Legionnaires

In the Roman Empire the highest life expectancy was in the Legionnaires;
half of them lived to forty.

Several factors;
they were always feed,
they were selected for health and strength,
they were usually kept away from the cities, 
(where disease and plagues were common) and
their battlefield losses were minimal as they significantly outclassed MOST of their opponents.

            “They were taught not to cut, but to thrust with their swords.  For the Romans not only made jest of those who fought with the edge of their weapons, but also found them an easy conquest, a stroke with the edge, though made with ever so much force, seldom kills, as the vital parts of the body are protected by the bones and the armor.  On the contrary, a stab, though it penetrates but two inches, is generally fatal.”                Vegetius    

The highest casualty rate in the Roman Army was amongst the Centurions who were usually promoted from the ranks of ordinary soldiers for bravery and ability. A Roman centurion led from the front. It was not uncommon in a battle for 10% of an armies casualties to be Centurions.
Recall, there was only one centurion for every 80 to 100 soldiers.

Nobles didnt live as long as Legionnaires because of political intrigue; assassination typically included you and your entire blood line.

The Romans had contact with the Norse
(who were large even by today’s standards)
but they did not make good soldiers -
couldnt march for long distances and did not have the immune system of their Mediterranean counterparts.

Norse mercenaries served as Elite Guards, as their large size made them both intimidating and formidable individual opponents.

Roman soldiers attacked in ranks of three;
The front rank armed with shortswords aimed for your face and throat . ..
The second rank armed with spears aimed for your axilla and the neurovascular bundle of the arm …
while the third rank armed with long spears sought the femoral artery in the leg or pelvis .



Caesar’s Civil War & Caesar’s Gallic Wars
by Adrian Goldsworthy

also 

Nero's Killing Machine: The True Story of Rome's Remarkable 14th Legion
by Stephen Dando-Collins

classic Small Unit Combat

A unit represents five soldiers or a single monster whose quality is graded on a scale from A thru F. Unit quality is not just based upon attacks, armor class and hit points but also includes less tangible qualities such as adroitness, ferocity, discipline, intelligence and courage. A unit defeated in combat is not always slain or killed; it is more typically captured, routed or broken.

A) = heavily armored and battle hardened crack units such as knights, bugbears, blink dogs or one troll (63hp) or one griffon (59hp).

B) = elite units such as lizardmen, sahuagin, mounted archers, elves, Legionnaires , or one unicorn (42hp).

C) = veteran units such as heavy infantry, light cavalry, dwarves, gnolls, hobgoblins, skeletons, mermen or one ogre (29hp) or one hippogriff (25hp).

D) = standard units such as light infantry, orcs, mercenaries, buccaneers, stirges, zombies or one worg (30hp) or one centaur (26hp).

E) = green or unreliable units such as militia, pirates, goblins, halflings or one boar (20hp).

F) = poor units such as conscripts, kobolds, levies, bandits, giant rats or one mastiff (12hp).

……………….….Defending…Unit………….
ATTR…….A.….B.….C.….D.….E.….F.
Crack.…....4.…...4…...3…...3…....2…...2
Elite…..…..5.… ..4…...4…...3…....3…...2
Vtrn....…...5… ..5…...4…....4…....3……3
Stndrd......6….. 5…...5…....4…....4……3
Green..... .6….. 6…...5…....5…....4…...4
Poor.....…7…....6…...6…....5…....5…...4

Reroll ‘1s’ if minor advantage such as
height, terrain, blessed, charging, or
infantry weapons deployed in formation.

Add +1 to result if significant advantage such as surprise, haste, invisibility, blurred or
if attacking opponent’s rear or right flank.

Subtract one if attacker is entangled, heavily encumbered, climbing ladders, slowed or webbed.

The First War Game

My friend Dr. Dean is a Chess Master;
I never got into that game in youth, because to my young analytical mind
(graduated magna cum laude in college with mathematics degree)
the movement of the pieces made NO sense.
It wasn’t until my 30s when I read the book Born in Blood
by Robinson, that the game of chess became rational. Paraphrasing . . .

Chess is a Persian game that was brought to the west by the Crusaders –
the Catholic Church was against anything that was from the east and/or distracted from religious devotion.

Hence, the game of Chess was banned and deemed satanic
(sound familiar ; - );
however, the game proved too popular to legislate away;
THEREFORE, the church tolerated this new game as long as the pieces were ReNAMED.

Hence, CHESS pieces are as follows:

The PAWN represents spearmen or pike men, defensive units,
that slowly advance, but have to attack a flank for success.

The ROOK is actually the elephant (a Pagan animal) –
 unstoppable and fierce, but only capable of linear attacks/ charges.

The KNIGHT is heavy cavalry,
charges forward, but needs to strike a flank for maximal effect.

The BISHOP (the most important piece on the board?) represents a sailing ship;
notice how it tacks along the board unimpeded while delivering mayhem.

The QUEEN is guarded by elite, light mounted archers;
she can move and strike in any direction with full effect, but vulnerable to attack if isolated.

The KING is surrounded by his elite body guard; however,

  he is loaded down with the TREASURE of his house; therefore,

he may move only one square in any direction.

Even the term ‘check mate’ is a bastardization of the Arabic
“sheik mat”,
which translates to ‘the king is dead.’

 

Happy 21st Birthday Red Planet

Copywrited 16 Jan 1990

Helicopter Joke

Morris and His Wife Esther Went to the State Fair Every Year.

Every Year, Morris Would Say, "Esther, I'd like to Ride in That Helicopter"

Esther Always Replied, " I Know Morris, But That Helicopter Ride Is 50 Dollars And 50 Dollars Is 50 Dollars."

A Few Years Later, Esther and Morris Went to the Fair.

Morris Said, "Esther, I'm 85 Years Old. If I Don't Ride That Helicopter Now, I Might Never Get Another Chance."

Esther Replied, "Morris, That Helicopter Ride Is 50 Dollars and 50 Dollars Is 50 Dollars."

The Pilot Overheard the Couple.
He Said, "Folks, I'll Make You a Deal.
I'll Take the Both of You for a Ride.
If You Can Stay Quiet for the Entire
Ride and Not Say a Word, I Won't Charge You!
But If You Say One Word, It's 50 Dollars."

Morris and Esther Agreed -- and up They Went.

The Pilot Did All Kinds of Fancy Maneuvers.

But Not a Word Was Heard. He Did His Daredevil Tricks over and over Again, But Still Not a Word.

When They Landed, the Pilot Turned to Morris. He Said, "By Golly, I Did Everything g I Could to Get You to Yell Out, But You Didn't. I'm Impressed!"

Morris Replied, "Well, I Was Going to Say Something When Esther Fell Out,
But 50 Dollars Is 50 Dollars!"

Critical Hits example from World War I I

'Operations resumed on 11 April. An attack was scheduled to win back the lost sections of the main road. The attack failed, however. The next morning three tigers moved forward to halt probing Soviet forces. Commanding the lead tank was Sergeant Major Sanderring, one of the “old hands” of the Panzer arm. This attack provided a demonstration of the damage a lucky hit from a Russian anti-tank rifle could inflict on a Tiger tank. A well-concealed Soviet soldier took aim at the tank of the sergeant major as the Tigers approached. He fired his antitank rifle from a range of fifty meters. The round penetrated of one of the copula vision slits. Sergeant Major Sanderring was killed instantly. A single Soviet soldier had accomplished what several T-34s were often unable to do: put a Tiger out of action.'

Frank Kurowski,
Panzer Aces

Origins of Myth

The bones of the dimetrodon discovered by ancient Greeks were the inspiration for a classical and persistent mythological monster.

What do we have here?

body and tail of a lion,
head and claws of an eagle,
and long support bones,
. . . it must be a GRIFFIN !