A Tangled Mass: Skirmish Fire

Not a Menzel print, sadly, but these pandours from 1742 (by Knotel) do nicely.

Here are some very simple rules for skirmish fire between light infantry formations.  As with the previous rules for volley fire by line infantry regiments, The Young Master and I use saving throws for each hit scored.  You win some, you lose some as the saying goes.  Anyway, here is how we figure out individual aimed skirmish fire:

 

Skirmish Fire (D6 per figure firing)

Close Range -- 4, 5, or 6 hit

Long -- 5 or 6 hit

 

Saving Throws for Skirmish Fire (D6 per figure hit)

Close Range -- 5 or 6 save

Long  -- 4, 5, or 6 save

 

Probably not scientific, super realistic, or statistically sound but easy to remember, quick, and fun nevertheless. 

As Charles S. Grant has advised in his rules and writing, Young Master Paul and I do not include much light infantry in our small games here in The Grand Duchy since these troops were relatively few in number during the mid-18th century.  Although I have more light infantry type figures painted and based than needed, we usually command a single company each since, up to this point, our forces have been identical and fairly small.  

The main aim thus far has been to teach The Young Master a few simple wargaming concepts and get him playing the game rather than provide either a detailed history lesson, or a more realistic, uneven balance of forces.  So typically, we go for fairly balanced engagements much like the kind of how-to battles that the late Donald Featherstone used to illustrate his points in various early (now classic) titles on the subject.  Young Paul and I both hanker for larger battles, but time and cats are the mitigating factors.  He is a busy boy with much on his plate, so we do what we can right now.

Since most of my figures are on multiple bases at this point, we also keep track of casualties on separate order-roster sheets, based on those use by the Grants and Whitehouse and Foley, without removing them.  Neither do we bother determining which figures specifically have been killed.  Rather, we look at 'casualties' more in terms of overall attrition during an engagement until a morale check leads to a certain kind of reaction and possible attempts to recover from it.  

While they too occupy multiple bases, the Croats and jaegers in my armies are grouped in more ragged formation with fewer figures affixed to the bases, usually four or five as opposed to the bases of six or eight close order line infantry.

-- Stokes