Slitherine

Are light guns worth having? With their short range they seem highly likely to be overrun after only a shot or two. Has anyone found a use for them?

Hi John,

IMHO they are not much use. Unless you can have a non-shooting BG to protect them. Invariably any shooting unit would be more effective than the guns themselves. I forsee they could be good defending a wing against cavalry (with some detached pike or spears in support). I guess they make a cheap BG too. But you've got to protect them

thanks
Simon

If you mean Light Artillery. One advantage is some list allow you to buy them in lieu of medium artillery.

The Later TYW German IIRC. So if you are offensive minded away to save points.

They do move. So you can use them to add fire on a mounted attack.

hazelbark wrote:If you mean Light Artillery. One advantage is some list allow you to buy them in lieu of medium artillery.

The Later TYW German IIRC. So if you are offensive minded away to save points.

They do move. So you can use them to add fire on a mounted attack.

Well, what else would I mean? Sure, they can move, but only 2" per turn, can't fire if they've moved and can't be part of a division. They seem vastly overpriced compared with medium artillery. I'm surprised they aren't costed as half the price of mediums, much like Art(I) are half the price of Art(O) in DBM.

Thanks for the confirmation of their general uselessness, Simon. I'm regretting having wasted time painting a couple of 25mm light guns for my New Model Army... they do look good, though.

Hi John, perhaps Dan meant they could be regimental guns. If they are small then they could be of use as Regimental guns. I know that you said New Model Army (who dont get RGs) but if - as most people do - you intend to use those figures as for any 30Yr War army you could have options there.

I don't think they should be totally wasted as light artillery. Unless you play meglomaniac type games the NMA horse is too expensive for 2 effective mounted wings. Detach 4 pike from 2 P&S regiments. Gives you a 8 Base Musket unit (good for Rgo) and 4 pike good for covering your art which can be part of your refused/weak flank.

Thanks again, Simon. Yes, I could put them on shallower bases as regimental guns... though the army is all red-coated so can really be only NMA or Later Parliamentarian, who don't get those bonuses. Or the pike-supported light guns are worth thinking about.

The NMA might be ready for Keith McGlynn's competition in November. Will you be there?

Cheers

John

Hi John, it's unlikely ... I only have 15mm armies now and November is warfare in reading... 2 in one month would be hard to pull off

johngl wrote:Are light guns worth having? With their short range they seem highly likely to be overrun after only a shot or two. Has anyone found a use for them?

They can be useful to fire at enemy through a short gap between friendly infantry regiments. Apart from adding shooting dice, if the enemy have to roll a cohesion test then they are -1 being shot at by artillery.

Richard

johngl wrote: Sure, they can move, but only 2" per turn, can't fire if they've moved and can't be part of a division. They seem vastly overpriced compared with medium artillery. I'm surprised they aren't costed as half the price of mediums, much like Art(I) are half the price of Art(O) in DBM.

Thanks for the confirmation of their general uselessness, Simon. I'm regretting having wasted time painting a couple of 25mm light guns for my New Model Army... they do look good, though.

1 With a general they double move by themselves. When i ran them. I would put a TC with them and try to scoot them forward.
2 At 12 v 20 points they almost are half price.
3 The extra -1 CT for when they are shooting with your foot is handy.
4 I would think in 25mm they would be better since proportionaly they cover more table space from what's available.

Still I am not saying they are grand. But they have their uses.

[quote="johngle]
Well, what else would I mean? Sure, they can move, but only 2" per turn, can't fire if they've moved and can't be part of a division. [/quote]

I believe Light Artillery CAN move and fire

No, they can't... "Artillery whose battle group moved in any way during the preceding manoeuvre phase cannot shoot in the shooting phase". Page 106.

johngl wrote:No, they can't... "Artillery whose battle group moved in any way during the preceding manoeuvre phase cannot shoot in the shooting phase". Page 106.

Matteo is remembering the beta, when they could.

Ops !

remembering the beta

I still have nightmares thinking back to when light artillery had 3 dice at short range

marching toward Dave Parish's Russian with about 10 light guns !!

Marched towarn no return I guess

Aha! It's evidently one of those "These things are too good, let's change the rules to rein them in a bit, oops they're now completely useless" cases. Perhaps think about applying one of:

1) Allow to move as part of a division.
2) Allow to move and shoot.
3) 2 dice at close range, for case shot etc.
4) Reduce points cost.

Any one (only) of those could make them worth having without creating supertroops.

I' d like 1 and 2 as battallion guns are the same Kind of stuff and they move with infantry and shot

I'm not so sure they need a 'buff' ... They are easier to move than other artillery. No CMT to move , none of that nonsense limbering. They are only 12 pts after all.

What I like about FoG:R is a lot of thing are superficially useless

list_lurker wrote:

remembering the beta

I still have nightmares thinking back to when light artillery had 3 dice at short range

marching toward Dave Parish's Russian with about 10 light guns !!

That was fun!! I felt that the point of a beta was to push the rules a bit - so I'm kinda proud that my exploits caused a rule change!

I still use Light Artillery for the Ming and usually march them quite aggressively at the flanks where mounted are. They get in a few good shots and are then often captured - but because I have quite a few rubbish units knocking around I can often recapture them. Giving my opponent the dilemma - push on or defend a lousy Light Artillery unit.