Unconventional War
When writing war for your fantasy world, it may be easy to think only of one kind of war. Of weapons and armies, marching towards one another on the field of battle. But unconventional war - war of different means and motive - can be far more involved and compelling.
One of our earlier reels was on war and how to create it in your fantasy world - and when we made it, we talked about the different kinds of war. In your fantasy world, what is the conflict, and how is it being fought?
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1) Conventional War
Soldiers fighting and dying alongside each other, blood being spilled on a battlefield.
Conventional war is the one that we most think about, and to talk about the others, we should discuss it first. The concept of conventional war is simple: if you want something, you send heavily armed and armoured people to go and get it, and kill anyone in their way.
2) Guerrilla War
The war in response to an invasion, of traps and ambushes and betrayal.
This type of war comes as a reaction to conventional war: when an enemy has come, all fire and destruction and greed, your army can disappear into the trees or the mountains, regroup, and start to work independently of one another. You set traps, burn supplies, poison their soldiers. You make it too difficult to continue to stay, until they leave.
3) Terrorism
A war of bombs and fear, creating paranoia in your enemy.
When an army is supported by the people, when you want something from a whole government, you can wage a war of terror. By making people feel unsafe all the time, by sowing the seeds of discord and paranoia - anyone could be the enemy in disguise. Victory for the terrorists is making the people themselves afraid enough to give in to your demands.
4) Cold War
A war of secrets and spies, where information is gold and truth is never clear.
Conventional war is expensive and destructive. Sometimes, there are better ways to fight. War is, ultimately, about power, and power comes from influence. In a cold war, there is very little open fighting. Both sides try to avoid it - because of the expense, the destruction, or the damage to their reputation.
5) Political War
The conflict of ideals in a political theatre, where influence over the masses is the deciding factor and reputation is key.
This kind of war is a silent invasion. It can come hand-in-hand with other kinds of warfare, but it's the invasion of ideas. Slowly at first, and then all at once, its focus is on garnering the support of the people, generating a positive image, and sabotaging your enemies.
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So, what kind of war are you writing? Thanks for reading - comment your fantasy war below, and let us know if you have requests for upcoming articles.