> Ignore the pike bonus? No way. No matter how well-crafted the armor, the
> pikes will split it open like a can opener. The only way to prevent this
> is to make the armour so thick (and consequently so heavy) that the
> horses are unable to gallop (i.e., no charge rating for the unit).
> There's a reason why you don't charge pikes...
Fair enough, just a thought. Human-sized dwarven plate, and barding
(dwarves not being known for their cavalry) are going to need some
kind of good plot-reason in the campaign anyway, so who knows? Unable
to gallop? Ah, you reckon without our new steam-powered horses... ;-)

> Besides, you already gave them +1 defence which makes them tougher for
> the pikes to crack. I would also give them +1 to charge (they're using
> the same weapons to charge as in melee, and the extra weight will make a
> difference when hitting a line).
How about making dwarven weapons no heavier - being stronger due to
better workmanship but containing no more metal than their human
counterparts?

> Did you remember to reduce their movement rating too? That barding is
> anything but light, and full plate is considerably heavier than
> plate-reinforced chain and shield normally worn by knights.
Yep, fair play. I can see the enemy making good use of very muddy
fields and rain-making magic here......

> The muster cost for this unit would be (if the going rate of 2000gp for
> a suit of full plate armour is correct and assuming 100 knights per
> unit) over 100GB (1GB per man just for the full plate, and this isn't a
> modern industrial world; it doesn't get cheaper when you buy in bulk).
> Then you have to figure the cost of barding, probably another 25 or
> 50GB. Any regent with this kind of cash to *spare* is probably having to
> put down revolts left and right.
Plus the added cost for dwarf-made gear (unless we're talking about
dwarf knights too - but then they'd be on ponies....)

> Build one unit of these knights and I'll have my archers and pikes tear
> them apart for less than one tenth the muster and maintenance costs.
> Granted, on a one-for-one basis the knights might be able to stand up to
> the pikes and could certainly handle the archers. Put them up against a
> combined stack of pike and archer and the knights are toast.
>
> Jonathan

Damn straight. Give me a long pointy stick and a good archer any day
of the week, none of that poncing around on horseback. ;-)

John.

"Once I was a lamb, playing in a green field. Then
the wolves came. Now I am an eagle and I fly in a
different universe."
"And now you kill the lambs," whispered Dardalion.
"No, priest. No one pays for lambs."
- David Gemmel, Waylander