Let me put this into a context. We're designing a world where different civilization have reached different stages of technological achievement due to magic. This advancement has obviously changed their style of warfare. Instead of simple having to deal with footmen, archers, and mounted cavalry, the players will now be encountering things like trenches, artillery, and firing lines.
Given that, my friend and I are trying to work out the effect this'll have on combat with the PC's and we are having a tad of a difficult time trying to additional rules for combat that would take into account warfare doctrines from other centuries.
One such issue involved charging against ranged units.
Ranged units are going to be employing rifles (bolt action with maybe a 5-10 round ammo cartridges). And that's just the mundane weapons. They eventually will encounter armies carrying enchanted weapons. Furthermore, there is the matter of firing formations. They'll be encountering rifle columns and some trench warfare.
My question is, how can I adapt the combat system to accommodate targets like these? Are melee characters going to be completely passe? Will everyone simply be ranged? Will combat degenerate to the PC's finding cover then shooting?
While upping the role of ranged combat, we would as much as possible like to prevent melee combat from suffering as much. But as is, it seems melee characters are getting the crappier end of the adaptation. Charging units provoke attack of opportunities from ranged targets as they try to close the distance, as do mages when casting spells. Ranged weapons do considerably more damage now and deal even greater damage to targets that provoke attacks of opportunity while enjoying a bonus to their attack roll.
All we're trying to design a suppression fire system which grants a kind of cover for charging units. Melee units can wield a pistol in their off-hand and can fight one handed without penalty. Charging units with a weapon in their off hand can fire while trying to close the distance between him and his target to grant themselves a minor cover bonus under certain conditions. We're instituting a minimum firing range for ranged units to offset the power they now have.
We could really use some help trying to work out a system here.