NBS - FAQ

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Q: An artillery unit fires opportunity fire against a cavalry and a horse artillery unit that are moving stacked together. The Cavalry unit is on top and will take the casualties, but does one count both +3 for limbered (artillery) and +1 for cavalry, or is it simply +1 for the cavalry alone, or do I actually fire on each unit individually?

**********You fire once at +1, since only the top target unit provides modifiers.

Q: Should the +1 shift for firing against cavalry be added to a squares 2 Fire points?

**********Yes

Q: Can you clarify rule 11.5 C for me. The exception only. If a French column moves adjacent and then close assults the Skirmisher has to be on the bottom and so can not normally fire, does the exception mean that it can fire as well as the column even though its not on top?

**********Yes, it can fire if it is a French skirmisher.

Q: Can infantry and cavalry stack together?

**********Yes.

Q: Where does artillery units set up? Does each division arty set up with a unit of its division even though only some arty is called out on the setups?

**********The artillery that is part of a division or corps sets up with its division or corps.

Q: If a infantry square containing artillery is being attacked from the "rear" of the artillery, does the artillery participate in the defensive fire of the square? I.E. is the artillery inside the square "omni-directional"?

**********Artillery in a square (or in a one-hex village, for that matter) has a 360 degree field of fire.

Q: In the case of skirmishers stacked on top of cavalry, artillery or infantry which fire modifier do you use, only those that apply to skirmishers or also those which apply to the other unit(s) underneath it?
**********Skirmishers must be alone in a hex to get any "good" modifiers. Otherwise use the top non-skirmisher, non-artillery unit for modifiers.

Q: Does an artillery unit in a square have a 360 degree Opportunity Fire zone?

**********Yes.

Q: Is a Cavalry unit that has charged, gets blown and retreats 6-12 hexes subject to enemy Reaction Charges and Artillery Opportunity Fire as it traces that 6-12 hex path?

**********No, they are not "moving"...

Q: In the case of additive morale results define what happens when a SH unit recieves a SH: 1 retreat / 1 straggler result, or a DG unit a SH: 1 retreat / 1 straggler?

**********In both cases they retreats one hex and looses one straggler.

Q: How the heck does a countercharge ever stop a charge?

**********By giving the charger a "retreat" result. This is of course easiest done by attacking the charger in a flank.

Q: When LOS runs along a hexside and one of the hexes contains blocking terrain ( town/village, unit, vineyard) is the LOS blocked or not and?

**********Yes

Q: If a stack have more then AAA strenght, but is only infantry (not 10 gun points), is it overstacking or not?

**********It is overstacking.

Q: If a cavalry unit gets a retreat combat result, do they first have to retreat the number of hexes and then still withdraw 6 to 12 hexes?

**********Yepp.

Q: Can horse artillery limber up, move, unlimber and fire in one turn?

**********Yes.

Q: If enemy units come in range are you allowed to fire at them with no orders (or only orders to defend)?

**********Of course, yes. 10.1h ought to clarify this. And a cavalry unit can of course charge anything that comes within range.

Q: Is counterattacks at all allowable while under no orders or only orders to defend? If so, what is "reasonable" counterattacking?

**********Counterattacking is OK within "reasonable limits." An infantry unit with no orders can counterattack within its "divisional area", not to take new ground, but to repel attacks or retake lost ground. Cavalry of course bends this as it in a sense "lashes out", but I guess you get the idea.

Q: If the enemy makes a suicide run into the middle of your corps and you have no orders, are you supposed to sit there, emergency retreat, or can you crush him with fire and close combat?

**********Crush him and laugh. Any well deployed "defense/no orders" formation will have serious bite as it will have a couple of guns firing Opportunity Fire (OF) as the attackers comes in through the "OF-Cones." Combined with cavalry Reaction Charges "cones", this creates a mesh for the enemy to wade through on his way in and then your infantry and skirmishers can of course fire back at anything that comes near them.

Q: Elaborate a bit on what kind of operations that need what orders.

**********Think of "offensive combat" requiring complex orders in 10.1a as "combat and/or movement meant to capture unfriendly hexes." Marching your formations through areas you consider "friendly" requires simple orders only. Defending and moving about in your "corps/divisional" area requires no orders, but note that you have to use some common sense here as a Corps HQ in a road hex can control units along a 32 hex front, something that would have impressed the hell out of even Napoleon.