Slitherine

Are they any different from ordinary musketeers

AFAIK they fare far better in a melee than standard musketeers as well as being better protected from cavalry.

I dont beleive bayonets ( which are impact and melee weapons) have any POA of their own, they simply cancel applicable enemy POA's under applicable circumstances ( ie in melee, STEADY bayonets cancels any sword or melee pistol POA, etc etc)

Thus a unit of musket w bayonets in close combat w musket only would basically be equal.

Aryaman wrote:Are they any different from ordinary musketeers

They are better against mounted troops, because the Bayonets (if Steady)

At impact:
1) Cancel the cavalry POAs for Impact capabilities.
2) Cancel the cavalry POA for impacting Medium Foot in the open.

So instead of being at -200 POA in the open vs Impact Pistol cavalry (for example) at Impact, they are on even POAs.

In melee:

Steady Bayonet cancels Melee Pistol (or Swordsmen) POA, so instead of being at -100 POA in melee, they are on even POAs.

This is not as good as pikes, which would be on +100 POA in impact and melee, but the trade-off is that the bayonet armed musketeers units are less affected by terrain, and put out greater firepower as they don't have a proportion of pikemen who cannot shoot.

Against infantry, the bayonet makes no difference - the plug bayonet was primarily intended to turn a musketeer into his own pikeman against cavalry. (In any case, once bayonets came in, most musketeers in pike and shot regiments also had bayonets, but this capability is not noted in the descriptions, nor paid for in points, because it has no additional effect).

TheGrayMouser wrote:I dont beleive bayonets ( which are impact and melee weapons) have any POA of their own, they simply cancel applicable enemy POA's under applicable circumstances ( ie in melee, STEADY bayonets cancels any sword or melee pistol POA, etc etc)

Thus a unit of musket w bayonets in close combat w musket only would basically be equal.

But they would also be equal vs Musket,Sword Haiduks, which the non-bayonet Musketeers wouldn't.