Military Treatise
There are
basically 4 weapon systems in the late middle ages:
Light infantry
(LI):
They are the missile armed soldiers. They are bow and
harquebus armed troops. They had very little armor; it was mainly leather with some
mail. They maybe had a helmet. They were defenseless against cavalry. They
usually hid behind HI when cavalry charges.
Heavy infantry
(HI):
They were dismounted knights, men-at-arms, and the armored
pike men. They were usually armed with a pike. They had a lot of armor. They were not good in combat; they were only
good for defense against cavalry.
Light cavalry
(LC):
They were the missile-armed horsemen. Actually, there were not that many in the middle ages. Mainly the Turks used
LC. They had little armor and were generally bow-armed. During the 1500s, they
started using pistols. Most armies began using Reiter tactics: fire at the HI
until enough HI are dead and enough holes in the ranks are formed, so they can
charge and break up the company with shock action with sabres.
Heavy Cavalry
(HC):
They were the mounted knights. They had lances and heavy
armor. They were vulnerable against LI and harquebusiers, so LI were
incorporated in their companies. Pikes made HC even more vulnerable, so in
1500-1600 they were phased out and LC used.
The first firing
weapon used during this time was the harquebus. It was inaccurate, it took a
long time to load, and it was just old. The nest weapon was the long matchlock.
Both the harquebus and the long matchlock were matchlocks. The long one was
more powerful (20mm caliber: the size of the WW2 German light AA gun), and
would be a better weapon, a club, if in a hand-to-hand fight. The only problem
was that the muskets require a slow match and if too close to a fellow
musketeer the powder would blow up and kill the musketeers. Next was the socket
bayonet. The socket bayonet was good for defense against cavalry, like it was a
pike that could shoot. The final breakthrough of this time was the flintlock musket.
The advent of the
musket changed much of the tactics. The Spanish formed their pike squares with
every other rank being light infantry with shields. Other armies took up this
formation, but only with the changed rank being musketeers. The Swedish and the
Danish changed everything. The standard unit went from the square to the
battalion. The battalion contained a company of pikes and 2 companies of
muskets. The musketeers were in 6 ranks. The first 3 would fire, and then they
would go back and ranks 4-6 move forward and fire. Thus a constant fire is kept
up.
The musketeers
were vulnerable to cavalry charges. They would retreat and form up behind the
pikes, or they would form up and the pikes would surround them and they fire
over the pike men’s heads.
As early as the
Greeks, the use of pikes were discovered and exploited. Greek hoplites would
charge each other, the phalanxes would collided, and fight until one side gets
about 15% casualties and flees.
The armies during
the "Age of Reformation" used pikes too. They were used mainly for
anti-cavalry, because the heavy cavalry had lances. The pikes could fight of a
cavalry charge and win. The light infantry would hide behind the pikes until
the horsemen retreat, and then they would pop out and shoot the fleeing
cavalry. Pikes have shock value too. A charging square of pike men will most
likely freak out some inexperienced light infantry and they will run.
In combat, the
pike men were not very good. Put yourself in their position: try to balance a
14-foot spear and kill a person in front of you. If you actually are able to
control the pike, than you might have a chance of actually hitting the enemy.
In all, the pike units were vulnerable. A charging enemy could form a wedge and
break the square in half. Light infantry or light cavalry could shoot holes
into the pike ranks. After a few volleys, the light cavalry can charge, sabres
swinging, and destroy the pike men. The pike remained a defensive weapon. There
were generally 2 musketeers to every pike men.
The pike men were
generally formed in rectangular or square units. The Swiss were the first to
really utilize the square phalanx. The Spanish tried a unit having a rank of
light infantry, a rank of pike men, a rank of light infantry, etc. The Swedish
tried the "battalion" method: a company of pike men 6x36 men and two
companies of 6x16 musketeers. A 1-gun battery supported them. That was the peak
of the pikes power. After the creation of the socket bayonet in the 1690s, the
pike was completely phased out.
What this means for
LOTR?
LI: Goblins, Orcs, men of Gondor, Rohirrim infantry, elves.
HI: High elven spearmen, uruk pike men, uruk swordsmen; Uruk swordsmen can serve as LI at the gamer’s
choice.
LC: Rohirrim cavalry, warg riders.
HC: Knights of Gondor.
For obstacles, HI
get a -1 penalty for the rolls. HI get
a -1" modifier for all movement when in company formation. HI also get a +1 F value when fighting Cavalry, or just a +1
modifier to all combat rolls with cavalry.
Harquebus:
Range 20"
Strength 3
Matchlock:
Range 24"
Strength 4
Soldiers armed
with non-flintlocks must stand at least 1" away from the fellow soldiers
on the flanks but not front/rear, but at the same time must stay in uniformity
and unit formation. Soldiers cannot
move/shoot with a matchlock or a harquebus. The matchlock requires a stick to
hold the gun on since they are heavy.
The soldiers can move within the ranks for no penalty. A full turn of reloading is required for the
harquebusier.
When the uruk pike men company charges, the enemy charged must take
a courage test. When the pike men go against LI, they have a -1 penalty to
their combat rolls. When going against other pike men, pike-armed companies can
choose to do a "pike push." instead of fighting, the soldiers can
push the opposite phalanx. Roll 5 dice per 6 pike men, and add up the totals.
The one with the higher roll wins, and the other company goes back 2". The
soldiers remain in base contact. Either company can choose to flee the next
turn or still do the push.