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How Do Armed Forces Travel?

In this section, we look at what the military group provides or is expected of members. They may not provide steeds, machines, or training in anything, though that doesn’t mean our members cannot acquire and use them. How members of this military group get around might not seem important, but it can generate decisions. This is especially true in fantasy, where riding animals on the ground or in the air can impact where this military group can operate and how they’re used for scouting or in battle. In SF, this aspect of transportation might matter less if everyone is getting around on flying craft. Everyone must disembark eventually, but in such cases, we typically see people on foot or in another vehicle. When was the last time you saw someone exit a spaceship on a horse, for example? This could be plausible, however, if they know the terrain they’ll find and think this is superior; perhaps machines scare local people or wildlife, or cause harm they wish to avoid.

Walking

Walking, running, or even rolling along the ground (for our ball-shaped humanoids, should they exist) requires little invention. However, the number of legs impacts both speed and endurance. For anything humanoid, we can decide they’re not much different from us unless we’re altering a characteristic by at least 10%. Maybe they can reach somewhere in 9 or 11 hours instead of our 10, or travel 9 or 11 miles or kilometers in a given time frame instead of 10. For anything with four or more legs, we should base its capabilities partly on a similar animal, so if the species is essentially a large feline, base its speed and endurance on lions, tigers, and similar cats. Quick research will turn up numbers, which we can modify. The goal is believability. Reasons they use their own locomotion include terrain that inhibits other options, they only operate within a settlement, or a lack of alternatives. The latter may mean not enough horses or equipment (like saddles) to equip them, for example.

Riding Animals

Especially in fantasy, riding animals is an option that facilitates speed of scouting, spreading information, and maneuvers, the latter being especially advantageous in combat against unmounted forces. This is so decisive that wars have been won this way. Riding animals may be expected if the military group operates outside a settlement’s walls; it speeds travel, scouting, and other acts in emergencies. However, terrain may inhibit this, from trees to steep, rocky inclines; specialized groups might be needed and operate primarily by foot.

Think about why we’re inventing this group. If their role is to protect a settlement, they’ll bear resemblance to cavalry or knights and invention can leverage these. If they’re messengers or patrollers who must be able to fight their way out of trouble, then they’ll act alone or in small groups and require self-sufficiency and light encumbrance; they’ll have a known response to encountered trouble, such as calling for reinforcements that will take the form of more serious military might. If creating knights or cavalry, they fight from horseback (or a similar animal) in an organized manner. The existence of both groups is horse-centric, but other military groups may mostly use the same animals for transportation or hauling supplies. In these cases, decide how prevalent the riding skill is and what degree of mastery is expected.

A flying animal poses a similar problem as a ground-based one: encumbrance. Loading them down with supplies, plus our rider, limits speed, endurance, and maneuverability, all placing the rider at increased risk of defeat by opposing forces. If problems with that are avoided, the great advantages are speed, perspective from above, escape from all land-based threats (unless flying low), and the ability to bypass difficult terrain.

Any military group typically furnishes animals that are required, but if not required, members may still be expected to have a fundamental skill. Consider a town guard that operates primarily on foot, but which occasionally needs to guide riders through town, or escort them to somewhere out of town. Would their leaders want the limitation of knowing some of their guards can’t ride a horse? Probably not. Decide which animals they’re expected to master and to what level; basic proficiency is the bare minimum. Perhaps they can ride but not fight particularly well from atop this animal.

Riding Machinery

Whether cars, motorcycles, tanks, planes, space craft and more, SF worlds are more prone to ridden machinery than fantasy ones, where it is mostly wagons that might be used to haul supplies. We can invent machines, including their pros and cons. The limits we create for a machines can give us ideas for other machines that were developed to compensate for that weakness. Variety makes settings more believable and creates chances for the characters to settle for less than ideal equipment, with consequences we control. As with other transportation that can be used for making war, decide what vehicles are typically available to members of this armed forces, what they’re trained in and to what degree, and what they are given and expected to have.

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Special Armed Forces Sites

Our military group may have special sites, such as training facilities with unique instruction in weapons or even withstanding types of pain. Members may be sent to areas where a foe they’re expected to specialize in are found in high numbers to gain practical skill fighting. Giving these places names, like “The Citadel” or “The Dark Abyss” adds mystique. Characters can remark on their time spent there, inspiring audience curiosity. More mundane training centers will exist, typically at major settlements. The best teachers can impact the most people there.

If they are religious or highly ceremonial, sacred places that come under threat can upset the military group or cause periodic pilgrimages. Destroyed or damaged places help us create history even if we don’t comment much or at all on what happened. Who doesn’t love a ruined or abandoned site? Traditions can impact reverence and trigger long-standing animosity toward whatever creatures or sovereign power was responsible. Sites of great battles can also achieve relevance. We’re looking to invent some lore for our group.

Are there places where they store weapons, defenses, ships, or other equipment? Some of this could be ordinary, some unique or magical and rare, and others acquired in battles, as gifts, or from deceased members. All may be guarded by various means, physically, magically, or technologically. The more valuable, the less likely they openly admit to the locations or types of defenses.

We may need to solve practical problems for our group with special sites. For example, a group which specializes in riding flying animals embarks on a journey too long for a single flight, requiring an overnight stay. Maybe they’ve planned ahead and built a series of towers in the wilderness, each inaccessible from the ground. This aids with keeping the rides (and animals) safe while asleep. Try to think of realistic problems and their solutions.

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How Location Affects Armed Forces

Specific relations with settlements and sovereign powers, or even regions of land, can be determined in the world building files devoted to those. Large forces like an army are comprised of people throughout a power, but they’ll have military bases in specific communities. This will be strategic locations and often large population centers, so if we’ve created a map or otherwise decided where major settlements are, this decision can be made for us.

Smaller forces like a knighthood may exist anywhere there’s a need, including in or near smaller settlements. It is these that we may be to decide on a case-by-case basis for which communities have them in quantities beyond the lone person. Assess the threats posed by animals, monsters, and species found in each land feature (such as mountains and forests) near a settlement; armed forces are designed to protect against such threats.

Terrain

Creating Places (The Art of World Building, #2) taught about the different varieties of terrain: open land, forests, hills, mountains, deserts, and swamps/jungles. Few military groups operate equally well over these terrains, and not at all in some. This helps us decide how commonly encountered they are. Terrain also impacts their transportation choices. For your files, state what types of terrain they’re found in or what sort of encumbrance they experience if traveling there, such as being slowed down or having to go around.

For example, horsemen would be stopped by a jungle, but a savannah would be more like open land; the difference is underbrush. We don’t need to note how they fare in every forest type. Instead, state that underbrush and low branches slow them and that the latter can also impede the use of certain weapons like the sword, leading them to use shorter blades. We may need to remind ourselves of their reduced effectiveness in certain conditions so we can more realistically portray and use them. They may become known for one, which may have led to their development. Horsemen excel at open land, whereas a force that rides dragons or large birds might specialize in mountains because they can fly over the terrain that hampers others.

Multiple species help us because each may be helped or hindered by different terrain. Imagine our armed forces reaching a jungle and stopping because the humans on their horses can’t continue, which prompts a recruitment effort seeking out members of a species which can. This is unlikely to be a secret, leading to open acknowledgement of the need and role these species fill. Maybe every squadron of these horseman is expected or required to have them.

These terrain decisions help us determine where the armed forces are found. A city surrounded by jungle won’t have a cavalry at all, but one with open plains in every direction certainly will. A mixed-terrain settlement will utilize the most appropriate group based on circumstance. This can also lead the population to think more highly of one group than another, namely the one seen as more responsible for protecting them. That can cause tensions and resentment among rival military groups. All of this adds believability and layering to our setting. It’s easy to create a character who belongs to one group and has an attitude about anyone from the other group. The amount of each territory within their jurisdiction aids the decision.

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Armed Forces – Getting Started

Military groups like knights, cavalry, and star fighters will exist in our setting whether we invent and mention them or not. However, not creating these is a significant oversight Some will become an army, navy, or air force (or space force), each possibly comprised of multiple specialty groups. We might also need to create them for other species who have very different ideas. World builders often resort to generic groups that are not well-defined, even if characters from those groups are major characters.

Well-crafted groups can add believable tension and detail to a setting and achieving this is the goal of this chapter. As with many subjects, it’s possible to invent far more than we can realistically use, but as with character back story, inventing some items helps us portray the world. This chapter includes a set of items to develop, but world builders are encouraged to decide on which aspects to invent, based on story needs or preference.

We must decide what type of group we’re defining. Is this the navy, air force, or army, for example? We can ask what purpose they serve, but the military is typically for both protection and conquest, as needed. Once we know which type we’re creating, this will help make other decisions discussed in this chapter.

Virtually all armed forces work for a sovereign power. This means that, in a story with two different kingdoms, for example, we might need two armies; this is needed if we’ll use characters from either and those details inform our plot or characterizations. This could become overwhelming to invent, so we must be realistic and only create what we need.

The type of government will impact much about this group. An oppressive one will provide a strict environment, including mandatory service, while another might have far more freedom, at least when people are off duty. It’s a mistake to create a military group without understanding the government that controls them. Creating Places (The Art of World Building, #2), went into details on many government types and it’s recommended to become familiar with them and their likely impact on all aspects of life.

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Where to Start with Organizations

The first decision with organizations is to determine whether most people view them as basically good or evil. We should decide how we intend to use them, such as being allies or foes of our main characters. Are they on the same side of a conflict but with different value systems, or in genuine opposition? Decide their goals and the tactics used to achieve them, as this determines reputation. We can then envision past actions and start creating the history, including an inception point. The power structure and how members join and exit can come later, as can a decision about who else is their friend or enemy. Be sure to decide on a symbol and use other considerations found in appendix two.

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How People Join or Exit a Group

Once the group exists, we should decide the circumstances under which it may accept or reject members. The larger the role this group plays in our story, the more we benefit from this. A character from one will be aware of possibly being ejected for a failure while another may be determined to prove he’s worthy to have been accepted. A more established character may be involved in the inner circle or aspire to be. All of this helps us create depth.

Joining

Accomplishing deeds in line with the group’s goals may prompt an invitation to join, with possibly repeated recruitment attempts. The organization will need a sales pitch, so decide what benefits they’re offering someone. Is it safety (in numbers), intel, prestige, allies, or better rates of success? Some are material concerns, but there might also be philosophical benefits of a world view strengthened by joining with others of like mind. Is there a problem someone seeks to alleviate by joining? This can be lack of supplies, high failure rate of their own missions, great danger, or anything that being alone in a pursuit exposes oneself to. We’ll have people joining an organization for different reasons, which can also create internal conflict when some are more interested in one aspect than another. We can imagine someone stating that they’re here only for the money while another character scorns them for not supporting the group’s grand vision more.

Existing members can recommend new members, though this may require having their own membership settled; a new member’s recommendation may not carry much weight. This provides an opportunity for conflict if the suggested person behaves poorly and casts a bad light on the guy who vouched for him.

What causes someone to be accepted or rejected? Informal groups often don’t have formal tests, so someone may join on probation of a certain length, and a certain number of missions. They may be assigned to work with one or more people who have responsibility for them, any of them able to give a recommendation to the group’s leaders about membership. During that time, it’s likely that the organization’s secrets will remain unknown to this person, and even upon acceptance, only the inner circle may know certain things.

What happens if candidacy is rejected? This may depend on how quickly this happens and whether the group is benevolent or nefarious. We can see an evil organization killing a failed recruit or sending them on a suicide mission; in the latter case, what if they survive? They may be forced to commit serious crimes and failure results in expulsion or death. A good organization is more likely to let someone walk away peacefully and have tests that amount to matters of character, judgment, and ability to support the group, including following orders. A group intending to physically fight might require skills tests. A supernatural group might need a display of talents.

Leaving

People will leave an organization for many reasons that we don’t need to invent here. We only need to decide how the group handles departures.

For evil ones, we can make this simple in that exiting means death. This might be a well-kept secret or one visibly demonstrated. This is an easy way to characterize them early in a story, such as showing a minor character earning this fate. It can shed light on why a more important character intends to disappear instead, possibly faking their death. Or maybe the important character tries to kill everyone else in the group, knowing they’ll be hunted forever if they don’t. We can also have their mind erased or a similar act that safeguards the group’s secrets.

With good organizations, such tactics are highly unlikely. Members are free to depart at any time, though they may incur a debt that needs repayment or which the group could waive. If they’re truly valuable, they may be talked into a temporary departure, but informal groups likely aren’t insisting that someone’s decision is irreversible.

Regardless of group type, a member may not have been important enough to warrant much concern about their exit. An inner circle member is more likely to face scrutiny. This could include inquiries into their motivation. Loss of life or limbs is a risk to many groups. A member can become disillusioned with the group’s stated goals, or exhibit behavior that goes against it. A change in leadership can result in unwanted changes, especially if it’s a coup. During these, factions might appear, leading to infighting and death. These are some issues to consider when creating a history.

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Organization History

While the group can be new, one with a history creates depth. This should include the formation story of how, why and where the group originated, and what actions they’ve attempted to do, why, and the result, both for themselves and those impacted by their existence and efforts.

Origins

A group’s location will influence their origins. We can use any regional conflicts to inspire their rise. If two sovereign powers are at war, for example, we should know what each wants, why, and the tactics used to pursue it. Do they force people to serve in the military? Do they commit war crimes? Are they harming people and livelihoods? Is injustice being forced on the population? Are riches (like access to a mine) being withheld by one power to the detriment of the other? Any of these and others can inspire opposition that leads multiple individuals to ban together and form an organization.

Another option is a weak king who lets forces overrun his kingdom, or an evil warlord threatening destruction, or a supernatural phenomenon that must be contained. These are events that thrust people into action, and when they realize others want to take the same actions, the group arises. War might trigger groups’ creation in other ways; for example, if it ends, leaving something the group considers unfinished business. For example, maybe the “evil” army is defeated, but many groups that comprised it are still extant. This group will go on a search and destroy mission, the first of many. Others might admire this and join the group.

The group may arise from a shared philosophy about what is right and wrong in the world, whether that’s inspired by specific events or not. Each individual will largely agree with the group’s outlook. Such a group may form in peaceful times, where social injustice is in their sights to correct. The group may exist informally before an event triggers them into becoming a more serious organization.

Actions

No history is complete without attempts, successful or not, to achieve the group’s goals. Create a half dozen attempts with a mixture of failure and success. Have they fought in battles with others? Just on their own? What famous incidents are attributed to them or foiled by them? Both failure and success should result in the death of members, only a few of whom might be noteworthy. Others outside the group will also have died, including members and leaders of opposing groups, warriors, wizards, and civilians. The latter may be inspired to join this group’s enemies. All will have left a mark on someone, somewhere. Lives might also be saved and cause similar recruitment or supporters.

Some actions may only partially get their ultimate goal, which allows us to grant some success without eliminating the need for their continued existence (if that goal makes them disband). For example, an organization dedicated to keeping powerful magic items out of the wrong hands might perpetually be recovering and storing them. If there’s a wizard cabal that keeps causing trouble, this can cause multiple events. If we want the group gone, killing them in one way, but a more peaceful end means their goal might’ve been realized, but sometimes a new group arises from the ashes of the old.

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Power Structures

Knowing how our invented organization operates has much to do with the power structure. World builders and audiences gain much from having clarity about this. While some groups have a leader, others are run by an inner circle and others might have member votes. Nevertheless, a single leader, even a figurehead, can be useful, speak for the group, and do things like break a tie. Power struggles within an inner circle can be useful for tension; they may arise from the lack of formal structure we’d see in the military.

Power comes in many forms, such as physical or supernatural might. This may be more prized in evil organizations, a leader possibly chosen by killing a previous one. That might cause fear that keeps people in line in an evil group, but likely causing dissention in a good group, where intellect might be more favored.

Wealth can be power when properties are acquired, such as a group’s headquarters. For the rich, this can confer power over the group unless it can choose another HQ. Money can also purchase supplies, whether weapons, armor, transportation, or basic necessities. It can buy spies and corrupt officials. But others might covet it, putting the individual at risk. Some groups won’t respect it. And wealth can be lost.

Connections and influence are impossible to steal and difficult to acquire. Influencing those outside the group, such as political leaders, tends to be for older people, who’ve had time to forge relationships over decades. Within the group, anyone could forge influential connections, making others see them as a leader, despite not being an official one.

Mental acuity can be prized in leaders, especially in good organizations, where leaders rely on input, showing respect for those they disagree with and giving kudos to those whose ideas help, which increases loyalty. They can become the leader even if someone else has more money, connections, or physical strength. This power cannot easily be taken from them. They conceive great plans that further the group’s goals and foresee flaws in others’ plans.

Aside from leadership roles, the rest of the group may have no defined structure beyond an inner circle, who earn that place through the influences just discussed. New recruits may be treated differently, but once accepted beyond a probationary period, the new individuals may be on their own to form allies within the organization. Unless we have a specific reason for being detailed with group structure, such as writing a story about someone’s time joining a group, participating, and eventually departing, a non-structured group is a good choice.

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Organization Relationships

Whether individuals, species, kingdoms, or other groups, the organization we’re inventing will have friends and enemies. We might need to draft several groups before deciding their relationships, but whenever we’re deciding what they support, think of who that might upset into forming an opposition group. Sometimes one group will indeed inspire another’s formation and, if the second destroys the first, it may no longer have a reason for being unless it has found more purpose elsewhere. Creating multiple reasons for a group’s continued existence is wise as organizations have more usefulness to us and seem more well-rounded than focusing on the destruction of another group.

An organization with more than one purpose can result in multiple friends and enemies. At times, a hostile group might even become an ally, which makes for dynamic settings. Doing this requires having a clear understanding of the group’s goals, passions, and beliefs. A list of gripes about the misdeed of others, and actions to right those wrongs, or uphold positive ideas, will suggest people who oppose or support them. Do they thwart or respect authority of nations and other groups? What does the average person in their region think of them? Other regions? Are they a symbol of something? Are they feared or respected? Much of this is about their history.

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Organization Goals

Whether evil or good, group members have certain things in common. Invent a symbol or traditional colors, and whether anything is given upon joining, such as a tattoo or medallion. These can cause quick reactions among characters and are a fast way to reveal who someone is.

Every group wants something. Knowing their objective is crucial. We must also define the current state of their goals, so we know how far or close they are and how they feel about this.

Object Control

Sometimes a group’s goal is an object they can hold in their hand, like treasure or a device, but only a few may be able to literally do so. If the object has religious or supernatural significance, then obtaining, recovering, or protecting it can be a goal, but additional motives may apply.

What will the group do once the coveted item is obtained? Use it for something or just possess it? The latter isn’t particularly interesting. Money is typically used to buy other things, but members could have different plans for their share of the loot, assuming it’s not seen as belonging to the group. If it’s divvied up, the group may disband unless a desire for more keeps them together. If it’s an item to only possess and not use, why will the group stay together after getting it? They might need other reasons, such as undertaking missions. This is true of a good group that wants to confiscate dangerous items and prevent usage by evil groups.

Land Possession

Land can be great appeal for security, strategy, or to control assets like a mine. A religion’s followers may seek to control and preserve a holy site or use it to interact with a god; a real-life example is the Middle East conflict over Jerusalem. Using territory as a group’s goals is problematic because disputes over land are typically between sovereign powers or settlements, not groups that, by their nature, might be more mobile. The solution is to having them working to benefit a power through that acquisition. They can be officially sanctioned (or not) by that power, able to perform acts the power can’t do openly. A group can also deliberately destroy diplomacy to cause war.

Power

While power can be a group’s goal, it’s usually a means to an end. It’s a cliché of poor storytelling for a villain (or his henchmen) to want nothing more. It makes them cartoonish. Make sure there’s a more complex goal than this, as power only works in the short-term, such as ensuring the survival of the group or individuals within it.

Upholding Ideas

Many groups have philosophical or religious reasons for existing. They want to uphold the virtues they’ve learned. This can mean either promoting those ideas or destroying those who defy them. Intolerance is a staple of humanity; an invented species can be different, which can allow us to comment on this aspect of humans. Whether good or evil, such groups and their members are often willing to risk their lives for the cause.

We may need gods and religions for this, but general-outlook philosophies can work. Examples of the latter can include believing in equal rights (for all genders, races, and more), abolishing slavery, spreading democracy, and ending the abuse by aristocracies. We may have philosophers like Plato or Socrates who have imagined ideal states that inspire groups. The advantage of using gods as inspiration is that each will have a vision their followers support and which can become the basis of multiple groups, which is easy with a pantheon where the gods are divided by their chief areas of concern. But consider how many religions and groups arose on Earth, with a single god.

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