How to use mounted

[ravenflight]

Hi All,

I'm a bit baffled by the concept of an all/mostly mounted army.

How do you take on foot with them? Most foot in renaissance are going to be somehow protected. Pike & Shot, you're down at impact and likely to be evens at best in melee. How do people crack the enemy foot?

Most mounted are going to be evens or maybe one POA down even if you have a fantastic match up - so no quick over-runs there.

Any help appreciated.

Back to trying to work out Huguenots.

[gibby]

Indeed,
The expert is Alasdair.
However, I have dabbled with some armies that have a high proportion of Mounted.
In my experience Mostly mounted armies have a high ratio of Superior troops led by generals.
They are more manouverable (Triple moves...Turn 90 degrees and move etc). So can change point of attack and exploit the Cavalry only zones to get multiple units onto 1 unit. They can also break off against steady foot most of the time.
1 or 2 units can tie up half an army whilst the cream of yours picks on the other half.
Or Just fight the opponents Mounted as you vastly outnumber it.
You can support your breakthrough point with Artillery to weaken them before the impact.

cheers
Jim

[kevinj]

I think Jim has the essence of it, you need to use the superior manouvrability to create advantages, just slamming into a line of protected foot is not a recipe for success. Artillery can be an excellent way of helping to prepare for your attack and it is more effective to use it against the enemy infantry so soften them up than to chase his mounted troops (which you should be able to defeat with your own if you've gone for a heavily mounted army).

The other great quality you will need is patience and look to keep your small and expensive BGs out of harm's way until you are ready to make a decisive move.

[hazelbark]

To amplify. They go steaming down one flank zone overcome what is there and then find themselves on the flank of a very long enemy line.
1) They likely killed a bunch dominating the flank zone.
2) The now foot enemy is very limited in maneuver. It can't form a line with secure flanks fast enough for the enemy to be halted. Foot charged in the flank are very dead obviously.

Of course one pike and shot unit is a at risk being attacked by two superior pistol horse units. It may not be fair on points but the ability to rapidly redeploy makes this easily conceivable. The question is can it hold on long enough / do enough damage that the foot units comrades can prevent he exploitation?
8 dice re-rolling 1s on a -POA are pretty likely to inflict 3 hits and a mild luck distribution could easily lead to 4. The foot are putting out an average of 3. And the distribution suggests often one mounted and the foot will take CT tests. I haven't even factored in the horse armor vs. Pike which could increase the mounted hits. One the foot disrupt they will be destroy as the odds swing massively to the mounted.

So the formula is really simple. Bend the foot players army until you can concentrate force at the weak point.

[ravenflight]

Thanks for your views all.

I'll try it out and see how I go.

Hazelbark, how do you calculate you can get 8 dice vs 6? I can see 7, but I can't see 8 (without using a BG with 6 horse which I don't think is very common).

[hazelbark]

Thanks for your views all.

I'll try it out and see how I go.

Hazelbark, how do you calculate you can get 8 dice vs 6? I can see 7, but I can't see 8 (without using a BG with 6 horse which I don't think is very common).

You are correct I mis counted the overlap.

[timmy1]

Off at a tangent, some armies do allow mounted in BGs of 6. Given how vulnerable they are to failing a CMT from shooting, a BH of 6 Horse or Cavalry in 6s can spring a nasty surprise on an opponent and it really is much more likely to survive shooting prior to contact...

[ravenflight]

Off at a tangent, some armies do allow mounted in BGs of 6. Given how vulnerable they are to failing a CMT from shooting, a BH of 6 Horse or Cavalry in 6s can spring a nasty surprise on an opponent and it really is much more likely to survive shooting prior to contact...

Yes, but I said 'Horse' not 'mounted'. I don't think there are ANY BG's of 6 horse. 6 Cavalry... yes - there are a myriad of them, but not Horse.

[timmy1]

Opening my my Companion 1, the first army (Later 80 Years' War Dutch) can have a 6 base BG of Horse. So can Later Imperial Spanish. There may be others, only checked the first two lists I came to.

[ravenflight]

Opening my my Companion 1, the first army (Later 80 Years' War Dutch) can have a 6 base BG of Horse. So can Later Imperial Spanish. There may be others, only checked the first two lists I came to.

I sit corrected. Of course there are many reiters... I was meaning impact troops (the ones that you would use for going head to head against foot)... but I suppose if you don't have an impact weapon (effectively) by being up against protected foot it makes no real difference (except for the 'superior' bit)

[alasdair2204]

Indeed,
The expert is Alasdair.
However, I have dabbled with some armies that have a high proportion of Mounted.
In my experience Mostly mounted armies have a high ratio of Superior troops led by generals.
They are more manouverable (Triple moves...Turn 90 degrees and move etc). So can change point of attack and exploit the Cavalry only zones to get multiple units onto 1 unit. They can also break off against steady foot most of the time.
1 or 2 units can tie up half an army whilst the cream of yours picks on the other half.
Or Just fight the opponents Mounted as you vastly outnumber it.
You can support your breakthrough point with Artillery to weaken them before the impact.

cheers
Jim

To be fair Jim has got it all right anyway, to be fair Pike and shot are a problem due to the large space they occupy, you have to manoeuvre all the time and then really go for it, I only buy superior mounted (unless compulsory) because they have to be able to fight on after they have taken one casualty and with the firepower P&S bring that happens often, I had a game at the challenge against Dave Allens Later Swedish where 9 of my mounted battlegroups had lost a base (6 cuirassiers and 3 light horse), the key then is once you have made a whole be ready to pour through it.

Cheers

Alasdair

[timmy1]

When Alisdair writes 'the key then is once you have made a (hole) be ready to pour through it', this usually means the space that was previously occupied by either your right or your left flank... (or in my case both - thanks Alasdair...)

[madaxeman]

I only buy superior mounted (unless compulsory) because they have to be able to fight on after they have taken one casualty and with the firepower P&S bring that happens often,

Yep, average mounted are almost unusable except as rear support troops.

I keep being tempted to try using them in 6's, but not many armies get them and even then they always seem to come up against Superior mounted anyway, so ...