Reiters

Byzantine Productions Pike and Shot is a deep strategy game set during the bloody conflict of the Thirty Years War.

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AlexDetrojan
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Reiters

Post by AlexDetrojan »

So I'm noodling around playing different armies from different eras, and I've come across Reiters. What an interesting concept of a unit, and what an absolutely miserable botch I've made out of using them! I've read up about the caracole(?) and tried to apply it to enemy units. Not sure what I'm missing though. Is there a specific type of unit that Reiters were meant to go against? Also they're fairly well armored, so are they meant to be thrown against other horse, or more vulnerable units? Your insights and expertise would be appreciated.
Cheers
Alex
Pixel
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Re: Reiters

Post by Pixel »

They are good at fighting Gendarmes (since the Reiters unleash their wheelock pistols at essentially point blank range) and they can also be used effectively versus lighter infantry units if supported. For example they can mop up foot arquebus units. When you charge them the game's impact melee phase is what represents the caracole. Due to the nature of the engine and the tabletop style ruleset the cavalry combats are visually shown as more static then the actual fighting they are representing was.

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https://weaponsandwarfare.com/2017/08/1 ... h-service/

The first few historical battles in the Tercio to Salvo module that are focused on the French Wars of Religion show off some of the cavalry unit interactions pretty nicely.
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AlexDetrojan
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Re: Reiters

Post by AlexDetrojan »

Thanks Pixel for the info. Nice pics too!
Cheers
Alex
SnuggleBunnies
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Re: Reiters

Post by SnuggleBunnies »

They're hit or miss vs Gendarmes - they tend to lose the impact, due to lacking impact capability, but their pistols outclass the gendarmes in melee. They're a pretty flexible unit, though - they do alright against gendarmes, they can run down lights and unprotected foot, contribute their firepower to the infantry battle. One of their main uses is locking pike squares in place. Simply part your reiters in the tile directly facing a pike block and blast away. Make sure to leave an open space behind. This way, the pikes will either have to charge the reiters, in which case the latter will usually take some casualties and simply fall back, or ineffectually open fire with their sleeves of shot. Combine this move with some massed arquebusiers. The pikes are locked in place, and, whether they charge or stand and fire, will take brutal volleys of close range fire from the supporting infantry, hopefully disrupting them.

Still, reiters are overall difficult to use, and it's not hard to see why they were eventually replaced by Curassiers.
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AlexDetrojan
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Re: Reiters

Post by AlexDetrojan »

I like that idea of parking them in front of pikes, and blasting away...very interesting.
Thanks
SnuggleBunnies
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Re: Reiters

Post by SnuggleBunnies »

Do note though, that you can only Zone of Control a keil by parking your unit in the square that the keil is facing.
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Odenathus
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Re: Reiters

Post by Odenathus »

It is odd historically that very heavily armoured cavalry should have taken it into their heads to gallop around in dense columns popping off with their short-range pistols. But they did, and must have been effective as tens of thousands of them were engaged in many of the major battles of this period. You imagine that genuine firearm cavalry would have preferred to be very lightly armoured in order to be able to evade if charged. They're best seen as a temporary (century!) response by heavy cavalry to the development of pike tactics. And in theory they were meant to close in once the target units became shaken. They can be useful in P&S games.
Pixel
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Re: Reiters

Post by Pixel »

SnuggleBunnies makes a excellent point. They need to manage to get past the impact phase without getting disrupted for the Reiters to work against fresh units of Gendarmes. Even a weakened Gendarmes unit tends to win in the initial impact but once locked into melee the Gendarmes usually get slowly whittled down by Reiters assuming the Reiters aren't subsequently flanked and out-numbered.
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AlexDetrojan
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Re: Reiters

Post by AlexDetrojan »

So I've moved into the era of Kurraisers. And I'm feeling that they are to be played much differently than Reiters. Shot is far more effective now, so that would be a factor in their use(even though they are armored). So how then do they stack up against other cavalry? I'm sure they still shine against Medium Foot and Lights, but I'm pretty sure you don't want to get them near Pike and Shot units...
Cheers
Alex
SnuggleBunnies
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Re: Reiters

Post by SnuggleBunnies »

Well they have no shooting ability, so they're useless against pike units unless they are already disrupted or they can get a flank attack. Kurassiers are mainly used as a battering ram against enemy cavalry, as their superior status, impact pistols, and heavy armor enable them to roll over arkebusiers and other such shooty horse, lancers of various sorts, and Horse. They will generally prevail against Veteran Horse, albeit after a grinding fight. They might disrupt against impact horse such as hakapells or winged hussars.

The armor does make them rather expensive though, and it does nothing against every type of missile except arrows and javelins, neither of which they encounter particularly often, except against the turks (in the form of mounted and foot archers). Because of their high cost, it is generally wise not to invest exclusively in them; arkebusiers are kind of garbage, but an all kurassier cavalry wing is likely to be outnumbered, outflanked, and destroyed by more numerous foes. I generally find a 1 to 1 ratio to serve well, with more kurassiers in open terrain and more arkebusiers if there is a greater proportion of rough ground.
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AlexDetrojan
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Re: Reiters

Post by AlexDetrojan »

Thanks SnuggleBunnies.
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