Hey Devs!!! Are halberdiers like pikemen?

[kyle.phelps757]

I love me some pikes in all total war games. Are halberdiers similar? Can they form a type of phalanx and be a powerful frontal attack type of defensive unit?

[Longtoke]

if they've stayed true to lore for warhammer, no pikes are not halberds.

this is not just another total war reskinned, it should have many things that won't be familar to the older titles.

[kyle.phelps757]

So I guess dwarves are best for my strategy of having a pike wall in front of lots of missile units. Then slowly vacuum the battlefield

[ArchaicReaper]

Originally posted by kyle.phelps757:

So I guess dwarves are best for my strategy of having a pike wall in front of lots of missile units. Then slowly vacuum the battlefield

I don't think so. Dwarfs don't use pikes. You can get a solid shield wall with Dwarf Warriors though. Otherwise you'll have two handed weapons. They don't even use spears as I recall. They do however have strong ranged units. Quarrelers and Thunderers are no joke and both should be armor piercing. Not to mention their artillery.

[Manchine]

Dogs of War use pikes. Now I hoping Dogs of War is one of the armies you can play at some point in time. Dogs of War was the mercanary army that GW use to put out. I know I had some of them they were fun to play. =)

[alation13]

Hay OP, have you ever heard of a google search. A halberd and a pike are two completely different weapons that are used in two completely different ways. Not to mention the basic tactics that armies used with them evolved around 2000 years apart.

[Ysthrall]

Originally posted by alation13:

Hay OP, have you ever heard of a google search. A halberd and a pike are two completely different weapons that are used in two completely different ways. Not to mention the basic tactics that armies used with them evolved around 2000 years apart.

While a completley valid point, this may not be relevant in how they're used in a RTS. Although I certainly hope so.

If they go with the TT rules, pikes allow the first 4 ranks to all fight at once, while halberdiers generally get either shieldwall or boosted attack power.

From what I've seen of them in TW, pikes allow a good bit more of a "stand-off" range to a unit that manages to deploy them... I don't think I've seen halberdiers in TW at all...

[alation13]

Originally posted by Ysthrall:

Originally posted by alation13:

Hay OP, have you ever heard of a google search. A halberd and a pike are two completely different weapons that are used in two completely different ways. Not to mention the basic tactics that armies used with them evolved around 2000 years apart.

While a completley valid point, this may not be relevant in how they're used in a RTS. Although I certainly hope so.

If they go with the TT rules, pikes allow the first 4 ranks to all fight at once, while halberdiers generally get either shieldwall or boosted attack power.

From what I've seen of them in TW, pikes allow a good bit more of a "stand-off" range to a unit that manages to deploy them... I don't think I've seen halberdiers in TW at all...

We have had halberds in TW for a LONG time. They first appeared in Medieval TW 1, but it wasn't until Medieval TW 2 that they got any "special attention". The unit itself I don't remember being called halberdiers but the unit description typically said if they were equiped with halberds or similar polearms. They were not in either of the roman or the japanese TWs because halberds were a medieval european weapon not an ancient or japanese weapon.

[Red Eclipse]

I understand what OP is saying but a pike and a halberd are two different things. For example, a halberd is much shorter than a pike.

That being said, I really hope that the halberdiers will work somewhat like pikemen lines, holding back the enemy and plugging up narrow areas and punishing the enemy if they choose to try and take it.

[Sandman_jc]

Originally posted by Manchine:

Dogs of War use pikes. Now I hoping Dogs of War is one of the armies you can play at some point in time. Dogs of War was the mercanary army that GW use to put out. I know I had some of them they were fun to play. =)

This is why i got so bent out of shape when i heard there were going to be no mercanaries in this game. The one where they would have had a perfect oppitunity to inject some personality and fun from the WFB universe and they go "nope".

[Glymner]

Originally posted by alation13:

Hay OP, have you ever heard of a google search. A halberd and a pike are two completely different weapons that are used in two completely different ways. Not to mention the basic tactics that armies used with them evolved around 2000 years apart.

I'm pretty sure they used a little bit of pike around the 30 years war or so. :)

[alation13]

Originally posted by Glymner:

Originally posted by alation13:

Hay OP, have you ever heard of a google search. A halberd and a pike are two completely different weapons that are used in two completely different ways. Not to mention the basic tactics that armies used with them evolved around 2000 years apart.

I'm pretty sure they used a little bit of pike around the 30 years war or so. :)

Pikes have been used since ancient greece all the way up to pretty much the industrial age, halberds were from the early medieval to about the same end as pikes.

[kyle.phelps757]

You guys are missing the point. I was wondering if they had some kind of halberd wall or something jesus

[alation13]

Originally posted by kyle.phelps757:

You guys are missing the point. I was wondering if they had some kind of halberd wall or something jesus

I hate to break it to you mate, but the game is not even released yet, so if anyone aside from a dev gives you a "definate" answer then they are full of ♥♥♥♥.

Edit: and what do you mean my "something jesus", I am not sure if I want my halberdiers nailed to crosses.

[Dave]

Originally posted by kyle.phelps757:

You guys are missing the point. I was wondering if they had some kind of halberd wall or something jesus

should be possible yes, while halberds are different they still are basically long pointy sticks so yes.
But of course this being a game no guarantee but in reallity helbards were used in this way.
Even though the weapon is more like an axe than a spear it still can be used that way.

[Warsmith Honsou]

can only comment on tabletop, Empire halberdiers are not an anti cav unit but are a highly defensive unit that can be very effective in offense backed up with support units.