Dragon Scale Formation

A Dragon Scale Formation is a wedge formation employed by infantry, most commonly the Heavy Infantry of the Imperial Legions. The formation allows heavily armoured soldiers to strike an enemy line and break through its defenses.

The Thousand Correct Actions of the Upright Soldier teaches that a wedge is often the weapon to break a shield wall. Both infantry and cavalry can make use of the Formation, but when facing riders in a Fish Scale Formation they can be countered in turn through presenting a wall of pikes and spears. Infantry have less speed, the Dragon Scale Formation demanding support by skirmishers on its approach and use of other formations such as the Tortoise Shell Formation to resist enemy archery, but is far less vulnerable to breaking on an offered spear wall.

The harder the Dragon Scale is at its tip, the more devastating its strike will be, so the Correct Actions advise that there are times when particularly dogged resistance will be faced on the field, such as a rearguard stationed to delay pursuit while an enemy force escapes, and prescribes a Dragon Scale led by an Exalted officer be applied. This particular variation of the tactic takes the name of the formation to be a unit designation, with the Exalt accompanied by a scale of heavy infantry, for in this way ‘a single scale can break a wing’.

The Thousand Correct Actions also advises that Exalted officers are best concentrated together, and the Dragon Scale Formation sees use by these potent forces as well, in cases where a powerful enemy commander or champion (such as an Anathema or Fae Noble) stands behinds its armies raining its foul sorceries down upon the righteous soldiers of the Imperial Legions. While the Legionnaires engage the enemy line, a wedge of Dragonbloooded can strike the enemy and push through them to reach and slay their vile leader, breaking the resolve of their followers and relieving Legion troops from the supernatural threat.