Re: Glorantha Digest V2 #481

From: Steve Lieb <Steven>
Date: Fri, 19 Apr 96 23:12:22 -0500

> But
>farmers in Glorantha likely do what farmers everywhere do when faced with
>invading armies - give up. Farmer Geo is going to be just as dead if he
>uses Bladesharp in his fight against a squad of soldiers. If he gives up
>and gives half his grain to the soldiers, then he lives, and maybe only the
>kids starve. It's pretty brutal, but the Fortunate Succession is full of
>these kind of events. I imagine Orlanthi history is too - they just don't
>like to talk about it.

I know this is a little off-thread, but I think there's a misconception here, basing an attempt at understanding life in war in a bronze-age culture from our modern RW concepts of war & existence.

By far, most wars in pre-industrial RW were fought around the keepers of the land, be they serfs, peasants, whatever. Sure, dad, and maybe the oldest son might get impressed & dragged off to hold a spear while standing in a line somewhere, but first chance they got they hied back to the cottage as fast as possible. By and large, they were left alone. Certainly there was pillage, looting etc, but Joe Farmer would till the land for Noble B as well as he did for Noble A. He would, that is unless some idiot killed him or his family. The lack of technology did not mean early generals and leaders were stupid. They knew (literally) where their bread came from. A really good example of a contemporary source for life in preindustrial wartime is Grimmelhausens "Simplicissimus", Now this takes place in the depths of the 30 years war, but it gives a good account - there aren't the modern concepts of 'enemy lines' and 'my side/your side'. Very instructive. Steve Lieb
liebx004_at_maroon.tc.umn.edu

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