Knights in 4's or 6's?

PyrrhicVictory · Post by **PyrrhicVictory** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 8:15 pm

An offshoot of the Cataphract Poll, when using knights, what determines #bases/BG: Quality (Superior, Average), or Training (Drilled/Undrilled), or a mix of both?

vercingetorix · Post by **vercingetorix** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 8:46 pm

I always go for superior knights. I usually take some 6's and some 4's in a french army that I do. The 6's are really great against other knights, but you take a lot of casualties due to the large. 4's are good too, they are a little more maneuverable.

Some things you should avoid:

Never take average knights in 4's, they auto-break after 2 casualties

Undrilled knights in a unit of 6 is pretty unmanueverable, especially if you spread them out.

madaxeman · Post by **madaxeman** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 11:15 pm

Tidied up for ease of assimilation:

"Some things you should avoid: average knights"

gozerius · Post by **gozerius** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 1:14 am

"Some things you should avoid: average knights"

Unless they belong to your opponent

david53 · Post by **david53** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 5:52 am

vercingetorix wrote:I always go for superior knights. I usually take some 6's and some 4's in a french army that I do. The 6's are really great against other knights, but you take a lot of casualties due to the large. 4's are good too, they are a little more maneuverable.

Some things you should avoid:

Never take average knights in 4's, they auto-break after 2 casualties

Undrilled knights in a unit of 6 is pretty unmanueverable, especially if you spread them out.

BG of 6's sound good but you will lose a BG of Knights and with knights I feel BG's numbers do count. If possible drilled Knights turn and move is good.

Polkovnik · Post by **Polkovnik** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 8:56 am

madaxeman wrote:Tidied up for ease of assimilation:

"Some things you should avoid: average knights"

I like using average knights in 6s. You can put a general with them and that's a lot of dice he's getting re-rolls on.

daleivan · Post by **daleivan** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 3:24 pm

madaxeman wrote:Tidied up for ease of assimilation:

"Some things you should avoid: average knights"

Since I got a condotta, I gotta a whole lot of average knights. Even better, they're Venetian, so no Milanese superior knight BG for them

However, they are drilled. And there can be a lot of them.

I'm assuming folks are deploying their knight BGs in two ranks despite only the front being able to fight?

Dale

PyrrhicVictory · Post by **PyrrhicVictory** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 4:50 pm

I am running Late Medieval German in 1457, so I do run Mercenary Men-at-Arms (Kn, HA, Ave/Drilled, Lan/Sword)in a BG of 6, a TC, and with a BG of 4 Lighter Men-at-Arms (Cav, Arm, Ave, Drilled, Lanc/Sword) as support.

So far it has worked rather well.

So when I build an earlier list, should the Undrilled Superior knights be in 4's or 6's?

hammy · Post by **hammy** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 5:28 pm

daleivan wrote:I'm assuming folks are deploying their knight BGs in two ranks despite only the front being able to fight?

I would tend to run them with 4 in the front rank and 2 in the rear to fill holes or expand as required.

rtaylor · Post by **rtaylor** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 8:11 pm

Besides the high cost of a 6-base BG of superior knights, there is the increased vulnerability to death rolls. Supposing one fights on a 4-base frontage and half the dice against it are hits, that's 4 hits, and a death roll of 1-2 when it doesn't lose. Put 5 bases on the line and it goes up to 1-4. Compare this to a 4-base BG fighting on a 3-base frontage. 50% hits are 3, and a death roll of only 1 if it doesn't lose.

Polkovnik · Post by **Polkovnik** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 8:37 am

Yes but unless you're fighting enemy knights, you will normally be on a + POA so you wouldn't expect half the rolls to be hits. And because you have six bases you can take one or two casualties anyway.

Polkovnik · Post by **Polkovnik** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 8:40 am

daleivan wrote:I'm assuming folks are deploying their knight BGs in two ranks despite only the front being able to fight?

I would normally deploy a BG of 6 knights with one or two bases in the second rank. Although If I am lined up against inferior troops without missile capablity then I'd want as many as possible in the front rank, to get maximum dice at impact.

daleivan · Post by **daleivan** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 2:55 pm

Polkovnik wrote:
I would normally deploy a BG of 6 knights with one or two bases in the second rank. Although If I am lined up against inferior troops without missile capablity then I'd want as many as possible in the front rank, to get maximum dice at impact.

Makes sense. I like the idea of a BG of 6 deployed 4 in front and 2 in back for maneuver.

That's one thing my Condotta has going for it, drilled knights. Does whether or not your knights are drilled change your deployment scheme? I think for me it would but I've only played with undrilled knights on two occasions (that will change when I finish my Early Crusader army

Dale