Teshnos

From: bethexton_at_...
Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2004 14:38:05 -0000

• In HeroQuest-RPG_at_yahoogroups.com, "nichughes2001" <nick.hughes_at_a...> wrote:
  > --- In HeroQuest-RPG_at_yahoogroups.com, Peter Metcalfe
  <metcalph_at_q...>
  > wrote:
  > > Nic Hughes
  > >
  > > >One last point, Teshnans should probably be not much use at
  massed
  > > >combat. They should have ambush/skirmish skills rather than
  massed
  > > >combat abilities. I doubt if there are any heavy infantry in
  > Teshnos
  > > >and the only heavy "cavalry" appear to be those mounted on
  > elephants.
  > >
  > > The official Teshnan troops wear iron armour and thus are ill-
  > equipped
  > > for skirmishing and ambushes. That said, they are not much good
  at
  > > massed combat neither
  >
  >
  > Perhaps the 'heavies' should have other compensating skills. Maybe
  > they retain Archery as an exception to the normal rules on heavy
  > infantry. I still think they should not have any massed combat
  > ability - all references seem to indicate that even if individually
  > capable they are relatively poor at massed battles.
  >
  Based on the tiny bits I know about Teshnos, I got an impression that there are probably two sorts of troops:

First, the "official" troops of the nobility. These people are well armed and are many are probably quite fearsome duelists. But there has been no serious wars in generations, and the number and training of these troops has steadily declined. Now they are there mostly for ceremony, and to be fearsome enough to inspire people to pay their taxes. Admission is probably based on social class, connections, and bribery. They would essentially be heavy infantry backed with elephants. They may use the bow, but are no skirmishers. No doubt the officers amongst them know several classic works on proper conduct of warfare, including details of how many ostrich feathers should be on the harness of elephants of different degree. In other words, fearsome if they get to fight 'their' battle, but pretty useless against battle hardened veterans led by canny leaders who don't follow "the rules."

Second, the mercantile troops. I get the impression from the Teshnos write up in HQ and HQ voices that Teshnos is a very mercantile land. No doubt many rich people maintain small troops of their own, to guard them when travelling, to protect their estates, to bolster their glory, and to employ the second son of the cousin of your business partner. These would have far narrower training and much poorer equipment, but are more flexible and more apt to be hardened. Their employer is probably obligated to offer up some number of them in specified circumstances to support the offical army. However, they are not trained to fight more than a score of them together in most cases, so en masse are at best a rabble of skirmishers, hard to command and easy to route, although they are probably quite good skirmishers when given a plan that they can actually follow.

*shrug* None of which actually speaks to their weapons! I would think it possible that the offical army uses quite exotic weapons, while the mercantile troops would be more apt to have somethnig along the lines of either bows or javelins (they may be barred from having bows by some of the speculation about them being a noble weapon), then probably a simple but reasonably effective melee weapon, along the lines of a machete or spear.

Based on the cults, some of them are obviously expert archers, but I'm not quite sure where that fits in with the other speculation about the bow being a noble weapon?

--Bryan