"Volley and Bayonet 1st edition question" Topic

I am slowly converting my acw and Nap to vnb. I have read in the rules concerning skirmishers but, I am missing something. What is the mission of skirmishers?
Any help would be great.

Others may know better, but it seemed to me primarily occupying villages. Remember a skirmish stand in V&B is about 500 light infantry--more or less the garrison of La Haye Sainte. And if you look at V&B maps--that is, historical battlefields translated into V&B tabletop terrain--you wind up with villages which can only be garrisoned by your skirmish stands.

Skirmishers are also good at moving and shooting in heavy woods and in holding villages. They can in less congested situations also add firepower to defense and attack.

Joe Collins

Despite being called skirmishers they are really detachments from a brigade used as garrisons.

Thank you.

Despite being called skirmishers they are really detachments from a brigade used as garrisons.

That is not what the designer, Frank Chadwick says, for both the first and second editions. They are called skirmishers because he considered the stands as representing…skirmishers. They certainly can be used as garrisons, but that is not they way Frank describes them…or the rules *suggest*.

The mission[s] of skirmishers in the rules is no different than the role of the actual skirmishers…according to the designer as Joe C. notes.

They are just there to be annoying – they can (as noted) hold villages and they can cause casualties. Cavalry skirmishers can be useful following up disordered and routing troops.

Version 2 skirmishers are a somewhat better implementation though they add complication. We generally use a toned down varient of version 2 skirmishers.

Joe Collins

Variant…sorry.

We also class skirmish bases as detachments and only use them to occupy a terrain piece. I do not agree they work as "skirmishers" at the level of V&B games.

The deployed skirmish company we deal with as per the "Grande Armee" rules, very simple mechanism that bolts on to V&B perfectly.
We also add a Command and Control mechanism as, tending not to play multiplayer, Chadwick's "natural chaos" is not applicable.

This is for first edition V&B.

We also class skirmish bases as detachments and only use them to occupy a terrain piece.

That is fine and understandable, but I do find it interesting how folks will pronounce what the rules are meant to do without regard to the designer's actual and well-documented intent.

he deployed skirmish company we deal with as per the "Grande Armee" rules, very simple mechanism that bolts on to V&B perfectly.

It does, but the GA completely ignores some major skirmish issues at the Army-scale of the rules. I think the simpler version of GA was in part created because of gamer issues with the skirmish rules.

I think a lot of people have difficulty using skirmishers as skirmishers with these rules, despite Chadwick's opinion to the contrary. I have also thought about stealing Grand Armee's mechanism for skirmishers and dropping it in to
VnB.