Fast Pike - Wave Goodbye to the 'Bamboo Freight Train'!

A while ago I said I'd present an alternative/fix for Fast Pike - 3Pk.

Why now? It just came up *again* in another thread. So...

What's wrong with Fast Pike? It seems to be a contradiction in terms, a class of fast moving men wielding pikes (or very long spears) in formations that can be as deep as a Macedonian phalanx. And it gets used to represent troops that did not fight that deeply.

I shudder when I see Far Eastern armies with 3Pk in them. Rear support available, each element representing 6-10 ranks of men according to the rules. And so we have the 'bamboo freight train'.

Chinese armies were usually structured around the system of 5's. Chinese formations were usually not more than 5 ranks deep.
Korean armies evolved in parallel with the Chinese, and apart from a few idiosyncrasies, were very similar.
Japanese armies evolved separately, adopting a more individualised style of warfare. As such, their formations were often more fluid, and even later during the Warring States period, Ashigaru formations with nagae-yari were usually not more than a handful of ranks deep.

So When I see 3Pk, I treat it this way:

Is it representing fast nimble troops with long spears but little or no shields, fighting in non-deep formations? If yes, then Ax(X) (see below). If no, then treat as either Sp, 4Pk or 7Hd.

Ax(X) = CF 3/4, -1 in Bad Going (due to their long spears being more of a hindrance than a benefit in such terrain). No rear support. Otherwise, as Fast Auxilia.

An alternative to this would be a Fast Spear class with similar stats.

But the above solution is how I treat them.