Building a Fantasy Army – Elves
Introduction This post will concern typical fantasy elves. In other words, the Tolkien-inspired High Fantasy elves, rather than their folklore fairy counterparts. Physiology and Biology Elves are generally human-sized, though […]
Building a Fantasy Army Part 8: Weapons and Tactics
‘Dis be the final part of the series. ‘Ere we go! Weapons and Tactics Weapons and armour In antiquity and early Middle Ages, main weapon was spear. Both infantry and […]
Building a Fantasy Army Part 7: Logistics
An army marches on its stomach. What this means is that while a fantasy writer probably should not spend words boring his readers with minutae of logistical arrangements, some thought […]
Building a Fantasy Army Part 6: Numbers
How large an army will be depends largely on the ability of state to support the army – and in premodern times, that was very limited, as agriculture was not […]
Building a Fantasy Army Part 5: Recruitment
Soldiers may be recruited in several ways: tribal militia rural militia urban militia part-time professionals full-time professionals mercenaries None of these systems is, in and by itself, better or worse […]
Building a Fantasy Army Part 4: Organization
Most primitive tribal armies consist of militias which contain all adult males of the group. In such cases, there is no distinction between civilians and soldiers, and peacetime leaders are […]
Building a Fantasy Army Part 3: Strategy and Enemies
Strategy includes purpose of the army as well as the means by which it aims to fulfill its purpose. At the basic level, military can be either offensive or defensive. […]
Building a Fantasy Army Part 2: Society and Politics
Society and Culture Tribal armies are often infantry-based; while nobility may fight mounted, they rarely develop an effective cavalry arm. Tribal society often has an emphasis on individual valour which […]
Building a Fantasy Army, Part 1: Introduction and Environment
Introduction Military is often an important part of fantasy, even if it is not military fantasy specifically. Epic fantasy such as Lord of the Rings, and political fantasy such as […]
