How is artillery handled in the ruels

[Gunfreak]

Are they the same as black powder, 1 gun is a battery? Are there rules for smaller battalion or brigade guns?

[SteveMorgan]

Pretty much the same as Black Powder, but generally less accurate (standard to hit is 5+, not 4+).
Unreliable, so a chance they will be put out of action (this represents lack of ammo & damage rather than catastrophic explosions).
No horse artillery.
Heavy and Siege guns are immovable, medium guns are very cumbersome.
Mortars and petards have their own special rules
Hope this helps

Steve

[Jammers]

The Falconette, Frame Gun etc looks like the nearest thing to a Brigade Gun, they can move twice (keeping up with the infantry) and fire

[David Horaist]

I have found the artillery in these rules devastating. The small guns can move nearly as well as infantry and deliver more fire power. They cannot fight very well, but rarely does anything take them frontally. Even medium can be manhandled 3" and shoot in the same turn. It is not fun getting anywhere near them. Tell me more how they are not as good as BP artillery besides the 5+ hit.

I guess the question is: Am I doing something wrong or misinterpreting how they are used?

[Alan Charlesworth]

I thought only light guns could move and shoot in the same turn? See page 55.

In any event I have found the artillery in P&S to be quite ineffective. Which is how is should be.

[Invisible officer]

P&S rules are for all countries in that age and some armies reached an astonishing level of devastation by artillery. Remember the Imperial windmill battery at Lützen that nearly destroyed one wing of the Royal army . Or the Swedish light guns that had been so successfull that all continental armies copied them.

The main difference between 17th century artillery and 18th/early 19th century one was tactical, not technical. It was the large big gun battery that was so devastating in Napoleonic times and if the ancestors managed to place one that way in TYW it had the same effect. The 5+ rule diifference is more than enough to represent the insignificant technical differences.

[David Horaist]

p. 55 is about limbering and moving long distance. In P&S, can't mediums be manhandled 3" and still shoot. Maybe the small artillery that is allowed to move and shoot is only for the ECW? The Ribaulquin, used in the Italian Wars, may could be what is being thought of as small artillery, but after firing they would require a lot of time to re-load.

[Alan Charlesworth]

Page 55

"Artillery cannot move and shoot in the same turn; the only exception to this are 'light' artillery pieces which were designed to offer infantry support. Light guns can move twice and shoot."

What is so difficult to understand about that?

There is nothing on page 55 about limbering and moving long distance as you put it?

Artillery is hitting on a 6 most of the time. If they are hitting on a 5 then they are likely to be at half range or less and could roll double 1 which would put them out of action (page 56). Heavy guns can't move at all (page 38). Only medium artillery can be moved by limbers (page 39). Hence compared to say Black Powder artillery is relatively ineffective.

[chessingtonBS]

I agree with Alan , the guns haven't proved that effective . Players trying to keep their lines neat and tidy with their guns having effective fire arcs have come a cropper .

[trevor allen]

Having playtested the Lutzen demo with these rules, and once again playing it this weekend in Mansfield, the 15 guns on the table have certainly not been too effective. Indeed they could be constued as be a bit of a damp squib, but then who knows what will happen this Saturday.

Only the light guns can move and fire.....it says it so clearly in the rules, and whilst the mediums can also be moved they are very slow. Static heavies can soon become the target of a cavalry charge......as long as you have enough units of cavalry. Dont forget any unit only gets closing fire once in a turn, so as long as there are 2 or more cavalry units available the second one has a terrific chance of taking several out at once!

Trev