ECW Parliamentarian horse

[ahuyton]

In the various games that I have played, the Royalist cavaliers win fairly systematically in any head to head fights with the Roundhead horse, notably where the latter are pistol armed for melee.

What advice is there for those playing with the pistol armed variety? Is it a case of avoiding, somehow, cavalry battles? I have seen formations with lines of infantry and the pistol armed cavalry tucked in behind, but this leaves the flanks to the cavaliers.

Advice gratefully received.

[w_michael]

Keep Pistolier cavalry in reserve when Cavaliers are afield.

[SnuggleBunnies]

Cavaliers are impact mounted, so they only get their +100 in open terrain; thus hiding your shooty cavalry behind hedges, in streams etc. gives them a slightly better chance of survival. For later Parliament horse, the veterans Impact on even terms, the regulars do not. So again, you have to play a little cautiously with most of your cavalry, placing them behind hedges or supporting them with commanded shot and dragoons.

[ahuyton]

Cavaliers are impact mounted, so they only get their +100 in open terrain; thus hiding your shooty cavalry behind hedges, in streams etc. gives them a slightly better chance of survival. For later Parliament horse, the veterans Impact on even terms, the regulars do not. So again, you have to play a little cautiously with most of your cavalry, placing them behind hedges or supporting them with commanded shot and dragoons.

Thanks, that's exactly the sort of advice I needed. I will give that a try.

[Pixel]

I struggle with this too and definitely agree that having some terrain in your favor can help a bit (use the hedge enclosures if you've got them). If you can afford to tie some of the Cavaliers up with Pike and Shot units that can also occasionally help delay/weaken them. But, usually more Cavaliers go around and flank the infantry eventually so this works better if there is a bit of a choke point on the battlefield. Cavaliers will crumple in a turn or too usually if you can get a solid rear or flank on them after they have been engaged. Also they tend to gallop off to the ends of the earth in pursuit and that can sometimes play to your advantage if you keep some cavalry behind your front lines.