Slitherine

In my time trying out lancers, I find they too easily get stuck in a melee and grinded down. You charge into some impact foot, and the POAs aren't bad enough for your cavalry to retreat (you'd generally fall back against spearmen). But then the infantry corners you and slowly breaks you through combat strength modifier.

Unfortunately, the better your cavalry in melee the more likely this will happen. I feel cataphracts are quite vulnerable to this. If I understand the code correctly, if your cavalry fancies it odds (more likely if you are superior, armored, etc) it will not escape. Which means a lot of the time I like to have average light spear cav screening my lancers as paradoxically they're more likely to get out of the way of infantry, which is what I want them to do.

Historically as well, I'm not sure if cavalry would stay and grind it out with infantry at close quarters. Generally I think it would be more likely for them to retreat and reform to prepare for a second charge attempt, than to stay and swordfight the infantry line. Correct me on this point if I'm wrong.

Maybe a rule change to increase the likelihood of cavalry fall back against all types of infantry? It would increase the utility of all cavalry since their low numbers usually mean they're far better at impact than melee.

Ah. Some players may say there are too much bounce off. Lancers are too weak. They want lancers to grind with foot to offer them flank charge opportunity. Difficult case.

I guess it's mainly balance reasons since cavalry army is already pretty hard to force into combat with army that lacks cavalry. Same thing with the horse archers not being able to shoot backwards.