Summary
Foot troops. Cost 2AP. Move 400p on road, 200p in good going, 200p in bad going. Combat factors are +5 vs foot or Stronghold, +3 vs mounted.
If they lose a close combat to Warband they are destroyed. Otherwise they recoil.
If they are doubled in combat they are destroyed.

Jeff Bolton writes:
Blades, eh? Well, I like them - except for their lack of speed. But I can live with that. But I really prefer them in my opponent's battle line....

Strength: Combat factor against foot.

Weakness: Combat factor against mounted and others. Lack of speed.

Use: I use them in the main battle line. They are - because of lack of speed - strictly for straight ahead fighting. (But they are VERY good for that!) Any maneuvering will occur AFTER the main battle lines are in contact.

I also like to park some mounted elements behind my blades. This gives me the ability to charge THROUGH the blades or swing to either flank.

Opposing Them: Personally, my preference is to fight against them with riders and work the flanks. Three riders against one blade is very bad for the blade. I also like to use a flyer to strike a blade in the rear and force it to turn 180 degrees - breaking up my opponent's command and control.

General Observation: Very strong foot element, but it needs its flanks covered.

James Ewins writes:
Blades were responsible for a very damn slow game last week at the Exmouth club: Romans vs Aztecs, and once the heroes, flying snakes and armoured cars of each were out of the way it was just down to groups of blades having at each other. It took bloody ages. Blades are fine troops against many things, but not other blades. I'm picking more carefully unbalanced armies in future...

Steve Price writes:
I have often been wary of sending blades into bad going, however in a recent games my opponnent was not so apprehensive and promptly gave my shooters a good stuffing. Thinking about it, all the bad going does is to make it more of an even match (blades +5 down 2 for the bad going, shooters +3 vs foot), and if you can get some flanks like my opponent managed then the bravery can pay off.

May be in my own naive little way I did not expect them to come in and get me, but since he'd worked out I had no lurkers and was never going to bring my knights in to support in case he turned on them then it was a safe option for him.

Alan Saunders writes:
Watch out for enemy aerials if you enter bad going. You only get a +3 factor against them, but are also at -2 in bad going. An enemy airboat will be at +5 to your +1 which is generally going to hurt. Beasts will also give you a hard time. So be wary of pushing your blades into the rough.

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