Slitherine

A couple of questions for RBS or others in the know. When a Pike and Shot formation(all things being equal) fights a Later Tercio formation: 1) A fire fight between these two formations would be won by the Pike and Shot because they have a higher number of muskets relative to those in a later Tercio? 2) A melee fight between these two formations would be won by a Later Tercio because it has a higher amount of pikes relative to a Pike and Shot? I've always wondered about this.
Any insights would be appreciated.
Cheers
Alex

1) Not necessarily in a 1 on 1 fight. Only the first 500 men are considered available to fight; so as the firefight goes on and both sides take casualties, the Pike and Shot unit will weaken in firepower, but the Later Tercio will remain the same. However, if you're talking two battle lines, the Pike and Shot have the advantage, as they are cheaper and thus more can be fielded, and they are less vulnerable to artillery.

2) Pike ratio doesn't matter for units under the Keil threshold. A Pike and Shot unit will fight on even terms with a Later Tercio unit; as the melee goes on, the Pike and Shot will suffer the negative combat strength modifier for being under 500 men, whereas the Later Tercio will not, as they just keep shuffling fresh troops to the front. That being said, a Later Tercio at 700 men is considered to have taken 30% losses for the purposes of cohesion testing; so even if it is fighting at "full strength" if it loses a combat it will be more likely to Disrupt than a Later Tercio at true full strenth.

Thanks Snugglebunnies, this explains certain battles I've had where the results were not necessarily what I thought they might be.
Cheers
Alex