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Am I the only one who thinks the initiative bonus is too easy to get and not a really elegant design? In the current rules you get +1 initiative per inch, to a maximum of +3. It is impossible to get less than +1 as per the one inch apart rule. +1 is rare but can happen. When being pushed back, it's 2 inches apart unless some rare situation, meaning +2 is very likely after round 1 of combat. Most remaining charges will be +3.

Spears only gives +1 when being charged, but because the opponent gets much more bonuses so easily, it's very rare for the spear bonus to matter. Maybe if you are an elf, but barely then. If spears are meant to be a counter to charges, maybe they should have been given +3 or even +4 as a bonus to compete?

If it is so rare to get less than +3 or +2 when charging, maybe not have it vary at all? Or maybe make it harder to get, like +1 per 3" charged instead of 1", so that it feels more varied and interesting?

What do you think?

Here is a sad skeleton with a spear who wants to be relevant

Yup, that's clunky, having that many rules, comparing stats, adding bonuses for what 90% of the time amounts to "charger strikes first" anyway.

But "clunky" seems to be one of the design goals with this game.

It's much better than previous rules of just "Always strike First / Last".

Recently I've used Empire Knights with great weapons (Knights of the White Wolf) charge a unit of Spearmen.

Strike last took them to Initiative 1, with +3 Initiative bonus for a total of 4

The Spearmen had I3, +1 for being charged, total 4.

So they attacked simultaneously.

Keep in mind that a Disordered Charge wipes out the initiative bonus.

And how can you tell that the skeleton is sad without facial muscles?

 Manfred von Drakken wrote:
Keep in mind that a Disordered Charge wipes out the initiative bonus.

And how can you tell that the skeleton is sad without facial muscles?

Interesting. So spearmen are more relevant in funny angles close to impassible terrain?

As a necromancer, I share the feelings of my animated creatures. Their bone chilling sadness is my sadness.

I can see your point, but I also like that different things, in general, modify the initiative value, so that it's not always the case that on'es great weapons will be striking last, for example.

Maybe they could have designed the rules a bit more elegantly (+2 initiative to declared charges), but I'll have to play the game before I make a full judgment call on any of this.

It adds a bit more interest instead of striking first on the charge. Fast units and some spears could still go before great weapons etc.