Fiction:Brave New World Universe/Warfare

This page covers Warfare within the Brave New World universe; The weapons, the tactics, the tech groups, and a bit of historical background as well.

Historical Tactics
The 1700's where a revolutionary time for warfare. The new flintlock musket was more powerful then any of its predecessors, and made quick work of the traditional "pike-and-shot" formations of old. With pikemen obsolete, this prompted a major rethinking or the last remaining baseline infantry, the musketman. So, the musketman made a slow change from swordsmen and a more fragile section of the army to the army itself. They became Line Infantry; Soldiers who form the line of battle, and do most of the killing and most of the dying. The rest of the army was refitted to work around this new type of troop; Cavalry, and artillery supporting them. This form of warfare would remain in place for 180 years until the invention of the infamous Maxim gun.

Western tech group Units and Tactics
Western countries would likely follow the European order of battle closely. Using Line Infantry, Light cavalry, Heavy cavalry, and Artillery, along with later on more specialized brigades like Grenadiers (elite line infantry, may be armed with primitive grenades) and light infantry. Alternatively, they may use longbowmen or crossbows. While both are at universe start tactically superior they are more expensive to maintain, so a fragile economy may not be able to support them for long! Most forms of dedicated melee infantry are obsolete.

Eastern tech group Units and Tactics
Eastern units, due to inhabiting an arid, flat region have a good choice of cavalry and dragoons and are very mobile with them. There infantry are fairly advanced and are generally armed with muskets like there Western counterparts. They have full availability to cannon.

Far Eastern tech group Units and Tactics
The Far East is diverse in terms of infantry; having a choice of (or striking a balance between) having melee or ranged units. They have very good melee weapons and great non-gunpowder ranged weapons (such as repeating crossbows) and have the ability to adopt the older arquebus without Western contact, and can quickly adopt flintlocks once they do contact.

Horde tech group Units and Tactics
Steppe Hordes use almost totally cavalry. They also have some of the best cavalry, with horse archers, lancers, light and heavy cav at there disposal. They have poor infantry (either melee or archers) however, so it may be prudent to adopt western tactics in some areas. They have no artillery at there disposal.

Native tech group Units and Tactics
Natives to start have no cavalry and rather primitive units (basic melee units, archers, and slingers). However they're very adaptable. After trading with more advanced civilizations they can quickly replace there older weapons with muskets, and just having a colony nearby can grant useage of cavalry (as horses can go free and spread on there own, as they did in history).