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Old 12-22-2019, 04:00 PM   #1
Nils_Lindeberg
 
Join Date: Jul 2018
Default Charging and Trampling vs. Pole Weapons

I looked at H Cobbs video of a cavalry charge attack and the horses just moved straight into the first line of pole weapon wielders without getting attacked.

"Initiating HTH combat is
considered an attack.
To initiate HTH combat, a figure moves onto the enemy’s
hex. If the attacking figure is disengaged, this is a regular
move. If the attacking figure is engaged, he may shift onto a
figure engaging him to attempt HTH, even if he is engaged
with other figures as well. When you’re surrounded by foes,
sometimes the best thing you can do is jump on one of them!"

So my question is, is this correct? The charging knights started their move disengaged, they do have higher MA (or their mounts do), and they move into the defender's hex forcing savings rolls to not fall down and be trampled. The defenders never get a chance to fight back if they fail their saving roll.

One could interpret the above to mean that if the horse gets engaged by the footman, they have to stop and can not follow through with the movement into the footman's hex. But since you need two footmen to engage a horse, the charging horsemen could always decide to move close to the defenders that either a half step in front of the others if their battle line is set up against the hex grain, or charge from right to left or vice verse if the line is set up with the grain. Either way, as soon as one guy is overrun, the next defender beside him, will also be charged, or every other guy will be charged if the line is against the grain and then the rest will be charged.

There really isn't a way to set up a line that can attack first with spears or even pike axes, without getting knocked down or out of the way first.

Pikes can do it, but no other pole weapons.

So, my interpretation focus on the HTH part of being an attack. And the explanation of a regular move or a shift, means how far you can move, before the actual HTH initiation "attack" that happens in DX-order (pole weapons going first). This would mean that you always move up to someone, and then during actions you move on top and do an overrun or initiate HTH.
Is this RAW, RAI or just an attempt to house rule a broken rule?

There is also a rule about two-hex creatures not needing 2 people to engage it, but 3-hex creatures do. Furthermore, there is a rule about a second line or a wall, protecting a footman from an overrun if they can't get out of the way. But even then the chargers can go from the left to the right and start to unravel the line even if they will end up being engaged by the second rank after overrunning the first one.

How do you rule this? I am planning for a military campaign, so this will come up now and then.

I also wonder about the size restrictions, it says that a one hex figure will engage a 2-hex creature since it is bigger than 1/3 of the larger one. I kind of vaguely remember war horses being 3-hex big, but I can't find that rule.

Last edited by Nils_Lindeberg; 12-22-2019 at 04:15 PM.
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