There is no table for Mounted vs Afoot, in the Unit Battle Roll (page 241-242).

Is it assumed that mounted units can always disengage from afoot units, without a roll?


Can they also do all the other options under a critical success on the Mounted vs Mounted, or Afoot vs Afoot table? If that is the case.

Or are you meant to use the Afoot vs Mounted table? This seems a little odd as it makes it harder for mounted units to disengage.

I definitely wouldn't use afoot-mounted, since it is the opposite of how things should go, as you noted.

However, the previous enemy type doesn't matter, as far as I can see. Instead, if you fail your unit commander Battle roll, you will BE ENGAGED by an enemy unit, which can be a totally different unit. You don't know if they are on foot or not until later, when the engaging unit is determined by the GM, which is why the 4th edition didn't specify mounted-mounted, afoot-afoot, and afoot-mounted. Just mounted and afoot, focusing on the PK's situation. I don't know why this changed in 5th edition; surely a knight on foot would be a prize target for capture!

If the engaging unit is afoot, it doesn't matter; they are already engaging you and you have to fight! Maybe they managed to flank you while you were focusing on the previous enemy or something.

Example:
2nd round: Battle skill succeeds. Choosing to engage some enemies. GM rolls random enemy unit: some footmen.
3rd round: Battle skill fails. GM declares that you are engaged and rolls a new enemy unit: knights. Sure, you managed to pull away from the footmen, but in doing so, you became a target for the enemy knights! Fight!

I think this serves the chaos of battle better, than allowing the PKs a 'guaranteed' retreat from a scuffle with infantry.