Campaign Tactics

Department of HumanitiesPsychology/Sociology Section

For: Chief EngineerSubject:: Plans for victory

The paths to victory in any campaign lies in the roots of strategy chosen by the commanders. The choices they make depend upon the strength of their forces, those of the enemy, terrain, weather, supply lines, and a veritable list of small nuisances that must be dealt with in order to insure victory. In total, there are only five overall plans of attack that can be used in Acheron. These five are as listed below:

Guerilla WarfareCube HoppingEn MasseSiegeRaid

Guerilla Warfare campaigns are conducted in the attempt to score a quick and decisive victory. Such campaigns rely heavily on elite infantry and light cavalry. Heavy cavalry is also used, but the light infantry and light cavalry units prove to be better suited for this style of battle. The key concept in a guerilla warfare campaign is to move swift and strike hard. An attacker against a larger force normally fights using guerilla warfare tactics. The smaller force uses its speed to mask its lack of numbers over the larger. The psychological drain upon the larger force is quite significant, as it appears they are fighting an army comprised mainly of shock troops.

Through the use of portals, it is quite possible to fight a whole campaign using a concept known as "cube hopping". Cube hopping is also a campaign where speed is a key component. Cube hoppers rely on the use of portals and long supply lines to achieve their goal. The problem with this campaign, if you haven't noticed yet, is the length of supply lines. Granted, it's shorter than a campaign where you march from one face to the opposite of one of the greater cubes, but it is still dangerous given the power of wizards to temporarily lock said portals. This is a campaign used either by strong military forces able to back up their units or a desperate army on the brink.

There's nothing like a good, old en masse campaign to make one truly understand the horrors of war. This is a style of battle both the tanar'ri and the Baatezu can appreciate. It is the most common form of warfare that we understand. Two opposing armies take to the field against each other. Such conflicts are deadly in the extreme. Of the two opposing forces, only one will leave the field when all's said and done. Commanders who wish to use this method of battle rely on the fact they have superior numbers and skilled soldiers.

Another classic campaign is the siege campaign. The commanders who use this form of combat are attempting to force their opponents into submission through the use of blockades and bombardment of their stronghold, settlement, camp, or what have you. Through mental and physical exhaustion, the commander hopes to starve his enemies or wear them down to the point that there is not possible way for them to win. The siege, while expensive to maintain, is one of the safest offensive campaigns a commander may run.

Lastly, we come to the raid campaign. A commander who orders this campaign is desperate, brave, and foolish or knows his opponent cannot support itself enough to take up arms. Also, a successful raid campaign destroys an enemy’s stores and usually bankrupts the organization, forcing it to disband, have massive infighting for command, turn mercenary, or a combination of the three. Raids usually involve raping and pillaging any settlements along the way. The razing of the land, or what little there is in Acheron to raze, is the key point in this campaign. It forces the opponents there to find a new place or face extinction.

As these ideas clearly require extensive research, I'll attempt to describe each in full in the future.

Calix Arvandus, Shaper 2.