(TFT) TFT Cavalry part 2

["John Paul Bakshoian" <hailmelee@hotmail.com>]

This segment will discuss movement and engagement.

By and large a regular horse movement is between 22 to 30 MA.  A Warhorse's 
MA is 24.  Thats a lot of hex space.  Since a rider is being carried and has 
not "moved", he should be able to attack anywhere along this horse distance. 
[More on that]  Only the warhorse would be worried about moving more than 
half its MA if it intends to attack this turn.

AM Page 30 9. MOUNTED COMBAT - ENGAGED AND  DISENGAGED
 "Riding animals follow the same rules about engagement and disengagement 
as do foot warriors, with one exception:  If a horse (normally a 2-hex 
creature) moves _more that 8 hexes_ in a single turn and then engages a 
single man on foot, treat the horse as though it were a 3-hex creature.  
That is, the man on foot is engaged, but the horse and rider are not.  This 
applies only to a single footman - two men on the ground WOULD engage the 
horseman.  The reason for this is the extra momentum of a rider at high 
speed.  A single man cannot reasonably hope to engage a charging horseman - 
but he CAN engage one who was trotting or standing still, without the 
momentum to carry himself right past.  The same applies to any other 2 hex 
riding animal."

This seems to state that if the horse charges (traveling 8 hexes or more 
[I'm assuming that this is in a somewhat straight direction and not in a 
semicircle]), it (and the rider) cannot be engaged by a single footman.
It seems to mean that if I am charging with my horse at full gallop 
intending to end up 20 hexes downroad, and lone Waldo is there with his 
sword at hex 12, can I take a swing at him as I ride past?  I would guess 
that if I want to take a swing, the mechanics of the game require me to move 
to hex 12 or 13, place my horse and rider there.  Waldo is now engaged and 
cannot move.  Movement sequence is done, go to combat.  Handle the fight.  
Next turn, if Waldo is standing he is engaged and cannot move (but can 
shift).

I decide if I was really going that original 20 or so hexes.  I can move off 
8 more hexes freely because my 2-hex horse was charging (the equivalent in 
game mechanics of 3 hex figure) last turn or I can stand and fight Waldo.

OR does it mean that since I stopped I am now not charging and would be 
engaged.  If the latter is the case, how can I simulate a swipe with my 
sword and still pass Waldo at hex 12?

Note that I am still not addressing the issue of 10 Lancers charging a 
spear/pike line.  That will come much later.

Here is what Advance Melee says on attacks.

AM Page 6 #5 ATTACKS
 "...There are two exceptions to the strict rule of best-DX-goes first.  
One has to do with pole weapons.  If a pole-weapon user is charging, or 
BEING CHARGED BY, another figure, roll his attack first, regardless of DX.  
If there are several such attacks, roll them all, in order of their adjDX, 
before going to the regular attacks."

AM Page 31  DX MODIFICATION FOR MOUNTED COMBAT
 "Use the following modifications for dexterity.  Like other DX 
modifications, these are cumulative in cases where more than one apply.
 "Expert Horseman engaged in combat while riding - no penalty.
 "Horseman engaged in combat while riding - DX-1.
 "Non-Horseman engaged in combat while riding - DX-3.
 "Unmounted 1-hex figure striking at rider or mount - DX-2.
 "Grounded pike vs. cavalry - DX+2.
 "Pike used against foe only 2 hexes away - DX-2."

The above modifiers should be taken into account when adjusting dexterity on 
cavalry and defenders for going first as well as the striking itself.

Next is use of pole weapons in regular charge.

AM Page 12 POLE WEAPONS
 "...A pole weapon's length gives it an advantage in a charge-attack 
situation.  Therefore, on any turn when a pole weapon is being used IN a 
charge attack or AGAINST a charge attack (or both), roll all the pole-weapon 
results FIRST, in order of adjDX, before resolving any other attacks.  Thus, 
a polearm user has a chance to kill (or knock down) a figure with a shorter 
weapon before the other can stike - even if the other figure has a higher 
DX.
 "A figure who stands still (or simply changes facing) and uses a pole 
weapon against a charge attacker gets a +2 DX.  If a figure has not yet 
moved, it is perfectly legal for it to turn in place during its movement 
phase to face a figure attacking from behind.  A figure which has already 
moved, of course, may not change facing again.
 "In any case where a pole weapon is being used in a charge attack, or 
against a charge attack, it does DOUBLE DAMAGE if it hits.
 "When one polearm user charges another, BOTH results will be rolled before 
any other combats are resolved.  The one with the higher adjDX will strike 
first - then, (if he lives) the other one..."

The above is talking about Movement (charge attack), then in the Combat 
Phase, doing the charge attacks/defends on pole-weapons according to adjDX 
before going on to regular combat.


AM Page 30  ATTACKS
 "Both an animal and its rider may attack, and both may attack in the same 
turn.  A rider may attack regardless of how far his mount moved that turn, 
although the animal itself cannot attack if it  moved more than half its MA. 
 To determine whether the rider is making a charge attack, of course, you 
consider the movement of his animal.
 "A horseman can carry and use any weapon for which he has the ST, 
including missile weapons, thrown weapons, and pole-arms.  A horseman may 
"jab" with a pole weapon, just as though he were on foot.  A horseman 
charging with a pole weapon does double damage if he hits with a pole 
weapon, and takes double damage if a pole weapon hits him.
 "A rider also gets a "Damage bonus" if he is moving at a high rate of 
speed.  On any turn where a rider moves more than 8 hexes and attacks, his 
weapon does an automatic +2 damage.  This, of course, does not apply to 
missile or thrown weapons.  It does apply to pole weapons, and is in 
addition to the double damage fro a charge attack.  A spear used one-handed, 
for instance, does 1 die damage.  If the horseman traveled 8 or more hexes 
that turn before striking, it would do (1+2).  Since this would also be a 
charge attack with a pole weapon, the damage is doubled to (2+4)."

The above states that a charging (8 hexes or more) horse's rider can attack 
with any of its non-missile weapons and get an advantage for its momentum:  
Sword or Mace or net get +2 damage!  A pole weapon gets +2 damage AND 
doubles it on a charge attack.

 THE CAVALRY LANCE
 "This weapon is 12-14 feet long and heavy; it can only be used by a 
mounted figure.  It IS a one-handed weapon.  It does (3-1) damage in a 
jabbing attack; since it is a pole weapon, it does +2 damage, doubled, in an 
8-hex charge from horseback.  Thus, a hit from a charging lancer can do 
(6+2) damage, and will stop practically anything it hits.  The disadvantage 
of the cavalry lance is that, because of its length, it is almost useless 
except in a straight-on attack.  if it is used to attack any figure that is 
not directly in front of BOTH the rider AND his mount, the only thing that 
can be managed is a clumsy, sweeping blow - doing 1 die damage if it hits, 
or (1+2) if the rider moved more than 8 hexes that turn.  A sweeping attack 
like this does NOT do double damage for a charge attack.  Furthermore, the 
rider must make a saving roll (3 dice on ST) or drop the lance when he hits 
with a sweeping attack...which makes an extra weapon on the saddle-bow a 
very good idea."

I question whether a Cavalry Lance (I'm assuming that this is the classic 
wooden lance seen in jousting tournaments) is effective at poking someone if 
the horse is stopped.  Used on a stopped horse, I would give this weapon at 
most a 1D6 damage as per spear.  The charging stats are OK with me and so is 
using it like a club for a sweeping attack.

After seeing the effective damage of a charging lance (6+2), I can see why a 
dragon wouldn't like cavalry knights running around.

 THE PIKE
 " The pike is a _long spear_ - sometimes 15 feet long or better.  Its main 
use is to stop charges - especially cavalry charges.  Even an armored knight 
would sheer off from a line of pikes, grounded and awaiting his charge.
 "However, the pike is a very unwieldly weapon for any other purpose.  It 
CANNOT be used as a normal weapon to attack someone in an adjacent hex.  It 
may be used as a spear to jab-attack someone TWO hexes away, but its length 
gives the user a -2 DX, and it does the same as though a spear.
 "Used as intended, the pike is set into the ground; the pike-man supports 
it with one or both hands and leans it at a steep angle toward the foe.  
(Note that the +2 DX thus gained for a grounded pole-weapon offsets the -2 
penalty for attacking a mounted man from the ground.)  The pike is 
considered to be a (2+1) weapon, but used in this fashion it cannot hit a 
foe unless he is moving into one of its hexes of effect (see below).  Thus, 
the foe will almost always be charge-attacking - either against the pikeman 
or someone else - and the pke will do (4+2) damage if it hits.  This 
terrible damage, like the damage of the cavalry lance, is due more to the 
momentum and shocking power of the horse than to the weapon itself.  Thus a 
pike is treated only as a spear (although with the 3-hex length) when it is 
used against humanoid figures on foot.
 "Just as a figure with a pole weapon strikes _before_ other figure 
(regardless of DX), a footman with a pike strikes before a pole-weapon user 
even if his DX is lower.  If the pole-weapon user (or other figure) moves 
through a hex the pikeman could have hit (see diagram in book), then the 
pikeman may take his attack THEN, during the movement phase.  If he does so, 
he cannot attack again in that turn.  Note that this means that anyone (even 
a pole-weapon user) who charges a pikeman from in front will have to undergo 
an attack before he can strike at the pikeman."

Wow.  This is the only occurance of an attack happening DURING MOVEMENT 
PHASE.  A pikeman can attack any figure COMING ACROSS HIS PATH.  You don't 
even need to stop in controlled hexes.

What this means is the cavalry could ride down on the PIKEMEN and get picked 
off in movement even before they become engaged.  Though then the second 
wave can engage and cut the pikemen down because they have already attacked 
that turn.

If you know your going to come up against Cavalry Lancers, get 12ST Pikemen 
with High DX and little armor.  High DX will allow a higher chance to kill 
the Lancer (4+2) and if they get poked by cavalry lance (6+2) damage, armor 
isn't going to matter anyway.

Also note that this could work well for Corrinthian troops aginst normal 
troops.  First two rows spearmen/halberders and third row Pikers and all 
three could get attacks in that round.

Next discussion will be the results of mounted attack.

Hail Melee

John Paul
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