If you’re constructing a full-scale world to your marketing campaign, that may seemingly contain armies. Let’s focus on what occurs in the true world with the intention to keep away from straining the disbelief of your gamers.

“I am not afraid of an Army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of sheep led by a lion.” – Alexander the Great

There are a number of totally different sorts of armies. This column and subsequent, I’m going to speak about a few of these sorts. This time it’ll be about armies basically, subsequent time about particular sorts of armies.

National Armies​

In the trendy world we’re accustomed to “national armies”, the army consisting of roughly 10% of your complete inhabitants of a rustic.

Of course, we’re used to the thought of countries, folks with related tradition and language generally, all loyal to the thought of a single political entity. That is, a nation is a folks, not a political state/nation. Some nations don’t have any nation. Yet a nation on this sense is primarily a contemporary concept. (I’ll speak one other time in regards to the nature of impartial “states” (not USA states).)

Here I’m within the totally different sorts of armies that may turn into concerned in melee warfare, often fairly totally different from nationwide armies, and infrequently not professionally educated.

National armies within the sense of a levy of a complete inhabitants (conscription – the draft) are an concept of the French Revolution (1789) and later. Before that, political states not often turned wholly embroiled in warfare (historic Greece is an exception). Warfare was a matter for the ruler slightly than for the populace as a complete.

Tribal Armies​

Perhaps the thought of nationwide armies isn’t so totally different from age-old tribal armies in conception, however conscription leads to professionally-trained armies who serve constantly for years. Tribal armies had been a brief levy of all males of army age, who had been anticipated to have some capacity to battle, however no formal coaching. Greek city-state armies relied on well-to-do males who had some coaching, however had been referred to as up quickly, and will embody as a lot as 1 / 4 of your complete (free) inhabitants. All the teams thought to be “barbarians” by civilized nations relied on tribal armies; however the “barbarians” had been sometimes so robust and used to battle that they may overcome civilized armies – even Empire-era Roman professionals.

In most fantasy worlds you received’t have modern-style nations, besides maybe when a complete species is recognized as a nation. And the rulers of these polities that aren’t nations received’t have the ability to mobilize your complete populace. Often, the populace received’t give a rattling in regards to the impending struggle, as a result of one ruler (of the identical species) will probably be very like one other from their perspective.

Agricultural or Monied?​

A serious query to ask in regards to the nature of armies is whether or not they got here from an agricultural economic system or a monied economic system. In the latter coinage is widespread and used for transactions, whereas within the former coinage is uncommon and most transactions are barter, with agricultural items being the first native commerce items. In the monied economic system troopers will often be paid, whereas within the agricultural economic system troopers will often be obligated to serve and should not in any other case paid. This is, for instance, a distinction between the Roman Empire (your complete Empire was organized round paying the troopers) and the Roman Republic.

Humanoid “monsters” might set up armies in a lot the identical means as people do. But so many monsters are not connected to a political state, they’re often what I’ve referred to as tribal.

Logistics​

I’ve quoted Napoleon about logistics. Keep in thoughts that armies are clearly vital in warfare, however logistics, and management, are sometimes extra vital. Keeping your troopers in provide, of meals, water, clothes, transport, weapons, and all the opposite paraphernalia of struggle, makes an enormous distinction. But not a lot of something can compensate for poor management.

Next time I’ll focus on explicit sorts of armies, similar to dynastic and feudal armies.

Your Turn: How vital is the character of armies in your RPG campaigns?