mihalik wrote:
I play with no restrictions on attacks with columns. I believe it is enough penalty that a column cannot engage in any fire combat whatsoever and suffers increased casualties from fire. The alternative if a unit in column enters a zone of control of a line unit is to suffer through three fire phases before getting to reply to fire. Two of these phases will be with the column modifier. I think it makes much less historical sense for a unit to do that than to be able to melee in column, even with road movement.
I am not sure you are proposing three fire phases as alternative but within the current game system it would be impossible without an engine rewrite.
The problem with column is that fire is relatively ineffective against it compared to the benefits it gives a unit in movement. In Turn play defensive fire is so broken as to be almost of no consequence unless you are playing with the Embedded Melee rule. In Phase play there will be defensive fire but since it will only fire against one unit it is easy to circumvent by moving multiple column units adjacent. The penalty isn't severe enough to counter the advantages of movement. There is actually an advantage to column for melee. It keeps you from firing which gives you a 10% bonus in the melee.
In Phased play column formation isn't quite as effective so you can play the game without any pseudo restrictions. It is still an unrealistic formation but it is easier to just say if the game allows it you can do it.
In Turn play column is a powerful formation with high movement rates and little negative effects. It can be combined with melee or formation change to make deep strikes into an enemy. Unless the enemy Units are high quality (A's or B's) they are unlikely to fire at the column as it moves and even then at 50% strength. The advantage of making breakthroughs that might give a column access to a road and the resulting 12 hex movement range more than compensates for any casualties along the way.