|
|
| "The Greatest Naval Power of the Flanaess is..." | Login/Create an Account | 24 comments |
|
| | The comments are owned by the poster. We aren't responsible for their content. |
|
|
|
|
|
| No Comments Allowed for Anonymous, please register |
|
|
|
|
Re: The Greatest Naval Power of the Flanaess is... (Score: 1)
by GVDammerung on Sat, November 20, 2004
(User Info | Send a Message | Journal) | Not at all.
Getting across the Veng in glorified canoes is of no moment. It was a "naval" action only in the most technical sense; it was more a waterborn "human wave" assault. The fault lies in Furyondy not meeting them at the shore, not in failing to prevent thousands of "landing barges" from making it across in the middle of the night when the Whyestil and Nyr Dyv fleets were otherwise occupied.
Type of wood is dictated by climate. From there, it is a matter of extrapolation.
The Sea Princes are described as once having had the "grandest navy" not the finest ships. "Grand" is a loaded term. I doubt they built their ships in any event. Most pirates did not.
The SB inherited its navy from the Lordship of the Isles and the Sea Princes. Many of those vessels are reported lost. Of those that remain, the crews are sailing for repressive masters. This does not speak to a good fighting morale.
The descriptions of the port facilities of the SB always are derogatory. The descriptions of the Furyondy facilities are always expansive with no derogatory expressions.
The blockades are specifically noted as being supported by "charmed" "sea monsters." I do not give the SB navy credit for the work of "dragon turtles" etc..
The naval compacts you note are forming, I believe, would be to counter SB numbers, nothing more. The SB is operating a variant of the aforementioned "Veng" strategy - put enough ships in the water and some will get through. It will take a coordinated action to stop a merchant marine the size of the SB. In addition, there are those "charmed monsters" that have to be dealt with.
I will believe the SB has the finest navy when I see them fight naval battles, ship to ship, and beat someone when it counts. To date, they have mainly landed troops and lost direct engagements. They can only hold blockades with monsterous help. Their ships are conscripted under the most false of pretenses and the rebellions on land portend mutiny at sea as word leaks to the crews of various rebelling nationalities.
The SB has size and is spread over a huge area. Those are it's only "advantages."
Saying this, I think it is well to remember that we are debating a hypothetical. Furyondy and the SB operate in different areas and have never met in an action. Guesswork will always be involved - "what if Mordenkainen fought Elminster." Still, I think the balance favors Furyondy in this hypothetical matchup.
To my mind the SB "success" in the Greyhawk Wars has always been contrived to "fill out" the war. I find it to make little practical sense and less logistical sense. |
| Parent |
|
|
|
|
|
