Tang Chinese Steppe Falconer at Court



A Twilight of Empires

Lords of the Earth, Campaign 13

Special Forces

No, not that kind. These are units specific to this campaign, brought in to increase historicity and fun. And just to say it officially, 5.4.3 and 5.4.4 are in effect - Training Levels and Equipment Classes.

As per 5.4.2, here are three new unit types

ELEPHANTS (J): These are termed "J" for Jumbo. "Medium" elephantry may be raised in S and SE Asia, "Inexperienced" elephantry in Africa, based on slim historical evidence, i.e. what I found in Wargames Research Group's DBM rulebook and army lists. An IJ unit will not improve with battlefield experience. The unit type's basic role is to provide something akin to heavy cavalry for those peoples and places generally lacking in such, and to overawe those opponents not used to seeing them. Mind you, this did not save Poros from Alexander. They are also useful in sieges, as most of these were smaller affairs, where a pile of archers in an armored howdah are actually useful, and gates may well give way to several pushing pachyderms. They are, as an old friend once put it, a "Third-World weapon system," and should not be viewed as a good substitute for "real" heavy troops. Players using the Java-Orders-App will find these under the "Mechanized" QR.

MOUNTED INFANTRY (D): Yes, that's "D" for dragoon. They are part of the Infantry QR type, as they do not generally fight mounted. These essentially are a somewhat more mobile version of their analogous foot troops, e.g. HD are HI on horses. Those from desert climes are often mounted on camels. Mounted infantry are also the bridge unit type for those wanting the ability to field cavalry types. Later in this period one finds Vikings with the ability to steal horses and ride them inland, dismounting to fight, their cousin Varangians in Byzantine service similarly employed. Mounted infantry are as useful as scouts as the cavalry types of similar weight. Mounted infantry may at any time be converted to their infantry equivalents, e.g. XD to XI, at no cost in gp or AP - though of course any resources put into created the D units is lost as the troops ditch (or eat) their mounts.

ARTILLERY (A): In this period, of course, we talk not of demi-culverins but of the ballistae and similar weight and torsion powered machines. Good in siegecraft, and of marginal use in open field battles, they are nonetheless handy to have around. The Romans in particular seem to have liked them, and the Chinese auto-crossbow and the like are also included in this type.


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Chris Cornuelle / lote13gm at xmission dot com / last modified Tuesday, 16-Nov-2004 14:24:08 MST
© 2001-2008 Shirin Strategy Games
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