The falling wedge is another formation that Terrasylvae commonly uses to punch through a defensive position. The basics of it, is you form a tightly packed arrow head to punch through the opponents line. This is extremely useful to do when you need to get to a specific point.
Points of safety
The falling wedge is moving quickly at/through the opposing team. You have to be very careful about hard shots, and footing. Move together as a team. This is a tight formation that needs to move as one unit.
- Sacrifice Safely: You’re throwing people directly into the opposing team. Their sacrifice will hopefully create an opportunity for your team. Their sacrifice should be done safely and in a controlled manner.
- Know What You’re Doing: There are a lot of moving parts very close together in a Falling Wedge. If you’re not sure how they work or how to perform this maneuver with confidence, let someone more experienced or familiar attempt the Falling Wedge.
- Breaking Shots: Both teams need to be prepared to break their shots as they engage with one another. In the moment of impact, there is a high risk of hard shots and potential injury that both teams should work to avoid.
General Points
The falling wedge is an arrowhead formation. The very front person is called the Forlorn Hope. Their job is to take all of the blades of the opponents so that the teammates behind them are able to easily get the kills to punch the hole in the defensive line. the people right behind the Forlorn Hope, and slightly to the side is to get the kills since their blades have been taken. With this maneuver, keep moving through the enemy line. If you stop, the defensive line won.
- Setting Up the Wedge: The Wedge is multiple fencers forming a triangle of sorts with a single fencer at the front to be the Forlorn Hope. Behind that single fencer will be 2-3 fencers, followed by 3-4 fencers, and so on until the entire team is part of the wedge.
- Absorbing Blades: Upon command, the Forlorn Hope leads the team into the opposing forces attempting to pull as many blades into their body as possible. This provides a moment for those approaching from behind to strike those occupied in killing the Forlorn Hope.
- Breaking Through Defense: The objective of the Falling Wedge is to break through the opponent’s defenses and reach the other side. It is not enough to attempt the Falling Wedge, and kill a few fencers. The entire team needs to keep moving forward even as some lives may be lost along the way.
- Momentum and Speed are Different: Speed is helpful in performing this maneuver but momentum and staying together as you move forward are more important. Stay together and maintain your momentum even if a few teammates die.
- Defending Against a Falling Wedge: There are a few things you can do to defend against the Falling Wedge:
- Bend your line to absorb the impact. Form a “mini kill pocket”
- It only takes one person to kill the Forlorn Hope or another fencer. Call your shots so your teammates can focus on other targets
- Keep your sword free. Don’t let your sword get caught up in the impact between the two teams.
- Snipe the Forlorn Hope before they build momentum. Break their momentum before it begins.
- Send out a Harrier to pull their attention away from the main target.
Training Ideas
- Taking the Blades: have just a single person go to a line of ~4, and practice taking the blades, dieing, and keeping moving.
- Use the Formation: Run the formation rotating where everyone is in the formation. This will allow them to learn each position, and what to do.
Assessment
- Falling Wedge Safety: The fencer should be able to move as a group, Break the shots appropriately, and how to move when they die.
- Falling Wedge Basics: A fencer should know what the formation is, and the different parts of the wedge, and how to perform each of those positions
- Falling Wedge Training: Use the formation, and be different parts in the formation to have an understanding of how each position should react, and do.
