[Glorantha] Re: Beware, beware...

Mark Galeotti

> Comrades!

> Fascinated though I have been by much of the recent debates on matters
> cultural and military, can I just sound a warning note about excessive
> devotion to partial, particular and preliminary sources?

Of course you can, and of course any such conclusions can fall apart.

Besides, this is a friendly discussion, not a holier-than-thou slugfest. I'm enjoying it.

However: There is _very_ little information on how the Principality of Sartar worked, despite the publication of Thunder Rebels, Storm Tribe, and the Sartar Rising series, and despite snippets in Dragon Pass: Land of Thunder.

Why is that so? Different focus - all these supplements are dealing with Sartar under Lunar occupation, or introduce the life of rural Heortlings, and because of the setting, hardly involved with city confederations.

For me personally, the urban culture of Sartar has always been the most fascinating aspect of the country - cities grown from rural hicks and enterprising immigrants, interacting with their rural hick tribal kings. A dynasty of princes with some magical knack for civilizing the country. And all of this in the tension field of an expanding empire with exotic magic (Lunar) and another magical "experiment" (Holy Country).

The source material we have about the Principality during the time of its dynasty is about 5 pages of Composite History of Dragon Pass (most of which deals with the founding), two pages of Colymar king names during the reign of Sartar, two pages about the mysterious Karandoli/Jenstali business which seems to have taken place in magical valleys among the Quivin Peaks, and very short statements for a couple of places in Dragon Pass: Land of Thunder.

When making up new "sources", it helps to look at existing material for hints or ideas. Apparent discrepancies are especially helpful to provoke ideas, and that's what this discussion is about.

> 1. WBRM/DP are great games, but their orbats

Translation for non-wargame-speakers like me: Orders of Battle (had to look that up)

> and unit strengths are as
> much as anything else products of the need for game balance as anything
> else. There seems to me only so much that can be read from them. For
> example, it is clear that there are mounted Heortling units; however, the
> thought that they are as effective or more so than professional cavalry
> seems hard to sustain

Which is one of the discrepancies I mentioned above.

> unless you (a) revise what we know about the
> essentially centripetal nature of Orlanthi society

Yeah - Orlanthi don't build inter-tribal cities or roads, either. Yet under Sartar and his successors, they did.

> and posit large tribal-level standing armies

Which I carefully want to avoid. What I am aiming at is a system similar to Harald Finehair's ship militia or the Anglo-Saxon Hundreds (which are the only examples of such Germanic institutions which have been reported to some detail by native historians - as opposed to civilized enemy historians - that I know of).

> or (b) simply assume that the Sartar units
> represent larger fomations than their Lunar counterparts.

Or they may have better morale (magically induced, or a jihad mindset?), or whatever.

If the units are larger formations than those of the Tarshites, that would contradict your point (a), the reason for which in itself would be interesting to find. Which comes down to investigating the role of the Sartar city confederations again.

> Or (c) just accept that the counters aren't reliable as data at this level.

Any argument "Counter X is more powerful than counter Y, so they must have better training, and don't you contradict that" is fallacious. This is digging for hints, not solid facts. And at that, Donald for instance appears concerned about the setting of his "now" (1620ies) game, while I try to find out what happened from Saronil to Salinarg, and how that might become relevant to Kallyr and other Argraths after 1625. Different intentions.

> Of course we all know this, and I hope people will forgive my presumption.
> However, we all sometimes forget this, so enthused are we about a possible
> extrapolation from a single data point.

I feel (only very slightly, not at all seriously) slighted:

"single data point"???

Come on, much of the available data has already been mentioned. And a useful scenario hook or even mini-campaign (YGMV) has already been pointed out.

So: Around 1555, Palashee Longaxe asks Jarolar, newly Prince of Sartar after the demise of his older brother Sarotar and the death of his father, for support against the approaching Lunar forces under Philigos and Phargentes.

Jarolar has just come to power. We don't know whether he was chosen as successor by his father, or why his older sister Onelisin did not become prince(ss).

In fact, we only have a very slight idea how Vingkotling style rulers' successors are chosen. The way Kodig became King rather than any of his brothers is somewhat hazy. Janard and Jorganos had rather spurious claims for being better kings, but how was Kodig better than Korol?

That aside, may have Jarolar felt he had to prove something, so he gathered a force and rushed to the aid of Palashee. I wonder whether there was a debate among his (unheeded) advisors whether to antagonize the Empire directly by attacking their troops. He seems to have come voluntarily, not urged by vows of mutual support between his father and Palashee.

Now, what force could Jarolar mobilize? His personal bodyguards (Humakti and Telmori, about 100 each), and tribal hangers-on at Boldhome together could field about 400 warriors. Nearby tribes could be contacted for volunteers, but that would be mostly cross-country. Nearby cities, on the other hand, were conveniently within half a day's forced ride. If these cities had a drill to summon warriors for military emergencies, that would bring them nicely together so that one of Jarolar's companions could lead them to the prince.

Gathering troops in Wilmskirk, Jonstown and Swenstown that way could produce about 500 warriors each, another 200-300 volunteers could be mustered in and around Boldhome (possibly reducing the other contingents, since the nearby tribes - Sambari, Kheldon and Culbrea - all belong to one of the other cities' confederations). If a message is sent to the Colymar and Lismelder, they could send volunteers to Runegate to be picked up there. Altogether, he might field 2500 mounted warriors which can make it just in time for Palashee's request.

Getting the troops together, and force-marching them there might make up a story of 200 pages (compare "The Two Towers", mustering the Rohirrim and getting them to the battlefield through a forest and mountains), especially crossing the Dragonspine. Granted, the threat of the Lunar Empire is a lot less immediate than that of Mordor in "The Two Towers", but the Quivini had prophecies about the Red Moon, and may have felt this could be the time to act upon them.

At the end of the forced march, scouts hasten back to the prince with news that the battle has already begun, so he leads them through the Halswood into the flank or rear of the (at that time victorious) Lunar forces, charges, and routs them. The Lunars suffer heavy losses (including their King, Philigos, and by that fact including his bodyguard, and probably their train and some magicians, too). Their commander (Phargentes) manages to fight his way through the battle and retreat with a small body of elite warriors, while much of the rest of the troops flee headlessly.

(Phargentes knows that the Empire would not fund another such expedition to restore Tarsh to the Provinces, so rather than rallying the army, he seeks the personal solution.)

Palashee meets Jarolar on the battlefield, hails him as saviour of Tarsh, or even Kerofinela, booty is shared, a great feast is held to celebrate this crushing victory over the empire. Even the most cautious advisors of Jarolar have to admit that this bold stroke has made his country more secure. If there was any doubt about his suitability as prince before, Jarolar now is a hero, a warrior prince yet wise.

Too bad Phargentes succeeds against Palashee...

Anyway, this event might cement the need for organized musters across the principality. There might be a tradition for mounted and even foot reaction forces, mustered by the city confederations. There might be city militia warbands with traditions of battles fought for the princes. There might be banners or other insignia, and there might be guardians for those units. Until the principality is conquered.

Why not explore this? Received on Wed 27 Sep 2006 - 09:25:25 EEST