Epic ACW question about Cavalry and dismounted cavalry

[Mick]

I bought a couple of Cavalry brigades, 1 each for the Union and Confederates and was looking at how to represent them on the battlefield when dismounted. I have 3  ways that I can think of, 1) is just keep them as they are and announce whether they are mted or dismted, 2) was to use the Dismounted Cavalry box, but I think their may be a blunder with this option and 3) Use a Skirmishers box set.

First, does anyone know if teh Dismounted Cavalry box was supposed to represent the Cavarly Brigade box set? If so then there is either a blunder in the number of stands or it’s a sales ploy by Warlord. The Cavalry Brigade has 3 regiments of 4 stands each making them regular size regiments, but the Dismted Cavalry has 3 regiments of 3 stands each, at first I think maybe it had to do with Frontages but all the regiment bases in Epic are the same size!

Now, in teh game Dismted Cavalry are treated as Skirmishers so I figure maybe get a skirmisher box set, but I have the same issue, 12 Cavalry stands vs 10 skirmisher stands.

Am I being too literal in this conversion? I feel if I use either of these box sets I am losing 2 stands and therefore 2 lots of troops.

 

[Big Al]

It might be to represent a smaller unit when dismounted. You know, horse holders will mean a small unit when dismounted while the extra stand when mounted makes it a standard unit. If so, it is just aesthetic because there isn’t any rule for having horse holders.

[Mick]

Yeah someone on my hobby group suggested using it as the fourth stand, didn’t even occur to me, lol. Certainly makes things easier.

Thanks for the reply

[Garry Wills]

The other thing to remember is that despite there being no figure scale, in reality a standard infantry unit clearly represents more men than a standard cavalry unit, which must be so given the same frontage for both. I could bore you with my own conversions, but this effect is very dramatic, and explains why dismounted cavalry become skirmishers in the rules.

All the best

Garry

[vodkafan]

From the info your post I inferred straight away that the disparity is as Big Al says- mounted units did shrink by a quarter when dismounted because  1 trooper in 4 had to hold the horses.

[Mick]

The holding the horses makes alot of sense, I think I might just go with at approach although it does mean I’ll lose a stand while dismounted.

 

Thanks for the replies

[Dr Dave]

Sorry to be the “wet blanket” here but the intention in “Glory Hallelujah!” was that a standard cavalry unit dismounts as a standard unit of skirmishers. It was that way for two reasons:

1) keep it simple

2) if units drop by one size when dismounted then it means that for a small unit 1/2 hold horses when it would become a tiny unit – obviously a bit odd. Hence the box contents for Epic ACW do not reflect the unit sizes in the rules in terms of the number of figures. but in BP2 it’s all about frontages anyway.

Either way, play how you want and enjoy the game – that’s the main point.

[Dr Dave]

Garry, you’re right to a point. But the aim was really that standard represents 300. The average strength of a Regt at Gettysburg say.

Cavalry dismount as skirmishers because that’s what they did. I’ve never read of them being formed in ranks and files when fighting on foot.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by Dr Dave.

[Mick]

Ok so I went back through the BP core and Epic ACW book and I understand about skirmishing units. There are 2 sections that mention about cavalry being skirmishers, so thats all good. BUT! On page 12 of the Epic book it says ALL infantry can form in mixed order which I understand, so all good there as well, but the second paragraph states that 1 regiment in every brigade can be designated as light infantry and can deploy in skirmish formation. What would be the point of designating regiments as light infantry when ALL my regiments can form mixed order anyway? Is it the fact that light infantry can DEPLOY in skirmish order?

This still brings me back to another question that I asked but don’t really understand the answer. The whole deployment thing. The only thing I can see about deployment is in the scenarios, so it will show me the deployment zone, the Battle of Greenbrier River tells me I can deploy however I want, but the others it just gives the zone and nothing else, so can I deploy however I want and in which formation I want?

I guess the real question is how often will an order fail if I just move my units around the battlefield in line formation? Obviousy a lot of the scenarios might have deployment zones scattered all over the map, but the Greenbrier River one you deploy at each others table edge. On a 6’x4′ table it would take me 5 turns or less moving in line formation at 12cm (epic conversion) per turn (minimum) , assuming I succeed in all my command tests. All of the brigade commanders have a staff rating of 8 with the exception of 1 who is a general with a 9. Now as they are already in Line formation I don’t have to waste time changing formations when I have reached my battle line. So is the point of the march column formation to GUARENTEE a successful test and get me those 3 moves? To get to that battle line so I can set up quicker than the opposing player?

[Dr Dave]

Mick,

The point is that often a brigade would put an entire regiment up front in skirmish order. This way – if you use the mixed order as well of line plus skirmishers – you could really swamp someone with skirmish shooting, perhaps someone who was reluctant to (or couldn’t) use it – such as defending a fort, buildings, line of cover etc…

Deployment zones – it’s just where your troops go. You can be in any formation you want.

As you say – march column is a guaranteed move. Though it is more vulnerable when actually fighting.

[Mick]

Cheers DD, so really I’m getting the feeling that if I play on a large table with forces starting on either side I should use march to get my troops where I want them as quick as poss, but if I’m on a small table or deployment zones are really close then I should probably deploy in line?

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