>>12753274
I don't think so.

This is going to be a pre-dawn attack, then? I thought we had agreed for a night attack.

Fuck year Commander Quest.

I don't think anything is missing... We know they only have skirmishers, archers and some cav. We have a general plan to hit at night and our units are on the way. I guess an order to make sure we take some captives, hopefully the captains if we can.

>>12753323
you should hit the enemy before dawn by at least a few hours
>the current situation just in case

"Try to take prisoners if you can" you announce loudly before mounting up. Once astride Spite you offer Sansa your hand, she accepts it and you effortlessly swing her to the empty spot in the saddle in front of you. Off to your right you can hear the Raiders horses baying as the RapidRiders streak pass.

"I'm not sure how accurate I'll be" Sansa admits to you as Spite starts off. "I've never fired while riding before."

"Well there's a first time for everything" you reply, matching her implied innuendo effortlessly. Within a few hours you can see the enemy, already breaking camp hours before morning, obviously hoping to catch your third watch guardsmen groggy and unaware. By the time you are on them they will likely be on the move, but you should have enough time to select which unit Jaynes wing hits easily enough.

>flankers will be hitting on the bottom of the map.

Pax, last thread we got that new banner pole as a reward/gift.

who is our mantiple's pole/standard bearer? and does the gifted pole give any bonuses to moral in battles?

>>12753465
forgot the battle-map

>>12753465
I'm tempted to tell the Raiders to split up with the majority of them hitting the enemy cav and the rest working to hit any people who try to escape to warn the rest of their army. Otherwise sounds like a plan.

>>12753472
to whatever unit it is being carried in, and you have yet to appoint a permanent bearer... you just grabbed some dude out of a unit in the past

>>12753479
I suggest Jayne hits the center skirmishers while the flanking horse unit hits the longbows. Raiders can deal with the enemy cavalry since that'll disrupt their horses.

uursan into the men at arms and raiders into the longbows while finian and the scouts deal with the skirmishers

and have the rapid riders shoot into the skirmishers when they appear

>>12753479
Hmm...those longbow archers make for some pretty tempting targets.

If we can have our cavalry bowl them over with enough ferocity they would likely break and scatter after the first surprise charge.

On the other hand, we really ought to deal with the men-at-arms early on. The rangers can fire at the skirmishers.

What does everyone else think?

>>12753479
Are the enemy cavalry mixed in with the skirmishers?

If so, have the Raiders hit the longbowmen from the rear, the Riders to hit the skirmishers from the side, and Jayne charges straight through the men-at-arms to get at the skirmishers. She only needs to disrupt their formation, as our foot infantry will take care of the men-at-arms while they're disoriented.

The velociprey naturally cause horses to go nuts from what I remember. It seems silly to not use them to hit the men at arms.

>>12753505
>>12753582
I think we ought to check what the skirmishers and men-at-arms are armed with.

Skirmishers: elves, longswords, circleshields, javelins, leather armor

Men at Arms: human, horseback, spears, chainmail, longswords, heater shields

>>12753674
Well, if the men-at-arms are the cavalry, then the Rapid Riders with their velociprey mounts should hit them from the side while Jayne's uursan cavalry smash through the skirmishers.

>>12753631

Yes, we should use the Velociprey against the Men-at-Arms.

However we don't charge them. They're not heavy cavalry.

Have the elf's feint charge them, startle their horse, then begin the 'Cantabrian circle'.

A group of cavalry riding in a circle, constantly firing arrow. Kite them since we're faster and we have ranged attacks.

>>12753674
Well now, this is vital information!

Okay, so it looks like the skirmishers aren't equipped to deal with cavalry.

The Men-at-arms have shields, but that shouldn't be too much of a problem if the RapidRiders start hitting them from an odd angle.

What can we tell about the longbow archers?

>>12753727

Rome total war style huh?

i like it

then uursan charge the skirmishers while the raiders charge the longbows

>>12753727
I like this idea. Let's go with that to deal with the Men-at-Arms.

>>12753772
humans, cloth armor, longbows and an assortment of hand weapons (look to be looted off of many different foes)

>>12753786
I think we ought to try to charge them from behind or to the side.

Especially the archers. We don't want to give them time to notch arrows and fire at our cavalry.

>>12753786

and earth spike the men at arms

i thought we were going to bring laelith too?

>>12753819

Which units are pheasants?

Do they wear shoes or just sack cloth?

>>12753847

Lets not.

If we use it, we must kill everyone. It's too early to reveal our trump card.

>>12753819
Oh good. I was worried that they might have been elves. In which case it might have been particularly dangerous for our light cavalry.

I say go with
>>12753772
and
>>12753786

Can we maneuver to have the RapidRiders and the Raiders to hit the flanking units from behind while the rangers and the Uursan distract them?

>>12753854
they look to be a step above peasants, and act like they know how a battlefield works (these arent bottom rung archers, but a step above the peasant conscripts)

>>12753880

scouts not rangers brah

>>12753881


Hmm... But in this setting do the peasants wear shoes or just the wrapped up cloth?

>>12753896
My mistake.

In any case, can we get a map of the battlefield in relation to the units (us and the enemy), Pax?

I think we ought to see what terrain we have to maneuver in.

>>12753912
depends on where the peasant lives. A Plebian in the Empire has shoes, as would a peasant in a bigger/more enlightened Uurlanthian city. Away from the big cities they have sack cloth mostly, these longbowmen have boots.

>>12753946

Hmm, thanks, it's important information to be used later.

Should we know this or is it too meta?

>>12753922
its an open plain (white = fairly level even terrain natural for where you are (solid cave floor, open desert, grassy plain, ect.) I usually mark off any forests, swamps, ect... however there wont be all that much of that on the plains.

you arent on the map yet as you have yet to strike, the next map will be shown with my next post.

How tall is the grass around the area? Is it possible for them to be hiding more troops in there?

>>12753946

methinks that this force is comprised of those veterans that came from decimated units that Pax talked about last thread

it seems like we'll only see the masses of levies once we get into a larger engagement with the main uurlanthian army

in any case, seconding>>12753880

should we roll for combat?

>>12753963
you would know the rough equipment of different types of soldiers of your nations most common foe, which is also why I told you that these guys are a rung above peasant archers. Justinian is a military man; been in the Legion since he came of age at 16, he is now in his mid 20's (most commanders are in their early 30's when they get their first command)

>>12753991

/evil grin

Well, fluff questions later. Lets roll.

Its not that your foes didnt see you coming, simply that there was nothing they could do about it. The pre-dawn light playing tricks on your foes eyes, causing their javelins to miss or merely wound as you lead Jaynes cavalty wing towards their front. With a mighty roar You spur spite into a sprint, Sansa being pushed back into you as she draws back her longbow, loosing an arrow a moment before spite tears into the elf you had intended to strike down yourself. Off to your right you can hear the thunder of hooves, and you shout out to have them take the Longbowmen, Spite keeping the elves away from yourself and Sansa. The flankers should arrive shortly, and RapidRiders briefly after that.

>roll for combat

rolled 60 = 60

>>12754061
Battle-ho!

>>12753974
Hmm...in which case we might want to have the RapidRiders and the Raiders split off if we want them in position for an ambush charge.

Otherwise we'll likely have to go for a pincer formation since we'll likely be unable to manage and coordinate a multi-directioned ambush on an open plain.

Oh and uh, for everyone else. I need some help.

Think up some disparaging songs we can use to taunt our foes. Like their infertility or something, I'm everything but a poet.

An angry foe is a rash one.

rolled 74 = 74

>>12754061

Oh god. Someone tell we dismounted our scouts before the other cavalry units charge.

>>12754099
I vote we totally keep Sansa with us on Spite.

>>12754099
yea, theyre back to the southwest corner (assuming the top of the map is north) theyre on foot so they wont show right away

Pax, what happens to the horses we capture?

does the empire take them or do we get to keep them as spoils of war?

and what does the empire do with war prisoners in general?

The enemy group responds only as men who have been fighting for months already can. The Skirmishers immediately break apart into two groups, peppering the Uursan cavalry with javelins as they go. To your left you can hear a man shouting, and the thunder of hooves approaching your flank as you manage to impale one of the slippery, desperate elves who did not make a clean escape with his commrades, his intestines pulling free with the teeth on your spear as you draw it back; Spite cutting the dying elves cry short.

To your right you hear bellowed commands from two different voices, and the bowmen forming a sloppy half-circle, the ones with any lengthy weapon moving to the front and kneeling, their comrades firing as quickly as they can. The Espiritus Raiders try, sloppily, to split around the formation, the division uneven and messy by military standards, but adequate nonetheless. They throw javelins back at their foes as they close in, clearly trying to thin out the men with weapons that would be a threat to them before falling on the formation.

>roll for combat and command

>>12754162
varies from commander to commander. Horses are usually spoils, the Empire only ever dictates whether or not ransoms are to be made by its commanders, and demands a tax on the money

rolled 29 = 29

Rollin' for command.

>>12754254

house cav go for the larger group of skirmishers

raiders keep doin' what they doin'

hope rapid riders show up soon or the uursan will get flanked

rolled 52 = 52

>>12754254
Combat I guess.

rolled 18 = 18

>>12754300

forgot mah dice

>>12754271

And policy on POWs after the war is concluded?

Will they be allowed to return home or ransomed?

In the case of peasants and poorer folk, do we have authority to release them once the war is over? Will there be repercussions for them or is that up to our purview?

Trun our unit to the right and try to hit and run through the archers. Have the other cav unit stay seperated and try to go around the horses that will be following us. Either way we are in a bad spot.

>>12754371
>after the war its up to the commander

Cleaning up the remaining skirmishers is no real challenge, wheeling into the rapidly retreating group you designate as the next target proves to be another matter. As you prepare to ready yourself for the immanent charge of the Men at Arms, a high, ululating scream fills the air, and the Men at Arms are immediately fighting their horses to meat the rapidly approaching threat.

Captain Dorias hets his men to finish the split, still trading shots with the longbowmen, nearly ready to fall on them from the sound of it. Off in the distance you can hear the sound of Finian urging his dwarves on to the battlefield; while you prepare to charge another group of skirmishers.

rolled 3 = 3

>>12754488

rollin' rollin' rollin'

RAW HIDE

Lets turn the bears left and hit the men at arms. They have lost their very precious momentum and now we have the advantage over them. Our other 2 cav units are more suited for lightly armored fast moving troops.

>>12754535

the rapid riders are gonna do the cantabrian circle on the men at arms and i dont wanna be charging them while arrows are also flying in their direction

it's kinda late to change up the battle plan, everything is already set in motion

btw , my roll counts for combat

>>12754512
>3

ALL RIGHT.

>>12754578

My mistake just finished reading the thread and now i see the plan i feel dumb

rolled 29 = 29

>>12754488

Command then

rolled 9 = 9

>>12754613
>>12754295

WTH, What are the odds.

/tg/ dice is high today.

>>12754609

it's cool brah

"The DragonsTail!!!!!" you bellow to the RapidRiders as you crash into the skirmishers yet again, you and Sansa now effectively working as a team on Spites back, never striking the same foe, always killing. However, you can already see the elves splitting again in the face of the cavalry charge.

The RapidRiders are doing an admirable job for mercenaries, the circle may be lopsided, and poorly spaced; but thanks to the inherint fear of Velociprey that horses have the maneuver is working, though your mercanaries are outnembered by half again as many fighters. Though it is only a matter of time before the Men at Arms get their horses under controll.

Behind you you can hear Kurt bellowing from the smaller group of raiders, as the bulk of his men chase down glory and the hope of a bonus in the form of a group of elven skirmishers, much degrading the impact of Kurts maneuver against the Longbowmen.

A brilliant green flash coming from behind you indicates that finian and his battalion have arrived on the field.

>roll for command and combat

I gotta go afk for a bit, but before I go, I just wanna mention a couple of things for after the battle:

First off, thank you Pax for those descriptions of our captains I asked for last session, although I do believe you missed Laelith and Degrian, so if it's not too much trouble could we get some for them as well as the new mercenary captains?

Second, if the enemy DO eventually show up with flying cavalry, I think we ought to be prepared. We have the arrows, but I think we ought to have all our ranged units perform training drills so as to make best use of their weapons when the time comes.

We need to have Sansa and Kyria figure out the optimum distance for letting loose volleys while firing up. We also ought to have standing orders for certain units to keep loose formations in case of flying cavalry charges. I particularly don't want any arrow-riddled bodies crashing into our ranger formations.

We might also want to think about optimal placement for the heavy repeating ballistas we have in the works.

rolled 40 = 40

>>12754794

Collins is with the scouts right?

Rolling

>>12754825
yea. and was that a combat roll?

rolled 68 = 68

>>12754794

well shit

get kurt to get his shit together and focus on the longbowmen

get finians ass in gear and have him and the scouts charge the longbowmen as well

once house cav are done with the current group of skirmishers, charge the men at arms and have the rapid riders charge them as well

rolled 3 = 3

>>12754794
Well crap.

Get those men back on the plan. NOW.

>>12754825

Command I guess. We need the better roll to get them back on track.

Though if we're using our save, then combat.

this>>12754841 for combat and this>>12754825
for command

>>12754841
Command roll, by the way.

>>12754879
>>12754865

Are we using our save?

Eh, no use the 40 for combat and the 3 for command

>ok, in the future call your rolls please

"Dorias, IF YOU DONT GET YOUR MEN IN LINE I'M TAKING PART OF YOUR CASUALTIES CUT BACK!!!!" you bellow. Mounts, the greediest of all the mercenaries, bastards have silver for eyes and gold for souls. Luckily you shouting gets their attention, and the over-eager riders wheel back around to the target you gave them, the Skirmishers take some parting shots, but the elf leading them has them quickly quitting the field.

You scream again, in frustration this time, as the unit you clashed with once again splits, the larger group moving to join the already retreating group, the smaller attempting to break up the Rapidriders formation. Adding to the problem, it seems that the horses of the Men at Arms are now merely unsettled, and mostly facing the same direction now...

>>12755038
We best hit the men at arms. Have the raiders stop their formation and hunt down the skirmishers/group that is leaving.

rolled 76 = 76

>>12755038

shit, have the rapid riders disengage and move a safe distance away while drawing the men at arms with them

raiders keep doin what they doin, scouts will be there to mop up momentarily

house cav take out the unit of thirteen skirmishers then barrel on intp the fleeing group

NO ONE ESCAPES

rolling for combat

Skirmishers are broken up bigtime and mostly useless. Turn and slam into the men-at-arms, and have the velocipreys do the same. Actually fighting the raptors should send the horses into a panic again, and our Uursan are unaffected.

rolled 74 = 74

>>12755038

Move orders in black. Attack orders in red.

The scouts need to move to protect the rear of the horse riders which are now exposed to the elves.

Uursan cavalry wheels about to charge the Men-at-arms. We need to knock them out while they're still disoriented.

Rapidriders shoot dead that 10 man unit of elves and move on to use the circle on the groups of elves.

Rolling for command

Actually chasing the leaving skirmishers shouldn't be hard as long as we have the velociprey now that I think about it. We should focus on taking out what's here so I'l agree with - >>12755128

>>12755137

Need to mention the circle is not really meant to be used by encircling the enemy. More of cycling themselves infront of them.

well fuck

use the save

>>12755155
>I had a mental relapse, its just one of those things that never really clicked inside my head for some weird-ass reason.

You bellow orders as Jaynes wing wheels about to hit the Men at Arms, a simple maneuver for her men. However, it would seem that the Rapidriders only heard 'skirmishers' and Finians men nothing at all. As you flow with Jaynes wing into the battle, you manage to bounce your spear off of one of the men at arms shields, having it knocked from your grasp. Before you can draw your blade a blow lands on your shield, and you lose that as well, sword drawn you parry a few blows meant for Sansa before taking a spear to your thigh. You sever the offending hand, but loose its owner in the chaos of the battle.

>command and combat again

>>12755315
>gah, forgot the map

rolled 48 = 48

>>12755327

Have Finian and Collins charge the scouts into the flank of the riders. Might as well get their help. Keep them away from the Uursans, those great bears might not notice in the heat of battle.

Repeat orders to the RapidRiders, don't let the skirmishers escape.

Roll for command again.

rolled 92 = 92

>>12755315

scouts into longbows

rapid riders into the rear of the men at arms

rolling for combat

please excuse me if I get us killed

>>12755394
>92
Shoulda saved that save for now...

>>12755394

damnit

rolled 42 = 42

>>12755394

Actually, based on our last result, I think we didn't use it.

Rerolling in anycase.

>>12755394
>>12755409
one more for your combat fudge

rolled 35 = 35

rollan

I honestly dont think I'll ever roll again............

>>12755466

But you've used up your bad rolls! Now you should roll.

"THE SKIRMISHERS!!!!!" you bellow, and Bastius finally understands, spurring his unit on with as much haste as he can, chasing the fleeing skirmishers. However, the leader of the unit, who you believe is too clever by at least half, splits the remaining large group into three, each fleeing along a different angle. You hear the sound of the scouts wading into combat, and men breaking behind you... but are too engrossed in your own fight to notice. You parry a blow meant for your head, only for it to turn out a feign, the spear instead driving into the joint at Spites shoulder; the great Uursan rears up, throwing Sansa from your saddle, and almost flinging you as well, you manage to cling on and slay the offending soldier. You look over to Sansa in time to see her draw her daggers, a cruel, grim smirk on her face.

>need a command roll and a combat roll, as usual

rolled 76 = 76

>>12755584
Get the horse cav on the skirmiskers as well. Must hunt them down.

Combat roll.

rolled 75 = 75

>>12755584

well fuck-a-doodle-do

raiders take out them skirmishers along with the rapid riders

scouts mop up the longbows

come on good rolls

>>12755596

This.

Someone else roll. I've pressed my luck too far.

Yell out that we'll accept surrenders.

well.............it's not as bad as last time

Ugh. Bad night for dice rolls it seems. So much for a simple battle...

>>12755648

We actually have quite a decent kill ratio.

I'm just abit worried what it'll mean for our cavalry wing. 20% already for the RR and ER.

>>12755648
To the anon that was complaining about us hiring too many mercs: look at our losses! Look at them! And this is only against a scouting element, too!

>>12755685

things will be differant in an actual battle where our masses of heavy and medium melee infantry will rape the shit outta whatever the uurlanthians can bring to the field

You try to shout something about the importance of running down the fleeing enemies, but your voice is drowned out by the din of battle. It seems for every blow of yours that doesn't get through, Sansa fells another horse or rider; sprinting and leaping like some mad acrobat, crimson trails following her blades. You do manage to fell one enemy as the horsemen disengage. As you strike him down however, you feel the burn of a fresh wound light up in your thigh. You wrench the spear free, and Spite eviscerates both horse and rider, but with the Men at Arms already fleeing with the rest of the element you dont know how many more you will be able to catch...

>combat and command, this one is coming to a close guys.

>>12755681
To be fair, our cavalry is getting bogged up. In theory, they shouldn't be in a pitched fight but we had to hit them quick.

rolled 21 = 21

>>12755740
The horse cav should be able to take the skirmishers. Get the raiders back to help us deal with the men at arms and I think the scouts can take the longbowmen.

Command roll.

rolled 94 = 94

>>12755740

Command.

Sweeping advance, shout for their surrender. Kill all else.

(Can we chase them outside the battlescape?)

>>12755751

Holy crap. Lucky you got infront of me.

rolled 7 = 7

>>12755751
To clarify a little - the horse cavalry can obviously split up to chase down the skirmishers since they don't need to be in a huge group to do that.

rolled 26 = 26

>>12755740

scouts fire into the longbows and then into the skirmishers

raiders break off and form into a single group, then try and intercept the fleeing men at arms

rapid riders keep running down scouts

prisoners are prefered, but whatever works

combat roll

Now the dice rolls like us. A good time for it at least. If we can stop anyone from escaping, our foe is going to have to advance in the dark or send out another scouting force.

Depending on whether we kill them all, its about time we started our psychological warfare.

>>12755847

you thinking what Im thinking?

"YIELD OR DIE!!!" you bellow, as you and Spite run down a fleeing Man at Arms, the next one in your path has his horse taken out from under him by Sansa. Your men seem to get the plan. You chase after the broken scouting group until late into the afternoon, all of the skirmishers are accounted for, along with most of the longbowmen, and all but twenty odd Men at Arms. While you have a mind to continue the pursuit it is obvious that your men and mounts can take this pace no more today, as they do not have the terror of a battle freshly lost driving their will, and the thrill of victory has long since given way to the exhaustion that follows. Sansa riding in your lap, searching through your pouches looking for your flask, and tentatively eying places on your armor she thinks it may be; all play of course; you head back to camp.

>captured 5 Elven Raiders
>captured 15 Uurlanthan Longbowmen
>captured 10 Uurlanthian Men at Arms

>>12755859

If we get them all, they just disappear.

If not. Heads. In Ranks. Or we can keep them to throw at them later.

>>12755867
Damn. Some got away. We did cripple their cavalry unit at least. Guess it's time to take them back to camp and start the interrogations.

Heh, I wonder if what we said to Sansa and Kyria before our dinner with Jayne lit a fire under them to make some moves?

>>12755872

I was thinking interrogation followed by crucifications if we cant ransom them back

>>12755867

"Check please."

And what salvage we got from the battlefield.

We still need to do some stuff to the bodies though.

>>12755872
I'd actually argue against this. It might backfire and make their troops more dedicated to fighting us. Unless we find out the majority of their troops are peasants and such, they'll likely be at least somewhat battle hardened. As they're on the offensive, such acts might make them want to get vengeance on us and cause them to fight harder.

>>12755901

We can also do it the old fashioned way. Heads on stakes in a rough wall.

The message is clear, "cross the line and die, or just go home."

>>12755893
I don't agree with crucifixion, I think beheading is more appropriate. They are soldiers, not thieves

>>12755916

Oh and they need to be trapped too. For those who will try and remove them.

Their dead will get no rest.

>>12755894
you are able to salvage 45 suits worth of chainmail, enough javelins to keep your Raiders equipped for a while, a bunch of poor quality iron handweapons, as well as 50 odd steel longswords and heater shields (not the best craftsmanship, but not the worst either).
23 horses were rounded up as well.

>>12755901

but from what Pax said the majority of the uurlanthian army IS made up of peasants

whenever they man up and take the bulk of their forces into the empire's side of the valley, they see some crosses and i bet you your bottom dollar at least some of those peasants will be scared shitless of going into degnarian territory

Part of me is tempted to just release them once we are done with them. No gear or anything of course. Then we burden the enemy with useless mouths/they have to use up their resources re-arming them and that'll stress their supply wagon more. Plus, if opponents get off that easy, enemy units might be more likely to surrender.

>>12755945
True but these storm lords have been beating the asses of other maniples. So they're not freshly conscripted peasants. They're somewhat used to war, so we can't expect them to be shaken as easily.

We should interrogate our captured scouts and see what our opponents has at his command before we decide what to do with them anyways.

>>12755935

pick the biggest and fastest for us and then give ten of them to the raiders as a good will gesture to keep their spirits up because of the casualties they sustained this day.

is our fortified camp and watch tower finished?

>>12755953

There are rules in war. I hope we can send them off to some prisoner camp once we're done with them. We don't need a large follower's camp.

Firstly, we need to seperate officers and men. Then interrogation and torture. Of course, we should not use actual physical torture.

We use the water drip method.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_water_torture

>Yes, I'm a bastard.

>>12755935

how much does a good horse sell for in the empire Pax?

>>12755993
More like this is the start of our own cavalry unit.

Give Sansa a bit from our flask, she earned it. Jokingly ask her if she liked the ride.

>>12755979

that doesnt actually work

now japanese torture

ie force-feeding rice(or degnarian equivalent) to the prisoners until they are OVERfull then shoving a hose down their throat and pumping water into their stomach and then proceeding to jump up and down on their belly

thats pretty fuckin evil

>>12755993
750 to 1500 dragoons, depending on your buyer and definition of good. Most Noble houses pay 1000 Dragoons a head for a good warhorse (which are what you have).
>>12755966
its the Edgewater Lords actually.... but its cool, I'm reading the "A Song of Ice and Fire" books as well right now, haha

Upon returning to camp you see that the tower looks to be over half-way up, and the palisade wall is finished facing east.

>final decision on your loot?

>>12756030
We can store it and sell it off after we finish the campaign. Armor is worth a pretty penny, as are horses.

>>12756030

does anyone object to giving five horses to the raiders to keep them happy for the rest of the campaign?

our own personal cav unit would be kickass Maximus, but can we sustain them out of our own pocket?

>>12756030
Horses: keep, and see if anyone wants to volunteer to be light cavalry archers or scouts.

Who should get the chainmail? Hunters, perhaps? Or Scouts?

>>12756030
Man, I've read those books so many times. House Lannister is boss. Except for Cersei. She's only boss at one point in the book series.

I guess we can give some horses to the horse cav to try to bolster their numbers again. Hopefully they took more wounded people than killed. Also, we should ask our smiths what's so odd about the longswords we got at some point. Interrogations first though.

I also would not disagree with saying what >>12756020 said.

>>12756067

or better yet medium horse archers

some hunters+longswords+heater shields+chainmail+horses= a unit good at ranged and melee

whats not to like?

>>12756021

More likely to kill them as well. We need intel.

However, we should go ahead with the staked heads and traps.

Based on what Pax explained of the peasants, we have an easy trap we can use. Caltrops. Since most of them wear sackcloth shoes. The armies will have to advance painfully slow unless they want to split up the group or order massive quantities of shoes.

I also identified a vulnerability in our defences. Using this image, the enemy can advance along the purple line, enter the forest and attack us from behind.

This, though, is perfect for a trap. If we lightly trap the green areas, they will believe it is a weak point compared to the rest of the valley. Scouts will need to be near the right-most area so as to inform us of their arrival.

When they enter the plain, they'll still have to fight an uphill battle which will cost them and the logical conclusion is to enter the forest.

The white circle, properly prepare, shall be their Vietnam.

>>12756106

>forgot pic

Regarding horses, I'd say our scouts and rangers need them. Both for range in setting trap fields and for fast moving recon.

We should check to see who can ride well.

>>12756030
"How did you enjoy the ride, Sansa? I'm afraid it might have been a bit more rough than you are used to."

>>12756106

sorry to shit on your plan that probably took a while to come up with, but our main objective is to keep them OUT of the forest not to invite them in

thats kinda why we set up the watch tower and the fortified camp IN FRONT of the forest

the caltrops are a viable and good idea though

>>12756143
For the short term, I agree with this actually. Mobility will be key and we don't want OUR scouts getting run down by cavalry. Still not sure if we should do the spikes on a head thing. Was that common for Roman armies? Can't remember.

>>12756153

The weak point still exist. Unless we trap it so heavily we can't even get in. Even then, they can try to clear it.

And if we want to stop them from entering the forest, we'll have to engage them in the open plains, negating our elevation bonus and we'll probably incur heavy losses fighting them off.

The best way I could see to counter that was to give them what they wanted until they choked and died. Or run out of it.

>>12756164

Cassius lined the road leading to rome with the crucified bodies of three thousand slaves, the remnants of spartacus' army

i think some heads on pikes would be considered weak

>>12756193

Slaves who rebelled. Theses are warriors, not common thieves.

We at least, owe them some respect.

>>12756204
Putting their heads on spikes is respect? I'd argue a quick, clean death and returning the bodies to the enemy/burying them would be respect.

>>12756190

so then we just trap the shit outta the plains leaving an untrapped strip leading to our camp

and they wouldnt just leave our camp behind without attacking it first, if they did, then their commander would be a fool for leaving his rear exposed to an unknown force

>>12756211

More than a crux at least.

>>12756217

They will attempt to fight through the woods and assault us from behind.

However, the trees will break up their formations, their cavalry (both airborne and normal) will be useless in the forest. If we trap it heavily and have our rangers teach some of our units how to fight ranger style in there, it'll be a slaughter.

>>12756211

in hindsight i like Maximus' idea of giving them back just so uurlanth can waste resources with more mouths to feed in addition to outfitting them and retraining them

so, interrogate them then be magnanimous and let them go free

its not our fault if they cant make it out of the trap fields

>>12756234
We'd want our hunters doing the teaching then. They're the forest fighting experts in our army. I honestly don't think they'd go into the forest without hitting us as well. We'd be able to spot them and prepare way too easily.

>>12756082
>odd as in give or take, or approximately haha.

You rummage around underneath the belt of your platemeils leggings, and pull out your flask, offering it to Sana, she raises an eyebrow at you and accepts the flask. "Enjoying the ride?" you ask her as she opens the flask.

"I've never rode an uursan before, its smoother than I expected." she replies before taking a sip from the flask.

"Last time I checked I was the one riding Spite, you seem to be riding me, while I ride my Uursan; to be precise." you reply, a grin across your face.

Sansa spits out the drink in her mouth laughing; snaking an arm around your waist to keep from falling. "I suppose your right." she replies jovially, as the winter wind gusts again. There is no snow on the plains this far south, but it is very cold still.

"So your enjoying riding me then?" you ask her, still feeling mischivous.The wind makes it hard to tell, but your fairly sure that not all of the color on her cheeks is from the wind, and all that Sansa can do for the rest of the ride into camp is giggle, snicker, chuckle or laugh, leaving you no real room to talk, and wonder what she is planning.

Kurt seems happy to accept the horses as a reimbursement for his losses, and figures that if he sends one of his wounded back to Flumenos he should be able to rebuild his numbers before next month is out.

>>12756106
>the levies who survive prolonged campaigns (what these guys have been on while you were dealing with Khalless) get trained into more serious battalions, and the gear to accompany. the Edgwater Lords have been ripping shit up for the last few months, so THIS foe probably doesn't have alot of guys in sackcloth. If you beat this guy back however...
>interrogation order?
>verdict on heads/no heads?

>>12756249
No no no no. Don't trap the fields yet. Leave them wide open and let them find easy paths to our camp. Then we trap them for their return.

Although, if we do that we'll have to be careful with interrogating them and make sure they're blindfolded. Unless we want them to have info on our interior of the camp.

I say keep the prisoners alive for now. they may become bargaining chips later.
but if we have to kill them, I think a beheading will suffice. there is no need to get crazy.... yet

>>12756258
I say interrogate downward first. Start with the troops that look the least experienced and such.

I say wait on the choice of heads until we get info on their commander. I want a general idea of how he acts before we decide if we can.

>>12756234

our camp is on a hill

the camp is surrounded by a pallisade so attacking it from a differant side wont even matter

and why would the lord make the obvious mistake of trying to fight in the woods?

if anything, he's gonna stay on the plains where his(maybe) superior numbers will be put to the best use

and i dont think you understand that they wont just leave an enemy force at their back, they wont just leave us alone on our hill, if they see it they will attack it

>>12756258
Interrogation, and no executions.

Also, to anyone suggesting that we let the enemy into the forests: That's against direct orders, and will be considered a failure of our assigned objective.

>>12756262

Well crux or not I really don't care. The idea is to put the fear of us into them.

Regarding the prisoners, when we let them go we should put it in proper terms: "Releasing them to return home to their families if they renounce fighting in this war." Some will return to camp and spread the word that those who surrender will be released. We should, however, take down names so that if we capture them again, they're dead.

For those who refuse to stop fighting, we can send them back to Dengar prisons with the supply convoys.

>>12756297
>>12756287

Alright then, the lower area should just be trapped normally.

>>12756299
I understand that but as Pax has pointed out, these guys likely will start to have some kickass troops. Crux people and heads on spikes will only make those troops want to fight us even more. Something like that is what you do what you have the advantage and to send a clear message. If these guys hadn't been kicking the asses of other armies in our empire, it might of worked then. As it stands, it just tells them they're facing someone with some bite at this point.

>>12756317
i agree, no heads on spikes

give me an interrogation roll then. And what specifically do you guys want for your trap fields?

Crucify some of them.

rolled 73 = 73

>>12756332
Interrogate!

>>12756317

Fair enough, we'll not do it then. Planting the seeds of doubt into their heads regarding surrender will cause moral problems for them.

I'd suggest following the actions I outlined once we interrogate them. We'll also have to make sure that no physical scars of torture remain if we're going the high and mighty route here.

>>12756336
Son of a...

For traps - the caltrop idea isn't bad. I also think we should see if we can get Degrian to find a way to cover up fissures so that light infantry can walk over it but heavy infantry/cavalry would break the cover and fall into them. Might be worth looking into. Any ideas on other traps guys?

>>12756332

If no caltrops, then it's pits. Spiked pits (Maybe with shit in them to cause infections and disease). Lots of them, built to main, not kill so as to waste their resources taking care of them.

rolled 23 = 23

>>12756332

what can we use for primitive dynamite?

and how much range do we have on our earth spikes?

if we're on the watch tower can we raise spikes as far as we can see, or is there a specific range?same thing for laelith

also, pitfalls , caltrops for horses, beartraps and what the hell, why not some some poison spike traps?

>>12756347
Tiger pits and other related pits with stakes camouflaged to be invisible, criss-crossing trenches and areas of soft soil to cause cavalry to trip and infantry to twist ankles.

>>12756347

Covering traps will be the domain of hunters and rangers.

I think Degrian will have more important stuff. Like building repeaters and siege weapons.

-Catapult(s)
Ammo: Logs to bowl whole ranks down (crazy but it's been done). 2 chained rocks, one larger one smaller. The larger one will anchor it while the smaller sweeps a circle, scything down infantry.

You spend the rest of the day interrogating your prisoners. You dont get all that much out of them. You are able to surmise that Lord Stant has two groups of Knights, but more back at Cloudreach. You are unable to determine their numbers past "usual for knights and nobles", and that he does in fact have more at his castle. Giving up on the knights, you are able to find out that Stant has two freshly levied units, and "all sorts of int'resting ways to make your lot'o reds dead".

giving in to frustration after the last man has been interrogated you head over to Degrians... hovel? its a small wooden thing, most likely quite mobile if need be, and looks to be a good deal cozier than your tent is. "I want some traps prepared" you announce as you enter, needing to stoop and slouch to fit.

"What kind?" Degrian replies, looking up from a small stone furnace, and some iron gears he seems to have made.

"Caltrops for start." you reply "then I was wondering if you had the ability to make a support structure that could hold up a group of lightly armored men, but would give way to heavier infantry or anything mounted."

Degrian turns in his seat to look at you "depends on how high off ground, and how big space... anything else?"

>>12756429
Sorry for the lame interrogation guys. That told us barely anything.

Size wise I guess it would be the fissues we can create and that shouldn't really be high off the ground, right?

>>12756429

bear traps and siege engines?

>>12756429

"I want to fly. Build something that we fly under our own power."
(I'm amazed. One of the best engineers and we're not thought about mass producing an airforce.)

"Perhaps after this campaign."

>>12756441
>read between the lines, and you'll know what you shouldn't expect. I wanted to give you more, but with the roll well, your no Interrogator, that's for sure, haha.

>>12756441

also , an automata for "clearing forests" saws, arms for picking up trees and a space for passengers, "lumberjacks" needing to get to other parts of the forest

we should inform the other commanders of what has happened:
-we made contact, but were victorious.
-enemy intelligence tells us of at least 2 units of knights and 2 units of levied infantry in our area. however there is more coming from the castle
-inform them of the scouting parties and warn them to expect more.

>>12756458

Can we pull some aside for torture and try again?

>>12756465
Let's not go crazy with the tree cutting idea. We're supposed to preserve it as best we can for the counter attack.

>>12756458
Hard to read between it with that last statement on having all sorts of ways of making us dead. That and the info is generic as hell. Knights could mean anything - could be mounted or non-mounted knights. Could be riding horses, could be riding birds of some kind. The levies could be archers, they could be heavy infantry, they could be light, etc etc. Maybe I'm reading too deep into it but I can't really get much out of it other than the fact they have two fresh units and two units of knights. I'm not hedging my bets on them only having 4 or 5 units.

>>12756477
>>12756475
not for a while (game time). and the other units Stant has are his garrison. He wouldn't call them up unless he was desperate, or REALLY pissed, you would assume.

>>12756475
If I remember the map from a previous thread, the castle of these lords is far on the other side of their territory. We'd have quite a bit of time unless they were already on the way.

>>12756429
>anything else?
Progress on the Heavy Repeating Crossbows, and the possibility of setting up fortified firing emplacements along our base fortifications.
Any progress on improved wagon designs.

>>12756465

did you notice the quotations?

I meant to lie to degrian about the purpose of the automata so we could then use it in battle

>>12756488
Uurlanth knights always OWN mounts, so you can assume either.
Levies are always light infantry, as armor needs training.
all sorts of ways to kill you means a balanced force, as opposed to a specialized force

>>12756495
>>12756493

Or fliers.

By speaking to them, what did they tell us of Lord Stant's character? We should at least be able to tell that from their stories and behaviour.

>>12756508
Right. I still think we shouldn't lie to Degrian about that. We're just going to lose his support when he finds out we've used his things to kill and I rather keep the expert engineer at our side.

>>12756521

hold on a second here, what degrian doesnt see wont hurt him

whenever we use it in battle , we just have degrian far away from the battle

he'll never know

>>12756535

Soldiers are a chatty bunch. Not a good idea.

>>12756521

and besides, he already upgraded our crossbows, which will be used to kill so i think we can make a gradual change in him into a more warlike kaskyana over time

>>12756511
that he is level-headed, patient cunning, driven and determined to take the fight to Degnar. He cares for his men as a fighting apparatus, not as men; but that is fairly magnanimous for Minor Lords. The only character flaws you were able to pick up on are perhaps over-focusing on his goal, being to stubborn to quit a battle, and being over-protective of his sons, three of whom are with him on this campaign (but not his heir, from what you surmised)

>>12756535
That and our engineers won't be experts at maintaining them so he'll likely be involved in it. I don't think he'll ignore the blood spattered on them.

>>12756509
So basically nothing really concrete. Bleh. Someone else roll for interrogations in the future so I don't waste important chances.

>>12756539

everyone in the camp outside of degrian knows its a secret and they will keep their mouths shut, on pain of death if they let slip anything

>>12756493
noted, in that case inform the other commanders of:
-our action against the enemy.
-local troop disposition.
-the possibility of enemy scouts in the area.

also, perhaps we should send out some scouts too?

>>12756549

Actually it's a rather good idea of what we're facing.

We're almost effectively facing our mirror image. I say we should work on the assumption that Strant can and will field elementalist, rangers, hunters and siege.

>>12756545

sounds like the perfect enemy to trap with one or all of his sons as bait

>>12756545

... Did we capture any officers?

>>12756556

Even the field engineers who are basically his disciples? All it takes is one chance and the whole charade is blown. Too much risk, I'd say.

>>12756571
If we can capture the majority or all of his sons, I think we might be able to get the guy to willingly leave the battlefield if we can meet with him one-on-one. Or exchange himself for his sons.

>>12756569
Not necessarily. We could be or we could not be. After all, if his two units of knights are flying cavalry, he's definitely not a mirror image and has different advantages that we do. We should assume he's similar to us but I wouldn't hold my breath he only has one unit of heavy cavalry.

"No, aside from more long-term projects I may have for you nothing right now, thank you Degrian." you reply, before taking your leave. AS you make your way to the tent Sansa approaches you with a piece of parchment. Your surgeons did well this time around.

Kyrtosh RapidRiders (elf)
Bastius Glenth
Velociprey, leathers, shortbows, longblades
40/50
average

House Garlian Uursan Cavalry
Lady Jayne Garlian
70/75
average

Esperitus Raiders
Kurt Dorias
Horse, spear, chainmail, javelins
45/60
Average

You send a short message to your peers with Aquilla, outlining your victory, the high possibility of large enemy scouting battalions in the area, and your estimate on the enemies disposition.

After that was finished you set your Rangers to digging spike-pits, laying caltrops as they are finished, and searching for more enemy incursions.

>none of his officers/engineers/important soldiers were caught during this last engagement.

>I am dead tired. I intended to have another battle tonight, but I dont think that I have the energy to do it right so I'm gonna call it for tonight. Someone archive please, I'll be back friday at 9pm server time.