Warrior Ancient and Medieval Rules

[Trajan]

Are they of any real use in the game?

I have not seen them played so I have no real idea.

If I had them, how would I use them?


Matt W.

[lilroblis]

I personally think they stink - I am not sure that they beat any good cavalry or any foot - may beat non-rank and a half light cav but lose to everything else
They are a cause of unease though - and not aweful to put a general on

[Historian]

I agree that 2 horse Chariots are not very well represented in the game. They should be priced and worked as mounted infantry, which is what they were. But the as LCh, crew of 1, they lose to everything in Hand to Hand. LC hits them at 7 or 9 (if impetuous) for 12 or 19. LCh hits back at 2 @5 (when impetuous) and a crew of 1@3 (I think) for a total of 11. They can beat some LI but it is a die roll, with LI hitting at 3@3 (javelins) or 8 while the LCh hits at 2@3 and a crew of 1 @3 for a total of 8. Paying 14 points per figure makes this a bit pricy.

They do not evade well, and are easily caught by LC. At 5 figures per stand, they do not die quickly, so if routing, they throw wavers a long way.

They have one advantage. When skirmishing, they absorb bowfire well. But do not shoot very well.

[Bill Low]

All true, up to a point.

OTOH, they are relatively cheap, stand up well to shooting (counting as 5 figs) and (as a cause of uneasae) there are relatively few light troops that can charge them impetuously.

To actually use them in combat, one trick is to run them in very large blocks ... say, 6 or more models ... I saw them once in a 12-model body in a Mycenaean army ... which makes it hard to hurt them very much.

A better trick, esp. if you are facing a relatively low-morale barbarian foot army in period, is to run them in very small bodies ... maybe just a single model general ... and position them behind gaps in your line so that they are "visible" to enemy (and close enough to count), to take away the enemy's impetuous charge, allowing the Gallic warriors to paste the enemy foot.

If that doesn't work, they also get preferential rules that allow them to interpenetrate loose order enemy foot more readily than other troop types, a disordering interpenetration with the opportunity to wreak a little havoc in the enemy's rear.

So not a complete waste of time ... and a heck of a lot of fun to play.

But the "point" (up to which I referred above), is really to be found in the Biblical Chariot Rules published in the Chariot Theme Update (available on this Forum at http://www.fourhorsemenenterprises.com/Biblical%20Warrior%20Playtest%202008.pdf).

This set of special rules is a comprehensive effort to get chariots "right" in the period and region covered by Biblical Warrior. Whether and how far to extend the rules to other armies and periods has been under discussion ... off and on ... for some time, with some of the early Chinese armies having been the leading contenders. Gallic are probably not the best candidate ... not least b/c (as Phil notes) they were used differently in Iron Age Europe than in the Bronze Age Near East ... but something to think about.

[Frank Gilson]

The ability of chariots to cause unease is key, whatever chariots you plan on using in any army.

This is especially true to 'cancel' the advantages some troops get when willing/eager.

In particular you want to stop enemy Phalangites and Hoplites from being able to charge your impetuous foot...and chariots in the gaps between your units, visible to the enemy, are good for that.

Frank

[scott holder]

The unease cause is the key point here.

A couple of themes ago when I ran Samnites, I bought the Gallic allies purely for the LCh. I ran two big infantry blocks (early days of the Barbarian Rules) and think I got one block into contact once in three games. Heh heh, need to work on that angle.

But, having four 2E LCh units all along the line (typically in between the Samnite units and yes, I did deploy everything legally) worked extremely well in a thematic tourney. And there's no reason to see why this approach or something similar won't work in the Hoplite Theme.

scott