Cavalry in sieges

[Urke3313]

There should be an option to mount your troops in sieges in bannerlord.
There should also be an option to choose which division will mount and how many troops of that division will mount.

 

[KhuzaitLancer80]

would be cool.

 

[Lord Brutus]

So, presumably, you could have your horses climb ladders or mount a charge across the ramp of a siege tower?    I've seen a lot of dumb suggestions since Bannerlord was announced but yours is the top of the list right now, so congratulations for that.

 

[kalarhan]

defenders can sally out, so presumably you can use your horseman for that as well (to harass the siege works).

using horses on the siege attack/defense proper can work if the scene is big enough. Attacker can use them once the gate is gone, while the defenders may want to risk a sally (that is different from the earlier sally out event).

how useful they would be depends on the army composition on both sides and the difference in sizes. Also remember there is no clear indication that we can create wall breaches (just hints about it). Like in a Total War siege it is not that easy to use your horseman to attack the defenders in the gate.

likely would be a more viable strategy on huge towns, instead of castles.

remember that altho Bannerlord is increasing the battle size to ~700-800, that is still a small number, nothing like the thousands of units you have on Total War games.

 

[Lord Brutus]

The only conceivable use for mounted troops in a siege is if the siege army is planning on starving out the enemy and wants a mobile cavalry force to counter a relief force trying to lift the siege from outside.  No word yet on whether that is even possible in game.

 

[SenorZorros]

I really don't see why not. after all the dismount button exists for a reason. You can indeed use cavalry while broken through the gate but you could also use it to quickly reach the walls avoiding some archer fire. with horse archers you can even fire at the defenders.

 

[KhuzaitLancer80]

TW already confirmed that on campaign map after sieging a city for few days with trebutchet we can open breaches on city walls.
So cavalry can be very useful in sieges as well.

I think there should also be an option to ''not to dismount'' the cavalry in sieges. But manually it should be so.

EDIT:

So, presumably, you could have your horses climb ladders or mount a charge across the ramp of a siege tower?    I've seen a lot of dumb suggestions since Bannerlord was announced but yours is the top of the list right now, so congratulations for that.

Trying to be an edge lord ? What a tryhard 
The idea is not dumber than your opinion.
Cavalry existing in sieges is a thing in other strategy games like total war as well and they can get pretty handy.

You can use the cavalry when the defenders sally out or you can use them to leak from the gates quickly if your men from the ladders captured the gateway.


Jeez, I really hate it when people think they are smart and try to be edgy to others. To be honest you are not so dont act like superior.

 

[kalarhan]

you can use them to leak from the gates quickly if your men from the ladders captured the gateway

and another use: as we saw on the siege video when you break through the walls/gate the defenders will try to retreat to the keep for a last standing. Having a group of fast moving troops (horseman) could help you stop some of them from reaching it.

 

[Bjorn The Broken]

That breaches on the wall will be cleaned by defenders, so enemy cavs charges in easily. How do you expect that horses can charge, after destroying a castle wall which will be a messy breach?

 

[kalarhan]

How do you expect that horses can charge

you dont charge the defenders in the breach/gateway with cavalry, you first break the defenders with your own infantry. Unless the town/castle is defended by peasants using sticks and rocks 

 

[Bjorn The Broken]

隐藏

Yeah, when you breach the gate way around 3:30 of the video, the gate way is already ready for horse charging right? Come on.

隐藏

For the army who sieged castle, when the defenders sally out around 3:40 of the video, you see how messy is the place which is full of siege equipment for the army to use cav. Also, sally out is a suprise attack.

 

[kalarhan]

the gate way is already ready for horse charging right?

now shows us the video on a siege attack on a town (not a small castle). When you need to run a few blocks to get to the keep. Waiting.

likely would be a more viable strategy on huge towns, instead of castles.

 

[Bjorn The Broken]

Unfortunately, I missed that sentence. However using cavs in the streets, I don't know, is a bit silly for me. If it can be used as an option, alright then.

 

[kalarhan]

However using cavs in the streets, I don't know, is a bit silly for me.

it is supported by historical battles, Hollywood movies and strategy games like Total War series. If it would make sense for Bannerlord scale is something we can only know once we have it on ours hands. We know that scenes are bigger, siege battles have phases, and towns could be quite massive. But until we are inside one it is tough to say if it would feel right or be practical at all. Not to forget that the AI would need to be smart enough to navigate the streets on its own for flanking attacks.

For a grand scale reference see Total War videos. They are not meant to be historical accurate, but they do try to keep within reason (similar to Bannerlord).

I would be happy with a option to use them, nothing fancy, as both attacker and defender. Defender already can sally out, so half way there 

 

[ArnulfFloyd]

True as Total War series are about grand-scale realistically not historical accurated battles and sieges with thousand soldiers, I love so much that series

 

[NPC99]

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2m07se/what_role_did_cavalry_play_during_medieval_sieges/

 

[Bjorn The Broken]

The notion is silly, and especially in light of the knowledge that all Knightly warriors were as comfortable on foot as they were on horseback, there would be no militarily sound argument to ever waste their mounts and risk their lives in such a manner.

Thanks for the update. Yeah, it is silly. But in the game, there can be an option like that or in a mod. However, even if there is an option, I can't imagine myself using mounted units on the streets of a city. I definetely hope TW won't waste their time on such a idea and most probably, they won't.

 

[kalarhan]

The notion is silly, and especially in light of the knowledge that all Knightly warriors were as comfortable on foot as they were on horseback, there would be no militarily sound argument to ever waste their mounts and risk their lives in such a manner.

just to be clear that quote from that source (deleted years ago) is only about using cavalry to try to attack the breach (still with defenders), which leaves out the follow up action of

I can't imagine myself using mounted units on the streets of a city.

and I dont think anyone would suggest using horseman to try and take the gate/breach (as you can have infantry on multiple rows to repel the attack). Breaches are even worse than a gateway as they have irregular terrain (broken rocks), which would be great for horses (to fall of).

 

[Bjorn The Broken]

After watching Total war seiges, even a peasant of medieval times can come up with an idea that let's make barricades at the choke points of the streets which leads the keep and there is a lot of roofs, let's position our archers there. What can mounted units do against that? That horses would witness a massacre.

By retreating behind physical bariers, defeders effectively nuetralized the most powerful element in any army - its cavalry. It was impossible for mounted man to breach both walls and ditches.

Taken from: Medieval warfare: a history, edited by Maurice Keen, page: 169

So I mean why not make little walls and ditches in the city from defenders point of view.

 

[Urke3313]

Cavalry isnt supposed to breach or fight in streets.
It could be used to get your troops to the walls faster, harass the defenders with horse archers, sally out etc.
Who tf would attack the gates with cavalry?