Slitherine

I'm quite new to the game and still working out its mechanics but I just had a battle where a massively overextended enemy unit of Azap Arquebusiers managed to successfully evade three charges in a row from my Late Gendarmes in a completely open field with no other units interfering.

Now, even if the Azaps are Light Foot and the Gendarmes are Horse/Heavy Lancers (not sure which is the more relevant here), it seems ridiculous to me that this could happen. Even a heavy cavalryman is going to outrun a man on foot on open ground and the more the foot slows down to make sure they don't get disorganized, the more the cavalry will be able to form up to make sure their charge is ordered. It seems impossible to me no matter how you look at it that this could ever happen historically.

What is the justification for the mechanics working this way? I'm hoping there is one because it seems to me so far that melee-only cavalry in this game, even in the 15th century (which is the scenario I'm playing right now, 1494 German States vs. 1494 Ottoman Turks), are vastly inferior to bow cavalry, especially bow cavalry who pack swords as well, for this and other reasons.

Thanks!

Love the forum by the way, old-fashioned (which is no bad thing!) and functional.

Deathwatch050 wrote: What is the justification for the mechanics working this way? I'm hoping there is one (...)

Be reassured. There's always one or several historical justification(s) for any mechanics in this game

As I see it, Gendarmes have no interest in wasting time and energy in running after light foot. Moreover, while the Gendarmes will stay in formation at a trot, the unit of light foot will scatter and the light soldiers run away in all directions making the pursuers uneffective. It's like using a tank to chase a myriad of light infnantry skirmishers.

Most of the time avoid using Gendarmes to fight against light foot. Use light foot instead or put up with these rather harmless wasps (as long as it doesn't last long).

Put another way, most of the time, the game does not encourage Gendarmes to chase Light foot, as irl they rarely did it : move with low strategic value, contempt for LF, considered as a waste of time and energy, priority to Gendarmes vs Gendarmes, etc.

Athos1660 wrote: Wed Jul 08, 2026 9:50 pm

Deathwatch050 wrote: What is the justification for the mechanics working this way? I'm hoping there is one (...)

Be reassured. There's always one or several historical justification(s) for any mechanics in this game

As I see it, Gendarmes have no interest in wasting time and energy in running after light foot. Moreover, while the Gendarmes will stay in formation at a trot, the unit of light foot will scatter and the light soldiers run away in all directions making the pursuers uneffective. It's like using a tank to chase a myriad of light infnantry skirmishers.

Most of the time avoid using Gendarmes to fight against light foot. Use light foot instead or put up with these rather harmless wasps (as long as it doesn't last long).

Put another way, most of the time, the game does not encourage Gendarmes to chase Light foot, as irl they rarely did it : move with low strategic value, contempt for LF, considered as a waste of time and energy, priority to Gendarmes vs Gendarmes, etc.

I appreciate the explanation. I guess it makes sense, and the fleeing/pursuit mechanics are there for cases where cavalry would chase light foot off the field.

I sort of wish it was implemented such where you were unmotivated to attack LF with medium/heavy cavalry rather than being penalized for attempting it, if that makes sense? So like, you can charge LF with Gendarmes, but their charge impact would have a high chance of being massively reduced and wouldn't 'lock' LF into combat, to represent them scattering and reforming, that kind of thing. Ah well. A task for some enterprising modder, I expect!

how far were the light foot from the Gendarmes when they charged?
Gendarmes and light foot move at the same speed in the open, 3 spaces. When the Gendarmes charge there is a 1/3 chance they will charge 4, 1/3 chance they will charge 3, and 1/3 chance they will only charge 2. The light foot have exactly the same odds of evading at those speeds. So if the Light foot are in the square immediately in front of the Gendarmes the Gendarmes must move 1 higher to catch them..that is a 1 in 3. If the light foot are 2 squares away the Gendarmes have a 1 in 9 chance.
I suspect the light foot are doing the historically accurate tactics of shooting from a distance and withdrawing if the enemy advance

awesum4 wrote: Thu Aug 13, 2026 8:10 am how far were the light foot from the Gendarmes when they charged?
Gendarmes and light foot move at the same speed in the open, 3 spaces. When the Gendarmes charge there is a 1/3 chance they will charge 4, 1/3 chance they will charge 3, and 1/3 chance they will only charge 2. The light foot have exactly the same odds of evading at those speeds. So if the Light foot are in the square immediately in front of the Gendarmes the Gendarmes must move 1 higher to catch them..that is a 1 in 3. If the light foot are 2 squares away the Gendarmes have a 1 in 9 chance.
I suspect the light foot are doing the historically accurate tactics of shooting from a distance and withdrawing if the enemy advance

Please note that the only reason the evade move does not start until the chargers reach the adjacent square is because it was easier to program that way. In reality, as you say, they would start to withdraw as soon as the enemy cavalry started to move forward, and that is what the game represents. (Albeit in a non-intuitive way).

Light troops had good reasons to quickly run away. Quite a few handgunners and arquebusiers were hanged straight away once prisoners of Gendarmes, as their weapons and way of fighting were considered as vile and contrary to the noble law of war.

hence the light foot successfully evading from the charges of the Gendarmes...the rules simulate the historical tactics rather well