Appreciating Grenadiers

[anweRU]

If you auto-calc most of the time, grenadiers give you a great boost. It seems the auto-calc routines value a grenadier unit at 1.5x or 2x line inf. Forces me to fight a battle manually when someone attacks me with stacks that have a lot of grenadiers (Sweden must die!).

[Dead Guy]

Is the most effective use of grenadiers to run up and throw grenades once the lines have started exchaning fire?

I tried to hide my grenadiers on the flanks and throw grenades as the enemy advanced the last distance but all the grenades explode harmlessly behind the enemy. Should wait until the enemy is stationary, yeah?

[Servius]

They're also good for dealing with enemy units garrisoned in buildings. Chuck 1-3 grenades in there and the unit will break and evacuate the building without the need to charge in and melee them.

[Rufus]

Is the most effective use of grenadiers to run up and throw grenades once the lines have started exchaning fire?

I tried to hide my grenadiers on the flanks and throw grenades as the enemy advanced the last distance but all the grenades explode harmlessly behind the enemy. Should wait until the enemy is stationary, yeah?

Yeah, if you have enemy infantry pinned down in a firefight with one of your infantry lines, you can really shred them if you can get a grenadier unit over to their flank and hurl grenades at them. Just make sure your grenadiers don't end up in the firefight. It can be hard because they're not exceptionally fast movers, and if the direction of the infantry firefight changes you can have a bad friendly fire situation. But between the infantry firefight and getting shredded by grenades, even a high-quality enemy unit can rout pretty quickly.

Also, the improved grenades tech does seem to make a difference. Using a full 60-man grenadier unit, I've seen casualty rates as high as 20 enemy men after one volley of grenades as soon as they're within range, once you have the improved grenades.

[Phog_of_War]

I love grenadiers. In fact, they are the only units I give specific names to. So my line infantry units are named the 1st Royal regiment ect. my grenadiers are named after the commanding General, things like Frommels Grenadiers and Grenadiers vonSchilben. But only once they get a chevron do they get a name.

While their small units size is a detriment they more than make up for it with shooting accuracy, grenades and in meele.

[Servius]

They also have longer range than regular line infantry. For that reason, and their fewer numbers, I never have the Grenadiers in the front line. I use them as a reserve force and initially place them BEHIND the front line units. In this role I'll also stretch the Grens to 2 ranks, or 30 men wide. With their longer range, if you place them behind the line infantry, your initial volley will be 2x as strong!

Let the line infantry act as meat shields, drawing the attention and attacks of the enemy, and once the enemy units have engaged your line infantry, THEN move you Grenadiers in to do special stuff.

[anweRU]

@ Servius: Are you using your grenadiers to execute your own line infantry? It seems you should be suffering from a lot of friendly fire, courtesy of E:TW's abyssmal targeting routines.

[Oleander Ardens]

They are excellent support-units. I usually leave them in a compact formation behind the lights and line to be able to rapidly maneuver them where they are needed. Or to dash forward in a shallow 2-line formation and to throw the grenades against a standing line unit. With the improved grenade tech they can devastate enemy troop concentrations. As as said before they are especially useful against sheltered enemy units.

[jsberry]

If you auto-calc most of the time, grenadiers give you a great boost. It seems the auto-calc routines value a grenadier unit at 1.5x or 2x line inf. Forces me to fight a battle manually when someone attacks me with stacks that have a lot of grenadiers (Sweden must die!).

Is that 1.5x or 2x per unit or per man? Because grenadier units are .5x the size of line units...

[anweRU]

Per unit. A grenadier unit will defeat a line inf. unit in auto-calc.

[Dayve]

To be honest i've never found much use for them. When i pit them against a unit of line infantry or militia, sure their grenades do a fair bit of damage, but a volley from the enemy unit usually reduces their numbers by 50% because the unit is tiny.

Perhaps i'll keep them in reserve and only use them where there is an opportunity to throw the grenades but keep out of combat. I won't need to use them for dislodging enemy units from buildings, i have mobile 12-pounder foot artillery in my army for that.

[anweRU]

I haven't been satisfied with them in manual battles as well, though they do seem to dish out a lot of damage in melee. I prefer line inf. though.

They are great for auto-calc battles, as I wrote above.

[Wandarah]

Support unit, innit. 'ave your line infantry tally ho up and get all frisky with them fellas in the doolally pants like, aight? Then when the mish-mash is all a-thunder, hurl in a couple units of the bang-bang troupe onto an *already engaged* unit. Cripes Son, bajesus, you've just whacked a bloody great hole in thier line, strike me bloody pants to me knees. Thrust, strap on, we're going in - whatever way we can? Cool.

[Turbosatan]

Support unit, innit. 'ave your line infantry tally ho up and get all frisky with them fellas in the doolally pants like, aight? Then when the mish-mash is all a-thunder, hurl in a couple units of the bang-bang troupe onto an *already engaged* unit. Cripes Son, bajesus, you've just whacked a bloody great hole in thier line, strike me bloody pants to me knees. Thrust, strap on, we're going in - whatever way we can? Cool.

What he said.

It's fiddly, it requires micro-managing, but it's vast amounts of fun.

It even works online -- whilst three or more units of enemy line infantry (though it makes me happiest to do it to someone's guard units) are busy adjusting the perfect field of fire, smash into him with a unit you do not mind losing that you know will lose out hand to hand. Then whilst their busy dealing with the suicide squad run the grenadiers up & get them to unleash.

I usually lose half the grenadier unit to incoming, but the resulting vast cloud of smoke & pile of dead bodies where my opponent's line used to be rather makes up for it, I feel.

[maestro]

I love grenadiers.

That is all

[Mr Frost]

To be honest i've never found much use for them. When i pit them against a unit of line infantry or militia, sure their grenades do a fair bit of damage, but a volley from the enemy unit usually reduces their numbers by 50% because the unit is tiny.

Perhaps i'll keep them in reserve and only use them where there is an opportunity to throw the grenades but keep out of combat. I won't need to use them for dislodging enemy units from buildings, i have mobile 12-pounder foot artillery in my army for that.

I use them as spacers between my artillery .
My developed battery goes puckle gun centre , grenadiers either side , filed guns either side of those and line infantry arranged so the battery is in a slightly refused centre .
Behind this forward battery is a unit of guards or ordinary line infantry and then a howitzer battery . When the enemy charge it {A.I. almost can't resist} the guards and grnadiers move forward {put them in a line pre battle and group then once the battle starts , place them where you want in the line . When enemy charges just drag as a group and the should form up smoothly without getting mixed up} and they are almost sure to win a melee together .