Summary
Foot troops. Cost 3AP. Move 300p on roads, 200p in good going and cannot enter bad going. Combat factors are +4 vs all troops.
If they lose a close combat they are destroyed.
If they are doubled in combat they are destroyed. Shoot in own bound only, and then only if they did not move or pivot during movement. May not move to contact any element except a Stronghold.

Chow Li writes:
Here are Charlie's rules for Artillery:

• Try to place it where you want it and then avoid moving it.
• Keep a reserve, this is a basic rule of tactics that many HOTTs and DBA players fail to follow. I try to keep at least 1/4 reserve usually lame boys. Though to look at my games you would may not be able to tell as I tend to keep them close. With artillery I keep them in contact (a blade or spear or shooter).
• When using artillery keep a defensive posture. Art is a defensive element so don't go marching out beyond its use.

Only this week I used artillery, two guns in the same army, in about six games. They did great. I use them in reserve to guard my armies rear. I also use a shooter guard or two. If I don't have a shooter support available I use some other foot unit. Placed in the middle or on a flank well behind the main line. Remember that artillery have a huge field of fire, almost 500 x 500 paces!

They are really good at blocking flanking moves and protecting vs those pesky flyers (this weekend I scared off a dragon). With shooter support they deal flyers the death knell at 200p.

Remember to get them where you want them and then leave 'em alone. Also they do not recoil vs other shooters they just stay. They do "die if in contact" though.

Jeff Bolton writes:
I tend to use my Artillery on the flanks of my lines. In addition, I try to ensure that my artillery can not be subjected to a flanking move. If I think I can anchor my artillery on physical feature, I do so. Other covers are a couple of riders in the vicinity. (In general, I find riders to be extremely useful elements.)

NEVER let artillery get caught without overlapping friends. Artillery can not stand alone (not for long, anyway).

I like to use one piece in a standard 24AP HOTTs army. My greatest fun is to use it as an anti-hero Weapon. Doesn't happen often, but when it does..... Finally, I find that artillery can serve as a good anchor for a defensive line.

Jim Davis writes:
I always place an element of Shooters behind my dwarf artillery or troll catapults. That way flyers cannot get behind them and if the flyers attack the shooters it is at a disadvantage. You will need room for the Shooters to recoil back (leave room between the shooter and the artillery).

James Ewins:
Artillery are shi- sorry, challenging to use effectively in a 24AP game. Never take them if you're attacking, they're not worth the hassle. If you move them with your main battle line (if you have one, and most do) then they're restricted from firing when the line moves, form a weak point in the line when you get into contact (destroyed on adverse results) and generally are complete sods. When defending, they're useful from blocking some lines of attack, especially over rivers where the enemy is likely to be bogged down crossing it. Never place the piece defending a bridge, it will be attacked and it will fall. Give them enough shots at a damp enemy and they'll do better. On their own they are vulnerable to flyers and other nasties that will contact the flank or rear. Even if they beat them off they have to turn back to position and it takes time. Keep some other troops close to it to support it, or discourage attacks from uncomfortable sources. This of course means splitting your force, which has it's own issues in terms of command ranges etc.

In multiplayer games (or 24AP+ games) you have more options to divide forces into more useable units. I'm not taking the Dwarf shooty horde again (four artillery, six shooters) on it's own ever again. But as a division on a larger Dwarf (!) army then maybe.

Back to The Stronghold