SG II House Rules - cavalry

> [quoted text omitted]
Some thoughts on 'cavalry' - actually what seems to be proposed is
'dragoons' in the antique sense.

> Firing from mounts

I'd suggest green amimals need to take a 'panic test' vs rider quality for
mounted firing as well as coming under fire. Also unlike Humans, animals take
considerable time to be trained to ignore loud noises, so tests would need to
be made EACH TIME the unit fired or came under fire. Just ask any Mounted
Police Unit that works in crowds.

> Dismounting

Can't see any problem here - this seems to reflect a few hundered years
of experience with mounted troops. The only thing that will reduce the number
of handlers is a picket line which takes more time to set up and leaves the
horses vulnerable to enemy action & bolting on mass. High tech is unlikely to
improve this.

The down side for mounted/dismounted is the need to have 2 complete sets
of figures if you are serious.

Panicked movement:

I'd suggest random direction for each mount each turn/activation, making
a
combat move each turn. Roll for rider vs quality (+/-?) to stay on. Also
roll control each activation and if failed, for consequent mount/rider
casualty. (If you've ever been on a bolting horse, you'll know about this).
Although horses are herd animals they tend to in whichever direction they
think is away from the immediate threat and have no real idea about 'friend' &
'enemy', and only later tend to group together. Unless a horse is an familiar
territory it does not 'go home'. Other herd animals like cattle tend to stay
clumped but also move fairly randomly from the front of the herd.

As for quality die for mounts, from what I have read, draft animals used as
mounts would tend to be the least likely to panick, then ordinary riding
animals, then highly trained mounts and finally totally untrained stock.

Of course draft animals would tend not to make combat moves, but to plod along
at much the same rate regardless, having been selected for their phlegmatic
disposition, while high quality animals (at least in horses) tend to be
somewhat easier to get going but are often a but too independant if the rider
is not up to it.

Just some more thoughts on mounts -  pre 20C earth riding animals
included cattle, especially bulls (and large boars also) in rural areas of
England. More common were mules, asses & donkeys (the British Army had large
mule studs until the 1950's I think, and at least some are still in use in
India). Camels - both Dromedary and Bactrian are still ridden, however I
think Bactrian camels are mainly used for draught, maybe they are too smart
for riding ( and have big pointy teeth). Mongols teach their children to ride
on sheep and there is at least one now rare European (UK?) breed of sheep that
is supposedly as big as a pony ( apparently the 40 pound leg of mutton was
considered too big for most households to eat in a sitting). Makes one think
of all the terrible New Zealander Jokes......

anyhow, enought waffling