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Horsemen of the Apocalypse
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Originally posted by therantingsavant View Post
However in this day and age it would not surprise me if they're also giving ballistic protection to their mounts.
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This was interesting also in terms.of constructing armory using modern materials and methods (includes prior link also):
Answer: Honestly, you'd design it much like we design ballistic protection vests for modern infantry. You'd have the horse wear what really looks like a protective cloth drape: fitted (but not spandex-tight) around the body, neck and head, with a loose flowing "dress" (similar in construction t...
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Comes down to what you are trying to teach them to do
Riding a horse as in just riding it from point A to point B with no other distractions
Or riding a horse in combat conditions and being able to control it while there are bullets and artillery shells going off
Same with the horse itself - i.e. there are horses you can ride, horses that can pull a wagon and horses that can be ridden into combat and not freak out
To learn to ride a horse on trails usually takes the average person about a week to two weeks if they are doing it several hours per day. Now keep in mind that would be a person who had never ridden a horse before with a well broken in horse. Now if its a total neophyte on a barely broken in horse it would take a lot more.
One thing to keep in mind for all cavalry formations is if they took people who already knew how to ride and who may have even brought their own horses - i.e. the Kenyan Cavalry unit was created by people who were lifetime riders using their own horses starting with a few people who had military training
There are countries where raising a cavalry unit due to how many people still ride would easier - i.e. Russia, Ethiopia, the US, China, England, Poland for instance come to mind - the question is are the cavalry units in the Army guides composed of neophytes who had to be taught to ride or did they comb every unit in the area to find people who knew how to ride horses and "trade" for them - i.e. here you can have these 200 guys who dont know how to ride in exchange for those 100 guys you have who doLast edited by Olefin; 04-03-2019, 03:48 PM.
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Originally posted by Olefin View PostTo learn to ride a horse on trails usually takes the average person about a week to two weeks if they are doing it several hours per day. Now keep in mind that would be a person who had never ridden a horse before with a well broken in horse.
I would say, for dragoons, a couple of weeks of intensive training would do the trick. Riding probably wouldn't even take up majority of the cycle. Most of that time would be devoted to care and maintenance of the horses and tackle.
It would be really helpful to have a cadre of experienced riders to assist with training and whatnot, but as long as broken-in mounts are available, raising dragoon units from completely inexperienced city slickers wouldn't be that difficult, or even particularly time-consuming. Like I said, assuming they'd already had basic, in a pinch, said prospective dragoons could be up and ready to go a couple of weeks. The salient factor is the availability of ready riding horses and suitable tackle. That's the main limiter.Last edited by Raellus; 04-03-2019, 07:07 PM.Author of Twilight 2000 adventure modules, Rook's Gambit and The Poisoned Chalice, the campaign sourcebook, Korean Peninsula, the gear-book, Baltic Boats, and the co-author of Tara Romaneasca, a campaign sourcebook for Romania, all available for purchase on DriveThruRPG:
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product...--Rooks-Gambit
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product...ula-Sourcebook
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product...nia-Sourcebook
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product...liate_id=61048
https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/...-waters-module
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I would say Raellus that also depends on what kind of country you are riding thru as well - i.e. its one thing to ride horses over open relatively level ground - its another to ride over rough broken terrain or thru forests where you have to be able to maneuver them
and also are they dragoons, cavalry or lancers - dragoons are basically using the horses as transport and nothing more, cavalry are going into combat with the horses (both mounted and unmounted), while lancers are using the horse the old fashioned way - to put a hell of a lot of speed and force behind the lance you are putting right thru the unlucky chest of the people you are fighting
one thing the canon really didnt make clear is with the units that switched to cavalry (except in Silesia which clearly showed them armed with lances) what they were as to type of mounted forces
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Originally posted by Raellus View PostIt would be really helpful to have a cadre of experienced riders to assist with training and whatnot, but as long as broken-in mounts are available, raising dragoon units from completely inexperienced city slickers wouldn't be that difficult, or even particularly time-consuming. Like I said, assuming they'd already had basic, in a pinch, said prospective dragoons could be up and ready to go a couple of weeks. The salient factor is the availability of ready riding horses and suitable tackle. That's the main limiter.
Instruction: A character may be taught a skill. Teaching a skill is Difficult: Instruction. The instructor may teach a number of students
equal to his Instruction skill level and must have a skill level in the skill being taught. An instructor cannot teach a student whose skill level in the subject taught is equal to or greater than that of the instructor. The task takes one period per day for one week (seven consecutive days). Successful completion of the task (rolled for at the end of the week) results in experience points for both the students and the instructor. The instructor gains experience
for accomplishing a task as explained in the experience rules. Students gain a number of experience points (in the skill being taught) based on the number of students being taught.
If the number of students is less than half of the instructor's skill level, each student gains three experience points. If the number of students is half or more of the instructor's skill level, each student gains one experience
point.
New Skills: A character with no level in a particular skill (as differentiated from level 0 in a skill) may attempt to learn the skill. This may be done either through observation (in which case the level gained is 0) or through instruction (in which case the skill level gained is 1 ). In either case, the experience point cost will be 1.
So this implies that a cavalry officer with Instruction 2+ (CHR) and a basic Horsemanship (CON) skill could teach a group of infantrymen with no experience with horses all Horsemanship 2 in about 3-4 weeks.
So I'd think in-game, the limiting factor is the horses and tack.
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Worth bearing in mind that even somebody with no skill can sit on a horse and generally get it to go in the right direction. That's represented in 2.x as defaulting back to the controlling attribute.
Actually having some skill represents being able to do more than just sit there. Being able to do it well, takes a hell of a lot longer than a few weeks too!
My sister is 41 and has been riding competitively since she was about 6 years old. She's STILL taking lessons twice a week even though she's of olympic skill level.
A lot of it comes down to the horse though. A well trained horse with the right temperament in T2K would be worth more than it's weight in gold. A poorly trained horse, or one with an "attitude" is worth little more than the meals it can provide.If it moves, shoot it, if not push it, if it still doesn't move, use explosives.
Nothing happens in isolation - it's called "the butterfly effect"
Mors ante pudorem
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Originally posted by Legbreaker View PostA lot of it comes down to the horse though. A well trained horse with the right temperament in T2K would be worth more than it's weight in gold. A poorly trained horse, or one with an "attitude" is worth little more than the meals it can provide.
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Originally posted by Olefin View PostI would say Raellus that also depends on what kind of country you are riding thru as well - i.e. its one thing to ride horses over open relatively level ground - its another to ride over rough broken terrain or thru forests where you have to be able to maneuver themAuthor of Twilight 2000 adventure modules, Rook's Gambit and The Poisoned Chalice, the campaign sourcebook, Korean Peninsula, the gear-book, Baltic Boats, and the co-author of Tara Romaneasca, a campaign sourcebook for Romania, all available for purchase on DriveThruRPG:
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product...--Rooks-Gambit
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product...ula-Sourcebook
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product...nia-Sourcebook
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product...liate_id=61048
https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/...-waters-module
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Have any of you ever sat through all of making-of features of the Lord Of the Rings trilogy (I think it's from the The Two Towers bonus content) There's an interesting bit about assembling the "Rohirrim" for the shoot that could provide some insight into this topic. The production company put out an all-call for experienced riders to serve as extras in the film. A couple hundred Kiwis answered the call. They were set up with costumes and props and the rest is celluloid history. I can see a similar thing happening in T2K, but with real, modern weapons instead of rubber medieval ones.
Anyway, in a T2K scenario, cavalry units would be raised in a couple of ways. First, all-volunteer units like Olefin's Kenyan example. Second, levies with requisitioned horses.
I can see some, more independent-minded horse owners balking at turning their prized horseflesh over to the government/military, and you might see anti-gov't mounted partisan groups forming as a result. Think about someone like Cliven Bundy and his ilk in the U.S.A.Author of Twilight 2000 adventure modules, Rook's Gambit and The Poisoned Chalice, the campaign sourcebook, Korean Peninsula, the gear-book, Baltic Boats, and the co-author of Tara Romaneasca, a campaign sourcebook for Romania, all available for purchase on DriveThruRPG:
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product...--Rooks-Gambit
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product...ula-Sourcebook
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product...nia-Sourcebook
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product...liate_id=61048
https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/...-waters-module
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Originally posted by Raellus View PostHave any of you ever sat through all of making-of features of the Lord Of the Rings trilogy (I think it's from the The Two Towers bonus content) There's an interesting bit about assembling the "Rohirrim" for the shoot that could provide some insight into this topic. The production company put out an all-call for experienced riders to serve as extras in the film. A couple hundred Kiwis answered the call. They were set up with costumes and props and the rest is celluloid history. I can see a similar thing happening in T2K, but with real, modern weapons instead of rubber medieval ones.
Anyway, in a T2K scenario, cavalry units would be raised in a couple of ways. First, all-volunteer units like Olefin's Kenyan example. Second, levies with requisitioned horses.
I can see some, more independent-minded horse owners balking at turning their prized horseflesh over to the government/military, and you might see anti-gov't mounted partisan groups forming as a result. Think about someone like Cliven Bundy and his ilk in the U.S.A.
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Originally posted by rcaf_777 View Postin bicycle vs horse calvary, bicycles win hands done you only have one (rider) vs two (rider and animal)Author of Twilight 2000 adventure modules, Rook's Gambit and The Poisoned Chalice, the campaign sourcebook, Korean Peninsula, the gear-book, Baltic Boats, and the co-author of Tara Romaneasca, a campaign sourcebook for Romania, all available for purchase on DriveThruRPG:
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product...--Rooks-Gambit
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product...ula-Sourcebook
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product...nia-Sourcebook
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product...liate_id=61048
https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/...-waters-module
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