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srndac -> On Horses and Wagons (10/8/2008 10:11:02 AM)
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Hello everybody!
In view of the Bombur's recently launched '1900-1960 v0.12' random scenario mod in which I had to (again) go in and 'fiddle the rules' a bit, I decided we all need to have a collective little chat on the subject of Horses and Wagons.
Before I start, I have to humbly ask you all to forgive me for making such a fuss out of a, what will seem, for most of you probably, a trivial subject. Trivial - because the Horses and Wagons were phased out during this period and replaced with a superior form of transport - Motorcycles and Trucks respectively.
But, even though I enjoy playing AT - which is all about modern warfare, my heart truly belongs to more historical periods, in which the Horse played a vital part. And since most of you here would handily beat me in the knowledge of modern tactics and equipment, I gladly leave to you the job of describing and defining the use and characteristics of Modern weapons, and at the same time ask you to consider a couple of aspects of 'older' style of warfare.
The question here won't be which is better: a Wagon or a Truck - that question has already been answered. The question that I wish to present to you here is: What is the difference between a Horse transport and a Wagon transport? Because claiming that these two are the same is equal to claiming that Motorcycles and Trucks are the same.
Note that I said Motorcycles in the previos sentence! It's because the individual horses (before they were replaced by Cars and Trucks) served the same role that is today served by civilian Motorcycles - as a quick transport for a single human - or, in military: infantryman.
Now, this is essentially Mounted Infantry, and the nearest thing to it today is Halftrack - which is another version of the Truck - which is another version of Wagon. Why there is no modern replacement for individal horses as mounts? Because all the modern vehicles use wheels - and the wheels tend to bog down in Woods and Mountains. Horses - on the other hand - have legs, just like men. And, just like men, can move much easier through the Woods and Hills than wheeled Trucks and Wagons - thus providing that mobility that is the reason people use them in AT.
But a single horse cannot provide the same transport as a Wagon. Not even 4 individual horses can provide the same transport as Wagon drawn by a 4-horse team. Why?
1. Because it's easier to pull things than carry them.
2. Because working in a team is much easier than working alone
Let's do the math:
A good workhorse can carry up to 100 kgs of cargo on his own. It also needs someone to control it - a rider or, even better, a guide. A guide can, in practice, control up to 4 horses - not counting the one he rides. So, one man and 5 horses, without a Wagon, can carry up to 400 kgs of cargo on longer distances.
Now, you probably noticed when you drive the car, that the higher power is only needed until the car starts to move - afterwards, it's only a matter of giving it enough power to keep it moving. The same thing is with the Wagons - the 4 horses in a team have to pull the hardest only to start the Wagon moving - the rest is just pulling it along. No, I won't be saying that's nothing, but this way they can easily move cargoes that are 3 or 4 times the size of the one they can carry. So, if the driver and the wagon itself weigh 100 kgs, the horse team can easily pull some 1000 kgs and more along.
Okay, not to bore you any longer, I'll get to the point:
A Horse (or better: A Cavalryman) can be best seen as a single, 4-legged, fast-moving soldier, armed with small arms, with no major transporting ability (that is: not cannon pulling) that needs someone to take care of his 'ride' when he dismounts and goes to battle. That last part is where the Stack Points come in - because they represent those soldiers who stay behind with the horses to make sure that Cavalry's transports don't run away during battle. Usually, 1 man could take care of 4 horses.
A Wagon is that arcahic form of transport that is not already replaced by the Truck only because it's cheaper. It doesn't need any horse-holders, and hence no Stack points. It maneuvers worse than Cavalry - because of the wheels, but better than Trucks - because of the horse team pulling it, so put it somewhere in between. It's basic transport capacity is the same as Trucks, but it's Strategic Capacity is far smaller than Trucks.
There, those were my 2 cents - for all they're worth.
Any questions? Comments? Rotten tomatoes? (I'd appreciate a couple of good ones too [;)])
Srndac
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