Tom Merchant complains that we can't discuss HW battle results
without knowing the HW mechanics. I don't think this is entirely true.
The battle rules in Tarsh War can be used with any number of rules
systems with a little fiddling. In the example given (archers vs
spear-armed infantry) once you know Who Wins and by How Much
it's up to the gm to decide What Happens. A Big Win for the archers
could mean a successful ambush or catching the infantry in a formation
change, inflicting heavy casualties and/or routing the infantry. A Win
means fewer casualites but the infantry is forced to withdraw in some
disorder. A Win for the infantry could allow the commander to decide
between a steady advance towards the archers, forcing them to fall
back, or a disciplined hold or withdrawl, while a Big Win for the infantry
could be anything from a sudden cloudburst or wind-shift (Yay, Orlanth!)
to a blinding light reflected from shield and helm (Yay, Yelm!) or some
thing else that spoils the archers aim and allows the infantry to charge
home and come to grips with/rout the archers.
Gary R Switzer
Aero Hobbies