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Gonne Squires - Bretonnian Powder!

“The law of Bretonnia, by word, only bans crossbows. Most follow it by spirit, but some lords only by word…”

The conventions of Bretonnia forbid the use of crossbows: was Gilles le Breton not slain, unchivalrously, by one’s bolt? Good Dukes understand the spirit of this law as well as the word; weapons that kill from afar are cowardly implements; more importantly, dangerous to the ruling order. Only the necessary hunting bows and militia arms of the peasantry are permitted, and even that begrudgingly; to offer them weapons that might unhorse a Knight, unthinkable. So far, faith in the Lady and enough peasant fodder have proven to be a workable combination for the armies of the fleur-de-lis.

But that same forbidden power grants the firearm forbidden allure. Any lord knows that fielding them is not illegal; merely unchivalrous, and that is arguably worse. But chivalry is defined by those who practice it; was it not so for the first examples in Bretonnian history? Is it chivalrous to let one’s peasants be slaughtered by a marauding foe because their lord dares not arm them? Is it brave and noble to fear one’s own serfs?

Of course, any Bretonnian lord making such radical claims treads on dangerous ground. Nobody has been stupid enough to arm their peasantry in general; what firearms do appear are issued exclusively to loyal squires and retainers. To avoid accusations of foreign collaboration, these models are of home-grown make. Consequently they and their powder are markedly more primitive than Imperial or Dwarfen equivalents, and the men using these short-ranged arms must be ready for melee at any time. Even with such care, however, fielding too many such troops invites more than a few unwelcome remarks and accusations.

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Foot Squires (Gonnes) are a specialist missile infantry unit available to Bretonnia. They require the same recruitment infrastructure as regular Foot Squires and cost relatively the same.

A squire's gonne is nowhere near as sophisticated as even an Imperial handgun-- just stock and barrel, without even a trigger or lock mechanism. Gonne squires are short-ranged and inaccurate; but their armor-piercing power is the equal of their Imperial and Dwarfen counterparts. Moreover, they're armored and handy in melee. Think of the difference between M2TW's hand gunners and its arquebusiers, and you have the right idea.

Gonne squires are a useful augment to Bretonnian infantry; close-ranged support or flanking fire can bolster their otherwise lackluster foot troops. Don't expect them to do well against armor-piercing missile infantry, and keep in mind that their short range means they miss the initiative. They'll hold their own in melee almost as well as most swordsmen, but their undersized unit size means it's wasteful to send them into melee as assault troops.