GRANDE TACTIQUE

Movement

• Foot artillery move (once limbered) like infantry, i.e. 3”. 

• Horse artillery move (once limbered) like cavalry, i.e. 9”.

• Artillery who are not firing can always pivot on the spot without limbering.

• When limbering or unlimbering, an artillery may pivot in any direction for free, like infantry coming out of square. 

 

Artillery fire

• See above under Firing for what makes a valid target for artillery.

• Normal range is up to 7”, long range is 7-12” (-1 penalty).

• Artillery cannot fire on a unit that is being charged by a friendly unit, lest they fire on their own troops.

• Artillery on a hill can fire over the heads of friendly troops that are at least 2” away from the target.

• Artillery can always fire on enemy units who are on top of a hill or on the near slope of it if they are otherwise valid targets, i.e. intervening troops of either side do not block line of sight.

• As noted above under Firing Results, due to grapeshot anyone (attacker or defender) beaten in a firing phase by artillery in contact flees, if the unit beaten by the artillery is even partially within the firing arc of the artillery.

• Artillery gets a +1 bonus for enfilade fire if it is able to able to draw a line from a front corner to both rear corners of target: see Enfilade Fire Diagram.

• Artillery cannot fire into woods.

• Artillery firing on a BUA must be able to hit the BUA, not just the unit occupying it (if the base of that unit is sticking out of the BUA). 

 

Being charged

• pass: no resolution (attacker remains in contact); start firing if not already doing so, unless charged only from flank or rear.  Do not pivot.

• fail: the attacker overruns the guns, which are marked Silenced; the attacker remains in position and can (for 2 PIPs) spike the guns on a subsequent turn.

 

Spiking the Guns

• Infantry or cavalry in contact with silenced artillery may spend 2 PIPs to spike the guns.

• When guns are spiked, that is the end of the artillery unit, which is removed and counted as destroyed. 

• Spiking guns is the only way to destroy artillery units.

• You cannot spike guns in the middle of a move, i.e. you can’t move partway, spike the guns, and continue moving all on the same turn.

 

Silenced artillery 

• Artillery can become silenced either 

  • if it is successfully charged (see above) or 

  • if it is shaken and fired on by enemy artillery and loses.  Note that infantry fire cannot silence an artillery unit, though of course it can make it shaken: instead, infantry (and cavalry) must charge an artillery unit to silence it.

• Silenced artillery is immediately marked with a Silenced marker, loses any Firing marker, and cannot fire until restored.

• Silenced artillery is not a valid target.  

• It costs 2 PIPs to de-silence a silenced artillery unit (just as it costs 2 PIPs to rally a routed infantry or cavalry unit).  Mark a de-silenced artillery unit as shaken.

• You cannot de-silence an artillery unit that is in contact with an enemy unit.  

• Limbered artillery can be silenced in the same manner as unlimbered artillery.  If limbered when silenced, artillery returns limbered when de-silenced; if unlimbered when silenced, it returns unlimbered when de-silenced.

 

Limbered Artillery

• Unlimbered artillery can move (for 1 PIP) only after paying 1 PIP to limber up.  

• Limbered artillery can only fire (for 1 PIP) after paying 1 PIP to unlimber.

• Mark limbered artillery with a Limbered marker.  Artillery remains limbered until unlimbered.

• Unlimbered artillery can, however, pay 1 PIP to pivot on the spot without limbering and unlimbering, though it cannot pivot like this while firing.  (If firing,  it must first pay 1 PIP to stop firing, then pivot, then [if desired] pay 1 more PIP to begin firing again.)

• Limbered artillery cannot fire, though it still rolls a die when fired at, so as to allow assessment of the effects of fire.  It receives none of the bonuses to morale  or firing normally accorded to artillery and units in contact to its front do not flee if they lose a firing attack.

• Limbered artillery suffers a -2 morale penalty when being charged.

• If limbered artillery pass a Morale Check when charged, they automatically delimber, start firing, and (if in contact with only one unit) turn to face.  This simulates the crew’s heroically getting their act together, unlimbering, and preparing to fire at point-blank range.