- In WorldofGlorantha_at_yahoogroups.com, donald@... wrote:
>
>
>
> Triremes will be far superior to the wolf pirate vessels provided
> triremes are prepared and have room to manover. If they were
> defeated in a sea battle they would have been caught in a bad
> position and unable to get up to ramming speed. Another possibility
> is that the ships weren't at sea - the wolf pirates arrived
> unexpectedly, overwhelmed a few guard vessels and burnt the ships
> while at anchor or beached.
>
Or, storm magic. Galleys normally just stay ashore in bad weather,
but with magic that bad weather could blow up very quickly. In high
waves and winds some galleys will simply be lost to weather, and the
others will have a hard time forming up or achieving effective ramming
speed. In those condition the pirates--with good speed if they are
coming with the wind, may well be able to get in between the galleys,
and board (or use magic to finish off floundering galleys).
Remember too that air has the elemental advantage over water.
I think a very rough equivalent was the 'frankish' heavy cavalry of
medieval times, considered absolutely unstoppable if they were able to
line you and get organized, but not nearly as effective when they
could not use their charge. I think a lot of the same tactical and
strategic considerations would apply. In other words, it is not that
the Wolf Pirates could always beat a trireme fleet, but that in that
battle they caught the fleet in unfavorable conditions, and the Holy
Country fleet was not prepared for the type of battle that resulted.
Regards;
-Bryan
Received on Fri 14 Sep 2007 - 10:04:03 EEST