More thoughts on Generals

[clivevaughan]

I would recommend three classes of general:
1) Godlike - surrounded by perfumed courtiers and concubines, is too concerned with breaking a nail to get involved in combat (eg Darius). As specified in army lists, cannot join a front rank in combat. If a front rank in combat joins him, that BG drops a cohesion level (panic! Alexander has broken through and is attacking the King of Kings!!)
2) Battle manager - eg Caesar, a single individual with a handful of aides. Treat as the AoW rules currently treat generals.
3) Companion/huscarl leader - eg Alexander, Belisarius, Harald Hardrada, Richard III at Bosworth. An individual leading a specific body of highly loyal and motivated troops and looking to influence the battle by leading the critical charge. In the Impact combat this type of general's element counts towards the fight and gets 2 extra dice if IC, one extra if FC, no extra dice if TC. As with 2) the presence of the general fighting raises the BG quality classification. However, every time that such a general fights in the impact combat the opponent rolls 2 D6 after the combat. If a 10+ is scored that general is hors de combat. If this happens, that general's element continues to count towards melee combat and gains an extra dice to represent enraged companions fighting furiously.
Thus Alexander plus 4 companions elements charges 5 Persian cav who countercharge. Persians fight with 10 dice. 4 companions fight with 8 dice. Alexander fights with 4 dice as an IC giving the Macedonians a 12-10 dice advantage plus quality re-rolls.

[shall]

Godlike - sounds cool. No touchy out of the Emperors New Groove springs to mind.

Would Rameses be the first or the third then?

Si

[clivevaughan]

Which Ramesses?
I think that Egyptian pharaohs did lead their household troops in the decisive charge, but being light chariots, this would have been in a later phase of the battle when the enemy had already been softened up (degraded).
But Alexander clearly went in at the beginning of the battle at a point made decisive by fixing opponent's attention with other deployments eg the phalanx.
Clearly a companion/huscarl leading general is not a 'floating' individual so should not be able to move in the interbound phase. After seeing off Darius at Guagamela Alexander went to the aid of his left with his companions not as an individual battle micro-manager.