It is nice.
>I'll have to compare with some bits Donald and I were
>working on, also about an assault on Tarkalor's Gate
>but several seasons later, and see if there's any
>inconsistencies, but nothing springs to mind at
>present.
>
>You've got the enemy approaching mainly by the bridge,
>with added siege ladders elsewhere, right? I'm looking
>for specific concrete bits of layout and not finding
>much... towers alongside the Gate? Fine.
>
>Where are your heroes actually standing? I'm having
>problems visualising it.
>
>We had fighting platforms at the tops of the walls,
>above the Gate, and shelters further inside the Gate
>complex. One assault involved magic and
>artillery-thrown Sticky Stuff being used to blast the
>Gate down while leaving the stonework intact, followed
>by an immediate assault. A later one made it clear
>that missile fire from outside the walls (troll
>slings) could be a serious danger to anyone standing
>on top of the Gate, and a warband goes outside the
>gates and walls to chase the trolls away.
>
>I don't think we have any clashes, do we? Donald?
No clashes with what we've written. I'd envisaged a rather wider bridge at least comfortably wide enough for a wagon. So spearmen would be able to cross in formation. The trick would be deploying from that formation to climb the ladders.
In more general terms I'd be reluctant to use the phalanx for such an attack. The Dara Happen stone phalanxes are sun worshippers so their magic will be at a disadvantage at night. They are also the only good troops Jorkandros has got at this time. If they are defeated the whole army is likely to fall apart and the seige be broken. Jorkandros would have to be a very reckless general to take that risk especially given the disgrace of such an elite unit suffering heavy casualties under his command. The Orlanthi could have course confused a Tarshite shieldwall regiment with a phalanx. Alternatively Jorkandros could create a vexillia around a hundred of the phalanx to inspire the rest of attacking force.
We've already got two major assaults within the first couple of seasons into the seige. That's a lot for a seige that's going to last over two years. My view is that these night assaults are not particularly important. They are more testing the defences and putting pressure on the defenders than serious attempts to take the city. At best they are going to take the gatehouse and have to be driven out.
If Stuart wants his game in on a major event I'd make it holding the gate at the time the Shargasi attack. That is a big assault - 600-800 Tarshite spearmen, missile troops in support and a stone phalanx (another 800-1000) in reserve to exploit any breakthrough. The defenders are probably a couple of hundred at the start with a similar number brought in from the rest of the city. The Humakti are the reserve and at the begining everyone expects them to reinforce the gate so it's just a matter of holding on until they arrive ..... but they don't.
I suspect if Jorkandros had committed the phalanx he would have taken the gate and stormed through into the city but he didn't know the defenders were streched to the limit and the Humakti were badly depleated. Certainly play up that possibility.
As far as missile fire goes it's mainly a matter of getting the defenders to keep their heads down. Certain individuals do have difficulty with that concept. That and a lot of hyped up clansfolk standing around doing nothing explains the sortie.
-- Donald Oddy http://www.grove.demon.co.uk/
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