Seraphi

I think more than 10 years, even if it is unrealistic. People have stated that they don't really want any medium-tech for a good while yet.

The first attack was only a fraction of the wave, I see no reason why this attack would suddenly include the entire thing.

I'm defending you in Kiev I think, albeit not actually joining forces with your army. I figure that if we act individually the mongols will be forced to split into seperate groups, making the load easier on each individual army, since keeping tabs on an army in a battle involving several dozen thousand troops is a nightmare.

Kiev is mostly steppe. There is pretty much no inclination, no forest, nothing. Terrain advantage is gone. So no, not really.

Icu, how are you going to push them into scandinavia? That would involve pushing them several dozen miles, at the very least. They aren't going to follow you, and since they move faster, they'll just escape. They aren't going to fight on anything but plains in all likelihood. Retech, I pmed you my battle plan.

Please tell me how you plan to beat them then? Their main offensive weapon is arrows. I found a way to defend against arrows effectively. And you can't fire large rocks with a bow. Seige weapons are a legitimate threat, yes, which is why I plan to take them out with all haste.

My new unit is designed to be fairly static... But it's also designed in a way that it is nigh immune to arrows, and lances will be inneffective as well. Ah what the hell, can't see any reason in it being secret. It's basically a soldier with a large shield, curved at the top, with a slit in the middle. A crossbow can lock into the slit and shoot through the shield. The shield also has spikes on it. Pretty big spikes. The curve means that a lance will likely be deflected either upwards or downwards, either way is going to leave them exposed and moving towards the spikes at a fairly rapid pace. The immunity to arrows comes from a Testudo formation. There is one weakness, and that is that no matter what, one of the flanks will be exposed due to the nature of the formation, but that can be easily solved by having two formation side by side, and have the people in the exposed flanks armed with light crossbows and facing each other. This way, if they try to go for the exposed side, they'll be riding into a valley of death. The people not using crossbows will be using naginatas, chosen for it's light weight, and good reach. It'll be arranged so that the first two rows of the formation are using naginatas, and the rest are using crossbows, pointing them at a 35+ degree angle and firing when directed.

I want to play as this: Well. Not really. I think that would be a little OPed. I'd actually like to go with a completely artificial AI again.

Do our scouts know where the Mongols are hitting next? Are they still attacking Kiev? If so, I can provide support with two new unit types I created and trained.

Old pic is old. I think somebody from /tg/ made that originally, although I'm not sure. Sounds like something they would do.

Retech, I'm also training 2500 of the new melee unit.

Nex, it sounds like you're trying to beat them at their own game. Sounds like a bad idea to me.

Retech, that unit I PMed you about, I'm going to train 2500 of them. I'm also going to send you details of another idea I had, so just give me a second to do that.

Righto Dungeon. Terra[something] sends 200 Earthbreakers to assist in Kiev's defense against the mongols. They are instructed to dig underground pits and traps around castles as instructed. I assume the Mongols will attack you first, so it's probably better we drive them back straight away. I'll send more troops when we know they are actually going to attack.

I think it increases the chances of getting some items and decreases the chances of getting others. Oh yeah, and Pyro, I signed up to that forum of yours.

Hey Dungeon, do you want my earthbreakers to assist you in making those traps?

Sure, why not. If it catches on, it could be pretty cool. I love monster hunter because it never feels like a grind. Every single hunt is different. You shall indeed. Everybody needs Monster Hunter. Yes. Yes yes yes a thousand times yes. I realise by now I'm beginning to sound like a zealot, but I really freaking love monster hunter. Ouch, sounds annoying. I always try capturing a monster after not getting something from killing it a while. It sometimes helps.

Other way round Earth :rolleyes: And yeah, we'll play as soon as Retech has his characters. Either him or another person.

It's playtesting, not a true game, per se.

No, I'm afraid that wont be possible. Retech said he was making characters though...

Dusty, I've stated numerous times that a direct confrontation is something that we do not want... I disagree with your "Let ourselves be seiged" tactic though. Retech, have you rolled on the mongols attacking us this year? If so, what was the result?

That's the silliest B grade hollywood movie medieval ambush battle plan I've ever heard. They'd just walk around it. My plan: Withdraw everything valuable to the castles. Burn/destroy food & supplies. Wait for Mongols to siege. Let them starve to death. Attack mongols (use light cavalry - do away with knights, and tower-shield equipped infantry with crossbow support) Simple is better. I'm not so sure. A scorched earth retreat plan seems rather wasteful in my eyes, and will not really accomplish all that much. They're still going to be pushing forwards, the second they notice that you've taken everything, they'll just charge onwards to your next city or castle, meaning you'll be put on constant defensive and continue to lose land over and over. Eventually, you'll need to leave things behind because there is only so much you can carry. After 2-3 cities are evacuated, you'll be slowed by all the new followers, the mongols will catch up, and wreck everything. Besides, they will, in all likelihood, have supply lines from elsewhere. You don't move an army that large without dedicated supply lines unless you are a seriously stupid general, and as Retech has stated, Ghengis is not. If you are going to do that, you might as well try to outmaneuver them and go around, cut their supply lines, and then strike in the middle of the night from all sides, before vanishing. Repeat for several nights, and the threat is gone, you have a few starving barbarians left to clean up. My plan has countermeasures for if they try to go around, as well. EDIT: Oh wait, let me edit this a sec, misread your post. I read that you plan to let the enemy seige you. That is pretty much a terrible idea, since they will have supply lines, as previously stated. Your people will slowly starve to death while doing minimal damage to the waiting mongols. The best thing that letting yourself be seiged could do is buy time. I conclude that simple is not always better.

Finding a way to wet the powder would be good. Or just blow it up within the camps, which is probably the best option.

More or less. If you spot a flaw, please do point it out, it can only help. You can never be overprepared.

Okay, now, my tactic for our first major skirmish is as follows: We need to predict when and where they are going to move, and then use my unique units (Which happen to be incredibly skilled miners and architects) to create underground tunnels about half a foot below the surface. This will clearly not hold the weight of a horse, and the first four lines or so of cavalry will trip and fall, followed by the next 12 or so being thrown into disarray. Afterwards, crossbowmen will fire on the region directly in front of the pit, as well as over the pit itself. Behind the crossbowmen will be another line of crossbowmen, which will step forwards and release another volley. Behind that line is a row of archers, which will then step forwards and fire until the first crossbow line has finished reloading. That line will then step forward and release another volley. By this point, the mongols will likely have tried to flank, which is when the crossbowmen hidden in trapdoor potholes to the sides will reveal themselves and destroy the enemy. If they have not tried to flank, they will likely be charging directly towards the lines of bowmen, which is when the 4th row onwards will step forwards while the ranged units move all the way back. The 4th row will be using tower shields modified with long spikes, and a crossbow slit in the centre, while the row behind them will be using roman style square shields and holding them up, forming a spiked phalanx with ranged capability. the exposed side of the phalanx (There is always an exposed side, it's the phalanx' main weakness) will be altered. In this single side will be alternating rows of the earlier crossbowmen and shieldbearing soldiers. The phalanx will advance in a pattern which basically forces the mongols to go around to the exposed side, at which will then release another volley upon the mongols. (They will advance forwards and then angled depending on which side is shielded) That's the best I could do given the terrain. There is no inclination, no flora to use, nothing. Except rivers, which I still need to come up with a use for. And remember, this is simply a plan of action for a direct confrontation, and we do not want to be in a direct confrontation. I'll focus on other tactics now that I have that out of the way.