Reply To: Does the historical period dictate the minimum and/or maximum size of a battle ?

[onlyonepinman 18062xp 2]

I am not a historical expert by any means but it would seem to me that the size of a battle is more likely to be determined by a number of factors, mobility being a big one. Low model count Skirmish games in historical periods are not strictly inaccurate but feel like they make less sense when you’re using heavily armoured Infantry. It’s entirely possible, even probable, that at most times in most if not all wars throughout history, that armies have sent out patrols and scouts and even raiding or forage parties and in heavily contested regions that these patrols would have inevitably encountered each other. Sometimes they may have avoided each other, probably more often than not in fact, but on occasion they would have fought and many of these small Skirmishes probably weren’t documented. However generally speaking even allowing for such engagements you would usually send lighter, mobile troops out on patrol, not your heavy foot sloggers.  So I don’t think the period in history necessarily dictates the size of a battle but I think it definitely influences the types of troops you might see in different sizes of engagement.