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[tryrar]

ok then, substitute some other relatively easy to swing weapon, I'm not picky(see what I did there?)

[GreatWyrmGold]

Yes.

What's wrong with polearms?

[evilcherry]

Don't see the point of readying the best weapon for the situation. I mean, anything goes, and the peasants are not going to see much active fighting either as we are trying to cut their supply lines.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Don't see the point of readying the best weapon for the situation.

Why not? Especially as

Bills are quick to make--being an agricultural tool...

[tryrar]

nothing wrong really, I guess bills are fine

[jaass]

Also we should talk to those miltia we got from pigsend since some of them were former bandits they might know the lay of the land a lot more then us. Maybe if we are lucky some really good ambush spots from them.

[Gervassen]

For right now, jaass, they have something that we desperately want, NRS, so we will probably be attacking aggressively rather than ambushing, but soon after ambushes will be a good idea; and it's a strong observation that locals can help us scout as we advance down the river.

My only objection to picks, tryrar, is that we will have poor armour for the peasants, because curbiston armoury was looted; so short-reach melee weapons without shields will put them poorly-armoured face-to-face with hardened killers born and raised on the shieldwall fighting style. Bills give them some stand-off capability, and an ability to chop and hack at the shieldwall from a safer distance.

I'm interested to see what cooperation we can get across the river, but Folesden already has potent force levels, mainly because Feroshire escaped sickness. Feroshire is 42 retainers in the standing retinue, plus levies about 20% of (350 + 3*350). That's 322 men, many of which are veterans. Conservatively, if the other places bring 50 like Pigsend, that's 522 men on our own.
 
So, the remainder of this week is marshalling and training the peasants in polearms 101. Next week, we're across the river gathering cut-off and leaderless forces as we roll down the other bank. At the end of two weeks, hopefully we arrive at the new raider settlement before it has finished its palisades. But let's bring our siege engineers, just in case.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Sounds like a plan to me.

500 or more men...not a big army, but not an insignificant force, either.

[10ebbor10]

It's a pretty big force actually, considering your average castle was manned by 12 people.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Compared to medieval armies?

Huh. I thought large medieval armies would consist of about a thousand peasant-soldiers.

[10ebbor10]

They did. Castles are just very easy to defend.

But in a plague devastated country, and with the enemy coming from overseas, it's a very decent force.

[escaped lurker]

.. face-to-face with hardened killers born and raised on the shieldwall fighting style. ...

Not to disturb the consens that seemingly has been reached, but on all occasions where we met upon the sea-raiders - from them landing on our river-shore to the "real" battle, I had the impression of them being more on the savage-skirmisher side, than any kind of roman-esque formations. The later also somewhat applies to our forces, in the sense that they did not seem to stick to their original formation that much after the fighting errupted, but on this I am somewhat unsure.

In any case, putting a bit of distance between them is always good - our untrained forces should be less likely to panic and whatnot. We might want to issue some cudgels for them thou, for the case that their lines get breached. At that point I would think that a long-handled weapon might become an issue. Sure, not as much for someone trained like a hellbardier, but for those farmers and highway-men it might prove a usefull addition. One that would not cost that much, I would like to add - If nails were not somewhat more expensive in this time, even a nailed club would do. Actually, that still might be worth a consideration.

We sure are a threat of some kind thou, unless those sea-raiders were able to upheave even more forces than previously. Where they did get defeated quite soundly, if memory serves. Not devestating, but good enough for them to be more mindful next time. Hmm.. ong that line, it really could go both ways.

[Maldevious]

You march your ragtag band back to Curbiston, and are pleasantly surprised by what you find when you arrive. Denton and Percival have arrived in force, at the head of a total of around 300 men, in addition to a solid core of light cavalry. Luther is also present with the levies from Feroshire, bringing your total troops to nearly 850, which is frankly more than you expected to have at your command.

You order a census of your troops, and spend the week arming the peasants from Pigsend with billhooks, cudgels, and any pieces of leather or fur armor you can rouse up. At the end of the week, they are still rather incompetent, but at least they know which end of the bill to point at the enemy. The census of your troops is completed as well.

Under your command, you have roughly 30 light cavalry, 100 spearmen, 200 halberdiers, 300 archers, 20 peasant billmen, 100 swordsmen, and 100 skirmishers (slings and javelins). At the end of the week, you are prepared to march. You are considering crossing the river, assuming the new Sea Raider settlement is on the other bank of the river across the bay from Torchester, but that is just a hunch, not a known fact. Another part of you wants to simply march to Torchester. How will you proceed?

[Gervassen]

I had the impression of them being more on the savage-skirmisher side, than any kind of roman-esque formations.

We might want to issue some cudgels for them thou, for the case that their lines get breached. At that point I would think that a long-handled weapon might become an issue.

Hmm.. Regular knives can probably also serve as sidearms. I'd prefer all our main production be arrowheads, and we simply weaponise hand-tools for close combat. These devils are best slaughtered at range, imo.

Spoiler: history (click to show/hide)

Shieldwall was the traditional Germanic formation, noted in Tacitus' treatise Germania in AD 100 and implied in Caesar De Bello Gallico as early as 50 BC.  The roman formation was more unique, and not a shieldwall precisely because it didn't form a straight line. Each maniple was staggered like a checkerboard. Really, really disciplined. A germanic shield wall, on the other hand, requires minimal discipline being a single straight continuous line, because people naturally form crowds in a dangerous situation anyway. You just got to flatten it out a little. 

But back to topic... if they aren't using their shields to the maximum advantage in a shieldwall, then so much the better, I suppose! We can stop savage headlong charges with stakes driven into the ground, slow them down enough to be chopped and hacked.

[Gervassen]

Awesome. 850 troops. I hoped Denton and Percival had more, but didn't want to plan for it.

You are considering crossing the river, assuming the new Sea Raider settlement is on the other bank of the river across the bay from Torchester, but that is just a hunch, not a known fact. Another part of you wants to simply march to Torchester. How will you proceed?

One final message arrives after the other two, with dark news. The Duke explains that another force of Sea Raiders has landed in his demense, and are putting together another settlement. He is concerned that they will eventually lay siege to him, and asks you how quickly you can pull together a force of men to aid him.

In his desmesne... Hmm, is the other side of the river still part of Erran's Duchy, Mal? Rivers are often territorial borders; but on the other hand, settling across the river is ideal for challenging Torchester's control of the river mouth.

It just might be that I misinterpreted the position of this new camp. As little fun as it is, we may have to simply march south to Torchester directly.