cavalry charges against pikes units

[Nagot Gick Fel]

Originally posted by Jasper:
This "everyone should use only pikes" approach would give ridiculous results. Pythium legionaires attacking a unit of pike would get -12 to attack!

On the first contact, yes. I've no real problem with that idea, although the malus might be capped. That would perfectly reflect battles like Cynocephale. The Roman army won, but in the initial shock they were completely unable to use their swords and were pushed back for a while. And the legionaries still have their pila anyway.

BTW, I know at least a couple tabletop figs rules that use exactly the same system - huge attack reduction vs pikes on the first contact. So there's nothing new in my proposal.

Pikes most certainly were melee weapons, and a "barrier" only in the sense that units that couldn't fight them didn't come close to them.

Pikes were melee weapons, except unlike other weapons noone would use them outside deep and close formations.