Wargame Rules - Artillery

A few weeks ago I mentioned that I was having problems with the Artillery rules.   In particular the effect of crew casualties.   In our current rules casualties are shown as a percentage, for example 10%.    Such casualties affect the combat and morale tests by imposing a minus 1 on all tests.

This created a particular problem with counter battery fire.   At long range artillery required a roll of 6 using 1D6.   This meant that a battery with just 1 casualty could not hit enemy gunners at long range.   Long range artillery is 12” and short range 4”.   This gave a massive advantage to the side without any gunner casualties and their gun dominated each game.

Counter battery fire had become a standard tactic in our games, particularly for the attacking player.   The attacking player would unlimber his artillery at long range of the enemy guns, with the rest of his army out of range.   Both sides would then fire away at each other, usually with no effect at all.  

Apart from counter battery fire, the only other option was to charge the enemy guns with cavalry.   Cavalry charge range is 12”, the same as artillery long range.   The cavalry would have to move into artillery long range, and then charge the next move.   This meant that the artillery could fire once at long range (3 or more for a hit) and again at short range (2 or more for a hit).   

I am play testing a new rule which restricts counter battery fire to short range.   I have never experienced a game where guns are able to deploy that close to the enemy guns.   In practice they would be engaged by either cavalry or even infantry.

With this rule change cavalry is the most favoured option for removing enemy artillery, though a very risky one.   The sequence for cavalry charging artillery is:

Cavalry advance half move (6”)

Gunners test morale, if they pass they can either fire at short range or evade to nearby supports

If gunners evade cavalry can either halt disordered, or retreat 6” to their start line

With cavalry the only option to take out the enemy gunners, this tactic is used much more often than when counter battery fire was an option.   We draw chips to determine the sequence of corps moves each turn.   If the cavalry are drawn after the enemy artillery they can move into charge range of the gunners without risking fire at long range 

The artillery reaction has become an interesting choice.    If they pass their morale test they must choose to either fire at short range or evade.   If they evade the enemy cavalry can prevent them returning to the guns.   If they fire they will probably hit the cavalry, who must then test their morale to charge home.   They require a roll of 3 or more to do so.   If they pass they charge and the gunners rout with 10% casualties.  If they fail they remain at short range of the guns and are either disordered or shaken depending on their test result.  

In our first game using this new rule there were two cavalry charges against artillery.  In one the gunners already had 10% casualties, passed their morale test but ran to a nearby infantry square.   In the second the gunners fired, the cavalry failed their morale test and were counter charged by enemy cavalry and routed.

Lots of possibilities with this rule amendment and it has added a new challenge to our wargames