Cavalry Support Charges

Most of our house rules have become second nature to the group, and I think it is time try out a new one, Support Charges. This being one that is currently most talk about, that being the ability of a cavalry units to “protect” nearby friendly units. Below is my rough draft and I hope to get a chance to use them early next month.

Support Charge
More often than naught during the Napoleonic Wars, cavalry charging enemy formations was an act of opportunity rather than being ordered from above, especially in the French army where individual initiative was encouraged.

During your opponents Command Phase,  cavalry units can react to advancing enemy units under certain circumstances. All conditions for charging must be met as normal, i.e. they must see the target, the enemy unit is in the front zone, they are not Disordered or Shaken etc… This is not automatic, but instead the cavalry unit must pass a command check and if successful will then make a charge move.

To attempt a support charge:

• The cavalry unit cannot be disordered or shaken.
• The enemy unit is not making an initiative move.
• The enemy unit must be within one normal move and to the front of the unit.
• The enemy unit must be in LOS.

Note: Deployed artillery batteries and skirmish companies do not block LOS.

Once the enemy unit moves to within one move of the support charging cavalry unit (or starts within), make a command check with these additional modifiers:

• -1 if the enemy unit did not start the turn in the front arc of the cavalry unit.
• x2 double any command distance modifiers.
• +2 if the cavalry unit is rated as Opportunist Chargers (typically French cavalry).

If the check is passed the support charging cavalry unit immediately makes a charge move. The unit being charged now makes normal response moves for being charged. Checks that Blunder are treated as normal, ie roll on the blunder table, in addition the unit may not attempt anymore support charges this turn.

Note: Some elite infantry units can support charge, they will be denoted with the Opportunist Chargers special ability.