Friday, 15 June had 1st Reddit Brigade participating in line battle as the Russian Empire. The match had so much attendence from the 95th Regiment that we had both a skirmish line and a regular line. I joined the skirmish line, whose tactical doctrine is more open-ended. Units in our line field more accurate rifled flintlocks. When we get in position, we spread out to two to three spaces between each other. We also aim at targets instead of straight downrange from our spot in line, as the regular line does.

Joining us in the skirmish line was _1stRddt_G95_JuniorD as a Sapper, a player class that can build trenches, barricades and explosives on the field. I disagree with skirmishers digging in place as a line. I believe it goes against the flexibility of skirmish doctrine, which is to flank, harass, and bait the enemy towards our friend’s firing lines. To answer JuniorD‘s habit of building fences downrange of our firing line, I responded a bit unconsciously: I shot and killed the friendly sapper as he was building barricades.

Mine wasn’t the only friendly fire incident on our side in that round. The most remarkable friendly fire event involved our side’s artillery and a player named Seamus_O_Murder. Seamus was aiming at an incoming line infantry and his cannon killed three or four friendly artillery guardsmen in front of his cannon.

Seamus’ Irish handle makes the situation comical because it calls to real life incidents when Irish Republican Army bomb makers were killed by their own botched explosives. The uniquely nasty British press made light of this by using a soccer term for these incidents, own goals.

Speaking of artillery, Sunday, 17 June’s evening line battle saw my return to the cannon loader role as 1st Reddit played the Russian Empire again. I decided to discard previous theories and just wait until the cannon fires before I pick up a shot. This time, I loaded a howitzer for Invite_PMtr_Monroe, whose shots killed 13 enemy in one round. When Monroe died in one round, I took initiative by loading, aiming and firing the howitzer single handedly at the enemy ranks. I had not aimed a howitzer in battle, so I had to quickly learn how to aim and judge range for it. Because of its short barrel, aiming the howitzer is harder than the regular 12-pound cannon. I was pleased that one shot of mine killed two of the enemy.

My passive-aggressive disagreement with JuniorD aside, I’m starting to appreciate the value that teamwork and communication has in Napoleonic Wars.