Fallen
07-08-2010, 08:34 PM
I thought some of you might find this interesting. The post is concerning how Scribes believes humans prepare and engage in war.
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I suppose my co-guru and I should put together something on humans. From my own perspective, it doesn't differ drastically from what Aydan theorized for the Empire.
The Empire has its own standing forces, essentially paid for by taxes, tribute received from the provinces (I see a double dip - they'll claim certain taxes on things throughout the Empire - and at the same time, essentially lift from whatever the provincial governments are drawing in, too). By far, the Emperor can command the most standing troops at once. The Emperor also has the monopoly on militarized magic with regard to the Imperial Drakes. No other province has a branch of magical might. Generally, it'd be illegal for a province to have such, due to the monopoly the Imperial government exerts over magic via the Hall of Mages and the Imperial Drakes.
As Aydan noted, every province has its own standing forces, which vary in size by the either the economic means of the province, or by the personal decision of the rulers of that province. A province is expected to deal with its own problems at first and request help only when it cannot handle the problem (which provinces mainly prefer!). In times of war, the provinces could be expected to have their forces called upon, but likewise, the Emperor's forces may well be large enough to field a complete enough army. It would be an epic battle that drew upon every standing military force in the Empire. If more forces are needed, then conscription will provide that manpower.
Communication would be a mix of amulet and courier.
Information would generally be filtered on the field level by scouts reporting to commanding officers. There generally wouldn't be an Imperial Ministry of Information. While spy networks exist, they would do so by the personal creation of figures in authority, like the Royal Magister or what not.
As per operations in the field, you're operating on a line of sight basis. Army commanders may choose to lead from the front after setting up their forces opposite the enemy (putting the pieces in place) and then commencing the battle. Emperors no longer lead their forces into the field but rely on generals. Most troop movement is by regular means of either ship or marching. The Empire has an excellent network of roads to facilitate troop movement (as well increase trade).
In terms of quantity versus quality, it really is a mix depending on the combatants. Generally, quality will go a long way toward making up a numbers difference. One reason the Empire lost the Third Elven War was it did not simply have the quality of soldier to handle the demons thrown out by the Faendryl. The result was two fold, create a quality soldier and begin incorporating magic into your battle plans.
Sieges have happened and could happen, but generally, if you're at the point of a siege, it either means your initial and main army was defeated or the enemy caught you by surprise. Most conflicts in Elanthia that I've noted, have revolved around two armies meeting on the field. The recent exception are the armies of bad guys. They tend to show up fast and surround cities and towns, then siege.
Limited vs total - depends on who's fighting whom. Generally, we've mainly seen limited war. Wars have been more about resources than annihilation (except with the Faendryl and Ashrim). The goal is to destroy your enemies' forces and then take advantage of their resources. The only way total war would apply would be if you grabbed those resources and brought 'em home. ;)
There isn't a lot of jingoism in any conflict. The only people you have to convince to go to war (generally) are the ones in command of the forces. Your average turnip farmer may be conscripted and told, "You're off to fight the sylvan devils who threaten your family!" but that'd be about it. There'd be no real propaganda program of the sorts. All the farmer really has to know if he says "I quit!" then he'll get the end of a rope around his neck.
I'd consider the above a semi-authoritative answer. It's not THE answer because it hasn't officially been fleshed out and debated between Auchand and I, but it's one you can kind of rely upon...but not entirely!
As for the Half-Krolvin, there aren't really standing armies. You have a military guild which survives primarily from the contributions of other guilds, and guild members who have opted to be trained but then pursue other paths in lives (they exist somewhat as a reserve force). You also have raiders who like to raid Krolvin shipping, etc, so it's a somewhat militaristic society. You don't have an "army" so much as individuals who are skilled individually in weapons. Thus, you have the guild members, guild reserve, and those who raid (likely guild members). The guild members are loyal to the guild, which is loyal to the council that rules the community.
GM Scribes
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I suppose my co-guru and I should put together something on humans. From my own perspective, it doesn't differ drastically from what Aydan theorized for the Empire.
The Empire has its own standing forces, essentially paid for by taxes, tribute received from the provinces (I see a double dip - they'll claim certain taxes on things throughout the Empire - and at the same time, essentially lift from whatever the provincial governments are drawing in, too). By far, the Emperor can command the most standing troops at once. The Emperor also has the monopoly on militarized magic with regard to the Imperial Drakes. No other province has a branch of magical might. Generally, it'd be illegal for a province to have such, due to the monopoly the Imperial government exerts over magic via the Hall of Mages and the Imperial Drakes.
As Aydan noted, every province has its own standing forces, which vary in size by the either the economic means of the province, or by the personal decision of the rulers of that province. A province is expected to deal with its own problems at first and request help only when it cannot handle the problem (which provinces mainly prefer!). In times of war, the provinces could be expected to have their forces called upon, but likewise, the Emperor's forces may well be large enough to field a complete enough army. It would be an epic battle that drew upon every standing military force in the Empire. If more forces are needed, then conscription will provide that manpower.
Communication would be a mix of amulet and courier.
Information would generally be filtered on the field level by scouts reporting to commanding officers. There generally wouldn't be an Imperial Ministry of Information. While spy networks exist, they would do so by the personal creation of figures in authority, like the Royal Magister or what not.
As per operations in the field, you're operating on a line of sight basis. Army commanders may choose to lead from the front after setting up their forces opposite the enemy (putting the pieces in place) and then commencing the battle. Emperors no longer lead their forces into the field but rely on generals. Most troop movement is by regular means of either ship or marching. The Empire has an excellent network of roads to facilitate troop movement (as well increase trade).
In terms of quantity versus quality, it really is a mix depending on the combatants. Generally, quality will go a long way toward making up a numbers difference. One reason the Empire lost the Third Elven War was it did not simply have the quality of soldier to handle the demons thrown out by the Faendryl. The result was two fold, create a quality soldier and begin incorporating magic into your battle plans.
Sieges have happened and could happen, but generally, if you're at the point of a siege, it either means your initial and main army was defeated or the enemy caught you by surprise. Most conflicts in Elanthia that I've noted, have revolved around two armies meeting on the field. The recent exception are the armies of bad guys. They tend to show up fast and surround cities and towns, then siege.
Limited vs total - depends on who's fighting whom. Generally, we've mainly seen limited war. Wars have been more about resources than annihilation (except with the Faendryl and Ashrim). The goal is to destroy your enemies' forces and then take advantage of their resources. The only way total war would apply would be if you grabbed those resources and brought 'em home. ;)
There isn't a lot of jingoism in any conflict. The only people you have to convince to go to war (generally) are the ones in command of the forces. Your average turnip farmer may be conscripted and told, "You're off to fight the sylvan devils who threaten your family!" but that'd be about it. There'd be no real propaganda program of the sorts. All the farmer really has to know if he says "I quit!" then he'll get the end of a rope around his neck.
I'd consider the above a semi-authoritative answer. It's not THE answer because it hasn't officially been fleshed out and debated between Auchand and I, but it's one you can kind of rely upon...but not entirely!
As for the Half-Krolvin, there aren't really standing armies. You have a military guild which survives primarily from the contributions of other guilds, and guild members who have opted to be trained but then pursue other paths in lives (they exist somewhat as a reserve force). You also have raiders who like to raid Krolvin shipping, etc, so it's a somewhat militaristic society. You don't have an "army" so much as individuals who are skilled individually in weapons. Thus, you have the guild members, guild reserve, and those who raid (likely guild members). The guild members are loyal to the guild, which is loyal to the council that rules the community.
GM Scribes