The Official VIKTORY Blog

Artillery get to roll 2 dice for each artillery unit when making Bombard Attacks and Pre-Battle Fire, and have guaranteed Tactical Victory selective hits if successful.

Artillery have a special ability of Overwatch, which allows each artillery unit while defending to choose to make one Bombard Attack (per enemy player’s turn) at a unit that moves into an adjacent or same hex. Overwatch takes place immediately upon a unit triggering it by movement, so if an enemy artillery is moving up to make a Bombard Attack, the Overwatch gets triggered first. If units are already in an adjacent hex and move into the same hex to Battle Attack, Overwatch occurs before the Battle Attack is resolved.

Overwatch allows defending artillery to each roll 2 dice if an enemy unit moves into an adjacent hex with a friendly unit/town/city or into the same hex, and to each roll 1 die if an enemy unit moves into an adjacent hex that does not contain a friendly unit.  All Overwatch hits are Tactical Victory selective hits.

Artillery can wait to do Overwatch until all attacking units have been declared, are positioned along the attacking hex sides and are moving in for the Attack.

For example, player A has an artillery strategically located in a mountain hex, which overlooks a water passageway and an adjacent friendly town.  Player B attacks the friendly town, moving in an artillery and 2 infantry.  Before the attacking artillery even gets to roll its Pre-Battle Fire, Player A’s artillery gets to roll two dice against it.  The roll is successful and a hit is scored.  Since all Overwatch hits are automatically Tactical Victory selective hits, Player A chooses to kill Player B’s artillery.  Player B’s attack on the town fails. On Player C’s turn, Player C attacks the same town with an infantry.  Player A could use his artillery to fire Overwatch against Player C’s infantry, but decides Player C has a low chance of success and is looking for a more profitable use of his Overwatch ability.  After a failed attack on the town, Player C moves a frigate loaded with two infantry into a water hex adjacent to Player A’s artillery.  Player A now chooses to use his Overwatch ability and fires on the frigate.  The successful hit on the frigate sinks it and eliminates the frigate and the two transported infantry.

Although the artillery owner does not have to fire at the first unit that presents itself as an Overwatch target, a decision must immediately be made about taking the first available opportunity or waiting for a potentially more valuable unit to move nearby.

Overwatch is triggered by the enemy unit’s move into an adjacent or same hex.  Overwatch is not triggered if the unit is moving OUT of an adjacent hex to a more distant hex.

Artillery overwatch takes place even if unit is moving along a nearby road.

Overwatch is not triggered during the Reserve Placement Phase if a unit is placed into a town/city with an adjacent enemy artillery.

Overwatch is triggered if an enemy unit gets loaded onto an enemy frigate in an adjacent hex.  The Bombard Attack is against the unit loading, not the frigate; if the artillery owner suspects that the frigate will be moved from an adjacent hex to another adjacent hex (which triggers Overwatch), then it would be wise to wait and potentially sink the frigate and its transported units.