Eques wrote:expendablecinc wrote:rbodleyscott wrote:...As for the freebie issue - we do not regard it in a negative light. The American armies are significantly disadvantaged by their poor balance - i.e. no cavalry. The freebie merely goes some way towards compensating for that.
You may of course disagree, as is your right. However, the design team is entirely happy with the overall result.
Yes I can see the design principle - and that they may be all pretty much rubbish without inflating the quality and attributes of the american armies. elease has been followed by a bit of a flurry of uber army claims so its good to bear that in mind.
I would have taken the approach that if they were rubbish they were rubbish, which I believe was the philosophy behind some of the swifter than eagles armies. they were rubbish militarily as shown by their lack of metal, mounted and wheels and their performance against the spanish.
that doesn't mean you can't have fun with them and the points system would give you a numbers advantage.
my very humble opinion :
Well as usual you have to see the context of the geographical area.
Against all local oponents, and the Otomi and Talaxans were the most dangereous, the Aztec organisation was the most effective.
Of course against Europeans with their different way of making war, firearms, crossbows, and of course desease things were more difficult.
The Spaniards in the begining won by the surprise of their "unethical warfare" as local customs were totaly different.
After that the spaniards took allies that jumped on the oportunity to rebel against the Aztecs or finaly saw a way to get rid of the Aztecs.
There is little known on how the Aztec fought in a battle line, and how the armies were organised.
Roughly the armies were made of Nobles, Priests and "free men" (euphimism), and all these had within their social status different ranks depending on the number of prisoners they had taken and from wich nation these prisoners belonged and on the heroic feats they did during battle.
The main purpose of the warriors was to take prisoners so they could climb up the social ladder.
The battlelines might have been screened or flanked by bowmen, slingers or atl-atl, but also a battleline would probably have no uniform armement, and consist of swordmen, archers, slingers, javeliners and every type of weapon the Aztecs might have used.
The army was probably devided into divisions along the district lines of the city, and the nobles might have formed units depending on their warrior caste but nothing is sure.