war - Writers Forum

Dark_heart · 12-18-2007, 04:46 AM

hi. at the moment i need a bit of help with a 1800 medievel fantasy war scene that i'm writing. anyway i've done a little bit of research into the topic so i know a fair bit about weapon's and armor, so what i want to know is how would a war advisor organise an army that is about to go to battle.

in the scene i plan to have elves and centaurs as the main archers. some of the elves will be on horseback others will not. then there will be humans and dwarves who will be mainly mainly on foot. the humans and dwarves will have a variety of weapon's which will range from both one-hander and two-hander sword's, battle axes, spears, war hammers, and a number of other weapon's as well. there will also be other creature's that will be circling the skies above them.

if it helps the scene will be set upon a desolate landscape surrounded by a couple of small hills comprised of hard rock, a dry desert-like floor, and a number of small boulders. there will also be a medievel castle where the enemy will be.

playstation60 · 12-18-2007, 12:38 PM

Sort of depends on which side is the aggressor. I mean, if you have an invading army, then the defenders would put their pikemen and such up front, followed by the infantry type soldiers. In the rear would be the artillery.

Erik Buchanan · 12-18-2007, 12:42 PM

Some links for you:

Medieval Warfare - Strategy - Tactics - Theory of War in the Middle Ages

Medieval Warfare

MEDIEVAL WELSH WARRIORS AND WARFARE

Google "Medieval Warfare"

Dark_heart · 12-18-2007, 06:48 PM

i will describe the scene for you.

the nemesis, which is the kings advisor, has gained control of the kingdome. the king and his family have now become prisoners inside their castle. in the scene the hero has to somehow survive the battle then gain entrance into the castle where he shall have a one on one battle with the enemy. then, like all good fantasy stories, the enemy will be defeated and his power over the land will be destroyed.

playstation60 · 12-20-2007, 12:29 PM

That really doesn't help us at all, Dark. The only thing I got from your reply is that you seem to have forgotten how to capitalize the beginning of sentences.

CaptainFreedom · 12-20-2007, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dark_heart

has gained control of the kingdome.

It sounds like a stadium that holds 50 thousand peasants to watch tournaments. har har

CF

Ilasir Maroa · 12-20-2007, 08:46 PM

What?! No mention of cavalry? No knights, light horse, etc? A major player in medieval and fantasy warfare that you seem to have negelected. I see someone brought up pikes, spears are in the OP. Swords and axes would likely have use as light, secondary weapons, while tight formations of spears and pikes would be in the front line. You should also research crossbows(men...) and longbows(elfs...), and possibly some catapaults, onagers, trebuchets, or some other sort of seige weapon.

If magic is involved, things will be even more complicated.

alanmt · 12-20-2007, 09:16 PM

not sure what the 1800 in your post refers to, but hopefully not the time period of human history you wish to emulate!

Research some of the sources named above and read about famous battles to see how the winning generals arrayed and used their forces. Don't be afraid to look back at ancient battles like arbela. And pay attention not only to the strengths of each different formation/unit type, but also to it's weaknesses.