Can you charge with a pavise?

[dwkay57]

I'm still steeped in WRG 5th terminology which is why a charge is "any move intended to result in hand-to-hand contact" (page 23), but accept that the rate at which troops close is dependent upon fighting style, especially those which relied on close formation coherence.

I can envisage how a front rank of pavise bearers backed by others with long spears can trundle (for want of a better word) into melee but I'm not sure it works for Persian Sparabara formations if the rear ranks were archers who would need to be at some point in time stationary to shoot (unless they were trying out as a Merry Man) and would require some form of ranging instruction to be shouted at the rear ranks.

[stevenneate]

So, in summary, you can amble or stroll into contact with a pavise, but no +1 for vigourously charging. Guess my Genoese crossbowmen won't need to be drawing their swords anytime soon?

[dwkay57]

Under my rules, it is something like that Steve. Sparabara infantry do get a bonus for charging but not as great as other types. However, they do get a high "point of impact volley" bonus which comes into effect if they are charged.

[Erpingham]

Guess my Genoese crossbowmen won't need to be drawing their swords anytime soon?

I would suggest that, if they have to draw their swords, something has gone wrong somewhere 

[Imperial Dave]

That reminds me of a mate of mine telling me when he was deployed to Iraq for desert shield/storm. He had a medical orderly in the hq field hospital

He said that he had been issued with a gun. He added that if he had to use it, things would have gone seriously wrong...!

[DBS]

He said that he had been issued with a gun. He added that if he had to use it, things would have gone seriously wrong...!

Damn right. Presume either 9milly or SMG. The latter not useless, but the other consideration will be the level of... marksmanship... to be expected of non combat arms.  Same principle applies to earlier periods, accepting less of a concept of rear echelon troops.

[Imperial Dave]

It was a Browning HP 

[Keraunos]

HP?  I didn't know you could get guns by hire purchase 

[Mick Hession]

I thought it was Hewlett Packard. If it's anything like their printers the gun would be really cheap but the bullets cost a fortune

[Mark G]

Quite a saucey gun to have though.

Very house of parliament

[Imperial Dave]

High power....

A solid but outdated gun even in the 90s