Elaine P wrote:
> The mantlet was the one with the wheels. In Epic 40K, it's called a
> Rhino ;-). The pavaise was a huge shield carried in front of the
> archers. Both were abandoned in the 15th century in favor of approaches
> (trenches).
>
> The testudo is more than just a unit with shields. In most games, a
> unit in the testudo formation receives an additional bonus against
> bowfire from any direction and an armor bonus in melee with usually a
> penalty in movement and/or a reduction in the unit's melee strength
> (since not every one in the unit could fight). Only well-trained troops
> could form the testudo. It was very effective against field
> fortifications and cities in antiquity, but advances in castle building
> or lack of well disciplined troops made it obsolete around the late dark
> ages or early middle ages.
>
I think that formation became obsolete with the increasing power of missile
weapons. The size of shield required for a proper shield wall was unweildy,
and javelins were designed to pull the shields down once they were stuck in.
I have though of making full length shields available, but since no fantasy
miniatures have them anyway, I ditched the idea. Of course, the system
should work fine for historicals, just by droping teh magic rules and
reducing the unit points to account for the irrlevevance of magic
resistance.
> For an example of the testudo in film, it appears in the first part of
> Anthony and Cleopatra. (However, I think the addition of a spike on the
> boss of the scutum was a Hollywood embellishment.)
>
I think I saw that one: didn't the formation get cut down after several
volleys of bowfire?
> --Elaine
>
>
Thane
> ______________________________________________________
> Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
Received on Wed Sep 16 1998 - 15:18:05 UTC