My blog about my wargaming activities. I collect a lot of 15mm miniatures for the American War of Independence and so collect a lot of rules for this period. I started miniatures with Napoleonics, so I have a number of armies in 6mm and 15mm figures for skirmishing. I have15mm WW II figures that I use for Flames of War, Memoir '44, and someday, Poor Bloody Infantry. Finally there is my on-again, off-again relationship with paper soldiers that I sometimes write about.

Monday, November 17, 2008

DBAWI Design Notes: Differing Musket Range

Why does the musket's range differ with the type and order of the unit?

In the last blog entry I mentioned that the order of the unit could affect the firing range of the unit, in addition to determining how fast it moved and the effect terrain would play on its movement. This entry discusses the effect order has on range.

The range of a weapon represents the doctrine of the troops using the weapon just as it does for how far the weapon can physically shoot. Troops in CO were under tighter control by the officers and NCOs, who believed that it was better to reserve fire until much closer, where the effect would be much greater. Troops in OO, on the other hand, attempted to aim their weapon. Further, the depth of their base represents that they occupy a larger area of ground and that the figures are constantly moving forward, firing, retreating, and reloading. This implied movement, not represented by movement on the board, also accounts for the increased range.

So, here are the numbers:

Unit TypeOrderRange
Line InfantryCO150 paces
Line InfantryLO200 paces
Light InfantryCO150 paces
Light InfantryLO200 paces
Light InfantryOO250 paces
German RiflesOO300 paces
American RiflesOO400 paces
IndiansOO200 paces
CavalryLON/A
CavalryOON/A
ArtilleryLight600 paces
ArtilleryMedium800 paces
ArtilleryHeavy1000 paces
CommanderN/AN/A


UPDATE: All references to "Patriot Rifle" are now "American Rifle" to reflect that Loyalist militia can also be armed with the same rifle.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Blog Archive

Blog and Forum Pages

Popular Posts

Followers

About Me

My photo
Huachuca City, Arizona, United States
I am 58 yrs old now. I bought a house in Huachuca City, AZ working for a software company for the last three years. To while away the hours I like to wargame -- with wooden, lead, and sometimes paper miniatures -- usually solo. Although I am a 'rules junkie', I almost always use rules of my own (I like to build upon others' ideas, but it seems like there is always something "missing" or "wrong").