Slitherine

In the manual we can read "Foot will sometimes break off from enemy foot if they lose badly in close combat and are not followed up." If I understand correctly, shock troops are the ones that follow up, and they are impact foot, offensive spearmen an deep pikemen, in infantry, and lancers (and I assume knightly lancers also), among cavalry. Also, I assume that cavalry can always disengage from infantry. So I have a couple of doubts:

1- Can a non-shock infantry disengage if its fighting against shock troops unit, but the non-shock unit has initiated the combat by charging? Or a shock unit after attacking a shock unit? I think I have seen, with impact troops disengaging after losing against offeensive spearmen they have charged.

2-Can cavalry disengage from shock infantry? I think it should be.

3-Should be some kinds of troops more prone to disengage? I think that irregular infantry, which as far as I know represents troops with an approach to warfare that is between skirmishers and formed troops, should be disigenging even if they didnt lose badly, provided that they failed to disrupt enemy troops at impact and that they dont fancy their chances in subsequent rounds.

4-Should be some kinds of troops with other capabilities considered shock troops too? Im thinking in dismounted men at armas with heavy weapons. I played a custom battle with a German list heavy in this kind of fighters and enemy troops seemed to disengage all the time for them. This I liked: I figured that their heavy armor prevented them from swift advances, and it increased the differences between heavy infantry types, but perhaps if offensive spears do follow up they should do it, also.

5-Speaking of which, why do have Germans more units of dismounted men at arms with heavy weapons that other medieval lists? Did they use more heavy infantry of this type than other medieval kingdoms? I would love to see sources on the differences between the armies of this period.

6-And, at last, is there a rationale on why heavy weapons now give 100 POA in medieval against cavalry and not in Ancients?

Horde wrote: ↑Mon Feb 08, 2021 1:34 pm In the manual we can read "Foot will sometimes break off from enemy foot if they lose badly in close combat and are not followed up." If I understand correctly, shock troops are the ones that follow up, and they are impact foot, offensive spearmen an deep pikemen, in infantry, and lancers (and I assume knightly lancers also), among cavalry. Also, I assume that cavalry can always disengage from infantry. So I have a couple of doubts:

1- Can a non-shock infantry disengage if its fighting against shock troops unit, but the non-shock unit has initiated the combat by charging?

Yes.

Or a shock unit after attacking a shock unit? I think I have seen, with impact troops disengaging after losing against offeensive spearmen they have charged.

Yes, the one that charged can break off.

2-Can cavalry disengage from shock infantry? I think it should be.

Yes

With regard to your other suggestions, we are currently happy with the way it currently works.

5-Speaking of which, why do have Germans more units of dismounted men at arms with heavy weapons that other medieval lists? Did they use more heavy infantry of this type than other medieval kingdoms?

Yes. It is almost certainly an oversimplifaction to say that most German knights dismounted with sword in the earlier period, and most other knights with spears, but it is based partly on the Swabians at the battle of Civitate. And we are always looking for legitimate ways to differentiate between the different nations without over-stretching the history.

6-And, at last, is there a rationale on why heavy weapons now give 100 POA in medieval against cavalry and not in Ancients?

They do in Ancients too, but it was added in an update, so isn't in the manual.

Understood. Thanks.