And the #1 post of 2019 . . . Really? You know, I really didn’t expect this topic to come out on top. Heck, I didn’t even remember it. Another odd thing is that 3 of the 5 are 7 Tip Lists, but those seem to get a lot of praise. Anyway, Coming back from February 20, 2019!
You might think it’s easy to simply plop an army into a story and watch the soldiers clash in the background. Well, it can be done that way, but that prevents you from doing some world-building. You can learn a lot about a world and its kingdoms by the military forces that exist in there. So, it’s a good idea to put a little more depth into these creations and here are some semi-serious tips to help.
- Uniform uniformity is important. Bandits and a mercenary force can have a variety of looks, but an organized military needs some commonality among its members. This is because your rank and file soldiers have probably been given the same gear with only a few having unique looks. It’s the officers that might stand out with flashier weapons and armor, but even they might have a common theme. This can show the smithing culture and technology that exists in the kingdom as well as direct the tactics that they will use.
- Study some real world military systems to get an idea about how such hierarchies work. This really helps with knowing how to use the ranks and lingo. Call an army leader an Admiral instead of a General and you’ll get lectured. Only way out is to make it clear that your world uses the terms in this way. That means you can’t use them interchangeably. A great source for this would be to talk to a veteran or someone who is currently serving. You might get more info than you expected.
- It’s always fun to create some unique forces for the army. This can be a humanoid squad of specially trained soldiers or technological wonders. The former can be useful for heroes/villains that are pushed as threats that go beyond your basic enemy. The latter really only comes into play with large scale battles and sieges. Consider the environment that the army operates in for the most part to help. Can’t have war elephants in the arctic, but you can have mammoths.
- Remember the size of the army. They can’t march through an area without leaving a sign of their passage. You can see them coming from far away as well because you have hundreds to thousands of soldiers. Stealth is not an army’s strength, so don’t have them suddenly appear. I mean, it could work for humor if a hero wanders out of a tent or hotel to find themselves surrounded. Then again, they still see the army and it was only them being unaware that led to the incident. Doesn’t really work this way without author intervention or magic.
- Flags. Can’t have a fantasy army without flags.
- People talk about armies in fantasy worlds, so create some rumors or facts to help give the reader a sense of their reputation. This can reveal information about the rulers as well. Maybe people fear the soldiers or think they are champions of peace. Perhaps they are proud of never losing a battle or some other kind of record. It’s your choice on how much you show here, but just consider how we respond to our own military and work from there.
- If you put a lot of work into designing your fantasy army, try to use them for more than a quick scene of carnage. As tempting as it is to build up this amazing military force and then have a hero or villain crush it, you might regret making them a throwaway gimmick. First of all, the ‘one destroys many’ thing has been done, so it won’t have the shock value that you expect. Second, you can find more to do with them such as an extended battle or potential allies. In the end, this is the author’s decision, but it’s one that should probably take more thought than is usually given.
That’s some great advice and I’ll incorporate that into some of my future Revezia works. Thank you!
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Glad to be of help. 😁
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Sure thing. It’s definitely usable.
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Good tips. I hadn’t even thought of flags. Designing a flag could be fun.
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Thanks. I keep forgetting the flag thing too. My royal symbols are always last minute additions, so I have to double check them every time.
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I can see why it was so far up there among your posts. You give such great advice. You think of things many of us hadn’t thought of. I mention some soldiers in a book. But now I want to add more depth. Your tips help.
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Thanks. Happy to help.
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I enjoyed this one. I can see why it was number one.
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Thanks. I can see why too, but it’s always surprising for the winner to be fairly tame when compared to the wilder posts.
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I think it is the amount of good information and ideas that your readers enjoy.
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Oddly enough, I’m going to be doing some of this very soon. Good timing for this repeat.
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Awesome. Have fun with the building.
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Reblogged this on Loleta Abi Author & Book Blogger and commented:
Great blog post, Charles!
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Thanks for sharing
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You’re welcome, Charles! I really loved this post. It helps me visualize the armies a lot better when I think about what you’re describing.
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