La Petit Guerre

Closer Look: Fog of War + Order Volley

When the major European powers began to use light troops in the mid-eighteenth century, they typically employed them in a manner of war that the French labeled as la petite guerre. Troops participating in la petite guerre operated separately from the main army, often using speed and maneuver for quick attacks and ambushes in support of an army’s goals.

Concurrent with this European development was warfare between North American Indian tribes and American colonists, an ongoing clash beginning in the sixteenth century. In their conduct of war, American Indians typically operated using similar tactics to European light troops—maneuver and speed for sudden attacks and ambushes—while also utilizing the wooded North American terrain to their advantage.

Source: Journal of the American Revolution

These new spells enhance the capabilities of irregular soldiers in the age of black powder. Fog of War uses the heavily obscured mechanic to create a “light invisibility” effect.

Order Volley is a more grounded take on Conjure Barrage – you must make contact with local resistance forces to prepare a volley. These rebels intentionally don’t have stats or a presence on the battlefield, and are meant to represent a militia force that might fire once or twice before dispersing.

Note: While my sources here are discussing the American Revolution, the same tactics were used by many local insurgencies during the Napoleonic Wars. The Spanish term for petite guerre came into prominence during the Peninsular War, and "guerilla" has since become an English byword for this type of irregular fighter!