(TFT) Line Battles/Cavalry charge (Minis w/TFT)

[Thorn <edt@dopey.ne.mediaone.net>]

John Paul Bakshoian wrote:
> 
> >My new campaign will make use of my miniature collection (400+ and
> >counting), which I am trying to put on standard TFT bases (giants on 3 hex
> >bases, dragons on either 4, 7, or 14 hex
> >bases, and so forth).
> >
> >I would love to adapt TFT to large-scale mini battles (i.e. company or
> >battallion sized units), but don't have the time to spend adapting right
> >now.
> >
> >Tony Merlock
> 
> That's my love too.  Large-scale mini battles.  Perhaps in the New Era of
> TFT, we can develop the miniatures style which will complement the standard
> RPG mode.
> 
> I have been doing Roleplaying Miniatures for over 10 years now.  I've come
> up with a version I call TFT Troop Movement.  [check out the archives -
> search Troop Movement.]  Each figure is statted just like a regular
> character.  I put 8 on a sheet.  I usually run 20 to 50 characters (because
> I'm the GM.)  Each figure moves its normal movement allowance.  I am trying
> to come up with some tactical rules to give meaning for a disciplined Roman
> Century coming across a mob of Goths.

Soldier 2pts (IQ 9): This skill allows a shielded warrior to apply his
shield's defense to attacks on the figure to his left, provided a) that
figure is also a Soldier, b) the two Soldiers have drilled together a
number of days equal to (60-both IQs), or learned their Soldier skills
from the same instructor, or some combination acceptable to the GM (or
opponent, in a wargame setting), c) the attack to be affected goes
across a hexside of the figure attacked which is adjacent to the hex of
the shielding Soldier.  The 'left' above assumes right-handed soldiers,
with shields held in their left hands.  Reverse for Caitans.

Line Trooper 2pts (IQ 10): This skill allows an armed warrior to gain +x
to DX when attacking an opponent, where x is equal to the number of Line
Troopers adjacent to both the warrior and his target, provided a) the
Line Trooper and the warrior have drilled together a number of days
equal to (60-both IQs), or learned their Line Trooper skills from the
same instructor, or some combination acceptable to the GM (or opponent,
in a wargame setting).


> Perhaps we (or others who would like to show the miniatures world that there
> is an alternate to Warhammer squads) could iron some of these concepts out.
> 
> Rules should be standard TFT rules so after the town is massacred,
> individuals can go hunting treasures in the sewers and crypts.  However, in
> my playtesting, some things need to be ironed out (or I just don't play the
> original rules well enough.)

>  I found that mass cavalry attacks become not
> what you expect when 10 lancers charge a line of 25 halberders/swordsmen.
> You would expect some horsemen to make it through the line by sheer
> momentum, but they end up all getting engaged, 2 swordsmen to the horse.  Do
> you have the same type experiences?

Maybe TFT misses something here, but are you using all the rules?

The charging lancers get their lance attacks during movement, which will
drop _some_ of the first rank.  Then the horses can 'push' whoever's in
front of them, which will knock _some_ of them down.  Then the horses,
if they moved 8hxs or more, cannot be engaged by less than two figures. 
So some of the last horses to move have clear, or 'not sufficiently
engaging' paths through the line.

If you imagine your ten cavalry lined up in a row, ABCABCABCA, move the
As, kill some footmen, shove some footmen(or shove then kill, depending
on if you take charge attacks during movement or not).  Bs move,
kill/shove.  Cs move for the gaps that have opened, perhaps trampling
the fallen footmen as they pass.  I agree that this may not always
work.  But I think it _could_ work.

There are two kinds of 'line' the hex grid offers the footmen, the
'everybody to the left and behind the guy before him', and the 'guy with
three hexes of fighting front, guy with one, guy with three, guy with
one...'  I'll call these 'sloped', and 'crenellated', respectively.  The
crenellated seems stronger; the guy 'in the hole' can't be got to at
all, not even by a charging horse.  The guy on the point is essentially
dead...  :)

The 'sloped' line might be vulnerable.  This is an interesting
challenge...
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