Pub Battles unit diary for Russian Guard Austerlitz16 demo

I thought I'd recap one of my Pub Battles Demos with just a single unit. This is the Russian Guards Corps for the Austerlitz16 demo full replay:
• Pub Battles demo Auste...

[@hansklok3384]

Hi Mike, I hope you can help me out with a problem regarding artillery bombardment in genral:
If a cavalry was to attack an infantry unit, could an artillery bombard the cavalry on it's move forward, if it is positioned on a hill behind the friendly infantry?
And if so, would a successful bombardment (two or three hits) stop the cavalry charge or would you still have to roll for the battle between cavalry and infantry?

[@gull2112]

Great question, Hans! You can never fire over your own troops, so the answer is no. If your artillery is off to the side and can see the attacking unit without passing over friendly troops, then you could bombard the attacker. Merely being adjacent doesn't prevent the bombardment, only firing over your own troops. Hope this helps.

[@hansklok3384]

@@gull2112 Thank you for your quick reply :)
Would there still be a battle between infantry and cavalry if a bombardment, such as you described, were successful (and therefor should make the cavalry retreat)?

[@gull2112]

@@hansklok3384 If the cavalry is eligible to use the Charge rule when its chit is drawn, then that combat is immediate and no artillery fire would be possible.
If it attacks normally, then the combat isn't resolved until the combat phase. If the chit for the artillery piece is drawn after the cavalry has moved to attack the infantry, then bombardment could occur (assuming LOS).
Since combat is not ordinarily resolved until the combat phase, the Charge rule, which allows certain elite units (by scenario definition) to attack immediately when they move, is a very powerful rule.
In the game above, since the attacking Russian Guard Cavalry could use the charge rule, the Baggage Train did not have an opportunity to move away before the Russian attack, and it was sacked. Even though it was not unpacked and still mobile, it did not have a chance to move away.
To examine this deeper, if the Coalition player had attacked with one of the Austrian cavalry blocks, which can't use the charge rule, then the Baggage Train could have moved away when it's chit was drawn.
Let me know if this leaves you if this detailed response leaves you with more questions than answers!

[@hansklok3384]

@@gull2112 It actually doesn't ;) Thank you for the clarification. I think, this balances things out quite nicely, since I thought artillery would be a bit too powerful otherwise.