What is this game?

[Xehh II]

Please forgive me for being ignorant but could someone tell me what this game is about.(Please don't yell at me)

[Incongruous]

Hmm, I expect that you've read the previews at the .com?
It the next gen TW game based around the world of the 18th cen. So no more swords and pikes. Its all roundshot and regalia. So you are able to play through the time period of the Wars of Spanish and Austrian succession. Along with the seven years war and the revolutions of America and France.
Marlborough, Eugene, Boscawen, Washington, Cumberland, Wolfe and all other sorts.
Oh the fun!

[PapaNasty]

And with a brand-new game engine.... hopefully with none of the draw-backs or bugs of the current M2TW version hehe.

I'm really looking forward to this game, but after the release-state of M2TW I won't hold my breath for a miracle (I hope I am happily surprised by what they produce though).

[Incongruous]

Hey papa nasty, what part of nz are you from?

[PapaNasty]

I live in the Bay of Plenty, Tauranga to be exact (anybody around here able to pronounce it properly? hehe)

Whys that Bopa? You visited NZ before?

[Xehh II]

Bay of plenty, never been there, too close to Auckland for me, is it a nice place?

This new game sounds pretty cool, what's the seven year war though? I haven't heard of that.

[pevergreen]

Seven Years War.

I beat Omanes to it...for once

[Warluster]

Or in my words... The basic First World War, fought between most major Euro nations and their colonies. A main Prussia verus Saxony and Austria in Europe, a Britain+First Nation Tribes verus France in North America, and real good Spain verus The Dutch over here near Aus.

Personally, the 18th and 19th Centuries are my favourite times.

btw Bopa, Pikes were a major player at the start of the 18th Century, as they were there to protect the Musketeers, but were outclassed by new muskets in the times of the Austrian War of Succesion and Seven Years War.

[Incongruous]

No they were not. The musket had long made the pike obsolete, where were they in the war of Spanish sucession? Nowhere. thats right at the begining of our period.
They had not been used for quite a while. Exceptions are Sweden and Russia, but by 1700 the pike was basically gone.

@Papa
Nah, I'm living' in NZ too. The Capital, to be exact. So obviuosly we get the best weather.
we've got a holiday home up in the Bay of Plenty, possible the nicest place in NZ. With the exception of Otago during the 500.

[Trax]

The Swedes and Russians used the pikes during the first decade or two of the century.

What about the Spanish? They had a completly stagnated and backwards military at the outbreak of the Spanish War of Succession.

[Hooahguy]

im probably wrong, but i think they still used pikes, but just to repel cavalry, but i guess bayonets did the job, but i doubt as effective.

[pevergreen]

They did use pikes before the bayonet was used.

[Hooahguy]

yay! im finally right for the first time in my life!

[Incongruous]

As I said the Pike was obsolete by 1700, with a few exceptions of coarse, I did say Sweden and Russia.
I had not heard of the Spanish still using it to any great extent.
After Ryswik Pikes were abolished in Germany and Britain, the French soon adopted the Bayonet as well in 1703, thus rendering Pikes obsolete. Plug Bayonets had been used since the 1670's, but with the ability to fire while using the bayonet Pikes were not needed at all to protct from cavalry.

But as I said, there were exceptions.

[PapaNasty]

@ Xehh II
Hehe yeah the Bay is a nice place, Pity our rugby team isn't so great though Best features here are definately the beach in summer (International Beach Vollyball champs anyone? mmmmm Swedish Vollyball girls ) and the offshore fishing. And thankfully we're nothing like Auckland... although we get lots of Jaffa drivers through here

@Bopa
Haha the 500 in Dunedin over the weekend looked pretty chaotic, But they're being pretty tough on those they arrested I hear. Wellington is a great place, despite the weather... Great if your into anything wind-powered though huh Great clubs too

But back to the Pikes...

Didn't Cavalry tactics change greatly around this time as well, removing them from being one of the main "shock" forces of an Army? From what I remember the large-scale use of better gunpowder weapons meant that Armies around this time largely stopped using armour of the heavy kind for mounted soldiers, moving them to more of a "light scouting" and enveloping role (as Knights were obsolete); meaning the pike defence was largely redundant anyway and use of the Bayonet was not only less costly but also also cut down the need for armies of the size previously seen, as 1 man did the job of both shooter and pikeman. Correct me if i'm wrong or anything, i'm just going off what history I have read up on

[pevergreen]

To my understanding, pikes were there to stop cav charging muskets.

Muskets shoot, while reloading cav charge, pikes protect muskets, cav run, muskets shoot.

[Incongruous]

The bayonet rendered the Pike obsolete, infantry did not take as long to reload their firelocks. Cavalry had for some time been used to flank enemy lines, or destroy wavering units. Hunting down retreatig or fleeing units was also their part. But a charge of cuirassiers could still endanger an unprepared front line.
Pikes were the reserve of poorly armed revolts usually in this period.
But the early French Republican Armies, which were of an increased size, used them too.