Laurence asked:
>The pursuing squadron of Eygptian lt chariots then used their option of contacting the Hittitte General and Standard bearer, who had been lurking nearby, in heavy chariots. We allowed the option of a counter charge, as is our reading of the AoA amendment. As you may already be able to tell this is out first chariot vs chariot bash. The question is "If heavy chariots counter charge, do they get their automatic D3 hits?" The rule says that whilst counter-charging weapons count as if in charge, does this just count as kontos etc, or does the heavy chariot itself count as a 'weapon' in this case.<
I intended the rule to apply to chariots as well as 'true' cavalry, so both heavy and light chariots should get to counter-charge, as per the rule in AoA. Under such circumstances the heavy chariots would get their D3 extra hits.
As an aside, I'm intrigued by the use of heavy chariots in the Hittite army, as the chariots in the lists in AoA are all light chariots, all be it ones with higher toughness and lower movement rates than the Egyptian version to represent the sturdier construction needed to carry a three man crew. This reason for this covered in more detail in Nigel's book (which should be out in the summer), but in a nutshell, we think that the Hittite three man chariot was a transitional stage that led in time to the 'true' heavy chariots used by the Assyrians. On a more practical level, adopting this approach also means that the chariots in the Egyptian, Hittite and Assyrian armies each peform slightly differently, which makes for more interesting game play.
This said, counting Hittite chariots as heavy chariots is an equally valid interpratation of the historical records, though the points values of the models should be increased if you decide to count them as heavy chariots to cover the 'bonus' attacks they recieve.
Jervis