If you win the cavalry fight and have enough artillery to out shoot the enemy, what can the infantry do? They can't outrun the horses and can't move in square fast enough to escape or out shoot the heavier guns. The infantry can stay in difficult terrain and buildings, but is still stuck once they move into open ground where the cavalry can force them into square. Is it because the artillery is slower and more likely to run out of ammunition than the infantry?
Wellington's army was historically short on both cavalry and artillery but still able to win. I'm trying to build an army that can take on others that have both more and heavier of both which seems tactically hard.
One simple answer from the Something Awful Military History thread:
Wellington camped behind hills so you couldn't shoot him with artillery, and cavalry can't defeat infantry in squares.
Spread your guns out with the infantry as attachments - as the british did in the Peninuslar.
ReplyDeleteThe extra 2 dice at close range give the infantry a decent chance of standing and shooting off cav who charge them without forming square and stalling. At some risk. And don't let the Cav start their charge within 2".
Basically, an Inf+gun can move to medium range (>2MU, <6MU) and has around 3 dice (+1 for the gun, -1 for Cav in the vicinity, maybe + another 1 for extra skirmish attachment so 4 dice) needing 2 hits fives to try and drop the cav a level. Get two units shooting at one, and its 6 dice. Sooner or later the Cav will need to charge or retreat, or the shooting will gradually get them wavering. 6 dice averages 2 hits per turn, so dropping them a level in each players turn and they can only rally one level in their own turn. Its slow, sometimes very slow, but inevitable.
When they charge, or a wavered so you can move to close, its 6 dice per unit shooting (4 base for volley fire, +2 for gun, no penalty for cav) hitting on 4s if charging and 5s if not.
Even 1 hit forces a test to charge home if charging, 2 drops a small unit a level and 3 means they can't even test to charge home as well as drop a level (of course, superior-charging or large Cav units will ignore one hit).
Forming square is safer, but having a gun and taking a risk gives you a decent chance of shooting them off. Even more so if you have a solid gunline and can get extra dice from support shots.
My 1812 US army specialises in that solid gunline - 6 infantry units with guns, most of them large. Even though they are low quality troops (lots of conscripts or poor drilled troops) they have slaughtered an elite French Heavy Cavalry Corps who tried to charge them frontally en-mass. I think 4 french shock units tried to charge, the US suffered a total of 1 disruption on the entire army and the French suffered two routs, two other wavers and a disruption or two (supporting units that didn't charge in the front line included).
I've taken this advice to heart, but I'm still trying to apply it's lessons. Thanks!
Delete