Next step for the Northshield Army

Here you sit, wondering what you can do to make the Northshield Army better. There are always a large amount of ideas out there, discussions, even disagreements about what would make the army perform better.

There is one single thing that will make any group that you fight with work to it's maximum potential - and it starts with YOU. That is initiative.

Initiative is the quality of both being excited about doing what you are spending your hard-earned vacation doing, and your desire to do a good job. It is also what makes melee fighting fun, pure and simple.

How do you get excited about doing whatever job it is you are out there to do? Figure out what you like, and do it. if you are a big person that likes pushing shield walls over, then get a few people together that like doing that too, and go do it. If your commander knows your affections for this, you will have your chance - and soon! You will do so at a time when there are people who like solidly hitting a contused unit right behind you to back you up.

This summer, the Northshield Army is going focus on three 'attitudes' (for lack of a better word).

First, we will be improving the 'picket-fence' tactic which we studied last year, to good success. It will be employed in resurrection battles to hold lines for long periods where we can inflict more damage on our opponents than they do on us.

Second, we will work on modifying the 'picket-fence' into an offensive role. It will have to be aggressive, and employ the spears and polearms into a very offensive role, and work closely with shields.

Lastly, and probably most importantly, we will be opening up the 'fence' to create skirmishing units. if we plan on giving Calontir a tough fight, it will be by the use of skirmishers. They must be strong in spears, with a number of7 1/2 polearms and a limited amount of very mobile shield support.

Skirmishing works this way: Say your fairly tightly ranked unit is out on the field, and you come upon a smaller force than yours in the field. This force is comprised mostly of spears and long polearms. They are spread out so they won't get in each other's way when they start using their mobility to stay away from you.

You must be careful when approaching them because they have maneuver advantage on you, as well as offensive range and effectiveness advantages. Thusly, a small force can severely limit the movement of a large one, meanwhile inflicting damage (the ultimate goal).

The threat to skirmishers are small, fast moving units. The larger and slower the target unit is, the easier it is for skirmishers to effectively rip it apart. Remember, mobility and offense are the key to skirmishing success.

Skirmishers have the disadvantage of not being able to finish a fight. Much like in chess, imagine the knights being skirmishers. They move quickly, are difficult to pin down, and will cause some major damage. However, they need support from stronger units to win.

That is where the 'offensive picket-fence' comes in. We need a tighter punching force that can deliver the knockout punch. It is foolish to send this force (or any other) against bad odds. Our strategies are intended to send our strength against our opponents' weakness, making our job easy and theirs difficult.

If these two forces can work in concert, they will be formidable.

Back to the question: What can I do to help?

Take a good look at what weapons you enjoy fighting with, and what you like doing out on the battlefield. Do you like running around? Do you like coming up from the sides where people don't see you? Then skirmishing sounds like it's your thing.

On the other hand, say you like the thick of the fight, wading into opponents swinging away. You like pushing into people, and taking ground by force. Perhaps you like going in right behind a column punching unit, and smacking the disoriented people that were left in their wake. Then, that's where you want to be. You can help by forming up with friends into whatever groups you like and being in what will be our main body. This will be the 'knockout' group.

Special units will be used to augment these types, and will probably specialize in one of these two. Flanking will be done with skirmish-type units (aggressive, mobile units).

The spirit of the Northshield Army comes from your own heart, never forget this. If you say you can do it, you can. If you speak ill of your group, it acts like poison - killing it. Instead, stay focused on how to improve and be excited to be learning. Remember, it's YOUR group. When you speak of it, you're talking about YOURSELF.

One last thing, the more we take our fight to our opponents, the more we will win. Let us dictate the terms at which we fight. This about initiative, let's take it and never give it up to anyone.

Tristan Prinz vom Nordschild