Post by cooper on Nov 28, 2013 18:06:42 GMT -6
I've had the niggling feeling that I, and others, haven't been fully groking the movement rules for mounted men during a charge. So, I'd like to write my thoughts here and get some feedback. I have been under the impression that a unit has a movement rate (lets say HH 12" and 18" charge) and that this movement can be used during the turn and what remains once contact with the opposing force is made within the rounds of melee can be 'used up'. At the start of the next turn the amount of movement "points" you get reset.
This is incorrect.
The proper way to understand movement during the opening phases of a turn and movement during the melee rounds between turns is as follows: Movement at the start of a turn is quite literally the orders given by the lord of the forces (this being you, the player). This is done with banners, or trumpets, magic voices with the sound of thunder, whathaveyou. The movement allotted at the beginning of a turn (the split move and fire, the decision to charge, the restructuring of facing, et al) is the only time the Lord (you) is in control. This is the strategy akin to that played out in a football games playbook. Once contact is made the Lord looses all control of his forces. This is not to say that the forces are out of control, but that they are not in a position to be paying attention to specific orders, but are in fact reacting to combat in real time. Only at the start of Turn 2--which only begins during a lull in melee, will orders again be able to be sent and received.
Just as there are an unlimited amount of rounds within two turns (hypothetically only, practically rounds will rarely last longer than 1-3), so too there is an unlimited amount of movement able to be made between two turns during the melee rounds. We will call this, in contrast to the directed movement at the start of a Turn, autonomous movement that takes place during the rounds of combat and determined by morale checks. A force of knights on foot who move 6" at the beginning of the turn 1 may find themselves pushed back 6" in round 1, struck by charging horses and pushed back yet another 6" in round 2 as the horse yet again charges into their ranks. Only at the start of Turn 2 does the 6" of directed movement come back into play when the men are free of immediate combat and can listen/watch the trumpets/banners/voice of god.
How does this work for a calvary charge?
A HH charge with a directed movement of 18" say spends 6" charging a group of pikemen and archers. The Archers and pikemen have already completed their move this turn. Once contact is made, the pikemen refuse combat and withdraw 3". If the HH are victorious against the row of pikemen they must continue the remainder of their charge. they have 12" more of their directed movement which is enough to put them into the line of the retreated archers. Melee continues in round #2, the archers loose the round and fall back 6" in good order, the Knights continue their charge and once again crash into the archers this time causing a rout of 18" of fleeing longbowmen. The knights move forward the remaining 3" of their total 18" charge, but this is not enough to keep them in melee with the archers (who are now 15" away)
In the above example the archers ended up moving 33" over the course of 1 turn.
Begining in turn 2, the mounted knights must continue a normal move forward regardless of the danger ahead or of the desires of the Lord, this is 12". The Horse and archers are now 3" away from each other, if this move puts them within range of enemy forces flanking the knights or if their initial charge hit a very large body of men of multiple ranks, they could easily be flanked while continuing their charge move and there is now possible a remainder of pikemen behind them now as well if all the pike were not destroyed during the initial charge.
Had the mounted knights lost the first round of melee against the pikes their initial 6" charge could have turned into anything from the horse being pushed back 6" in good order, to 18" of a rout as the charge move continues only if the charging forces are successful.
The only possibility of stationary charging foes for a 2nd melee round is if the charging foe looses the first round of combat in the "post melee morale" phase and difference of 0-19 is had, otherwise charging foes will pass through the first rank of men into open fields, or other forces behind them.
This is incorrect.
The proper way to understand movement during the opening phases of a turn and movement during the melee rounds between turns is as follows: Movement at the start of a turn is quite literally the orders given by the lord of the forces (this being you, the player). This is done with banners, or trumpets, magic voices with the sound of thunder, whathaveyou. The movement allotted at the beginning of a turn (the split move and fire, the decision to charge, the restructuring of facing, et al) is the only time the Lord (you) is in control. This is the strategy akin to that played out in a football games playbook. Once contact is made the Lord looses all control of his forces. This is not to say that the forces are out of control, but that they are not in a position to be paying attention to specific orders, but are in fact reacting to combat in real time. Only at the start of Turn 2--which only begins during a lull in melee, will orders again be able to be sent and received.
Just as there are an unlimited amount of rounds within two turns (hypothetically only, practically rounds will rarely last longer than 1-3), so too there is an unlimited amount of movement able to be made between two turns during the melee rounds. We will call this, in contrast to the directed movement at the start of a Turn, autonomous movement that takes place during the rounds of combat and determined by morale checks. A force of knights on foot who move 6" at the beginning of the turn 1 may find themselves pushed back 6" in round 1, struck by charging horses and pushed back yet another 6" in round 2 as the horse yet again charges into their ranks. Only at the start of Turn 2 does the 6" of directed movement come back into play when the men are free of immediate combat and can listen/watch the trumpets/banners/voice of god.
How does this work for a calvary charge?
A HH charge with a directed movement of 18" say spends 6" charging a group of pikemen and archers. The Archers and pikemen have already completed their move this turn. Once contact is made, the pikemen refuse combat and withdraw 3". If the HH are victorious against the row of pikemen they must continue the remainder of their charge. they have 12" more of their directed movement which is enough to put them into the line of the retreated archers. Melee continues in round #2, the archers loose the round and fall back 6" in good order, the Knights continue their charge and once again crash into the archers this time causing a rout of 18" of fleeing longbowmen. The knights move forward the remaining 3" of their total 18" charge, but this is not enough to keep them in melee with the archers (who are now 15" away)
In the above example the archers ended up moving 33" over the course of 1 turn.
Begining in turn 2, the mounted knights must continue a normal move forward regardless of the danger ahead or of the desires of the Lord, this is 12". The Horse and archers are now 3" away from each other, if this move puts them within range of enemy forces flanking the knights or if their initial charge hit a very large body of men of multiple ranks, they could easily be flanked while continuing their charge move and there is now possible a remainder of pikemen behind them now as well if all the pike were not destroyed during the initial charge.
Had the mounted knights lost the first round of melee against the pikes their initial 6" charge could have turned into anything from the horse being pushed back 6" in good order, to 18" of a rout as the charge move continues only if the charging forces are successful.
The only possibility of stationary charging foes for a 2nd melee round is if the charging foe looses the first round of combat in the "post melee morale" phase and difference of 0-19 is had, otherwise charging foes will pass through the first rank of men into open fields, or other forces behind them.