"Skirmishes: Missile Weapon Skill & XP" Topic

On page 106 of the Battlesystem Skirmishes book, the rules don't indicate how the different levels of missile weapon skill (untrained, trained, and skilled) affect the experience point cost of a unit. My thoughts are untrained +1 XP rank, trained +2 XP rank, and skilled +3 XP rank. I'm basing this on missile weapons on Table 32 page 117 adding a +1 XP rank. Does anyone know the correct answer?

Some creatures with a bow have a higher experience cost than what is shown in the AD&D 2nd edition monster manual. I figured this is due to those creatures being about to use missile weapons. For example, and orc with a sword and short bow has a cost of 65 XP on the Appendix B: Sample Figures list (page 112). This is 2 ranks higher than the 15 XP that is listed in the monster manual. The range of the short bow is doubled, so that tells me that they have a missile skill of "trained". That would add 2 XP ranks to their base of 15 and would explain their cost of 65 XP.

However, that doesn't explain why on that same list a first level human using a missile weapon has an XP cost of 15. Or on page 35 the stats for a Hoekun warrior using a longbow at a trained level and has far better than an orc only has a cost of 35 XP. Is there something about the XP system that I am missing/not getting or are there a few inconsistencies in the book?

And… are there typos on Table 31. Experience Point (page 117)? Should the 2nd Level line read 35 and not 55? Is the AC Modifier of 0 on the same line a mistake?

Unfortunately, BS Skirmish is very overlooked. It is a solid alternative to 1e/2e AD&D RPG combat -- it plays fast! TSR never really supported it, either.

While I have played several games of it, I have not dug deeply into the XP/points system. I used it to play out some one-off RPG type battles, with monsters, and PC's, we would not normally be playing with.

As a miniatures game (whilst drawing upon the RPG rules for building forces, along with 40+ years of DM'ing experience), I found it played very well, and very fast! It is so closely based on 2e AD&D RPG rules, that learning it was a breeze. I have been tempted, for more than a decade, to dump the RPG combat rules and run my RPG sessions using BS Skirmish rules, just to speed things up! However, my players would likely rebel against me if I did: it is so fast, so streamlined, and it is over so quickly…

I had never paid attention to the XP rules you are asking about, until you pointed them out to me. I regret that I have very little to offer you in assistance. I use them as an adjunct to my RPG rules/games. We've had great fun playing one-off characters against formidable monsters, played out with full 3D terrain and miniatures. I pull their combat rules for such games, while ignoring everything else. Good luck! Cheers!