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  1. #1
    Site Moderator Sorontar's Avatar
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    I am trying to add the war card details for Huskarl/Rjurik Housecarls, but there are three versions - Swords, Shield, Pennant. These match the symbols for the Morale value. I can't find anything in the BRCS about there being more than one morale value, and don't have the BRCS 2ed books on hand. Can someone explain what those symbols mean, and whether we have changed any of the values or rules for military units in the BRCS 3ed.

    Sorontar
    Sorontar
    Information Communication ILLUMINATION!!

  2. #2
    Member Michael Romes's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sorontar View Post
    I am trying to add the war card details for Huskarl/Rjurik Housecarls, but there are three versions - Swords, Shield, Pennant. These match the symbols for the Morale value. I can't find anything in the BRCS about there being more than one morale value, and don't have the BRCS 2ed books on hand. Can someone explain what those symbols mean, and whether we have changed any of the values or rules for military units in the BRCS 3ed.

    Sorontar
    Randomness.
    The "Battle Cards" - those with the lines that you followed to find the result of the fight, had three sections for each type of icon and were then each slightly different.

    e.g. one Battle Card I have in hand now looks like this:
    Attackers icon - defenders icon Attack-Defence
    -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
    swords shield H - - - H R H
    swords flag - - H - H - -
    swords swords - H F R D R D

    shield shield F - - H H H H
    shield flag F - H H R H R
    shield swords H H - H F D H

    flag shield - - H H - H D
    flag flag - H - F - H H
    flag swords F - H - H - R

    F Attacking unit falls back
    H defending unit takes one hit
    R defending unit takes one hit and is routed
    D defending unit is destroyed

    As there were several battle cards that ought to be exchanged after each battle the results were semi-random. Even units with identical attack/defence values could defeat each other depending on luck and the morale icons.
    Michael Romes

  3. #3
    Senior Member Osprey's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sorontar View Post
    I am trying to add the war card details for Huskarl/Rjurik Housecarls, but there are three versions - Swords, Shield, Pennant. These match the symbols for the Morale value. I can't find anything in the BRCS about there being more than one morale value, and don't have the BRCS 2ed books on hand. Can someone explain what those symbols mean, and whether we have changed any of the values or rules for military units in the BRCS 3ed.

    Sorontar
    With BRCS rules a Huskarl unit would almost certainly be Veteran Heavy Infantry with Shield Training (shield wall formation) as the default unit.

    This would still allow for 6 GB elite versions that would likely also have Toughness, +Melee, or +Defense as a 2nd special training option.

    Rjurik Huskarl
    Veteran Heavy Infantry, + Shield Training
    Melee +6, Defense 16, Hits 3, Move 1, Morale +6, Cost 5 GB; +2 Melee vs. Irr, Pike, +4 Defense vs. Missile

  4. #4
    Senior Member Osprey's Avatar
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    I just looked them up on page 6 of Ch 6 in the BRCS, where Rjurik Housecarls are just Veteran Medium Infantry (3 GB). That's a bit of a letdown. I guess they figure they are only wearing medium chain mail armor and not very big shields?

    I was assuming the huskarls were more like the Anglo-Saxon types with reinforced mail that would work out to something like splint mail in function, and large round shields for shield wall formations, for which they were famously disciplined and effective (see Battle of Hastings).

  5. #5
    Member Michael Romes's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Osprey View Post
    I just looked them up on page 6 of Ch 6 in the BRCS, where Rjurik Housecarls are just Veteran Medium Infantry (3 GB). That's a bit of a letdown. I guess they figure they are only wearing medium chain mail armor and not very big shields?

    I was assuming the huskarls were more like the Anglo-Saxon types with reinforced mail that would work out to something like splint mail in function, and large round shields for shield wall formations, for which they were famously disciplined and effective (see Battle of Hastings).
    The anglo-saxon shieldwall was incredibly effective, especially at Hastings... ^^
    Better use the battle of Stamford Bridge as an example as the last battle that the anglo-saxon shieldwall did win against norse including Huscarls.

    At Hastings the continental way of having a core of armoured riders (and some more archers) and a clam leadership that does not abandon a good position to run after normans who feint a retreat...

    Everyone uses shields and everyone has a way to go through them - Pilums for the Romans, Franziskas for the Franks to break up the formation...
    Michael Romes

  6. #6
    Senior Member Osprey's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Michael Romes View Post
    The anglo-saxon shieldwall was incredibly effective, especially at Hastings... ^^
    Better use the battle of Stamford Bridge as an example as the last battle that the anglo-saxon shieldwall did win against norse including Huscarls.

    At Hastings the continental way of having a core of armoured riders (and some more archers) and a clam leadership that does not abandon a good position to run after normans who feint a retreat...

    Everyone uses shields and everyone has a way to go through them - Pilums for the Romans, Franziskas for the Franks to break up the formation...
    Yeah I just know Hastings a little better in that the shield wall was extremely resilient against both cavalry charges and endless arrow volleys. However, an unlucky arrow through the eye for the King is probably a big reason the Saxons' discipline did not hold when the retreat was feinted by the Normans. But the effectiveness of the Saxon shield wall that day was incredible! Never mind the whole Saxon army had formed march down from Stamford Bridge to Hastings. I can't even imagine how tired those men must have been, yet they fought another long day of battle against the Normans and even thought they had won! Those were some seriously tough bastards.

    At Stamford Bridge, the Vikings would be using shield walls too, so it really wasn't a battle won by the formation so much as better strategy in picking a strong defensive position (a bridge! almost a Thermopylae, if they couldn't be easily flanked).


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