What is the best way to use Fire Drakes?

[earwicker7]

Just got a batch of them in my SP game (MA Abyssia)... this is the first time I've seen a ranged unit with almost no range (10) to it lol. It seems like their breath attack should be pretty devasting if I can manage to hit something with it.

Should I just put them in the front line with orders to fire closest? Maybe I could mix them in with Humanbred, since they have the same movement (9AP)... would the Humanbred just use a normal melee attack, since they have no missile weapons, with the Fire Drakes acting like they are keeping up and throwing grenades when appropriate?

[thejeff]

There's sort of a bug with mixed range/melee squads.
If you give a squad a 'fire' order, but the first unit in the squad doesn't have a range attack the whole squad will close to melee. This usually isn't a big deal, but it's really annoying when the first archer in your longbow squad loses an arm.

So, yes. A mixed squad of Humanbred and Fire Drakes would close, the Drakes starting to fire when they're within range, as long as a Drake is first in the list. Otherwise they'll just close and bite.

[iRFNA]

Will this happen if you don't give them any orders?

Just tested and the answer is yes. So here's another question: what exactly does giving no orders default to?

[Foodstamp]

Ranged then melee. A lot of people leave units with javelins without orders. They will move forward, used range attacks when possible, then close for combat.

[thejeff]

Near as I can tell, very close to "Fire". Anyone with range weapons closes to range then fires. Anyone without charges. Target selection for Fire None, or attack None isn't quite the same as "Closest", though that seems the most common.

Troops may drop back to No Orders after finishing their first target. I'm not sure about that though. I know I've seen archers ordered to attack stop and shoot after the first target broke/died. I'm thinking of Pegasi, but probably javelin troops as well.


Commanders default to "Stay behind troops".

[DeadlyShoe]

Just put them behind your troops with orders to Fire Closest. There's no danger of friendly fire, and they'll sit behind your line pummeling their line.