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Old 10-13-2018, 12:32 AM   #56
Skarg
 
Join Date: May 2015
Default Re: How do you all handle mounted combat?

Quote:
Originally Posted by platimus View Post
The rider is still sitting on a rather large advantage, literally. Realistically, if your sword (or even spear) is in your right hand, attacking something on the left side of the horse is going to be quite difficult if not impossible. Plus, this restriction might help with the "teleporting horse" problem a little bit. The rider now has to plot his attack runs a little more intelligently.

But, hey, I'm willing to let the rider attack to either side. There's no need to indicate facing or leaning for that.
"This represents the rider’s ability to lean different ways in the
stirrups, guide his animal to one side, etc."
Etc. would include how some people can bend at the knees, hips, and through the torso, and move their arm left of center, perhaps while standing in stirrups and/or angling the horse even if officially it is unable to leave its hexes.

Check out this image of a woman casually shooting a bow from horseback at a backward angle with her hips still facing mostly forward. Or this one.

Here are some examples of fighting with one-handed swords and axes on the left side of the horse, showing bodies not turned nearly as far as they could be, or in some cases, not bothering to turn at all:
https://www.britishbattles.com/wp-co.../11/img359.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/a8/bf...dd784ff2ee.jpg
https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qim...59c4c545de3f-c
https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/z/swor...t-61276738.jpg
https://static1.squarespace.com/stat...d-Fighting.jpg
https://previews.123rf.com/images/va...festival-a.jpg
http://www.ecns.cn/hd/2017/05/31/946...aef3d3ab81.jpg
https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8031/7...4c85aa7e_b.jpg

If that's not convincing, try sitting in a chair, and without even moving your knees from facing forward, turn, see how easy it is to bring your arm around about 120 degrees to the other side from forward. Now imagine you're also allowed to stand in the "saddle" a bit and adjust the horse you're on.
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