Post by Adam on Apr 18, 2011 21:16:23 GMT
Unit Veterancy[/u]
(Forward Army cannot exceed 40,000 troops at the moment)
(+1 Movement = 1 grid square)Untrained - 100 for 20g
These untrained soldiers are the core of many tribal forces. They possess the basic understanding that any man does, which is you kill or be killed, but beyond that their skills are minimal. Much like peasant forces they will easily flee from conflict if not given proper handling and consideration. Untrained soldiers can only wield only a single handed weapon and do not do well with shields.
Trained - 100 for 30g
Given the basics; these troops understand the fundamentals of warfare and how to properly wield their weaponry. Though still fragile in their mentality on occasions, they are the core of many organised forces in China. They can wield a single handed weapon and a shield. These are equivalent to basic garrison troops, apart from peasants and militia.
Experienced - 100 for 45g
Experienced soldiers are those who have seen combat, fought and fought well and have come out to tell the tale. They are well trained with their weaponry, able to wield one or two handed weapons, a shield and give a slight boost when attacking or defending if they are apart of the action.
Veteran - 100 for 60g
The elites of any force. These are expertly trained soldiers that are deadly on the battlefield. Their exploits are often those involving great and historic victories. They are able to wield any type of weapon, shield and they have 2 weapon slots available, though they cannot wield two two-handed weapons. Equivalent to veteran garrison troops.[/size][/blockquote]
Mounts
Horses - 100 for 20g (+2 to movement)[/size]
Common and often used as guards for flanks, rears or as pursuit forces. Horses are bred and developed over many generations for use on the battlefield and these are the cheapest variation.
Weapons
Shortswords - 100 for 15g
(One Handed) Common, basic and often overlooked. With the correct combination the shortsword can be a fantastic weapon on the battlefield, but with so many other noteworthy weapons available it will often be looked down upon.
Longswords - 100 for 17g
(One Handed) Longer, heavier and more robust than its short counterpart. Longswords aren't often seen on the battlefield because of their expense and their limited uses, however in the right hands they can be a force to be well used and effective.
Spears - 100 for 14g
(One Handed) The most common weapon on the battlefield. The Spear is inexpensive, lightweight and is useful in many situations. The normal spear is often used one handed along with protection from a shield, or used two handed for full force behind the tip. The points are known to repel horses that often pull out of charges at the sight of such dangers.
Pikes - 100 for 20g
(One Handed) A variant or long version of the spear however you wish to view it. The pike is a long polearm with a metal spear tip and is used as a common cavalry repellent weapon, as well as being able to keep opposition infantry back as well. Unlike many misunderstandings pikes do not have a blade attached to the speartip.
Hatchets - 100 for 12g
(One Handed) Wood cutting axes are seen all over the land, most useful for their wood chopping, but can also be used as inexpensive weapons on the battlefield. Relying on a cutting motion more than most other single handed weapons, they are not very useful with larger shields as to get their most use they require a more aggressive swing of the arms.
Dual-Edged Axes - 100 for 20g
(Two Handed) Larger axes had the tendancy to cause incredible damage to unsuspecting or units with low morale. Their effect was demoralising and deadly if used correctly and could tear through unorganised units. The weapon does however leave the unit at a defensive disadvantage.
Pole-Axes - 100 for 25g
(Two Handed) Taking dual-edged axes to another level. The additional length of the handle enables greater potential force to be put into the swing of the weapon and thus greater potential damage. The major disadvantage is the limited use such a force can be put in, however with the increased potential to damage multiple nearby opponents, it does mean smaller units of these specialised forces could come in some kind of use.
Crossbows - 100 for 17g
(Two Handed) The deadly crossbow is able to fire up to around 300 metres but are only truly effective at around the 80 metre and under mark. They are easily trained for meaning even untrained forces can have some degree of use with these ranged weapons. They have a low trajectory and great penetration power.
Bows - 100 for 16g
(Two Handed) Less common than the crossbow but they have their own place and use within an army. Archers are able to fire over obstacles more easily than crossbows, however with only a 50 metre effective killing range, they dont have the same stopping power as crossbows. Their total potential range is greater than crossbows however with around 400 metres aprox distance.
Shields and Armour
Wooden Shields - 100 for 6g
Made of wood, round and no wider then wrist to elbow, these small shields offered only a last gasp defence againt a blow. Slightly larger than a buckler, it has a small metal boss much like its smaller counterpart, making it a useful deflector of light attacks.
Round Shields - 100 for 12g
Made primarily of wood and with a large metal boss central to the shield meant these were cheap and easy to manufacture. Larger than ordinary wooden shields, these gave greater protection against attacks, but still maintained some of the weaknesses of its predessor, noteably its inability to protect the legs.
Oval Shields - 100 for 16g
Elongating the Round Shield brought about the Oval Shield, producing a similar but more able shield. Able to protect the legs in warfare was its first addition as well as its additional strengths when combined with polearms such as spears and pikes.
Tower Shields - 100 for 30g (-1 to Movement)
Daunting for the enemy and uplifting for those who carry them. The Tower Shield can be likened to the Roman Scutum; large, rectangular and slightly curved with a metal boss central to its frame. Able to protect the body, legs and if crouching the head also. Like all other shields before it can still be punctured by crossbow bolts and arrows should they be too close, but the danger is much lessened with the tower shield.
Pavise - 100 for 34g (-1 to Movement)
As large, if not larger than the tower shield and made of metal, these are heavy and hard to penetrate shields. Often used as defenses for crossbowmen near the frontline, the shields have a convexed front for extra reinforcement. It is often left to untrained troops to bring these into battle for archers and crossbowmen, whilst it has been known for veteran troops to use them with shortswords or pikes on rare occasions, though the heavy shield limits their effective offensive use.
Leather Armour - 100 for 11g (+4 Movement)
Lightweight, warm and waterproof, this is the preferred armour for ranged units to wear. Widespread for all units in China, leather armour gives units that extra piece of comfort and can deflect some lighter blows that may otherwise have been fatal.
Scaled Armour - 100 for 17g (+3 Movement)
Scaled Armour seems perfect for lesser trained troops with the idea of metal being prominent all over their clothes, and in truth scalemail is a greater armour to leather, however heavier weapons can batter the thin metal into breaking and cutting into the skin, whilst well timed stabs are just as deadly and able to pierce right through. Scale is however fantastic to glance off slashes.
Chainmail Armour - 100 for 20g (+3 Movement)
One up from scale comes chainmail which some would argue is even superior to platemail armour in many situations. The interlinking chains prevent all but the finest of stabs from piercing the body, slashes to often do little more than bruise or break a bone, but against a heavy weapon such as an axe has little to sing about.
Platemail Armour - 100 for 35g (+2 Movement)
Platemail is the mascot of the armour world and is the prized joy for anyone who wears it. Platemail is heavy, but has th best slash and impact resistance of any armour available. Slashes have been known to occasionally glance up and under the plating and reach flesh, but the overall defence of the armour far outweight the cons.
Siege/Logistics
(Max of 2 star units in total for each piece of land owned and a limit of 2 in total for any non starred units for each piece of land. eg. 2 catapults and 2 ladders.)
Balistae* - 1 for 250g[/blockquote]
A Balista is a rock of bolt firing mechanism that hurls the projectile at enemy locations or fortifcations. Hard to configure and aim at enemy troop locations it is best used against structures where the margin for error is less. The projectiles and the weapon itself is lighter and easier to send into battle than a catapult.
Catapults* - 1 for 340g
Heavy duty projectile firing weapon that could launch rocks at troop locations or structures. If used correctly and given time it could make short work of a wall or gate. Its effects on enemy positions was more based upon demoralisation than causing mass damage, due to the limitation of how many a single rock could strike.
Rams - 1 for 100g
Cheap and easy to produce. A ram is simply a glorified tree stump with holding handles and a metal head that would be used with several men to smash into the gate of a fortifcation, eventually breaking it open given enough time and force.
Covered Ram - 1 for 190g
Much like the normal ram, however covered in a wooden housing that could be wheeled onto the battlefield and into position, lessening the impact of missile attacks and improving the amount of time they could last while battering the gates open.
Siege Tower* - 1 for 290g
A large wooden structure that is wheeled onto the battlefield. Each structure has a housing made of wood and animal hide that helps prevent the effect of projectiles from seeping through as infantry units on the ground begin to climb the internal ladders inside. The idea was to reach the wall, drop the rampart when enough troops had climbed the ladders and start a fight for the walls of the city, hopefully leading to a forced entry.
Ladders - 1 for 70g
Used in the same manner as a siege tower, however without any protection and only limited amounts able to climb at once, ladders saw common use, though not all uses saw victory.
Siege Ramp* - 1 for 270g
Another large structure that is wheeled onto the battlefield. Moved up to a city wall and unpacked, this siege equipment could be used to create a ramp that could be used to charge units up onto the walls of a city of other structure. It could also be used to cross an otherwise untraversable river.
Mantlets - 1 for 100g
Mantlets are cheap wooden structures on wheels that resemble shields or small pallisade walls. Their uses were to protect units from projectile fire who would hide behind the structures and push them along.
