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Message: <blockquote data-quote="cptg1481" data-source="post: 1177964" data-attributes="member: 5360">My ThoughtsI think I am of a different camp than most of you (not unusual BTW) on this one.  Just so you understand where I’m coming from here I’m an Army Officer, a Captain in Military Intelligence…made the hard way after 10 years of enlisted service in the infantry and Special Forces branches getting my commission at 30 after making Sergeant First Class.   I consider myself somewhat knowledgeable on military doctrine.  First off I don’t think that most high level commanders, even in a fantasy army would strictly be fighters.  Now I will concede that they may have a few levels of fighter say 3-4 which they would have developed while they were serving at the junior officer level say platoon leader and company commanders.  I refer to these as fighting leaders.  After that they begin to take levels of expert with a concentration on military knowledge skills like logistics, planning, tactics, strategy and training.   (This assumes that you use a large scale combat resolution system that actually REWARDS commanders for these skills.  I use AEG’s War and their Mercenary books to play out mine, they have a system of opposed checks in these areas that give the winners advantages on the battlefield)  These are the skills that would be important to high level military commanders and that is the level we are talking about here.  In modern terms you are looking a full Colonel since you have about a Brigade of troops, however, in times past you would have a General, sometimes called a Brigadier in charge of the 3000 troops you mentioned.  Once officers rise out of the junior ranks they do mist of their fighting with a radio and a map.  Now the fantasy equivalent would be say drums, horns, pennants or other signal devices that control the movements of their combat or maneuver elements.  The maneuver elements of a brigade are its companies.  He’d have about 9-12 of them depending on their size divided into two battalions with commanders of their own.  The maneuver elements of the Battalions are platoons.  The maneuver elements are the ones that fight the battles not the staffs of the brigade or battalions who are mostly officers and way past their prime of swinging a sword.  The expert levels here are a must.  Sure there may be exceptions perhaps an 8th level fighter who is a company commander who will never make more rank due to his family status or even his desire to do so.  Likewise there will be some of higher rank and station who have less skill but are well placed to be given their positions on a staff etc.  These privileged few will be given advisors of their own who for the most part do have the appropriate skills to accomplish their missions for them.  Now this also assumes you use a large scale combat system that rewards military leaders for having said skills.  If you are assuming that all leaders are fighters and earn their way right to lead by skill at arms and that fits in with your world I think the highest level fighter would work out just fine.  You could make him what ever level you want.  Not for me and mine but there is absolutely nothing wrong with that method</blockquote>

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