pikemen

This is true of a lot of historical pike units, but the Swiss pikemen are the opposite of it.

These pikes were so long that cavalry could be stopped dead before they reached the pikemen in a charge.

Armored cavalry, pikemen, archers dominated the battlefields in 1500 CE; all familiar to Byzantines and Sassanids 1000 years before.

This cadence also informed the pikemen defending them when it was safe to move and reposition.

The simplified combat tactics to enable rock paper scissors matching is what makes the historically accurate archers + pikemen trash.

They must have been incredibly disappointed when they first encountered a well-disciplined line of mediocre pikemen!

The pikemen cannot charge the cavalry in open terrain, or they'll lose formation and get annihalated.

Swiss pikemen and (briefly) spanish swordsmen aside, foot soldiers were either horse or archer fodder.

Swiss mercenary pikemen enjoyed two centuries of well-earned respect for their fighting abilities, for instance.

And similarly in Europe, states started fielding cheap pikemen combined with crossbowmen, archers, muskets and a few well trained melee fighters.

Musketmen were an integral part of combat, though pikemen and cavalry were as well.

Mercenary pikemen ended the dominance of heavy cavalry in Europe before firearms became common.

Its a difficult subject, but it would be worth thinking about what happens to "we," when an aristocrat has made use of their serfs and no longer has need of pikemen.

"Advance" buffs heavy infantry, "force back" buffs pikemen, and "charge" buffs cavalry.

"Keep us safe": militia, pikemen, shamans, legions, samurai, knights, musketeers, standing armies, chemists, doctors & nurses, the military/industrial complex.

Pikemen beat cavalry who beat footmen who beat pikemen.

Pikemen dominated European battlefields after advances in infantry tactics made them effective.

Pikemen deal +47 more damage to them, Halberdiers deal +60 more!