Your Army
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Forum Name: Historical Amusement
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URL: http://www.allempires.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=24881
Printed Date: 28-Apr-2024 at 18:45
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Topic: Your Army
Posted By: Darius of Parsa
Subject: Your Army
Date Posted: 17-Jul-2008 at 04:35
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These are just some things you may want to include listed randomly What would your army look like? How would you keep the moral of your troops at high levels? How would you prevent rebellion? What would your army wield in terms of weapons? What would your army be composed of? What tactics would you use as a general? Would you fight beside your army, if so what would you be wearing, what weapon would you be using, armour etc... How would the climate govern your army? How would you treat a recently conquered town? Logistics? Use these following "guidelines". -Choose an era and year you would be commanding in (Ancient, Medieval Ages, Napoleonic, Modern etc...) -Remember use weapons available at the time (you cannot have machine guns in the 1200s for example) -Choose a climate or location that you would like to be fighting in (Desert, mountainous terrain, rainforest's etc...) -Remember, armies are greatly influenced by the climate and surroundings -Use percentages when decribing what your army is composed of (70% Infantry, 30% Calvary [but much more specific]) -Be as specific as possible -Take your time (weeks if need be) Please ask me questions if you are confused (I know I did not explain it well). Alright this should be interesting... ------------- What is the officer problem? |
Replies:
Posted By: Darius of Parsa
Date Posted: 17-Jul-2008 at 13:57
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"My Army" Era: Ancient Year: 500 B.C Climate: Subtropics Army: Vague Army Composition: 15% Light Infantry 5% Heavy Infantry 40% Archers 30% Light Cavalry 10% Heavy Cavalry Light Infantry: 10% Spear Infantry 5% Curved Swordsmen Heavy Infantry: 3% Axe Infantry 2% Mace Infantry Archers: 40% Recurve Bowmen Light Cavalry: 12% Spear Calvary 10% Curved Sword Cavalry 5% Mace Cavalry 3% Chariots Heavy Cavalry: 5% Mace Cavalry 2.9% Scythe Chariots 2.0% Spear Cavalry 0.1% War Elephants Overview: Light Infantry: General Gear: Recurve bow, 3-4 Javelins, Spear Infantry: My spear infantry would be armed with a six foot spear and a large wicker shield. The front line infantry would receive full body wicker shields to protect themselves from the initial missile exchange. When entering close combat, a smaller wicker shield would be used. The greater mobility will give an infantryman, or in this case the spearman a greater edge against more heavily armoured troops. The spearmen would be positioned at the center, with the axe infantry providing cover from flank attacks on the sides. The infantryman would be protected by scale armour protecting the arms, chest, and neck. Curved Swordsmen: I would supply my curved sword infantry with extremely light and sharp swords swords. The fast succession of each swing would be hard to defend, even with a full body shield. The swordsman would be protected by scale armour protecting the arms, chest, and neck. Heavy Infantry: General Gear: Scale armour, Recurve bow Axe Infantry: The axe would be crafted similarly to a Sagaris. If the axe was double-edged, no shield would be needed or wanted as it would interfere with the warrior's ability to fight. However, if the axe was single edged, my axemen would wield a small wicker or leather shield, depending on what was available. The axemen would be placed on the spearmen's flanks and also behind the spearmen. The axemen would "fill in" any breaches in the line. Mace Infantry: As psychological weapon or a physical one, the mace is an awesome weapon. In my army the macemen are used to cut swaths in enemy formations and are used as a reserve. The macemen carry 3-4 javelins each. Archers: General Gear: Recurve bow, cane arrows Archers: The archers are one of the focal points of my army. The rain of arrows hitting the enemy causes them to charge in a hasty offensive. The missiles have the ability to totaly ruin the enemy's When the archer runs out of ammunition for his recurve bow, the archer can switch his bow for his spear or his sling, depending on what is needed at the time. If the front lines break and the infantry reserves are diminished, the archers can turn into light spearmen, without shields. Light Cavalry: General Gear: Scale armour peytrals, 3-4 javelins, recurve bow Spear Cavalry: My spear cavalry is used to take out routing enemy units. Because of the long lance, my spear cavalry can keep units such as swordsmen out of striking distance. My light cavalry is also used to take out heavier enemy cavalry units. Within my spear cavalry battalion I have a camel corp. Curved Sword Cavalry: My curved sword cavalry are the mass murdering robots of my army. The light armour and weapon of the unit makes it easy to dodge attacks and kill man after man with fast succession. The properties are similar to that of the curved sword infantry. Mace cavalry: The light mace cavalry wield longer maces than the mace infantry troops. The light mace cavalry has versatility. It can be used in normal light cavalry activities and has the capability as "acting" as heavy cavalry. Chariots: Light nimble chariots used to pepper the enemy with arrows or as a "taxi cab", transporting troops to the vulnerable spots of the infantry line. Heavy Cavalry: General Gear: 3-4 javelins, full horse barding, scale armour, recurve bow Mace Cavalry: The mace cavalry wield a long mace and a large shield. Guarding the flank of my army is my heavy mace cavalry. Once the two infantry lines engage the cavalry race around and encircle the enemy. With no means on escape besides death or route for the enemy, victory is mine. Scythe Chariots: Mobile meat cleavers glued to the wheels on a speedy chariot. Used to cut swaths in the enemy formations from the sides. Enemy moral will sure plummet as soon as they see the chariots. The chariot's riders include a rider and a shield bearer. Spear Cavalry: Armed with spears with a full set of armour barding. War Elephants: Wild elephants from the tropics are put unto the battlefield. The elephants have a thick metal amour plate, with only the eyes and underbelly exposed. A wooden tower sits upon every elephant's back. Heavy armoured archers and long pike men are placed inside. Mobile Wooden Towers: In my army I would have as many as 20 large mobile wooden towers, similar to a siege tower. Archers would be stationed on top. Along with the archers would be scouts viewing the battlefield. The scouts would report to an officer or general and the situation would be dealt with. Tactics and Dispositions: My light infantry would make up the main infantry line. The heavy infantry would take up arms on the light infantry's flanks. A portion of the light cavalry would be behind the infantry battle line. In case of the line breaking, the cavalry could rush forward and fill the gap. On the flanks would be the rest of the light cavalry and heavy cavalry. The chariots and elephants would also be on the outer flanks of my army. My army would be ordered to not engage in heavy hand-to-hand combat if possible. My composite archers would shower the enemy with arrows. All my combatants are armed with javelins and/or bows, the idea being that I kill as many of the enemy's men as possible before engaging their line. If I had 20,000 men, thats 20,000 arrows on one volley. If each archer has 60 arrows, 1,200,000 arrows could be hurling at the enemy over a period of four to six minutes. This would not only cause havoc among enemy ranks, but total decimation. Whoever was left after the rain of arrows would be wounded and/or their moral would be desecrated. When the enemy came within 100 yards, my army could fire their javelins (minimum of 3 javelins each). That is 60,000 javelins, if every man threw his share. 1,200,000 arrows and 60,000 javelins would due great damage to the enemy - before he ever got to swing his melee weapon. To counter more heavily armoured troops, I would use the opposite - light troops. Maneuverability and speed are of great importance to my army. My cavalry would do hit and run tactics, to minimize their exposure to attack, and minimize the enemy's ability to counter. My army would try to stay out of full scale engagements, but rather rely on skirmishes around the battlefield. I would also have my army practice skills such as the feigned retreat. I would use unconventional warfare tactics, cavalry raids on enemy farms, burning of important enemy granaries and store houses, and the destruction of the enemy enconomy by any means necessary. I would also stay away from confrontation or battles with the enemy if I could. Before going into battle I would send diplomats to talk the enemy into submission, if that did not work, I would force them. If I discovered that a soldier under my command was giving information to the enemy, I would lock him up in prison. The prison would be something like a tent surrounded by palisade walls. If my army was on the move, I would lock him up in a wagon. Depending on the crime, death would always be a consequence. ------------- What is the officer problem? |
Posted By: Count Belisarius
Date Posted: 25-Jul-2008 at 18:58
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My Sixth-Seventh Century A.D Byzantine Army, Overview: My army has one million men and women in it, Four hundred thousand of which are Cataphracts! (cue the evil laughter), ------------- 
Defenders of Ulthuan, Cult of Asuryan (57 Kills and counting) 
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, five thousand greek fire, hand sryinge operators, five thousand baleric slingers Twenty thousand crew, for my trebuchets, catapults and repeating ballistae, fifty thousand buecallarii one hundred thousand light cavalry which serve as horse archers/javineers/staff slingers, fifty thousand war elaphants twenty five thousand are heavily armored, twenty five are lightly armored or no have armor, and one hundred and fifty thousand scythed ballista chariots with armored horse teams and steel axles and wheels and,... drumroll... fifty helepoli and crew. and a bunch camp followers a.k.a cannon fodderPosted By: Sergeant113
Date Posted: 04-Aug-2008 at 18:31
How about which faction does it belong to, serving which purpose, against which adversary? Perhaps illustrate more on the logistic and discipline aspect of the army, how you feed them and treat them.
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Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 04-Aug-2008 at 19:14
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I would hate to be the supply officer for the above armys. Next to impossible to supply.
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Posted By: TheARRGH
Date Posted: 04-Aug-2008 at 23:53
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My Army: 50% Dedicated Engineers 50% Dedicated Medical Staff (Given the time period, this might be a bunch of shamans or something, but they'd be selected for their success rate) Shock infantry: These would be skilled and professional troops armed with halberds and pikes. In addition to these weapons, they would each have a short sword, and would have ovoid wood shields covered in metal so that when it was necessary to resist showers of arrows or projectiles, they could unsling them and create a shield wall. Their armor would be composed of padded cotton with slick feathers along the surface, with plates of light steel attached to defend vital areas. They would have simple rounded steel helmets. Light Infantry: The Longbow Archers would be armored with padded cotton, and would carry yew longbows, fifty arrows each, and one mace per combatant. The Spear Throwers would be armored with padded cotton with lacquered wooden slats, and would be armed with spear throwers, ten darts each, and one short-hafted axe plus a buckler per person. (the heavier armor and weaponry are due to the fact that their primary weapon--the spearthrower--has a relatively short effective range, meaning they might be forced to engage in close combat more than the archers would) The light cavalry would be armored with padded cotton, wooden slats, and a steel helm each. The horses would have small steel scales protecting vital areas, and feather fringes to foil darts and intimidate the enemy. Each cavalryman would be armed with a short recurved bow, twenty arrows, a battleaxe, and a light shield. Special Infantry: the Special Infantry would be trained scouts, assassins, and elite fighters. They would adopt light to heavy armor depending on their mission, and would carry weapons ranging from short swords up to halberds or longbows. they would be recruited from any segment of the army, but would be required to serve for a short time (or train, if there was no war going on) in every role. Their aptitude would be tested repeatedly, and while they would officially have specializations based on their highest-scoring areas, they would be required to be jacks-of-all-trades first--but by no means masters of none. Their final training exercise would be a struggle through rough terrain, outnumbered and surrounded by "enemies," and being finding it necessary to find food and water as well as fight. Officers: The officers would have the same uniform and weapons as whatever unit they commanded, but would have a single small but bright banner as a rallying point and identifier. Engineers: the Engineers would be armored as the spear-throwers and armed a short axe each (as well as their mattocks, adzes, etc.) Medical Staff: the Medical staff would be armored and armed in a similar manner to the engineers (except for the tools) and would carry a pack of bandages, a skin of wine (to disinfect), tweezers, a small package of herbs, needle, thread, and short sticks. These would serve as quick-acting medical supplies to stop bleeding, remove shards, and splint bones so that a soldier might survive long enough to be taken to proper medical facilities back at the camp. The medics would also be well-versed in shamanistic/spiritual rituals, and would thus serve as morale-raisers, chroniclers, counselors, and psychological warfare conductors. Like so far? ------------- Who is the great dragon whom the spirit will no longer call lord and god? "Thou shalt" is the name of the great dragon. But the spirit of the lion says, "I will." - Nietzsche |
Posted By: C.C.Benjamin
Date Posted: 04-Aug-2008 at 23:59
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Well, if I were given command of a large kingdom, access to a good supply of resources and cash, my army would end up tailored like this: Era: Ancient Climate: Europe Army Size: 50,000 men Vague Army Composition: 15,000 Heavy Infantry - Phalanx 10,000 Heavy Infantry - Maniples 7,000 Heavy Infantry - Shock Troops 7,000 Heavy Cavalry - Cataphracts 4,000 Light Cavalry - Lancers 7,000 Archers - Longbows (yes, they're ancient!) Overview: For starters, my little kingdom would be entirely devoted to supporting my army. This would be it's entire purpose, the populace utterly brainwashed to think that rampaging hordes of barbarians are ripe to sweep down over them and rape their sheep, steal their houses and burn their women. The healthy, firstborn male of each household would be willingly given to the state, to become part of the warrior caste my army is comprised of. This will be a great honour, and secure tax benefits for the family, and probably a one-time cash payment of some kind. It will also give a level of prestige - perhaps invitations to any triumph schindigs I throw after my amazing conquests. These men will then be trained non-stop, until maturity, in one of the specialised areas of my unit. There will be room for promotion to other aspects of the army, dependant on displayed skill. Their loyalty is bought with the promise of early retirement at 45, and an automatic plot of land/fief in any lands they help conquer, as well as cuts of the loot on regular occasions. They will also be the warrior elite of my society, and thus have the highest privelige, and most important members of it. Because of my constant indoctrination of the barbarian threat, my peasants will be more than happy to work like dogs to pay for their protection by my grand army. Morale amongst my subjects will be high because of the number of barbarian heads I'd send back to appease the gods. I would not have slaves. The populous are all free, but unable to own land, as that is reserved for my army veterans, this being the main privilege of being a warrior. They will be expected to simply manage the land and train new recruits (not simply their own sons, but the firstborns from each family). Not all of these will be warriors, many will be military engineers, medics, scouts, etc, all the things an army needs to continue. All other population will be devoted to the economy and management of my kingdom. Breeding will also be popular, because I'll need a lot of men. Before I build an army, I want things working right. Phalanx: General Gear: Large hoplon-style shield, very heavy armour (preferably breastplate, helm, greaves, mail, the works). Long spears for the phalanx, short stabbing swords for when they get too close. Training: A standard solid phalanx, hold the line and advance steadily in the center of my army. These guys aren't going anywhere. Maniples: General Gear: Mail, breastplate, large Roman-style shield, hand axe/mace. Training: These are the flexible flanks, designed to push the enemy wings back and envelope the enemy force. They are trained to push forward as a solid unit, hacking and smashing through opponent armour to force them into an envelopment, while simultaneously being hard enough to act as main infantry. Since they are in flexible maniples, they are designed to disperse and reform quickly, to act as a screen for the Shock Troops. Shock Troops: General Gear: Heavy mail, halberd-type weapon. Training: These are the heavy-hitters, designed to advance behind the Maniples and then attack from around the sides when the enemy are engaged, for maximum chaos. They are also trained to form a spearwall for when approached by enemy cavalry, to protect the flanks. Cataphracts: General Gear: Heavy armour, barding, longspear, spatha-type sword, large shield. Training: Charge hard around the edges of the Maniples/Shock Troops to engage with the enemy cavalry first, these men will be specially trained to engage enemy cavalry. They will carry three spears, trained initially to charge their horses to bring them down as soon as possible, then slash their mounts to unhorse them. They will then proceed to do the good-ol' heavy cavalry charge into the rear of the enemy, as the Maniples and Shock Troops hit the enemy flanks. Lancers: General Gear: mail, longspear, mace, shield. Training: The same deal as the Cataphracts, but quicker. As the Cataphracts engage the enemy cavalry, they wheel around behind it and charge them from the rear. Also useful for chasing down sodding horse archers and routing archer formations. Longbowmen: General Gear: Longbow, mail, mace, as many arrows as I can feasibly get them to carry. Training: Long-range fire, to prevent a dug-in archer position from being a massive advantage, and to pour down fire on heavy infantry before engagement. Trained to fire in single burst volleys to maximise their effect. That's right, no fancy chariots, no gay-arsed horse archers, just 100% meatgrinders. ------------- Know thyself |
Posted By: pikeshot1600
Date Posted: 05-Aug-2008 at 01:27
Some of the comments are amusing.
Logistics would consist of plunder and requisition.
Medical staff:
 Discipline: As up until the late 17th century, implemented by wholesale corporal punishment and by capital executions.
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Posted By: TheARRGH
Date Posted: 05-Aug-2008 at 05:01
...I think most of us are not including logistics because it's a thread about what you'd want as your ARMY. Not your army plus your vast number of camp followers, supply trains,etc. Also: Don't laugh at medical staff. Just because doctors were laughable during the dark ages in Europe doesn't mean there was no such thing as a competent medical official anywhere else. ------------- Who is the great dragon whom the spirit will no longer call lord and god? "Thou shalt" is the name of the great dragon. But the spirit of the lion says, "I will." - Nietzsche |
Posted By: Darius of Parsa
Date Posted: 05-Aug-2008 at 05:25
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Of course you should include logistics, supply trains, concubines, etc.
------------- What is the officer problem? |
Posted By: TheARRGH
Date Posted: 05-Aug-2008 at 05:48
Well, then. I stand corrected. Pardon me, I'm not particularly good at logistical concerns; tell me, if I'm assuming I have about 10,000 fighting men total, (same percentages I already posted) then how large might the logistics train be? I'm just looking for a general, historically accurate proportion. Also: MMMMMMMMMConcubines.  ------------- Who is the great dragon whom the spirit will no longer call lord and god? "Thou shalt" is the name of the great dragon. But the spirit of the lion says, "I will." - Nietzsche |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 05-Aug-2008 at 07:18
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If this is a "dream army" thread, the heres mine.
50,000 Harry Potters armed with a Phoneix cored wand (or whatever stick he used). Invincble!
If its a realistic force to be built up, then yes I need to be very very very bothered about logistics, because without them I ain't going anywhere. ------------- |
Posted By: Count Belisarius
Date Posted: 05-Aug-2008 at 15:02
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An army of Jackie Chans and jet Li's would be invincible... You know that would make a good movie. -------------
Defenders of Ulthuan, Cult of Asuryan (57 Kills and counting)
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Posted By: Władysław Warnencz
Date Posted: 05-Aug-2008 at 15:09
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My army are 999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999 billions of mega giant invulnerable star wars death stars. ------------- |
Posted By: Darius of Parsa
Date Posted: 05-Aug-2008 at 15:37
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I tried hard to keep this from happening. Please do not ruin this thread with worthless comments.
------------- What is the officer problem? |
Posted By: C.C.Benjamin
Date Posted: 05-Aug-2008 at 15:38
I thought you did a good job too, great criteria. It's always hard to keep the pratts out... ------------- Know thyself |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 05-Aug-2008 at 16:13
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Well this "pratt" unreasonably feels that it is foolish to setup an army without the logistic support. If it is to even faintly resemble reality then you need to consider that very very closely. So some of the above ORBAT (10% spearmen, 5% archers, 3 % slingshots) are simply impossible. You try to minismise your logistic problems, not multiply them by having a highly hetrogenous army with troops equipped with different weapons which all need to be supllied and need different logistic plans.
Otherwise yeah Harry Potter is what I want in such a world.
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Posted By: TheARRGH
Date Posted: 05-Aug-2008 at 17:18
Entirely true. But I'm not really sure many of us here know nearly as much about the tools, numbers, and tactics used by logistics trains as we do about those used by the soldiers themselves... Is there any such thing as a really good book about logistics and supply? Because, personally, I'd rather not go off on a "this is what my army's logistics would be like" tangent without knowing any real bloody thing about logistics, besides "the logistics train/camp followers/etc. was often larger than the army" and "experts think about logistics, amateurs think about tactics." Neither of those help me to flesh out "My Army" particularly well. ------------- Who is the great dragon whom the spirit will no longer call lord and god? "Thou shalt" is the name of the great dragon. But the spirit of the lion says, "I will." - Nietzsche |
Posted By: conon394
Date Posted: 05-Aug-2008 at 17:56
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I would rather disagree you are telescoping the complexities of modern logistics backward onto ancient armies. In that having both slings and arrows is a definite tactical advantage the logistical load is minimal. The smiths with the army could no doubt fabricate either arrow heads or sling bullets the only supply difficulty is bronze and lead or just bronze… Overall, at best a minor supply addition not a multiplier. |
Posted By: Count Belisarius
Date Posted: 05-Aug-2008 at 19:09
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Darius I apoligize for the off topic Jackie Chan/Jet Li post. -------------
Defenders of Ulthuan, Cult of Asuryan (57 Kills and counting)
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Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 05-Aug-2008 at 19:36
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The Arrrgh;
It really depends on the period, the terrain, the type of army. Too many variables to answer properly.
canon394;
True logistics back then were simpler, but even then generally most armys were equipped in reletivly standard ways. The manner of supply of archers and slingshot men are different, the procedures for fabricating are completely different, for spears you need wood and tips of a different type than arrows. Unless the equipment is standadised its very unlikely they can sustain a campiagn for long. THough I'll accept that in many cases it was only for a few battles that an army was raised.
Also, you should add engineers, sappers and scouts to the ORBAT. ------------- |
Posted By: Seko
Date Posted: 05-Aug-2008 at 19:53
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My army would consist of:
3 Spinosaurs
1 underwater sub known as a Megalodon
1000 Samaurai
5000 klibanophoroi
3,986 computer geeks with enough twinkies to keep pressing the appropriate buttons for hours while taking orders from 9 toughness five dragon princes.
This army would be led by one of history's most notorious Count. ------------- |
Posted By: C.C.Benjamin
Date Posted: 05-Aug-2008 at 20:16
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Yawn...it wasn't funny when the first person did it.
------------- Know thyself |
Posted By: TheARRGH
Date Posted: 05-Aug-2008 at 21:28
It's always funny when the administrator does it. I'm liking the use of megalodon, seko. Did you see the article about their bite strength? http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7540835.stm - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7540835.stm ------------- Who is the great dragon whom the spirit will no longer call lord and god? "Thou shalt" is the name of the great dragon. But the spirit of the lion says, "I will." - Nietzsche |
Posted By: Count Belisarius
Date Posted: 05-Aug-2008 at 22:16
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Cool list Seko, What about some Roman legionnaire's? -------------
Defenders of Ulthuan, Cult of Asuryan (57 Kills and counting)
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Posted By: Seko
Date Posted: 05-Aug-2008 at 22:18
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Those darn admins are some of the biggest trolls too.
When my sub has a biting force of 10-18 tonnes...well that pretty much takes the cake as the coolest navy around.
Ok, I'm sure some of you want me outta here with my twisted and senseless humour. I'll leave this innocent thread in peace. Just one parting phrase: Long live the megalodon! ------------- |
Posted By: TheARRGH
Date Posted: 05-Aug-2008 at 22:21
...CHOCULA?!!  @Sparten: I'm assuming Pacific/Northwest sort of climate and terrain. But that's mostly moot; My real question is more in the area of "where can I go/what should I read to get a better idea of the various fiddly details of logistics?" ------------- Who is the great dragon whom the spirit will no longer call lord and god? "Thou shalt" is the name of the great dragon. But the spirit of the lion says, "I will." - Nietzsche |
Posted By: C.C.Benjamin
Date Posted: 05-Aug-2008 at 23:50
No, that makes it less funny. As a position of power, "message board administrator" ranks pretty low, I'm surprised you'd need to arse-kiss. ------------- Know thyself |
Posted By: TheARRGH
Date Posted: 05-Aug-2008 at 23:52
I'm surprised you didn't realize I was joking. ------------- Who is the great dragon whom the spirit will no longer call lord and god? "Thou shalt" is the name of the great dragon. But the spirit of the lion says, "I will." - Nietzsche |
Posted By: Count Belisarius
Date Posted: 06-Aug-2008 at 00:37
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Hey the thread is about your army not jokes. I don't think Darius appreciates this. -------------
Defenders of Ulthuan, Cult of Asuryan (57 Kills and counting)
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Posted By: Darius of Parsa
Date Posted: 06-Aug-2008 at 00:40
Very true. ------------- What is the officer problem? |
Posted By: TheARRGH
Date Posted: 06-Aug-2008 at 01:19
My apologies, Darius. ...Personally, I'm still trying to figure something out about logistics, because while I'd like to flesh out the whole "army" theme, I'm not really able to do so without knowing more about..well..how armies were/are supplied. However... I'm intrigued as to what made you pick maces as a highly featured weapon in your army. They're definitely easy to make and can be hard-hitting, but they don't seem like the most effective military weapon if you're in a close-ranked formation. ...Then again, that's what they always say about axes... ------------- Who is the great dragon whom the spirit will no longer call lord and god? "Thou shalt" is the name of the great dragon. But the spirit of the lion says, "I will." - Nietzsche |
Posted By: Darius of Parsa
Date Posted: 06-Aug-2008 at 01:37
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Well...It comes down to my tactics. Most of my army is lightly armoured, perfect for surrounding and overwhelming heavier close-ranked formations. Maces and axes can be used to cut paths into enemy formations, allowing lighter troops to follow, such as my curved-sword infantry. Maces as you said, are hard-hitting, capable of breaking skulls in one blow. ------------- What is the officer problem? |
Posted By: Seko
Date Posted: 06-Aug-2008 at 02:00
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I'm glad you guys worked out some of your sensitivities. I wouldn't want to get in the way of a fine truce. I do have something pertinent to say though. We appreciate the opening of new topics and tend to support them in general. However, there is no rule that says the one who opens a thread owns it. The threads are for all members to participate in and it is our duty as staff members to monitor them. Threads tend to veer off the original topic and when they do we trust you, the membership, will bring things back on track, which you successfully have done here. If and when the staff do go off on tangents, sometimes being funny and sometimes not, then bear with us. We like to act silly too at times, even 'message board administrators'. Oh, and by the way, a little brown nosing never did hurt!
Continue with the discussion. ------------- |
Posted By: Darius of Parsa
Date Posted: 06-Aug-2008 at 02:03
These are just things you "may" include. You do not have to go into logistics if you do not want to, totally your choice. ------------- What is the officer problem? |
Posted By: TheARRGH
Date Posted: 06-Aug-2008 at 04:26
True, but from what I understand, maces require more of a wind-up than an axe or something similar--for the simple reason that a mace has to rely on blunt force, while an edged weapon focuses whatever force there is to a point. That's why axes were so widely used (besides the ease with which an axe could be made): they are weapons which hit with significant force, but can be light and quick and, often, don't require a large swing in order to be effective--because your force is amplified/focused by the edge. Then again, maces are a LOT cheaper, and they were used quite a bit--so maybe I'm just being nitpicky. Plus, I have to admit a slight bias: I like axes. As you can see from my army. Still, I do feel that maces are a little limiting...they're like warclubs, you need a looser formation and room to swing, and that can be problematic. ------------- Who is the great dragon whom the spirit will no longer call lord and god? "Thou shalt" is the name of the great dragon. But the spirit of the lion says, "I will." - Nietzsche |
Posted By: Darius of Parsa
Date Posted: 06-Aug-2008 at 04:42
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True. But I am quite fond of loose formations. The trauma dealt by a mace would be devastating. Although it does not have the cutting power, it does have the kinetic energy needed to cause great damage. Mace cavalry use longer maces to cleave down enemy infantry. The Egyptians and Persians were both great users of the mace and used it to win many of their battles. ------------- What is the officer problem? |
Posted By: TheARRGH
Date Posted: 06-Aug-2008 at 04:57
Well, far be it from me to cast aspersions on a formula that worked. then again, the Persians had a lot of cavalry--the mace tends to work better for cav than for the humble men-at-arms on their own two feet. And...no offense to the Egyptians, but they were not that terribly impressive a military power. they won quite a lot, but not against the Persians, Macedonians, and many conquerors after. I wouldn't blame that on a use of Maces--tactics, training, and logistics matter much more than just weaponry. But they may not be the best role models as far as a choice of equipment. ------------- Who is the great dragon whom the spirit will no longer call lord and god? "Thou shalt" is the name of the great dragon. But the spirit of the lion says, "I will." - Nietzsche |
Posted By: Darius of Parsa
Date Posted: 06-Aug-2008 at 05:11
They did have great victories against other peoples, such as the Libyans, Nubians, Canaanites, Hittites, Mitanni, Assyrians, Babylonians and a list of other peoples and nations. To call the Egyptians a non-impressive military force is blaspheme in my opinion. At the time of Cambyses, the Persians recognized Egypt one of the last remaining "big threats" of the ancient world. ------------- What is the officer problem? |
Posted By: TheARRGH
Date Posted: 06-Aug-2008 at 05:19
I guess you're right...I suppose I'm just taking the wrong perspective here. I'm probably thinking a little bit too much about "military might" as defined by the Romans and so forth... I need to learn more about the military capacities of Middle Eastern states...about the only ones I know anything about in that area were the Persians (and Sassanids and Parthians), and the Hittites. I had no idea they were so highly regarded by the Persians. ------------- Who is the great dragon whom the spirit will no longer call lord and god? "Thou shalt" is the name of the great dragon. But the spirit of the lion says, "I will." - Nietzsche |
Posted By: Darius of Parsa
Date Posted: 06-Aug-2008 at 05:28
|
The Egyptian navy was one of the three best navies, according to the
Persians. The Egyptian, Phoenician, and Ionian navies were considered
top-notch. The navy is what brought many coastal cities on the Mediterranean and Aegean under Persian control. The Persian navy nearly brought mainland Greece to their knees. Not only were they good fighters, but they were also good doctors. Egyptian herbalists and doctors were brought along on military campaigns as well. ------------- What is the officer problem? |
Posted By: TheARRGH
Date Posted: 06-Aug-2008 at 05:33
Well, at least I'm not completely ignorant of Egyptian military matters; I knew about the doctors. What does it say about the European dark ages that people hundreds of years ago were better healers? Wasn't the typical kit for an Egyptian soldier something like Wicker Shield, spear and/or mace, and kilt? I'm trying to remember--I seem to recall it being something like that. ------------- Who is the great dragon whom the spirit will no longer call lord and god? "Thou shalt" is the name of the great dragon. But the spirit of the lion says, "I will." - Nietzsche |
Posted By: Darius of Parsa
Date Posted: 06-Aug-2008 at 05:39
|
Old Kingdom soldiers were equipped with a variety of weapons including knives/daggers, maces, spears, and bows. Leather shields were quite popular during the era. During the 19th dynasty the Egyptians had a combination of scale, leather, and cloth armour. Charioteers often wore scale armour. The Egyptians tended to take what other nations had. One example is the adoption of the composite bow when the Hyksos began to supply them in their armies. The navy became increasingly important during the Middle Kingdom. During the New Kingdom, Egypt had a strong enough military to defend itself against the sea-peoples and other tribes along their borders. Kilts were popular among the region. I read a good book about the 18th dynasty military but I forgot what it was called... ------------- What is the officer problem? |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 06-Aug-2008 at 06:32
|
Heres a good link on the logistics of ancient states. http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/gabrmetz/gabr000a.htm - http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/gabrmetz/gabr000a.htm ------------- |
Posted By: conon394
Date Posted: 06-Aug-2008 at 16:07
|
I’d say you are still vastly overstating the logistical issues involved. A slinger needs what a sling and either rocks or lead bullets. Casting lead is hardly difficult, I really doubt that any competent blacksmith otherwise attacked to an ancient army with the job or making repairing all types of weapons could not do it – frankly it was likely an apprentice’s job. For spears or javelins of any type in say the Hellenistic world the preferred wood was ash or cornel so again are you really suggesting a wood worker not fabricate rods of different lengths and sizes of poles. Overall big invasions in the Ancient world oven featured a fairly heterogonous mix of troops - take Alexander’s initial invasion force or the Athenian army sent to Syracuse. Alexander’s army offers and even better point since even it’s most nominally standard units the Macedonian cavalry and infantry – used completely different arms at different times – javelins, lances, sarissa, spears etc… Also one should not underestimate the simple fact that ‘living of the land’ in the ancient world could likely provide very many if not most of armies needs – not just food. By contrast one is probably not likely to find Main battle tank parts laying around in a farm…. |
Posted By: C.C.Benjamin
Date Posted: 06-Aug-2008 at 17:00
|
Good points, I imagine an army would have been able to comandeer any smithy to make necessary repairs.
------------- Know thyself |
Posted By: TheARRGH
Date Posted: 06-Aug-2008 at 17:47
No offense, but how many smithies--let alone smithies large enough to deal with the demands of an ARMY--do you think you'd find? Smithies are generally in cities. You really don't want to have to lay siege to every town along the way just to get your chariot axles repaired and your weapons restocked. Or just to get food, especially if the enemy army is burning farm fields and fortifying towns. Hence, supply lines. Admittedly, armies were often rather heterogeneous, because you NEED more than just one weapon set and armor set to defeat an opponent-you need a level of versatility. But at the same time, you want things as simple as possible while retaining that versatility, because while making a few spear shafts is not too hard, we're talking THOUSANDS. Supplying two dudes out for a walk through difficult terrain is easy. Supplying an ARMY with widely varying different kinds of equipment, each piece of which might take hours, days, or sometimes months to make is anything BUT easy. Not trying to tear down your views here, but you need to understand how much of an ungodly nightmare supplying an army could be. There's nothing easy about it at all--hence the saying about experts studying logistics rather than tactics. ------------- Who is the great dragon whom the spirit will no longer call lord and god? "Thou shalt" is the name of the great dragon. But the spirit of the lion says, "I will." - Nietzsche |
Posted By: Count Belisarius
Date Posted: 06-Aug-2008 at 18:05
|
Very true. Can you imagine supplying Xerxes' army? -------------
Defenders of Ulthuan, Cult of Asuryan (57 Kills and counting)
|
Posted By: TheARRGH
Date Posted: 06-Aug-2008 at 21:29
I can imagine gigantic supply trains made of hundreds of thousands combined with inefficiency, imprecision, bureaucracy, complexity, misunderstandings, and sad attempts to "live off the land," coupled with massive fleets (since water would have been the best way of resupplying, at least until Themistocles' "wall of wood" managed to stop total Persian naval supremacy). However, I'm rather glad I wasn't there to participate. ------------- Who is the great dragon whom the spirit will no longer call lord and god? "Thou shalt" is the name of the great dragon. But the spirit of the lion says, "I will." - Nietzsche |
Posted By: conon394
Date Posted: 06-Aug-2008 at 22:30
|
Have you ever been on a farm lots of tools needed there you know? Some army needs certainly required specialist, but most I think did not. The question is how many specialized weapons smiths would any army need vs. just competent smiths? Fabricating arrow heads and casting led balls is hardly complex metal work – we are not talking about making catapult bits or producing a sword of Toledo steel. Again the how often did the enemy burn fields or drag every last thing into a city? For example the Persians satraps explicitly rejected that advice when Alexander invaded…
The problem is we here none of that appears in the historical accounts; just that the Persians seem to have efficiently supplied their diverse army. |
Posted By: TheARRGH
Date Posted: 06-Aug-2008 at 23:33
Well, "efficiency" is a tricky term to use for such a huge undertaking. "Successfully" might be a better descriptor. About your point on specialists vs. general smiths; yes, it's true. casting lead balls and so forth is not too terribly hard. Still, what it is is BIG. It's an ARMY'S lead balls. (no humor intended). if you have six hundred slingers total, and in the previous battle each one used about ten sling bullets, congratulations. You are sticking around for quite a while while your smiths cast 6000 lead sling bullets. You CAN pick up stones, but they have to be just the right kind of stones, so that the shots are more or less accurate and forceful; imagine searching all over for six thousand of the right size and shape of rock. And even if you could, you'd be a sitting duck while you're doing it. Arrows are even harder. It's not JUST arrowheads; you have to strip the right kind of branch from the right kind of tree, trim it, attach the feathers (which is an entire profession; haven't you heard of fletching?), attach the head--which is harder to make than a sling bullet, and can be very oddly shaped based upon what the head is FOR, because there are different kinds of arrowheads--and then you have to go over it making sure there are no imperfections. Now imagine doing that thousands of times. Supplying an army is really, REALLY hard. Now add to that repairing any machinery, reshoeing horses, replacing/repairing bits, bridles, stirrups, barding, breastplates, mail, helmets, weapons, tools, utensils and everything else; PLUS supplying enough food, water, and possibly entertainment for thousands of individuals to travel across rough terrain under hostile fire on without falling down from fatigue, thirst, starvation, heatsroke, etc. If that mental image doesn't seem difficult to you, get your glasses checked. ------------- Who is the great dragon whom the spirit will no longer call lord and god? "Thou shalt" is the name of the great dragon. But the spirit of the lion says, "I will." - Nietzsche |
Posted By: xi_tujue
Date Posted: 07-Aug-2008 at 12:29
|
"My Army"
Era: Middle Ages Year: 700 AD Climate: all arround Army: The Black Horde Vague Army Composition: 60% Main Army 30% Tribal warriors 10% volenteers Light Infantry: 12% of Total Volunteers (mostly as meat shields) The volunteers will be armed by the Horde they can choose between a short sword & wooden shield, spears or an one-handed axe & shield (these weapons are of lesser quality and easy to supply), but no armor. The volunteers are free to keep the weapons and armor of the men they have killed. Scouts: The scouts aren’t a part of the actual fighting army but for Reconnaissance missions, ambushes & espionage, etc… The scouts are armed with various daggers & blades for close combat purposes. They’re also armed with small light composed recurved bows. There armor consists of leather armor with steel plates for maximum mobility. Note: scouts are only used for close range Reconnaissance or espionage in cities. A scout unit consists of 7 scouts, 6 scouts and 1 captain scout Heavy Infantry: 30% of Total 40% Local Tribal warriors The Tribal warriors are minimally used in the battle it’s self due to loyalty issues. Their role in the battle is the pre-battle raids on the enemy. The Tribal’s are paid with Booty & can keep what the pillage in the Raids on villages. The local Tribesmen fight for ‘status’ smaller tribes who want to climb in the ‘food chain’ 60% The Hordes infantry is divided in several sections by weight. • 50% Swordsmen, spearmen, pole arms, etc… (lighter armored) • 30% Two-handed axmen (medium armored) • 10% ‘crushers’ super heavy armored, heavily armed with maces, war hammers, axes (all weapons witch use brute force to smash) • 10% crossbowmen: initial infantry attack. The ‘Crushers’ & axmen who are supported by swordsmen do Main assault. The spearmen, pole arms & crossbowmen do the defense of the flanks. Light Cavalry: 23% of total 60% Mounted Archers armed with composite recurved bows & a huge supply of arrows, wooden shields to protect their backs & sabers. No armor. 30% light spear cavalry armed with spears (lances), bows, shields & sabers. Main role is to protect mounted archers. Leather armor the light cavalary are composed of Tribal warriors who fight for booty 10% raiders: initial raids before the battle together with the tribal warriors. Long distance Reconnaissance. Some equipment as the light spear cavalry Heavy Cavalry: 35% of Total army 80% Main army’s heavy cavalry • 50% Lancers: Chain armor with metal plates, armed with lances & sabers. Initial heavy cavalry charge with lances. • 25% ‘fauchards’ or other type of pole arm. Same armor as lancer. Armed with staff weapon & saber • 25% Mace cavalry: same armor as the lancer only armed with multiple maces 2 handed & 1 handed. 20% tribal warriors size & tactics change over periods and are classified  ------------- I rather be a nomadic barbarian than a sedentary savage |
Posted By: TheARRGH
Date Posted: 08-Aug-2008 at 00:06
|
Sounds fun...but it looks like you don't have a lot of siege-type soldiers here--cavalry and powerful infantry, but no sappers, engies, medics, etc. Preliminary raids would help you a lot, and if you can't achieve that crucial softening-up of the enemy beforehand, all they have to do is lock their gates and wait--and if the tribal warriors revolted... ------------- Who is the great dragon whom the spirit will no longer call lord and god? "Thou shalt" is the name of the great dragon. But the spirit of the lion says, "I will." - Nietzsche |
Posted By: Darius of Parsa
Date Posted: 08-Aug-2008 at 00:08
They generally have more kinetic energy than single handed axes. ------------- What is the officer problem? |
Posted By: TheARRGH
Date Posted: 08-Aug-2008 at 00:14
Which is what I remembered quickly after posting that, along with my love of two-handed axes, along with their general effectiveness as precursors to halberds. I was sort of out-of-it: I was thinking two-BLADED axes. Which were not terribly practical on a mass scale. ------------- Who is the great dragon whom the spirit will no longer call lord and god? "Thou shalt" is the name of the great dragon. But the spirit of the lion says, "I will." - Nietzsche |
Posted By: Darius of Parsa
Date Posted: 08-Aug-2008 at 05:21
|
To TheARRGH: I am intrigued about how you would go about battle. Mind adding more to your first post? Including some overviews about your formations, tactics, and about your engineers (what exactly would you order them to do). ------------- What is the officer problem? |
Posted By: TheARRGH
Date Posted: 08-Aug-2008 at 05:47
|
Certainly! Leaving aside logistics and concentrating on pure tactics... Assuming an open-field pitched battle, the shock troops would create wedged formations, consisting of alternating pikemen and halberdiers-halberdier, pike, then another halberdier, and so on. They would, however, create a shield-wall first and foremost, while approaching the enemy line (to defend against projectile volleys), and only lower shields to free space to wield their weapons once they were close enough to engage quickly. at this point, the lines would separate slightly--halberdiers in front, with pikemen striking between them from a longer distance away. The instant their chief weapons became stuck or blunted, they would engage with their short swords. The light infantry would advance along with the shock troopers, but in the centers (longbowmen) and flanks(spear-throwers) of their "V" shaped formations, supporting rather than engaging directly in combat. The longbowmen would fire in arced volleys over the heads of the shock troopers into the enemy, trying to hit the rear forces rather than striking directly at the front lines (since that would have the heaviest defense). The spearthrowers would take position on the flanks and hang back from the main lines, firing volleys of darts directly into enemy lines during the charge and engagement by the shock troopers. They would shore up holes in the line when needed, and watch over the flanks. The light cavalry would try to destroy enemy heavy cavalry and harass the enemy with volleys of arrows from the flanks and rear, trying to encircle the enemy infantry. The Special Infantry would function as scouts; engaging in pre-battle reconsaissance and destroying as many enemy recon teams as possible. During the battle, they would function as an elite guard unit not dissimilar to how the Varangian guard was used; charging in where the battle was hardest and functioning as elite shock infantry. However, if they were not needed at the main lines, they would guard the rear of the movement and prevent flanking or ambush by the enemy. The engineers would sap enemy fortifications, help build field fortifications, try to make the terrain easier to cross, and attempt to make the battlefield as favorable to my army as possible--stakes thrust into the ground to stop cavalry, raised berms, etc. The rest of the army would be CAPABLE of engineering tasks, but the dedicated core of engineers would make sure that everything was done as professionally as possible; sort of elite shock engineers, shall we say... many of the medics would accompany the units into battle, but hang back and remove wounded soldiers rather than engaging the enemy. Soldiers would be treated as effectively and quickly as possible, then transferred back to the safest location in the force for more effective medical care by the other medical staff. The engineers would not be all that much involved in the actual combat part, but since they would be armed and moderately trained in their weapons' use, they could function as a last-ditch reserve. The medics might do the same, if the situation was really grim. Officers would lead, rally, command, etc. Whatever it is officers do. Depending on the situation, the formations and tactics could be very different, but these are the basic methods of my army. (Not bad for someone who never really studies military strategy, eh? eh??) These tactics any good, or am I missing some huge overarching fact here? ------------- Who is the great dragon whom the spirit will no longer call lord and god? "Thou shalt" is the name of the great dragon. But the spirit of the lion says, "I will." - Nietzsche |
Posted By: Darius of Parsa
Date Posted: 08-Aug-2008 at 05:55
|
Awesome overview. Would you carry wood around in carts and wagons for building projects or would you have a team of men to cut trees on the spot? This could impact your battle plans correct? If you cut wood on the spot and the enemy was fast approaching you may not have time to create cavalry deterrents, defenses etc. If you brought chopped wood in carts then you could plant them much faster. But then you have to deal with the weight of the cart and the animals that have to pull it, oxen, horses, etc. And you have to maintain the cart itself and keep it in good shape. ------------- What is the officer problem? |
Posted By: TheARRGH
Date Posted: 08-Aug-2008 at 06:17
Depends on the situation. I'd use carts as long as I could get away with it. If it put too huge a drain my logistical capacity, I could always cut wood--but I'd depend on my reconnaissance staff to figure out how far away the enemy was. I'm assuming it's temperate terrain similar to parts of Britain or the northwest coast of North America, so trees probably wouldn't be in terribly short supply. ------------- Who is the great dragon whom the spirit will no longer call lord and god? "Thou shalt" is the name of the great dragon. But the spirit of the lion says, "I will." - Nietzsche |
Posted By: Darius of Parsa
Date Posted: 08-Aug-2008 at 06:22
|
Thanks for clearing that up. I'd want to continue the conversation but I have to go.
------------- What is the officer problem? |
Posted By: xi_tujue
Date Posted: 08-Aug-2008 at 08:16
600 AD most societies didn't have any or decent walls so it would just reduce the mobility of my army. as I said in my previous post the local warriors don't fight in the main war but are used for raiding and ambushes. ahh yes I forgot the medics well I 'll need some for the injured elite or main army because well the volunteers are expensible. just more prisinors of war  ------------- I rather be a nomadic barbarian than a sedentary savage |
Posted By: Darius of Parsa
Date Posted: 19-Aug-2008 at 03:16
Come on. You cannot have an army that is immune to the elements. How would your men be clothed? If you have a warm wool coat, you may not fight as well in hot climates, and if your naked you may freeze fighting in the highlands. ------------- What is the officer problem? |
Posted By: TheARRGH
Date Posted: 19-Aug-2008 at 05:06
...Um, Byzantium, Sassanid dynasty, and plenty more. Lots of small germanic or celtic cultures had (at the very least) hillforts, which while not exactly huge keeps, are definitely tricky to take with pure straight-combat infantry.
...But they're still there, and they could be convinced to turn against you if all you're using to weld them to you is the promise of booty and the threat of your army.
You have a valid point, but...no one is expendable. And any army that lets it's soldiers--any of them---get killed willy-nilly isn't an army I would imagine would last too long. ------------- Who is the great dragon whom the spirit will no longer call lord and god? "Thou shalt" is the name of the great dragon. But the spirit of the lion says, "I will." - Nietzsche |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 28-Aug-2008 at 01:12
|
(not serious) What would your army look like? ans: blue armour nine foot tall with up side down white omegas and verous bightly coulored shoulder pad trims How would you keep the moral of your troops at high levels? faith in the primaich and the god emporer How would you prevent rebellion? blitz krege lanched form ships in orbit What would your army wield in terms of weapons? fully automatic 2 stage mass reactive depleted uranium giro jets What would your army be composed of? 1000 super humans 100 of which are vetrens and traind in the use of tactical dreadnought armour, and 100 f which are scouts What tactics would you use as a general? what ever the codex ditates for the battle Would you fight beside your army, if so what would you be wearing, what weapon would you be using, armour etc... depends on the situation How would the climate govern your army? rain sleet snow, death would, vacume it is all covered in the codex How would you treat a recently conquered town? what town Logistics? lots of servitors serously not shour yet properly napolilonic |
Posted By: Darius of Parsa
Date Posted: 29-Sep-2008 at 03:42
What would you serious army be composed of? ------------- What is the officer problem? |
Posted By: Goblin Monkey
Date Posted: 18-Oct-2008 at 14:54
|
Futristic Era.It would be about 50 5 giant robots and 50% aliens. ------------- Is it just me or did your mom just wink at me? |
Posted By: Darius of Parsa
Date Posted: 16-Dec-2008 at 02:17
|
"My Army" -Updated Era: Ancient Year: 500 B.C Climate: Subtropics Army: Vague Army Composition: 15% Light Infantry 5% Heavy Infantry 40% Archers 30% Light Cavalry 10% Heavy Cavalry Light Infantry: 10% Spear Infantry 5% Curved Swordsmen Heavy Infantry: 3% Axe Infantry 2% Mace Infantry Archers: 40% Recurve Bowmen Light Cavalry: 12% Spear Calvary 10% Curved Sword Cavalry 5% Mace Cavalry 3% Chariots Heavy Cavalry: 5% Mace Cavalry 2.9% Scythe Chariots 2.0% Spear Cavalry 0.1% War Elephants Overview: Light Infantry: General Gear: Recurve bow, 3-4 Javelins, Spear Infantry: My spear infantry would be armed with a six foot spear and a large wicker shield. The front line infantry would receive full body wicker shields to protect themselves from the initial missile exchange. When entering close combat, a smaller wicker shield would be used. The greater mobility will give an infantryman, or in this case the spearman a greater edge against more heavily armoured troops. The spearmen would be positioned at the center, with the axe infantry providing cover from flank attacks on the sides. The infantryman would be protected by scale armour protecting the arms, chest, and neck. Curved Swordsmen: I would supply my curved sword infantry with extremely light and sharp swords swords. The fast succession of each swing would be hard to defend, even with a full body shield. The swordsman would be protected by scale armour protecting the arms, chest, and neck. Heavy Infantry: General Gear: Scale armour, Recurve bow Axe Infantry: The axe would be crafted similarly to a Sagaris. If the axe was double-edged, no shield would be needed or wanted as it would interfere with the warrior's ability to fight. However, if the axe was single edged, my axemen would wield a small wicker or leather shield, depending on what was available. The axemen would be placed on the spearmen's flanks and also behind the spearmen. The axemen would "fill in" any breaches in the line. Mace Infantry: As psychological weapon or a physical one, the mace is an awesome weapon. In my army the macemen are used to cut swaths in enemy formations and are used as a reserve. The macemen carry 3-4 javelins each. Archers: General Gear: Recurve bow, cane arrows Archers: The archers are one of the focal points of my army. The rain of arrows hitting the enemy causes them to charge in a hasty offensive. The missiles have the ability to totaly ruin the enemy's When the archer runs out of ammunition for his recurve bow, the archer can switch his bow for his spear or his sling, depending on what is needed at the time. If the front lines break and the infantry reserves are diminished, the archers can turn into light spearmen, without shields. Light Cavalry: General Gear: Scale armour peytrals, 3-4 javelins, recurve bow Spear Cavalry: My spear cavalry is used to take out routing enemy units. Because of the long lance, my spear cavalry can keep units such as swordsmen out of striking distance. My light cavalry is also used to take out heavier enemy cavalry units. Within my spear cavalry battalion I have a camel corp. Curved Sword Cavalry: My curved sword cavalry are the mass murdering robots of my army. The light armour and weapon of the unit makes it easy to dodge attacks and kill man after man with fast succession. The properties are similar to that of the curved sword infantry. Mace cavalry: The light mace cavalry wield longer maces than the mace infantry troops. The light mace cavalry has versatility. It can be used in normal light cavalry activities and has the capability as "acting" as heavy cavalry. Chariots: Light nimble chariots used to pepper the enemy with arrows or as a "taxi cab", transporting troops to the vulnerable spots of the infantry line. Heavy Cavalry: General Gear: 3-4 javelins, full horse barding, scale armour, recurve bow Mace Cavalry: The mace cavalry wield a long mace and a large shield. Guarding the flank of my army is my heavy mace cavalry. Once the two infantry lines engage the cavalry race around and encircle the enemy. With no means on escape besides death or route for the enemy, victory is mine. Scythe Chariots: Mobile meat cleavers glued to the wheels on a speedy chariot. Used to cut swaths in the enemy formations from the sides. Enemy moral will sure plummet as soon as they see the chariots. The chariot's riders include a rider and a shield bearer. Spear Cavalry: Armed with spears with a full set of armour barding. War Elephants: Wild elephants from the tropics are put unto the battlefield. The elephants have a thick metal amour plate, with only the eyes and underbelly exposed. A wooden tower sits upon every elephant's back. Heavy armoured archers and long pike men are placed inside. The elephants could serve as a look out to survey the battlefield. Tactics and Dispositions: My light infantry would make up the main infantry line. The heavy infantry would take up arms on the light infantry's flanks. A portion of the light cavalry would be behind the infantry battle line. In case of the line breaking, the cavalry could rush forward and fill the gap. On the flanks would be the rest of the light cavalry and heavy cavalry. The chariots and elephants would also be on the outer flanks of my army. My army would be ordered to not engage in heavy hand-to-hand combat if possible. My composite archers would shower the enemy with arrows. All my combatants are armed with javelins and/or bows, the idea being that I kill as many of the enemy's men as possible before engaging their line. If I had 20,000 men, thats 20,000 arrows on one volley. If each archer has 60 arrows, 1,200,000 arrows could be hurling at the enemy over a period of four to six minutes. This would not only cause havoc among enemy ranks, but total decimation. Whoever was left after the rain of arrows would be wounded and/or their moral would be desecrated. When the enemy came within 100 yards, my army could fire their javelins (minimum of 3 javelins each). That is 60,000 javelins, if every man threw his share. 1,200,000 arrows and 60,000 javelins would due great damage to the enemy - before he ever got to swing his melee weapon. To counter more heavily armoured troops, I would use the opposite - light troops. Maneuverability and speed are of great importance to my army. My cavalry would do hit and run tactics, to minimize their exposure to attack, and minimize the enemy's ability to counter. My army would try to stay out of full scale engagements, but rather rely on skirmishes around the battlefield. I would also have my army practice skills such as the feigned retreat. I would use unconventional warfare tactics, cavalry raids on enemy farms, burning of important enemy granaries and store houses, and the destruction of the enemy enconomy by any means necessary. I would also stay away from confrontation or battles with the enemy if I could. Before going into battle I would send diplomats to talk the enemy into submission, if that did not work, I would force them. If I discovered that a soldier under my command was giving information to the enemy, I would lock him up in prison. The prison would be something like a tent surrounded by palisade walls. If my army was on the move, I would lock him up in a wagon. Depending on the crime, death would always be a consequence. ------------- What is the officer problem? |
Posted By: Count Belisarius
Date Posted: 16-Dec-2008 at 03:48
You got that from my list
 admit it Not that I mind or anything I like Helepoli (Thats the name BTW. BTW How are the towers propelled? -------------
Defenders of Ulthuan, Cult of Asuryan (57 Kills and counting)
|
Posted By: Darius of Parsa
Date Posted: 16-Dec-2008 at 04:31
|
Rather not give out my sources. I think I have a change of heart and take them out. They might slow my army down.
------------- What is the officer problem? |
Posted By: Count Belisarius
Date Posted: 16-Dec-2008 at 04:57
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Not if you use really large animals inside the towers that are harnessed to a giant gear and you carry the animals supplys and caretakers inside the tower -------------
Defenders of Ulthuan, Cult of Asuryan (57 Kills and counting)
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Posted By: Count Belisarius
Date Posted: 16-Dec-2008 at 05:07
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BTW you might want to increase your heavy cavalry strength
Are we allowed to enter different armies? -------------
Defenders of Ulthuan, Cult of Asuryan (57 Kills and counting)
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Posted By: Darius of Parsa
Date Posted: 16-Dec-2008 at 14:46
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My army is built around speed and mobility. Therefore I have chosen light troops as the focal point of my army. Yeah. Go for it. I would love to see more.
------------- What is the officer problem? |
Posted By: Count Belisarius
Date Posted: 16-Dec-2008 at 21:58
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Okay I will do another army soon -------------
Defenders of Ulthuan, Cult of Asuryan (57 Kills and counting)
|
Posted By: Darius of Parsa
Date Posted: 16-Dec-2008 at 23:33
There are also repairs and upkeep that would slow an army down. ------------- What is the officer problem? |
Posted By: Count Belisarius
Date Posted: 16-Dec-2008 at 23:38
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Carry the tools and repairmen is the towers as well -------------
Defenders of Ulthuan, Cult of Asuryan (57 Kills and counting)
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Posted By: Darius of Parsa
Date Posted: 17-Dec-2008 at 03:03
|
Congrats on that 1000th post above.
------------- What is the officer problem? |
Posted By: Count Belisarius
Date Posted: 17-Dec-2008 at 03:40
My 1,000th post!? alright cool!!!!   
All hail me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  -------------
Defenders of Ulthuan, Cult of Asuryan (57 Kills and counting)
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Posted By: copaloca
Date Posted: 21-Feb-2009 at 09:17
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Yea i hail you. My army would be mostly smaller special strike force composed 95% of cavalry. We would have chains, badass helmets with 0.5m spike on top to accidentally kill some bishops after returning from the crusades ( ------------- http://www.ancient-warfare.com/cms/"> 
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) and we would have AC/DC, Metallica, itd. T-shirts for frightening effect and our battle cry would be Enter Sandman. HUSH LITTLE BABY!Posted By: Count Belisarius
Date Posted: 21-Feb-2009 at 15:28
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I take you are on RAT? -------------
Defenders of Ulthuan, Cult of Asuryan (57 Kills and counting)
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Posted By: copaloca
Date Posted: 21-Feb-2009 at 16:43
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excuse me? ------------- http://www.ancient-warfare.com/cms/">
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Posted By: Count Belisarius
Date Posted: 21-Feb-2009 at 18:39
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RAT Roman Army Talk -------------
Defenders of Ulthuan, Cult of Asuryan (57 Kills and counting)
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Posted By: copaloca
Date Posted: 21-Feb-2009 at 19:05
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oh tnx. No i'm not :) Why did you think i am?
------------- http://www.ancient-warfare.com/cms/">
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Posted By: Count Belisarius
Date Posted: 21-Feb-2009 at 19:08
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You have the Ancient Warfare Magazine Banner in your Sig and you an Imperial Gallic Helm in your Avatar
BTW if your not on RAT check it out -------------
Defenders of Ulthuan, Cult of Asuryan (57 Kills and counting)
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Posted By: copaloca
Date Posted: 21-Feb-2009 at 19:23
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Yes i checked it out and i must thank you for that :) it looks cool and useful. ------------- http://www.ancient-warfare.com/cms/">
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Posted By: Count Belisarius
Date Posted: 21-Feb-2009 at 19:47
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It is very cool I'm logged on there -------------
Defenders of Ulthuan, Cult of Asuryan (57 Kills and counting)
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