swamps are terrible – answered here

[silent555]

no one likes to fall face first into a swamp, and then have to fight a pitched battle. No right minded human beings trudge through the swamp itself, they navigate as best they can around the edge where it’s actually feasible to kind of walk. I hiked a trail for 6 days straight half of it in mud up to my knees, gators hadnt been invented and it sucked, a lot. NO ONE in their right mind, even looking for something deep in a bog, walks as the crow flies through the swamp, they navigate carefully

im tired of getting dropped literally in a bog and needing to spend the next 5 turns getting to muddy ground to set up a semi reliable line. If you want to keep spontaneity FINE, but i wouldnt be UNDERWATER in a bog. no one does that, that’s idiotic. there’s obviously paths of least resistance one follows to get around safely and efficiently, scatter the men ON muddy ground for spontaneity, but they wouldnt be drowning in a bog at the time.

mountain fights are still plagued highly by men starting in a pothole

[serf]

Swamps are indeed a terrible place to go for a jog. Especially in heavy armor. But this opens new tactical options and considerations for the shrewd commander.
The disadvantages will also hamper the enemy, so meeting him on equal yet difficult ground is viable if maneuvering proves too costly in terms of time or fatigue. Force the enemy to make a costly approach by at least perceivably outmatching their ranged capabilities and receive the staggered and heaving charge with a readied battle line.

In my neck of the woods, there was a historic battle between an opressive count and his subjects where pretty much the above happened, leading to a proverb indicating that cunning outclasses strength or some such. There’s even a folk song. So fighting in swamps is obviously glorious ;)

On the wonky starting positions in terms of the terrain not conforming to the battle line, it does tend to make for a more differenciated play when starting pitched battles. Unless you mean starting in a pit and being unable to climb out. That shouldn’t be a thing.

[Mike]

I agree that battles in swamp are a pain. I also think that’s exactly how they should be! Game is not supposed to always give you perfect conditions, just as you wouldn’t get them in RL. You don’t get convenient paths through every bog, sometimes you have no choice but to go waist-deep in the muck.

You can either manouver around it (lure enemy to different terrain before engaging as your band moves faster than others, utilise Pathfinder to lessen the impact), use it to your advantage (use a lot of ranged weaponry and make enemies into pincushions as they trudge towards you at a snail’s pace) or just avoid swamps altogether if you’d rather not get through the trouble.

It’s said plainly – not every contract is worth the risk. You can abandon contracts. You are not obliged to raid every swamp-based location. Make your choice.

As for a bit of advice I tend not to move around swamps too much – equip front bros with kite shields so they can weather enemy bombardment while giving all the others bows and crossbows to out-shoot opposition. By the time enemies are in melee range half of them are dead and others are tired, injured and heavily demoralised (I recommend both Fearsome and Crippling Strikes on your rangers)

Good luck! :)

[Author]

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