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9/24/2017 7:25 pm  #1


Military forces in Hyperborea

OK, a few questions for anyone and everyone (I apologize if this has been asked before).

- With it being such an underpopulated world, how do the nations and cultures of Hyperborea muster up armies and navies of any appreciable size?
- What would the typical size of a fielded "army" be?
- What should the size of a garrison/guard force be in a typical Hyperborean town or city?
- What sort of wargaming scenarios (and at what scale) can you imagine running in Hyperborea?


"I, Satampra Zeiros of Uzuldaroum, shall write with my left hand, since I have no longer any other, the tale of everything that befell Tirouv Ompallios and myself in the shrine of the god Tsathoggua..."
 

9/24/2017 10:23 pm  #2


Re: Military forces in Hyperborea

I imagine Khromarium as roughly equivalent to Dark Ages Rome- a metropolis that once supported a million+ people reduced to 30,000 souls and maybe another 10% of transients and destitutes. The bourgeoisie of Khromarium use professional guards and marines (mercenaries) to protect their enterprises. The noble households can raise knights and men-at-arms in time of war. The city watch are unpaid volunteers organized by neighborhood and led by a prominent citizen. They mostly watch for fires and call out the hours but can be mobilized en masse into a sizeable militia force in times of great need. Villages and towns have a volunteer militia augmented and led by the household of local lords, perhaps a knight or two and a handful of men-at-arms in the smaller settlements. 

For the sake of simplicity, I rule that men under arms typically represent .5-1% of total population in peace time and up to 10% in time of war.  With these numbers you should be able to extrapolate answers to the rest of your questions.

Last edited by Brock Savage (9/24/2017 10:31 pm)

 

9/25/2017 5:44 pm  #3


Re: Military forces in Hyperborea

See Appendix D: Introductory Setting in the new Second Edition rulebook for the example of the Town of Swampgate.

 

9/28/2017 3:25 am  #4


Re: Military forces in Hyperborea

DMPrata wrote:

See Appendix D: Introductory Setting in the new Second Edition rulebook for the example of the Town of Swampgate.

I respectfully disagree that Swampgate is in any way typical. It is a highly militarized town, the last bulwark protecting Khromarium from the barbarian hordes. With a population of 1.010 and 228 of them under arms I'd say Swampgate is on a war footing. There's an additional 96 soldiers from Khromarium plus 43 rangers that Swampgate has to somehow support. The cost of sustaining all those people who don't grow food in a Dark Age society would be immense. 
 

Last edited by Brock Savage (9/28/2017 3:26 am)

 

9/28/2017 12:09 pm  #5


Re: Military forces in Hyperborea

Brock Savage wrote:

DMPrata wrote:

See Appendix D: Introductory Setting in the new Second Edition rulebook for the example of the Town of Swampgate.

I respectfully disagree that Swampgate is in any way typical. It is a highly militarized town, the last bulwark protecting Khromarium from the barbarian hordes. With a population of 1.010 and 228 of them under arms I'd say Swampgate is on a war footing. There's an additional 96 soldiers from Khromarium plus 43 rangers that Swampgate has to somehow support. The cost of sustaining all those people who don't grow food in a Dark Age society would be immense. 
 

I would agree that Swampgate is highly militarized as the first point of defense against incursions of the Kimeri-kelts that rove the area.  Khromarium may support the soldiers to maintain their interests in that town as well.  Hyperborea is a dangerous place so a higher percent of any given group under arms may be expected.  No Pax Romana here!  Just my 2 pennies.
 


“How can I wear the harness of toil
And sweat at the daily round,
While in my soul forever
The drums of Pictdom sound?” 
 

9/28/2017 12:22 pm  #6


Re: Military forces in Hyperborea

The way I see it, Khromarium is providing troops and construction materials to Swampgate in exchange for all that peat and bog iron they're taking out of the area.  Those logs for the perimeter wall likely didn't grow locally, and I doubt they were cheap.  One more source of tension between the City and the locals.

 

9/28/2017 8:26 pm  #7


Re: Military forces in Hyperborea

Is there any historical data on the effects of the Black Death on organized European military forces? Were they less/more affected than the general populace? Were large scale military actions still carried out during that time?

Edit: To partially answer one of my questions, the Hundred Years war spans over the time of the plague, but none of the major battles seems to have occurred during the plague (Crecy was in 1346, and Poitiers was ten years later; the plague being around 1348 to 1351 - I think this is right(?)).

Last edited by foxroe (9/28/2017 8:41 pm)


"I, Satampra Zeiros of Uzuldaroum, shall write with my left hand, since I have no longer any other, the tale of everything that befell Tirouv Ompallios and myself in the shrine of the god Tsathoggua..."
     Thread Starter
 

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