Some musing on Cavalry and Mounted Infantry in Crossfire. Standard Crossfire doesn’t cover this. My musings are primarily based on ideas by Daniele Varelli on the Crossfire Discussion Forum. Cavalry is divided into Charging Cavalry – who fight mounted – and/or Mounted Infantry – who dismount to fight. Usually a player must choose at deployment whether his Cavalry is “dismounted” or “mounted”; normally they cannot mount/dismount during the game.
Charging Cavalry
These rules only apply to those nations whose tactical doctrine involved mounted charges (WWII Russians, Polish, Italians).
Charging Cavalry
- Are Reckless Troops, i.e. If moving to close combat Ignore “pin” but “suppress” = “kill”.
- Can’t enter/attack buildings or fortifications, or cross barbed wire, and may not ground hug or use trenches.
- They can’t shoot but add in close combat.
- +2 versus infantry or cavalry in open (i.e. both sides not in woods, fields (any season), rough, boulder fields, rock fields)
- -2 versus armoured vehicles
Mounted Infantry
Other cavalry units used horses only for marches or patrolling, and fought dismounted as normal infantry (SCW Nationalists and Republicans; WWII German, Japanese). They spend the entire game dismounted like normal rifle platoons/squads.
There are specific rules if a scenario dictates the Mounted Infantry must start mounted. Whilst mounted they:
- Fight in close combat with normal infantry modifiers (i.e. they don’t get the +2 of charging cavalry), but they take a -2 versus armoured vehicles.
- Cannot shoot or initiate close combat (they must dismount to do either)
- Require a successful Rally from Pin roll to dismount – and remember the +1 for being out of sight of enemy; failure means loss of initiative. Once dismounted, they cannot remount.
- Can’t enter buildings or fortifications, or cross barbed wire, and may not ground hug or use trenches.