Cavalry versus Pike Blocks – rule changes for Pike and Shotte

In the Pike and Shotte rules, if cavalry charge a pike block that is not either disordered or already in combat, they will loose all charge bonuses and the pike unit will get double the number of attack dice.

These rules make it a very bad proposition for Cavalry to charge a pike block. These rules work reasonably well for playing two armies of combined arms (cavalry, infantry and artillery). They also work where there are many smaller pike blocks. However, when playing an historical battle such as Novara, Marignano and Bicocca, where one side is mainly composed of large Swiss pike blocks, the question of how to use the Gendarmes always comes up. Often the Gendarmes are left hanging around, not daring to take on the Swiss pikes.

My perspective on this issue was changed when I read the book L’Ultima Battaglia del Medioevo (La Battaglia Dell’Ariotta, Novara 6 Giugno 1513), by Mario Troso. On Page 88 of the book he states that “the French cavalry could attack a pike square only if it was in motion, while standing, however, the pike are ready to fix the base of the pike to the ground so that the spikes are projected against the chest of the horses, so that a charge would be disastrous”. He has a picture showing a pikeman bracing his pike on the ground with one foot against the pike (picture F5).

I have also read that a moving pike block could not easily change direction to face a cavalry charge from the flank.

So the question that I was faced with is how I could adjust the Pike and Shotte rules to replicate some of the cavalry charges against pike blocks that occurred at battles such as Ariotta and Marignano. In this blog post I aim to describe some of the additional rules that I plan to use at our next club game which will be the 1513 battle of Ariotta, Novara.

The aim of the rule changes is to allow the Gendarmes to force the Swiss pikes to set up in stationary formation. This move would allow the French cannon to attack the Swiss and prevent the Swiss from attacking the French and Landschnekt foot units. In the battle, only when the Gendarmes retreated in the face of threats to their rear, were the Swiss finally able to get to grips with the main Landschnekt pike block.

The changes that I plan to make to the rules are quite simple and are based around charges and charge responses:

1. If a pike block did not move in the previous turn, any cavalry charge will loose all charge bonuses and the pike block will get double the number of attack dice (unless the pike block is disordered, shaken or already engaged in combat). i.e. no change to the original rules. The pike block can turn to face the cavalry.
2. If a cavalry unit is within one move of a pike block (front, flank or rear), and the pike block moved in the previous turn, then the cavalry can charge the pike block with full charge bonuses. The pike block will not get any increase in attack dice.
3. If a cavalry unit is within two moves of the front of a pike block and the pike block moved in the previous turn, the cavalry can attempt to charge the pike block (they will need to get a command roll that allows two moves). As a charge reaction the pike block can attempt to set the pikes to receive the charge by rolling a command roll. If the pike block completes this charge reaction and sets the pikes, the cavalry commander can either complete the charge (with loss of charge bonuses and double the pike attack dice), or pull up 6″ short.
4. If a cavalry unit is within three moves of the front of a pike block and the pike block moved in a previous turn, the cavalry can attempt to charge the pike block (they will need to get a command roll that allows three moves). The pike block will have sufficient time to set the pikes (they do not need to take a command roll but can do this move automatically). If the pike block sets the pikes, the cavalry commander can either complete the charge (with loss of charge bonuses and double the pike attack dice), or pull up 6″ short.
5. If a cavalry unit is within two moves of the flank or rear of a pike block, and the pike block moved in the previous turn, then the cavalry can attempt to charge the pike block with full charge bonuses (they will need to get a command roll that allows two moves). The pike block will not get any increase in attack dice. The pike block can turn to face the charge but will not have time to set the pikes.
6. If a cavalry unit is within three moves of the flank or rear of a pike block and the pike block moved in the previous turn, the cavalry can attempt to charge the pike block (they will need to get a command roll that allows three moves). As a charge reaction the pike block can attempt to turn to face the charge and set the pikes to receive the charge by rolling a command roll. If the pike block completes this charge reaction and sets the pikes, the cavalry commander can either complete the charge (with loss of charge bonuses and double the pike attack dice), or pull up 6″ short. If the pike block does not complete the charge reaction, they can still turn to face the cavalry but will not have the pikes set.

These rule changes can allow the cavalry to fix the pike block in place; if the pike block decides to move it will run the risk of being charged by the cavalry. A fixed pike block can be attacked by artillery (or shot) as happened at Ariotta.

The rule changes initially sound a bit complex, but are in fact quite simple. They limit the movement of pike blocks when cavalry are in the vicinity. These rule changes make the interaction between cavalry and pike close to my perception of what occurred historically. For example at Marignano, the French Gendarmes made repeated charges against the flanks of the Swiss Pikes. At the battle of Ariotta (Novara), the French Gendarmes fixed the largest Swiss Pike block in place allowing the French artillery to inflict heavy casualties. In the unmodified Pike and Shotte rules, neither of these situations could be accurately represented in a game. Hopefully these rule changes allow some of the historical battles to be played more realistically.

I will need to play test the rules further to make sure that there are no unintended consequences and that pike movement is not completely eliminated. However, I think that as long as cavalry are not within one move of the front of a pike block (and the pikes do not have cavalry to the flank or rear), then it should not prevent movement. If there are cavalry close to the front of the pike Block, then the pikes need to take them seriously.