24-lber Foot Artillery

24-lber Foot Artillery
Belongs to	Most Western Factions
Type	Foot Artillery
Guns	3
Firepower	42
Range	400
Accuracy	55
Reload	30
Morale	3
Tech requirement	None
Produced from	Engineer School (most factions), Ordnance Board (Persia and Indian factions), Gunnery School (Ottoman Empire, Mamelukes)
Shot Types	Round Shot. Canister Shot, Shrapnel Shot
Cost	890 SP
Upkeep	220
Turns to Train	2
Unit Cap	None

24-lber Foot Artillery is an artillery type in Empire: Total War.

Description

Foot artillery batteries are the core of an army on campaign: the weapons that win battles and batter down walls.

Despite the name, foot artillery batteries are towed by horses, not men. The artillerymen march alongside their pieces. All guns are smoothbore, and rated by the size or weight of the solid projectile that they fire: a 12-pounder is so called because it hurls a cannonball weighing 12 pounds towards the enemy! It may not do so very accurately, as the casting of barrels and balls means that there is inevitable a gap (windage) between a shot and the barrel sides. This means the cannonball rattles down the barrel when fired, leading to an inherent inaccuracy. As technology advances, other types of ammunition can be fired.

Historically, there was limited standardisation between guns, even in the same battery. Parts from one gun would not always fit a sister piece. A gunner would know the quirks of his own weapon intimately. Cunningly, the French attempted to develop a system of interchangable components for all their guns and field equipment. Jean Baptiste Vaquette de Gribeauval (1715- 1789), the inspector of Artillery, tried but he wasn't entirely successful. Even after he had finished there were still more than 20 different types of wheel in use!

General Information

24-lber Foot Artillery are a straight upgrade over 12-lber Foot Artillery, possessing all of the strengths plus more firepower and accuracy, but none of the weaknesses save a higher cost and recruitment time. Its main drawback is the lateness in which it can be acquired. For most factions, 24-lber foot artillery are the most powerful cannons available.Indian and Middle Eastern 24-lber foot artillery are slightly cheaper to train and maintain. In addition, Indian factions can train these units at Ordnance Boards, one tier lower than their Western counterparts. The Ottomans and Mamelukes gain access even earlier, with just Gunnery Schools required.

In the Grand Campaign, the French do not have access to the 24-lber Foot Artillery, forcing them on 24-lber Guard Artillery, which are superior in quality but limited in number.