D&D 4E - Rules of War

[EVILNess]

Originally Posted by Meister

Quite interested in this as I'm planning a somewhat big battle for my own players. Incidentally, how big a force do you reckon would you need to attack a mid-sized merchant town of maybe 1000-2000, maybe 3000 citizens?

Short answer? However many you can bring. There really isn't such a thing as too many soldiers, assuming you can handle the logistics.

Long answer? Depends on several factors for an accurate estimate...

Is the town walled, fortified, or otherwise built into any natural defense? IE Lake, Cliff, Ocean, on a hill? Is it likely to turn into a siege?

How many actual trained soldiers are in the town? How many magic users?

What type of government does the town have? How will bribery affect the officials?

What Guilds are present in the town? Thieves? Fighters? Mages? Others? How big is each guild? How will bribery affect each guild?

Do they know the attack is imminent? How do they treat random passerbys?

A map of the town and about 50 miles around it would be great too.

Hell, if you can get me all that I can tell you how I would do it and you can use that