Column Pass Through Fire

[Jgolch]

I have come to the conclusion that the Column Pass Through Fire (CPTF) optional rule is flawed.  If all the battalions in the the Napoleonic Wars were the exact same size it would be fine.  The problem is that in many battles one side has much larger battalions than the other.  For example: At Ligny most of the Prussian battalions average around 700 men.  Some are larger.  The French battalions tend to be smaller.  The French often have to stack three or four battalions just to match up against the Prussians.  Stacks of French battalions in column hit by artillery are going to take higher losses than single Prussian battalions of equal size in column.  Example: three French battalions at 300 men each in column (900 men total) gets hit by artillery.  All three battalions get hit and take losses.  One Prussian battalion at 900 men in column gets hit and only suffers one adverse result.  In both cases its 900 men in column in one hex.  Why do the French suffer more?

Also, lets not conflate this with the Target Density Rule.  That only applies when a hex has 1200 or more men and has nothing to do with formation.

[The_General]

I also have doubts about this optional rule. It seems that the best way is to play with a separate melee phase but this rule, beside swarms of skirmishers, makes attacking very compicated, especially in situations as described.
Artillery fire was murderous in these times but was also during the American Civil War and there is not such a rule in a fine Civil War Battles series.
There is someting similar for indirect arty fire in PzC series but as far I know it is rarely uesed, at lease in pbem games.
After the recent updates I started to like the Napoleonic series, but the more I play, the more I conclude that it would probably be better to play without this optional rule.

[Xerxes77]

Doesn't this effect apply also to regular units in Line formation, regardless of whether the optional rule for Columns is selected or not?

From the manual: "Normally fire against a stack of units in a hex only affects a single target unit. However, when Infantry in Line formation is fired upon by Artillery, all such units in the target hex are affected by the fire."

If this is the case, three French battalions in line formation would suffer more casualties than a single Prussian unit in line, even if the total amount of men is the same. Should this be considered an issue too?

[Jgolch]

Doesn't this effect apply also to regular units in Line formation, regardless of whether the optional rule for Columns is selected or not?

From the manual: "Normally fire against a stack of units in a hex only affects a single target unit. However, when Infantry in Line formation is fired upon by Artillery, all such units in the target hex are affected by the fire."

If this is the case, three French battalions in line formation would suffer more casualties than a single Prussian unit in line, even if the total amount of men is the same. Should this be considered an issue too?

Yes.  Definitely.  The only difference is that when units are stacked in line only the unit at the top of the stack can fire.  And generally huge battalions can't fire at 100% when they are in a "shortened" state.  The game encourages players to put those battalions in "extended line" to maximize firepower.  The point being that stacking 'might' occur less often in line formation.  But your original point is correct.  Three battalions stacked in line will suffer more losses than one battalion in line.

I'm starting to get the impression that most of the Optional Rules were designed to help defense at the cost of offense.  Take the Terrain Melee Modifiers.  At first glance this rule seems like a no brainer.  Then I thought, why is this optional? I dug into the manual.  First, HEXSIDES are always taken into account in melee.  Attacking across a wall or an embankment is factored into melee whether the optional terrain rule is in effect or not.  Chateau's are hardwired into the game.  Attacker -50%.  Then I come to find out that in the American Civil War games by JTS/WDS only hexsides can affect melee, not hexes.  I know the Civil War is not the Napoleonic Wars.  But these games have similar origins.  I'm guessing that the Melee Terrain Modifiers optional rule was added for players wanting to enhance defense.  Put the Melee Terrain Modifier rule on and try to dislodge an 850 man Quality A Prussian battalion across an embankment into village terrain at the Battle of Ligny. The French bodies will pile up faster than you can count.