Thursday, July 26, 2007

Morale of Small Units in "Tricorne Wars" --

I've filled a gap in my "Tricorne Wars" rules. Previously, other than morale penalties, I had no mechanism to cover the situation when units suffered massive casualties. So I've now added the following:


"When units are reduced in size beyond a certain point they can no longer rally to improve their Cohesion. These size limits are:

  • Infantry -- once below two full companies, infantry can no longer rally to regain any lost Cohesion. If Broken, they rout until off of the table. This includes Skirmishing Foot. It does not mean that they rout once below two full companies -- it means that when they suffer any Cohesion loss, they cannot rally to improve it.

  • Mounted -- once below one full sqadron, mounted units can no longer rally to regain any lost Cohesion. If Broken, they rout until off of the table. It does not mean that they rout once below a full company -- it means that when they suffer any Cohesion loss, they cannot rally to improve it.

  • Artillery -- once half or more of their gunners have been lost, artillery units can no longer rally to regain any lost Cohesion. If Broken, the crew are picked up (the gun remains). It does not mean that the crew are are picked up once at half-strength or less -- it means when they suffer any Cohesion loss, they cannot rally to improve it."


  • Hopefully this will serve to alleviate the situation where only one or two figures were left in a unit.


    -- Jeff

    1 comment:

    MurdocK said...

    Sounds good Jeff, my 'super skirmishers' from last battle really should have just run off table after the first slaughter, not paused, run back and stopped another formation for long enough to see them blasted by artillery.

    For horse units that fall below 2 figs, unless they are in a continuous fall back, like my flank force last time was, then the situation of a cavalry troop having so few men left while still able to rally is a rare one.

    I argue the carte-blanche artillery rule. I say that your conditions are true, if the gun is 'unsupported' (by either flank or rear) by infantry. Since it was common for artillery 'seconds' duties to be filled by a covering force of infantry and as such the losses to the gunners would have less of a cohesion effect than your 'single rule' would show. Also, gunners with masses of cavalry to their rear would also tend to continue in action as they would know that a) running away would see them cut up by their own cavalry (either on purpose or in the way of the charge) and that b) they stand a better chance of surviving the battle by remaining at their guns and firing until the cavalry charge into the unit wounded by their artillery fire. Ultimately the cohesion drop would come once the cavalry charged or the infantry was taken from the flank.

    Just my two-bits.