Re: (TFT) Interesting re: Thrown Pole Weapons

[Sgt Hulka <hulkasgt@yahoo.com>]

Your two-points below are the ones that have me curious, too. I hadn't thought about the atlatl and magical enhancements.

Since the charge/throw maneuver is specifically forbidden in Advanced Melee, I assume your discussion is about allowing double-damage throws as a house rule. If you do that, I'd allow it for all thrown weapons, but maybe remove the mace as a thrown weapon. The Franks were known for charging and throwing axes to break up shield walls.

If you're not talking about house rules, let me point out the following about Basic Melee:
1) Polearms do not automatically go first. This is a huge difference.
2) You can not defend against a pole weapon charge or a set pole weapon.

Finally, if the main point of the house rule is to improve the effectiveness of thrown weapons and make them a tactical consideration (a point of view I sort of agree with), let me play devil's advocate for a minute.

First, Advanced Melee assumes Into The Labyrinth. Thrown Weapon talent is available to all warriors (IQ 8). That allows you to effectively throw your weapon at anyone within 3 hexes *and* re-arm. That rule alone can be used to simulate the Frankish axe-throwers, for example. A Frankish Warrior can have Knife (1), Sword or Pole Weapons (2), Axe/Mace (2), Shield (1) and Thrown Weapons (2).

Second, there is the all thrown weapons travel for 10 hexes rule in both Melee and Advanced Melee. If we're talking about actual big battles, involving shield walls or spear walls and several ranks of men, thrown weapons may become more tactically feasable:

Army A is facing down Army B. Army B is a shield wall backed up by pole weapons as per that Advanced Melee example. It's a pretty formidable formatoin. And then there's probably a third rank to fill in gaps for fallen warriors.

Now when you throw your axe or spear at Army B you're not just rolling to hit the first rank, but if you miss you get a chance to hit the second rank, and then the third rank. So you get three tries. Maybe that would make it a more attractive option? (granting that such a situation would rarely, if ever, come up within the scale of an actual melee/advanced melee game).

--- On Mon, 4/13/09, Richard Walters <rick.walters@yahoo.com> wrote:

> From: Richard Walters <rick.walters@yahoo.com>
> But, once the sprear is thrown, then the advantage is gone,
> isn't it?  Maybe the double damage bonus is what is
> needed to make people throw a spear in the first place. 
> Because, unless you're desperate to disable a foe,
> obstructed by terrain or able to ready another weapon
> quickly, hardly no one throws a spear.
> 
> Alright.  All that said, what about non pole weapons? 
> Logically, why is a spear so special that it gets the double
> damage bonus due to momentum when a hatchet doesn't? 
> There clearly isn't any support in either ruleset for
> granting double damage for a thrown hatchet, no matter how
> far you move.  And I guess the only logical argument that
> would support the spear's extra damage is it's
> weight and piercing focus of energy.  But, what if you could
> throw a knife/dagger/hatchet with twice the velocity?
=====
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