Chapter 6: Ranged Units.

6. Ranged Units

6.1. General Overiew

Ranged units represent the capability of your army to hit enemy from a distance, i.e. not yet engaging into melee. A good army has always some range capability, and it is not recommended going on battlefield without any of this type … unless some of your team mates will cover your deficiency with his ranged units.
Ranged units could be:
- Archers, musketeers, arquibuseers & crossbowmen
- Horse archers & mounted crossbowmen
- Artillery.
Some melee infantry are provided with some missile capability. Lethal capability. It will be discussed with melee infantry (7.2 Melee Infantry).

The primary factors to keep in mind in choosing ranged units are:
- Range
- Armour
- Attack Factor for Missile Units

With more range you have the capability to hit first. Hit the enemy with 2/3 volleys before he can hit you and his missiles unit will be reduced 10% in men.
With more armour your units will die slower than the enemy unit under fire.
With more attack factor for missile your units will kill faster than the enemy’s.

6.2. Archers, Musketeers, Arquibuseers & Crossbowmen

The following gives an idea of types of foot missile troops available in M2TW.
Every type has quite different characteristics.



Archers could be low cost or higher cost. The second type can have more range, more armour and protection and a better attack factor (precision in shooting).

All crossbowmen has armour piercing capabilìty, elite ones have better attack factor and protection.
Pavese crossbowmen have a shield to protect themselves, longer range and a very good shooting skill.
Arquibuseers have good skill in shooting armour piercing but not a very long range, though low protection.

Musketeers are good in almost every aspect, especially for long range: quite worth the price.
Handgunners has a very poor range but good hand to hand combat capability, and so has javelinmen, if of elite type.

Some missile (elite) has almost decent stats even in melee. So they could be even of some use in hand to hand.
Foot archers have the capability to use fire arrows. Fire arrows have no particular effect on infantry.
But fire can have its particular effect on two targets:
- Elephants: they seem to be very scared of fire. Throwing fire at them is a good way, after many volleys, to have them run;
- Cavalry: scared too.

Missiles units can easily pierce armour, if shooting from the back or from the flank.
Anyway, the shield, if the unit has one, protects from shots coming from its left flank.

The most common and effective upgrade with missiles is on their armour.


6.3. Horse Archers and Mounted Crossbowmen

Missile cavalry, horse archers and mounted crossbowmen, is a powerful weapon. Competitive armies must have at least 1 or 2 units of this type.

Here is a table to describe their characteristics.





Missile cavalry can be used in three manners.

1. Shooting at missile troops: performing special formation cantabrian circle (CC) they become harder to hit by enemy foot missile shots. So they are a powerful tool against armies that base their strength on missile archer power.

2. Shooting at melee troops and cavalry: missile cavalry have the capability to move quickly around the battlefield, both for scouting and to harrass enemy armies. They can be brought on enemy flank easily and shoot at more vulnerable flank and rear of enemy units. Mounted crossbowmen, at low rate of fire, can pierce armour lethally.

3. Charging at infantry, missile foot units, horse archers as light cavalry can:
- counter light cavalry units or decimate heavy cavalry,
- chase routing enemy units
- charge into the back of melee infantry units.
These tasks need better stats to be performed. Elite horse archers can do this.





6.4. Artillery

Artillery is a powerful tool. It is often banned. Many players do not like having to deal with it and say it spoils the game. I am not of that opinion. Artillery is simply another tool of the game, another aspect.
The main characteristc of artillery is its range. It has double the range of most missiles.
It has little or no use as a counter to enemy missiles but its strike is powerful: many kills per shot.