Quote Originally Posted by Odin
I agree with your assesment here, I have played the picts in the past and am currently enjoying a nice pict campaign where I managed to get an alliance with the vikings straight away.

I noticed in your battle you didnt mention any Berserkers. While Pict crossbows are an exceptional unit and I use them a lot, Berserkers developed in fib with some armor and a weapon upgrade can hold the line against huscarles. Enough to allow you to flank anyway. Overall, huscarles are the best unit in viking game, IMHO, as you mention a superior general can make them unstoppable, yet the picts do get those berserkers and while not superior to huscarles can certainly help tip the scale in a pict campaign.
Yes although it felt very wrong, because IMHO berskers are fantasy units, but we won't get into that here, I did train quite alot of berskerkers and they had some moderate success. On a second attempt at the campaign later I did manage to wipe the Vikings out, though not so much through direct engagments, moreso through destroying their shipping and causing their provinces to convert religion and rebel.