Empire Archers rules?

[Lt Dougheim]

Hi,
I havent played warhammer for a couple of years and recently picked up the new empire army book and new brb. In the description for Archers it says, "Archers are adaptable troops, able to fight in close ranks or in a loose skirmish screen." I know they have the skirmishers rule, but does this imply they dont have to fight in skirmish formation?
Thanks

[hamsterwheel]

Hi,
I havent played warhammer for a couple of years and recently picked up the new empire army book and new brb. In the description for Archers it says, "Archers are adaptable troops, able to fight in close ranks or in a loose skirmish screen." I know they have the skirmishers rule, but does this imply they dont have to fight in skirmish formation?
Thanks

That's fluff. If they're Skirmishers then they have to be in skirmisher formation except in those instances listed under the Skirmishers rule which is basically close combat and charging.

[Lt Dougheim]

Thats what I thought, but I just wanted to make sure. Also, if you took a big enough unit of archers as a regimental unit with at least one detachment of any kind, does it then becomes possible for the detachment to lose their special rules if the archer regimental unit is charged and forced to contract into a standard formation?

[brynolf]

Thats what I thought, but I just wanted to make sure. Also, if you took a big enough unit of archers as a regimental unit with at least one detachment of any kind, does it then becomes possible for the detachment to lose their special rules if the archer regimental unit is charged and forced to contract into a standard formation?

If that would make them further apart than 3", yes.

[sorberec]

Hi,
I havent played warhammer for a couple of years and recently picked up the new empire army book and new brb. In the description for Archers it says, "Archers are adaptable troops, able to fight in close ranks or in a loose skirmish screen." I know they have the skirmishers rule, but does this imply they dont have to fight in skirmish formation?
Thanks

You're mis-understanding the context of the word "fight". In this instance every model on the board is "fighting" the enemy, whether they're marching up to their opponent and sticking a pointy bit of metal in them, shooting arrows from a distance or sat on a horse on a hill at the back giving orders.