The travel to Plymouth took place without complications. Much of the men traveled on their own and began to assemble around their leader in Plymouth. There is no official count at the moment, but there should be about a thousand men in the unit, including the stragglers. Of this number, some 100 are knighted and thus forms a core of experienced soldiers. Welsh knights are still considered to be footmen, they have better weapons and armors, are more experienced, but are not comparable to English knights in most cases. The overall skill level of the unit is, however, minimal at the moment. Arriving early was an excellent idea: the billet space in Plymouth is not sufficient for the entire expedition and the first served are getting much better accommodation. Gronou can't help but notice the small number of ships in the port: this doesn't bode well.
The waiting game has begun. Only 1 month before the planned embarkation.
Spearmen from Wales, lead by Gronou ap Griffith
State
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Status
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Supplies
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| Order of Battle
Speamen : ~1000 men (10)
Nobility : ~100 men (7)
Location
Plymouth, billet Activity Assembling, training Skill levels Maneuver : untrained Operations : untrained Melee : trained Discipline : suitable Funds : low | Secured early billet in town. Training maneuvers. Policing for the Prince of Wales. Hated by English soldiers. Breaking up/fueling Street brawls. | Using the Prince of Wales stores for victuals, wine and fodder. Weapons : low Armor : low |
The above is the axiom table for this unit.
Instructions
Consider your axioms and prepare a list of things to focus on, in the order of importance. Refer to the post on strategy to help formulate your instructions. Here are a few notes:
- Low in weapons count as a strike when attempting to complete tasks requiring weapons : battles, skirmish, pillaging, etc. It modulate your skill level in determining the odds of success (by cutting the odds by close to 4)
- Low in armor makes the troop lighter and faster, which is a good things for moving around. It is a strike against you in battles and skirmishes.
- Poorly equipped in both armor and weapons, and untrained, your unit is currently useless in battle.
- "Operations" refers to non-combats task such as marches, camping, maintaining equipment.
- Low fund counts as a strike against any initiatives requiring funds to complete: you are not broke, but the options are more limited.
- The effect of training maneuver will be determined at the end of the month. This is not a new action, but an action that you ordered in the past and for which I assumed that you have carried on since then.
- This entire turn covers the whole month of August. This is probably your last chance to influence the unit's status before it sails to Bordeaux.
Ok number 3 particularly scares me.
ReplyDeleteSo priority is:
1.keep working on procuring weapons and armour. Weapons more important then armour. Message sent to Black Prince to inform him that our numbers are believed to be close to target and that we are waiting at Plymouth (start with good news) but that we lack the tools of war.
2. Train train train. We can use wooden fire hardened pikes for this. Drill formation. My core trained knights are the officers in charge of this.
3.begin looking into the transportation issue. If we can use our early arrival to our advantage in getting transportation to the continent I will. Can our lightly armoured troops be used as a fast undisciplined pillage on some undefended french coastal villages as a decoy to our primary targets perhaps we can do that to ensure we get over there and it may bring some much needed money to the coffers and give some easy experience. And through the french off the Prince's primary targets.
I am trying to show some Welsh initiative. Eager to show the English our value. I am still and eager beaver here.
Welsh spearmen have been used by the Black Prince as his Military Police unit in Plymouth since the Outbreak of beer (or lack thereof) riots.
ReplyDeleteEffect 1 ) The unit is getting trained in brawling and is more cohesive.
Base:10, Gronou's early start at training (+1). tgt:11, roll:11, Success. Axiom adjusted.
Effect 2 ) The unit is hated by the English archers and men-at-arms.
Base:10, ethnic group(+1), footmen(+1), policing action(+1). tgt:13, roll:13, Success. The unit is now hated by Englishmen.
Any specific instruction on how to handle this situation (say so if not).
SWEET!
ReplyDeleteHave I got any beer or mead supplies I can share out to help with the English hating us?
If not we are going to embrace this hatred as they already didn't like us. As long as the Prince of wales is happy with us that is the important part.
If I can use this new Royal favour I have found to get my hands on some pikes that would be great.
Copy that. It's not like there are any chances that the Englishmen will ever start to like the provincials like you. On the other hand, breaking up fights keep your men busy (and acts as a favourable axioms toward the difficult to get upgrade from trained to experience in melee combat). I'll hopefully write up you final mobilization update tonight or tomorrow.
ReplyDelete