Differences in a Fantasy Universe

Of course, there’s nothing that says countries in a fantasy milieu must use any of the above techniques for raising troops; enterprising and creative commanders can, no doubt, devise other ways of acquiring the troops they need. In campaigns based around massive warfare and eternal conflicts--orc hordes attacking an elven forest, for example, or humans wishing to exterminate a colony of gnolls in the nearby hills--there might be no need to persuade able-bodied warriors to join the fray; they might willingly volunteer to do so. The same is true in “defense of the realm” situations. No matter what the circumstances, however, the questions that commanders must answer are similar: where do I get the troops, how do I equip them, and how can I train them to work together?

Warfare in a magic-sparse campaign world populated predominately by humans would probably resemble historical feudal warfare. In a magic-rich environment with many fantastical creatures, however, things would be quite different. William of Normandy didn’t have a squadron of griffon riders under his command, and the Battle of Hastings would have looked different if he had.

Medieval commanders labored under the “fog of war” much more than did later generals. Communication was sketchy at the best of times, and totally unreliable during a crisis; it was also limited to the speed of a racing dispatch rider. One can imagine a messenger arriving with an order to cancel the planned advance, just too late to stop the unit from charging into the jaws of death. Too, medieval generals didn’t always bother with reconnaissance or scouts, so their intelligence about enemy strength and position was often somewhat lacking.

In a fantasy campaign, many of these burdens are lifted. Spellcasters can provide instantaneous communication-either through spells like message or by teleporting directly to the recipient--as can magical items. Scrying spells and devices can give the general information about the foe almost down to the number of arrows in each archer’s quiver. Plus, flying creatures make exceptional forward observers.

Conversely, magic can add its own burdens. If you know that your foe has a high-level illusionist on the payroll, you’re less likely to welcome unexpected reinforcements into your formation without some kind of confirmation first. Also, your advance might be slowed slightly if you’re never sure whether each copse of trees is actually a unit of heavy crossbowmen under a massmorph spell. Hallucinatory terrain adds yet another level of doubt: is that rolling meadow over there actually Darkling Swamp…or is the map just wrong? It’s obvious that magic simply replaces one form of “fog of war” with another.

Fantastic creatures also make a big difference. Historical commanders never had to worry about attacks from the sky or from underground, and never had to face the fire and terror of a rampaging dragon.

Intelligent commanders will consider all these complexities as serious dangers to be watched out for, but also as potential tools to be used in their own campaigns.