Re: Low-Tech Forces in DSII

On Mon, 2 Nov 1998, Thomas Anderson wrote:

> On Mon, 2 Nov 1998, MR DAVID E PETERS wrote:
> >	 Dear List Me,bers:
> 
> ee by gum, formal. must be new :-)
> 
> right, firstly let me say i've not seen this system myself, so i don't
> have any info besides what's here.
> 
> >	 Melee Militia Troops:
> > 
> >	  These troops are armed with spears or axes and engage in close

> > combat.   They took two hits and draw two chits in close combat.  
> > Cost 5 points.
> 
> i think the trouble is that, unless your hi-tech forces have WW1
vintage
> rifles, or a spear team is actually 30 men, any low-tech fellas are
going
> to get mashed before they get anywhere near spear range. i mean, even
john
> atkinsons's turks don't use spears :-).
>
> i'd never heard of using ds2 in a fantasy / historical setting before.
> anyone?
> 
> >	  Archer/ Crossbow men Troops.
> > 
> >	  Troops equipped with bows or crossbowns,light armor and melee 
> > weapons for self-defense.	They have a range of 3" for bows and 4" 
> > for crossbows.   They take two hits, cannot initiate close combat
and 
> > draw two chits for ranged combat.	Chits effects as per regular 
> > ranged combat for infantry.  Cost for bowmen 10 points, Crossbow men

> > 12 points.
> 
> i don't think that bows and crossbows are really even on a comparable
> scale to modern weapons. just how hi-tech is hi-tech? i remind you of
> much of british history in africa during the rhodes era - ten men and
an
> mg versus vast low-tech armies. of course, the august british legions
> didn't always win. instinct tells me that arrows are just going to
bounce
> off a kevlar vest, but i could well be wrong - they go through
knight's
> plate well enough at close range.

"Whatever happens, we have got/The Maxim gun, and they have not..."
Probably Kipling, probably misqupted...I have doubts about any
xbow/longbow/melee troops doing much to SciFic troops - as follows:

"Sarg, got a readout on sensors, primitives
approaching, coords 110-231-100." ***BOOM BOOM BOOM*** "God, those heaps
of dead primitives stink...You think they even know we were here
before we hit them? Private, take that arrow out of your flak
armour, it looks stupid hanging out...What, there's another 300+
incoming?
Prepare to fire...."

(repeat until out of ammo, or from lack of targets)

Ambush, _maybe_ - one or two trooper sprout spears from their chests,
the
rest of the group hits dirt and blows hell out of the opposition.

Think Vietnam, only with an even more massive tech difference between
the
two forces. The primitives might kill some troops with ambush or
human-wave bullshit, but massive firepower renders anyone who stays in
the
open into dogfood in short order.(As an aside, the Yanks never lost,
AFAIK, a serious engagement in Vietnam. It was politics and the steady
trickle of bodybags from the smaller engagements...)

If your primitive forces weren't thinking geurilla war, but were forming
up for an open field fight, it'd be even more one-sided...Agincourt with
IFVs and assault rifles instead of longbows...

 > 
> what does 'light armour' mean in this context? scale mail or kevlar?
> 

If scale mail, I think they'd be pretty useless vs. firearms. If Kevlar,
why didn't the person who gave the primitives that give them real guns
as
well?

Severly primitive troops vs regular DS2 troops would have to be on a
scenario basis - the primitives ambush, and a 'victory' for them is
killing a couple of elements before they're wiped out, or human-wave
type
things - whole legions of sword-waving fanatics berzerking toward a very
small force of regular troops. Unless you _like_ gaming one-sided
slaughterfests...

Brian (burger00@camosun.bc.ca)
-- http://www.geocities.com/area51/nebula/9774 -- gaming & misc webpage
--

 > i think this is a pretty interesting idea you have here!
>

 
> Tom
> 
>