[Glorantha] Re: Imperial Bodyguard

In message <4516335C.9090709@blueyonder.co.uk> Trotsky writes:

>It may be worth noting that, according to ILH-1, every one of the
>cultures described in that book teaches combat skills to all of their
>adults, since its a part of their respective cultural keywords. That's
>even more than the Orlanthi do, who only teach combat skills to men as a
>matter of course. Now, granted, the Pelandans' favoured combat skill is
>Wrestling, which isn't a lot of cop on the battlefield, and Dara Happan
>women are probably just using daggers, but all of the others must be
>pretty damn well-armed, and at least a match for the Heortlings, if not
>better, in the proportion-of-people-able-to-fight stakes. Granted, one
>can question how many get beyond the 17 skill that they get
>automatically, but any culture that trains *all* of its people (barring
>healers and other unusual individuals, presumably) to fight with sword
>and shield is well hard in my book!

I think ILH-1 gives an exaggerated impression here. Firstly 17 is low for fighting skills for a combat unit - BA shows typical skills for trained fighters in the range 5W-10W. So the empire can probably raise vast numbers of militia who have little training and even less enthusiasm.
Secondly a lot of those skills are not suitable for battlefield combat. You mention wrestling but even apparently suitable skills may not be useful. When I was creating a character of a Rinliddi noblewoman I was puzzled about what to take and ended up with archery - using a hunting bow suitable for small animals and birds. In a fight she could augment her bodyguards and that's about it.

-- 
Donald Oddy
http://www.grove.demon.co.uk/