-
A lord's men-at-arms are really little
more than a large, well-armed police force
capable of maintaining order within the
fief and of repelling most minor incursions,
yet incapable of large-scale military
operations. Since large standing armies are
well beyond the financial means of most
player characters or NPCs, a lord must call
upon his loyal populace for support if any
real threat to the freehold should emerge.
How many of the freehold?s loyal citizens
turn out to aid their lord and how effective
their support is must be determined
by a number of factors which also play a
part in determining the loyalty of those
forces and their rate of growth.

Domestic and foreign policies
How a lord treats his people and neighbors
has a great bearing upon his success
at creating an army. For the purposes of
this article, there are 4 generalized
domestic and foreign policies into which
most lords can be categorized:
    belligerent aggressiveness,
    inactive complacency,
    active complacency, and
    progressive consolidation.
Each policy has a particular
influence upon the loyalty of the lords
followers and the growth of the freehold's
population.

Belligerent aggressiveness is the normal
policy of a ruthless and ambitious lord --
the type who seeks to extend his power as
far and as quickly as possible, regardless
of the consequences. Open warfare with
its neighbors and oppression at home are
the hallmarks of such a regime. The military
is all that matters, and little money is
left for anything else. Loyalty to such a
lord usually stems from fear, and many
residents of the freehold are reluctant to
fight for such a person. Adventurers and
mercenaries might be attracted to such a
freehold, but not many settlers.

Passive complacency is a lack of any real
policy. The lord maintains just enough
troops to secure his position of power and
leaves the inhabitants of the freehold
more or less to their own devices. Many
residences of the freehold thus feel no
loyalty at all towards this sort of lord and
do not quickly rally to his support in time
of need. Immigrants looking for a quiet
place to settle might be attracted to such a
freehold.

Active complacency is the policy of a
lord who enjoys the status quo. The military
is maintained at a level capable of
ensuring the security of the entire freehold.
Relations with neighbors are cordial,
and just enough is done for the citizenry
to prevent complaints. Very minor territorial
acquisitions take place from time to
time. New settlers are welcome here, but
settlement is not actively encouraged.
Loyalty of the inhabitants is moderate.

Progressive consolidation is a policy of
internal improvement combined with a
steady, gradual expansion of the freehold's
boundaries. This expensive policy includes
the construction of roads and bridges,
schools, hospitals, etc. The military is
made a top priority in order to give the
lord the strength to back up his foreign
policy, but not at the expense of all else.
Territorial expansion rarely exceeds 5% of
the total size of the freehold per year and
is usually accomplished by peaceful
means. There is much in such a freehold
to attract new settlers; the inhabitants
readily support such a lord.

Taxes and more taxes
Players Handbook (page 22) says that
once a Lord has established a freehold, he
may then collect 7 sp per inhabitant per
month in taxes. This is a flat rate and
should be subject to change. Instead, a
lord should choose from five tax policies:

The oppressive tax rate of 9 sp per
month per inhabitant;

The burdensome tax rate of 8 sp per
month per inhabitant;

The conservative tax rate of 7 sp per
month per inhabitant;

The liberaltax rate of 6 sp per month
per inhabitant; and,

The progressive tax rate of 5 sp per
month per inhabitant.

Taxes are regarded as the bane of all the
inhabitants of a freehold, and the amount
of taxes the inhabitants are forced to pay
influences their loyalty. The inhabitants of
a freehold are far less likely to rally
behind a lord who steals the gold from
their teeth than they would a lord who
allows them to actually get ahead in life.
By the same token, would-be immigrants
are much more likely to be attracted to a
freehold with a low tax rate than to one
with a high tax rate.

What does it mean?
These policies and tax rates help determine
the size of any auxiliary forces a lord
might organize and the amount of those
forces that actually show up to fight for
that lord. They also help determine the
number of new settlers attracted to the
freehold each year. This latter subject is
discussed later.

There are four basic types of auxiliary
forces a lord can have:
    a fyrd,
    a militia,
    a yeomanry, and
    mercenaries.
The size and
quality of these forces are decided by
population and the will of the lord, but the
percentage of them who actually fight are
heavily influenced by the lord?s policies.
For each type of auxiliary force except
mercenaries, there is a range of percentages
representing the amount of those
forces who turn out for battle when called
upon. Some always find an excuse for
staying away; how many do so is determined
by applying the following die roll
modifications:

Domestic and foreign policy modifications:
    Belligerent aggressiveness = + 2%
    Inactive complacency = -5%
    Active complacency = 0%
    Progressive consolidation = + 10%
Tax policy modifications:
    Oppressive = -10%
    Burdensome = -5%
    Conservative = 0%
    Liberal = +2%
    Progressive = +5%

No policy modifications can ever cause a
result less than 1%. Should they result in a
figure higher than 100%, it is treated as
100%. No policy lasts forever, and a lord is
entitled to change any policy at the beginning
of each new year. A militaristic lord
might lower taxes to lure new settlers to
his freehold, to build up its population in
anticipation of some future conflict. Then,
too, a generous lord who needs funds for
some worthwhile project may demand a
temporary tax increase to help pay for it.
And an overly ambitious lord who loses
half his army in an ill-advised adventure
might quickly decide upon a policy of
inactive complacency.

The fyrd
The most economical (it costs nothing)
auxiliary force a lord can have is the fyrd.
This basically consists of calling upon
every able-bodied man to gather in
defense of the freehold in times of peril.
The fyrd is the choice of lords who either
don't want the bother and expense of
outfitting and training auxiliary forces, or
who don?t trust their ?loyal? citizens with
weapons.

When summoned, the fyrd consists
almost entirely of farmers and villagers
with little or no armor, few weapons (farm
implements form most of the pole arms),
and even less training. No matter how
loyal the peasants might be, the effectiveness
of the fyrd is only fair at best, due to
its lack of military experience and equipment.
The fyrd has another disadvantage
in that the lord cannot afford to keep it in
the field for long without bankrupting
himself and ruining the economy of the
freehold.

The only advantage of the fyrd is its
size; it is the largest type of auxiliary
force. To determine the actual size of the
fyrd, the DM must generate the population
of the freehold (which is also necessary
to determine the taxes collected). The
basic fyrd consists of 30% of the entire
population of the freehold and represents
every male of military age (18-45 years).
The fyrd can be increased by increments
of 2% up to a maximum of 40% at the
lord?s option. Each 2% increase expands
the military age group by one year at the
bottom and three years at the top, so that
a fyrd of 32% would include every male
between the age of 17 and 48. At 34%, the
military age would be 16-51, and so on to
the maximum of 13-60 at 40%.

When the fyrd is summoned, the lord
designates a place where it musters (usually
his stronghold). The fyrd can be mustered
in 3-12 days, depending upon the
size of the freehold. The lord can expect
60-85% (55 + 5d6) of the fyrd to answer
the call. The result is then modified by the
lord?s? domestic and foreign policies and
tax rate to determine the final percentage
(45-100%) of the fyrd that shows up to
fight for the lord.

Example: A small freehold has a base
population of 3,100. The lord decides upon
a fyrd of 32%, resulting in a total of 992
males between the ages of 17-48 who can
turn out to defend the freehold. It is determined
that 72% of the fyrd answer the
call when summoned. The lord has a
policy of passive complacency which subtracts
-5%, but his liberal tax rate adds
+2%, for a final total of 69%. This means
that 684 ill-equipped, untrained peasants
show up to do or die for their lord.

The militia
The next step beyond the fyrd is the
militia. The size of the militia is generally
left to the will of the lord, since he is primarily
responsible for its arms and training.
Cost is the major factor in deciding
the size of the militia; the more the lord is
willing to spend on weapons and training,
the larger the militia can be.

Assume that an average militia is about
two or three times the size of the lords
men-at-arms force, although it could easily
be larger or smaller. Militiamen are selected
on the basis of age and health. The
militiamen are instructed in the rudiments
of weapon skills and military tactics. Periodically,
units of the militia are called out
to practice their weapon skills and to
receive additional training. The frequency
and thoroughness of these training sessions
are solely dependent upon the willingness
of the lord to pay for them.

The major part of any militia is infantry,
usually spearmen. This basic troop type
requires a minimum of training, and their
weapons keep them from having to close
with a well-trained enemy. Light troops,
archers and other missile troops, and even
militia cavalry units could be raised,
depending on the circumstances.

Although a definite improvement over
the rabble which forms a fyrd, the militia
is still a fragile instrument. Its morale and
effectiveness depend on its arms and
training. Two drawbacks to it are that the
lord cannot afford to keep the militia in
the field for any length of time (as with a
fyrd), and its weapons will usually be kept
locked up in armories around the freehold
until times of crisis. Most lords are not so
trusting of their peasants as to allow them
free use of arms, and the armories will
become prime targets for any invader.

When called out, the militia musters at
its armories within two days, then converges
on a location designated by the lord
within 2-8 days, depending upon the size
of the freehold. A base of 75-90%
(70 + 5d4) of the militia responds, modified
by the lords domestic and foreign policy
and tax rate. Armor is still a rarity, yet
most men will have shields and adequate
weapons. When mixed with units of regulars,
most militia troops perform fairly
well. If well-trained and ably led, a good
militia unit can perform well on its own
and even be trusted to hold a lord?s stronghold
while he is away with the regulars.

Example: A lord who rules a freehold in
the forest has 2,400 subjects and 110 menat-
arms. With such a population, he could
easily form a militia of 300 men. When
called upon, 88% respond, which is modified
by +2% for the lords policy of belligerent
aggressiveness and 0% for his
conservative tax policy, resulting in a
turnout of 90% ? i.e., 270 fairly reliable
troops.

One final word about militias. As the
freehold grows in size, hamlets, villages,
and towns will spring up. In time (if the
lord permits it), these communities will
organize their own watches and militias,
which can be used to augment or even
replace the lord?s militia. Many watches
will contain large numbers of hired mercenaries
and may even be of superior quality
than the lords militia. Although such
militias would ease the strain on the lords
purse, they could prove to be a threat to
his authority if they become too powerful.

The yeomanry
Perhaps the best auxiliary force a lord
can have is a yeomanry. Only lords of good
alignments normally develop a yeomanry,
because doing so entails entrusting large
numbers of the citizenry with their own
arms and armor. The yeomanry is also the
most expensive auxiliary force aside from
mercenaries, but they make up for this by
being efficient and reliable auxiliaries.

In forming a yeomanry, the lord sets up
a special class of citizen within the freehold.
The yeoman is part of the middle
class of land owners, merchants, etc.
Yeomen are expensive because the lord
must supply them with some type of
armor and weapons and see to their military
training. The lord must also grant
them other concessions as determined by
the DM, most often including a sizeable
cut in taxes. In exchange, the yeomen are
pledged to defend the freehold in time of
need and to answer the lord?s call for
troops at any time.

The yeomen themselves are not overly
numerous and seldom number more than
1½. times the number of the lords men at
arms. However, each yeoman is required
to train and equip three of his fellows
(relatives, friends, neighbors, employees,
or servants) to fight with him. Delegating
this authority and responsibility to the
yeoman is the beginning of feudalism.
After the initial outlay of funds, all of the
lord has to do is cut the taxes of the yeomanry
and hold them in high esteem to
assure himself of having a large, welltrained
force of auxiliaries.

Most yeomen are good troops, many
equal to regulars and a few even superior
to them. The yeomen?s retainers are on
the par of a good militia, and morale is
high all around. Yeomen and their retainers
have their arms and equipment handy
at all times and have much more opportunity
to practice their weapon skills. Many
yeomen are actually retired men-at-arms
or even retired adventurers with arms
and armor of their own. When determining
the size of the yeomanry, figure that 6-
12% (4 +2d4) are retired men-at-arms and
2-5% (1 +d4) are retired adventurers (usually
fighters) of 1st-3rd level. These retired
types form the officers and sergeants of
the yeomanry, and retired adventurers
have normal chances for having magical
items.

A lord who calls a yeomanry can expect
80-95% (75 + 5d4) of his force to answer
the summons. This figure is modified by
the lords domestic and foreign policy and
tax rate (even though the yeomen have
fewer taxes than most other residents of
the freehold). If the freehold is actually in
danger, each yeoman arrives with all three
of his retainers; if the lord simply wants
more troops for some purpose, each yeoman
shows up with only one retainer. This
allows the yeomen to remain on extended
service (up to six months and even beyond
the borders of the freehold) without ruining
their farms or businesses. It takes the
yeomanry 3-8 days (2 + 1d6) to muster at
any point in the freehold, depending upon
the freehold?s size.

All yeomen have shields, armor, and
ample weaponry. Most also have leather
armor, and some use ring mail, chain mail,
or even plate mail. Their retainers have
less protection, although most have shields
and some may have some form of armor.
The retainers are armed much as are the
yeomen. Most yeomen are infantry, but
nothing prevents them from being cavalry.

Example: A lord resides in a hilly freehold
with 4,100 inhabitants and 100 menat-
arms. He has organized a yeomanry of
120 men. In time of need, the lord calls
out the yeomanry and 91% of them
answer the call. This is modified by + 10%
for his policy of progressive consolidation
and another + 2% for his liberal tax rate,
for a total of 103% (100%). All 120 of the
yeomen answer the call. Of these, 8% (10)
of them are retired men-at-arms and 3%
(four) of them are former adventurers of
1st-3rd level. If the freehold was in danger,
the yeomen would have brought 360
retainers in all; if the lord wanted to
attack a hostile neighbor, only 120 retainers
would have been brought along.

As the freehold expands, the yeomanry
will be the main source of new leadership
? the hetmen, burgomasters, mayors,
sheriffs, and constables of the future. If
the lord is ambitious, brave, brilliant, and
lucky, and the freehold develops into
something more substantial, the yeomanry
offers the greatest number of candidates
for knighthood and the new nobility. As
with the more advanced militias, the lord
had best handle the yeomanry properly,
lest they become a threat to his own
p o s i t i o n .

The fyrd, militia, and yeomanry are not
mutually exclusive; a lord could have a
yeomanry and still maintain the fyrd as a
last resort in times of extreme peril to the
freehold. DMs and players must use a bit
of common sense when organizing a militia
or yeomanry. If a lord has 150 men-atarms
but only 1,200 inhabitants in his
freehold, there is no way he can have a
militia of 500 men, or 180 yeomen with
three retainers each. Make the auxiliaries
as large as you wish but keep them real.

Mercenaries
The last method of augmenting a lords
men-at-arms is by hiring mercenaries. Mercenary
troops can vary in quality from fair
to outstanding and in loyalty from unscrupulous
to fanatical. Hired soldiers require
special care and handling, as their primary
motivating force is money. A lord should
carefully think through all the pros and cons
before hiring any mercenaries.

Generally, a lord should never hire mercenaries
totalling more than 50% of his
men-at-arms; a figure of 30% or even 20%
would be advisable. Men-at-arms in the
lord?s stronghold should always outnumber
any mercenaries there by at least 2-to-
1. No vital positions be garrisoned solely
by mercenaries. A large mercenary force
can be a dagger which ambitious lieutenants,
wealthy enemies, and slighted officers
might turn against a lords throat.

This is not to say that all mercenaries
can?t be trusted. If well-paid and properly
treated, many mercenaries can be just as
loyal as a lords own men-at-arms. The
longer the terms of a mercenary?s service,
the stronger the bond between him and
his lord. Many other factors help determine
the loyalty of mercenaries: racial or
political ties, the nature of the cause, and
so on. An evil lord hiring a unit of bugbears
to aid in an attack on another freehold
must rule them with an iron hand
and watch them like a hawk; a good lord
who hires a band of dwarven mercenaries
to help stamp out a tribe of pesky orcs can
rely on them to give their all without
hesitation. A lord had better understand
the nature of the mercenaries he is hiring.

Nonhuman auxiliaries
Demi-human and half-orc lords use a
somewhat different system for auxiliaries.
For example, the dwarven troops of a
mountain dwarf and the orcish contingent
of an evil half-orc represent the best
troops drawn from any clans or tribes
which reside within the freehold. The
remainder is organized by the tribes and
clans themselves. In times of crisis, a percentage
equal to that of the yeomanry will
respond to a demi-human lord?s call; however,
the actual number of troops summoned
resembles that of the fyrd. These
auxiliaries are very powerful, consisting of
fighters or multiclassed fighters of 1st
level or higher or 1 HD orcs.

One ticklish problem that might arise is
that concerning the disposition of substantial
numbers of demi-humans or humanoids
who live in a human lords freehold.
The lord must have come to some sort of
understanding with these nonhumans, or
they would have been driven out as hostile
creatures. Some might work as special
scouts (see DRAGON® issue #99, "Tables
and tables of troops") and be considered as
some sort of tribute to the lord (taxes and
any other tribute will have to be worked
out by the DM and any players involved).
This situation might also arise in a freehold
of a demi-human lord with many
humans residing in it.

In most circumstances, demi-humans or
humanoids are organized along their
standard racial lines. Exactly when their
military power is used to assist their lord
and how much of it is used depends on
many factors. DMs and players must work
out these details for themselves. Motivation
is the key here; why should the wood
elves help the human lord destroy his
neighbor? What?s in it for the kobolds to
aid the half-orc against the invading
dwarves?

Growth and expansion
Where does a lord go once he has
cleared the desired amount of territory
for a freehold, attracted men-at-arms, and
organized auxiliary forces? Hired mercenaries
can increase the lords forces only
so much and are often a two-edged sword.
The only method of increasing a lords
forces with reliable troops is by an actual
increase in the population of the freehold
itself. This increase is accomplished in
three ways: natural population growth,
attraction of new settlers, and increases in
the freehold's territory to encompass
already inhabited areas.

Natural population growth is usually the
single major factor that increases the size
of a lords forces. Barring some monumental
catastrophe such as plague, famine, or
war, the population of any given area will
almost certainly grow from year to year.
Alignment means nothing, for even under
the most repressive regimes the population
will continue to grow; rarely will
deaths outstrip births. The terrain of a
freehold could influence the rate of this
growth, however. An unhealthy climate
won?t necessarily prevent population
growth, but it could well impair it; a
healthy climate will certainly promote the
population growth.

Normal yearly population growth is 2-
5% (1 +d4) and represents the percentage
of new births over and above the percentage
of deaths. This growth is determined
at the start of each year and is modified by
the terrain type of the freehold. A mountain
or maritime freehold adds + 1% to
growth; a desert or marsh subtracts 1%
from growth, and all other types have no
modification. Admittedly, these are very
generalized. The DM should feel free to
alter them to fit any specific situation.
(Note that some races may have slow rates
of reproduction, like elves and dwarves,
while orcs could reproduce quickly.) This
gives an annual growth rate from natural
population increase of 1-6%, which (under
the best circumstances) causes the population
to double every 12 years or so. At the
very worst, the population doubles every
72 years. On the average, a natural doubling
occurs every 21 years or so, assuming
nothing interferes with it.

Attracting new settlers is also very
important. The number of new settlers
coming to the freehold is determined at
the start of each year, The base number of
new settlers is 0-3% (d4 - 1) of the current
population and is modified by terrain, the
lords domestic and foreign policies, and
the tax rate of the freehold. The modifiers
for new settlers are as follows:

Territorial modifiers
    Freehold is desert or marsh = - 1%
Domestic and foreign policy modifiers
    Belligerent aggressiveness = - 1%
    Inactive complacency = 0%
    Active complacency = 0%
    Progressive consolidation = + 1%
Tax rate modifiers
    Oppressive = -2%
    Burdensome = -1%
    Conservative = 0%
    Liberal = + 1%
    Progressive = +2%.

It is easy to see that certain combinations
of terrain, policies, and taxes insure
that no new settlers come to the freehold,
while others guarantee a sizeable increase
in the population due to new settlers. Any
result of less than 0% is treated as 0%. A
lord in a desert or marsh had best think
his policies through very carefully if he
desires any new settlers.

When all the modifiers are added or
subtracted, we have a figure of 0-6% for
new settlers. At the upper end of the
scale, the lord has chosen the policies
which will attract large numbers of new
settlers. Few people want to live in a
swamp and be ruled by a warmongering
miser, but you can?t keep them out of the
land of the free and the home of the
brave.

Add the final results for natural population
growth and new settlers to arrive at a
figure of 1-12% for the total annual population
growth. Of the actual number of
new inhabitants, 30% represents new
male settlers of military age and boys of
the freehold who have reached the military
age that year. Once this figure is
determined, a maximum of 25% may be
added to the lords men-at-arms. Any
auxiliary forces may be increased
proportionately.

Example 1: A freehold with a population
of 2,200 is located in a large marsh. The
lord has 95 men-at-arms and a fyrd of 704
men. Desperate for more arable land, the
lord has decided upon a policy of belligerent
aggressiveness and has opted for a
burdensome tax rate to help finance his
aggressions. At the start of the new year,
he rolls a 4 on 1d4 + 1 for population
growth, which is reduced to 3 because the
freehold is in a marsh; this results in a 3%
natural population growth. He gets lucky
and rolls a 3 on 1d4 - 1 for new settlers,
which is reduced to 2 for being in a
marsh, then to 1 for his domestic and
foreign policy, then to 0 because of his tax
rate. There are no new settlers this year.
The 3% natural growth results in a population
increase of 66, of which 20 are men
of military age. The lord could add 5 of
these to his men-at-arms, increasing his
fyrd to 724.

Example 2: A freehold with a population
of 3,800 is located on a lush plain. The
lord has 125 men-at-arms and a fair militia
of 300 men. The lord is somewhat lazy
and has no important plans for the future,
so he selects a policy of inactive complacency
and invokes a conservative tax rate.
Rolling for population growth, he gets 2%
as a final result. The roll for new settlers
eventually comes out to 2%. This gives a
total population increase of 152 people. Of
these, 46 are of military age. A maximum
of 12 could be added to the lords men-atarms,
and the militia could be increased
up to 350 or more.

Example 3: A freehold with a population
of 5,400 is located in the mountains.
The lord has 130 men-at-arms, special
scouts, and 150 yeomen with 450 retainers.
This generous and gifted lord has
chosen a policy of progressive consolidation
and has decided to lure new settlers
by installing a liberal tax rate. Rolling for
population growth, he ends up with 4%
for being in the mountains. He eventually
determines that the number of new settlers
increases the population by another
4%. The total population increase is 8%
(432 people). Of these, 130 are of military
age. The lord could add 33 of them to his
men-at-arms and increase his yeomanry by
a similar amount.

A few guidelines must be followed in
adding men-at-arms. First, they don?t grow
on trees. A lord can never replace more
than 50% of any lost men-at-arms by
drawing new ones from his population
each year. Also, the number of men-atarms
may never be increased by more
than 50% each year, no matter how high
the population growth. Thus, a lord who
recklessly loses the bulk of his tiny army
must take several years to recover from
the loss. Mercenaries could always be
hired to make up the difference.

The last method of increasing population
and forces is the hardest to explain. Whenever
a lord takes over an area that is
already populated, he must exert his
authority over the inhabitants. Once this is
done, the lord can increase his forces by
drawing some portion of manpower from
the conquered region. Details depend
entirely on the situation, the DM, and the
players. This method can be the quickest
for army building, however.

Example: A mean and cruel lord
attempts to overthrow his neighbor. In the
process, his forces are decisively defeated
and he himself is killed. The neighbor, a
just and kind lord, quickly moves into the
power vacuum, takes over the dead lords
entire freehold, much to the rejoicing of
its inhabitants. This sort of territorial
aggrandizement could also occur by
treaty, marriage, inheritance, etc.

SEPTEMBER 1987