[Carl Goff]

The Rules (as devised by me):

No gunpowder allowed (use of naptha, however, is fine).

Equipment may run anywhere from Roman legionary gear to Maximilian-style plate. Ditto for weapons. Period is not a consideration. Nor is locale. If you want to have men in mail hauberks and spangenhelms carrying Chinese dao(s?), you can.

Take cost/benefit into account. Having heavily-armored troops will make them more likely to survive, but consider how much it would cost to equip one of these men.

Units don't have to be unique, although it'd be cool to see what people come up with.

Post potential strategies for using your army.

Here's three units I designed (because I can't focus on the homework assignment I'm supposed to be doing.) The rest (and strategy descriptions) will come later.

***
New Varangians:
Armor: Steel bascinets, mail hauberks, steel back-and-breasts, elbow cops, knee cops, thigh plates, and greaves. Kite shields.
Weapons: Daneaxes, single-hand axes, maces, or hammers, single-hand swords, daggers.

Polearm Skirmishers:
Armor: Steel war hats or bascinets, padded jacks, boiled-leather thigh plates and demi-greaves, steel knee cops.
Weapons: Polearms of any kind. These are irregulars, designed for harassment and ambush-uniformity of weapons is not a concern.

Medium Cavalry:
Armor: Steel bascinets, mail hauberks, steel elbow cops, knee cops, thigh plates, and greaves. Kite shields. Scale barding for the horses.
Weapons: Lances, compound bows, cavalry axes, maces, or hammers, cavalry swords (scimitars preferred), daggers.

[Katie Neal]

i like this post!!!


my army.

a unit of Spartans with Cyrussa's so they may form a Phalynx. they's be armoured with the typical corinthian helms and bronze breast plates with greaves and bracers.......and sandles....... tsk. they'd be armed with a kopis or falcutta for a secondary weapon.

heavy cavalry. 14th-15th century Knights fully armoured riding a well trained armoured war horse. armed with lance and shield for intial impact. Mace, hammer or flail for secondary and last a sword (single hander to go with the shield which hopefully they didnt loose in the charge)

finally mouted archers...(mongolian, lancers or ......Rohorrim.....) they'd be lightly armoured no matter what culture. with a curved sword for chopping. short recurve horse back bows with back quiver.... i'd want the tips to be bodkins for armour penetration. riding arabians or quaterhorses something fast and powerful with high endurance.

this would change if it wasnt an open field battle. hopefully ive included many advantages in this army. speed and power combined with defense.

[J. Bedell]

Thousands upon thousands of "psuedo welsh" skirmishers. Weapons: magyar recurve bows w/ heavy grain arrows, falcata, seax. Armor: Steel buckler, ringmail jack, steel greaves, open face barbute.

They would make up the vanguard. A quick hack and slash then retreat kind of force. Then the "shayzar lancers" hit hard and fast. Weapons: steel lance, shamshir, saddle axe. Armor: chain mail with gambeson, hide covered wooden round shield, conical nasal helm, steel greaves.

And if needed they retreat behind the "shield guys" (just couldn't come up with a suitable name), who would otherwise act as support. They sit behind a shield wall of self standing pavices. Weapons: high power crossbows (400# +), pike (to keep the other army a good distance from the shield wall), kaskara (in case of close combat). Armor: half plate, sallets, pavice, hand pavice. The pavice wall acts as a semi fort, the pikes and hand pavices can be set on the ground and be taken up if necessary.

Maybe more to come later, this army is definitely lacking a little something.

-James

[Torsten F.H. Wilke]

A Formidable Opponent...

millions upon millions of the world's most oppressed peasents armed with only their own farm implements, such as falxes, flails, shovels, and hoes (no, not Ho's!), and supplemented with the occasional sharpened bamboo pole and bucket of acid. They would fight like the plague descended directly from heaven, since they were told that the well equipped and paid soldiers they were gonna kill worked for the very devils that kept them and their families in poverty since the beginning of time. If that didn't work, they would be promised a hundred and fifty seven vestal virgins. Thats alot more than the suicide bombers get, and just look at them go! Victory would most certainly be assured...

ok, not very p.c., and I have way too much time on my hands...