18-lber Foot Artillery (ETW Unit)
| 18-lber Foot Artillery (ETW Unit) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Class | Artillery |
| Unit Size | 24 men |
| Weaponry | 18 pdr cannon |
| Morale | |
| Melee Attack | |
| Ranged Attack | |
| Defence | |
| Charge Bonus | |
| Accuracy | |
| Range | |
| Ammunition | |
| Region | Global |
| Recruitment Cost | 850 |
| Upkeep Cost | 210 |
| Turns to Build | |
| Unit Limit | |
| Building Requirements | Gunnery School |
| Technology Requirements | None |
| Attributes | |
Foot artillery batteries are the core of an army on campaign: the weapons that win battles and batter down walls.
Overview
Despite the name, foot artillery batteries are towed by horses, not men. The artillerymen march alongside their pieces. All guns are smoothbore, and rated by the size or weight of solid projectile that they fire: a 18-pounder is so called because it hurls a cannonball weighing 18 pounds towards the enemy! It may not do so very accurately, as the casting of barrels and balls means that there is inevitably a gap (windage) between a shot and the barrel sides. This means that a cannonball rattles down the barrel when fired, leading to an inherent inaccuracy. As technology advances, other types of ammunition can be fired.
Historically, there was limited standardisation between guns, even in the same battery. Parts from one gun would not always fit a sister piece. A gunner would know the quirks of his own weapon intimately. Cunningly, the French attempted to develop a system of interchangeable components for all their guns and field equipment. Jean Baptiste Vaquette de Gribeauval (1715-1789), the inspector of artillery, tried but he wasn't entirely successful. Even after he had finished there were still more than 20 different types of wheel in use!
Details
18-pounder artillery are some of the best artillery in the game, they are only available to a select few factions.They are a stopgap unit between 12-pounder and 24-pounder artillery, yet they're low price means they stay useful throughout the game.. They are able to use round shot, canister shot, and shrapnel. In addition, they can deploy some cover around them if they remain stationary on the world map for two turns or more, giving them substantial defence against missile fire; however, setting up such defensive measures robs them of their ability to redeploy and also shrinks their cone of fire by preventing them from turning. This can be a serious issue as enemy armies can simply reposition themselves and approach an entrenched position at a different angle in order to completely bypass any artillery fire.
