Versus Match Rohan vs Dothraki
- Thread starter Aldarion
- Start date
Is it twenty thousand warriors in his Khalassar?
Aldarion
Neoreactionary Monarchist
Forty thousand, IIRC.
Lord Sovereign
The resident Britbong
Rohan can muster ten thousand heavy horse if I recall. Outnumbered four to one but, horse lords par excellence aside, heavy cavalry cut through light cavalry like a hot knife through butter.
Having not read the GRRM books and going off of the television show and thus movies as comparison, the Rohirrim might be in trouble if they aren't already assembled. As per the book and movies, the Rohirrim are spread about so there might just be scattered bands of hundreds of cavalry running about so Theoden would have to muster the full force of the Rohirrim.
From the glimpse we got of the conflict in the movies, small Rohan towns don't seem to have much in the way of walls and Edoras, the Capitol has a tall wooden palisade it seems. I think the Khalassar, especially based on their onscreen performances like the Battle of the Golden Road and even Kings Landing as well as the various individual combats I think could prove pretty formidable warriors compared to the Rohirrim. And considering how I'm assuming the Rohirrim are scattered and unmobilized, and the Khalassar of Khal Drogo is probably starting off as a cohesive unit, I think Rohan is in for a really rough time.
A main highlight I think is Theodred was killed at the Fords of Isen by the Uruk-Hai in the films. According to the movies that's the only way to move a large army deeper into Rohan or whatever if they are say, coming through the Gap of Rohan. Assuming Theoden isn't infirm by evil magics, their best chance would be to defend that chokepoint. From the film Theodred and Eomer didn't seem to have more than a couple hundred troops combined, though they were professionals and the garrison at Edoras maybe three hundred more.
Five hundred against forty thousand even at a chokepoint doesn't sound like good odds, but they'll have to find a way to delay them so that their population can flee to Helms Deep... and even Edoras (it still has a fence after all) and hold out there, maybe while assembling a force in the East perhaps for a counterattack.
I would agree with an earlier comment that ten thousand Rohirrim could defeat forty thousand Dothraki, but it's far from a close thing. Dothraki are pretty tough combatants. But the Rohirrim meanwhile swept the fields at Pelennor. Their massed charge would crush the Dothraki and the latter actually seem like the type to stand and fight... to their disadvantage.
There also might not be a fight as the Khalassar apparently aren't all about taking cities for their silly reasons so while Rohan's lands might be devastated to a degree, as Theoden says, they can weather it out from their refuges.
From the glimpse we got of the conflict in the movies, small Rohan towns don't seem to have much in the way of walls and Edoras, the Capitol has a tall wooden palisade it seems. I think the Khalassar, especially based on their onscreen performances like the Battle of the Golden Road and even Kings Landing as well as the various individual combats I think could prove pretty formidable warriors compared to the Rohirrim. And considering how I'm assuming the Rohirrim are scattered and unmobilized, and the Khalassar of Khal Drogo is probably starting off as a cohesive unit, I think Rohan is in for a really rough time.
A main highlight I think is Theodred was killed at the Fords of Isen by the Uruk-Hai in the films. According to the movies that's the only way to move a large army deeper into Rohan or whatever if they are say, coming through the Gap of Rohan. Assuming Theoden isn't infirm by evil magics, their best chance would be to defend that chokepoint. From the film Theodred and Eomer didn't seem to have more than a couple hundred troops combined, though they were professionals and the garrison at Edoras maybe three hundred more.
Five hundred against forty thousand even at a chokepoint doesn't sound like good odds, but they'll have to find a way to delay them so that their population can flee to Helms Deep... and even Edoras (it still has a fence after all) and hold out there, maybe while assembling a force in the East perhaps for a counterattack.
I would agree with an earlier comment that ten thousand Rohirrim could defeat forty thousand Dothraki, but it's far from a close thing. Dothraki are pretty tough combatants. But the Rohirrim meanwhile swept the fields at Pelennor. Their massed charge would crush the Dothraki and the latter actually seem like the type to stand and fight... to their disadvantage.
There also might not be a fight as the Khalassar apparently aren't all about taking cities for their silly reasons so while Rohan's lands might be devastated to a degree, as Theoden says, they can weather it out from their refuges.
Lord Sovereign
The resident Britbong
Helm’s Deep is the sort of thing the Dothraki see and think “well now what the fuck do we do?” If Theoden’s got enough supplies and people in there, this is where Drogo shrugs his shoulders and abandons the campaign.
Well Theoden's plan when faced with a war of annihilation against 10,000 heavily armored Uruks was to withdraw to Helms Deep to put up a fight and if he does there is jack all Drogo can do about it, they will then sack Rohan but ultimately, they will get bored and move on because it's not like Rohan has great wealth to stick around for.
But let's just say that Theoden is in good health, he is aware the Dothraki are coming and time for a muster and has a good idea from which direction they are coming.
Rohan has multiple rivers that the Dothraki will have to ford to get into Rohan as well as traverse which helps them defensively especially from the Northeast where there are plains as well, if the Khal attacks from that direction, Theoden, Theodred and Eomer would likely wait for him to try and ford the Limlight or Anduin in the Wold of Rohan before attempting to crush the Dothraki while their forces are split.
Even if outnumbered, I think Rohan has this in the bag, their Horsemen are generally better armed and armored, their leaders are pretty sound military minds, and they have the homefield advantage of knowing the terrain while the Khal knows jack all in this situation or land he is invading.
But let's just say that Theoden is in good health, he is aware the Dothraki are coming and time for a muster and has a good idea from which direction they are coming.
Rohan has multiple rivers that the Dothraki will have to ford to get into Rohan as well as traverse which helps them defensively especially from the Northeast where there are plains as well, if the Khal attacks from that direction, Theoden, Theodred and Eomer would likely wait for him to try and ford the Limlight or Anduin in the Wold of Rohan before attempting to crush the Dothraki while their forces are split.
Even if outnumbered, I think Rohan has this in the bag, their Horsemen are generally better armed and armored, their leaders are pretty sound military minds, and they have the homefield advantage of knowing the terrain while the Khal knows jack all in this situation or land he is invading.
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If it was 4 mongols tumens,or even only 2,they would win.
But 40.000 ligh horse fighting in melee,not as horse archers?
They are screwed,Rohan have heavy calvary on XI-XII century level.
To be honest,Dothraki would be thread only to hobbits there.Well,Bree villages,too.
My money is on Rohan any day of the week and even at a disadvantage. They're just that good. 6 Thousand smashed an army on the Pelinor fields at least 10 times their size. hell, they might have taken the entire field had the Elephant Calvary not counter attacked. But Rohan even won that fight too, though greatly weakened. The Dothraki are bandits and raiders. They've never fought anything close to a peer enemy. And there are historical accounts of them getting defeated by well trained infantry using smart tactics. The Dothraki are very lightly armed and wear almost no armor. They have no concept of tactics aside from direct attacks. Rohan even at at a disadvantage of 3 to 1 will utterly smash them.
Indeed - especially,that Unsullied who defeated them do not use smart tactic - they simply stood and repelled all charges till surviving Dothraki run.
Mongols would just pepper them with arrows from close distance/they do not have archers/ ,and finish stragglers with heavy calvary.
Outside of the TV show the Dothraki are excellent horse-archers, Jorah mentions their 'great bows' outrange Westeros Longbows, which indicates they're pretty damned powerful, certainly powerful enough to punch through chainmail which Rohan riders often wear.
Their melee capabilities aren't as good, but they can fire a lot of arrows quite well.
Their melee capabilities aren't as good, but they can fire a lot of arrows quite well.
Aldarion
Neoreactionary Monarchist
Jorah is an idiot, though. And Connington is quite clear that Westerosi longbows are in fact superior to Dothraki bows:
Overall, Dothraki are absolutely nothing like the Mongols, or even the Huns, as I explained in some detail here:
Fantasy Army: Dothraki, Part 3: Weapons and Equipment
Aside from tactics and organization, superior technology was in fact crucial for successes of nomadic armies against their sedentary opponents. Scythians and later Mongols used lamellar armor at th…
warfantasy.wordpress.com
And yes, Dothraki are excellent horse archers... but so are the Rohirrim. And Rohirrim have armor and brains.