From the errata
Combined Formations: Third paragraph: Replace “All bases containing archers in a Combined Formation throw 1D6 when shooting-the usual second row bonus does not apply” with “All bases containing archers in a Combined Formation throw 1D6 per two bases (rounded up) when shooting”.
So here is the rub
1. Why is a deeper unit better at shooting than a unit in a single rank of bases, should the bonus per two bases not be applied to the front rank and not the rear? The way I see it is a unit in a single rank would shoot better than a unit in a deeper formation (surely archers in the rear ranks firing overhead would not be as effective as those who can see the enemy themselves).
2. currently Shooting with 6 bases of Persian infantry archers in two ranks, shoot with 8 dice; If the unit gets some Spara bearers (making it a combined unit) then it shoots with 3 dice. The Spara bearer was the front figure of a file of ten infantry, so 10% of the unit. Yet the unit is dropping from 8 dice to 3 a drop of over 60%. Would a better system be to treat all bases as shooting as normal then deduct a percentage of dice, equivalent to the percentage of non archers in the unit; don’t fear the maths as this should be 25%, 50%, or 75% (1/4,1/2,or 3/4) for most cases. So my Persians now with one rank of Spara and a rank of archers on the front row of bases and then a row of bases with archers only would lose 25% of the dice, therefore 8 down to 6 (as things currently stand) we can round up or down as Martian decides. A unit of roman legionaries with 6 bases and only with a ¼ of them being archers would only get 2 dice.
3. It now would also now make sense to remove the bonus for every two bases shooting but only if the bonus is applied to the front rank (see point 1), because now in a combined formation the very front rank will now be non archers, i.e. the Spara bearers or Legionaries. If this was done my example would give 6 bases of Persians shoot with 6 * 0.75 = 4.5 rounded up to 5 dice as the unit has ¾ archers; Legionaries 6 * 0.25 =1.5 rounded up to 2 dice as the unit has ¼ archers.
what do you guys think?