BG firing long and short range

[Bugle999]

Sur ebeen asked before...
Please clarify.
Can you fire at both short and long range with different files of the same unit at the same target...
e.g. Unit of 6 musket 3 wide 2 deep - fires the left and centre file at close range (4 dice) and the right file at long range (1 dice).
MTIA

[Bugle999]

Heh Guys no worries I found it myself on P107 under arc of fire - only shoot at long range at same battle group 'if no base of the shooting battle group is within short range of that enemy battle group'. Seems pretty clear unless I am missing something?

[deadtorius]

you got it, if you can shoot at short range then you can't use your long range shooters at the same target, we used to forget that one for the longest time too.

[Blathergut]

Isn't it that the bases at long range only get short range arc of fire (i.e., bases outside of 3MU get to shoot at the same target but only get 1 base width arc which sometimes means they can't target the enemy)?

[kevinj]

Yes, that's how I understand it too, the bases at long range can still fire at the same target, but cannot claim the additional arc.

[rbodleyscott]

Yes, that's how I understand it too, the bases at long range can still fire at the same target, but cannot claim the additional arc.

That is correct.

[MalcolmBooth]

OK, so slightly different situation:

EEEE EEEE

MPM

E:enemy base; M: Musket; P:Pike
Left hand enemy BG is just to the left of the pike, right hand enemy BG just to the right of the pike. Both enemy BG just inside short range
Left hand BG is out of arc for right hand muskets because it is within short range of the firing BG, and vice versa for the right hand BG
Page 107, 'Target Priority', final bullet: "...He cannot choose to target some of his bases to the left and some to the right..."
Does this mean that only one file of muskets can fire (left at left target OR right at right target) whilst the opposite musket file has to ignore the target in front of it?

Or do you fire individually by file if necessary, splitting the BG's fire between two enemy BG (which the paragraph quoted above and the reference to firing by BG on the same page under the first indented bullet of 'Arc of Fire' seems to contradict)?

And just to confuse matters further, the illustration on page 108 suggests you do fire by file IF the 8 bases of muskets are meant to belong to the same BG

[daveallen]

Okay, the BP you refer to on p107 applies only when a line of shooters faces a line of enemy targets that are an equal distance away and are offset such that the target bases are exactly 50% in front of one shooting base and 50% in front of the next shooting base. This is as described in the first two BPs. The shooting player must choose to shoot left or right for every base in that situation, he can't pick and mix as he goes down the line.

This almost never happens, but you know wargamers

Finally, in the situation you described there would be no problem with the left hand muskets shooting at a different target or even in a different direction to the right hand muskets as the two target bases do not meet the above criteria.

[MalcolmBooth]

Thanks for clarifying - we'd figured it was firing by file but it's always nice to have it confirmed