Scale of War
"It is the rule in war, if our forces are ten to the enemy's one, to surround him; if five to one, to attack him; if twice as numerous, to divide our army into two. If equally matched, we can offer battle; if slightly inferior in numbers, we can avoid the enemy; if quite unequal in every way, we can flee from him." -Sun Tzu,
The Art of WarThere are many ways in which to run, and ultimately experience the war campaign. It is important to identify the method of gameplay, in order to prepare yourself with the tactics and knowledge needed to seize victory. This is a very basic part of one of Sun Tzu's main points: that you must know yourself if you plan on winning battles. Know yourself and your enemy, and you shall win a hundred battles. If you don't even know your rank, how will you know yourself?
Therefore, I shall identify what I observe to be the main modes of operation for war campaigns. Namely, there are three levels of gameplay in the war campaign.
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(1) The SoldierWhen playing at the soldier level, your tactical decisions are relatively few. You are usually in control of only your own character. I entitle this gameplay style as the soldier, but it encompasses much more than being a rank-and-file pikesman. The staple of this style is the 'strike team,' a small group of elite forces (the party) which is sent on missions of great importance, often requiring great power, skill, and stamina. In this sense the war is very much a narrative background. The DM will usually describe the war and how you're affecting it, but you'll very rarely be on the front rank, mowing down 1st-level orc warriors.
In the soldier gameplay style, your focus is on you and your fellow party members. You may not even have to tailor yourself very much to fit in this environment. You don't have to worry too much on methods of attack, or basic military tactics. That will all be figured out by the NPCs that are giving you orders (the DM).
It is important to note that the players almost need to be railroaded by definition of this archetype. The DM and players should discuss beforehand the implications of this playstyle. The DM must be adamant in asuring that the PCs understand that they do not have free will in this game, lest they risk becoming fugatives, or being executed for insubordination.
This is the level I expect casual, ordinary war campaigns to run at.
(2) The LieutenantAt this level, you have control over your own platoon of soldiers, or share that control with the other PCs. This is the level of gameplay that is often reached when Leadership is taken, and the PCs actually use their followers as soldiers. That gives you a rough idea of the numbers. Anywhere from 10 to 500 NPCs with you, of course there could be more. What is important to distinguish here from The General is the boundaries of power. You do not decide when and where war happens (unless you are the leader of a small warband.) You only decide how your retinue fights to achieve the objectives handed down to you. You may be given orders to ambush a supply train, you can decide where to place your archers and what spells to use, but you can't decide not to carry out your mission without a very good excuse, or you'll risk court martial.
At this scale, it is extremely handy to organize your troops into units. Units provide you with organization and allow for greater ease when diversifying roles. You may decide to have a pike unit, and an archer unit behind it. For these instances, the DM should roll a mass initiative for each unit, using the lowest init bonus. Note that these units can have diverse NPCs within them, and it's reccomended. For example, most units could do with a commander to boost their potential (see Heroes of Battle for Commander Auras, useful and free bonuses to lower-ranking soldiers). A spell-blasing unit could have specialists of different energy types, and almost every group could do well with a buffer or two.
Your concern at this scale is not only of yourself. You will want to invest mental (and sometimes monetary) resources towards your subordinates. Consider your warband when purchasing magic items, selecting spells, and so forth. Similarily, you'll want to adjust some of your tactics to accomadate for the larger amount of foes you may face. Chain spell is one of many champions here. You'll also want to familiarize yourself with battle tactics. They can turn a lopsided battle on its heels, for the side that makes great use of tactics. A great commander is not great merely for his personal prowess in battle, but how he can lead his troops to victory.
As far as you yourself go, you still have a vital role. Your mooks can take care of the opposing mooks, but you've got battlefield commanders, giant artillery, dragons, and pesky spellcasters to deal with! Take out the big targets, and similarily allow your forces to take the numerous targets. If one of you deal with your immediate jobs, then you're free to help the other one. There's nothing like multiple concentrated volleys at a BBEG's face, not to mention whole units readying actions to turn the evil sorcerer into a pincushion if he trys to screw the party over!
This is the level I excpect most 'tactical' war campaigns to run at.
(3) The GeneralYou are MacArthur, Napoleon, Ceasar, Hitler, William of Normandy, and Theoden-King rolled into one (minus the Nazi, I hope XD). Your words crush nations, your will strikes awe or fear into the hearts of men. You're in command of an army of thousands, and chances are you know how to use them to deadly effect. Infact, you have to know what you're doing, or thousands will die.
Your focus is almost entirely on the army at this point. You're probably at high level, so Leadership numbers are in the thousands if optimized, and if you're the hired general of a nation (or plane!) it may be more than that. This level of gameplay becomes less about you and more about the people around you. As with The Lieutenant, there may be something of appropriate high level on the main battlefield for you to smite, but that's really up to the DM and players. History and war buffs might lose focus of their own characters in support of their army, and their PC may focus more on diplomacy, information, and the occasional earth-shattering spell. Top it off with quests to forge alliances, or a daring raid into the very heart of the opposing elite general's stronghold for epic justice.
This is the level of play I'd expect at high level, and with complete war buffs (and not-so-sane but incredibly skilled DMs)
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Level of Magic
I had a huge fucking section all typed out, then the server decides to fuck up when I post it, so now it's gone and we'll get a half-assed version. >_<
Low/No MagicModerate Magic (Default?)High Magic------------------------
Always keep in mind your play level when reading the rest of the guide, and when making and playing your character. A general will pick Diplomacy over Jump, but a lowly private doesn't invest in Bluff or Knowledge (History). A strike team member may pack Enervation and Divine Power, where a high Lieutenant may pick Solid Fog and Divination.