21.17 Morale and good-health of a legion.

Morale is central to the effectiveness of a legion and its capacity to perform the various tasks demanded of it once it sets foot outside of barracks - from defending homesoil against invasion or penetrating deep into enemy territory in search of plunder. When morale is at its highest all actions are performed at fastest possible rate, use of specialist-skills is made with on-the-field showing matching up to the legion's known capabilities. Conversely, when morale is low, actions are performed sluggishly, begrudgingly, sometimes not at all if the leadership is lacking. Seldom, when a legion is scraping the depths of its morale, is use of a specialist-skill able to match anywhere close to the full potential. So morale: the cornerstone of a succesful campaign, the springboard from which both invasion and defensive mobilisation plans are launched.

It is important to keep a legion well paid and well fed and well healed. The former is the province of the guild or city treasury - although it can be offset by the acquisition of plunder, booty or treasures when on the move. Food tends to be kept in ration form for legions and loade up into its inventory before a protracted time abroad. Time without rations reduces morale. The 'forestfood' specialist-skill can be useful here for utilising it, the legion can forage for edibles in the locale and thus negate the need for rations (or preserve them for later need). The health of a legion is mostly only harmed by enemy action or terrain particularly trecherous (e.g. tumbling down a deep ravine), although long marches without rest or succour can impact health as well as morale, in addition to long periods without sustenance eventually draining away health.

Rations are required by all legions, whether kept at home in-barracks or ranging abroad, on battlefield or occupation manoeuvres. A hungry legion will not fight well; will slowly starve and will eventually become beset by desertions! You can type RATIONS in Avalon to see the state of play in the land, i.e. how many rations are required for homeland legions, how many for legions abroad and some examples to help you determine ration requirements for your city or guild military.

Legions require rations to stay healthy and loyal. If you do not keep a legion well-equipped with sufficient rations (or food) the soldiers or fieldworkers will gradually desert. Desertions will be based on the ration requirements and the extent of the shortages. Rations are eaten once per Avalon month, by each legion (thus every 'real life day'). Rations/food are taken first from the legion's inventory (added via LEGION EQUIP) and then from the legion's location - if any rations/food are contained therein. Legions can also take rations direct from city resources - rations, not food, take note.

One ration will satisfy 1000 legionnaires when the legion is in-barracks. They will not require anything more when on homeland soil. Legions consume at a 1250% rate when they are not on home-soil, e.g. on foreign battlefields, laying siege abroad, etc. Examples: 100 legion strength requires 1 rations at home, 12 abroad; 1000 legion strength requires 1 rations at home, 12 abroad; 5000 legion strength requires 5 rations at home, 62 abroad; 50,000 legion strength requires 50 rations at home, 625 abroad.

Rations are made from most foodstuffs, and three military rations can be put together from one item of full satiation food. To make a ration you need to type MAKE RATION FROM followed by the item of food you wish to use. You can use multiples of the source foodstuff with the MAKE RATION command by specifying a number after the foodstuff reference, e.g. MAKE RATION FROM POTATO 100 to make rations from one hundred potatoes.

You keep your legions ration'd up by either accompanying them with carts or wagons filled with rations or by equipping them directly with EQUIP <legion> WITH <number of> <ration>, e.g. EQUIP THAKRIANS WITH 50 RATIONS. It is safer to carry your rations around in guarded wagons separate to the legions themselves. Legions without rations in their inventory or their location will automatically gain access to the city resources (if a city legion) or the guild stockroom (if a guild legion) - checking resources/stockroom for rations and using the reserves for feeding needs.

If a legion's health falls too low (or an Avalon month passes without sufficient food 'in reach') then its members will desert. Most afflictions - starvation aside - fall under the purview of the 'selfhealing' specialist-skill. If this is developed to high levels the detrimental influences on health can be gradually reversed while the legion is in the-the-field. When in barracks, health is naturally slowly replenished as the legion is given the benefits of home comforts and civic medical attention.

It is necessary to keep your military well financed to ensure morale is high and your troops remain loyal Military financing involves four distinct areas of expenditure: wages for barracked troops, wages for active troops within one's city walls, wages for troops in the field but within one's home sphere of influence, and wages for troops in full-scale combat on enemy soil. Income is based on the size of the city's sphere of influence. Both wages and sphere of influence income are paid monthly.

Legion wages

Legions within city barracks:   100gp (per 1000)
Legions within city walls:      200gp (per 1000)

Sphere of Influence income (basic value; not including tributes)

Uncivilised wilderness areas:   10gp
Settled villages and towns:     50gp

Back to section index