Infantry charging cavalry

[Erpingham]

There are a few medieval ones I know of, which fit the ideas.

At the Battle of Laupen, a portion of Freiburg cavalry was charged in the rear while engaged to the front.  Poor situational awareness meant they seem to have missed that the rest of their army had run away, leaving the rallied Bernese to come to the rescue of their comrades. It did not end well for the cavalry.

At the Battle of Loudon Hill, Bruce ordered a charge to prevent the English cavalry rallying.  The English made the mistake of trying to rally too close, expecting the Scots to remain in their defensive position.

At the Battle of Hausbergen, between the city and bishop of Strasburg, the Strasburg militia advanced to support the civic cavalry who were hard pressed by the bishop's knights. These were too entangled to disengage so were mobbed in a standing fight.  Here the Strasburgers were ordered to target the horses and subsequently took a lot of the bishop's knights prisoner for ransom.

Overall, these suggest that cavalry deprived of the ability to manoeuvre were vulnerable to infantry attack.

[Jim Webster]

Yes these medieval examples do seem to fit the same general criteria. Cavalry disordered, already engaged, in difficult terrain, or just already in trouble, seem to be suitable targets.

[Justin Swanton]

Yes these medieval examples do seem to fit the same general criteria. Cavalry disordered, already engaged, in difficult terrain, or just already in trouble, seem to be suitable targets.

So how to replicate those circumstances in a wargame? (please don't say dice!)

[Jim Webster]

Some circumstances with be 'self evident' (although the rules might have used dice to create the circumstance, other rules might not.)

So a cavalry unit could be in combat with another unit and is unable to do anything about it
A cavalry unit could just have defeated one opponent, might even have pursued, and is now rallying and is in no position just to ride the infantry down.
The cavalry are in difficult terrain and the infantry pounce.
Another circumstance is probably where skirmishing light horse get too close to infantry, try to evade but are slowed or trapped by terrain or impenetrable obstacles.

These might be tricky to achieve but easy enough to fit into the rules.
A more difficult one is where you have a line of Sassanid armoured cavalry facing a line of legionaries. Both lines can deluge each other with missiles. Can the infantry line just grind forward, perhaps more slowly than usual, because the front ranks are keen to maintain the wall of shields and also to be ready to brace if the cavalry do charge. At some point the infantry will 'bump' into the cavalry and thus melee will ensure, but any charge might literally be the last handful of yards.

[Imperial Dave]

Yes these medieval examples do seem to fit the same general criteria. Cavalry disordered, already engaged, in difficult terrain, or just already in trouble, seem to be suitable targets.

So how to replicate those circumstances in a wargame? (please don't say dice!)

Six sided rolling devices with numbers on them

[Chuck the Grey]

Yes these medieval examples do seem to fit the same general criteria. Cavalry disordered, already engaged, in difficult terrain, or just already in trouble, seem to be suitable targets.

So how to replicate those circumstances in a wargame? (please don't say dice!)

Six sided rolling devices with numbers on them

Groan!