Re: (TFT) Odds Question/Musings

[Sgt Hulka <hulkasgt@yahoo.com>]

Generally, cavalry won't attack until they win initiative. There are
exceptions, of course, like when when facing down massed bow fire to which
their horses are vulnerable, or when there are timed scenario objectives. But
they can move 18 hexes and still attack; and they prefer to be at least 8
hexes away, anyway, to gain the +2 charge bonus and the unengaged bonuses. For
the most part (the presence of missile weapons being the exception) they can
dictate when melee is joined.
 
You bring up some really good points regarding straight-up unmounted pole
weapons versus unmounted pole weapons, though, something I'm trying to deal
with right now as a Referee in Death Test against a player with two Pike-Axe
carrying characters. The question I'm always facing is how do I engage without
getting skewered. I definitely don't want to be the one doing the charging; I
don't want to give them a +2 for setting. I've considered, as you point out,
trying to rush up and throw weapons, but I always worry about the -1/hex
penalty and then having to waste a turn to ready a weapon. So I basically just
defend and hope they miss.
 
Interestingly, in Melee (not advanced melee) this is more difficult because
you can't defend unless you're already engaged at the beginning of your
movement. So if you lose initiative, your opponent can make you go first, you
move, then he charges, and you can't defend. And in Dragons of Underearth
there's no defend option (or dodge) at all.

--- On Sat, 8/16/08, Edward Villarreal <edwardv@gmail.com> wrote:

From: Edward Villarreal <edwardv@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: (TFT) Odds Question/Musings
To: tft@brainiac.com
Date: Saturday, August 16, 2008, 8:58 PM

If I lose initiative I believe I might take the defend option, delaying my
attack until after the Templar Knight is engaged and no longer has a charge
attack.  He gets a free charge attack on me, but is rolling DX 11 on 4
dice.
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