Handgunners

[bojieh]

How exactly do you use them? I usually stretch them in a thin line, about two-three rows in depth, just before my mail line. Then pull them behind just before the melee battle and try to position them on the flanks, shooting enemies from the sides. I can't come up with a better idea, yet they seem ineffective compared to archers or crossbowmen, when handled by me. I know they fare better against heavy armored enemies, yet they can't be active the entire battle, where the latter can. Am I doing something wrong or is this they way it should be? Any tips to improve my performance?

[Ethien]

I actually use them as flanking units. When my army is committed to a melee fight, I can then swing them behind my foe and let them fire. It seems to have a nice effect on their morale and naturally they're able to score some kills.

[Lord Baal]

I generally use them just like you bojieh. I found them to be somewhat effective in sieges too, once I get a hold of the walls I place them looking inside the settlement while halberds/pikemen/spearmen block the path to the stairs. However crossbows are way better in that.

All in all they are not that useful, I generally buff them a bit on my personal mods to make them more deadly than crossbows, since they already have a lower rate of fire and can only fire in straight line (in real life crossbows could only fire in straight line too, but whatever).

[Maltacus]

One method which works well against infantry is to place your infantry in square-like blocks and have the gunners fire into the gaps. The enemy is hooked up by your infantry and can be targeted through the openings. You take advantage of the scaring effects of the guns but there is not so much damage...unless you happen to be using the chaos dwarf blunderbussers of course.

I don't know how the pikemen work in CoW but one other method is to stack two or three pike companies in a line and have a first rank of gunners. The pikes protect them and they can fire on approaching troops and sometimes even on engaged troops that are blocked by the pikes. Works best against cavalry since cavalry pulls out to charge again, enabling another volley.

I think gunners work best as a support for mainly mounted armies. If the cavalry is strong and plentiful enough to destroy all that can catch the gunners and then chase away enemy missile troops the gunners can aid very good against halberdiers and such that are dangerous for cavalry while the riders keep them distracted but not engaged as they approach the gunners. It is a bit like cavalry and light horse-drawn artillery during the 18:th century (in our world).

Lastly, if you have some sort of special units that scare or just mow down enemies, gunners are a good complement because of their frightening effect and the ability of special units to keep them relatively safe.

[Swad]

I like to form up some units like checkers. The melee in front with gaps in between. Obviously this won't be deployed in a full line, perhaps 3 or 4 units worth. Once the fighting commences and the opposing units start trying to surround the front melee units, my gunners can aim at the gaps in between the blocks where the enemy units are trying to surround my frontline melee units.

I think this might be called pike and shot, except the addition of pikes is completely optional.

[Lord Baal]

Maltacus with the better pike mod you can just do that!

[Mile-83]

I use them like artillery to outrange camping armies.

I only bring 2 of them in each army and put them in the front (in a long thin line for max fire).
The rest of my ranged units are archers or crossbowmen who I place behind the infantry line.

Most of the time they die in close combat but they did whatever they could.

[Knel]

Handgunners are a must for me. They just need a straight line to fire at enemies. Most times when I play as an empire faction the enemy is forced to attack me on the battlefield because I have more and/or superior range troops. So you search a position on the battlefield where the handgunners can fire over the infantryline and thats already most time enough for a win. I keep them safe behind the infantry even when the enemy is in close combat so they can shoot every cavalry that retreats after a charge from the melee, when there is no more enemy cavalry it becomes easy to destroy the enemies´s infantry.

My standard empire army compostion is:
3 handgunners ( in a thin line behind the infantry)
4 archers ( behind the handgunners)
1 mortar ( behind the archers)
1 pistolier (for weakening monster units, killing artellery crew)
1 knights ( for killing the rest when my range units are out of ammo)
1 elite infantry ( ogers, warrior priests, etc to counter monster units that hit my front line)
1 general
8 empire spearmen ( in shieldwall formation, in a semi circle positioned)

Sounds simple and passive, but it works very good for me and is very cost efficient, your casulaities should be almost cheap spearmen.