Slitherine

Two questions:
1. Cavalry charge unlimbered guns who abandon. There are no targets within 2 MU of the guns. Do the cav stop at the line of the guns or do they continue to the full extent of their charge?

2. Page 29 says under Reaction Moves, "...unlimbered artillery will normally be abandoned and the gunners take refuge behind an infantry unit within 2MU". What happens if there is no infantry unit within 2MU? Are the guns lost?

1. move full charge distance in direction already moved since no additional wheeling is allowed

2. i assume the guns are lost if they don't stand and fire...nowhere for the crews to shelter...but i can't find it in rules or errata

Charge goes full distance in original direction.

Guns aren't lost, just abandoned. Whether you can recover them or not will depend on getting an infantry unit back near to where they were abandoned.

I believe you have to stand and fight if you dont have any friends to run to to abandon the guns. If you have no safe haven then you would not likely abandon the guns to begin with so stand and fight.

As for the cavalry charge they would make a full charge move right over the abandoned guns if need be.
To abandon the guns there must be a new target within 2 MU so you could always charge into the new target after the guns are abandoned.

I agree with Keef. The cavalry move full distance through the abandoned gun position. The gunners are assumed to have fled. The effects of how far they fled to a friendly infantry formation (and what that unit is doing) is reflected in their recovery roll. See page 47 1st column.

For example, an isolated battery with the closest friendly infantry unit at (say) 8 MU would receive 2 cohesion losses (in the table under the "If otherwise:") and assaulted by cavalry, or receive a retire outcome move result; one cohesion loss if assaulted by infantry. These are cumulative.

It's worse if friendly units within 2 MU of the guns retire at the same time (obviously not in the above example).

On the face of it, the rules seem to have missed modelling the circumstances around isolated gun batteries in the sense that they seem less vulnerable than batteries that have friends retiring close to them, but an isolated battery would have no supporting fire or other advantages from having close friends, so this may not be a real problem. It's probably more likely to be destroyed outright. I might have added another line in the table for a -2 cohesion loss for no friendly infantry unit within 6 MU but, but as I said, I'm not sure it's a problem.

Alastair Donald

Terry posted a really good explanation of the abandoned guns process here: http://www.slitherine.co.uk/forum/viewt ... 2&start=20

Thanks Keith. So to summarise what seems to be the consensus on the 2 questions:

1. Chargers complete their charge to the full extent of their move when guns are abandoned (they don't stop at the abandoned guns).

2. Even if there are no friends within 2MU, gunners that fail their test to stand and fire MUST abandon the guns.