Mass Combat: What's up with Titans?

[Peter Knutsen]

Titans have the same classes as Giants, and cost the same to raise and maintain, but they have much better TS. Is this deliberate? I can't see the logic.

Secondly, why is there no infantry that is equivalent to Horse Archers? Okay, I realize that the equivalent shouldn't get the Cavalry class, but why are there no infantry units (at low TL anyway) that combines Fire and Recon, the same way Horse Archers do? I want to make cool ninja units, much cooler than the one in the book, but I don't want to have to make them mounted (even though the Cavalry role is nice on top of everything else).

[cmdicely]

Originally Posted by Peter Knutsen

Secondly, why is there no infantry that is equivalent to Horse Archers? Okay, I realize that the equivalent shouldn't get the Cavalry class, but why are there no infantry units (at low TL anyway) that combines Fire and Recon, the same way Horse Archers do?

I would suspect because real low-tech foot skirmishers ten, IIRC, to have been armed with javelins and the like, which don't justify F. Still, I think there is a niche here that, even if historical examples are rare, would be nice to have filled. Easy to see how to do it, though, from the examples given (even though there is no rule explicitly given that lets you plug the gap.)

I want to make cool ninja units, much cooler than the one in the book, but I don't want to have to make them mounted (even though the Cavalry role is nice on top of everything else).

I don't see F really fitting into the legends of Ninja all that well, but if you want a low-tech foot skirmisher unit with bows, then you could just say they have basically the same relationship to light infantry that horse archers have to light cavalry, so add F and add 20% to cost to raise and maintain, TL is 2 (like bowmen):

Archer Skirmishers
TS: 2
Class: Rec, F
WT: 1
Mob: Foot
Raise: 48K
Maintain: 10K
TL: 2

Another option is to use stone age warriors, instead of light infantry, as the base.

Stone Age Archers
TS: 1
Class: Rec, F
WT: 1
Mob: Foot
Raise: 30K
Maintain: 6K
TL: 0

[Plasmabunny]

Classic D&D rangers sort of fit the F and Recon mould. Scouts with the ability to snipe.

[The Benj]

Originally Posted by Peter Knutsen

Titans have the same classes as Giants, and cost the same to raise and maintain, but they have much better TS. Is this deliberate? I can't see the logic.

The only advantage I can see is that Giants are potentially transportable (WT 8, as compared to a Titan's -) and are more useful as Engineers (as that's partially based off WT), but that doesn't seem to much make up for being only 5% the TS, does it? Hmm...

[cmdicely]

Originally Posted by The Benj

The only advantage I can see is that Giants are potentially transportable (WT 8, as compared to a Titan's -) and are more useful as Engineers (as that's partially based off WT), but that doesn't seem to much make up for being only 5% the TS, does it? Hmm...

Yeah, I can't help but think that the Titan element should have the same cost to raise/maintain as the Leviathan, rather than the Giants (and that the Flying Leviathan should too, instead of being the same to raise/maintain as the Sea Monster.)

[Peter Knutsen]

Originally Posted by cmdicely

Yeah, I can't help but think that the Titan element should have the same cost to raise/maintain as the Leviathan, rather than the Giants (and that the Flying Leviathan should too, instead of being the same to raise/maintain as the Sea Monster.)

This is a bump.

[The Colonel]

Originally Posted by cmdicely

I would suspect because real low-tech foot skirmishers ten, IIRC, to have been armed with javelins and the like, which don't justify F. Still, I think there is a niche here that, even if historical examples are rare, would be nice to have filled. Easy to see how to do it, though, from the examples given (even though there is no rule explicitly given that lets you plug the gap.)

Slingers would be an obvious suggestion - IIRC quite a lot of ancient armies used shepherd slingers as skirmishers and recce units.

[Peter Knutsen]

Originally Posted by The Colonel

Slingers would be an obvious suggestion - IIRC quite a lot of ancient armies used shepherd slingers as skirmishers and recce units.

But then we're down to TS 1, and Light Infantry are already fairly week in the TS department. Going lower isn't fun.

Think fantasy rangers. They don't have to be higher than TS 2, but they need both Fire and Recon.

[David L Pulver]

Originally Posted by Peter Knutsen

Titans have the same classes as Giants, and cost the same to raise and maintain, but they have much better TS. Is this deliberate? I can't see the logic.

Secondly, why is there no infantry that is equivalent to Horse Archers? Okay, I realize that the equivalent shouldn't get the Cavalry class, but why are there no infantry units (at low TL anyway) that combines Fire and Recon, the same way Horse Archers do? I want to make cool ninja units, much cooler than the one in the book, but I don't want to have to make them mounted (even though the Cavalry role is nice on top of everything else).

Two errors here

Flying Leviathan 150 Air, T10 – Slow Air 10M 400K 0
Titan 400 Arm, En, Art – Foot 16M 640K 0

"Why are there no infantry equivalent to horse archers."

Because no infantry perform like that until people invent rapid-fire bolt-action rifles, carbines, etc.

[vicky_molokh]

Why are there no infantry equivalent to horse archers.

Do centaurs qualify? [/useless $0.02]