iquestor wrote:
My opinion: Could there have been a better strategy, why YES. However, I am more interested in limiting the solutions to using resources that existed, as they existed. If you don't, then it is a moot point, because you are not really dealing with the Land as it was, and there is then a universe of possibilities, and the question has little significance.
I certainly agree that we must limit ourselves to the resources that existed at that point, and indeed, I have tried to insist on doing so. I do not think it is unrealistic however to mention actions or plans that
were possible with the resources that did exist, but were not utilised.
As a result though, the real question is what better strategy could have existed within those limits, and as I said earlier in the thread, I believe that possible improvements were very few.
iquestor wrote:The Oath of Peace was a <b> Way of Life</b> for the people of the land. they couldn't conceive of guerilla training, or any real preparation for an offensive at all! Perhaps it could be argued that the oath could be bent over time, people could be brought to a new oath that included offensive attacks, but even Mhoram didn't realize the damage the Oath did to the strength of the Lords until Revelstone itself was about to fall. There really was no one we know about who could have stepped up to this task.
And yet, despite the Oath of Peace, the Warward, a standing army, existed. As a result, while I agree that
philosophical limitations applied, practical ones could be overcome if they had been addressed over the time of Troy's command.
iquestor wrote:As for Hile , he had no conception of how to make black powder, or any other weapon. he couldn't even describe a firearm, had never seen one! He didn't know "how" to see at all in the 'real' world, he was purely conceptual. His job in the think tank was his because he was not bogged down with details, and could conceptualize the big pictures of warfare without actually knowing any of the small details.
That's the thing...although I accept his limitations in giving instructions for anything sophisticated, I find it hard to believe that coarse black powder was beyond his abilities.
I wouldn't be surprised if a large number of people here could provide a primitive recipe for black powder. All it is, literally, is ground charcoal, sulphur and potassium nitrate. We know they had a certain level of mining and metalworking, because they had swords. Swords need to be forged, so there is your charcoal. The land obviously had many horses, and dung-heaps were the initial source of potassium nitrate, which naturally crystallises through the decomposition of urea and other nitrogenous materials.
I will accept though that sulphur may have been a bit difficult, but it can be found in even surface deposits, especially near volcanic regions.
Essentially, I don't think that a primitive hand-grenade should have been beyond Troy. However, I do accept that, since there weren't any, it falls outside the parameters of available resources, and shouldn't figure in a "What I would have done" scenario.
iquestor wrote:I don't think Hile could have done anything other than what he did in the Land. If you think on it, SRD was brilliant in creating Hile. If it had been a normal person, then technology could be introduced, or any of a hundred different possibilities. But with Hile, he was exactly perfect for WarMark as it was, all theory and no practical knowledge whatsoever, and exactly equipped to fail as he did.
I certainly agree that Troy couldn't have done other than as he did in terms of the story. My own conclusion in terms of his actions (in my very long post a few pages back) was that he in fact did remarkably well, considering his limitations. However, certain issues, like the early warning system, could easily have been dealt with without recourse to "despoiling" the Land.
iquestor wrote:As far as the seventh Ward, how could they not go? There was no way anyone but Elena could go after the 7th ward, because of who she was. If she werent flawed in this way, she wouldnt be Elena. There was no other choice than to go for it. However, I think Elena could have found a better Command than bringing HLK back from the dead. She should have known that breaking such a Law would be monstrous, and Kevin was a failure in life, in my view.
This, I think, deals more with the necessities of the narrative than of any practical defence of the Land, and despite reiterating that Elena would have been more effective in battle than galivanting about, I don't disagree with you.
iquestor wrote:I think the best chance is for the harachai to realize that they would better serve the lords by creating their own defense system early on, and perhaps making allies with the ramen, ranyhyn, and giants (none of whom took the oath) to secure the land. This would have to have happened right after LFB, before the loss of the Unhomed. Yes, Still, this would be a major change, but I think it is a weaker link and perhaps more attainable than changing the Oath, Elena, Hile, or introducing WMD to the Land. I could digress, but I won't.
Sorry to be long winded, these are my opinions, and if I offended anyone, it was certainly not my intention.
While I think that such an "alliance" would have been a good idea, (and it would have had to have been a more active one, because essentially, they were allied), again, it was not something that Troy could have achieved during his command, and therefore unfortunately a moot point in terms of the discussion.
As for being long-winded, a lot of us are.
And there was nothing offensive about your post either.
I like this topic, and I'm glad to see it active again.
WayFriend, although I agree with you from an idealistic point of view, I wonder how far the Lords would actually have gone, given that the other option was to lose everything?
Of course, the Lords and people would probably rather lose honourably than win, but I doubt Troy shared their attitude. He loved the Land, and he would have,
did, in fact give anything to have it victorious.
--A
Thanks MM. 
) lead to the destruction of Foul. it was neccessary that they get things wrong imo.
