Seige Cannons? Thoughts on implementation?

[Daniel_Morgan]

I am talking from a Union perspective, but I did capture a seige cannon from the CSA so I know they have them.

I noticed when I stacked two seige cannon (I am talking about those big guns buildable only in NY and PA) in a stack seiging a fortress, it appearred that I reduced the effectiveness of a fort MUCH quicker. ((ie changed beseiged icon in the tile to say something to the effect that the fort no longer gives any benefit.)

So I am assuming these big guns do a number on forts.

Assuming my observation is correct, how do you implement them? Just drop a couple of guns in the stack or do you use them in some sort of divisional configuration? If you do use them in a divisional what is that configuration?

I did a search on seige cannons and didn't find anything, so my apologises if this has been brought up before.

[Redeemer]

It depends... no really

What force is doing the siege? Is it a Corps? then leave them as a part of the stack, ie corps artillery. Is it a smaller independent stack? Then if I needed to conserve command points to keep from getting penalties, I would put them in a division formation.

To be honest though, I don't use them. If I happen to obtain them, then I stick them in a small stack that will follow the main forces. They slow down corps or army stacks too much for my tastes. I like to stay mobile

[Daniel_Morgan]

It depends... no really

What force is doing the siege? Is it a Corps? then leave them as a part of the stack, ie corps artillery. Is it a smaller independent stack? Then if I needed to conserve command points to keep from getting penalties, I would put them in a division formation.

To be honest though, I don't use them. If I happen to obtain them, then I stick them in a small stack that will follow the main forces. They slow down corps or army stacks too much for my tastes. I like to stay mobile

So do I thats why I was thinking of making a division with them, like 4 seige cannons, and some troops and maybe regular arty, leave them separate from the stack and just move them up when seige-ing. That way they at least have some protection from attack if a raider gets at em behind the lines.

[Cromagnonman]

Siege guns do two things to accelerate a siege's progress. First, they have the little red icon showing that they add 1 siege point. Second, their power is quite high, almost 50; as a result, they add +1 to your siege strength (you get 1 siege strength for every 50 arty power). Plus, it has the little red icon showing that it gives a +1 siege bonus. Thus it gives you an automatic +2 for your siege str when paired with another arty element.
In a siege, the attacker and defender's siege str are compared each turn. If the attacker's str is higher, he can make hits on the defender and even breach the structure.

I usually keep my siege arty in a separate siege train stack from my mobile combat stacks. Usually, this is the army commander's stack, but it doesn't really matter. Once I have besieged a structure, I rail my siege train forward to help move things along. I may occasionally build a special siege division containing siege arty, horse arty, marines, and McPherson; usually that division's job is to sail down the coast taking forts.

[Daniel_Morgan]

Siege guns do two things to accelerate a siege's progress. First, they have the little red icon showing that they add 1 siege point. Second, their power is quite high, almost 50; as a result, they add +1 to your siege strength (you get 1 siege strength for every 50 arty power). Plus, it has the little red icon showing that it gives a +1 siege bonus. Thus it gives you an automatic +2 for your siege str when paired with another arty element.
In a siege, the attacker and defender's siege str are compared each turn. If the attacker's str is higher, he can make hits on the defender and even breach the structure.

I usually keep my siege arty in a separate siege train stack from my mobile combat stacks. Usually, this is the army commander's stack, but it doesn't really matter. Once I have besieged a structure, I rail my siege train forward to help move things along. I may occasionally build a special siege division containing siege arty, horse arty, marines, and McPherson; usually that division's job is to sail down the coast taking forts.

Now thats an interesting idea. Why the USMC guys? Does it make a difference, and why Horse Arty?

[Cromagnonman]

The marines (or sailors) help you cross rivers more quickly, and horse arty because its power is so high, helping you get a higher seige str.

[Pat "Stonewall" Cleburne]

Wait, I thought I read in the arty primer that HA was next to useless in a siege. Or was that 6 pounders?

[Cromagnonman]

Wait, I thought I read in the arty primer that HA was next to useless in a siege. Or was that 6 pounders?

I don't recall such a thing. Horsey guns have a couple more power points than 10lbers, so they should boost your seige str 4% faster. 6lbers are useful in that they are cheap on a per-power basis.

Of course horsey guns are silly, because historically they were the same guns with more horses for mobility.

[Cromagnonman]

Recent review of a battlelog has produced some interesting revelations. One, totally surprised me and may also be relevant, is that siege guns can be monstrous in battle. Now, to be clear, this was an entrenched British unit firing on my landing infantry. But its to-hit value was 139%, its RoF 2, and its damage 3/15. So it hit two units every round, and over the course of a 5-hour battle did 30 strength damage on its own. That's about a thousand men. Now, I don't remember my own siege guns having stats for damage and RoF anywhere near this high. But, if yours do, I highly recommend you use them to strengthen your defensible positions when not being used in sieges. For comparison, the 12- and 6-pounders have to-hit values of 100% and 90%, and do 2/15 fire damage (no artillery has yet participated in assault).

[Krec]

I use them , but i move them separtly. they are very big and slow so dragging them alongin a corp is a no go. just have them travel behind and join up. They do the job once deployed.

[gchristie]

I use them , but i move them separtly. they are very big and slow so dragging them alongin a corp is a no go. just have them travel behind and join up. They do the job once deployed.

Do you do this in pbem games? Beware raiders stealing your guns. I've lost supply wagons and such until I began escorting everything.

[Krec]

Just put a few horse arty with them and they are fine