Re: Pole Weapons (was: Re: (TFT) Death Test 1, take 4: SURVIVED!)

[raito@raito.com]

Quoting gem6868 <gem6868@verizon.net>:

> In Melee, apparently 2nd ed. download from here, the polearm advantage is
> just for being charged or charging.  The Action for that would appear to be
> "Move up to 1/2 MA and Attack".  If you move less than that there's no
> "charge" so the advantage doesn't apply.   You can run up to one hex away
> and pre-empt the spearman's 3-hex move, or Engage him next turn.  Both seem
> like they work fine as a reasonable expression of reality. 

I don't know about the HT editions, not having one. But in AM, there's 
also the jab attack, where one can hit an opponent 2 hexes away, 
instead of just in the adjacent hex. 

> The way to fight a "wall of spears" is not to charge it (especially
> mounted), but to walk up on foot, and use a shield and sword to work your
> way in.  When the spears became a bit more cumbersome as pikes, special
> weapons were made to engage the pikes by slowly chopping off the tips.  The
> response was to put metal bands down three feet or so.  The counter-response
> would be to work your way in farther.  This just goes on and on.  From the
> Romans to the Renaissance armies, there were effective counters to most
> weapons

I'd prefer to flank a wall of spears, given the chance. The counter to 
that is the hedgehog. Let's not forget that (for the Swiss after they 
changed to pikes anyway), the NCO in the back had a regular old 
polearm. His purpose seems to be to use the pole to keep the lines 
straight, and to engage the guy trying to cut his way into the 
formation. And there's also the counter to trying to cut in by using 
your own cavalry to get those guys. You get a lot of 'rock, paper, 
scissors' going. 

> In a small-scale game like Melee, a pole arm is much better than a pike of
> course. 

Quite probably. Though I wouldn't count it out on an open map (the 
regular Melee map is pretty small). When you finally get AM, I think 
you'll like the pike rules. 

Neil Gilmore
raito@raito.com
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