Should firing in WSS be restricted to straight ahead only, ie, the target must be within flank lines?

Maurice does this.

Honestly I can go either way with this. From a historical standpoint there probably shouldn't be angled fire, or if it is allowed then at reduced effectiveness as not all platoons could bear on the target. But for gaming purposes it prevents the "gamey"-ness of contorted maneuvers to align units in such a way as to prevent the enemy from returning fire.

Quote from: fred. on 02 November 2015, 10:16:31 PM
Maurice does this.

Is there an advanced rule in Maurice that limits fire to straight ahead? Normal Maurice firing rules allow for any stand to angle their fire 45 degrees.
Cheers,
Aksu

I might be mis-remembering, it's years since I've played Maurice. Is it that you must fire straight ahead as the first option?

It's closest frontal, then you can "wiggle out" as it were. Works well to prevent the "gaminess" described and to restrict a bit the unrealistic "my line is actual hundreds of feet long but somehow the chaps half a mile down the end can have a pop..." as well!

What I was thinking was as a period rule for Black Powder.  I thought I had put it in, but querying arc of fire on Saturday - because we did do some fighting*, rather than just eat, I found I hadn't.

What I am thinking is as long as part of the enemy is within the 'flank lines' (ie imaginary lines extended forward from the edges of the line) they are a valid target. BUT if a line directly forward from the centre does not cross then it is -1 for an obscured target.

At the moment in BP arc of fire is 45', and it is -1 if half the target lays outside that.  Fine for ACW, but I think the more ritualistic and slower WSS drill needs restrictions (though I realise after a couple of shots it all broke down anyway!)

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*Although at the end of the game over half of Sunjester's units still had their "first fire" marker.

Sounds like that's what I'd call a real WSS game; plenty of elegant manouvre and time for port and cheese!

*ahem

Anyway, yes - that sounds good to me!

From Brent Nosworthy's "The Anatomy of Victory, Battle Tactics 1689-1763" : "Unlike firing by ranks, platoon fire allowed the fire to be directed obliquely to the left or to the right, and not just perpendicular to the front of the battalion." So anybody using "fire by rank" (French) can only fire straight ahead, while anybody firing by platoon (British) can fire obliquely as well.

And as that was your first post, Coppelius.....A very warm welcome to the forum. 
Cheers - Phil

And a warm welcome from me too, Coppelius.

I do like a bit of Nosworthy.





I keep it in a tupperware box in the fridge - FSN

But since firing was delivered at relatively close range, the question is whether firing was ever carried out from an oblique position rather than whether or not they could. I would suggest that the instruction load, present, fire at a mass formation to your front obviates the need for any significant oblique firing.

Chad

Because my proposal allows firing where there is only a small amount of overlap, the guys along the other end of the line must be firing obliquely, just not as angled as in our ACW games.

Quote from: Coppelius on 04 November 2015, 08:24:37 PM
From Brent Nosworthy's "The Anatomy of Victory, Battle Tactics 1689-1763" : "Unlike firing by ranks, platoon fire allowed the fire to be directed obliquely to the left or to the right, and not just perpendicular to the front of the battalion." So anybody using "fire by rank" (French) can only fire straight ahead, while anybody firing by platoon (British) can fire obliquely as well.

Good to know and welcome from me, too, Coppelius. I'm thinking, however, that the angle of oblique fire will be limited, depending on file spacing and number of ranks. In the later SYW era, I vaguely recall that ranks positioned behind the first standing rank took one half(?) step to one side (right?) to allow their muskets to poke through the gaps between the files in the first rank. In practical terms, this means that the ability of those in the second & third ranks to swivel their guns to left or right will be limited by the distance between the heads of the guys in the first standing rank. There was a big debate (probably more than one over the years) on TMP about a year back on this very subject.

Hullo,
The way the rules calculate firepower will also influence this discussion. In Maurice for example a firing unit is made up of four bases. In these "sub-unit" systems each base can be forced to shoot directly ahead, or allowed to angle fire, and the firepower calculated accordingly. For example, your firepower of four dice might shrink to two dice if only two bases can bring fire to bear.
It all depends on how complex the rules are, and how complicated you want it to be, I suppose.
Cheers,
Aksu