David Cake agrees with the gross nature of knights in gloranthan warfare. Peter Metcalfe defends St. Galvan in Rokari lands. The reason why I proposed that Loskalmi knights use more magic is that I was thinking that those who have access to iron armour (rarer in Loskalm) will be senior knights and member of certain Cavalry Orders, many of which will be effectively Wizard Caste, and more prone to use magic that a Rokari knight, who can only use Intensity (or no Arts depending on your cup of sorcery).
Another question. Genertela says that most warfare is carried out by mercenary bands, with a small quantity of knights from each city. The first image that brought me was the condottieri bands of early renaissance in Italy. Also that allows for frequent not too violent wars, great for MGF. The only other possible parallel in the RW that I can think of are the mercenary greek hoplites (Xenophon et al) that were indeed very similar in style and manners (to avoid the parallel Safelster=XIVth century Italy). In that case you have a nucleus of cavalry (who will consider themselves knight caste, and are indeed mostly poor knights and social climbers) with a great amount of infantry (the difference between condottieri and old greeks is that this were melee infantry while the condottieri were mostly missile infantry). So what do you prefer? Historical parallel with professional crossbowmen (and some longbowmen) or historical variance. Hoplites are certainly out, but some colourful lansknets (?) with varied polearms (pikes are too lethal against cavalry) and two handed swords would certainly fit.
Spanish words (could not resist):
My dictionary says that Coronel comes from corona (crown) and was the man apponted by the king to lead a unit (a tercio at that time). As he usually had no experience it was usually "el Sargento Mayor", the most senior sergeant in the force who codirected the Tercio, overranking captains. The Lunar empire usually has that also, the political post given to a noble while the MS does all the work. The real problem in the RW was that it was the colonel who had to pay the troops. How he did that (specially when the crown was bankrupt, a common occurrency) was the real measure of his worth to the common soldier. I suspect most civilized and all mercenaries in Glorantha follow the same principle.
And to give a bit more gaming content:
Fencing Schools
In Safelster you can find weapon masters in all the cities and most towns. Although all kind of weapons are taught, the sword is still the dominant one.
However this last fifty years has seen a more comfortable weapon takes its place between the urban knight caste and some other caste show offs. I am talking about the rapier. Light, ellegant and requiring more skill than strength, it has quickly become the weapon of choice for the fashion conscious. And quickly, several schools have appeared to teach its proper use and abuse.
The first in chronological order is the Azilos style, although similar styles are practised all around the Felster region. This technique uses another object (usually a dagger, but other masters propose a heavy cloak, a small shield or even a lantern) in the left hand to parry blows and sometimed for a surprise strike. It begins to be old fashioned and it is quite hard to learn, requiring mastery in two weapons.
Then came the Tinaros style. Tinarians have always favored long swords, so they developed long rapiers (some more than four feet long) to use a devastating lunge out of reach of the enemy. They use their extra long weapons to keep the enemy away while they wait for an opening. It is mostly a reflexive technique, and if it fails you are lost, so it is not very popular. Masters of it, however, are highly feared, although less agressive than other fencing fans.
The last innovation is the Kustrian style, so called because it appeared in Kustria, although its first teacher was a converted orlanthi from Otkorion. It uses movement and "deviating the enemy blade to where we want it to be", and it feints and dodges a lot. With much space it is very succesful, but it fails in close quarters. It uses a shortened version of the tinarian lunge, much less risky with better recovery.
There are some other obscure styles, as the Colian crouch (where you crouch to expose the minimum of the body), but they do not survive their creator.
Nowadays duels are becoming a spectator sport in the lake Felster region, with bystanders commenting moves, styles and footwork. The presence of some skilled healers make most arranged duels deathless, but many people are killed in impromptu duels.
Some Lunar nobles have recently imported Ralian fencing masters, and dome young fops begin to use expressions as the Agrippa defense or Esteva secret unescapable lunge.
Only iron and specially treated bronze (a trade secret of the weaponsmith guilds) have enough tensile strength to make rapiers, and dwarven (Nida) and Three Eye Blue's are considered the best ones. Rural knights and most mercenaries mock the urbanites "toothpicks" but more than one has been killed with one of this through the heart.
I suspect I have a serious logorrhea case,
Jose Ramos
P.S. I think I will be published in Tales one of this days, so The Death Ones (my YT foreign legion) will have to wait to be made public.
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