WR - The Essay on tactics by HG Sir Kein MacEwan

[Azrael]

Those of you who were at the regional fighter practice know why this is
here<G>....for the rest of you...just read it....<G>

this is all the original, I wouldn't dare change a word<G>


Ashril Khebte'ut
"The real tragedy is the tragedy of the man who never in his life braces
himself for his one supreme effort, who never stretches to his full
capacity, never stands up to his full stature." --Arnold Bennett

Azrael at cyber-wizard.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Print From Here Please
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Stuff That Works For Me
An Essay on Melee Tactics
By HRM Kein MacEwan


   I  have been fighting in the SCA for 12 years now. I have commanded units
from 2 fighters to the entire Eastern army. At Pennsic XXII, I commanded the
largest force ever commanded by an Ansteorran King in a foreign war. I have
commanded the Ansteorran forces at Gulf Wars twice I have on many occasions
defeated larger forces or forces with a distinct tactical advantage. I
occasionally feel like I actually know what I am doing.
   I am writing this essay in the hope that it will help anyone who wishes
to learn the strategy and tactics that I use in SCA combat on the battle
field. I will try to include things that will be of interest to a beginner
or a seasoned veteran.

Chapter One: Job Descriptions

SHIELDMEN
   The shieldmen are the backbone of any unit. They are what keeps the unit
from being overrun by the enemy. They are the main part of the defense of
the unit. I split shieldmen into three different types.
	1) Shield in the line
   Any shieldman must be aware of and capable of the duties of the shieldman
in the line. The shieldman in the line has three main duties. They are;
     1. Keep your buddies alive: This is achieved by holding your place in
line, following orders well and intelligently and paying close attention to
the enemy. Communicate with your teammates. Sometimes a friend can be saved
by simply saying, "(Insert name here), Behind you!!" This sounds simple, but
I have seen men die on the field because their buddies didn't think to yell
at them.
     2. Stay alive: This is achieved by keeping your eyes open and your view
unobstructed. Do not get distracted from your attention on the enemy. Enemy
spearmen and archers are waiting to catch you daydreaming. Do not focus on
one danger to the exclusion of all others, either. This is called "tunnel
vision" and it will cause spear points and crossbow bolts to sprout from
your head and body.  Some people teach that your eyes should be hidden
behind the shield so that they are not a target. I think that it is too
important for a shieldman to know what is going on, so I teach shieldmen to
hold their eyes just over the shield and protect the top of their head and
their eyes with their weapon. Also important in staying alive, is not over
extending. Do not go for the kill if it exposes you too much.
     3. Kill: In a static battle a shieldman can sometimes get a kill when
he is paying attention and he sees that one of the enemy is distracted. Look
for kills on the angles to your left and right. You should only take this
opportunity if you are 70% sure of getting the kill and 98% sure of
surviving the attempt. If they are in a formation that is charging then the
shieldmen must lay about themselves with semi-wild abandon. Ferocity is
important and you can knock an entire unit off balance by projecting your
determination. Hit them hard. Make them crumble. But remember to stay alive
and keep your buddies alive. An experienced tournament fighter will usually
get more kills in these situations. Don't let anyone tell you that single
combat skills are not important on the melee field.
    Inexperienced fighters are often relegated to duty as line shieldmen.
These fighters should remember that if they fall the entire unit might fall.
So, inexperienced fighters, if you want to be a valuable addition to the
melee unit then I have one word for you: PRACTICE!! (That goes for
experienced fighters too. Just because you're the hottest stick on the
tourney field doesn't mean you won't get tunnel vision and let Joe Newbie
gut you with his spear.)
	2) Flank shield:
   The flank shields are the shields at each end of the shield wall. They
are very important because they define the limits of the unit. The flank
shield must have an excellent understanding of the commands that a commander
will give. If one of the flank shieldmen screws up a command then there is a
good chance that at least half of the shieldmen in the wall will as well
(say that three times fast).  Flank shieldmen should be skilled at defense
because they only have a buddy to protect them on one side. They should be
aware of enemy flankers and take appropriate action against them as long as
they can take that action and maintain line integrity.
 a) Right Flank :
This shieldmen is the one that all other shieldmen will be looking at to set
the speed and direction of any maneuver the unit makes. It is very important
that this shieldman has clear communication with the commander. The right
flank also has a greater opportunity to kill the enemy than most of the line
shieldmen. If the timing is right then he can kill several enemy fighters on
the line by throwing rap shots that strike his opponents. He should not
throw caution to the winds. He must remember the duties of a line shieldman
for he is one.  He should be aware that the enemy directly in front of him
will probably be left handed.
b) Left Flank:
It is important but not essential that this fighter be left handed. It is
better to have an experienced right hander here than an inexperienced lefty.
He should do all the things that the right flank does. He should also check
the line periodically and make sure it is dressed.

	3) Reserve shield:
    The reserve shields are both the safety net and the surprise attack of
the unit. They are almost always experienced fighters. I place my reserve
shields behind the spearmen. They have 3 main duties beyond the duties of
any shieldmen (see above). These duties are:
A) Protect the flanks: A reserve shieldman must pay close attention to as
large a view as possible. He must have an understanding of the dynamics of a
situation. If the reserve shields have not been given specific orders to
attack, then they must watch carefully for enemies who arrive in the
backfield of the unit. They must engage these enemies and protect the
commanders and spearmen.
B)  Flank the enemy: When the time is right, the reserve shieldmen can turn
the tide of the battle. They do this by having a good idea of the "big
picture" of an engagement. Any time two forces meet, there will be a time
for each of them when they are vulnerable to a fresh attack.
C)  Solve problems: Reserve shieldmen must be patient. If they wait and let
an engagement unfold somewhat, then they can see when and where to apply
their attack or fill in holes in the defense. They should always shore up a
weakness on their own team before exploiting a weakness of the enemy. It is
not useful for a reserve unit to go and slay three times their number if the
rest of their unit dies while they are seeking glory. This leads  to
conversations like the following:
   Squire: "Did you see me, Boss!? I attacked on the right flank right after
Lay On was called. I got in their back field and killed 4 guys! Then I got 2
guys when the ten of them gave me single combat at the end."
   Knight: "No I didn't see you because our left flank was overrun and I was
busy fighting 14 guys. They swept our back field, slaughtered our line,
broke my spear, dented my helm, and gave me a bruise on my thigh the size of
New Hampshire. By the way, I've decided not to vote for you in the next
circle."
   I cannot stress enough that reserve shieldmen must pay attention to
everything. In the opening moments of an engagement they will probably be
the only fighters in the unit who are not actively engaged with the enemy.
Even the commander is probably trying a few shots with his spear. They must
see any threat to the unit and deal with it without awaiting orders. Reserve
shields must understand that sometimes they will have the most glorious job
in the unit and sometimes they will not even swing a stick.


SPEARMEN:
   Spearmen are the teeth of a unit. They are the ones who will get the most
kills in almost every situation.  I strongly recommend that every spear have
a sturdy hook on the end. It should not be so big that it will interfere
with effective thrusts, but it should be large enough to do the job.
   Spearmen should work together and communicate well. They must double team
their targets whenever possible. One spearmen can hook a shield while the
other thrusts. Or they can attack a target in two places at the same time.
   Spearmen can be defensive. They can defend their friends against enemy
spear thrusts quite effectively, but no spearmen should be thinking that he
is there solely for the sake of defense. He must keep a sharp eye for
targets.
   Sometimes a good target is only available for a second. Watch for them
out of the corner of your eye. If you look at a shieldman, he will know that
you are thinking about targeting him and he will be ready for you. Look for
targets on the angles. Also look low. Often shieldmen begin to concentrate
on the defense of their heads, and their bellies, groins, or thighs come
open.
   Try to keep your spear working at the enemy as much as possible as this
will tire the enemy shieldmen. It will also tire you, so be aware of your
fatigue and rotate out of the line when you are tired so that your unit can
keep a constant supply of fresh spearmen attacking the enemy. If your unit
has no reserve spears to spell you then go defensive for a bit while you
refresh your strength. It is easier to rotate spearmen than shieldmen.
   Avoid over extending. An enemy spearmen would rather kill you than the
shieldman in front of you. A sudden rush, thrust and retreat can sometimes
be effective in taking out an enemy spearman who is being a special
nuisance. If you do this you should arrange for another of the spearmen in
your unit to defend you as you make the rush. If you make this arrangement
then you will probably survive your attempt. If  you do not arrange for your
defense, then every enemy spearman in the line will target you as soon as
you step out. Remember that every Ansteorran fighter is worth three fighters
from any other kingdom, so if you kill one spearman and then die it is a bad
trade.
   Do not get tunnel vision and concentrate on one target.  If there is an
enemy Duke with a spear in the line opposing you, do not focus solely on
him. His squire will probably gut you.
   If you are in the open field you must see the opening and react quickly.
Sheildmen on the open field are usually more vulnerable to attacks on the
angle or attacks when they are engaged with your shieldmen. They are also
more of a threat to you because your lines are not as well defined as they
are on a bridge or in a static situation.
   If you are overrun and a shieldman gets past the point of your spear, do
not give up. If you concentrate on defense and escape, you can survive his
attacks and retreat to a range where you can bring your spear back into
play. I will sometimes run away from an opponent with my right hand only on
the butt of the spear. I will drag the spear over my shoulder behind me.
Often times the shieldman who I am running from will try to strike me down,
but instead he strikes my spear shaft. Sometimes he runs up close behind me
and the spear shaft gets tangled between his legs and he stumbles. This does
not upset me at all. When I have achieved the distance that I want, I will
stop and turn around to my left, lifting my right hand up and over my head.
This puts the spear shaft directly into my left hand and I am once again a
dangerous opponent. This takes practice.
   If you are in a limited front battle (bridge, castle, etc.), and your
shield wall is charged and you are crowded in and cannot fight, then point
the butt of your spear up over your head. Choke up on the shaft until your
hands are only two feet from the head of the spear. Use your spear to block
blows to your head  from swords and polearms. Thrust down into the faces and
chests of your opponents. Doing this can make you effective when you would
normally be helpless.
   Left handed spearmen have an advantage because they tend to thrust toward
the sword side of most opposing shieldmen. All spearmen should practice
using the spear with their off hand on the butt of the spear. Sometimes the
only way to hit the target is to switch hands.

POLEARMS:
   Polearms are the claws of a unit. When two shield walls come together is
when the poles get their turn at killing. The enemy shieldmen are used to
worrying about thrusts from in front of them, but when the walls close
together then a poleman can rain blows on top of their heads. Then the
polearms should get in and replace spears. Get the spearmen to move back so
that you can work. You have to spend most of the time standing back while
they work, so make sure they back up when your time comes. Poles and spears
working together can be especially useful. The poles can strike from above
while the spears go low and thrust for bellies and legs.
   Poleman can also be useful on the flanks. They can make short work of an
enemy flanker after a reserve shieldman has stopped his charge. They can
also stop an enemy flanker if things are desperate. If the flanker is a
right handed shieldman then put your polearm along the left side of your
body and concentrate on blocking his blows. If he is left handed, put the
pole on the right side of your body.  Stop him with your body and start
yelling for your buddies to kill him. You will probably not be able to kill
him yourself, but that should not keep you from trying.
    If the scenario is a static battle then the poles may not get to fight
much. Poleman should be aware that they will not be fighting for 90% of the
time in a bridge or static scenario. They should be thinking of ways that
they can contribute. They can help defend shieldmen and spearmen with the
heads of their weapons. They can do traffic control to make sure the
spearmen have plenty of room to work. They can try to steal enemy spears by
grabbing the shafts with their gauntleted hands. They can watch the enemy
carefully and tell the commanders if the enemy is making some plan or move.
Above all, they must not become impatient and expend themselves foolishly,
because when the shield walls come together on a bridge, pole arms are
invaluable. I lost a major bridge battle, because the poles that I had held
in reserve until I needed them had grown bored and done a suicide charge.
When the enemy charged and I needed those poles to chop them up, they
weren't there, and the enemy marched over us.

ARCHERS:
    Archers are becoming more and more important on the Ansteorran
battlefield. Archers should integrate themselves into a unit, moving among
and behind the spears or to the flanks, looking for targets.  It is
important that you stay alive, but your buddies will be busy, so if you find
yourself in danger, RUN! The best place to run is into the back of your own
shield wall. Imagine your attackers dismay, when instead of running down a
helpless archer, he finds himself engaged with two reserve shieldmen and a
nervous polearm man. You should warn your buddies that you are bringing
enemies into the backfield. Screaming bloody murder is usually quite
effective.
   You can sometimes stop a charging enemy by pointing your weapon at him in
a threatening manner, even if it is not loaded. This sometimes allows you
that extra second you need to run and scream like a banshee.
   You should attempt to make every quarrel or arrow count. Get as close to
the enemy as you can before firing (remember the minimum distance rule). You
will sometimes be ignored until you reach a certain range. A good archer can
find that range and stand just past it getting good shots, until he or she
is noticed. If an enemy is looking at you, he is very hard to hit. SCA
missiles do not move as fast as the sword blows that all fighters are used
to blocking or dodging. Look for fighters who are not focused on you. Look
for targets on the angles. The enemies directly in front of you are probably
aware of you and defending against you. Be inconspicuous.  If you don't have
good targets, MOVE!
   An archer should keep a mixed quiver of both thistle and Markland heads.
Use the Marklands for long range and the thistles for short range or for
when your target is engaged in combat. If a fighter is in actual physical
contact with the enemy, he is unlikely to feel the impact of a Markland
arrow, so thump him with a thistle. The new Baldar blunts seem to be a good
compromise between the accuracy of a Markland and the punch of a thistle.
   Archers can team up. Archer pairs or groups of three can be very
effective. One archer can move in one direction being very visible about it
while his partner stays put and remains inconspicuous. The enemies will have
a tendency to move their defenses to bear on the visible archer, giving the
other archer good shots at flanks. If the enemy sends out a runner to kill
the visible archer, the runners flank is open to the inconspicuous one. (The
visible archer should still run.) Archers in groups of four or more become
very juicy targets for flankers, so avoid "archer clumping". (I invented
that term.)
   Beware enemy archers. Hiding behind a pavise or a shield wall is one way
of keeping them from shooting you, but it is difficult to be effective while
hiding. Moving is almost as good and allows you to shoot some of the bad
guys. A moving target is difficult to hit. If you are in the open, don't
stop to reload! Either reload while you are moving, or find someplace to
hide. Shooting them first is also a good way of keeping enemy archers from
shooting you.
   I am hesitant to put instructions here about choosing targets, because,
in general, I say that if you have a choice between two targets, take the
easier target and get the kill. I say that as an archer. As a commander, I
say that it would really be handy if you killed off the enemy commanders
first. So, here is my list of priorities, in order, of who to choose to kill
first: Skilled commanders, Skilled flankers, Skilled archers, Skilled
spears, Unskilled commanders, Unskilled spears, Line shieldmen, Unskilled
archers, Everyone else.  Other commanders will probably have a different
list. Let this list influence your shot selection slightly. Mostly, take the
sure shot and get the kill. I would rather have a low priority enemy dead
than a high priority enemy missed and alive.
   Many people, when they think of archers, they think of massed units of
archers who darken the sky with flights of deadly cloth yard shafts. While
romantic, it has been my experience that putting all your archers in a
single unit is a mistake on the SCA battlefield. Why? Because, they are very
vulnerable to flankers. It has also been my experience that volley fire is a
waste of time and missiles. Volley fire supposes that if you get enough
missiles in the air, some of them are bound to strike home. While it is
sound in theory, in practice I have found that we seldom have enough
missiles. Basically, volley fire orders archers to shoot all at once at a
certain time,  whether they have a target or not. Believe me, it is
difficult enough to hit an enemy when you have a target. There is no reason
to waste missiles when you don't.

OTHER WEAPONS:
   If you fight  with a great sword, act like a polearm. All other weapons,
should act like reserve shieldmen.
Chapter Two : Formations

   For purposes of this chapter, I am using a unit size of  twelve fighters.
If the number of fighters in the unit is twelve the ideal ratio is 5 line
shields/ 4 spears/ 1 pole/ 1 archer/ 1 reserve shield. The unit commander
should be one of the spears. This ratio is definitely not set in stone. If
the unit is smaller or larger the ratio should be applied as well as
possible.

Plan Alpha:
   This is the standard formation that you will usually see on the
battlefield. It involves having the line shields in front, standing shoulder
to shoulder. Sheildmen might lock their shields together or leave a six inch
gap between each shield, depending on the preference of the commander. I
prefer a six inch gap. Spears and polearms stand behind the shields. Reserve
shield(s) is/are behind the spears and poles. The archer slides in where
best he can.
   In the open field, this formation is fairly good for line units, not so
good for cavalry units. Its weakness is the flanks. It is good on a bridge
or limited front. If it is used on a bridge in a large battle, you should
make sure that friendly fighters do not crowd the back of your shield wall
so that the spears can't work. (There is a trick to this. All fighters are
eager to join the battle, so keeping them back is a constant struggle. You
must be polite, but insistent, and be ready to tell the same fighters to
move back several times.)

Plan Beta:
   I'd love to take credit for inventing this formation, but the fact is, I
stole it from Hrabia Jan. He and Bjornsburg used it in the first Outlands
war. I'm sure that Jan probably researched it from some period text, and it
might be as old as the Romans. It's fairly radical on the SCA battlefield,
though.
   This formation has half the line shields in front with a sword's length
between them. The spears and poles filter into the gaps between the front
line shields. The other half of the line shields are behind the spears and
poles, about 5 ' behind the first rank of shields in line with the gaps.
Reserve shields hang out in the back until needed.
   In this formation, every fighter has a "sphere of influence" which is the
circle in which he can strike an opponent by taking one large step. Any
enemy within an individual's "sphere of influence" should be engaged and
killed. The strength of this formation is that so many of the "spheres"
intersect. Thus when an enemy strikes the unit, the enemy finds many weapons
turned against him. Another strength of this formation is that an enemy
flank attack meets much the same resistance as a frontal attack. Plan Beta
is also useful for units that are light on shields. Great swords, poles or
two weapons can take the place of the second rank of shields.
   The are two problems with this formation. One problem is that it requires
most fighters in the unit to be of medium ability or better. This problem is
easily solved through practice. The other problem is that is slightly more
vulnerable than Plan Alpha to a concentrated frontal assault. This problem
is addressed and solved in the next chapter on commands.
   I find this formation to be very useful in the open field, whether for
cavalry or for a line unit. It can be useful on a bridge if the enemy has
gone stationary, especially if they have grounded their shields.

Other Formations:
    I mostly make due with these  two formations. I occasionally will use a
column formation to get a lot of troops through a small hole quickly, but I
form up plan Alpha or Beta as soon as I can.
   I have seen other formations used, but having seldom used them myself, I
do not feel qualified to write about them.

Chapter Three: Commands


Form up
   Form up means, get into your positions quickly and efficiently. Unless
otherwise stated, form up in Plan Alpha.

Dress the line
   Dress the line means get the shield wall in shape. If you are a line
shieldman, you should look right to see that you have the proper spacing
between you and the next fighter, then look left to make sure your buddy is
doing the same. If you are behind the line, you should assist the line
shieldmen in doing this in whatever fashion seems appropriate (remember they
are your friends.)
   You should dress the line after any maneuver, whether told to or not.

Advance
   Advance means "Go." Walk forward in a normal fashion. It is important to
"dress your line" while advancing. Do not stop until you are given the
command "Stop". Walk over or around obstacles while maintaining your speed.
It is very important to maintain your speed while approaching the enemy.
Many units slow down when they enter spear range. This is foolish. The enemy
spears have more time to do their work. You should quickly  get so close
that the enemy shieldmen are protecting you from the enemy spearmen. If line
shieldmen slow down on approaching the enemy, it is usually very
inconvenient for the friendly spearmen because they have to step over the
corpses of their line shield companions to engage the enemy. If no order to
stop is given, after you engage the enemy, you should attempt to continue at
the same speed over your opponents.

Advance to engage
   Advance to engage means advance (as above) until your shieldmen are
engaged with the enemy shield to shield, then stop and fight.

Advance by step
   Advance by step means to take one step forward. The command should be
given as follows. "Advance by step!"..... everyone waits...... "Step!" .....
everyone steps. Further "Step" commands can be given without the preparation
command.

Double time
   Double time means "advance" as above except at a trot.

Triple time
   Triple time means "advance" as above except at a jog.

Charge
   Same as triple time, but faster and meaner.

Retreat by step
   Same as "advance by step" except backwards.

Single file left
   The commander calling this command should be on the left flank of the
shield wall. All fighters in the unit should pivot 90 degrees left where
they stand . They should then follow the person in front of them closely.
The commander should lead the unit where he wants them to be then stop. When
the unit stops all fighters should pivot 90 degrees back right.

Single file right
   Same as "Single file left", but to the right.

Slide left
   The formation moves to the left without turning or breaking their
formation.

Slide Right
   Same as "Slide Left" but right. Do I need to tell you this?

Angle Left
   Advance at an angle to the left. Make it a 45 degree angle unless the
commander tells you otherwise.  He should try not to make it too complicated
as few soldiers bring protractors onto the field with them.

Angle Right
   Same as "Angle Left" but right. I am going to assume that you know this
now.

Refuse the Left
   This command is used when the wall is about to be flanked. It must be
executed quickly and accurately. When this command is given, the shieldman
on the right flank pivots slowly to his left. The shieldman on the left
flank runs backward on a curve that is the circumference of a circle that
has a radius of the length of the shield wall. Every other shieldman moves
backward at an appropriate speed to keep a line formation between the two
flank shields. Spears and poles move backwards behind that line. Reserve
shields move to the left flank and support. Continue this movement until the
commander says "Stop". I hope this explanation is clear and no one has to
get out a geometry textbook to figure it out.

Refuse the Right
   I leave this as an exercise for the student.

Regroup
   This command is used after your unit has engaged the enemy, when your
unit has scattered into individual fights or smaller units. Upon hearing
this command a fighter should disengage from whatever engagement he may be
in and form up with his buddies in Plan Alpha in front of whoever is calling
the command. He/she should also begin shouting "regroup". This command,
quickly followed, can win a battle for you. If your unit is a UNIT when the
bad guys are a scattered mob, you can take advantage of their confusion and
destroy them.

Retreat (When in Plan Beta)
   This command addresses the problem of an enemy charge when your unit is
in Plan Beta. The command should be given as "Retreat one two". One the word
"retreat" the spears and poles in the front line have to take two steps back
and to the right. On "two" the shields in the front line take one step back
while the shields in the back line take one step forward. This puts your
unit into Plan Alpha one step back from where their original line was. This
takes practice.

============================================================================
Go to http://lists.ansteorra.org/lists.html to perform mailing list tasks.