"Scots pikes don't skirmish?" Topic

Hi all. Working on matched armies for Scottish wars of Edward I/II

Planning on some pike armed scots for big set piece battle, but those same figures probably can't be used for small skirmishes/border raids correct?

I'd think a pike armed schiltron would only work when you had a whole mess of guys packed close together. For a skirmish (say Lion Rampant) with a few dozen individuals per side I'd assume both English and Scots would use identical gear (spears, swords, maces, axes, some bows) with nary a long pike in sight.

Are my assumptions correct?

Lance or long spear is an essential weapon in Border Reiving.

Not likely used in a schiltron, but a very long pointy stick is very useful when skirmishing against someone on horseback, or defending a stairway, and many other circumstance where you jut want to poke somebody with a long pointy stick.

Pikes can be used singly, until the opponent gets past the point. Skirmish rules should handle that. A simple method is to assume that "longest attacks first". If longest doesn't drive back (at the very least), then the shorter weapon gets "inside" and has the advantage unless, or until, the longer weapon can reestablish range advantage….

If for Lion Rampant it just becomes a spear.

Pointy sticks? Harharhar. Don't make me laugh!

I imagine that pikemen would, if possible, replace their long weapon for something more convenient when foraging / patrolling / bothering the locals – even if it was simply to go with their own side weapon alone.

After all, in WWII the mortar crew didn't get out of sentry duty because they couldn't carry the base of a 3" mortar along with them.

If memory serves the schiltrons at the time of the Wars of Independence used long spears not pikes. The pikes were introduced from the Continent shortly before Flodden in the 15th Century after the success of the Flemish fighting the Burgundians.

John

Correct in initial supposition JSears. Big battles were few and far between – almost all the fighting was done by small units of mounted men-at-arms ('knights' in DBA) so what you need is early HYW armoured cavalry for both sides. The army lists for Lion Rampant are best ignored – at least for Scottish and English forces.