>> KoS (pg. 118) says 'In battle Yarandros mounted his household men
>> on the Goldhorses, and kept them close to him, ready to exploit any
>> weakness, earning him the name "Charge-crazy."'
>
>> So that's a couple of hundred years of tradition limited to the
>> king's household. And it relies on being able to get Goldhorses
>> from the Grazers.
>
>I don't think that Goldhorses are the requirement.
Maybe not now, it was in Yarandros's day. Probably because he didn't have another source.
>> TiF implies that the unit has been rearmed as
>> cataphracts in imitation of Heartland practices which will have
>> weakened rather than strengthened the tradition.
>
>Cataphracts are the equivalent to Carmanian chivalry - heavy enough to
>serve as mounted shock troops, able to dismount and fight as a phalanx,
>and equipped with missile arms to serve as mounted skirmishers if need be.
>Basically, the elite force of the civilized nations during the Dark Ages,
>whether Byzantines (as early as 4th century), pre-Karolingan Franks or
>Visigoths.
I don't see them that way. I think more of the cataphracts (including the Carmenian ones) as fully armoured men on armoured horses who fight exclusively from horseback. Excellent shock troops but useless as skirmishers and pretty immobile dismounted.
There are missile armed heavy cavalry in the Lunar army but among the Rinliddi rather than the Carmenians. Even so they aren't skirmishers but use their bows to drive off skirmishers they are too slow to catch in a charge.
This relates to an old debate among latin scholars about the troops described as cataphracti and clibanari. I've no idea what the current state of play is.
>You keep arguing that the Sartarites and Tarshites have only access to
>mountain ponies. I don't share that impression. One of the foundations for
>Fazzur's elite horse force were his family's horse breeding activities
>which brought stout sered stock to Tarsh, probably already before
>Palashee's rebellion. The same sort of horses used by the majority of the
>Cavalry Corps and Heartland cavalry units, from the Sairdite horse
>breeding traditions (which reach back to Dara Happan Nivorah) and improved
>by contact with Pentans and Carmanians during the EWF wars, Carmanian and
>Seleric occupations.
No. I think the Tarshites do have true cavalry, just that much of it is not particularly good quality. Partially because they don't have a long tradition which is important in Glorantha because it builds up the wyter. But also because provincial units are low down the priority when it comes to funding so they get poorer quality horses and equipment than the Heartland units. That's not to say Fazzur doesn't have a regiment of decent cavalry (4-3-5 or 4-4-4 in WBRM terms) but it is not representative of Tarshite cavalry in general.
>As a result, the pure highland ponies will have survived only in
>areas where heavier horses would be inferior. Colymar lands may have
>been such a place, excepting the Runegate triaty (who happen to be
>the most famous horse breeders in that tribe). The Malani might, too.
I think heavier horses would be inferior across most of Sartar and prejudice against bigger horses will discourage their widespread adoption. After all they eat more during the winter, aren't as manoverable and are less hardy. That's not to say kings and clan chiefs don't have them - just they are rare outside tribes like the Poljoni and Dinacoli.
>The Dinacoli will have brought Pelorian Sered stock when they
>immigrated. Raiding and trading will have distributed that stock
>to the other tribes of Sartar and the Far Point.
Assuming the other tribes of Sartar value them, I don't think they do.
>> The scenarios in WBRM are all post-Dragonrise but cover a decade
>> or more. I'd suggest if the figures are low they reflect the fact
>> that part time soldiers are rarely all deployed at once. It does
>> however mean that losses can be quickly replaced.
>
>There is no scenario that starts with Tarsh being occupied or divided,
>like after Argrath's crushing defeat at Yoran.
Maybe one of the differences between WBRM and DP. In WBRM there's only one scenario where Tarsh is independent, in all the rest it is part of the Lunar Empire.
>Foot soldiers or light mounted hunters (to round up escapees). Basically
>the household troops of the local potentates, whether old clan nobility or
>new-fangled Lunar dignitaries. Other than that, the Native Furthest
>militia will serve for these emergencies.
Which is why they won't all be sent to fight in Sartar at any one time.
>> He is the titular head of the League known as the Royal Family although
>> perhaps Estal Donge is the real power. I expect other Leagues in the
>> Association which are based in Tarsh defer to his leadership.
>
>IMO Estal is a field agent rather than head of the League, but we can very
>well produce several options for the real head of that league, depending
>on campaign needs. Jeff Kyer demonstrated how to do this in his Manirian
>campaign.
Yes, there are cases for Moirades, Estel Donge and Pharandros.
-- Donald Oddy http://www.grove.demon.co.uk/
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