WAB – War Wagon Clarifications
Unofficial clarifications for War Wagons from the author of the Rules Steve Schifani:
>>Having read through the new rules in AoC, I can’t help but think that
rules for War Wagons haven’t been fully thought out properly. To start with, they seem a little “strong” for the points.<<

***Max, my name is Steve Schifani, and I am the author of the warwagon rules. I am very sympathetic to your concerns, as I don’t find this an easy method of warfare to model. I may not able to relieve all worries, but I will answer your questions as honestly as I can.

1) If the War Wagon is destroyed in close combat, what happens to the crew? Are they automatically killed as well? If not, do they flee? If there are still 5 or more of them can they rally?

***If WW destroyed, remove it and the crew from play. No fleeing or rallying for WWs.

2) Similar to question 1, except what if it is destroyed by artillery not in CC. Do the crew survive, and form their own unit or are they killed?

***No, remove from play.

3) An inverse to the above question, can a War Wagon with no crew left still move around, get in the way etc? If not, and they are part of a unit of Wagons can the others leave it behind or are they still bound by the coherency rules?

***If the crew is wiped out, remove the whole model from play.

4) In all of the above, how are victory points worked out? Do you get VP’s for killing all the crew but not the wagon? Do you get VP’s for destroying the wagon but not the crew?

***If a single model, and either the crew is all killed, or WW destroyed, remove from play and award the points. If a unit, you need to break the unit or wipe them out.

5) Do War Wagons follow the same rules as chariots, regarding touching and taking hits?

***No, too lumbering for high impact collisions IMHO.

6) What is the Line of Sight of war wagons for their shooting? 90 to the front? 360? What about the palisade gun? (if fitted)

***360 degrees for all. I will continue to evaluate this.

7) Can you move and fire the palisade gun, like the normal missile armed troops?

***It is exactly as on pg 124 of the main rulebook.

8.) Can War wagons enter difficult terrain?

***Excellent point, and I apologize for the mistake. One for the errata. It should be no and also no crossing obstacles.

9) Do war wagons cause fear in infantry, like chariots?

***No.

10) If a war wagon is charged by a fear causing enemy, does it have to test? If it fails and is outnumbered, does it flee?

***Another oversight on my part. If it is outnumbered and it fails its fear test, then remove the model or the unit from play as lost.

11) When a War Wagon chooses to flee or fire & flee as a charge reaction, how far does it flee? D6? 2D6?

***Cannot flee or fire and flee. If someone really wants to do this, allow the shots and remove the model or unit from play.

12) Do AoC skirmishers fear war wagons, like they fear formed units?

***Excellent question as well. No defined answer, but Tom’s proposal that they fear a UNIT seems sound. Open to thoughts on this one.

13) How do War Wagons and Elephants interact? Do War Wagons have to flee if charged by an elephant? Is a War wagon a defended obstacle against Elephants?

***WW do not flee. They are closer to infantry than cav, so Terror does not apply. Fear is applicable. A WW is not a defended obstacle to elephants.

14) Same question, but with War wagons and Chariots. Do impact hits strike the wagon only, or randomise against the crew as well? Does the chariot and/or War wagon take hits like 2 chariots colliding? Is a War wagon a defended obstacle against a chariot?

***I think the best solution is that chariots may not charge WWs. If this is too severe, then I’d suggest that they do not cause impact hits on WWs. These structures were too sturdy, and the chariot would come off worse IMHO. I’d treat the WW as a defended obstacle vs. chariot crews. This is an off the cuff response as I obviously don’t have any examples from which to draw conclusions.

***My e-mail is [email protected]This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it I will continue to do my best to work this out, so keep the questions and criticism coming. If I answered differently then Tom, we will come to a concensus. Every army project I collect is in pairs…so I have Sigismund’s Catholic alliance army with which to face Zizka’s wagons. I have a vested interest in a balanced game as I love them both equally : ) Good luck to you and thanks for helping me iron out these irritants!

On basing War Wagons…

Date: Sat, 08 May 2004 18:39:51 -0000
From: “schifani78” < [email protected]This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it >
Subject: Re: Hungarian war wagon

— In [email protected]This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it , “Tom Downs” < [email protected]…This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it >
wrote:
> Steve,
> How does one figure out how many enemy figures fight, either on
a front
> or a flank.

Tom, I recommend a base size of approximately 60mm by 120mm for the war-wagons. This gives about 3 figures to the front and 6 figures to the side in direct contact, plus potential for 2 overlaps.

At St Louis, I used 2.5 inches by 5 inches, which is very close to that, and it worked perfectly.

I’ve heard of elephants being on 40mm wide bases, and I hope no war- wagon players would stoop to this level.

All things being equal, large, cheap foot units will wear them down and beat them.

Against their Catholic enemies, with modestly expensive mounted and dismounted men-at-arms, you have terrific games. You can shoot enough of them to make the fights at the wagons tense affairs.

Steve