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Question about armies


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Medieval armies don't work that way. Field excercises weren't a thing back then, and neither is there any reason to believe it is in Westeros. Stafford wasn't training his army, he was gathering one. Gathering armies takes a lot more time than training the actual troops. And since there is a large reserve of freemen who own some arms and armor as well as mercenaries looking for employment, training is the least of a leader's worries. It's more about payment, organization and logistical difficulties.

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Medieval armies don't work that way. Field excercises weren't a thing back then, and neither is there any reason to believe it is in Westeros. Stafford wasn't training his army, he was gathering one. Gathering armies takes a lot more time than training the actual troops. And since there is a large reserve of freemen who own some arms and armor as well as mercenaries looking for employment, training is the least of a leader's worries. It's more about payment, organization and logistical difficulties.

Seriously it is in the books Stafford found and trained men. They were gathered all 10 k were in one spot. being trained armed etc. And if their were mercenaries they were pretty lazy to not join one of the other armys by now. Tywins trained forces were scattered or at harrenhal. Training was his biggest worry they werent soldiers

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Don't take me wrong. Troops still need to be drilled, especially if you plan to take them on campaign and not just amass them for homeland defense. They need to be organized into companies, captains need to be chosen for militiamen, and they all need to be prepared to fight as a cohesive force. But that doesn't mean they're being trained from ground up like modern soldiers. Not at all. That being said, the most important part is still the recruitment and gathering, not the drilling - no matter what you or someone in a casual conversation might say.

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I'm very interested to see the GC in more detail. They seem like the best army there is. They're full-time soldiers. I'm particularly interested to see their foot. Something like Swiss pike mercenaries perhaps?

The equipment is roughly the same everywhere, although the wealthier free companies can probably equip larger numbers of men with good armor. Their main advantages are more complex tactical organization as well as more experienced soldiers.

I imagine the main difference in appearance from a Westerosi host would be more uniform weaponry and more men with armor on them. Uniform coats, well, in some of the larger retinues - like the Lannisters' thousands upon thousands - the liveries can practically be seen as uniforms of sorts. In fact, the GC is by now just a very, very large retinue.

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