Mike

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  • Mike replied to the topic War wagons in the forum Hail Caesar 5 months, 1 week ago

    The Sea Peoples Hail Ceasar Warlord Supplement Biblical and Classical armies provides for Baggage Wagons with a base profile of 3/3/1/0/4+/6 and Special Stubborn rule.  I think that is a good starting point.

    I don’t see them “attacking”.  So, you may opt not to let them attack and move at the wagon rate (same as infantry).  Now, you have to de…[Read more]

  • Mike replied to the topic Epic and formations in the forum Black Powder 9 months, 3 weeks ago

    While I don’t game, Epic scale, I have gamed with different base configurations.  You and your opponent need to agree what constitutes the way to display a given formation.  In the past, three “stand” units displayed a square formation as a “triange”, while two “stand” units displayed it with one stand facing forward and one backward.  Given th…[Read more]

  • Like Big Al says, Hail Ceasar is pretty agnostic when comes to basing or castings, the most important thing is a consistent unit “footprint” (with frontage being more important than depth), since the rules work off of tiny, small, standard and large size units largely based on the “unit’s frontage”.  But with that in mind, while I prefer painting…[Read more]

  • Mike replied to the topic Must Form Square in the forum Black Powder 1 year ago

    As I remember it, a unit can only make one charge response per turn.  So since forming square is the unit’s response, it cannot respond a second time when charged by the French Infantry in hand-to-hand combat.

  • Mike replied to the topic Small Unit Actions in the forum Black Powder 1 year ago

    Yes and no.  You can play a small unit game using the Black Powder game engine.  In the French and Indian War supplement in some scenarios a standard unit is a company of 100-150 men.  The Black Powder game engine is extremely flexible and with a few tweaks (which is what supplements do), you can emulate almost any sized engagement.

    But it wi…[Read more]

  • First, any unit with a 3+ morale save, that gets buffed up to 2+ is going to be tough to beat.  In essence, it would take on average 24 hits to produce the 4 unsaved hits needed for it reach shaken. Historically, I am unaware that the Old Guard was every defeated in a close combat melee.  But it is not invulnerable.

    A more effective tactic w…[Read more]

  • Mike replied to the topic charge distance in the forum Black Powder 1 year, 1 month ago

    To get really nitpicky, you orders are “intentions” not charge moves.  Even if you order a “charge”, from a technical perspective, it does not become a “charge” move unless you can contact the enemy.  Instead, it is simply an intent to contact the enemy.  You can technically declare an intent to “charge” an enemy you have no chance of re…[Read more]

  • We don’t like the use of the word “skirmish” since that represents a combined formation and tactical doctrine.  We prefer the word open order.  We also display the formations differently.  For us skirmishing is a more linear formation with supports in the rear.  So, we show it that way.  Open order is units maintaining the same formation but with…[Read more]

  • As Garry noted, there are new rules for forming square on pages 98-100 in the Clash of Eagles supplement. It provides bonuses to the Order test depending on how far the cavalry starts its charge.  I like this rule, though as Garry notes above others don’t.

    Part of the intent, I think of the rule was to force infantry in go into square when…[Read more]

  • Mike replied to the topic Manhandling Artillery in the forum Black Powder 1 year, 4 months ago

    Yes, but it must pass a command order or be in initiative range of an enemy and is limited to one move per turn.

     

  • Mike started the topic Evade off Table in the forum Hail Caesar 1 year, 7 months ago

    So, I had a two open order light chariots 6″ from the back edge of the table.  My opponent charged my chariots and rolled a triple move from around 12″ way with chariots.  I evaded.  Because I was less than a full move from the back edge, we moved my troops off the table.  Several questions came up…

    1) Can you pursue an opponent off the tab…[Read more]

  • I have found with Black Powder, when something “rare” happens to consider what might have happened rather than the “optics” of what happened.

    Using your example, it is clear that the infantry battalion’s colonel saw the cavalry charging his flank and ordered his unit to face the enemy cavalry and issue fire.  Before the cavalry closed the…[Read more]

  • In Clash of Eagles there are some special rules regarding skirmishers, that provide a more granular feel to mixed formations based on infantry type and nationality.

    Specific to your question:

    The mixed formation requires a formation change.  The formation change represents the “parent” battalion dispatching skirmishers to screen their front…[Read more]

  • Mike replied to the topic Further BP2 queries in the forum Black Powder 2 years, 6 months ago

    Shrapnel… not to be to nerdy… but yes but 3D6 hitting on 5s and @D6 hitting on 4s have the same expected value… “1 hit”.  But they have very different outcome distributions including upper ranges.  So with 2D6 you are more likely to have more 0 hits and 2hits.  With 3D6, you are less likely to miss and can even inflict as many as 3 hi…[Read more]

  • The answer to your question is provided by Garry and Big Al.  The only thing I would add is to better understand Black Powder keep in mind “hits” do not equate to casualties per se, but rather the morale state of the unit.

    So as Al noted, by winning the combat, your unit is feeling “euphoric” and so no “Break Test” is required.  But it also e…[Read more]

  • When you get into special terrain, you need special rules.

    The Clash of Eagles Supplement does have some rules for Earthworks and Entrenchments.  Mostly, they suggest defining them as light cover or heavy cover and require you establish the capacity of said features… like one artillery unit and one standard infantry unit, etc.

    I think the…[Read more]

  • Artillery was general divided into two categories… artillery of the “park” or reserve and small battalion guns for direct support.  This approach remained the practice until artillery became lighter and more maneuverable and so larger caliber guns could be deployed in a more direct support role.

    Brigades were first introduced as a tactical…[Read more]

  • Mike replied to the topic Streams in Combat in the forum Black Powder 2 years, 8 months ago

    The best way to view, Black Powder’s terrain rules are as suggestions and the rules even suggest you feel free to tweak them…

    So, if terrain is important to your scenario, then I would define the rules beyond those in BP2.  I have seen “streams” that I could walk across without breaking pace.  I have seen ones that in other parts of the c…[Read more]

  • The FAQ that Garry refers to…

    The Quick Reference Sheet (QRS) states that a break test is required for units suffering artillery casualties
    from closing fire (b. Test if Shaken or suffering artillery casualties from closing fire). Because the best
    result that cavalry can get from such a test is ‘retire’ this makes it practically impossible for…[Read more]

  • It might help to understand the nuances in the rules.

    While unit B cannot fire it ability to support adds +1 to combat resolution.  So while it does not get to throw 3 shooting dice which most often would inflict 1 casualty, when combat is resolved its +1 has the same impact on the melee as inflicting one loss in melee.  You can visualize this “…[Read more]

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