See here.

Change "Pike. If in 3+ ranks +2 vs any. If in 2 ranks +2 vs Cv, Cm, Ch and +1 vs others."
Change "Support files fighting pike except kiels do not downgrade the colour of the additional dice."

Army list change:  Pikes (except in Kiels) TuG size may be 8, 9 or 12.

The change to UG size and factors now gives the player the option to deploy pike UGs either three or four ranks deep.  The fourth rank is no longer an engaged base.  The change to supporting files encourages the player to protect the flanks of their pike UGs.

Edit:  Changed 3 ranks to 3+ ranks.

Is this for Impact or Melee or both

Both - see the proposed QRS on the website.

I think I quite like these proposed pike changes!
Current pikes are quite inefficient units (IMHO), and easing up on their depth requirements and allowing them to be bought in 9s should make them simultaneously more impactful and less hilariously agile.

I also appreciate the pikes' anti- cavalry claims capping off at +2. Should help make pikes launching charges against medium cavalry perhaps a little less incentivzed. XP

Overall I like this change, but suspect Pike may need a price decrease to balance the massive increase in deadliness not downgrading support is. I think the wider pike is good for changing pike gameplay which was way to mobile as well as incentivising getting quality troops 'into the sides' as they can throw straight dice without threat of losing bases.

similarly priced TUGs with other weapons will almost always be wider than a pike army. Meaning to not get outflanked, pike essentially have to fight against a wider opponent so at first blush the 'extra factors' will outweigh the pike factors. Adding in that getting an extra rank to a pike block to absorb casualties is even more inefficient from a width point of view.

Because pike units would now be three stands deep instead of four, this should do a lot to bring down the effective points cost of these units, and mitigate the narrowness of them.
(I usually run polearms in 8-stand units three wide, and this is generally a pretty workable unit width.)


A quick question related to pike depth:
Now that pikes can fight at full strength while three stands deep, will the Keil characteristic be permitted to function while the UG is four elements wide and three elements deep?

Good question, could be argued either way as the late medieval pike formations that get keil were rather deep.

Quote from: Doomsmile on September 22, 2025, 01:19:10 AMA quick question related to pike depth:
Now that pikes can fight at full strength while three stands deep, will the Keil characteristic be permitted to function while the UG is four elements wide and three elements deep?

No.  The requirement for the width of a pike TuG to count as a Kiel has NOT been changed.

Richard