Abington/Marshal's Letter

Welcome! If you are reading this, you have been selected to become a Marshall in the Forces of Abington. This position is one of the highest that you as a Noble can attain within our forces, and ranks just below the General in the millitary hierarchy. However, before we begin, let us define specifically your place in the new hierarchy.

HIERARCHY As a marshall, your position in the complex civil, millitary and commercial hierarchy is fairly simple- You have total command over those warrior knights, be they soldiers, heroes or infiltrators, who have sworn loyalty to the Duchy of which you are Marshall. However, great care must be taken, as although you can command the average sir John, Lord Harry and Duke Richard would take exception that you, as a social inferior, should presume to command them. It is reccomended, then, that when composing orders to your forces, you should never address commands to those who hold a position socially or civilly higher than yourself. Consequently, never order the High Preist, Duke, General, Banker, or King(!!) if they should be "knights" in your duchy.

There is then, the matter of non-millitary knights. It is entirely at the discretion of regional lords and the knights themselves who should follow which profession. It should therefore be noted, and kept careful record of, who in your forces is what and who, before yelling at them for not being where they should be. This brings us to Command.

COMMAND SECTION As a Marshall, your powers of command are limited, but can be decisive. Ultimately, what you decide to do affects the course of ANY battle you enter, as, unless the General is present, you may be chosen to take total command of allied forces in the field. Thus, it is important to learn about Mass Formations.

OFFENSIVE FORMATIONS

CAVALRY CHARGE Not always available to the new commander, Cavalry Charge is the most straightforward of offensive formations, grouping all your forces into a rough wedge, with cavalry and infantry at the front, and the back mass consisting of everything else. Rarely useful, Cavalry Charge is effective only in field battles, which rarely occur these days, as most places have some form of fortification that requires a more careful approach to battle.

ARCHER OPENING The reccomended, and highly effective, offensive formaiton, Archer Opening sets alll archers up in the front row, with infantry and cavalry close behind. Archers release their volleys, and then allow infantry and cavalry to advance in front of them. This is the orthodox opening for a siege, aswell as any pitched battle these days.

INFANTRY CHARGE Like Cavalry Charge, only slower.Best employed when low on archers, and facing a formidable wall. Infantry Charge was employed in the ill fated second Battle for Ash'rily during the late ASI war, in which sir Feldric, along with two thirds of the Abington army at that time, were annihilated breaching the Ashrily walls. Infantry Charge should only be used with extreme caution or desperation, and then only against lightly fortified locations.

DEFENSIVE FORMATIONS

FORTIFICATION DEPLOY This should be your default deployment when guarding a city. All forces keep behind the walls, and pepper attackers with missiles. This is the defensive version of Archer Opening, and is extremely effective against opponents who try to Infantry Charge your walls. The only anomaly is Special Forces, some of whom can nullify fortifications and attack your troops without Siege Engines. However, they are rare, and as such often overlooked in preference for cheaper infantry.

INFANTRY WALL This puts all non-archer units in the front line, as a defensive measure and to act as a "human wall". This shieldwall tactic was a favourite of certain northern factions in centuries gone by, but is particularly vulnerable to Cavalry Charge formations, and should only be employed when no fortifications are available.

There are two further, experimental formations that can be employed, however, having no experience of them, I will leave it to others more experienced to tell you of them.

Finally, there is the Standing Order. This is YOUR MOST IMPORTANT DUTY as a Marshall, and SHOULD NOT BE NEGLECTED. Even if your whole army is made up of socially superior nobles, socially retarded knights and the just plain inactive, you should still regularly update your orders. Your orders will of course, come from the General, and it is your duty to process and abbreviate them and then post them for your men. Having Standing Orders is CRITICAL for maintaining discpline and fairness. Everytime your men check their messages, they will see these orders in red and white. Their failure to obey them is never your fault. Talk to the Arch Preist, and he should fine them brutally if they fail to respond to your satisfaction. Finally, view your army's status once a day. Keeping track of your army is THE NUMBER ONE, UNO MOMENTO thing for you to do. Noone but you can see this list of knights, nobles and lords, their current location and unit strength. If requested, you should send weekly reports of this information to the General and Millitary Council, AND NOONE ELSE. This information can also be used for you to determine who is skiving, who is heading back for bonds, and who is sitting in suville picking their nose and either spying or wage-farming.

Thats all for now, and I wish you (names inserted here) MIKHAIL AND ELINORA both good luck in your new positions! May you serve Abington well!

Yours, Ulric ((7.5.06))