Chap 57 A soldiers Life Posted
Added 2023-08-24 00:40:09 +0000 UTCHope to have Chap 58 by noon tomorrow!
Comments
I can just tell you what I was thinking while I was writing the sequence. And yes a long time ago in a galaxy far far away I was a DM. There was more than one general attacking the city of Macha and the opportunity to get vengeance on the mage that killed his sister drove him to the pursuit. Also eliminating a Legion Mage is a high priority. He had about 150 men (about 40 archers) to the legion companies 36 ish (some already injured).....4 to 1 advantage Rain of arrows....fire rate with a bow is about one every six seconds if aiming....one every 3 seconds if not aiming Maybe it was not a true 'rain of arrows' but they only needed to focus on smaller areas. were they close to running out of arrows themselves....yes. That is how I pictured it. OFF SCENE: When the general found his sister unconscious (and his bodyguard who was scouting ahead) and blinded he chose to return with her for healing in the city, putting a subordinate in charge to kill the mage and eliminate the company. Small explanation for the stilted tactics. As to the three griffins not assisting in the attack, besides the one that tried to stop them from halting the group scaling the aqueduct, was made sort of clear that one arrow in a wing could ground them. At least I hoped that was clear...kind of like taking a blow to the knee and not being able to run, a griffin is not going to be able to flap its wings to fly. They are mostly just used as scouts. Water wise....there are two wells noted in the chapters for water....not enough to supply a population effectively but since most people fled it was enough after the aqueduct was destroyed. I thought I mentioned this point in a chapter. Okay to the attack reasoning! The leader that the general put in charge had roughly 150 men. He wanted to overrun the position with numbers so had to wait for the 100 slower-moving men to catch up before launching his attack. His first thought was to attack from the aqueduct and stairs at the same time. Adrian foiled their attempt to climb the aqueduct and when they rushed the stairs they thought they were magically greased. His second attempt was to keep the men on the aqueduct pinned with arrows and have men climb the treacherous cliff while he sacrificed men on the stairs to keep the defenders occupied. Once the men climbed the cliff they would have been overrun the position....they had archers below to cover them reaching the top but still got there in ones and twos. The losses below the aqueduct....maybe 40 men (there were boulders for cover but they were not continuous cover)....the cliff climbers....maybe 20....the aqueduct another 12....so he lost 72 (half his force) to killing 12 legionaries (6 to 1 in favor of defenders)....there were 24 legionaries left when they retreated....many of them injured seriously Sorry for the long reply.
Erick Thiemke
2023-08-25 14:30:51 +0000 UTCWith "A Soldiers Life" I keep thinking back to my time as a game master (ADd&D, GURPS, etc.). I would have really liked a City of Macha campaign. Detection of invading special units, siege (defense), breakout, escape, contact with the relief army, siege again (but this time as an attacker) and finally recapture. I suspect that readers simply have different expectations of believability in terms of motivation and tactical behavior in Legionnaires vs. Bartiradians, than in monster encounters. Personally, I didn't like the course and end result of the Battle at the Aqueduct that much. Before the fight: The Legionnaires (20+) I looked at the men around me; maybe twenty were uninjured and fully capable of fighting. And those twenty were tired. The Bartradians (150+) “There is an elven general and fifty men in light armor about half a mile back with him. ... There are another hundred men in heavy armor and at least two mages another mile behind them ... slowly. Clalyn Glavien's motivation: Retaliation for the (supposed) death of his sister Raelia. “General” Glavien's aim should actually be to secure Macha. A counterattack by the dukes is only a matter of time. In the face of this threat, he personally leads the pursuers of the legionnaires instead. I find it unprofessional! A good general should delegate such a thing. I suspect that he will return to Macha with Raelia at the latest after he finds her alive. In the Battle at the Aqueduct, one of his (not really smart) officers may have had command of the pursuing force. This may also explain the frightening result: More than half of the armed forces are dead or injured. For what purpose? Is killing an enemy mage or two (Castile and maybe Eryk) worth it? How many archers did the Bartiradians actually have? At most I would have guessed a few archers in the ranks of the light infantry (50-). I was amazed that so few archers (uphill from a valley position) can produce an effective rain of arrows against the legionnaires. Climbing the cliff and climbing the stairs were obvious tactical blunders. Devastating for troop morale! An advance of archers under the protection of shield bearers (heavy infantry) across the aqueduct would certainly have been more successful if the Bartiradians had scaled the aqueduct farther away. The use of the griffins surprised me too. They could have been used offensively at a safe height (dropping stones, incendiary devices, etc.). Or for aerial reconnaissance and mobile supply forces. Why has no one thought of shutting off the water flow to the aqueduct (lock sluices)? I would also like to know how important (strategically) the aqueduct is to the city. Are there also wells, springs or cisterns in the city? Or does the aqueduct represent the most important water supply?
Nicholas Ramage
2023-08-25 11:03:44 +0000 UTCthanks...that should say a dozen arrows....Antonio died
Erick Thiemke
2023-08-24 19:45:14 +0000 UTC"The first man scrambled up over the edge of the cliff, and Antonio went to engage him. As he approached, a dozen came at him, four connecting. One went through his throat, and he fell to his knees, struggling to breathe." Did Antonio die here or the enemy ?
lenkite
2023-08-24 19:35:41 +0000 UTCIt is not Duke Octavian’s army. But Duke Octavian got Castile’s company sent to the city to hold it. Since she failed to hold the city….
Erick Thiemke
2023-08-24 02:12:55 +0000 UTC
