Re: The Glorantha Digest V5 #304

From: peter metcalfe <metcalph_at_voyager.co.nz>
Date: Wed, 24 Dec 1997 13:44:43 +1300 (NZDT)


John Medway:

>1. I don't have a copy of WBRM (yeah, a completest like me missing
>_that!?!), but in the Dragon Pass game, the Sun Dome Templars are _from
>_Dragon _Pass. (Admittedly, seeing whats in WBRM could change this
>assertion).

No error. There is a Sun Dome Temple in Dragon Pass which was (re)founded by Monrogh to aid King Tarkalor. The one in Prax is not used in DP pass battles because the distance is a bit far.

>2. With only 16,000 population, according to Sun County, I find it hard to
>believe that the Sun County folks could field 3000 (three DP counters)
>mercenary pikes, especially because they'd need to provide almost that
>number again for baggage train, logistics, peltasts, etc. If you're sending
>almost 20% of your population as Pike for hire (plus probably another 10%
>of your population as logistics and baggage train and peltasts) off as
>mercenaries on a semi-regular basis, who is at home to guard from the
>nomads? Who is left to farm?

A similar arguement can be made as to the size of the Pol Joni. My observations are:

  1. The Sun County estimate was based on tax records. I'd thus think that kids would not be counted which would at least double what we would consider to be the population (based on the Lunar estimate of the Colymar population in KoS).
  2. Troops are very rarely at maximum strength. I estimate the actual strength to be between 50% and 75% of its total strength. 'Sun County' has a templar regiment of 800 souls which enough for 1 DP unit and has a militia pool of almost 2000 which could provide 2 units of 500 each leaving the rest of the militia to guard the borders. Such a situation would only occur in acute military situations.
  3. Why would the Sun Domers hire out peltasts or militia? I'm not disputing the fact they come with their own baggage train but surely the employer could hire some second-grade mercenaries to guard his baggage train.
    • --Peter Metcalfe

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