Quote:Original post by tstrimpQuote:Original post by Talroth
Also, pikes that are kept upright (as in those not in the front 3/4 ranks, can provide a surprising protection from arrow volleies. I didn't expect this to be true till I saw a demostration of it. (Sadly, I didn't own a video camera at the time :( why couldn't I have had one then? it looked so cool. Some of the dummies 'died' but still, less than I would have expected)Quote:Original post by Talroth
Yeah, the arrows going into the pike feild will just be slowed down, some will still die, but it really cuts the numbers down. Arrows will be stopped/deflected. Lots of small wounds, but a lot fewer people that are too hurt to keep fighting or killed outright.
You sure about that? Archers were the bane of the pikemen since their maneuverability and armor was terrible.
Where are you getting this information?
Remember, no armour, not even romans in Testudo are immune to arrows. I'm not saying that raised pikes are going to catch ALL the arrows and that they'll never take losses, but it will greatly cut losses down. Think of it as the difference between Colonial era British Red Coats lineing up shoulder to shoulder, vs US Civil War troops hiding behind trees. Both are common tactics from history, but which will take fewer losses? Will the Civil War troops NOT take losses? No, they can still take fairly heavy loses, but how many MORE are going to die if they were fighting in closed line formations?
Remember, history does NOT have a DM's Manual, clearly laying out just who had what in cut and dried lists. "Pikemen" may be germanic conscripts, pulled off their farms from when they were out in their fields, and given a 'pike' that is made while they're marching to a battlefield and their pike is simply a fairly straight and thin tree with the branches cut off and the tip sharpened (please note I don't know if this actually happened with germanic, I'm just sitting next to a german girl in a computer lab and they were the first to come to mind). No training, no armour, and next to no chance of heading back to their farms.
However, if you look at wealthy Swiss armies of around the 1500 and 1600's (forget how early and late they are, I'm at the university and don't have my notes on armour with me) many of these soldiers are going to have a fairly nice set of field armour. Very close to 'full' armour, with plate, maille, leather, or other fabric armours covering nearly everything but the face. The cost of their gear would be more than the land the farmers in the above example is worth likely.
So, in short: As far as your game goes, how wealthy and powerful do you want your pikemen to be?