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Thread: Infantry Types a la Cossacks

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  1. #1

    Default Re: Infantry Types a la Cossacks

    I thought there were two main types of infantry in the era, line infantry and light/skirmishing infantry.

    Line troops use formations, fire musket volleys and fixes bayonets. They are the main fighting force of the army.

    Light troops screen the line troops in loose formation, using aimed (individual) fire, and avoids melee at all cost.

    Any further distinctions, such as guard or grenadier, are just different qualities of line infantry, not separate methods of waging war, although the guard units would be commited only under special circumstances. Even militia operate the same way as line infantry, although their quality in terms of drill, rate of fire and cohesion under fire would be drastically lower.

    grenadiers did no longer throw grenades in the period, at least not often, instead using musket and bayonet, but were bigger men, traditionally chosen for being able to throw grenades at longer range.

    when that is said, Im pretty sure all european factions will have the following troop choices; light, light w/ rifles, line, grenadier(bigger, stronger, possibly better trained line) and guard.

    look at the troop types for NTW, pretty much the same.

  2. #2
    Member Member Knight of the Rose's Avatar
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    Default Re: Infantry Types a la Cossacks

    I think there will be a rock / scissors / paper system around cannons, cavalry and infantry, and that each category will have slightly different flavors. There will be light cannons and heavy cannons, light cavalry and heavy cavalry, and there will be light infantry and heavy infantry. Specialist units such as "engineers" and sappers. Well, I don't think so.

    Just my guesses.

    /KotR

  3. #3

    Default Re: Infantry Types a la Cossacks

    Well part of what made cossacks a good game was the paths of development for these infantry types.
    Muskets were your basic type, and further research made them cheaper to produce and increased their basic characteristic of withering medium/short range volley fire.
    if i remember rightly, the others needed research to start off, were limited by slow and pricey production.

    militia could be very basic low quality muskets or lights, wheras Guards could be high quality muskets or assault specialist grenadiers. the basic trio remains in place.

    it interests me to see how statically an infantry/artillery force will play. if heavy guns have some manoevrebility then infantry will be very powerful.
    But vain the spear and vain the bow,
    They never can work War's overthrow;
    The hermit's prayer and the widow's tear
    Alone can free the world from fear
    (Blake)

  4. #4

    Default Re: Infantry Types a la Cossacks

    good point tanaquil, militias might be both "light" or "line" type troops, typically european militias would probably operate in a line manner, while american frontiersmen or scandinavian farmers and other rural types from rough regions would operate as light.

  5. #5

    Default Re: Infantry Types a la Cossacks

    Quote Originally Posted by anders View Post
    I thought there were two main types of infantry in the era, line infantry and light/skirmishing infantry.

    Line troops use formations, fire musket volleys and fixes bayonets. They are the main fighting force of the army.

    Light troops screen the line troops in loose formation, using aimed (individual) fire, and avoids melee at all cost.

    Any further distinctions, such as guard or grenadier, are just different qualities of line infantry, not separate methods of waging war, although the guard units would be commited only under special circumstances. Even militia operate the same way as line infantry, although their quality in terms of drill, rate of fire and cohesion under fire would be drastically lower.

    grenadiers did no longer throw grenades in the period, at least not often, instead using musket and bayonet, but were bigger men, traditionally chosen for being able to throw grenades at longer range.

    when that is said, Im pretty sure all european factions will have the following troop choices; light, light w/ rifles, line, grenadier(bigger, stronger, possibly better trained line) and guard.

    look at the troop types for NTW, pretty much the same.
    I'd agree with you and take your point further. Certainly for the British "guard" was no indication of greater quality (except in the mess costs of their officers) or efficiency over other experienced line infantry.

    Given the amount whingeing that goes on demanding this kind of "historical" unit be included and that "historical" I'm sure we will see plenty of unit types.

    Also, shouldn't an imperial guard system have its counter point in lowering the usefulness of normal line infantry by depriving them of their best soldiers? It is what happened to the German airforce in WW1 when they formed special fighter "circuses" of their best pilots. Temporary and limited advantage where they are deployed and damaging inferiority where they weren't.
    Cheers,
    The Freedom Onanist

  6. #6

    Default Re: Infantry Types a la Cossacks

    One of the reviews linked somewhere round here claimed that The old paper scissors stone trinity is to be rather altered so that infantry formation is what counts rather than overall unit type. however the types outlined do specialize in formation types: the lights in open skirmish order, the line in hollow square and line, the grenadiers in column. So these basic types would reflect the dynamic of the game.

    perhaps government type will directly affect the technologiesand choices of one unit over another. it is easy to imagine monarchies having strong cavalry and professional soldiers, and at the other pole republics doing the conscript mass armies. We will see.
    But vain the spear and vain the bow,
    They never can work War's overthrow;
    The hermit's prayer and the widow's tear
    Alone can free the world from fear
    (Blake)

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