New player looking for army suggestions

[Sirius]

hello all
I have played three games now using loaned armies and want to get fully into playing this game
I have been playing war games for the last few years and I always tend toward aggression regardless of era
after using a heavy foot army of Low land pike backed up by knights i know heavy foot is not for me. i like the ability to take the initiative and choose both when and where the battle happens.

this makes me think I should be running a cavalry list of some description
I suspect the classic steppe army with lots of shooty cav is not for me as they come across as not having the capability to hit the very tough infantry blocks hard enough to break them

so my ideal list would be something like
2 BG Knights/cataphracts superior arm/H arm drilled lancer swordsman
4 BG LH Bow unprotected undrilled
4 BG Cav superior lancer swordsman drilled

can you please correct me if my assumptions are wrong and make suggestions for what army i should be looking at

[philqw78]

Greaco Bactrian will give plenty of Cats and Cav lancers; LH, Lt Sp Bow or just bow.

And you are right

[grahambriggs]

2 BG Knights/cataphracts superior arm/H arm drilled lancer swordsman
4 BG LH Bow unprotected undrilled
4 BG Cav superior lancer swordsman drilled

I would say knights rather than cataphracts - if you want to play non historical games knights are better. Consider some light foot too - they are cheap, they survive and they make the army bigger. I don't think it matters that much what the LH are armed with - bow are good value but lance, sword are also good.

[Sirius]

I would prefer to stick with historical armies

As such Greaco Bactrian does looks very good thanks for the suggestion

[philqw78]

It is a better army at 800pts with no foot (it gets hard to have no foot after 800)

[ravenflight]

Palmyran might suit too. If you do decide to go heavy foot, you get the Romans.

[Sirius]

hmm i have been loaned a whole bunch of medieval stuff

would a later Hungarian list like this be any good?

4 x Hungarian light horse (4 LH, unprotected, Average, undrilled, Bow)
4 x Szeklers (4 CV, protected, Superior, undrilled, Bow, Sword)
1 x Serbian Hussars (4 LH, Unprotected, Average, Undrilled, Lancer swordsmen)
2 x Hungarian nobles (4 KN, Heavily armored, Superior, undrilled, Lancer swordsmen)
1 x Royal Banderium (4 KN, Heavily armored, Superior, drilled, Lancer swordsmen)

1 x Field commander
2 x Troop commanders

[ravenflight]

hmm i have been loaned a whole bunch of medieval stuff

would a later Hungarian list like this be any good?

4 x Hungarian light horse (4 LH, unprotected, Average, undrilled, Bow)
4 x Szeklers (4 CV, protected, Superior, undrilled, Bow, Sword)
1 x Serbian Hussars (4 LH, Unprotected, Average, Undrilled, Lancer swordsmen)
2 x Hungarian nobles (4 KN, Heavily armored, Superior, undrilled, Lancer swordsmen)
1 x Royal Banderium (4 KN, Heavily armored, Superior, drilled, Lancer swordsmen)

1 x Field commander
2 x Troop commanders

Hungarians historically have done very well, but that was in V1. Under V2 they will still do well, but not as well. Perhaps if you could take the knights as Armoured (I don't know the list well enough) then you'd be able to benefit from the speed and lighter armour?

[Sirius]

the only option for the knights is heavily armored so that's not an option

[philqw78]

You can IIRC get the same as above in early Hungarian, choice of armoured knights but no drilled

[ravenflight]

You can IIRC get the same as above in early Hungarian, choice of armoured knights but no drilled

That's actually what I meant. Sorry, I've just moved house so my head is in the clouds.

What I meant to say was that there might be something in the lists (as in the army books) that is similar but with Armoured knights... but I don't know the lists well enough... and my books are still packed away.

[wildone]

Sirius used the Later Hungarian list at the club today and ground down an Early Republican Roman Army. His next trick is to try not to throw lots of ones for death rolls.

Edit: Make that Late Republican.

[Sirius]

I'm sure knights aren't supposed to die as fast as mine do

[lawrenceg]

I'm sure knights aren't supposed to die as fast as mine do

Yes, they are. see viewtopic.php?f=43&t=47825&hilit=vulnerable

[grahambriggs]

I'm sure knights aren't supposed to die as fast as mine do

Try using each BG of 4 three wide with a spare base in the back rank. They are more survivable that way. Making the most of knights comes with experience. Some knight battles went really quickly - they either broke through or died trying. Hundred years war era for example.

People I know who've had the most success with knights seem to use the threat of a knightly charge to make the enemy react, and then this frees up the other elements of the army to do a lot of damage.

[wildone]

He beat up a Later Polish list last night with the Hungarians. A fun game to watch where both players plans were disrupted by a LH bow unit that held up a LH bow sword unit for many rounds of combat blocking the advance of both armies.

[hazelbark]

Komenean byzantine
Syrians with Knight ally.