Jim Chapin
>Isn't this even more true of the Brithini? Their warriors represent
>not only a remarkable investment in magic, etc., but also an
>investment in TIME, an asset not available to the KOW in the same
>fashion!
Yes, of course this is true. Hadn't thought of the ol' Brithini. I suppose Iron dwarfs fall into the same category, but even worse than the Brithini. Anyway, my point is that the KoW soldiers are each exceedingly grim and that the small size of their army is misleading. 100 US Seals or British SAS or Russian Spetsnaz are rather bad news for 1000 conscripts from anywhere.
Even worse, the KoW do not follow the normal tradition for skilled elite warriors. In most cultures, such elite soldiers learn to fight well as individuals, but generally aren't so hot in large masses. But the KoW are drilled and skilled and work as a team, thus multiplying their effectiveness.
Kevin Rose
>Sandy said something along the lines of "Loskalm Leaders are quite
>possibly chosen based on their skill at arms alone." Quite
>possible. But very rapid turnover of military leadership in the
>early days of a war is not very unusual. Particularly if you're
>losing.
The Loskalmi can hardly promote talented peasants to officer level. No more can they assign once-skilled wizards or lords to command field armies. Well, maybe lords. And this changeover in officers took place primarily in modern times, when battles were more common than in the old days.
Alexander fought only a handful of battles before Persia fell to him. His officers really didn't get much of a chance to prove themselves in combat. The Americans in WWII, who were notorious for replacing their divisional commanders, got to see action every single day they were at the front.
In the old days, after an officer failed (such as Cumberland in the Seven Years War), he could be replaced, but the huge rates of replacement common in certain modern armies were unknown.
What the Loskalmi really need is to overhaul their entire command structure from top to bottom, and they can't do that without the impetus of a major war -- which they will probably lose owing to that same structure.
Once the KoW is in charge, and the Loskalmi reduced to fringe action and guerrilla war, they'll need yet a _different_ command structure. Hope they figure it out before they're all Tapped beyond partisan ability.
>If the KOW can be assumed to built invunerable fortresses, why is
>it assumed that they can roll over anyone elses without having to
>spend a few months/ years besieging it? Something does not seem to
>fit here. If you have several thousand years of fortifications and
>documentation to look at and tinker with, you can probably find
some >workable designs. Fortresses with a few hundred (or less)
troops >have held out against many thousands for months.
Consider: almost no one else has been fighting wars during the Ban. Certainly sieges are almost unknown. What castles existed before the Ban are in disrepair. The KoW was fighting its formal wars through the Ban, and learning plenty of siege war tactics. They are among the best siege artists in Glorantha, let alone Genertela. Only the dwarfs and maybe the Kralori are rivals in this. I believe that the KoW are very nearly as skilled as the Romans in siegework.
So when the KoW invades a neighboring territory, usually there is no castle to stop them -- in any case, they'd just bypass a castle and head straight for the fortified towns. The town fortifications are generally not all that hot, and the KoW can easily and swiftly break in with their experienced and well-equipped siege train. Then they tear down the city walls, and build their own forts nearby -- the enemy besieging the KoW fort is inept in siege warfare, and takes time to conquer the place; so much time that a relief army can show up.
If the KoW's neighbors were able to figure out how to build a really good fortress, it would in fact discommode the KoW. I doubt they could conquer Seshnela as easily, for instance, since the Seshnelans have learned the art of castle construction. Their siegework may not be up to KoW standards, but they are certainly good enough to hold off an attacker for quite some time.
Also, if one of the KoW's enemies could learn siege techniques and use them appropriately, this would be a major coup vs. the KoW. But no one has. Yet.
The KoW knows that its rivals will eventually learn tactics that will neutralize the KoW's techniques. Its plan is to conquer so much of Fronela before that happens that they can rely on brute strength thereafter.
Sandy P.
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