Placement of missile units in brigades

[Meraklis]

Forgive my ignorance but I often see people place their archers in the front rank of brigades

something like this for example:

X= archers
Y= Spearmen

XX
YY

Is there a hidden advantage? I am not a rules expert but placing the archers in front will make the unit weaker right?

[Jurisch]

No, that makes them stronger. You have the possibility of shooting and if they get attacked you have  stand and shoot.

Additional you have the support and if the lose the fight your better troops will get in contact against a wounded unit.

[jchaos79]

Putting the archers in front give you the possibility of shooting. A heavy enemy will hurt you more because archer lack of armour, but you could push him with the arrows if the enemy is far from you. Also armour of the enemy have to be taken in acount for the decision.

Putting the regular infantry in front give you a better armour.

There is not better configuration in abstract, depends of your enemy and the relative position of your own troops, and enemy troops, etc... Balance this situations and react to them is part of the warmaster game.

There are multiple factors and the way you like hold your own tactics.

[Dave]

Like the guys say above, you get to shoot. The downside is they can't evade without confusing the infantry. However, if you want them to move off to the side (shooting out enemy support) and have the infantry charge, you can do it with a single order.

[Lex]

Also remember that speedbump option!

archers take the charge, S&S and one round of combat might see some casualties on the charger. Then instead of retreating, sacrifice the unit. This means that in order to do something the charger needs to commit his Advance move.......

[marell le fou]

Archers are not that bad at hand to hand combat at warmaster. So i agree with the others that it can be interesting to let them fight.

Archers are not that easy to use (i think). You have to place them at shooting distance, etc. Not that easy.

To put them in front of your unit garantee you they will fire if the ennemy charges you. As said, if it's you who charge, you can in a simple order tell the rear infantry to advance and contact the ennemy, while your archers just let your infantry pass.

An other solution (to my humble opinion) is to let archers freely circulate in the battleground, in order to seize any occasion to shoot. It generaly means that you keep them on the rear at the beginning of the game, to advance them and shoot after that. But finding non-in-contact ennemy troops is not that easy.

So mainly if you fire at 15mm, it's not that bad to put them on the fornt of your infantry units, to be sacrified to make the ennemy bleed a little.

[Stuart Bleything]

True , on the other hand they are goog at taking hills , towns etc....... . Let the enamy winkle them out .

they still count towards break point .

careful use can create dividends .

Stuart