It is a property of the DMG that it always seems to contain some offbeat rules element which alters your conception of the game when you finally take a moment to seriously contemplate it. Now, most people don’t want to alter their conception of the game. And I guess that’s fine. But some people want to actually try playing AD&D before they die. This post is for that sort of person.
I don’t get why this in the book. I mean, everyone always told me that the implied setting of AD&D was post-apocalyptic. If AD&D is some kind of “points of light” style campaign setting by default, then how is it that there is room in the game for this low key renaissance fair stuff? Well, the answer to that is patrols. A good chunk of encounters in inhabited areas are going to be with patrols. What are those?
These patrols are no joke. They are combined arms units. If enemies set for charge, they can hang back and let the men-at-arms fire volleys of arrows. If the patrol elects to charge, the lance attacks will likely go first at a bonus and the horses will get an overbear attack on the opening round and then melee attacks thereafter. The potential for midlevel clerics and magic-users to be along for the ride makes these units even more formidable.