occultdetectives:

a-40k-author:

nightbringer24:

Why is it so often that military and military sci-fi have officers who just… do not know the basics of warfare? Like using reconnaissance units?

Truth. 

In my experience, it’s because the basics of warfare (reconnaissance, supply lines, etc.) are often considered super dull by the majority of readers (and/or the majority of editors, attempting to second-guess readers), leading to those scenes getting cut from novels that are ostensibly primarily about the visceral experiences of the main characters. Too, they’re often considered to obstacles to the stereotypical well-paced thriller narrative. 

War is and almost always has been long stretches of tedium interspersed by moments of terror. Conventional wisdom is that the tedium is the bit you cut out or intentionally disregard, in order to make the remaining bits more entertaining for the average (i.e. casual) reader. 

There are examples to the contrary – for instance, almost anything by David Drake – but by and large, if you try and get the basics right, you risk having an editor break out the red pen of doom because the basics often slow down the narrative (unless they *are* the narrative, but that’s a different discussion…). 

tldr; the authors often *know* the basics, it’s just that the basics are only important to a small sliver of the audience. So they get disregarded in favour of making the story more cinematic/entertaining. 

A good point when it applies, but what I was reminded of was all the military/military sci-fi books I’ve read where it is actually a plot point that the army in question disregarded these things. Having them happen in the background and not disrupt the flow of the plot, sure, fine. Yet another officer from the nobility who looks down on “peasant” concerns like using scouts or having food then gets his comeuppance for it, so that the protagonists can be inconvenienced by it or show his cred as a man of the people? It’s certainly not un-realistic to actual wars throughout history, but if I’ve seen it once I’ve been bored by it a dozen times compared to characters facing problems they did not make through their own stupidity.

Sigmar: Why is Thostos late to the briefing?

Eldroc: Yeah, he’s not coming. Firstly, he’s not capable of tactical consideration more complex than yelling ‘Leeroy Jenkins!’ at the moment, so it would just be a waste of time.

Sigmar: ‘Firstly’?

Mykos Argellon: Also, we staged an intervention and put him on medical leave. He’s not really competent to lead an orruk warband at the moment, let alone a Stormcast War Chamber.

Eldroc: His therapists say he’s doing good and has started drawing pictures of himself killing the forces of Chaos instead of ripping up the paper and throwing crayons at people.

*muffled angry noises in the distance*

Mykos: They still have to keep him muzzled, though. He’s bitey.

Sigmar: You know, forget I asked.

The other thing I really like in Age of Sigmar stuff I’ve been reading as opposed to 40k: When Space Marines rescue people in one of their novels, there’s always this whole elaborate going-on from the ordinary humans about their own unworthiness and uselessness and, especially jarring when you have POV characters whose sole contribution to the story is voicing these opinions while standing on the sidelines narrating what their betters are doing.

On the other hand, when the Stormcast rescue some people in Plague Garden or in Bladestorm, the first thing they say is ‘Someone give me a crowbar, I’m bashing some heads in.’ Okay, the reaction to that contains an element of purely logistical ‘please be less in the way of the professionals,’ but it’s still acknowledged as plenty of people’s immediate, natural reaction: I want to fight back too. I lost one fight and got into this situation and bad things happened to me, but victimhood does not define me.

I appreciate this both as something that appeals to my personal inclinations rather than being totally alien like the former, and as something that’s part of a wider decision about tone. Yes, the Stormcast are here to fight Chaos and liberate the Mortal Realms, but they can’t do it or sustain it alone. Things are really bad out there so there’s a lot only they are in the weight-class to handle, but they’re also doing a lot of work to inspire and give resources to people to fight for themselves going forward. At the very least that’s the goal, which is really the only goal that works in the long-term and on a systematic level. It’s the difference between a dystopian system that requires people to be powerless and think of themselves as powerless and have the warrior-nobility swoop in to save them when needed to order to sustain a society built around those in power staying in power to the exclusion of all else, and, you know, the potential of an actually functional, non-malicious society.

occultdetectives:

immanueldid:

occultdetectives:

immanueldid:

… I had another thought relating to Sigmar playing dad to Lorgar. As in like, proper crossover.

Gelt: My lord, about the boy–
Sigmar: Yes! A remarkable child. And already in fighting shape, too! They grow up so fast, don’t they?
Gelt: Not like that they don’t.
Sigmar: No? Are growth spurts not common in this age?
Gelt: Yes, they are. But the boy is nearly as tall as we are, my lord.
Sigmar:  And?
Gelt:  He is eight.
Sigmar: … Yes? 

He’s forgotten many things. 

Frankly, all of the Primarchs would have probably been happier (or no worse off) with Sigmar as their ‘father’. Even Angron. 

Imagine Angron with Grimnir as a mentor. Tyrion teaching Fulgrim swordplay. Teclis teaching Magnus. 

Imagine Ferrus Manus being taught by Grungni. 

Sanguinius flying with star-eagles and tauralons.  Russ hunting with gryph-hounds. 

Josh, this AU is getting out of hand. …and I want Curze to end up in Abhorash’s cave.

Nagash: ARKHAN. 

Arkhan: My lord?

Nagash: WHAT IS THAT?

Arkhan: A child, my lord.

Nagash: AND WHY DO YOU HAVE A CHILD?

Arkhan: Neferata found him, my lord.

Nagash:…

Arkhan: He was…biting Mannfred. Quite severely. 

Nagash:…

Arkhan: We have decided to name him Konrad. 

…

Nagash: BITING MANNFRED, YOU SAY.

Arkhan: Yes, my lord. 

Nagash: HE WILL MAKE A FINE MORTARCH.