Ok, I dont fully understand this.

I've inflicted a MW on a mounted knight and have 3 friends in my unit. We want to capture that knight, so we enter extended phase.
We search for him and find him.
We are attacked by 4 fresh opponents.

First: How do I determine if opponent is still horsed (I dont know his horsemanship)?
If horsed, my friends fight an opponent each and I fight one but at half skill since I am also trying to grab the reins (at half horsemanship)?
Can I also order my squire to grab those reins (for that I had to have 'saved' a squire roll?) for me instead so that I can fight at full skill?
If unhorsed, I must dismount, grab body, fight (on foot and at -5 for being burdened?), drop body on horse and remount myself (horsemanship)?
Can I order my squire (that I 'saved') to grab that body instead and throw if over his own horse, hence fighting at full capacity and horsed??

Now if one of my friends also inflicts a MW during this extended phase, we also of course want to capture this new victim (greed, greed).
This means an exact repeat (with fresh opponents)?
This can continue long...

fg,
Thijs

bump

My musings:

If you inflict a MW, it's safe to assume the knight is slumped over helpless on his horse, protected by his companions (which is why you need to fight them).

Remember, if you take a MW, you can only continue to act for a number of rounds equal to remaining HP. The length of time a battle round takes is so long compared to normal melee, this is effectively zero.

Regarding the squire roll: It may be that getting the rains is too risky, and beyond what you'd normally ask a squire to do (since your job is to train and mentor them, not throw away their lives on getting you goodies).

However, if using the squire is acceptable, and you have one left, I'd say you could use your weapon skill at full, but can only make the squire roll if you win that exchange.

Your last question: yes, extended rounds can be extended a long time, so much so that you could end up disabling most of your own player-knights in a single turn, as they try to get new prisoners, or one of them gets unhorsed and they try to remount him, and as they do another gets unhorsed...

Knowing when to stop and say, enough (pace yourself), is an important skill to acquire in this system, and one I think many players will fail at in the beginning. And they may get frustrated, thinking this battle system is too dangerous, so it's important to give decent advice as a GM on helping them not get too carried away in the beginning.

Ok, I dont fully understand this.

I've inflicted a MW on a mounted knight and have 3 friends in my unit. We want to capture that knight, so we enter extended phase.
We search for him and find him.
We are attacked by 4 fresh opponents.

First: How do I determine if opponent is still horsed (I don't know his horsemanship)?
If horsed, my friends fight an opponent each and I fight one but at half skill since I am also trying to grab the reins (at half horsemanship)?


1. With a major wound, he is unconscious and unhorsed.
2. his MW = more or less his automatic knockdown, Horsemanship is irrelevant anyway.

Ignore possible damage from the fall--in fact, ignore all damage. As I say there, if the pcs capture a knight, don't make it a dead one.



Can I also order my squire to grab those reins (for that I had to have 'saved' a squire roll?) for me instead so that I can fight at full skill?


He is unhorsed.



If unhorsed, I must dismount, grab body, fight (on foot and at -5 for being burdened?), drop body on horse and remount myself (horsemanship)?

Yes. It is explicit on page 53

3. A knight must:
Dismount
Grab the Body
Live... &tc



Can I order my squire (that I 'saved') to grab that body instead and throw if over his own horse, hence fighting at full capacity and horsed??


Yes. Strictly by the rules: see page 50, surely loading a dead body is equivalent of other Success actions. So a successful Squire roll would be allowed, but a squie roll is the last thing you do. This is AFTER your player knights melee, at the end of the round. So it would be fight; declare the round over; attempt Squire roll.



Now if one of my friends also inflicts a MW during this extended phase, we also of course want to capture this new victim (greed, greed).
This means an exact repeat (with fresh opponents)?


Yes. But if you've nabbed your prisoner, you have already ended your round. You are gone.

I believe that is how the rules state it.



This can continue long...


Shorter than you think.
These fresh opponents might be cumulative, depending on the maneuver results for this (non-extended) round. I keep the players guessing.

More importantly: There is a whole battle ahead.

So before we see a set of modifiers for this, Play it.

Ok, we played it, a 2.5 hr battle vs Weak Defending Saxon (however you can leave that weak of).
After the battle my players turned into accountants on how to split the loot, who got what etc...

When they encountered an enemy hero, they slaughtered the bodyguard (all players were inspired and mounted that round) and the enemy hero ran.
However they were standing over 5 bodyguards who (according table) were worth no ransom, but since they were there anyway their chainmail armour was worth something...
So they threw all those bodies over their horses (all squires already having departed earlier with other earlier taken prisoners) and withdrew from the battle...
Given that the enemy hero had run (and so likely any remaining body guards as well) and they triumphed over the bodyguards, I didnt give them any opposition while loading those bodies (or should there have been another wave of bodyguards then?).
After the battle they sold the armor at half price and presented the naked prisoners to the Duke, to do with as he pleases.

Did I do this correct?

fg,
Thijs

Looks OK to me.

--g



Ok, we played it, a 2.5 hr battle vs Weak Defending Saxon (however you can leave that weak of).
After the battle my players turned into accountants on how to split the loot, who got what etc...

When they encountered an enemy hero, they slaughtered the bodyguard (all players were inspired and mounted that round) and the enemy hero ran.
However they were standing over 5 bodyguards who (according table) were worth no ransom, but since they were there anyway their chainmail armour was worth something...
So they threw all those bodies over their horses (all squires already having departed earlier with other earlier taken prisoners) and withdrew from the battle...
Given that the enemy hero had run (and so likely any remaining body guards as well) and they triumphed over the bodyguards, I didnt give them any opposition while loading those bodies (or should there have been another wave of bodyguards then?).
After the battle they sold the armor at half price and presented the naked prisoners to the Duke, to do with as he pleases.

Did I do this correct?

fg,
Thijs

Ok, we played it, a 2.5 hr battle vs Weak Defending Saxon (however you can leave that weak of).
After the battle my players turned into accountants on how to split the loot, who got what etc...

When they encountered an enemy hero, they slaughtered the bodyguard (all players were inspired and mounted that round) and the enemy hero ran.
However they were standing over 5 bodyguards who (according table) were worth no ransom, but since they were there anyway their chainmail armour was worth something...
So they threw all those bodies over their horses (all squires already having departed earlier with other earlier taken prisoners) and withdrew from the battle...
Given that the enemy hero had run (and so likely any remaining body guards as well) and they triumphed over the bodyguards, I didnt give them any opposition while loading those bodies (or should there have been another wave of bodyguards then?).
After the battle they sold the armor at half price and presented the naked prisoners to the Duke, to do with as he pleases.

Did I do this correct?

fg,
Thijs



Its of course up to individual gm's, but in the same instance i would probably give the bodyguards a small ransom as well. They are inferior to knights ( supposedly), but in their culture they are favored warriors, and a chieftain would probably want them back. I would suggest that the ransom be the same as a squire perhaps. This is just me of course, but i have fought bodyguards and many times they are very difficult ( or always should be!), so i think players should get a little bit of a reward! too generous?