Summary
Mounted troops. Cost 2AP. Move 400p in all terrain. Combat factors are +3 vs foot or Stronghold, +4 vs mounted.
If they lose a combat to mounted they are destroyed, otherwise they recoil.
Follow up a fleeing, recoiling, retreating or destroyed enemy.

Alan Saunders writes:
Beasts are the only mounted troops that do not get a -2 penalty when fighting in bad going, and do not suffer a movement penalty in it either. Use them to seize, hold or turn a flank covered by bad going; although vulnerable to mounted, they should be able to hold them off in the rough very easily. Against foot they are not outstanding, but can hold their own. Think of Beasts as Riders that have sacrificed some speed and control for an ability to enter the rough.

Don't get caught in the open by mounted, unless you have plenty of support. Even then, your tendency to follow up victories will tend to lead you into trouble.

Actually, the threat of a beast leaping out of bad going is quite a useful tactic. They have deep bases, so they can lunge a long way out of the bad going, but still keep part of their base in it. This makes it harder for enemy mounted to fight them.

Remember that beasts are destroyed by enemy mounted regardless of whether they are in bad going or not. Also remember that enemy Beasts are mounted and destroy you if they beat you. Conversely, you destroy enemy Beasts if you beat them!

Use beasts to hold or threaten a flank. Riders are also good for this, but the advantage of beasts is that it doesn't mater if the flank has bad going or is open. Riders only work on an open flank.

There is some evidence that beasts are the element of choice to use against shooters, as they can kill them by beating whilst still following them into the bad going. In addition they have the move to strike from outside bow range.

Martin Costa writes:
For me, beasts work best as infiltrators with a nasty punch. Rough terrain is often avoided by "heavy" armies, allowing lots of opportunity to dart thru the lines. Their decent movement also allows them to loiter in bad going and impede riders and knights trying to move around rough going by threatening their flanks, and really hosing them if their deep base allows them to stay in bad going.

Again, they have a threat value by their existence, and will often tie up large numbers of the enemy units trying to stop or prevent their infiltration, or just to flush them out of bad going - the latter will also tie up more of the opponents PIPs, as any attempt to stomp the Beasts will involve outnumbering them and moving through bad going in formations other than column. In general I consider beasts and lurkers secondary troops and am unlikely to use them as a striking force, but rather to make the enemy burn inititive either in the form of PIPs or by simply disrupting their plans to react to my units.

Coupled with a known off-table lurker they can be very effective as an offence in bad going, the pair providing a foot and a mounted to force the enemy to fight at a disadvantage. Examples of such mismatches include blades (beast contact + lurker flank = +0 for the poor dupes) and shooters (lurker contact + beast flank = +2, although the shooters die on a loss to a beast frontal attack as well). The mobility of beasts and the ability to teleport (of lurkers) makes it etremely easy to choose how the attack will go.

Steve Price writes:
A trick that only works the once and relies on your opponents lack of maths is to leave a beast solitary in bad going. This makes a tempting morsel to the enemy and also leaves the potential threat that it may leap out.

He sends in suitable troops to deal with the beast and out pop your lurkers.

Chow Li writes:
I keep my beasts on the flanks and use them in large sweeping envelopment. Nibbling on the fringes of my opponents army. Or, making him cower in fear at the idea of being flanked by them. If a bad going area does present itself on the table, then off they go to wreak havoc there; hopefully there is a piece of bad going on my flank.

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