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Re: (TFT) Wizards at War



From: Michael Taylor <MichaelTaylor1@compuserve.com>
Subject: Re: (TFT) Wizards at War
Date: Mon, 22 Oct 2001 12:22:02 -0400

Message text written by INTERNET:tft@brainiac.com
> If part of 'basic training' is to give all the troops the Aid spell,
the army becomes a huge ST battery.  <

Huh? It will take each soldier 9 MONTHS to learn the Aid spell as 3 point
talent!

How long is your basic training? How can you field an army if your basic
training takes 2 years?

Now you also have to field all these guys without armor so they can cast
Aid AND you have to outfit them with SILVER WEAPONS!

Now this only works if all your men-at-arms aren't superstitious and
perfectly willing to give up a valuabe skill like soldiering so they can
learn a spell that knocks the wind out of them every time they use it and
only benefits someone else!

Good luck talking an IQ 9 peasant into this!

"Now take this nice shiny silver weapon -- worth 4 years worth of work to
every soldier on the enemies side - and when you get the signal, sit down
and remember your incantation! You'll be tired and almost immobile after
this so if you see any enemy soldiers, be prepared to crawl away as fast
you can -- it'll be easy because you wont be wearing any armor....  Now
let's all join in for a pledge of allegiance...."


Now if every private also knew kung-fu.... ;}

Michael

You make a nice point. One has to plan this out well and have the right combinations of troops, wizards training and tactics.

The Bryunthian army is not as well trained or standing as the Roman Army, who could have very well trained their troops in Aid spell. True about silver weapons, but they could use leather armor. The Romans (Greek) religion was run by mostly practical Romans. If they felt that aid spell was a state necessity for the glory of Rome, "Mars" would insist on it not only being acceptable (therefore not a superstitius problem), but a commendable thing for a soldier to do. Now if the ranks were drawn up 2 rows closed ranks of fighters, a ten foot gap in which the wizard was positioned and then another 2 ranks of fighters with their Iron swords plunged into the ground, they could all expend one 5 second chant fatiguing themselves 1 fatigue point, "throw" their Aid to the wizard who next turn could do the appropriate combat spell. The turn the wizard is doing his spell, the fighters are picking up their weapon to fight.

Well, lets see. The kings of medeival England required that the Welsh practice longbow and even had fines if they didn't practice. It took each man many years to become effective at the longbow. At which time in war, they were assembled for their duty and used.

Suppose there was a similar mandate for peasants to do this with aid spell. Now if you had them practicing sling instead of Longbow and you gave them quarterstaffs to protect themselves and formed them up in units, that might work without silver weapons. But you see, that is only if they are going to use the magic in combat. If they are going to support a wizard who makes gates using a tome (or setting up wards or for the evil armies - raising dead), then they can have several units gathering around and help, etc.

True, chances are this won't happen, but it is a possiblility for those who could work the statistics and creatively propose combat situations that could support this kind of warfare.

Hail Melee,
John Paul



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