A Treatise on War in the Modern Ageby

-- by Ur'General Lothringen d'Murani

 

 

Introduction

 

 

There are many factors a nation must weigh before choosing whether or

not it will be beneficial to plunge itself into war against another;

however, these judgments are often left to politicians. It is the task

of the general, and his soldiers, to conduct a campaign that brings the

most tangible benefit to his homeland.

 

In this connection, I have been commissioned by the Overlord of the

Midnight Legion, the premier corps of military technicians in the Basin

of Life, to compose a treatise on the art of warfare in the modern age.

The following is meant to act as a service manual to the Legions, in

pursuance of the objectives of the Empire of Magnagora on the field of

battle.

 

War is the prolonged conflict between nations in the Basin of Life;

warfare is the technique by which these conflicts are decided. Several

factors may contribute to the successful outcome of operations (which

may include villages, domoths, skirmishes, elemental and cosmic raids,

or any martial exercise) that determine which side is prevailing in a

given conflict. Because there are no definitive conditions for victory

or defeat, these are best judged in two ways: first, which side controls

the most tangible objectives, and second, which side exerts an

intangible dominance over the other.

 

This treatise shall deal less with the aspects of war, and more on the

operational tactics of warfare. By definition, it is a guide on how to

win battles, so that a conquerer might exert its influence over the

conquered and achieve its war aims. The fundamental principals of

warfare in the modern age that will be discussed in the following manual

are: access, maneuver, setup, coordination, and leadership.

 

 

Access

 

 

Before a given engagement can occur, it is important to ascertain the

access one has to the potential battlefield. For example, access to a

domoth battle that takes place on Facility can be facilitated via the

screwdriver bubblix, an aethership with a flashpoint, aethercraft

flying, aetherepic quest items, or a direct connection from the

controlling organisation's construct.

 

In assessing the various means of access, it is important to note that

all are not made equal. Assuming an evenly matched enemy has access to a

bubblix, and the Midnight Legion has only an aethership with a

flashpoint, the Legion is immediately at a significant disadvantage. The

ability of the enemy with the bubblix to regroup on the bubble after

defeat, or to pick up reinforcements, is drastically improved.

 

The nations in a conflict with the most access, therefore, find

themselves better able to project their power across planes. It is often

true that, in domoth battles, the side without optimized access

(bubblix, aetherepic device) will not even attempt to contest its claim

- an easy victory and renewal of the bonuses associated with domoth

capture for the claiming side.

 

Other examples of when superior access can prove to be a determining

factor in conflict include Fulcrux, Astral, Elemental, and Cosmic

battles. Access to these locations is all made significantly easier when

owning a transplanar cubix or torus - the side with more of these

devices finds its ability to reinforce and return far improved over

those who would have to take the roundabout of traveling to the

battlefield.

 

 

Setup

 

 

All engagements fall into two categories: the defensive and the

offensive. Of the two forms, the defensive is far superior - a group

that entrenches on an aetherbubble, for example, has a monumental

advantage over the one that must break through said entrenchment.

 

The perfect defense consists of a number of effects which are best

established prior to the action occuring. These include a fully

sanctified shrine, a meld, and pits. Assuming two groups of

approximately equal number and prowess, the attacking group will have

significant difficultly in assaulting through this confluence of

effects.

 

An absense of one of these effects significantly reduces the

effectiveness of the defense; however, defense is still the stronger of

the two forms when properly established. This is because the defender,

in a domoth claim, chooses the timing of their operation. Although the

defender does not choose the timing of the attack in the case of a

defense, say on the Cosmic Plane of Nil, the offense usually lacks the

benefit of a shrine, and the defender has access to powerful planar

effects that compensate. Therefore, offensive operations of that nature

often do not materialize until the offensive side has achieved

significant superiority in numbers.

 

A powerful defensive setup is especially important in the case of

wildnodes, because access to the Astral plane is available to anyone

during the event by means of astroglide. Large groups of attackers are

able to engage groups defending their nodes, whilst individual enemies

surreptitiously steal nodes behind their backs. It is important that

demense effects, shrine invasion, pits, and other abilities hamper the

movement of those individuals as effectively as possible so that they

can be dealt with before they are able to uproot nodes and escape. For

this reason, shrine distortion is also of paramount importance, to

prevent Empress and other such abilities.

 

 

Maneuver

 

 

Once an engagement has been decided, and one or both sides have

completed their setups, maneuver becomes the next significant factor in

deciding the outcome of a battle. The term maneuver is used to describe

the position you take, the position the enemy takes, and also the ways

in which you force an enemy (or he forces you) to move on the

battlefield.

 

Opposing armies rarely face each other in a prolonged slugfest. The

favoured method of attack is to first use forced means of maneuver, such

as beckon, chaindrag, or empress, to isolate and annihilate key

opponents before engaging the remaining forces at a distinct advantage.

Most methods of maneuvering your foe into proper position require being

adjacent to them on the battlefield; such is the case for rad, beckon,

chaindrag, wisp, tackle, barge, et cetera.

 

If you are able to maneuver key opponents into your force and destroy

them, you are likely able to win the enagement. Targets of special

importance include the holder of the enemy meld, individuals with access

to their own methods of maneuvering your allies into their force,

-chemantics or -wood users, a warrior who has laid pits throughout the

contested area, or the leader(s) of the enemy formation.

 

Conversely, if you are unable to win the war of maneuver, it is likely

you and your allies will be required to regroup and reposition

yourselves. In the case of a domoth battle, for example, this gives the

opponent time to either continue their consolidation of the

aetherbubble, remove any of the setup you have established, or continue

their claim uninterrupted, any of which will lessen your chances of

successfully ousting them when or if you return to fight again.

 

 

Coordination

 

 

It should go without saying that the quickest means of slaying a foe

should be utilized at all times; however, the method of doing so is not

always immediately available, or recognized, by the less experienced

members that often join in on raids, domoths, or defenses.

 

It is important, therefore, that you are able to coordinate with the

masses in real-time, sharing information with one another that will

determine the best course of action to take in order to accomplish the

goal desired: death. To do this, it is best to utilize the various

aethers to announce certain things you notice as they happen around you.

 

For example, if one is part of a group of warriors and hits the assigned

group target with a leg tendon, and that is announced over the

appropriate aether, other warriors in the group know to immediately

attack the target's head because parry and stance are negated. This is

the quickest means of slaying the target, because attacks to the arms or

chest, in this example, are less effective than the potential of slicing

his throat and beheading him.

 

These sorts of reflexes are equally important in more defensive

situations. If I witness that an ally is about to be decapitated by an

opponent, I can announce this over the aether and prompt others to web

the assailant if I am unable to act myself. This type of coordination is

often what sets two opposing forces apart in terms of their battlefield

effectiveness. It is surprising how many people take no notice of such

things, and how big of a difference prompt and decisive action can make

in dispatching foes and saving partners.

 

Announcing a strategy at the start of an engagement is an important way

of ensuring that each member of your group contributes successfully to

that engagement. Novices, or anyone with little combat experience, will

often be unaware of all the options available to them, and thus must be

taught how to be productive members of the group until they are able to

think for themselves and make the best choices based on their own experiences.

 

 

Leadership

 

 

A leader makes all the difference on the battlefield, especially when

multiple nations must align to combat multiple others. Without a

rallying force to lead the group, especially in the presence of great

numbers of people to coordinate, the masses quickly become disorganized

and are succeptible to a quick defeat.

 

Leadership is often as simple as having a citizen prominent enough that

everyone knows to follow them immediately when called for; however, the

best leaders are the ones who are familiar with the concepts discussed

above: access, setup, maneuver, and coordination. Access is especially

important, because the ability of leaders with access to quickly transit

large forces across the Basin's planes make them essential in projecting

power in the right places, at the right times.

 

In the absense of firm, trusted leadership, there are often too many

disparate voices heard over the aethers to decide upon the correct

course of action swiftly and decisively enough for success. Leadership

by committee is acceptable prior to the opening of hostilities; however,

once hostilities have commenced, having one individual entrusted with

making the correct decisions is paramount to the success of operations,

where time is often of the essence.

 

 

Conclusion

 

 

The concepts discussed above are universal. They can be used by any

city, or commune, to improve their effectiveness on the battlefield, not

the Midnight Legion alone. The concepts discussed are also not meant

solely for generals or the Overlord, but for the entire corps of

soldiers, who should all be familiar with this doctrine. Uniformity of

training leads to uniformity of mind, and action, and it is essential

for the Midnight Legion to move and act as one body to achieve great

success.

 

War is ubiquitous and ever-changing; stagnancy in its study and

application is, as always in the Engine of Transformation, unacceptable.