Slitherine

A question over what the rules mean has arisen as to when light infantry can count their artillery attachment.

In some of my games, I attached an artillery attachment each to two small light infantry units This was to bolster up their firepower.

In tactical, they shoot with 6 dice at medium range and at short range (5+1 and 4+2)

What happens when the light infantry are in skirmish formation?

In the rules table describing how many dice are available to units (sorry, don’t have the rules with me today), it states that skirmishing units don’t get the +1 dice at medium range. In another part of the rules, below the table, it says that skrimishers don’t get the benefit of artillery attachments.

You can read the dice allocation table to say that skirmishing units get the +2 artillery attachment dice at close range, while the sentence later in the rules seems to cover both short and medium range, but doesn’t actually say that.

Just thinking about it, there doesn’t seem to be any reason why an artillery attachment shouldn’t be allowed to support a skirmishing unit. It would deploy to one flank, and the light infantry would keep out of the way at medium range. At close range it is even more likely the artillery would be supporting the light infantry, as most of their skirmishers would have joined their supports and the changes of ‘friendly fire’ would be no more than that of a reformed unit in tactical. It is for that reason, I assume, that light infantry in skirmish have LESS dice at short range than a unit in tactical.

So which is it?

Do light infantry in skirmish get +2 dice for an artillery attachment at short range?

Or does an artillery attachment add nothing to skirmishers at any range?

Alastair Donald

I believe somewhere in the recent past Terry stated that skirmishers do not get to use artillery attachments. When in tactical as light infantry they do.

So why does it say, on page 49, second table "MEDIUM (Skirmishing/canister) Ranges" "Artillery attachments cannot add dice at medium range to the fire of a unit entirely in Skirmish formation"; and the first "Close (musket) Range " "Artillery Attachment +2 dice"?

Alastair Donald

Note the difference between the Firing QRS and the rules page 48:

Close Range: "Infantry in Square or skirmishers. [small unit 3, large unit 4]


The rule in question comes after the three range charts when the point is how to calculate the number of dice. It explains that, if a unit has an artillery attachment, you add 1 or 2 dice (at either close, medium, or long range) unless the parent body is light infantry entirely in skirmish formation, in which case the attached Artillery base does not fire.

So light infantry, in skirmish formation, never get the bonus dice of an artillery attachment.

So light infantry, in skirmish formation, never get the bonus dice of an artillery attachment

And yet, in the Medium range table on page 49 they specifically state that artillery attachments don't add to a unit entirely in Skirmish formation, but the Close range table is silent on this.

The sentence on p49-50 "unless the parent body is light infantry entirely in skirmish formation, in which case the attached Artillery base does not fire." is inclusive, but the tables could have been more consistant.

Alastair

I've added artillery attachments to my own light infantry (once), and regretted it after I formed into skirmish formation.
The problem being that changing out of skirmish formation takes a full move, and you often don't have th emove to spare.

We wanted to ensure that you can't create 'super units' by the addition of attackments. Adding artillry to light infantry gives them an extra dice at medium range, but at the expense of losing your other advantage of high manouevrability.
However, the main reason we don't allow it is that you would not be able to fire canister (medium & short range fire) while surrounded by a 'cloud' of skirmishers.

The intent of the rule is to not allow firing artilley by skirmishers at medium range. I will update the rules to that effect.
At close range skirmishers would get 3 + 2 dice at a -POA ...... So particularly dangerous.

I want to bring this thread to the top and ask the question how many fire dice does a skirmish unit get at close range?

small gets 4 dice, large 6 dice.
If in extended skirmish line then each half gets 4/ 6 dice with a - POA for shooting at close.

I want to bring this thread to the top and ask the question how many fire dice does a skirmish unit get at close range?

A unit in skirmish formation gets 4 dice at close range - same as any other unit.
However it fires at a - POA

A unit in skirmish formation is intended to have its men dispersed between 100 and 350 yards from the enemy.
It would not want to engage in a close range firefight with a formed enemy unit.

Was there a particular reason you moved it from 3 to 4 in the errata?

Just curious. Right now there is every reason to always load up on Light infantry.

Was there a particular reason you moved it from 3 to 4 in the errata?

We found that skirmishers couldn't damage each other at close range - or anyone else.
Light infantry couldn't break their opponent - to do that they have to get to close range, and hitting on 5's with 3 dice isn't likely to cause the 2 hits needed.