Caracole

While being home ill, I have set up a small table to try some further rules added to the skirmish set I use. 

Caracoling (cavalry shooting at a closed infantry formation in order to break them) goes somehow like this:

Cavalry shooting carbines/small arms is simultaneous with any opposing way of combat. Caracoling cavalry can fire small arms in three ranks deep, distance counted from the first rank for all ranks, thus simulating movement.

It is essentially a 'moving without movement' rule. As the ranks need to pass each other to fire their arms, each counts as it was the first rank. This is a poor excuse of a post to show the expanding 30YW plastics I own and to have some fun rolling dice.

The cavalry in the test situation is attacking a unit of pike two ranks deep, 14 men. The pikemen are heavily armored. The cavalry unit has three ranks, each of 8 plus 2 musicians, who, in order to transfer commands, cannot shoot their pistols.
The horsemen shoot to 'close' distance and are considered Veterans so add +1 to their rolls, which is being instantly diminished by the 'shooting from horseback' rule, -1 for each hit.

Now on to dice. They must score a 3+ on 1d6 for a hit (50% chance). Each successful hit results in one saving roll for the pike. As armored units, the pikemen become wounded when rolling 2 and die when rolling 1. 1/3 chance of becoming casualty. A lightly armored unit is wounded at 3 and dead at 2. A unit with shiled or medium armor is 3/1. That's a 50/50 again.

Above, the first rank shoots, scores six hits, the attacked pikemen roll six saves, resulting in two 'wounded'. The second rank scores 5 hits, results in 1 wounded. The third causes no casualties.

The pike suffers but holds steadily.

The trouble is, a pistol's 'short' range is 5cm, while a pike can damage from just a little shorter of a distance. The enemy foot moves in, wins initiative. 

The cavalry rolls 11 saves, 3 wounded, 1 dead.

Now here's another idea I may include: the main target is the horse, so when attacked by pike, cavalry rolls to determine if the horse or its rider must roll a save and add a modifier as the pike's main objective is to disable the horse. 

The cavaliers strike back, the first rank fires, 8 initiatives, 8 saves. 6 wounded or dead.

The foot then fails a morale test. I learned what I wanted so stopped right here. The next move would have been a commander's save on the remaining pike then trying not to bleed out in the constant enemy fire.

Due to illness and exhaustion, I haven't painted a single figure during the last week. I glued a dozen horses for the Italeri knights on plastic bottle caps. Sort of an achievement that. 

I'll go back to the dorm today (Monday) but going to crowded places like campus always has the risk of falling ill again so I may skip some classes too. I will revise the rules and upload them on google docs this week, and submit a 'how to spend a ton of money' list here. I still have some choices to make.