The Commander Series Forum

I need a little help understanding how to purchase and use artillery units in the game. Can someone double check my rationale below?

I purchase one artillery unit for my mid-war German army. At this point, if I purchase nothing else, the unit becomes an on-board direct-fire gun, with no indirect capacity and no assets.

If I also purchase 3 assets, that means I can keep this unit off the table and schedule 3 artillery strikes during the game. It would not otherwise be able to fire. Right?

If I also purchase a FAO, that means I can also make command rolls to delay or cancel my 3 assets. But I can't suddenly place the unit on the table and use it as a direct-fire weapon. Right?

Basically, neither assets nor FAOs are mandatory when buying artillery, but if you don't buy them, your gun just sits on the table like a direct-fire piece.

All correct

Artillery is normally 'off table' but can be represented by models placed somewhere along your base edge.

FAO are on board units. If they make a successful command roll the offboard artillery can be used - the target, what artillery is being used and whether a concentration or barrage is being called for has to be declared beore rolling the command dice. If successful, roll for deviation and place the template. Everything under the template is then attacked (including friends).

If you buy artillery (and it is offboard), you can then purchase assets. Pre game, the player decides where (anyhere on the board) and on what turn the asset lands. On that turn, the asset lands - place the template and everything under it is attacked. A FAO may attempt to delay the arrival of the assett by making a successful command roll.

This does not exhaust the subject, but should get you thinking along the right lines.

Steve

I purchase one artillery unit for my mid-war German army. At this point, if I purchase nothing else, the unit becomes an on-board direct-fire gun, with no indirect capacity and no assets.

No, you can place the artillery off board, but if you do you will need to purchase an FAO or assets (or both) to use it. You can also place the gun on table but it's a lot safer for it to be off-table.

If I also purchase 3 assets, that means I can keep this unit off the table and schedule 3 artillery strikes during the game. It would not otherwise be able to fire. Right?

If you have an FAO, you can fire the gun on any turn that you are not using an asset. Essentially, if the gun is not firing using an asset as scheduled artillery, it is sort of sitting around waiting for an FAO to tell it where to fire,

If I also purchase a FAO, that means I can also make command rolls to delay or cancel my 3 assets. But I can't suddenly place the unit on the table and use it as a direct-fire weapon. Right?

Correct.

Basically, neither assets nor FAOs are mandatory when buying artillery, but if you don't buy them, your gun just sits on the table like a direct-fire piece.

[A}Neither are mandatory, but without at least one of them, off-board artillery is useless, so you might as well deploy it on board.

Excellent, thanks to Pete and everyone who chimed in for a timely resolution to this query.