"Empire Question" Topic

In Empire are the battalion voltigeurs active? What I'm trying to say is do they shoot and take casualties as part of a battalion screen or are they part of the brigade screen or do they add some other factor instead?

Maxshadow,

If your 12 man battalions has the 2 fig volt co detached and stays within the required distance in front or to the side ( I do not have access to my rule book and have not played in some 15 yrs so I am blowing off some dust here)of the parent btn., it is considered part of the battalion for casualties and both can conduct fire or just on of them.
Key to maintaining initiative is to keep moving and firing or "just" firing ea btn. before "an only move" or formation change is conducted within the division/ME.

If you start play with all the brigade's volt co. detached and put as a "combined elite co. battalion" (and the balance of your battalions of the brigade are now operating as 10 men btns), then it could be considered an ad hock battalion of elite cos acting as the "brigade screen" and will function like any other unformed light battalion thrown out in front of the brigade (and the 6 btn brig is now playing as a 7 btn brigade).
It will take casualties and have morale/attrition affects as an individual battalion. The French operated like this in many occasions.
Hope this gives some perspective.
GR

What he said. ;-)

Yes, the battalion voltigeurs are active. I enjoy using volts to screen French columns as it adds flavour and an element of excitement as the skirmishers open the infantry fire. However, I usually move regiments up to firefight distance (3" apart) quickly, which causes the skirmishers to fall back to the side or behind their parent regiment, minimizing the casualties caused by skirmishing. If you face a weakened enemy battalion(s), moving up skirmishers to inflict a casualty so the enemy incurs a morale test can cause the enemy to break and flee. Fun when that happens to your enemy, but not to your regiment, so keep those enemy skirmishers at a distance if possible. Not that that ever happened to me :-)

Thanks very much. It seems to me that Empire can used for large battles or even a small brigade a side engagement.

Agreed.

G'Day Gents

From 1792 to 1804 there was no light peloton in the battalion, but tirailleurs were taken from the third rank.

Fusiliers were detached from the third rank in each peloton in numbers of 4, 8, or 12.

With 8 Fusiliers being detached from each peloton being the norm to screen a battalion…or 64 tirallieurs which equal one figure.

Best Regards
Art