Mounted lance charge

[Prince of Thieves]

Alright, I think we may finally have a mental picture about this scene that is almost the same. Now past some of the earlier confusion.

You said earlier

...it resulted in a 2 vs. 2 melee. Which is not really supported by the rules: I should have broken it into two 1 vs. 1 without terrain rolls.

Now understanding the scene, I agree, it makes sense and it focuses on the games strength. Also as the 1-on-1 fights begin you THEN have people toss (red/white I mean), in doing so the footman isn't locked into a red toss (attack). And then declare actions as approiate.

In a situation like this I run 4-seconds(2 rnds, as many as 4 exchanges) on each pair, because I figure even if a combatant in Pair-A wins on the opening exchange, he'll still require a few seconds to observe and move in to influence the other fight.

Keep bladeslinging, I believe if you stick with RoS you'll find it very enjoyable.

[bensei]

Is it risky to put all CP dice into the charging attack (Assumed the riding roll guaranteed just one exchange)?

To me this particular question depends on how much armor you are wearing.  If the knight is in full plate vs a swordsman...I would put everything into an attack.  The swordsman will have a hard time getting through all that plate...

The problem is: Assumed the knight succeeds in all his riding checks (riding 3), the combat is limited to a single exchange. The ruling was that the footman (who has no great reach), can, on the moment of impact, given he can strike first, not attack the knight, only the front of his horse (the knight himself is just too far away).
However, if only the horse can be hit by the knight, the knight can not at all defend against this attack, since block and strike only works against attacks vs. the knight himself.

So there is simply no use in saving dice, even if the knight is naked, is it?

[nsruf]

Also as the 1-on-1 fights begin you THEN have people toss (red/white I mean), in doing so the footman isn't locked into a red toss (attack). And then declare actions as approiate.

The footman could have thrown white, but from an offensive stance. His options were essentially:

a) Full evade with 6 dice (CP 8, 2 die penalty for defending from an offensive stance)
b) Sim block/strike with 7/3 dice (CP 8, 2 die bonus for offense from offensive stance)

He choose the latter and would have gotten away with it if not for an abysmal block roll.

[Prince of Thieves]

Is it risky to put all CP dice into the charging attack (Assumed the riding roll guaranteed just one exchange)?

So there is simply no use in saving dice, even if the knight is naked, is it?

Remember you could always try to buy initiative, so your can strike first even though you lost the reflex roll. Check with your Seneschal to see how he will play buying init, some say the dice must be spent from the unused pool, if thats the case better save some dice. I let combatants draw dice from their pool and their attack.

[nsruf]

I allow buing init from the unused pool only, as an added penalty for overextending. Unfortunately, that doesn't make it a very viable option for the incompetent knight;)

[Brian Leybourne]

Well, to do a charge you have to develop some momentum, probably to at least a trot.  I would think to strike, recover, turn or stop, then if stopping build up momentum, the pick your target out and charge would take at least 10-15 seconds, longer if the initial charge was at a gallop.  Of course riding skill could modify this.

Ever ridden a horse?

A well trained horse (and we're talking war horses here, well trained in other words) can go from a standstill to full gallop in a couple of seconds. They stop somewhat slower admittedly, but as a general rule, it's not out of the ballpark to allow a horseman to make a charge say once every 3 rounds (that's 6 seconds or so) at a standing opponent, giving time to stop after the charge, wheel around, and touch heels to flanks again.

But I would probably start using fatigue rules against the horse for repeated charging, admittedly.

Brian.

[Turin]

Ever ridden a horse?

Yes, but the well trained part is a bit of an issue (neither I nor the horse would I consider well trained).

And I think the 3 round issue could be possible in a environment without any other distractions.  I guess what I mean is with only the horseman and the target, sure.  With a more crowded field, perhaps.  On a crowded field of battle, no way.

Also, if a round is 1-2 seconds,  we would be looking at every 4 rounds, with an average of 1.5 seconds.  I would also think such a rapid return might cost some CP's from the pool, as the attack is being rushed.

Perhaps another idea is to set a minimum amount of rounds, given a clear field.  Perhaps bump it up a few based a few rounds based on how crowded it is.  I also think selecting the exact target you want would be tougher on a crowded field.  And there could also be a roll on horsemanship, the better the rule the more rime is reduced by.  Maybe bump up the rounds by 4, every sucess reduces the time by a round.  Of course on a fumble, no attack.