-ending pilgrimage to end the poodle-loving reign of the deadtorious one.

Jim Gibson used them rather well against me at Britcon. Had them behind his infantry line, shooting through a gap.

If you don't mind me asking personal information about you two, how big was his gap??

Blathergut wrote:

rbodleyscott wrote:Jim Gibson used them rather well against me at Britcon. Had them behind his infantry line, shooting through a gap.

If you don't mind me asking personal information about you two, how big was his gap??

About a base width IIRC. You just have to make sure the guns are far enough behind the infantry not to have their line of sight blocked off - see page 108.

And ideally they should be less than 5 inches behind their friends' front edge, so that normal enemy infantry cannot get within charge range (or close shooting range) without being shot at.

Sounds kind of tricky but you would still not be able to do much more than shoot straight ahead as you line of fire would be blocked by your own troops if you tried to fire off to your side arc.
Still it does keep your arty safe from the grubby paws of those extra nosy poodle haters that like to post in these forums

You have us all wrong: We like poodle.

MMMmmmmmmmm!

Pooooodllle!

Preciousssss . . .

deadtorius wrote:Sounds kind of tricky but you would still not be able to do much more than shoot straight ahead

I suspect that would be the plan. Have two superior pike/shot BGs up front + the light arty behind. The plan would be to cause the extra hits + extra cohesion - on the enemy unit you've targeted.

I'll let you know how it works.

Skullzgrinda wrote:MMMmmmmmmmm!

Pooooodllle!

Preciousssss . . .

Ya kno...this is almost becoming a cult!!

Passes on trying to make a "Grand Pooodlebah" joke.

Confesses...did anyway!!

deadtorius wrote:Sounds kind of tricky but you would still not be able to do much more than shoot straight ahead as you line of fire would be blocked by your own troops if you tried to fire off to your side arc.

Since what is required to deliver fire is a clear trianglular area with the base being the shooting front edge and the apex a point on an enemy base, two Light Guns posted evenly behind and firing through a base width gap could cross fires so as to reach targets facing the nearest first line bases. A little pre-battle drill with troops using a straightedge will help show the possible angles and set a useful doctrine.

Egads science and geometry are sticking their ugly heads into the realms of the simple cluttered minds of live poodle loving gamers.... better brush up on needless mathematical formulas so I can sound more intelligent when I try to prove my light guns can shoot at that target.

Just have your poodle run in a straight line to us. We'll send him back!

only if you drop your muskets and then run in a straight line at us, then we will send over the poodle.

A pair of Frames backed by the 4 Pike bases left over from detaching Shot did very useful service as a flank guard for Scots Covenanters, causing a few base losses, disrupting and repelling a kurassiere charge, and helping the Scots lancers make themselves useful. Ultimately the Pikes were threatened from multiple directions and had to form square, which abandoned the guns to their fate.

They have also been useful fronting non-missile troops recessed back in support.

Blathergut wrote:

deadtorius wrote:Sounds kind of tricky but you would still not be able to do much more than shoot straight ahead

I suspect that would be the plan. Have two superior pike/shot BGs up front + the light arty behind. The plan would be to cause the extra hits + extra cohesion - on the enemy unit you've targeted.

Worked quite well for me the other day. Shifts the onus to the other side as he couldnt jsut stay there. Originally i planned to use the light arty to support the cav fray, but that was too fluid and too quikcly blocked. Well really I took the light to save points as I don't fancy artillery as much as I was testing out some aggressive new tactics. The tactics only worked 50% but the new role of the light arty was good. Once the enemy broke and the fight swirled forward the ligth artillery were out of the game, so if I feared them I would try to maunver more because they dont' really manuver inspite of that 2 MU move/