When playing PMTW I used to fight some fun battles along the lines of point 2, pitting 4 units of Polish Husaria (superior fast superior anti-pike lancer cav....oh and did I mention they're really superior?) with 240 men against whatever I felt up to, say ....8 pikemen and musketeers respectively (1400-1600 men). Or 15 units of Russian feudal cavalry (1500 but easier). Somehow I won these match-ups most of the times but was surprised to fail miserably when I sent the army against 5 pike units and 11 cannons of different types....
like the kind of battle "1 berserker against the world", though :-)