12-16-2014, 11:51 AM | #1 |
Join Date: Dec 2008
|
Mass Combat and Tech Level
In the mass combat rules, the troop strength of most things (short of artilllery) doesn't increase with TL. I assume this is because TS is relative and everyone is generally at the same TL.
However, I am running a campaign where one army is one TL above their foes. This would have all sorts of minor effects on armour and weapons, for example. I ruled that as meaning their equipment was considered good, but the description for good explicitly says that it is relative to their TL. I was wondering if there was a better (perhaps RAW) way of dealing with a TL advantage. For reference, the TLs are 3 and 4. I realize that the TL4 army can also get firearms (musketeers and cavalry pistols), but I'm more talking about the other units (which still comprise the bulk of the army). |
12-16-2014, 12:11 PM | #2 | |
Aluminated
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: East of the moon, west of the stars, close to buses and shopping
|
Re: Mass Combat and Tech Level
Quote:
The other way TL makes a difference is a bit out of scope for Mass Combat itself, but realistically, in addition to having access to better troop types, a higher TL society of comparable size will be a bit wealthier, which allows it to raise more troops and/or troops with superior equipment. That, though, is a campaign issue.
__________________
I've been making pointlessly shiny things, and I've got some gaming-related stuff as well as 3d printing designs. Buy my Warehouse 23 stuff, dammit! |
|
12-16-2014, 01:00 PM | #3 |
Join Date: Dec 2008
|
Re: Mass Combat and Tech Level
Wouldn't higher TL troops have better access to medical treatmens, meaning they'd be healthier when the fight started, better metalurgical techniques meaning that their armour would be lighter for its DR and more advanced weaponry? There are several armours and weapons that appear at TL4 in Low-Tech. (ex: Plate is now available, presumably improving heavy cavalry, TL4 crossbows do more damage, cavalry sabers are now a thing, etc.) Additionally, wouldn't TL3 weapons and armour be cheaper and thus more widespread at TL4?
|
12-16-2014, 01:17 PM | #4 | |
Aluminated
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: East of the moon, west of the stars, close to buses and shopping
|
Re: Mass Combat and Tech Level
Quote:
__________________
I've been making pointlessly shiny things, and I've got some gaming-related stuff as well as 3d printing designs. Buy my Warehouse 23 stuff, dammit! |
|
12-16-2014, 02:29 PM | #5 | |
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Berkeley, CA
|
Re: Mass Combat and Tech Level
Quote:
Realistically, melee weapons didn't change all that much over TL 2-4, but armor tech improved significantly, so there should be a bump. The TS seems remarkably flat, though -- the only difference between TL 2 bowmen and TL 4 musketeers are that the musketeers are 25% cheaper. |
|
12-16-2014, 03:44 PM | #6 |
☣
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Southeast NC
|
Re: Mass Combat and Tech Level
Maybe, but I don't think TL 2 Seleucid cataphracts would be a pushover for a similarly sized force of TL 4 French gendarmes, or any of several other match ups. If there is a bump, it would have to be a small one.
__________________
RyanW - Actually one normal sized guy in three tiny trenchcoats. |
12-16-2014, 04:48 PM | #7 |
Join Date: Aug 2013
|
Re: Mass Combat and Tech Level
I had a post here before about how to have a good fight with a TL3 fantasy elite army fighting a TL11 inexperienced army in despression using Mass combat. :P
Even tho your event is only 1 tech level difference while mines is EIGHT, the main advantage the TL4 army will have is muskets and cannons due to that cannons can beast castles.
__________________
I highly unrecommend choosing the following disadvantages; No Sense of Humor [-10] |
12-16-2014, 05:36 PM | #8 |
Join Date: Dec 2008
|
Re: Mass Combat and Tech Level
Thanks everyone. I guess I'll just give them a bit higher budget per population than the other army and use that to buy higher quality equipment on some (but not all) of their troops. This seems like a reasonable solution.
|
12-16-2014, 07:50 PM | #9 |
Join Date: May 2008
Location: CA
|
Re: Mass Combat and Tech Level
Absolutley not. Look at the TL5+ Mass Combat rules; they explicitly double TS every TL. Turhan's basically right.
|
12-16-2014, 09:15 PM | #10 |
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Fayetteville, Arkansas
|
Re: Mass Combat and Tech Level
So I pointed out in another thread that I had problems with TS as is. This thread has somewhat helped me understand why they did what they did, but I'm going to go ahead with the other system.
|
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|