MeG

Mortem et Gloriam Players forum => Player Discussion => Topic started by: Roger on June 19, 2019, 02:22:39 PM

Title: Desert armies and Terrain
Post by: Roger on June 19, 2019, 02:22:39 PM
Played Tuareg this weekend up in Preston, had the strange situation that when i chose desert as my terrain and ended up with a secure coastal flank, I found that apparently coasts don't ever have any sand dunes or any sand?? having worked in Jeddah on the Red sea i can assure you that is not the case!!! Both sandy terrains are classed as difficult, should one of those terrains been classified as Rough?
Title: Re: Desert armies and Terrain
Post by: nikgaukroger on June 20, 2019, 08:33:34 PM
Sounds like the terrain does need some sort of sand feature in these circumstances  8)
Title: Re: Desert armies and Terrain
Post by: nikgaukroger on June 20, 2019, 08:34:59 PM
Or that D territory type should also be in the Normal density box when there is a River/Coast secure flank.
Title: Re: Desert armies and Terrain
Post by: DracoStandard on June 22, 2019, 06:52:52 PM
if you choose desert terrain, you choose desert terrain options.  not coastal ones.
Title: Re: Desert armies and Terrain
Post by: nikgaukroger on June 22, 2019, 07:45:46 PM
Quote from: DracoStandard on June 22, 2019, 06:52:52 PM
if you choose desert terrain, you choose desert terrain options.  not coastal ones.

The issue is, if I read it aright, that if you choose Desert and get a River/Coast secure flank then you cannot have Sand Dunes or Sandy Ground as terrain pieces as they are Difficult and Desert with a River/Coast can only be Open or Plains density and thus cannot choose Difficult terrain pieces.
Title: Re: Desert armies and Terrain
Post by: Simon Meg-Meister on June 24, 2019, 11:02:01 AM
Possibly ...

I had in kind that the sandy ground is really serious stuff that is hard to get through, which is generally very dry and away from water.  Softer sand is covered by rough going "brushy ground".

Si
Title: Re: Desert armies and Terrain
Post by: Roger on June 24, 2019, 05:56:24 PM
attached some typical scenery from namibian desert where it meets the sea

[attachment deleted by admin]
Title: Re: Desert armies and Terrain
Post by: Rino on June 25, 2019, 06:13:41 AM
We have the same on the French coast :
Dune  du pilat on the west coast close to Bordeaux, then around the touquet in the channel coast.
Title: Re: Desert armies and Terrain
Post by: Simon Meg-Meister on June 25, 2019, 10:16:35 AM
Can't argue with the photos.... will ponder.

S
Title: Re: Desert armies and Terrain
Post by: Jilu on June 27, 2019, 04:56:06 AM
Quote from: Rino on June 25, 2019, 06:13:41 AM
We have the same on the French coast :
Dune  du pilat on the west coast close to Bordeaux, then around the touquet in the channel coast.


we have the same in belgium and north of france, in fact the whole of the northsea shore continent side are sand dunes 
Title: Re: Desert armies and Terrain
Post by: craig.w on June 27, 2019, 08:23:29 AM
Maybe the problem is that coasts are over-represented by about a factor of 100 in MeG.  ;D
Title: Re: Desert armies and Terrain
Post by: mad lemmey on June 27, 2019, 08:30:23 AM
Well, they're REALLY coasts and rivers, nearly all samurai battles involve a river...
Title: Re: Desert armies and Terrain
Post by: craig.w on June 27, 2019, 08:42:11 AM
But were they rivers that blocked off a side of the army, forming an impenetrable barrier or they played a role but were fordable?

I'd love to know the stats on other places. I reckon maybe 1/3 of my games have a river or coast. Pretty sure it wasn't that high ;) I'm getting used to it now, I figure it is just a rules thing to knock horse archer armies down a bit in effectiveness...
Title: Re: Desert armies and Terrain
Post by: craig.w on June 27, 2019, 08:45:53 AM
And the tournament after the next, I won't be using horse archers, so I'll be joining the coast/river club  ;D
Title: Re: Desert armies and Terrain
Post by: Simon Meg-Meister on June 27, 2019, 11:25:42 AM
Quote from: craig.w on June 27, 2019, 08:42:11 AM
But were they rivers that blocked off a side of the army, forming an impenetrable barrier or they played a role but were fordable?

I'd love to know the stats on other places. I reckon maybe 1/3 of my games have a river or coast. Pretty sure it wasn't that high ;) I'm getting used to it now, I figure it is just a rules thing to knock horse archer armies down a bit in effectiveness...

Most battles next to rivers had them unfordable obstacles playing no roll at all.  One possibility for the future is to allow the invader to choose which territory type from the defenders list is used - choosing their line of attack.  Haven't thought through all the consequences yet so if you have time to consider ....
Title: Re: Desert armies and Terrain
Post by: Roger on June 27, 2019, 07:00:57 PM
The problem with invaders choosing, is that no army would choose to fight Tuareg's in the desert  :D. but as a nomadic desert people this is where they would choose to stand and defend or harass attacking armies
Title: Re: Desert armies and Terrain
Post by: nikgaukroger on June 27, 2019, 07:04:45 PM
Quote from: Simon Meg-Meister on June 27, 2019, 11:25:42 AM
Quote from: craig.w on June 27, 2019, 08:42:11 AM
But were they rivers that blocked off a side of the army, forming an impenetrable barrier or they played a role but were fordable?

I'd love to know the stats on other places. I reckon maybe 1/3 of my games have a river or coast. Pretty sure it wasn't that high ;) I'm getting used to it now, I figure it is just a rules thing to knock horse archer armies down a bit in effectiveness...

Most battles next to rivers had them unfordable obstacles playing no roll at all.  One possibility for the future is to allow the invader to choose which territory type from the defenders list is used - choosing their line of attack.  Haven't thought through all the consequences yet so if you have time to consider ....

Leave as is, seems to be working IMO.