The Machine Gun is an Atomic Era ranged unit in Civilization VI. It upgrades from the Field Cannon (or its replacements) or the Hwacha.
- Attributes:
- Has a
Range Range of 1.
- Has a
Strategy
The Machine Gun has power unmatched by any other land-based ranged unit, but this power comes at the price of its 
Range Range: it can only shoot as far as a lowly Slinger. For this reason, you may want to hold off on upgrading your Field Cannons until they've earned high-tier promotions like Suppression, Emplacement, and Expert Marksman, or until you've discovered Mobilization and can form them into armies. This way, losing the ability to attack from two tiles away won't be as much of a setback for them.
Much like China's Crouching Tiger, the Machine Gun's short Range Range makes it easier to use defensively than offensively.
Civilopedia entry
Since the days of the arquebus innovative gunsmiths had sought for a rapid-fire firearm that required little training or skill to use. Stoper’s revolving arquebus in 1597 Nuremberg, the “Puckle Gun” in 1718 in London, Belton’s multi-shot flintlock in 1777 all had their proponents; but it was left to Richard Jordan Gatling to perfect an infantry weapon with controlled rapid fire, automatic loading, portability, speedy reloading of ammunition canisters, and operated by a simple hand-crank. The Gatling gun was immensely popular among military types of all nations, and it laid the foundation for the development of the machinegun, which stalemated WW1 and dominated WW2 infantry combat. In time, the weight was reduced without loss of rate of fire, machineguns becoming submachineguns (such as the Thompson so beloved of Prohibition-era gangsters) capable of being fired from the hip.
Trivia
- The Machine Gun unit is modelled after World War II period US soldiers. However, they are armed with the MG 42, a World War II German machine gun.