10mm bears

[Ithoriel]

GordonY wrote
yeah - i suppose the LOTR films could have been worse. I was annoyed enough that the Rohirrim charged pikemen (well pike-uruks) in the Helm's Deep scene in the films, pikemen who had their pikes levelled against them, and rode them down. I was all "that's historically inaccurate, cavalry couldn't ride down pikemen" (unless the pikemen were disorganised by archery or spread out, or they hit them in the flank or rear while they were engaged to the front etc)

While Swiss pike were, in their day, quite formidable I don't imagine they would have stood much of a chance if the French or Burgundian cavalry charge had been lead by the archangel Michael. Which is pretty much the situation in LOTR.

[Techno]

Were Swiss pike much harder than others of their kin, because the lakes they lived in, were so much colder for most of the year ?
Cheers - Phil

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Sir! Sir! Techno just made a fish joke!
Someone put him in his plaice.

[kustenjaeger]

I'd just tuna'd out ...

[FierceKitty]

Anchovy brill trout herring?

[FierceKitty]

(Cor, talk about easy posting-inflation!)

[Fenton]

Ok guys calm down you'll upset Mad Lemmy  that's too many fish jokes in a roe

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

ArGGGGH.......

IanS

[Leman]

"If the French or Burgundian cavalry were lead...", generally they are unless they are plastic. Surprised FK didn't spot that one.

Present tense - I lead  you lead  etc.

Past tense  -    I led    you led   etc.

[toxicpixie]

What Ithoriel said - those Orc pike were boned as soon as Gandalf led the charge. They'd have killed their horses and broken their necks charging down a 45degree rubble and scree slope even before they hit the steady pike...

With the shining light of the Valar on them they not only managed a knightly charge through terrain that would fox skirmishers but their target was broken before they hit. Cheatin' angelic wizards! Who needs shields or tactics when you're divinely protected?!

[FierceKitty]

"If the French or Burgundian cavalry were lead...", generally they are unless they are plastic. Surprised FK didn't spot that one.

Present tense - I lead  you lead  etc.

Past tense  -    I led    you led   etc.

I have to leave a few sitting ducks for the less Annie-Oakley-like here to shoot.

[Luddite]

In DBM terms:

Irregular Fast knights (Kn(F)) charging across difficult going (DGo) into frontal contact with Regular Exceptional bows (Bow(X)).  The orc commander gave the order 'form ranks, spears in front, archers behind'.

The only way they could make it down the hill is by an impetuous advance (they weren't in column, and i doubt Gandalf had enough PiPs to get them all down the hill in formation).

Shooting on the way in IrrKn(F) +4 vs RBow(X) +4 = honours even.

At impact IrrKn(F) +3 vs RBow(X) (which count as Bw(S) vs mounted troops in melee +4 = bowmen have the advantage.  They will also definitely have overlaps on the outer edges giving a +4/+2 advangate to roll across the line.

The knights are 'destroyed by (S) bowmen whose front they moved into contact with this bound'.
The bowmen are 'destroyed by any mounted troops in contact'.

So...its going to be brutal, and along the line the knights should get decimated.

I'm calling shenanigans on Gandalf's dice rolls...

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

But you are forgetting the 'rule of cool'!

[toxicpixie]

I'd have thought the Uruk-Hai were actually deep ranked Pike (o) with Psiloi supporting (if DBehatever allows that now/still/sometime in one of the revisions!), leaving them of something like a +7/8 versus the Knights +3 or less as they'd be at least in partial DGo and iirc at least some of DBM revisions mean they get utterly boned by that... Negative combat factor and insta-kill?

It's all that cheatin' wizards fault, either way.

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Two generals in the first rank +anything?

At least they did the charge at Pelannor Fields for real!