Morale and Cohesion in Mass Combat
I recently read an excellent series of posts on pre-modern generalship by Bret Devereaux at A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry. The series is truly amazing and inspired me to write some morale and cohesion rules for mass combat in tabletop RPGs. I will summarize some of the key points below: The Charge of the Light Cavalry Brigade via Wikipedia Morale & Cohesion Morale - the commitment the combatants have to their leadership and their cause vital in motivating troops and making them persevere , particularly outside of combat components: 1. belief in goal/cause 2. belief in eventual success 3. belief in leadership's plan to cause success Cohesion - the force that keeps a unit together the force that holds a unit together by means of the bonds between individual soldiers (and possibly officers) vital in battle, staying calm in face of danger emerges from: personal bonds possibility of shame drilling (both preparedness and by building bonds) Both measures could be used t