Slitherine

Hi All,

The list mentions Highland Allied commander, but no real other notes (other than commanders should be depicted as...).

It therefore appears that a lowlander can command highlanders, but if used, a highlander commander can only command highlanders.

Is this true?

If so, how does that work?

Let's say you have 4 BG's of Highlanders. Would you allocate 2 (for example) BG's of Highlanders to the Allied commander and thus the other two would be 'line of command' of the lowlanders? Or would a Highland allied commander be able to command all the highlanders AND the lowland commanders would also be in line of command of the highlanders as well as the lowlanders. Seems somewhat unique if this is the case.

Indeed, the Starter army does seem to indicate that you can have highlanders sans allied commander, as there are highlanders there without said highland allied commander.

As I read it (and I have been reading this list a lot lately), and as the list is written, my understanding is yes

'
a Highland allied commander (is) able to command all the highlanders AND the lowland commanders (is) in line of command of the highlanders as well as the lowlanders
'

The Highlanders are an inline ally listed as optional troops rather than part of a seperate list.

There is a historical precident at Flodden in 1513 but that was noted an exceptional and a statement of how great a King James was.

timmy1 wrote:As I read it (and I have been reading this list a lot lately), and as the list is written, my understanding is yes

'
a Highland allied commander (is) able to command all the highlanders AND the lowland commanders (is) in line of command of the highlanders as well as the lowlanders
'

The Highlanders are an inline ally listed as optional troops rather than part of a seperate list.

There is a historical precident at Flodden in 1513 but that was noted an exceptional and a statement of how great a King James was.

Read it a couple of times Timmy, and I think you're right!

Incidentally... why is someone from ENGLAND reading the SCOTTISH list a lot? Trying to get some intel?

Exactly!!!!

I see nothing in the list that provides any exception to the normal rules on Allied Generals and their contingents. So, my view of this is:

If you choose to have a Highland Ally commander, those Highland BGs that he is responsible for must be identified as an Allied Contingent. These only treat the Allied commander as being in line of command.

It is permitted to have other Highlander BGs outside of the Allied contingent. These count only the C-in-C and his Subordinate Commanders as in line of command.

I agree with Kevin's interpretation. This is about deciding who is answerable to whom not getting cheap generals!

Don

It was my intention when writing the list that highlanders can be commanded by a Lowland Scottish commander as at Flodden the commander was highland in birth but a Scottish lowland noble by education and inclination. By this time all of the main highland gentry were pretty civilised. A Highland ally can only command highlanders. If anything there is more of a case for having the borderers led by an ally as in practice they were more unreliable than the highlanders.
Hope this helps.
John

Incidentally... why is someone from ENGLAND reading the SCOTTISH list a lot?

There are two reasons for this. Understandably quite a few of us are planning Flodden games for later this year and secondly the Scottish are currently an army from Northern England whereas by the end of 2014 they might be johnny foreigners

Actually in the past the Northern English were Southern Scots.