fandomhigh | Tactics of War [Monday, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.]

Eighth eyes her lecture notes and awaits the rest of her students to enter the class.

“Good evening.

As you should know, military tactics is the collective name for methods of engaging and defeating an enemy in battle. Changes in philosophy and technology over time have been reflected in changes to military tactics.

Up until the nineteenth century, many military tactics were confined to battlefield concerns, such as how to best maneuver units during combat in open terrain.

In current military thought, tactics comprise the operational use of forces in a particular combat situation. Tactics may be contrasted with military strategy, which is concerned with the overall means and plan for achieving a long-term outcome.

Specialized tactics exist for many situations, ranging from securing a room or individual building, to large-scale operations such as establishing air superiority over a region.

Today, military tactics are employed at all levels of command, from individual and group up to entire armed forces. Indeed, the units used in warfare have always been a reflection of current military tactics, and their size and composition have varied accordingly.

Common military tactics include frontal assaults, attempts to flank the enemy, keeping troops in reserve and the use of ambushes. Often deception in the form of camouflage, or misdirection using decoys, are used to confuse the enemy.

Please read through this handout and start thinking about which tactics you favor the most.

-- Her smile can only be defined as evil. --

In today’s class, I want you to pair up and “role-play” – in a manner of speaking – how you would face off each other in a warring situation. I will be recording your conversations, no need to turn in anything.

There are five ~~fandomy~~ situations, pick one (or more if you wish).

1) Army A is in a valley (and has been stuck there for quite sometime); Army B is on the ridge, invading with superior numbers and superior technology. Both armies are awaiting support via spaceships (and/or their particular air forces, if you prefer to keep it less space-y)
2) Army C has superior technology and a very big ego; Army D knows the terrain better and has greater numbers.
3) Army E is really just one ugly monster creature who keeps getting bigger and bigger the more you fight him; Army F has just barely superior technology and at least five intelligent warriors who have faced off with enemies like this one before.
4) Army G is a replicating force of robotic doom that cannot be stopped or negotiated with; Army H – despite their intelligence and fine weaponry – is losing the battle.
5) Army I has machine guns; Army J has ninjas.

Now get to work, ladies and gentlemen.”

OOC: And if you’re confused, (1) Battle for Serenity Valley, (2) Battle for Endor, (3) Power Rangers…every episode, (4) Asgard vs. the Replicators in ‘Small Victories’ / can double with Cylons vs. Humans, (5) …err…

Also, due to time zone issues and how late I usually post this class in CST, I will make the final notes of attendance and participation by Wednesday evening. ^_^

If there’s an odd man/woman out in the pairing system, you can spar tactics with your esteemed professor or your luminous TA.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Have anyone yet?" Aeryn asks her.

"Nope, just me and my invisible friend Dolores," Ivanova replies, deadpan. "Pull up a battle scenario."

Aeryn blinks and looks for where this Delores person would be sitting, invisible or not, and shakes it off. "Did you have a preference?"

"No, I didn't. Go ahead and choose," Ivanova replies, waving one hand vaguely.

[[Watch the mun *die* at thinking strategically.]]

"I can't even get started on the second one because we'll be here for days," Aeryn says. "The fourth one, the robots. There's no such thing as an unstoppable force, especially with something that was created ~~on this planet~~, so I would think that since they can't be negotiated with, the most reasonable tactic would be to put together a strike team to infiltrate it somehow."

"So are you taking the part of Army H?" Ivanova considered. "Considering, then, that I am robotic doom, any strike team composed of organic beings would immediately be detected and destroyed. Heat sensors, you know. At the very least."

"With enough reconnaissance you can find a weak spot, and there is always a weak spot. Sometime when the robots are... charging up, maybe. Maybe a way in where they do that, or where they replicate."

"Hmm . . ." Ivanova bit her lip, thinking. "What is needed is a decentralisation of . . . everything. If I need a spot to recharge - a generator or something - I would keep them small and numerous, scattered and independent so the loss of one would not interrupt operations or reveal the locations of the others. I'm not sure how intelligent my robotic doom minions are, but developing biological weapons like nerve gasses would be high on my list."

"If that is a weak spot, though, with the right intelligence I now have several strike points. Find a way inside, plant explosives in each generator area, and take out the entire base all at once."

"Good point, but makes the assumption that you have the intelligence to locate enough generator areas to make a dent in operations - I can replicate, so any slack would be picked up very quickly." She sighed, thinking. "Enemy . . . higher intelligence would indicate a level of technology equal or greater than that of my force. That's where I would strike. Disrupt communications and operations if not completely taking control of systems.

"It also depends on how fast you can replicate and whether or not it requires power that would drain your systems at all," Aeryn says ~~and omg this is hard~~. "Another possible weak point."

"I hope my robotic hordes are each individually powered," Ivanova muttered. "Then there wouldn't be as much of a drain on my forces as a whole. But hey, I've taken out your communications and am working on nerve gassing your troops here."

[[I'm just a Celtic Studies major! *wails* *goes to find her tank-obsessed friend*]]

"You have nerve gas now? Then if we have the weapons, then I'll make the assumption that we have the right armor to counteract it," says Aeryn, thinking that maybe guidelines and a list of supplies might have been a good idea.

Ivanova pinched the bridge of her nose as she thought. "Then I . . . invent a doomsday machine and set it to detonate at 17 seconds." She sighed and began drawing diagrams on a piece of paper, shoving it over so that Aeryn could see it to. "Okay, so I'm over here -" with a small blocky thing indicating a robot with the label 'robotic doom' - "And you're over here." Aeryn's side was denoted with a cluster of stick-figures with the label 'carbon-based lifeforms'. She quickly added what they had already discussed - nerve gas, exploded generators, broken telephones.

"My robots have infiltrated and subverted your communications system," she stated. "And they are rewriting the code for your defense network."

"Of course in dealing with sentient technology, we've already prepared for this sort of thing, and have worked out other signals," Aeryn says. "In fact, set the communications up as a decoy and we've got you working on something you don't even need to do, thus giving us time to strike back at you."

Ivanova was grinning. "Okay, that's not fair. Smoke signals? My robots are smarter than that, and reprogram all your food-producing things to make only decaf coffee, ensuring that you are all too sleepy to withstand the crushing press of my massively superior numbers. Bow before me, meatbag." Yes, she's getting silly. ~~Blame it on the mun's existential angst.~~

"Except apparently decaf upsets the Coffee God, so you now have a reign of terror thrust onto your forces from above," Aeryn nods, because nothing makes sense anymore. She shrugs. "I think this got away from us somewhere."

Ivanova laughs. "You think?" She added their new breakthroughs to her diagram for her notes. Including the angered Coffee God with his lightning bolts of smiting. "Okay. Me robot, you Jane." She paused. "I got nothing."

"Yeah," Aeryn says, watching the new additions with amusement. "We tried."

"We did. Would you like a copy of my very scholarly and totally correct notes?" Ivanova asked, adding her doomsday device, the counter stopped at 17 seconds.

"Oh, I think I need it. Just in case I ever come up against you in battle."

"It will serve as a reminder that you should never try to face me and my legions of robotic minions. Of doom. I should expect an instant surrender." All this is said with a completely straight face as she begins working on another copy of the diagram.

Tactics of War [Monday, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.]

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