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[Gervassen]

Meh. This lacks of a certain glory. I say we trot halfway up the hill, and start using the insults that Joral taught us.I hear the protest already, but when you think about it... Gergal has been starving. He's far more approachable now. We can strike a killing blow right now. Let's start calling out to him that he is scared to fight us, mano-a-mano.

Also, we spent those two days riding a horse, and Gergal has been fleeing us shank's mare the whole while. He must be exhausted. He's beatable, and we have these insults and our Heroic Combat skills going unused.

[Plato Play-Doh]

Meh. This lacks of a certain glory. I say we trot halfway up the hill, and start using the insults that Joral taught us.I hear the protest already, but when you think about it... Gergal has been starving. He's far more approachable now. We can strike a killing blow right now. Let's start calling out to him that he is scared to fight us, mano-a-mano.

In doing so, we would be blatantly disregarding the orders of the Dukes and the King. Not a good idea. Plus, full-scale battle is much safer for us right now. We've gotten plenty of glory from this war already by taking out their settlements, I think that's enough.

[Ukrainian Ranger]

Yes, no need to play a hero, follow the orders

[Maldevious]

Gergal's banner is a green frocked lizard, rampant against a blue background.

[Urist McDwarfFortress]

I think all we can really do is meet with our men, encourage them to valor, and then go join the knights.

[Gervassen]

Suit yourselves, but I have to register a slight distaste for calculations of personal safety running in the mind of a knight. No knight should ever flinch from single combat, whatever the foe. The orders, on the other hand, are a little more persuasive, but a medieval mindset delighted in displays of individual valour from which we would receive ample forgiveness of our brashness.

This whole battle has a sordid air to it, to be honest. We have run to bay a mere pack of weary starved beggars, without horse and armour, polearms, nor even good missile troops. The enemy was noticeably less than ten thousand. If the size of the combined forces of the other Dukes so little as equals our own Duke's, then we have at least seven thousand. This battle has a foregone conclusion. There's no boast to be gained in the butchery about to be done.

While certain points of the story should factor reasonable concerns of safety into the choices made, a story also lives and breathes the interesting and challenging things being attempted. We could return to plowing a field, never seeing another battle, and be even safer than the safest place in the current battle. Yet try to write the update that describes the growing of crops with compelling vividness. I'm saying a duel is simply a better choice stylistically.

[LordSlowpoke]

Yet try to write the update that describes the growing of crops with compelling vividness.

are you assuming maldevious can't pull that shit off

it would be some serious purple prose but i see it happening

[Talvara]

I keep myself out of the battle talk mostly, but how about we take the opportunity to fight the warlord when it presents itself. maybe even steering towards the heroic encounter a little, just not doing anything that might break the (dis)order of the cavalry charges. or anything extra risky.

if its in the dice. a shot at more personal glory isn't a bad thing. we've got a shot at impressing the dukes and the king. no need to shy away from that... no need to show them we can't be counted on to follow a general command or to show them that we're oblivious to danger either though.

[Origami_Psycho]

Let's see if we can't sneak the heavy cav up behind them, and force a rout into our spears.
Also, soften them up with arrows, lot's and lot's of arrows.

After this, we should see about aquiring some lancers into our forces, as just some heavy cav of our own would be really useful, that is, if the host we can raise doesn't already have some.

[kahn1234]

The battlefield is almost identical to that of Hastings.

If Gorgal isn't a complete idiot, he will have had his men form a shield wall, which is very possible judging by the fact they are medieval vikings (who loved shields walls). Behind his linesmen, he most likely has his more skilled, better armoured and far mroe deadly troops ready to chop-chop-chop anyone who makes it through the shield wall.

I say we try the same tactic as William the Bastard. Charge with our cavalry, contact and then pull away before getting bogged down.

Its better than trying to break a shield wall in hand to hand combat, even against exhausted troops. The exhausted Anglo-Saxon troops at Hastings almost beat the fresh Norman troops even though the Anglo-Saxons had forced-marched all the way down from York in North England, a trip of 267 miles in only a couple of weeks.

[escaped lurker]

While I normally tend to agree with Gervassens "Why not risk it?!", This time it seems ill-suited. There is also the fact that right now we do not need to impress anybody that badly. Our Duke is clearly on our side, with giving us our new title and all. Our Knights are also - at least for the most part - on our side. We are good.

Sure enough, some recognition from the King would be a boon, but this scenario - the one where we break the line to challenge the leader to combat - has quite more chances of turning bad than turning out good. Besides, we should not forget how hard cornered animals tend to fight - This battle might turn out far worse than we would suspect. Tell our troops to be on guard because of that matter.

Sure enough, If there is a Chance for a duel, go for it. But I somehow doubt the feasability of such a happening, unless the dice god really like us.

[Urist McDwarfFortress]

Finally, it seems that the Sea Raider has drawn up centered on a sloping hill surrounded by marshes, a few days ride yet from the river. Gergal's banner flaps idly on the heights.

They've picked a good position. Up on a hill, surrounded by marshes. It really negates our strongest advantage: our mass heavy cavalry charge. In the previous battle, our cavalry swept through their line over and over again, turning it into an absolute slaughter. If they get a packed formation together up on the hill, we won't be able to do that again. Not to mention that the marshes makes charging horses as dangerous to the rider as the enemies...

Probably the best tactic will just be a steady march up the hill, under cover from our archers, with the cavalry on the flanks. Hopefully, our infantry will reach their line in good order. Once we get close, their infantry will probably rush downhill to engage them, giving their charge the added weight from gravity. If they do that, the best move will probably be to set our line to meet them, rather than trying to run uphill to join battle. Get them to run headlong into a wall of polearms. Once their army is engaged, the cavalry on the flanks can turn in and hit them from the sides, and possibly in the rear. Once one of their flanks fails, the battle is basically won, since our cavalry will just rip them apart from the sides.

[Plato Play-Doh]

They've picked a good position. Up on a hill, surrounded by marshes. It really negates our strongest advantage: our mass heavy cavalry charge. In the previous battle, our cavalry swept through their line over and over again, turning it into an absolute slaughter. If they get a packed formation together up on the hill, we won't be able to do that again. Not to mention that the marshes makes charging horses as dangerous to the rider as the enemies...

Probably the best tactic will just be a steady march up the hill, under cover from our archers, with the cavalry on the flanks. Hopefully, our infantry will reach their line in good order. Once we get close, their infantry will probably rush downhill to engage them, giving their charge the added weight from gravity. If they do that, the best move will probably be to set our line to meet them, rather than trying to run uphill to join battle. Get them to run headlong into a wall of polearms. Once their army is engaged, the cavalry on the flanks can turn in and hit them from the sides, and possibly in the rear. Once one of their flanks fails, the battle is basically won, since our cavalry will just rip them apart from the sides.

+1.

[Origami_Psycho]

The battlefield is almost identical to that of Hastings.

If Gorgal isn't a complete idiot, he will have had his men form a shield wall, which is very possible judging by the fact they are medieval vikings (who loved shields walls). Behind his linesmen, he most likely has his more skilled, better armoured and far mroe deadly troops ready to chop-chop-chop anyone who makes it through the shield wall.

I say we try the same tactic as William the Bastard. Charge with our cavalry, contact and then pull away before getting bogged down.

Its better than trying to break a shield wall in hand to hand combat, even against exhausted troops. The exhausted Anglo-Saxon troops at Hastings almost beat the fresh Norman troops even though the Anglo-Saxons had forced-marched all the way down from York in North England, a trip of 267 miles in only a couple of weeks.

I like this plan.

EDIT: What's the disposition of our forces again?

[3man75]

Give a message not of valor to our troops but to survive and go home to their families. We need to come back with as many people as we possible can to truly rebuild after all of these unfortunate events. As for mano o mano combat no count stone is not that good with his shield or Armour use for me to confidently say that we can take one gregal