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Message: <blockquote data-quote="kigmatzomat" data-source="post: 1180517" data-attributes="member: 9254">Well, I can't provide any direct quotes but every army has had two ways to communicate & rally: sound & signal.  Insignias on banners were used in medieval times (post dark ages & roman times) to indicate rally points and unit locations.  Every coat of arms, tartan, and crest that predates the 1900s was used in battle to help units regroup.  It's a big basis for the concept of "capture the flag" since if you take their flag they are only able to retreat.  Retreat was of course one of the set signals from bugles/drums/horns/bagpipes.  Most mobs would use horns for attack and retreat.  An actual army could give commands to individual units, although the medieval unit tended to consist of dozens or hundreds of individuals and you probably wouldn't have more than three or four units from a given side.  I disagree that it was by low by requisite.  Romans had fairly complex field maneuvers with their phalanxes.  Then there were the phoenicians, the spartans, and the greeks, all who had expert tacticians.  Matter of fact, many of which were considered field reference manuals until the early 1900s and are likely still studied today.  Hannibal and Alexander both leap to mind.Did most societies use tactics?  Nope, but 90%  of medieval "armies" were really an assortment of various squabbling tribes/clans.  They were not "armed forces" with a true chain of command; "attack now/attack later" was often the most control a clan chief had on his troops.  Assasinate the clan chief and the mob disintigrates; assassinate the general and the army soldiers on, likely less competently, but still keeps going.  Forgotten realms is an idealized version of arthurian england, pre-western asia, egypt, and Alexander's empire.    With the exception of the Hordes (which are very mongol), every region can be considered to be at its cultural zenith.  As such, tactics should be the norm.  A 3E renaissance-level campaign should be closer to modern tactics thanks to instant communication via sending, message, lessser telepathic bond & other magical means.  Even ring-gates work better at passing messages back and forth than anything medieval.  FR is *very* magic rich so in this setting modern tactics are particularly worthwhile.  And since IIRC the FR society has been strifed by war for many years without a Dark Ages for several centuries combat tactics should be honed to a razor's edge.</blockquote>

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