Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[evilcherry]

Burn baby burn.

Try to torch the place down and deal as much damage as you can. Retreat once their stocks are destroyed.

[tryrar]

yeah, a hit and run raid is probably best. Even if they're mostly women and children, they'd simply be able to eventually swarm us with sheer numbers if they get desperate enough, so a head-on attack isn't the best idea

[kaian-a-coel]

I just had an idea... It's most probably godawful, but I'll let you judge.
Pretend that we are with them.
Put down all the banners, have Joral speak for us, pretend to be mute or speak a third-party language. Have her say she's our wife or our domestic translator.
Sneak in plain open into the camp. Find a suitable position, camp apart (because we're not quite like them) and strike at the best possible place and time.

Our equipment and men will certainly give us away though...

Alternatively pretend to be a traitor and be willing to work with them in exchange for a title. Still awfully risky but a little bit less.

[10ebbor10]

What do you think the chance is that...97% of the town is noncombatants?

0%

Its hard to make a very precise bow shot in the dark...

I honestly didn't think of that but Rangers are the best...we could do it in the late afternoon also ask the Rangers for any alterations that can possibly be made?

They are our medieval special forces with their own ideas right?

Nope. They're archers on horses, and aren't decent shots. People wanted to train them, but well.


And I say we turn around and live to fight another day. We have no siege weaponry, are severly outnumbered, and well, medieval towns don't burn that easily. If they'd followed basic military strategy, we won't even be able to reach their walls. Hit and run attacks don't work against fortified settlements.

I just had an idea... It's most probably godawful, but I'll let you judge.
Pretend that we are with them.
Put down all the banners, have Joral speak for us, pretend to be mute or speak a third-party language. Have her say she's our wife or our domestic translator.
Sneak in plain open into the camp. Find a suitable position, camp apart (because we're not quite like them) and strike at the best possible place and time.

Our equipment and men will certainly give us away though...

Alternatively pretend to be a traitor and be willing to work with them in exchange for a title. Still awfully risky but a little bit less.

We're not strong enough, they don't need reinforcements, they don't seem to be the type to endorse traitors, and well, they'll be wary. Even if they accept us, we will be forced to camp outside, and will be used as cannonfodder on the first occasion.

[Gervassen]

This is more or less what we expected. A few patrolling longboats, some fisherman, a large village. Let's keep in mind that the Duke is getting cornered by whatever real forces these people had. You know how we send our walking wounded to guard prisoners in Curbiston? What do you think they have patrolling here while they march to meet the Duke? Their dregs, too. Mighty forces are moving across other parts of the gameboard right now, and this place was thought secure, especially by sea.

yeah, a hit and run raid is probably best. Even if they're mostly women and children, they'd simply be able to eventually swarm us with sheer numbers if they get desperate enough, so a head-on attack isn't the best idea

Civilians are disorganised. Who tells them when to push back, where to push back, even how to push back... Suppose they get into a formation, women and children, rolling pins and toy weapons. Launch arrows into the midst of that, nothing but clothing and skin to stop the hail... what happens to the block? Reforms? Nah. These are savages, not demons without pain and fear.

Let's continue with the plan, steady as she goes. Screw our courage to the sticking place, lads. Just continue rowing as if for all the world that we belong in that place at that time. If a patrol boat veers to meet us, have Joral wave at it, if it comes too close, we all give it a barrage of fire arrows. We're ten ships. We don't need to break our course for a few patrol boats. Hit land.

Initially, on the beach, focus on the defense towers with our veteran and elite archers. The other levy archers strike hard with a few volleys of fire arrows showered deep into the village, maximum range, trying to start a fire that cuts parts of the village off from other parts and puts the scare into them. Our halberdiers are portaging boats into bastions for falling back. The heavy horse is forming and charges into the nearer sections of a hopefully panicking town. Take appraisal of the situation and decide whether a serious counter attack is organising, and continue either aggressively or defensively based on that.

One last thing. Before all this starts, right now, we turn to Joral and say, "You know what your husband's problem was when he ran away?" ... "You just didn't give him a kiss for good luck, is all." Steal a kiss. "When you see him next, tell your husband you gave me that, and I went on to conquer."

[Gervassen]

What do you think the chance is that...97% of the town is noncombatants?

High. Too much is happening elsewhere for the garrison here to be credible.

Nope. They're archers on horses, and aren't decent shots. People wanted to train them, but well.

And I say we turn around and live to fight another day. We have no siege weaponry, are severly outnumbered, and well, medieval towns don't burn that easily. If they'd followed basic military strategy, we won't even be able to reach their walls. Hit and run attacks don't work against fortified settlements.

I believe the palisade faces land, not the beach, which is exposed. You don't wall off the sea when you're a naval power that worships the gods of battle and sailing. For example, the Greeks attacking Troy launched hundreds of ships across the Agean Sea, and had a palisade around their camp and fleet. When Hector broke in, they fought amid the tents and ships both. As for fire, I doubt they've had time to create stone buildings, wide brick roads, or lead-plate roofing. Probably wood planks and thatch roofing. Tinder.

We're not strong enough, they don't need reinforcements, they don't seem to be the type to endorse traitors, and well, they'll be wary. Even if they accept us, we will be forced to camp outside, and will be used as cannonfodder on the first occasion.

All I see is a large village, which we always suspected would be of considerable size, and an unassuming amount of activity around it. A few fishers, a few bored patrol boats. There's nothing elite here, while major moves are happening elsewhere.

And remember, we have no other way to meaningfully contribute to this war. Retreat means nothing to the Duke and his coming battle, but causing a disturbance here might shave a couple thousand off the forces marching to face him in order to better guard this place in future. We act here, or we cower. Like Joral's husband.

[10ebbor10]

Up a gentle slope lies a sturdy looking palisade, dotted with crude towers, encompassing an impressive settlement. You guess that it easily holds several thousand people, at a glance, and your heart sinks. You have a hair under 200 men at your disposal. The pilot of the boat yells for directions, and it seems thankfully that none of the foreign ships have yet turned to meet your arrival, although they certainly see you.

encompassing:
Verb
1.Surround and have or hold within:

Pretty sure the palisade goes all the way around. Which would make this attack suicidal. This village is extremely new, meaning that defensive fortications haven't yet made place for more habitation. Most likely, most of the town will still be fairly open, preventing the fire from spreading easily, forcing us to light most of the town ourselves. By the time we get past the patrol boats, the militia will have formed itself. We will have to charge uphill (cavalery will be mostly useless, as we can't unload them fast enough), break through their palisade, light stuff on fire, and then retreat, all the while taking heavy fire.

We can't even use all of our own forces, as that would mean leaving the boats behind.

Initially, on the beach, focus on the defense towers with our veteran and elite archers. The other levy archers strike hard with a few volleys of fire arrows showered deep into the village, maximum range, trying to start a fire that cuts parts of the village off from other parts and puts the scare into them.

That is assuming we can reach them. Their town is build on a hill, and they have the height advantage.

Our halberdiers are portaging boats into bastions for falling back. The heavy horse is forming and charges into the nearer sections of a hopefully panicking town. Take appraisal of the situation and decide whether a serious counter attack is organising, and continue either aggressively or defensively based on that.

This takes quite a lot of time. And well, it depends if we beach our crafts or not.

[kaian-a-coel]

I agree with gerv's plan. His reasoning is good. Be prepared for an early retreat if any important force show up, but if nobody comes early in, they'll never come.
I am reluctant to the idea of slaughtering women and children. Avoid it whenever possible. Burn everything and defend yourself when attacked, but dont be a bloodthirsty butcher, please.
Also no to kissing Alvor. In other circumstances I'll say go with it, but as it stands we have wife and son waiting for us at home.

Ninjedit: ebbor has a point. 

[Maldevious]

Clarifying: the palisade completely surrounds the settlement. The hill rises about twenty feet at a very gentle slope.

[tryrar]

....err, we might as well turn around then. We aren't getting through a palisade that completely surrounds the town with only 200 or so men, so we need to just catch up with the Duke

[kaian-a-coel]

Could we at least wreck havoc on their fishing fleet and put some fires up before leaving?

[Gervassen]

I agree with gerv's plan. His reasoning is good. Be prepared for an early retreat if any important force show up, but if nobody comes early in, they'll never come.
I am reluctant to the idea of slaughtering women and children. Avoid it whenever possible. Burn everything and defend yourself when attacked, but dont be a bloodthirsty butcher, please.
Also no to kissing Alvor. In other circumstances I'll say go with it, but as it stands we have wife and son waiting for us at home.

All's fair in love and war. We are developing an intelligence asset when we kiss her. If you hate your country and want it to lose the war, by all means, refuse to pick up on the signals she's sent. but if you love your country and hate those who came a-ravaging it, then you know we must strengthen her reasons to help us. We can explain to Marna later. If we even need to do so. After all, a kiss is just a kiss.

Attack the settlement. A palisade is not a stone wall. A palisade around the entirety of a large settlement in a few months is highly improbable, actually, but them's the breaks. We'll surmount this, because we must. Perish the man whose mind is backward now.

Let's use Ebbor's idea and portage our ships while underneath them for more protection. Ram a ship against the gates while our archers cover from a nearby ship-mantlet. The gate will break against 20 man ramming with a ship's prow. The militia is a bunch of dregs, the towers are ill built. Glory lasts forever.

It's not an ideal plan any longer, but this is all we have. The Duke is taking a different path and we will not catch him. We become an irrelevant coward the moment we turn tail. Better to die a lion than live a dog.

[10ebbor10]

How about we pass by, light up some boats, and then retreat a fair distance. (Untill they're not following us anymore.)

Unload the cavelery, and then harras their forces a bit. Try to intercept all food supports and such. This settlement hasn't had a single harvest yet, and these aren't really agricultural people. Their reserves will be limited.

Question: What would give the most benefits, destroying the entire settlement, or merely threatening it, forcing the searaiders to redirect forces to protect it.

Question 2: What are the rest of our troops doing, if there's only 200 ish here?

[Gervassen]

By the time we get past the patrol boats, the militia will have formed itself. We will have to charge uphill (cavalery will be mostly useless, as we can't unload them fast enough), break through their palisade, light stuff on fire, and then retreat, all the while taking heavy fire. We can't even use all of our own forces, as that would mean leaving the boats behind.

The patrol boats are not ready for a hundred bowmen showering them with fire arrows and we will sweep past them without really stopping to engage, because they are too small. The volleys that we send will render them helpless without breaking our dash for the shore.

We're beaching our ships and taking them with us. The cogs are pointless once the horses are swimming to shore, and I envision them running up a ramp and jumping off the side, not labourously being hoisted with cranes into rafts. They know to swim ashore, and our beach are already on the beach to collect them.

Everyone portages a ship while underneath it, then we get near the gate and the archers drop theirs as a mantlet, the halberdier keep theirs as a ram to batter the gates. And don't even tell me that they have sturdy gates with iron hinges on the seaward side that holds their boats, which are the most valuable and hardest to craft possession in the whole settlement. By all logic, those ships should be inside the walls protected from landward attacks, like the fortifications of various sea peoples, but at the very least, they'd de-prioritise it since that is the side they consider their natural strength.

Also, heavy fire is not indicated from the description of "dotted with crude towers" and the towers might not even have good cover like a parapet, just railings for watchmen. We'll snipe them.

[Gervassen]

How about we pass by, light up some boats, and then retreat a fair distance. (Untill they're not following us anymore.)

Unload the cavelery, and then harras their forces a bit. Try to intercept all food supports and such. This settlement hasn't had a single harvest yet, and these aren't really agricultural people. Their reserves will be limited.

Question: What would give the most benefits, destroying the entire settlement, or merely threatening it, forcing the searaiders to redirect forces to protect it.

That's good if we had a long time to wear them down, but literally, if we don't make a huge disturbance very quickly, then they will methodically corner the duke and destroy him and leisurely return for us like an elephant returning to stomp a bug. We can't go guerilla this deep in their territory, scuttling around underfoot of such massive forces. We hit this hard and full force now, or not at all.

I think they'll be panicked if they hear their main settlement is taken. Not only because of the food and civilians, but primarily, the boats. It takes a long time to make a good ship. Honestly, by all rights, the palisade should be around the valuable ships rather than a bunch of worthless shanties. If we hold the ships, we hold the key to drawing them against us before they flatten the Duke first. They'll want to protect hundreds of handcrafted seaworthy boats.

Also, Kaian, the kiss is non-negotiable. If this is to potentially be our last day of life, we can't go out like a pink marshmallow. Also, for king and country.

Fleeing civilians are okay; cowering civilians, okay; civilians milling around and giving us appraising looks beg to be filled with arrows to stop their thought processes from congealing into a rabble. One must act with a certain reckless disregard if you wish to scare thousands of civilians into obeying. The Normans conquered the two million inhabitants of England with 40 thousand men. It can be done by the right kind of men.

Eventually, many of these civilians may die later, anyway. That's inevitable in what comes next.

Finally, let's do a knighting of Luther, Finn and Oswald right here in the boat before battle.