Men Who Would be Kings Question

[vtsaogames]

I'm getting ready to run my first game with these rules, using my 28mm French Foreign Legion, Senegalese Tirailleurs and Old Glory Arabs - and my Askari mules.

Looking over the rules, I see that infantry with the fieldcraft trait - most of the Arab irregular infantry - can go to ground and not be targeted by enemy at long range. I also note that units gone to ground can remain that way by standing to. I gather that units gone to ground lose that status by firing? Any help is welcomed. The game is scheduled for Thursday afternoon New York time.

[has.been]

Units have to do something, so if you are happy with what they are doing
then you tell them to just 'carry on'/ 'wait til I tell you to do something else'
or as they say in the rules, 'stand to'

[vtsaogames]

Right. But if the "gone to ground" unit fires, is it still gone to ground?

[georgec]

No it doesn’t stay Gone to Ground, as the unit has to select either the Fire or Skirmish actions to shoot so can’t be undertaking the Gone to Ground action.

I think it’s a poor treatment of field raft and one I would consider having a house rule for.  You might want to give it a few run through as it’s the sort of rule that changes significantly the balance in a lot of games,
.

[sjwalker51]

I agree with George both in the rule as written and the handling of fieldcraft.

We house-rule it that certain troop types (Boers, Pathans etc) with fieldcraft can go to ground and then fire at half effect (‘sniping’)while remaining GTG.

However, they may still be fired upon in the opponent’s turn after they fired (at both long and short range) but needing 1 more hit than usual to inflict a kill. So, Pathans hunkered down in stone sangers and sniping at long range will only suffer one kill for every 5 hits inflicted on them (2 for long range, 2 for hard cover and 1 for GTG).

Pinned units stay GTG and cannot snipe. Units Attacked while GTG fight at half strength (we’ve always assumed there’s a missing ‘with’ in the 4th bullet point on p21)

It does encourage historic tactics on both sides - Brits on the NWF would engage with artillery and then storm up the hillside with fixed bayonets for a good reason.

[vtsaogames]

Thanks to all. I won't fiddle with the rules yet, have to introduce these to the lads first. But certainly some good ideas.