Light Infantry

 All the information below is taken from Chainmail, except where noted:

LIGHT INFANTRY

Morale: 4 (and check for instability due to excess casualties at only 1/4 losses)

Move 9”, Charge 12", Missile Range –

Attacks: 

- in large-scale combat, melees as Light Foot (add an extra die if armed with pike or halberd);

- in individual combat, according to the weapon used.

Defense: 

- in large-scale combat, as Light Foot;

- in individual combat, according to the armor worn (usually none or leather armor, and possibly a shield).

Traits:

Pole Arm Defense: Infantry troops formed in a close-order formation with pole arms can only suffer frontal melee casualties from troops armed with weapons that have an equal or greater range. Example: a mounted knight armed with a lance could attack a Halberd formation, but he could not attack a formation of Pikes, which are longer than lances.

Point Cost (army creation): 1 (with pike, 2)

Light Infantry variants:

Skirmishers: Lightly armed and mobile infantry used for scouting, harassment, and missile combat rather than direct engagement in heavy melee.

Peasants: Behave as Peasants. Poorly equipped rural laborers pressed into temporary military service, typically lacking training, discipline, and the status of professional soldiers.

Catapult Crews: Specialized artillery teams trained to construct, maintain, and operate siege engines, requiring coordination and practical engineering knowledge rather than noble status.

Cannon Crews: Early gunpowder specialists responsible for handling and firing artillery pieces, a dangerous and increasingly valued role as firearms began to transform medieval warfare.

NOTE: Chainmail lists the following troops as examples of Light Infantry: "Missile troops, Swiss/Landsknechte*, Peasants, Crews". I intentionally left out ranged infantry and pike-armed mercenaries intend to give them their own entries. Here, I divided Crews into the two subtypes present in the game and added another category, Skirmisher, meant to represent a generic Light Footman that is not a Peasant, nor part of a Crew.