Thanks for your feedback. Will work with the crossbow classification then.

Keen to see the options for more infantry (interested to hear if you think integrated shooters would be more accurate than separate units of shooters - it feels like it would fit better to me, being interspersed with flailmen/halberdiers)?

Regarding fanatics - they had quite a reputation if you read some of the contemporary accounts. The main example that comes to mind is the defence of the palisades outside Prague during the Battle of Vitkov Hill. Famously one stockade was held by 26 men, 2 women and 1 young girl (against a pretty large force of several thousand dismounted knights assaulting along the length of the perimeter). They refused to retreat and fought to the last (the last defender was one of the women and they were described as religious zealots refusing to 'retire against the anti-Christ'). [Lutzow p.53]. These were most likely Taborites though (not citizens of Prague or such) - they formed a kind of supporting force that travelled with Ziska's troops and wagons. In this light, it might need to be a regrade option for one unit perhaps?

A very good overview of their battles was written by Count Lutzow, called The Hussite Wars (it is available free online). There are some Czech accounts too but hard to decipher - though their battle maps are very good.

Been building and testing my Hussite army, and doing a fair bit of research into it - actually hoping to write up a small campaign booklet with battle maps and scenarios - since there is so little detailed material out there, and mostly in Czech). A few things I've noticed:

Hussites were the first army to broadly use gunpowder as the 'mainstay' of their forces (after the looting of the Prague armouries in 1419). [Gunpowder weapons in other armies filled a more auxiliary role, while Hussites made it the core around which they built their force]. Pure number breakdowns don't make this clear as there were on average 2 handgunners per wagon, supported by an assortment of other shooters and polearms. However, they developed a reputation as the primary ranged 'hitting power' of Ziska's armies (what made them most feared). In addition, they had a significantly higher proportion of light artillery than other armies, mainly mounted on wagons, but with some free standing units too (heavier artillery tended to be free standing and were positioned on natural rises to fire over the wagons or palisades).

For this reason I would like to make the following recommendations (or perhaps special rules for historical refights) - would be keen to hear others' input too:
- Wagons be equipped with firearms or crossbows as their primary weapon.
- Every wagon unit 'must' include 1 regraded wagon with a light artillery piece, rather than just an option. It just doesn't feel very 'Hussite' without this.

In all other respects the new battlewagon rules are really well tailored to Hussite tactics, allowing new 'open' formations for cavalry to charge out from once an enemy has been weakened or driven back.

The other thing I'd like input on is the fact the lists don't allow for infantry equipped with crossbows and firearms (which are included in the Holy Roman Empire lists). Arguably the Hussites had more of these than the Germans (or certainly used them more effectively). In most cases these ranged troops hung back behind barricades and mainly played a role in siege battles. I would suggest that Hussite armies have the option to add them as integrated shooters rather than standalone troops though, as they were almost always interspersed with flail-armed troops (classed as polearms). They were also usually set up behind pavises or pallisades, except during counterattacks (when ranged weapons were discarded for hand-to-hand polearms).
Recommended stat changes to polearmsmen units: add integrated shooters as an option, with either crossbow or handguns. Could start with pavise or barricade, but this is discarded as soon as the unit moves.

The last change I'd want to put forward for consideration is more for flavour than anything else: Most Hussite forces often included large numbers of peasant volunteers who joined with pitchforks, flails, halberds, improvised weapons and such. These would have been a relatively poor, unprotected mob/horde, but would fight as fanatics (they included women and children and were known to fight to the last person rather than withdraw). They were mainly used in siege defense and to plug gaps in the line/support wagon lines under pressure or man barricades.
Id recommend they have the following stats: Tribal Loose / Poor / Unprotected / Polearm / Fanatic.

These are just some ideas I had - would be keen to hear from others with an interest in the period.

Quote from: mad lemmey on April 10, 2020, 09:03:30 PM
Hello and welcome 

Thanks - I was a lurker for too long 

Quote from: steads on April 11, 2020, 01:52:38 AM
They can according to the edited point 10

Ah - missed that detail. Awesome thanks. A few other Hussite army points but will post it in the army list section. Really like these changes.

Was wondering how to duplicate tactics in a Hussite army, and these clarifications work nicely. Switching to line to allow troops behind the wagons to charge out in pursuit of battered enemy works nicely. The only thing I would say, to allow for some historical cases, is to allow mounted and foot to move through wagons in line formation - the Hussites usually opened their wagon formations to allow cavalry to charge out and pursue  battered enemies.