Adding Frighten_mounted to Sarissa units

[Macilrille]

I am not certain I understand your question and I am getting fed up with the persistence of this thread.
But I shall try and reply to what I think you are asking.

1. The OP is in fact arguing that sarrisae should frigthen horses, which is what I am arguing against.

2. The point of spears is; that if your unit has spears you can actually do damage to a horse and rider. With a sword or axe you have more difficulty, especially if the rider is equipped with a spear/lance/kontos. Further, a grounded, spear/pike will in fact lead to the horse or rider impaling itself by its own speed if charging you from the front. Which is why cavalry belongs on the flanks, but that is another story. Bows achieve the same effect, you can injure horse and rider without them reaching you. English longbow and Swiss-German Pike were the vanguishers of knights for a reason. Further, spears are a cheap way of achieving this and requires less training to use than the Longbow while cheaper than the X-bow. That is the point of spears.

3. You hear stories of mass impalements if you study medieval military history. However, smart generals and cavalrists will use cavalry on the flank to try and get around or behind the enemy to hit an exposed flank or from behind. As for horses not impaling themselves on spears and pikes without their riders if that is what you are asking, horses are not predators, they do not charge humans whether or not the Human is holding a spear. Except if it is a trained warhorse with a rider (if overconfident knight, charging spears, see point 2).

4. Felled trees? What has that to do with anything? Have you at all read what I have written all through this thread? Horses will not voluntarily charge anything, they are prey, not predators. However, "not voluntarily charge" is very far from the instinctive reaction we call "Fright" that makes us flee. Which is what this is all about. A horse will gladly stand right next to a fallen tree. try and make it stand right next to a lion or pack of wolves, those are beings that elicits Fright in a horse, trees do not. It will not charge the tree, for horses are not aggressive animals, nor predators, but it will not fear it either.


Now, with all due respect I sense that you and possibly others, are merely arguing for the sake of arguing; not to prove a point, support it, reach consensus or anything else, but because you enjoy it.

I fail to see one supporting argument for sarrisae supermen (already overpowered) scaring horses, actually eliciting the instinctive reaction; Fright. All I see is "but... but..."

So, to me the debate is concluded. I will not waste more time on arguing for the sake of it.

If those with no arguments "for" wish to continue in their belief, so be it. Nothing I can say and has not already said will convince them.

I wonder how many people posting here has actually ridden or worked with horses or know anything about them except that people ride them...