Mithridatic Generals as Javelin horse?

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skc
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Mithridatic Generals as Javelin horse?

Post by skc » Wed Mar 24, 2021 3:25 pm

I am currently generating the army List for Mithridatic in both Triumph! 48pt & 144pt. and see that Generals need to be 'Javelin Horse.'
In my mind it just does not seem to gel for Generals in an army equipped with powerful, heavy horse, to have to play a role as 'skirmishing horse.'
Is there perhaps an error in the Lists regarding this, and if not then can at least Mithridates be on something more stately, such as Elite Horse? (of course 'Bad Horse' has 3 on a base but does not seem to fit the bill)
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Rod
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Re: Mithridatic Generals as Javelin horse?

Post by Rod » Wed Mar 24, 2021 8:03 pm

Nothing says they cannot be three to a stand, my Roman Jav Cav Generals are 3 to a stand.
skc
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Re: Mithridatic Generals as Javelin horse?

Post by skc » Thu Mar 25, 2021 6:39 am

Except Appendices Page 44 in the Rules which specifically says 2/stand. Can I actually make that 3/stand without 'bending the rules? (It is useful for identification but Mithradates himself? (have the actual 15mm figure)

Can put 3 per stand but 2 per stand is useful for identifying which are Javelin Cavalry.
Maybe some renaming is also in order. e.g. "Bad horse" is there not anything more imaginative?
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David Kuijt
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Re: Mithridatic Generals as Javelin horse?

Post by David Kuijt » Thu Mar 25, 2021 12:12 pm

skc wrote:
Wed Mar 24, 2021 3:25 pm
I am currently generating the army List for Mithridatic in both Triumph! 48pt & 144pt. and see that Generals need to be 'Javelin Horse.'
In my mind it just does not seem to gel for Generals in an army equipped with powerful, heavy horse, to have to play a role as 'skirmishing horse.'
Is there perhaps an error in the Lists regarding this, and if not then can at least Mithridates be on something more stately, such as Elite Horse? (of course 'Bad Horse' has 3 on a base but does not seem to fit the bill)
After discussing with DS I went and looked at the data -- and I find that I totally misunderstood your question. I didn't recall that there were already Elite Cavalry in the Mithradatic army (required) -- I thought it was all JavCav, and that your complaint was about having to rebase an element or something similar.

Yes, you're correct, that's an error in the list. Elite Cav should be the general's type, same as in the Early Pontic list that precedes it.

I've fixed it now. It will take a month or two before the data is uploaded to Meshwesh, but the correct thing is "General is Elite Cavalry".
DK
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David Schlanger
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Re: Mithridatic Generals as Javelin horse?

Post by David Schlanger » Thu Mar 25, 2021 12:25 pm

skc wrote:
Thu Mar 25, 2021 6:39 am
Except Appendices Page 44 in the Rules which specifically says 2/stand. Can I actually make that 3/stand without 'bending the rules? (It is useful for identification but Mithradates himself? (have the actual 15mm figure)
Really, you can do whatever you like... in this case, you can just declare to your opponent that the General stand is a Javelin Cavalry but has 3 figures per stand. But I guess it is a moot point now since it was an army list error and it will be Elite Cav.
skc wrote:
Thu Mar 25, 2021 6:39 am
Maybe some renaming is also in order. e.g. "Bad horse" is there not anything more imaginative?
We could change it to "Substandard Equines"?
No really, after printing 1000 hard copies of the rules I don't think we will be changing any troop type names. In fact, deciding on the troop type names was a long and difficult process with plenty of discussion. "Bad Horse" is one of our favorites. I suggest embracing it, and watching "Dr. Horrible" a few more times.

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David Kuijt
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Re: Mithridatic Generals as Javelin horse?

Post by David Kuijt » Thu Mar 25, 2021 12:42 pm

skc wrote:
Thu Mar 25, 2021 6:39 am
Maybe some renaming is also in order. e.g. "Bad horse" is there not anything more imaginative?
You have to remember that every unit type ("bucket") is a classification that applies to an enormous spread of armies across 4500 years and the whole world. In this case, from Assyrian Pethalle 750 BC, to the poorer sort of Gallic mounted, to Swiss mounted crossbowmen, to Mongol troops in Yuan China who had been fostered for generations on land inappropriate for horse breeding and had lost their skills and many of their horses. "Bad Horse" is a clear label for that bucket that is appropriate to many of the members of that bucket. Finding a name appropriate to everything in that bucket is essentially impossible.

And the theme song from Dr. Horrible's Singalong Blog is a side benefit.
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skc
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Re: Mithridatic Generals as Javelin horse?

Post by skc » Thu Mar 25, 2021 4:49 pm

Thanks David Kujit...I'll put the General(s) down as Elite for now and not rebase those elements.
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Andreas Johansson
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Re: Mithridatic Generals as Javelin horse?

Post by Andreas Johansson » Sat Apr 24, 2021 9:05 pm

Is there evidence for use of bows by Pontic heavy cav (as in, by native Pontic heavy cav, not by Sarmatians and other outsiders employed in Pontic armies)? Peter Andrews, who had an article about Pontic heavy cavalry in Slingshot #310, didn't find any.

(Translating his tentative conclusions into T! terms would probably mean classing Pontic heavies as Cataphracts, as thinks they were similar to their Armenian neighbours.)
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