Unit Analysis: Field Guns

While Heavy Artillery can deal a devastating punch, Field Guns offer a more flexible and affordable form of fire support for your forces.  They compensate for their smaller firepower by being more mobile, allowing you to reposition them during the game, to provide critical support for your troops.  As such, they may be essential to your effort to take an objective if you can get them into position, or to defend an Objective against enemy assaults.

Field Guns are slow, moving just 4" and STATIC, meaning they cannot Charge and if they lose a Melee they are Annihilated immediately, as the surviving crew abandon their weapons and flee.   Field Guns are Light units, based like infantry, and have the same defensive profile (Defence of 2 and Damage Limit 1) meaning you’ll lose a model for every two hits the unit sustains. This can be boosted slightly through careful placement, as Field Guns also have EMPLACEMENT, which adds +1 Defence if the unit is in contact with an obstacle, like a hedge or fence.

Field Guns are purchased at the size of 4/8/12 (for basic/reinforced/full size unit) and are often best purchased as part of an Auxiliary Battlegroup, which has the option of deploying the unit at a higher Reinforcement level.  Not all factions have Field Guns; the Enlightened, Alliance and Sultanate don't have this option and must rely on other units to get the job done.  However, others, like the Imperium and Commonwealth, have multiple Field Gun variants.

Employing Field Guns presents Generals with a much more difficult risk-versus-return calculation than other units.  With their slow speed Field Guns are extremely fragile, if targeted by shooting or Melee, and they lack the speed and defence to escape would-be attackers.  However, to employ them to maximum effect at their optimal range fire, a General will need to either manoeuvre their Field Guns closer to the enemy or draw the enemy into their fire.  In either case, if they are not supported by other units, the Field Guns are likely to be overrun and destroyed by the enemy in short order.  Some Field Guns can also fire indirectly, so a further consideration is whether you are employing units with the SPOTTER special rule, assuming that option is available.

Drake Field Guns (Crown)

The Crown love their artillery and the Drake joins a formidable lineup.  But while the other Crown artillery fires at long range, the Drake really specializes in attacking Light targets at shorter ranges.  The Drakes primary attack is against Light targets at 12"/26" range dealing 5(8)/9(13)/13(17) with the POINT BLANK meaning you use the parenthesis value if within 12”.  The Drake can also take on Heavy Targets at a pinch, with a greater 16"/30" range inflicting 4/8/12. So, for maximum effect, you want to be firing the devastating Grape Shot at close range, which is likely to cause significant carnage to enemy troops.  But at that range, if you fail to wipe out the enemy, you can expect the Drakes to be swiftly counterattacked, and likely overwhelmed, before they can fire another volley.

Once they reach optimal range, Drake Field Guns are also a prime candidate for being Entrenched by Engineer Artificers, which allows them to be treated as Heavy units for the purposes of being fired at and weakens a Charge made against them.  In an idea world, Drakes benefit from both entrenching and emplacement, if your tabletop terrain supports this, giving them the greatest possible survivability. The Drakes fight in Melee at 2/3/4 although being STATIC, if they lose then it's game over for the unit.  Despite their eagerness to close with the enemy, they have a low Discipline of 5 and will set you back 70/120/180 yielding 2/3/4 Victory Points.

Crown Generals who really want to lean into a gleaming gun-line should consider using a Support Auxiliary Battlegroup which, in addition to letting you take multiple units of Drakes, provides the GUN LUGGERS Special Command, which (if successfully issued) temporarily gives a Field Gun unit the STALKERS ability, allowing them to go 'On Lookout' at the end of their activation.  So those Crown gun crews can spend their activation hauling their weapons forward into devastatingly short range and then instantly be ready to unleash fire on an enemy that moves into their field of fire, which is a great option for the Drake.

Green Banner Jezzail Teams (Empire)

Despite looking like an infantry unit, the Jezzail team is a Field Gun with the long-range punch to knock out armoured units.  Jezzails can target both Light and Heavy units  over a massive range of 14"/36".  It pays for such a long-range attack with MOVE OR FIRE, meaning it can't fire in any turn it also advanced and CUMBERSOME, meaning if the unit moves double-time it gains Reloading status, which prevents it from firing in its next activation.  Against both Heavy and Light targets, the Jezzails attack with 3/5/7 which has both PENETRATING (a model which suffers at least one damage and still has an unallocated hit after the attack, automatically loses a model) and PRECISION (meaning you can target enemy officers and cause enemy to become disordered).  This can be an absolutely devastating attack at an extremely long range, if you roll well, but it also might be underwhelming if the roll isn’t great.  The low number of dice mean that the unit is likely to be most effective when deployed at reinforced size and above.

The Green Banner Jezzail Team also come with heavy armoured shields which give them a RESILIENT FRONT (meaning they count their Defence as one point higher when targeted from the front).  This makes the Jezzails both the slowest, longest ranged and best protected of any Field Gun, with an effective Defence of 3 to the front.  So, you'll want to deploy your Jezzail team somewhere they won't have to move from.  Should they be attacked in close combat, they fight with 2/4/6 in Melee, and they have a fair Discipline of 6.  All this does come at a higher points cost of 80/135/210 and yielding the most Victory Points of any Field Gun at 2/4/6.

Hotchkiss Revolving Cannon (Union)

Spraying a continuous stream of hot lead, this Field Gun packs a punch, but with shorter range than other Field Guns, it may struggle to keep pace with (and therefore support) the Union's fast-moving motorised infantry.  At 10"/20" range the Hotchkiss can target both Heavy and Light targets, although it's more effective against Light units shooting with a solid 5/10/16 which is DEVASTATING, meaning you round up any unallocated hits to an extra point of damage. Against Heavy targets it fires 4/8/13.

Sadly, as a Field Gun, the Hotchkiss isn't eligible for forward deployment via a Rockridge Flatbed car, leaving the crew to push it forward by hand.  All this effort required to get the gun into position might explain the anemic Hotchkiss Melee of 1/2/3 and dire Discipline of 5.  The Hotchkiss is priced the same as the Drake at 70/120/180 and yields the same 2/3/4 Victory Points.

Gobyata Field Guns, Krio Rocket Battery, Molniya Flak Guns and Tryasti Seismic Mortars (Commonwealth)

Perhaps as compensation for not having static Heavy Artillery, the Commonwealth have four different Field Gun variants; the Gobyata is primarily designed to attack Heavy targets, while the Molniya is strong against aerial units.  There are also two indirect firing options to support Commonwealth close-assault attacks;  the Tryasti is especially strong against Light targets, while the Krio removes cover as well as offering an opportunity to cancel enemy activations on both Heavy and Light targets.  All four are Gun Carriages, which allows them to gain a free Vanguard (10”) move and go ‘On Lookout’ before the first turn, if the Commonwealth General invests in a unit of Gerlach Gun Tractors per Field Gun, for an addition 25/40/60 points per unit.

The Molniya gives the Commonwealth a much-needed anti-aircraft option.  It can fire with a massive 10”/30” against Aerial targets inflicting 4/8/12.  If there are no Aerial targets in the offing, it can also traverse down to fire at Light targets with a shorter 10”/20” range inflicting 3/7/10.  The Molniya is the cheapest Field Gun option costing just 45/75/115 points.

The Gobyati is a very straightforward gun.  It fires at Heavy Targets at a range of 16"/30" firing with 4/8/12 which is DEVASTATING.  Against Light targets, a shorter 12"/26" range again with 4/8/12.  It’s a no-frills option against which other, more complex, Commonwealth Field Guns can be measured. A unit of Gobyati can be purchased for 60/100/155 points.

The Tryasti seems to be a much better design, firing at a range of 4"/28" against both Heavy and Light Targets. Against Light targets it fires 5/10/15 which is INDIRECT, meaning you can use a friendly unit to establish line-of-sight for a weakened attack outside short range, SUPRESSIVE which gives a -1 penalty to enemy Suppression tests caused by this weapon and SEISMIC giving a bonus against infantry garrisoned in buildings and if a unit becomes Suppressed from this attack, then it also becomes Disordered.  Taken together, this attack is a pretty potent punch overall and just the thing the Commonwealth needs to soften-up enemies before they are charged by cavalry or infantry.  The Tryasti is also okay against Heavy targets as well, firing 4/6/8 which is both INDIRECT and SEISMIC. The Tryasti will set you back 65/110/170 points.

The Krio uses a barrage of rockets that emit freezing gas and fires to a range of 4”/28” attacking Light and Heavy units with 4/7/10 which is a CYRYO attack, removing the activated status from a yet-to-be-activated unit that fails its Suppression test. The rockets are also INDIRECT, SUPRRESSVIE and TORRENT making them great at hitting targets in cover.  This can obviously be extremely powerful, removing the activation from a significant unit at a crucial moment in the game.  Much like the Tryasti , this is a great weapon to support the attack of your melee troops at the key moment in the game, preventing opponents from striking back, although as this ability only triggers if a model is removed, at a Basic size unit this may be touch-and-go.  The Krio is the most expensive Field Gun option at 70/120/180 points.

All of the Commonwealth Field Gun variants fight 3/4/5 in Melee and have a reasonable Discipline of 6 and give up 2/3/4 Victory Points.

Essen Field Rockets, Krupp Field Guns and Thunar Arc Field Guns (Imperium)

Not to be outdone, the Imperium offers no less than three different Field Gun variants to support their motorised troops, as they drive forward to storm objectives.  All three are Gun Carriages, and because the ubiquitous Sturmwagon packed with imperium infantry also has the TOW Special Rule, there’s a good chance that you will be able to preposition your Field Guns forward, ready to fire.

All three Field Guns also come with an innovative metal shield to protect the crew that gives them the SHROUDED ability, meaning they always count as Obscured when being shot by ranged weapons. 

The Krupp just does what it says on the tin and is much more vanilla than the other Field Guns with no special rules, shooting both light and Heavy targets at a range of 10"/26"and dealing 4/8/12 to Light targets and a more impressive 6/10/14 against Heavy targets.

Essen Field Rockets have no attack against Heavy Targets, but instead shoot Aerial units, firing at them out to 10"/20" with a 5/11/18 attack.  If there's nothing on the radar, then the Essen has a fair attack against Light targets at a 4"/30" range with a more modest 4/8/12 which is both INDIRECT and SURPRESSIVE.  So, the Essen Rockets are probably best deployed out of direct line-of-sight of the enemy, placed 'On Lookout' so they can either fire at incoming aircraft, or rain rockets down on Light targets that move into range each turn.

If you want to get really wild, the Thunar is the weapon for you.  It fires a short range of -/20" against both Heavy and Light targets inflicting 5/9/13 which is ARC meaning for each Heroic Strike you use two reroll dice, rather than just one, and so a lucky roll has the potential to be very devastating.  This seems like the kind of weapon you drive right up to the thick of the fighting and then gleefully fire away, hoping for a devastating electricity cascade that leaves the enemy forces charred and smoking.  However, as the Thunar is Teutonic, it can only be purchased as part of an Imperium Gelve Auxiliary Battlegroup, along with other Teutonic units.

Imperium Field guns all have the same 2/4/6 in Melee and share Discipline 6 and Break Limit 2, meaning they may stay in the fight, but don't love taking casualties and may abandon their guns if things get bad, giving up 2/3/4 Victory Points.  The Essen are the cheapest of the bunch, coming in at 65/115/175 but also the only Field Gun that can't target Heavy units.  The Krupp brings the usual Imperium Points Cost premium at 80/145/215 which is high, but it's the Thunar that really breaks the bank at 95/170/255, the most of any Field Gun.

In the final analysis… Field Guns offer the factions that can take them some great mobile firepower to support your attack. But they can also be a slightly risky proposition, given their need to be uncomfortably close to the action to get the most out of their offensive fire.  There are options to try and manage this, such as using Difficult terrain to shield those that can fire indirectly, and for this the TOW rule is likely to be of significant benefit to Commonwealth and Imperium Generals.  You can also opt for a more traditional emplacement bonus if the battlefield terrain supports it.

The Commonwealth and Imperium also offer Field Guns that defend from air attacks, or snipe at Light units if no aerial threats emerge, which can be a real benefit to free up frontline troops to assault the enemy.  However, the real question for General contemplating the use of Field Guns of any type is whether they can be adequately supported, as if they are caught in the open, they are likely to generate easy Victory Points for your opponent given their vulnerabilities in Melee.  But if well supported, or deployed in cover, they can provide the kind of relentless fire that weakens enemy units and allows a decisive breakthrough.

This post reflects the view and opinions of the author – your experiences may vary. It was written based on the state of the game at the time of the Armoured Clash Global Update in May 2026 (Rules v1.04). All game rules, descriptions and pictures created by Warcradle remain their Intellectual Property.