Cavalry are king, but not enough by themselves ... that seems to be the consensus, and I'd agree.

That said - I'd rather take on 10 CK's with 10 Halbs than the other way around. I wonder if anyone's tried it Multiplayer. I haven't had this with the AI, which seems to think that one CK unit is a lot, but have thrashed large numbers of RK's (say in Aragon, or on Malta) with these.

In my autocalcs (Poland v the Golden Horde), a single Slav Warrior unit in Moldavia beats a single Mongol HC that invades. One day I'll actually fight that battle.

Similarly, an equal amount of CK's attacking the Swiss in Late - SAPs, Swiss Halbs and Halbs - will get a good drubbing.

I typically use cavalry to clear away the missiles and skirmishers first, then flank or rear charge heavier infantry that remain, if needed. Otherwise they're chasing down the routers.

Usually I have a spear unit to cover my own missile troops because they're quicker than Halbs, and have a wider front. The only time I use spears offensively is with the Turks, especially on Early.

I did enjoy Heidek's description of his first encounter with the Horde. The Mongols are very annoying 'til you get the hang of them.

I take the point about Dread in a general. I'm guessing it's a programming point - do you modify the enemy down as well as modifying up for the player's general's stars? I expect the bonuses from stars would need to be adjusted, to keep it balanced. If both sides are doing that it probably has a cancelling effect.

I'm also wondering if Dread could invoke hatred instead of fear in an opposition army - "Let me at the swine that massacred our lads at X" type of thing.