Skirmish Troops vs. Fragmented Units

[Geffalrus]

Why can't light foot skirmishers charge Fragmented units like light horse skirmishers can? This one makes no sense to me. Everyone gets super annoyed by enemy units that rally from routing at exactly the right time. Countering this by bringing some light horse to deal with rallied routers is good, and something I'm trying to do more. However, not every army list gets light horse or even cavalry, but pretty much every list gets light foot skirmishers - and those that don't have light horse.

This would also address people's frustrations with Fragmented units holding firm in melee by adding another unit type that can force them to test for cohesion with another charge.

[rbodleyscott]

Because it would not be realistic, it isn't what light foot did. They can, however, re-rout them by shooting at them.

[Geffalrus]

Because it would not be realistic, it isn't what light foot did. They can, however, re-rout them by shooting at them.

But why can light horse charge Fragmented units? Outside of the horse, both units use the same equipment.

[Karvon]

I would live to see LF be allowed to pursue routers as that was one task they seemed to have been expected to do.

[rbodleyscott]

Our reading of history is that it is appropriate for light horse but not light foot.

[MVP7]

I imagine a fragmented heavy infantry unit would have pretty much similar cohesion to light infantry skirmishers. I also can't think of any historical battles where wavering heavy infantry unit would have been broken by a charge of foot skirmishers in the open. Medium foot (which often includes units that would be considered light foot outside of wargames) can already charge, and light infantry can "charge" in bad terrain (in practice this "charge" would probably be a mix of close range shooting and disorganized brawling rather than a line-vs-line fighting). These options already cover cases like French knights being attacked by English archers at Battle of Agincourt.

On the other had, the role of light cavalry hardly needs to be debated. Charging and pursuing broken enemy was sometimes the only thing that low quality light cavalry could do with any success. Differentiating between FoG2 light cavalry and cavalry archers is even more artificial than the medium-light infantry division.

[Strategiusz]

IIRC Light Foot can attack enemy routed units and prevent them from returning as fragmented units. It make sense only for units that were not autorouted by taking loses.

[vakarr]

{This is part of the war on light troops i.e. the progressive reduction in their capabilities but...} if they are not in combat you can shoot with them and possibly cause the fragmented troops to at least stay fragmented or shooting might be enough to cause a rout if it's a standing still shot by a unit with a full quiver against a unit with significant casualties. I don't know all the morale causes but putting them behind an enemy or near them if there are no enemy nearby may help keep the enemy in its current state or worse when a morale test is taken - often seems to me that enemy troops rally when there's nothing of yours near them, but fail to rally when there is a light unit nearby, especially if it has shot at them and caused even a few casualties.