Shooting question.

[blackfly]

Pulled this out of the Rules Feedback thread for more visibility.:



A random question- I may be the idiot here, but even so that might be worth considering for making things idiot proof

My question is regarding shooting

In the Turn Phase Section there is:

Initiative Phase
Command Phase
Melee
Morale
End Turn

In those commentarties, shooting is not mentioned, and it doesn't have its own phase.

In the Command Phase section we see 'Shoot' as a possible command.

While still in the Command Phase section, we go through the command options, until we find 'Shoot'. Where it mentions splitting your archers off into their own unit, and then 'See Archery'.

Then we get the Combat section, which is all melee.

Then comes the Archery Section.

Is this when Archery happens ordinally as well? After Melee? If so, it should get a note in the Melee section, or its own phase listed after Melee on the Turn Phases list, as appropriate.

My other question may represent an problem understanding the chain of command rule, or it may be due to reading it too literally:

The initiative phase says that commanders get an inititiative dice, and all initiative dice are activated ordinally. Then units with no die are activated- the Command Phase section says: "Any remaining units that are led by heroes or captains that did not have initiative dice move with the two sides taking turns to move one unit at a time untill all units have finished"

This only says "move". Does a unit of archers fire now as well when it is their captain's turn? Or is only movement resolved in this back and forth manner right now.

So, back to the question of when you shoot- what order do you shoot in?


And this is more a suggestion than a rule problem, but since only major hero's get a banner, and with out it a captain's Command radius is only 3", might you consider making a figure for one of the named charachters that is gesturing with his sword or otherwise indicating 'loose arrows!'. I can't see being able to take very many archers if they have to stay within 3" of a captain, especially since instead of rolling to rally if they end up out of radius, they desert!

Oh. I just re-read that. . . heroes can't lead archers anyway!

Well then. Maybe an 'Archer Captain' figure down the line.

Hope all that makes sense.

No one around here plays rebellion yet so I'm trying to get this stuff sorted out in my own mind so I can lead the charge and teach it to a few people. . . .we'll see how that goes.

I finally got some figures in the mail, so now I've got more impetus.

Thanks!

-nathan

Oh yeah, down the line a 'starter set' might be a good idea too. The 3-unit battles are good for building up one side or another, but how about a deal including roughly equal points for both sides all together? just a thought.

[eBob]

The archers fire at the moment the command to shoot is given, so it occurs in then.

All actions such as movement, shooting etc happen as the commands are given. This is why there is no 'movement phase' either.

in your example re 'move' in this context it does not only movement but 'take their turn' so that includes archery.

3" radius doesn't sound a lot - but if your captain is positioned centrally - he can command a line of up to 7 archers - and with two ranks 13 or 14 archers will be in his 3" radius.

Lastly, feel free to alter the rules if you wish to try something slightly different for yourself. If it works better, then post your rules suggestion here.

Named heros cannot command archers, but archers are led by a captain or minor hero.

[blackfly]

admin said:

The archers fire at the moment the command to shoot is given, so it occurs in then.

All actions such as movement, shooting etc happen as the commands are given. This is why there is no 'movement phase' either.

Excellent, thanks for clarifying. That gives me a much better sense of the flow of things. I don't know if I'm the only one, but a note like that might be worth including in the command phase section. Makes total sense now, but I can also understand how I missed it.

in your example re 'move' in this context it does not only movement but 'take their turn' so that includes archery.

Cool. I assumed so; again, might be worth changing that text a little bit so those reading over-literally are not caught out in confusion.


Thanks.

-nmb

[eBob]

Basically the initiative phase decides the order in which the heroes will command their units.

The command phase is what orders the heroes issue to their unit - move, charge, shoot, whatever.

Finally combat has it's own phase to decide the outcome of units that have clashed in the command pahse.

The idea is the break up the your move, my move system of play.

In Rebellion, I might move one unit, then you might move one of yours, but then I might move 3 of mine before you move another of your units. By the time the last few units get to move you can see what has happened to the battlefield, so sometimes moving a unit last is better than moving first, because you can decide to support a unit that has been charged, or maybe decide to fall back rather than move forward.