Game of Thrones Discussion

Post » Tue May 15, 2012 9:38 am

Season 2 is gonna explode i think, so many plot points that are just begging to go forward
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Nicole Mark
 
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Post » Tue May 15, 2012 11:14 am

In the book they explain how the Dothraki work.
Spoiler
Since Khal Drogo dies, the rest of riders and tribes people follow the next most dominant, leaving Dany only with her slaves, maids and three blood riders that are sworn to protect her 'till death.

I hope that helps.
Ah, thanks.
Did I miss an epsiode then, or does the series just not show them
Spoiler
killing the witch/the warriors leaving/dragons hatching.
- Put it in a spoiler for safeties sake
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Jodie Bardgett
 
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Post » Mon May 14, 2012 11:19 pm

Khal Drogo's army is a joke. No armour, horseman, using scimitars, foreign land with unfamiliar training, opponents have plate mail and long spears, and most importantly they have a longer range bow. How are the Dothraki ever supposed to win? Alone I can't see it happening. With internal dissension or support form a house perhaps. But if they had to do it alone? Not happening. Their army is a joke. No Genghis Khan. It would be very easy to fight them in the battlefield. You wouldn't even need castles. The main bulk of your army uses spears, this will massacre any cavalry rush. If he attempts to run or flank you simply crush him with the superior armored knights. This would buy more than ample time for the spear men to move up and join the fray ending it swiftly. Horseman that aren't moving or charging are vulnerable. unless they're the heavy platedknights. If they attempt to burn farmland it gives you ample time to cut them off from their bases of supply just as easily as they cut you off. If anything such a large horse army would be almost impossible to feed away from the plains. The hills, river, and general not flatness of the 7 kingdoms would wreak havoc with Dothraki tactics. If the Dothraki split their force to defend their supply line then you can swoop in and fight a smaller battle against an opponent unsuited to you. If they flee they lose their supplies. Your smaller army would be far more mobile than his simply because you would have an easier time feeding it. The slaves they use as their work force would easily come to serve you in time after learning there is no slavery in the 7 Kingdoms. So if you could free them they become a liability for his army. So he would have to defend them.

All of that changes with.
A. Dragons
B. Allies.
Without those the Dothraki are a joke.

Edit
With the reliance Dothraki place on horse meat this puts extra pressure on them to keep their war mounts and livestock to feed troops. It would be so easy to cripple their army it isn't even funny.

Edit2
Don't even get me started on how much die on the voyage over the sea. And if you can intercept them they lose tons more to the waves. Each ship would be taking out their men, war horses, and food. Easy pickings for an army so reliant on horses.
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joseluis perez
 
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Post » Tue May 15, 2012 2:31 am

Any woman here raise your hand please.
*raises hand* You're not implying the NY Times was right? That review writer got internet *****slapped by a lot of female ASoIaF fans.

Ah, thanks.
Did I miss an epsiode then, or does the series just not show them
Spoiler
killing the witch/the warriors leaving/dragons hatching.
- Put it in a spoiler for safeties sake
They do show it.
Spoiler
When Dany wakes up from the birth, Jorah tells her the khalasar has moved on, and you see just the few who were left. More of those leave when Dany says they aren't slaves anymore.

Khal Drogo's army is a joke.
I think the conspirators are counting on some Westerosi switching sides/ using the opportunity to advance themselves, as in the Blackfyre rebellions. The 7 kingdoms are held together by a thread- obviously.
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Tina Tupou
 
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Post » Tue May 15, 2012 3:24 am

Snip.

Dothraki are mounted archers with re-curved bows. I believe they massively outnumber Westeros' army. They wouldn't charge the knights; they'd attempt to bury them under a mountain of arrows. Same way the Mongols beat the Poles. Where's it stated that Westeros bows have greater range?

I don't know if that would work on it's own. Westeros isn't flat grassland and they'd have to lay siege to cities. But if they arrive with Dany a lot of support for the Lannisters would crumble.
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how solid
 
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Post » Mon May 14, 2012 9:49 pm

*raises hand* You're not implying the NY Times was right? That review writer got internet *****slapped by a lot of female ASoIaF fans.
Of course not. I know there are plenty female fans for ASoIaF, even Emilia Clarke was a book fan before she took up the role of Daenerys. NYT was simply full of bulls.

Oh btw the Mongolian also employed hand grenades, caverins and primitive "rockets". They were fierce warriors skilled in any form of mounted combats. Instead of going head on with superior armors, they would make you chase them around in full metal until both you and your horses are exhausted enough for them to make the kills.
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Project
 
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Post » Tue May 15, 2012 7:23 am

Great start to the second season, Robb Stark is a badass.
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Sammygirl
 
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Post » Tue May 15, 2012 12:31 am

Dothraki are mounted archers with re-curved bows. I believe they massively outnumber Westeros' army. They wouldn't charge the knights; they'd attempt to bury them under a mountain of arrows. Same way the Mongols beat the Poles. Where's it stated that Westeros bows have greater range?

I don't know if that would work on it's own. Westeros isn't flat grassland and they'd have to lay siege to cities. But if they arrive with Dany a lot of support for the Lannisters would crumble.
I've heard it mentioned in the show or book. First one obviously, not sure where. And even then if their ranges were of comparable range than it would be more than easy to fire off your arrows at them on approach. It doesn't matter. A well trained smaller army has often in history beaten a vastly more numerical foe. As a matter of fact there was a situation quite similar to the ones in game of thrones. A vast horde of lightly armed marauders like the Dothraki up against an army. 10 to 1 odds and the defenders won because they knew the land better, and utilized the terrain to their advantage to force them into attacking when they don't want to. I'm trying to remember the name. In REAL LIFE combat a scimitar is a joke of a weapon. There's a very good reason why the spear was the defacto armament of the time. Cheap to mass produce, and effective against cavalry and people with swords since you out range them. Swords were more specialized weapons that the rich usually used once it came to more close ranges of close combat. Even then slashing wasn't utilized so much as thrusting. I mean just look at the point of the sword. If it was meant for slashing it would be shaped like a scimitar or katana with a curved blade that cuts more when it slashes. Their weapon of choice in real life would do jack squat against any armored knight unless you got incredibly lucky to slash at his joints. Even then the curved sword will be meeting leather or chainmail or both! It cant focus enough force into that point. So why were scimitars used? Well they were made because they fit the condition of the people at that time. A lightweight weapon to be carried around for long periods of time in the desert. Often heavy army would be a liability in such terrain, thus it would be a more prudent choice since heavy plate armor wouldn't be as commonly encountered. Even then it was more often a ceremonial weapon.

Genghis Khan was so feared because he wasn't an idiot like Drogo and his herp derp army. He would regularly make use of new technology and adapt it into his army. He and his men used armor as well. Overall they were far more heavily armed than a lot of people realized. Khal Drogo and is dothraki raiders are a joke. Now if they get support, the whole thing changes. Then again what would you rather have. Dothraki with dragon and support from one of the seven kingdoms? Or Genghis Khan with the support of dragons and one of the seven kingdoms? Seems obvious to me.

Edit
When I mean armour, I mean light armour. As opposed to Dothraki and their suicidal use of no armour. Closer to the huns than anything.
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SWagg KId
 
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Post » Tue May 15, 2012 11:26 am

I'm not saying it's impossible for a smaller force to beat a larger one. Too many variables. And I'm not saying the Dothraki would win - just that they could.

The Dothraki carry scimitars, but I believe they'd use their bows in battle against knights. Jorah Mormot even mentions that he doubts a Westeros army could hold back 50,000 Dothraki. The Westeros knights are too slow to pursue mounted archers and their own archers don't have mounts. The Dothraki could harry them at a distance. The Dothraki could come into arrow range, fire off a volley of thousands of arrows, then withdraw to do it over again. They'd also be able to cut off supply lines and pick off any forces separated from the main group.

The Scythians beat armored Greek hoplites that way. The Huns repeatedly beat the Romans with arrows. The Mongols had heavy cavalry, but their primary weapon was a composite bow. Their method of fighting doesn't guarantee them victory, but I don't think their army is a joke.

EDIT: I believe you were thinking about the Unsullied holding off the Dothraki at the gates of Quarth. They lost because they repeatedly charged the Unsullied spear wall in a show of bravado (their enemies were lowly eunuchs after all). If they had relied on their bows, they probably would have won.
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stevie trent
 
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Post » Tue May 15, 2012 6:50 am

It's not real. I like the culture behind the Dothraki, they're very superstitious, that's why they don't wear armour. I think a well led Khalasar with 10,000+ blood riders would be pretty tough to beat by any army in Westeros.
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Natalie Taylor
 
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Post » Tue May 15, 2012 12:17 am

I was re-watching the episode, and I just have to say....Peter Dinklage is my hero. I love that guy, have for a long time. He's in top form in this series and pretty much equals 50% of why I watch it.

I keep meaning to read the other books (only read the first) but at this point I'm just going to wait until the author either finishes them all or he dies never doing so. I didn't get around to reading the 2nd book when it came out because by then I felt like I had to re-read the 1st and I never got around to it. Can't stand waiting for sequels. So going to wait and read them all in one fell swoop. Someday.
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Alex Blacke
 
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Post » Tue May 15, 2012 2:52 am

Post limit.
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(G-yen)
 
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