BlackFrog said:
Yes we mean diffrent things. Redirection (my meaning) is angling a unit so that an enemy charging it will expose it's flanks to a counter charge from a different friendly unit.
Here is how I use them
March rank skinks up to an enemy cav or block unit then wheel about 30 degrees. The enemy can either charge the 50pt skinks and expose a flank to something or wait to try to shoot my skinks out of existance (delaying them one turn or more).
I don't think this really can be done with skirmish troops. If you dont have the skirmish unit right in front the enemy they can simply ignore the skirmishers and move/charge strait ahead. If the skirmish unit is actually blocking the enemy unit from the front they can charge strait and the skirmishers have to alighn to them allowing for a nasty over charge into units you really care about. Not to mention ranked speed bumps are almost 50% cheaper than skirmish skinks.
I find speed bumps like these vital when using a shooty/magic army. Anything that buys you an extra turn at range is golden.
(Oh and not worries about snark I really enjoy a good conversation about tactics!)
I don't see what prevent an enemy from completely ignoring the ranked skinks as you suggest they might ignore the Skirmishers. Also, based on what you are saying Skirmishers would actually be better at what you are describing seeing as they have twice the frontage of a ranked unit of skinks.
10 Skink Skirmishers can line up thusly:
X X X X X
X X X X X
10 Skink Cohorts can line up thusly:
XXXXX
XXXXX
If you are worried about where a unit might hit them, angle the Skirmishers! you can position them however you want and out of a frontal charge.
---------------------------------CCCCC
X--------------------------------CCCCC
---X--X
---------X X
---------X X X
-----------------X X
Set up this way that Cavalry unit still has to wheel to get into base contact with your skinks. They are still being march blocked by the skinks. They can still be flanked by the skinks if they choose to ignore them and charge something else. If they do charge the skinks they get pin-cushioned with a stand and shoot first.
Both your way and my way one is dependent on a Cavalry unit going ahead and deciding it is worth their time to get into a fight with a unit that really should be ignored. I find my opponents have a harder time ignoring 20 poisoned shots from 12 inches versus 5 poisoned javelins from 8 inches.
Really, I am having a hard time even understanding why you would think the cohorts could be better as what is essentially bait. Perhaps I am still not fully understanding how you use them? Are you saying because they are in front of the Cavalry unit but because most of the Cavalry unit is on the flank they have to charge the flank thereby exposing their own? That's what I get out of it. Truth is, why would a cavalry unit even bother with a fifty point unit of Skinks that, at best is an annoyance? A couple of small wheels and they are bypassed, same as a unit of ten skirmishers, except those skirmishers can do much more damage making them harder to be ignored.
To use your terminology, think of the skinks as bigger, badder speed bumps with some teeth!
Anyhow, that's how I see it.
