# Worldbuilding Military Q&A



## Aldarion (Oct 17, 2019)

OK, since I am mostly interested in military fantasy, I will be posting prompts here about military worldbuilding. You can answer them in any order, or add your own - provided you leave some time (a couple of days) for a previous prompt to "cool off".

First prompt: *How is your military recruited?*


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## Orc Knight (Oct 17, 2019)

Aldarion said:


> First prompt: *How is your military recruited?*



It is a long and complicated process, known as 'Getting volunteered'. Okay, not really it, but the wood elves as always have one of the most forward recruiting processes. By set up they are a big portion of the military forces, put in many of the regiments and knighthoods and various other war bands throughout their society. Most are just generally drafted in as military service is standard for most and those with particular strengths can be put into different area's according to specializations or general aptitude. Given knighthood is more a military thing, any can become knights too, if they can withstand the training.

Delver dwarves also have a compulsory conscription and most nobles are expected to serve of any race. Not always as officers as even Eld has learned that they don't necessarily have all the talent. Even with training. They end up in middle management or attempting to serve from the front, which is a good way of culling them. Since there is so many I just use the most common one as the example.


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## Aldarion (Oct 18, 2019)

*Question 2*: What are "core" unit of militaries in your world, ones around which tactics revolve? Heavy cavalry, pike, archers? Do they have support units, and if so, which are most important?


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## Miles Lacey (Oct 18, 2019)

Aldarion said:


> First prompt: *How is your military recruited?*



Under the terms of the Treaty of Chur'Bro which ended the Great War the Tarakan Empire cannot introduce conscription.  Radio advertising, billboards, posters and newsreels are all used to promote military service either in regional military units or in the Imperial military.  The current number of people under arms is about 1.8 million.


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## Miles Lacey (Oct 18, 2019)

Aldarion said:


> *Question 2*: What are "core" unit of militaries in your world, ones around which tactics revolve? Heavy cavalry, pike, archers? Do they have support units, and if so, which are most important?



The Tarakan Empire is a maritime rather than a continental empire so the core branch is the navy.  After the Tarakan Empire was defeated in the Great War the Imperial military was overhauled and the various branches of the military were better integrated with unified command structures and better co-ordination between the various branches (i.e. the army, the air force and the navy).  Regional military units are set up primarily to serve as reserves for the Imperial military and to deal with local non-military threats to national security such as pirates, attacks by sea creatures like the dreaded nagas and doomsday religious cults.


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## Devor (Oct 18, 2019)

Aldarion said:


> *Question 2*: What are "core" unit of militaries in your world, ones around which tactics revolve? Heavy cavalry, pike, archers? Do they have support units, and if so, which are most important?



In Smughitter the sprites have three parts to their military, the Oakstones, the Hushthorns, and the Clashades.  The Oakstones rely on illusion to create ambushes for their opponents. The Hushthorns work through infiltration and manipulation to operate behind enemy lines.  And the Clashades are a defense force relying on home field advantage.  They also have about half a dozen small hot air balloon ships, mostly for transport and patrol.  Finally, they have the Big Bircha, which is a catapult or trebuchet (little bircha, big bircha) that launches small hot air balloon platforms into the skies high above their enemies. Since sprites are only 8 inches tall and can fly, the platforms serve to create an aerial base of operations.


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## Malik (Oct 18, 2019)

Aldarion said:


> *Question 2*: What are "core" unit of militaries in your world, ones around which tactics revolve? Heavy cavalry, pike, archers? Do they have support units, and if so, which are most important?



The core unit is the royal army, an artisan class of soldier modeled in most respects after the samurai. There are levies, but for the most part, one does not enlist the general fool for military maneuvers. Most of the army is infantry, with battalions of fast-moving dragoons (traveling on horseback but fighting on foot), and light cavalry, as well.

They're mostly an area-denial presence; the majority of battles are small skirmishes between a dozen or so troops, and most fighting (spoiler: until the MCs screw it all up) is/was nonlethal. Major battles are often avoided/settled by a one-on-one fight with each side choosing a champion, and they typically fight until one of them quits. (A: they don't have the population to field major, LOTR-sized battles; B: it is super-hard to kill someone in armor unless you have specialized tools. You pretty much have to beat the crap out of them until they decide to quit.)

I also have knights, because fantasy. These are the elite fighters, and many are highly specialized. Most come from noble or landholding families, because it takes the kind of trainers and equipment that most families can't afford to produce a soldier of their caliber. Training a knight might be the most expensive thing a family does; there's a local idiom that translates roughly to "selling the house to raise a knight." It's taken very, very seriously.

I modeled my chivalric orders after our own Special Operations Command, where I currently serve.

The orders, which are comparatively small, handle the necessary Special Operations functions of the military: the Order of the Star, for instance, finds lost travelers during peacetime and also specializes in mapping, which in a pre-industrial society is a never-ending chore. In times of war they deploy forward into enemy-held territory performing Special Reconnaissance. There's a small, elite order that rides pegasi who specialize in battlefield recon, command and control, and communication between outposts. A neighboring country uses an order of gryphon-riding knights as pegasus-killers.

Several other orders function as Direct Action troops, launching small scale offensives and seizing and holding key targets and terrain until the "real" army arrives.

The MC's order handles intelligence gathering and counterinsurgency operations under the guise of providing training to castle troops, where allegiances can get fuzzy. They show up as trainers, keep an ear to the ground, scout local talent, and talk to their sources (spies). They report to the Lord High Inquisitor, who runs the king's spy network.


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## Orc Knight (Oct 18, 2019)

Aldarion said:


> *Question 2*: What are "core" unit of militaries in your world, ones around which tactics revolve? Heavy cavalry, pike, archers? Do they have support units, and if so, which are most important?



Heavy calvary and heavy infantry are what amounts to the core units. It is the time of shiny knights, but they aren't the be all and end all. Things like magic, dragons, air dropped elephants and calvary, flying calvary and guns can completely ruin days. Most military units use heavy support tactics and a lot of magic is used as artillery and heavy artillery (such as dropping space rocks on the battlefield). It tends to look like shinier modern military warfare, with a lot of the 'lead by charging' mindset that all but the Zukal kingdoms go for.

Then they have golems and guns, so they can do warfare many ways. Add into their biological, alchemical and mechanical augments and you have one of the single most adaptive militaries in the world. Or did, due to their losses they can't support the regiments and golems they used to be able to. Loss of airships for transport leaves all but their griffons mostly grounded, but their mounts can go forever anyways, being golems and all.


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## Aldarion (Oct 20, 2019)

*Question 3*: What is the organizational structure of your military(ies)? Are unit sizes and ranks standardized? Who commands armies in the field? Are civilian and military command structure unified or separate? How much power do military commanders have in the government?


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## Orc Knight (Oct 20, 2019)

Aldarion said:


> *Question 3*: What is the organizational structure of your military(ies)? Are unit sizes and ranks standardized? Who commands armies in the field? Are civilian and military command structure unified or separate? How much power do military commanders have in the government?



That's a lot of questions in one go. Zukal is all standardized for the most part. As for who commands the armies on the fields? Usually kings or queens or generals who have earned the spot or even witches and wizards of great power. As of now there's really no civilian or military command structure, being one in the same and most military commanders hold a lot of power in the governments. It helps to have armies on ones beck and call.


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## Aldarion (Oct 20, 2019)

Orc Knight said:


> That's a lot of questions in one go. Zukal is all standardized for the most part. As for who commands the armies on the fields? Usually kings or queens or generals who have earned the spot or even witches and wizards of great power. As of now there's really no civilian or military command structure, being one in the same and most military commanders hold a lot of power in the governments. It helps to have armies on ones beck and call.



Well it was originally all in one question, but I wanted to avoid one-sentence answers. You will note that all other questions are subsets of the first question.


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## Miles Lacey (Oct 20, 2019)

Aldarion said:


> *Question 3*: What is the organizational structure of your military(ies)? Are unit sizes and ranks standardized? Who commands armies in the field? Are civilian and military command structure unified or separate? How much power do military commanders have in the government?



It is widely believed in the Tarakan Empire that the rivalries and lack of adequate communication between the branches of the military was a key factor so a Joint Chiefs-of Staff was established which oversees all navy, army and air force operations.  The military also appoints the Imperial Minister of Defence and the Minister of Internal Security.  The Coast Guard is technically not military but it is run along military lines and the people in it hold naval ranks.  Part of the reason why it's not military is because it is run by various regional governments.

Ranks each have their equivalent in the other branches.  An example is that a Captain in the army is the same rank as a Lieutenant in the navy and a Flight Lieutenant in the air force.  

Unit sizes in the Imperial army are organised as follows:

A squad is made up of ten soldiers.  Ten squads form a company.  Ten companies form a brigade.  Ten brigades form a division.  Ten divisions form an Army Corps.  

In peacetime the military answers to the Imperial Prime Minister but in wartime they answer to the Monarch.  The military is in command in the field but they answer to a civilian government even in war.

Each region also has their own military units that are organised as regional governments see fit.  They mostly deal with piracy and bandits.  Their training is standardised with that of the Imperial military so in the event of war they can be integrated into the Imperial military.

Weapons are also standardised because it's cheaper to manufacture large numbers of such weapons.  

Political instability brought about by an economic depression and the stigma of losing the Great War has resulted in the military becoming more involved in politics.  This is causing concern among many people who see it as a military coup by stealth.


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## Aldarion (Oct 22, 2019)

*Question 4*: Which units are considered auxilliaries in your military? How are they organized and recruited?


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## Miles Lacey (Oct 22, 2019)

Aldarion said:


> *Question 4*: Which units are considered auxilliaries in your military? How are they organized and recruited?



Regional military units are viewed as auxiliary units.  Their organisation varies from region to region.  When they are incorporated into the Imperial military during times of war the units are named after the regions they come from and serve a variety of roles.  As all regional units are trained along the same lines as the Imperial military they don't require additional training.

In the Great War regional units were used in roles such as naval and air patrols within Tarakan Imperial territory to free up Imperial soldiers for combat in overseas operations.


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## CupofJoe (Oct 23, 2019)

Aldarion said:


> *Question 3*: What is the organizational structure of your military(ies)? Are unit sizes and ranks standardized? Who commands armies in the field? Are civilian and military command structure unified or separate? How much power do military commanders have in the government?


The military doesn't play a big role in my WiP but in the back of my head I have an old/ancient Indian army in mind [conveniently I have forgotten the exact regime that employed it]. They had units of about 30-35 that included archers, spearmen and light cavalry. These could operate individually or be combined in to larger groups. I'm not planning on having any large scale battles but if a small town was suddenly put under martial law by the arrival of half a dozen of these groups... it might make things interesting.


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## Orc Knight (Oct 23, 2019)

Aldarion said:


> *Question 4*: Which units are considered auxilliaries in your military? How are they organized and recruited?



I'm honestly not sure. There's always reserves and the guards along with units left to occupy cities and villages but nothing as a true auxiliary in the Fea West. Zukal and the Celestial lands had Occupation Troopers and logistics auxiliaries up until they occupied all and turned it into their Empires. Then the occupational troopers became the guard and the 5-0 and then common citizens and eventually part of the entire framework. The logistics people tend to move on.


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## ThinkerX (Oct 23, 2019)

Aldarion said:


> OK, since I am mostly interested in military fantasy, I will be posting prompts here about military worldbuilding. You can answer them in any order, or add your own - provided you leave some time (a couple of days) for a previous prompt to "cool off".
> 
> First prompt: *How is your military recruited?*



Solarian military is volunteer, save in times of crisis, like the Traag War.  Used to be recruits had to be at least Plebeian's (free lower class).  However, about forty years prior to the Traag conflict, Emperor Franklin (a sort of 'faux populist' despised by the elite) declared that serfs could be enlisted, and furthermore, would be granted citizenship and land upon completion of twenty years service. Press gangs are not unknown in the navy.

Avar Knights - also part of the military in a sideways sort of way - are hereditary nobles, though especially capable commoners are also knighted, hence joining the bottom rung of the aristocracy.


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## ThinkerX (Oct 23, 2019)

Aldarion said:


> *Question 2*: What are "core" unit of militaries in your world, ones around which tactics revolve? Heavy cavalry, pike, archers? Do they have support units, and if so, which are most important?



In Solaria, that'd be the Legion, modeled fairly closely after the old roman legions - because, traced back far enough, Solaria's founders were members of the Roman Empire on earth, circa AD 250...give or take a few decades. Until the Traag War, this meant infantry, equipped with short swords, spears, bows or crossbows, leather armor covered with scales from Fumar trees, and shields.  Cavalry (Avar, usually) are mostly knights.  

The Traag War brought multiple groundbreaking innovations, the two most prominent of which were bicycles - effectively tripling the daily distance a legion could travel - and blasting powder, used with devastating effect in the closing battles of the war.


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## Aldarion (Oct 26, 2019)

*Question 5*: What is the most common ranged weapon in your world?


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## Orc Knight (Oct 26, 2019)

Aldarion said:


> *Question 5*: What is the most common ranged weapon in your world?



The good ol' bow and arrows and magic. The bow in Fea or Green hands is still an incredibly long range weapon, particularly wood elf or troll hands. It stays a top tier and common weapon even against human guns and eventually alien guns. In fact, one of the feats accomplished during Eld's eventual alien invasion was the taking out of a spaceship with a single arrow. Delivered straight to the pilot. From over a mile away. A head shot right through an eye.

As for magic, it is of course common due to being able to throw things like fireballs and ice and other things (up to and including animals and small armies) at the opposing side. It is versatile and can be used as artillery, with meteorites, astroids and pieces of stars being flung into the battlefield at range and to much devastation. It often acts as a starter barrage with the arrows.


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## Miles Lacey (Oct 26, 2019)

Aldarion said:


> *Question 5*: What is the most common ranged weapon in your world?



The Most common ranged weapon is the howitzer followed by the fighter-bomber.


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## Aldarion (Oct 27, 2019)

*Question 6*: What are "special" weapons in your world? Greek fire etc.


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## Orc Knight (Oct 27, 2019)

Aldarion said:


> *Question 6*: What are "special" weapons in your world? Greek fire etc.



Beings that can warp reality around them. They are rare, they are obviously very powerful and if the whole two of them had any idea of how their powers worked they'd be even more incredibly dangerous then they already are. They achieve things in ignorance that others would love to learn.


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## Aldarion (Oct 31, 2019)

*Question 7*: Any mythological / mythical weapons?


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## CupofJoe (Nov 1, 2019)

Aldarion said:


> *Question 6*: What are "special" weapons in your world? Greek fire etc.





Aldarion said:


> *Question 7*: Any mythological / mythical weapons?


These are sort of the same thing...
The lesser of the two main factions has a small force of mounted flying "Monsters".There are few dozen each of Griffins and Hippogriffs, about a score of Giant Eagles and a very few dragons [sometimes only one]. Their role is usually seen as mainly symbolic [acting as honour guards or diplomatic communications] but generations old stories are still told about a massed attack on the Empire army that lead to an enlarged stronger Empire. Thousands of empire troops died under fire, tooth, claw and beak but at great cost to the creatures. This was just before the faction sued for peace and joined the empire.


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## Pemry Janes (Nov 1, 2019)

Aldarion said:


> *Question 6*: What are "special" weapons in your world? Greek fire etc.


Living swords are a fairly recent invention. They combine sentience with magical powers, but unlike simple enchanted items they don't run out. However, making them is very difficult and only a few have the skill so they're very high status objects.


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## Aldarion (Nov 1, 2019)

*Question 8:* Which forms of armour are typically used in your world? Mail, scale, plate, brigandine...


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## Miles Lacey (Nov 2, 2019)

Aldarion said:


> *Question 6*: What are "special" weapons in your world? Greek fire etc.



Dragon mounted maxim machine guns.


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## Hexasi (Nov 9, 2019)

*Question 1: *To be honest, it depends on where you go in my world. In some regions, like Basqaria, you'll find soldiers that are recruited using government conscription and Census data, in other kingdoms, it'll just be a mob of peasants riled as much as possible by some local lord armed with sticks and flint arrowheads. There's a very wide difference of government control between borders and seas: you might find cities who use children stolen from the crib at birth, or selected from promising nobles at the age of 20 or so.

*Question 2: *Again, the units you'll find depend on where you go. In the most politically relevant armies, you'll find cavalry (supported by outriders) pike and spear units, swordsmen backed by archers, archers backed by seige engines. The more unique units are akin to the Greek phalanx or Roman testudo.

For a detailed study, we'll go with the 11th Basqarian army currently serving in the Bight of Mysaal. In a single formation, known as a Segmens, of the army (about 1/20 of the whole army) the trumpeters are at the back of the formation, then the archers on raised siege platforms (about 1 metre off the ground) pulled by Bull Oxen. Standard bearers are also situated on this platform. In front of the siege platform, there are cavalry and mounted spear men. Next, outriders, mercenaries, and the Frontal Army, consisting of 10 officers, a captain and around 30 legionaries. This grouping is considered the most important collection of units as it does most of the fighting. There is also a cohort of about 50 dragon hounds to run down stragglers. Following this whole collection, there is the rest of the war camp. This includes, amongst other units, drummers and auxiliary units such as surplus archers and small artillery.

*Question 3: *This question can be answered more directly. The chain of command goes directly from the general of the army to the Frontal Army (captains and commanders) , then to the auxiliaries and followers of the war camp. As for who has command in government, under the Umial Laws passed after the formation of the republic of Mestodar & Yatheron, there are five war consuls at the seat of government and monarchy. Before this time in around 304 YO (Years Orthanium) Basqarian military leadership was done under a king and his single consul known as a Verant Daroan. Current War Consuls are Iacos Matar, Enyas Latothaerion Marun, Caitas Ocythyan, Ponchas Yymon Kifyrthon and Grand Consul Talaris Deniphion Ularta, under the 3rd consulate of Mallachon.

*Question 4: *Answered above - organised mainly by Lesser War Archons, elected by aforementioned war consuls.

*Question 5: *Bow and arrow. Yes, artillery exists and cannons are coming into use across the world but given as guns and gunpowder have not been realised as a practical ranged weapon at this time in most regions, Bow and arrow in various shapes and sizes are still the most common ranged weapons.

*Question 6 and 7: *No. Most mythic weapons were lost to the world in the midst of the Orthanium, where magic and the gods ceased in most part to be. There are, however, rumours of armies in the east with weapons blessed and cursed with enormous power, wielded by men with five arms riding on serpents of nine tongues...

As for special weaponry... cannons and siege engines would have to be considered so, I suppose. The former would be harder to obtain for any army. 

*Question 8: *
Anything you can get your hands on. There are some government issue weapons and armour, but mostly, soldiers have to get what they can find on the market.
*
*


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## Miles Lacey (Nov 9, 2019)

Aldarion said:


> *Question 7*: Any mythological / mythical weapons?



I'm not sure if this would count as a mythical weapon but...

When a mage reaches the rank of Adept they are allowed to practice magic in their own right.  Mages at this level tend to work alone, with a partner or as part of a trio or quartet depending upon circumstances.  For self defence they carry a staff that allows them to "remove the ability of their attackers to do harm to them".  It's designed to deliver a shock equivalent to that of a very powerful taser.  

Though mages can use combat magic this is best avoided as any time a mage uses magic it leaves that mage's unique mark on the person's body that can be seen with the use of an ultra-violet light.  A staff does not leave a mage's mark on their body.


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## Miles Lacey (Nov 9, 2019)

Aldarion said:


> *Question 8:* Which forms of armour are typically used in your world? Mail, scale, plate, brigandine...



The level of military technology in my work in progress is akin to that of the late 1930s in our world.  Armour, as most people who read fantasy would understand it, has gone the way of the proverbial dodo.  However, most soldiers do carry backpacks that have armour in the back made either from hardened leather or a metal like steel, iron or bronze that can be used as a makeshift shield to protect themselves from small projectiles and pieces of shrapnel if they're caught in the open.


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## Aldarion (Nov 9, 2019)

*Question 9: *Typical form of fortification / fortress.


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## Hexasi (Nov 9, 2019)

*Question 9: *This is a bit of a vague question, but I'll do my best to answer. Armies usually use occupied buildings that were previously constructed as a base of operations. Constructing a whole new defensive complex for a border skirmish that typically takes a few months to resolve... not practical.


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## Miles Lacey (Nov 9, 2019)

Aldarion said:


> *Question 9: *Typical form of fortification / fortress.



After the Tarakan Empire was defeated in the Great War the armed forces were banned from having military conscription.  The resulting plummet in the number of military personnel and the lessons learned from their defeat led to the abandonment of traditional fortifications.  

Fortifications are now built into hills and other natural features to provide maximum cover, make them very hard to detect by aircraft or ship and provide those people manning the fortifications with excellent fields of vision both inland and out to sea.  (As a maritime nation defensive strategy was based on protecting ports etc from attacks by sea and air.  During the Great War Occidental military forces usually landed on beaches out of range of the guns of fortifications then advanced inland before attacking the forts from inland.)

Guns and loading mechanisms are often automated so it reduces the number of crews needed to operate them.


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## Aldarion (Nov 9, 2019)

Hexasi said:


> *Question 9: *This is a bit of a vague question, but I'll do my best to answer. Armies usually use occupied buildings that were previously constructed as a base of operations. Constructing a whole new defensive complex for a border skirmish that typically takes a few months to resolve... not practical.



I meant it in construction terms: whether it is square fort / pseudo-castra, motte and bailey, concentric castle, star fort and so on. Although if you do not have enough technical / terminological knowledge, a descriptive answer like Miles Lacey did. So you may expand on what you already described: how are buildings turned into fortresses? What are modifications? How are walls constructed: wooden pallisade, earthworks (ditch and rampart?), stone walls...?


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## Miles Lacey (Nov 9, 2019)

If people are having problems with terminology then I would recommend posting an image of what they have in mind.  The above image of the Maginot Line is pretty much what I was thinking of when I described the fortifications in my reply.  My story is set in a tropical environment so it would be surrounded by tropical foliage.


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## Orc Knight (Nov 9, 2019)

Aldarion said:


> *Question 7*: Any mythological / mythical weapons?



All of them? There's relic weapons and the sort. And the sword Lightbringer, which get's the title Lich Killer, because it got really good at killing Liches. Literally any weapon held by the legends of the days can count as mythical weapons. Along with weapons held by Liches. Even in the current day, airships count as nigh mythical relics. That are also mobile weapons platforms. And land ships. Really, after an apocalypse happens, everything kind of get's that mythical feel. Even guns.



Aldarion said:


> *Question 8:* Which forms of armour are typically used in your world? Mail, scale, plate, brigandine


The typical is whatever counts towards standards of whatever military you're outfitted with at the time and how much money they have. Most knights will have half and full plate and others with mail. Leather and piecemeal armor is quite common. Power armor is something that still pops up, but mostly in the hands of goblins, dwarves and humans.



Aldarion said:


> *Question 9: *Typical form of fortification / fortress.



With as much magic, stone and steel and concrete and other such. Mostly rounded and stocky sorts that can use magic to fold in on itself to turtle. They have to be prepared to take on land, ground, air and underground units. And a lot are built to withstand meteors, astroids, tidal waves and earthquakes. Many are built into mountains or world trees. Anything to withstand the forces of nature as wielded by powerful people and other beings. From orc mountain holds, dwarven fortress monasteries and human floating fortresses, there's a lot of forts around. Though again, as it is after the apocalypse, most of them are in ruins. Because an elf queen punched them down, most likely.


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## Hexasi (Nov 10, 2019)

Aldarion said:


> I meant it in construction terms: whether it is square fort / pseudo-castra, motte and bailey, concentric castle, star fort and so on. Although if you do not have enough technical / terminological knowledge, a descriptive answer like Miles Lacey did. So you may expand on what you already described: how are buildings turned into fortresses? What are modifications? How are walls constructed: wooden pallisade, earthworks (ditch and rampart?), stone walls...?


Thanks for the clarification. I don't have the technical knowledge, but most of these old forts take on a form similar to that of a stone castle, with high walls and a couple of gates. These places are turned into fortresses in the absence of occupants: they are not very practical places to live. Food is brought in through gates and additional walls are sometimes raised in the surrounding area to prevent raids, as well as guard posts. Banners raised, etc. Stables are usually mocked up into living quarters if there are none in the fortress, and additional stables are constructed using local resources for the horses. Occupation usually lasts only a few weeks or months, then armies might begin to construct camps around the walls, which are moveable.


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## CelestialGrace (Nov 11, 2019)

Aldarion said:


> OK, since I am mostly interested in military fantasy, I will be posting prompts here about military worldbuilding. You can answer them in any order, or add your own - provided you leave some time (a couple of days) for a previous prompt to "cool off".
> 
> First prompt: *How is your military recruited?*



I'm not up to this stage yet but I'll be making note of these questions when I am. Thank you


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## Aldarion (Nov 17, 2019)

*Question 10:* What type(s) of ships is (are) used for naval warfare in your world?


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## Orc Knight (Nov 17, 2019)

Aldarion said:


> *Question 10:* What type(s) of ships is (are) used for naval warfare in your world?



Given naval warfare isn't one of my better points, I'm not sure what I can give you on this. I just call them warships and the like. But there's subs and even full steel battleships. And naval warfare isn't even limited to ships as is. But, it happens, I just don't know all the technical stuff for them.


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## Insolent Lad (Nov 17, 2019)

Aldarion said:


> *Question 10:* What type(s) of ships is (are) used for naval warfare in your world?


In my most recently finished novel, the naval battles are between the large dugout outrigger canoes (some up to seventy or eighty foot long, and some double-hulled) of the Mora versus the boxy boats of the Kohari, made of _kuru_ (breadfruit) wood planks 'sewed' together with palm fiber and calked. These are rarely even half the size of the largest Mora canoes and clumsier in terms of hulls and sails. They are definitely slower moving in a straight (or nearly straight) line but their size and flat bottoms give them some advantages in maneuverability. Also, higher sides provide more protection when arrows are exchanged. But nothing can protect them when a big dugout plows into one.


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## Aldarion (Nov 17, 2019)

Insolent Lad said:


> In my most recently finished novel, the naval battles are between the large dugout outrigger canoes (some up to seventy or eighty foot long, and some double-hulled) of the Mora versus the boxy boats of the Kohari, made of _kuru_ (breadfruit) wood planks 'sewed' together with palm fiber and calked. These are rarely even half the size of the largest Mora canoes and clumsier in terms of hulls and sails. They are definitely slower moving in a straight (or nearly straight) line but their size and flat bottoms give them some advantages in maneuverability. Also, higher sides provide more protection when arrows are exchanged. But nothing can protect them when a big dugout plows into one.



So basically prehistorical naval battles? Sounds interesting.


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## Miles Lacey (Nov 18, 2019)

Aldarion said:


> *Question 10:* What type(s) of ships is (are) used for naval warfare in your world?



Because of the restrictions of the Treaty of Chur'Bro signed in 7424 that ended the Great War the Tarakan Imperial navy cannot operate outside of its territorial waters and the ban on conscription means that the Imperial government needs to have a navy whose vessels can operate with relatively few personnel.

The preference of the navy is for fast ocean going vessels that can carry soldiers and their equipment so there is a preference for amphibious warfare vessels, frigates, destroyers and patrol boats (which include armoured riverboats).  Submarines similar to German U-Boats have been developed but there's not a lot of them at the moment because the Empire is in the midst of an economic depression.

One of the more unusual types of vessels used by the navy is a naga hunter.  Naga hunters are similar to whaling ships but they have to be heavily armoured because nagas (sea serpents) can wrap their tentacles around small to medium sized vessels and crush them.  Their engines are very powerful because they have to be able to break out of the clutches of a naga's tentacles.


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## Pemry Janes (Nov 18, 2019)

Aldarion said:


> *Question 10:* What type(s) of ships is (are) used for naval warfare in your world?


A mixture of longships and galleys, depending on the nation involved. Nobody really braves the open ocean for long on account of the territorial creatures related to dragons that call those waters home.

So war at sea, if it happens, is mostly boarding actions.


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## Insolent Lad (Nov 18, 2019)

Aldarion said:


> So basically prehistorical naval battles? Sounds interesting.



Yes, essentially Polynesians and Proto-Malays at a neolithic level of technology. Of course, the differences in the vessels didn't matter so much when the Kohari called up a sea-serpent to help them.


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