just a comment about palanhx and cavalry

[Titus Marcellus Scato]

Good thread. Basically, ancient cavalry goes for flanks or rear of the enemy - or goes for a gap in the front line.

Alexander's cavalry had great success against the Persians because a great number of the Persians were skirmishers, archers and slingers. And skirmishers will generally run away from an enemy charge, particularly a cavalry charge. And once the skirmishers start running, spearmen of low quality (poorly trained levies) may start running too. From there it's only a short step to the whole army panicking and fleeing for their lives.

Big, low quality armies are often a liability - more people on the battlefield only means that there is more people who might panic and run, spreading panic throughout the army. People have more in common with sheep than with wolves.

[HFox]

An interesting and parallel thread here which raises the issue of historical accounts of cavalry being 'over glossed' as well as some other interestingpoints.

http://www.investigations.4-lom.com/...charges-shock/

the link in the article is interesting.....highlighting how a 70-90lb woman can knock over a horse + jocket weighing 7-900 lbs travelling at 35 miles per hour.

If I had the option of being the armoured infantryman behind a shield or the rider cantering at him......I know my preference. :)

[HFox]

Now you've all got me reading!! :)

Found these two nice accounts of recent cavalry charges ....and quite heartwarming in a way

http://www.teoti.co.uk/military/9291...ry-charge.html
http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/news-ar...tish-army.html

[gamegeek2]

Sadly there is not much we can do about it, we certainly can't mod when a formation is used. The wedge in TW games is pretty useless anyway, IIRC the whole formation has a tendency to stop ones the tip hits it's target.

It does work when you target your charge at the unit behind it, then the wedge keeps going and goes through the enemy nicely.

[moonburn]

i use that trick to smash skirmishers slingers and others who would normally due to loose formation evade the charges but if you target the unit suporting them they get stuck beteween a shieldwall and a lance point :D