Siege Assault -- Staffing a Forlorn Hope

[Seamus Fermanagh]

RTW, to be successful and take objectives quickly, demands that you be effective at siege assault. Some points about siege assault are obvious:

1. If you can arrange to be attacked by an AI relief army, you can usually beat them AND eradicate the garrison and avoid siege assault entirely.

2. Troops going up ladders or siege towers do better if they can ascend and form before going into the melee.

3. Troops going up ladders and siege towers need good sword/axe hitting power and armor to do well if there is a more or less immediate scrum waiting at the top.

4. Rams brought against stone walls or better are usually kindling on wheels. Their only value is to draw the fire of the gatehouse away from the siege towers rolling forward on either side of the ram. It will never make the gate.

5. Elephants are useless against stone walls or better as you'll fry/frenzy three full cards against the gate before the 4th unit opens it.

So, with those points as a given....


How do you take a breach or broken gate? Who do you use as your Forlorn Hope -- that first unit that will be trashed going in at point. Remember, this is the tough one since 1-2 enemy units can hold you there a long time and cause you to lose to the clock.


I asked this question once before and the answer was dogs. I now play MODS that have removed the puppies from play, so that wonderful little wave of cost-free self-replacing canine flesh that hammers into the enemy and creates a space for your first real unit to enter AND form up is NOT available as an answer. Nor are incendiary pigs, though I admit that the idea of sending them flaming through a breach would make for a good chuckle.


Your thoughts, ladies and gentlemen?