> > > While I won't actually disagree with Roderick, it's not a set of
> > > tactics credible from published keywords. Warriors have NO ranged
> > > weapon abilities. Will future publications change this? Is it more
> > > errata?
The change will be seen in the keywords in Thunder Rebels.
> I'm not talking about comprehensive though - if, as he says, short-
> range missiles are standard tactics, they should be represented. It's
> not as though anyone would reply on unskilled or even low skilled
> javelin throwing as a major part of their tactics, if it's the way
> it's done, it should be on the skill list. I'm not asking for Quaff
> Mead and Belch to be added to the list.
Oh, those will be in the Urox Keyword in Storm Tribe (Joke!, it's a joke!).
RR
Here is an excerpt from Rebels about "how we fight". (The actual words may not be precisely thus, as I don't have the final edited files).
How to Fight
"Here is what makes a man: a spear, a hard hat and courage to fight for his
family."
-- Heortling Saying
All Heortling freemen are expected to attend all musters of the Fyrd, or
clan militia. They must provide a spear and a "hard hat"; a leather skullcap
or other helmet. All worshippers of Orlanth must attend the fyrd, but some
specialist cults (Barntar, Issaries, Gustbran, Lhankor Mhy, etc.) are exempt
from duty. Their numbers are replaced by the fighting women of Vinga and
Babeester Gor. Worshippers of the fighting cults such as Elmal, Humakt,
Heler and Urox must also attend.
In battle the fyrd often forms a shieldwall. The job of the fyrd is to
provide a safe haven for the warriors.
The warriors of the clan form up in front of the fyrd. This includes the
chief and his bodyguards, the thanes, and those men who are trying to make a
name for themselves as warriors. Their job is to skirmish with the enemy.
They fight duels with opposing champions and use their movement magic to
disrupt the enemy's battle line. Most warriors know how to hurl javelins,
axes or other missiles, and much of the battle is running missile battles
between the opposing sides.
Battles between Heortling clans or tribes traditionally have four stages:
The Champion's Battle, the Warriors' battle, the Fyrd's Battle and Pursuit.
The first and most important clash is between the Champions, who step out to challenge the other side to single combat. This may be answered by the opponent's champion, the chief, or a rash man hoping to make a name for himself. A clan that fails to send forth a champion of its own to take up the challenge will lose heart and will suffer in following phases of the battle. The loss of morale is called "Orlanth's Scorn," and it makes men feel afraid. If the two clans are not truly serious about the battle, the champion's duel may resolve the entire dispute, with the slain champion's clan acknowledging defeat.
If the Champion's Battle does not resolve the battle, then the warriors of the two clans will have a series of running battles. Orlanthi warriors have many movement magics, and act as heavily armed and armored skirmishers, fighting one-on-one or many-on-many fights. The object of this phase of the battle is to drive the opposing warriors back on their fyrd, which prevents the warriors from taking full advantage of their movement. The Warriors battle often has an aerial component as well, with flying warriors skirmishing against wind daimones and each other. As one side gains the upper hand, the other will retreat to its fyrd, with the warriors forming the front line.
The fyrd has much less mobility than the warriors, and is subjected to missile fire from the opposing archers and the warriors. The shieldwall does have an advantage, for just as Earth defeats Air, the shieldwall usually has earth magic that can ground flyers, or slow down opposing warriors. The transition between the Warrior's Battle and the Fyrd Battle sees the mobile warriors peppering the fyrd with javelins, axes, wind blasts and thunderstones while their own fyrd moves up into position. The defending fyrd often breaks during this transition, leading directly to the Pursuit.
If the defending fyrd does not break during the transition phase then a slugging match between opposing fyrds and warriors will occur until one or the other breaks and surrenders or more likely, flees the field. The victor pursues the defeated, cutting them down easily form behind. Most casualties to the loser occur at this phase. Nightfall usually ends pursuit.
Against other opponents, this system does not work as well. Against the Grazer horsemen or the animal nods of Prax, the Orlanthi movement magic doesn't work as well unless the thanes are mounted, and there are usually too few mounted thanes in a clan to make a warband of any size. So the preferred tactic is to stay behind the walls of the stead, or to head to the nearest hill fort if there is time.
Against the drilled phalanxes of the Lunar Empire, the fyrd is rarely called out, as they cannot hope to face the disciplined walls of spears. However, the phalanxes are vulnerable to the hit and run skirmishing of the Warrior's Battle. Phalanxes not supported by lighter infantry are doomed when facing the Heortling way of battle in their own wooded, hilly country.
The Lunar peltasts are the greatest threat - they fight the same sort of Warrior's Battle as the Heortlings, and usually outnumber the Heortling warriors. They can move as fast and over the same sort of terrain as the Heortlings, making them the most dangerous foe.
Ambushes are very popular. The rugged hills and thick woods and fields are very conductive to such tactics. Clans know their own territories intimately and always have an advantage in home terrain. The weaponthanes know exactly where to spring an ambush most effectively at home, and can easily adapt to anyplace else that they may be raiding, invading or fleeing.
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