Organized marauders, a serious thorn in the back of regular armies

[dragoon500ly]

When I was doing research for a Dien Bien Phu campaign, I came across a book called the Last Valley, decent overview of the DBP battle, but also included useful information on the fighting in the years that took place prior to DBU. All of the horrors of classic guerilla warfare in mountainous jungles. And the French trying to maintain control with worn-out WWII aircraft, a handful of helicopters and a mostly road-bound military.

In the early years of the 1st Viet War, The French tried to withdraw their northern highland garrisions, out of some 6,000 troops, the French lost over 5,000...

Now picture the effects of a marauder band numbering say 1-200 men......pity the troops that would have to go out and hunt them down, talk about a death of a thousand cuts!

[Raellus]

Scale is important too.

Most marauder bands are likely to be small, squad-to-company sized units who survive through simple banditry. They would be a continuous nuisance to military units and a bane to undefended civilians. This would be your most likely encounter in a standard T2K game.

You might, however, encounter a much larger, battalion-to-regimental sized unit that moves through the countryside raiding and pilaging. This group would likely be a former military unit that mutinied or deserted whole-sale but continues to operate as a coherent formation. These groups would be much more rare and considerably more dangerous. In many ways, they would resemble the Free Companies of the Hundred Years War.

[HorseSoldier]

Marauders are probably a lot like cults -- above a certain success level we start to call them religions, even if their beliefs remain kooky. Above a certain success level and size level, marauders will morph into (probably oppressive) local governments, though their predatory tactics may not change at all and the distinction may be wasted on their victims.

Probably the further away from organized military formations, the larger your potential marauder groups get. Close in to controlled areas, anything too threatening will get smashed, meaning you'll mostly see small units that dodge patrols and aren't enough of a problem to justify a dedicated campaign to wipe them out. Out in the middle of nowhere, there won't be that culling process for the most successful, so that's probably where you see large marauder bands turning into feudal aristocracy or whatever, or fighting it out with independent towns and settlements in bloody little knife fights for the crumbs of civilization.

[Mohoender]

Nice ideas I have seen developped here and that reminds of something. Do any of you knows anything about the "Ecorcheur" (Scorchers)?

These were large bands of former mercenaries (who had served the King of France during the 14th-15th century). During the periods of peace, these mercenaries would gather in large bands (often as much as 1000 men) and conduct pillage throughout the country. Much like the maraudeurs of T2K.

Then you could imagine large marauding bands acting as these ecorcheurs. traveling through the Twilight world, attacking and ravaging communities or simply forcing them to pay ransom. A favored method of the middle-ages Ecorcheurs was to capture some people from a given city. Then, they would tie them to poles and scorche them alive (making sure that their scream would be heard from the entire city). As a result, the people living in cities were given the choice: either they would pay ransom or suffer the same fate.

[dragoon500ly]

Originally Posted by Mohoender

Nice ideas I have seen developped here and that reminds of something. Do any of you knows anything about the "Ecorcheur" (Scorchers)?

These were large bands of former mercenaries (who had served the King of France during the 14th-15th century). During the periods of peace, these mercenaries would gather in large bands (often as much as 1000 men) and conduct pillage throughout the country. Much like the maraudeurs of T2K.

Then you could imagine large marauding bands acting as these ecorcheurs. traveling through the Twilight world, attacking and ravaging communities or simply forcing them to pay ransom. A favored method of the middle-ages Ecorcheurs was to capture some people from a given city. Then, they would tie them to poles and scorche them alive (making sure that their scream would be heard from the entire city). As a result, the people living in cities were given the choice: either they would pay ransom or suffer the same fate.

Lovely....just the sort of thing that confirms that I never want to live in a city!

On a more serious note, something useful to throw against Krakow or that certain "Man Who Would Be King", just up the river.

[Raellus]

Right, Mo- the Chevauchées- raids launched by "Free Companies" or "Scorchers" during the 14th & 15th centuries. They plagued France especially, but raids were launched into Swiss territory, northern Italy, Spain, the Low Countries and part of the Germany & Austria. That's one of the manifestations of large-scale marauding I think would make a comeback in the Twilight World.

[Panther Al]

So here is a question then:

Lets say a group of players had a relatively decent chargen process, leaving then in possession of characters of somewhat above average possession of talents, abilities, and most importantly stuff.

Instead of doing what most would do: run rampant with more guns and ammo that some units three times their size, they decide (The campaign being based in the region framed by the borders of Italy and Austria - the eastern part to boot) decide they rather be hero's in a different sense.

They looked around, did recon, and built a decently equipped small firebase near a choke point for any traffic trying to avoid the well known routes north and south. Instead of being the dictorial types, they offered services: Fuel and Protection if the travellers wanted it, and no comebacks if they didn't. Even did a good bit of looking for the troublemakers and putting them down in the area. Over time, and a lot of it was accomplished before the GM really twigged onto the endgame, they had a decently sized town, well fortified, with good farms and limited (mainly small stuff like fuel and ammo) manufacture astride one of the safer routes, which in turn led to more traffic, which in turn led to more ability to grow and equip, which... well, you get the point. In the end, the head PC (Yours truly) pretty much admitted that the goal all along was to form his own duchy the old fashioned way: By getting growth and power by providing honest protection.

Now, since we all was no longer accepting orders from higher, and we was setting up our own fiefdom, were we marauders, or something else?

[Raellus]

Originally Posted by Panther Al

Now, since we all was no longer accepting orders from higher, and we was setting up our own fiefdom, were we marauders, or something else?

That's a tough question to answer with a yes or a no.

Were the townspeople happy to have you? Did they have any kind of a choice?

IF the answer is yes, then I would say most free thinking types would not call you marauders. The larger unit from which you deserted might, as might any organized OPFOR units in the AO. If your group didn't have the blessing of the local civies then I think most everyone would consider you marauders.

Perhaps, once most of Europe had transformed to a sort of feudal system then your PC's situation would be the norm and the term marauder would apply only to roving bandits.

[Targan]

And then you have units that higher command do not consider to be maurauders but actually are. One of the Polish Free Legions comes to mind. The details are a bit hazy for me but in 2000 they had a DIA or CIA liaison and were receiving intermittent NATO resupply but had in fact gone rogue.

[Rainbow Six]

Originally Posted by Panther Al

Now, since we all was no longer accepting orders from higher, and we was setting up our own fiefdom, were we marauders, or something else?

To a degree I think it depends on whether or not you had been given any orders to obey from a higher headquarters.

If you're following the classic Escape from Kalisz scenario you could argue that the radio broadcast stating "Good luck, you're on your own" effectively gives you a fair amount of carte blanche to do as you please (going from memory I think that broadcast was made by the Commanding General of the 5th Division?).

if, on the other hand, you're in a campaign where you were specifically ordered to do something and instead of doing that acting on your own accord you set yourself up as the Grand Duke of the Tirol then I'd say you're a deserter (at best).

Now whether being a deserter neccessarily equates to being a marauder is another matter altogether. In my opinion in the scenario you've outlined you're not acting as marauders. Likewise two men deserting from a unit in the US to try to make their way back to their homes and families aren't automatically going to become marauders. The actions that one carries out may have a bearing on one's fate if one is recaptured by the forces that one has deserted from. In your example rather than being shot out of hand (or hanged to save a bullet) you might be sent to a punishment detachment that gets all the suicide missions, whereas those caught raping, pillaging, etc would likely be straight off to the gallows.

Ultimately, as many have said it's all in the eye of the beholder...

[Adm.Lee]

Originally Posted by Panther Al

Now, since we all was no longer accepting orders from higher, and we was setting up our own fiefdom, were we marauders, or something else?

I think the word we are now looking for is "warlord," perhaps to be shortened to "lord." Assuming the historians of the future like you.

IMO, once a marauder band gets really big, and settles down, and is too big and fortified to be rousted out, it becomes a local or regional force to be reckoned with, perhaps a warlord. Then, the local military command can either spend a lot of supplies and blood to attack them, or try to deal with them as diplomatically as possible. Or send in a special team of agents (you know, PCs) to assassinate the leadership.

The royal fellow in Raciborz and the guys in Krakow come to mind. They're both behind Soviet lines, but since they aren't causing any direct problems, the Soviets are following "live & let live."

[Mohoender]

Adm Lee is probably right when you know that most of the nobility in the world (if not all) descend from marauders, tribal leaders...

[Fusilier]

Originally Posted by Adm.Lee

I think the word we are now looking for is "warlord," perhaps to be shortened to "lord."

That reminds me of something.

Maybe in order to understand mankind, we have to look at the word itself. Mankind. Basically, it's made up of two separate words --- 'mank' and 'ind'. What do these words mean? It's a mystery, and that's why so is mankind.