Going Prone

[Mark Stanoch]

I have seen mention of prone rules in various threads but didn’t pay much attention. But now that I am embarked on a FPW project in 15mm, I would like to obtain a description of the rules for going prone. Can some provide a reference in the rules for this?

[Charge The Guns]

Hi Mark, the rule is in Albion Triumphant part 2 (Hundred Days). A unit of infantry can be given the order to lie down. When lying down then hits from artillery at medium and long range are re-rolled. If contacted when lie dying then the unit is removed.

[Mark Stanoch]

Thanks for the reference. But it only affects artillery fire hits? I was thinking that musket/rifle fire would be reduced as well….

[Charge The Guns]

I guess that for Napoleonics the tactic was only used against artillery.

For Franco-Prussian, with longer ranges for infantry weapons, perhaps you need to change the special rule? I suspect that with breech-loaders you could more easily fire and reload from a prone position?

In the 100 hundred days, at the typical musket fire-fight ranges, I think that officers would not have wanted their men to lie down as, one, they would have wanted their men loading and returning fire, and two, they would have been very vulnerable to the enemy charging them. By the end of the 19th century I think that typical firefight ranges had changed this.

[invisible officer]

Exactly. With Zündnadelgewehr it was possible to fight prone, so 1866 the Prussians had a big advantage over the muzzle loader using Austrians. The rifling had increased the effective ranges a lot.

In Napoleonic time no line infantry fought prone, loading prone was very difficult and slow, so at the usual firefight range of 50 – 80 m of smoothbore muskets the attacker would reach them before next salvoe.

And letting a bayonet armed guy attack you in prone position is a sure way to die.

[Mark Stanoch]

By 1870 both belligerents were using rifles (Dreyse and Chassepot) so presumably all infantry should be able to fire while being prone. So I am thinking that a prone infantry target would receive a -1 To Hit penalty as the target is not clear. If the prone target unit is in skirmish formation then the penalty would be the accumulation of two not clear conditions resulting in a -2 To Hit shooting penalty. And prone firing units should reduce their Shooting dice by 1. Do these changes sound reasonable?

[Charge The Guns]

Hi Mark, they sound reasonable. I may be tempted to leave the -1 wether prone and/or in skirmish. Worth trying it out and seeing how you get on.

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