SporeWiki:Fiction Universe/Important Topics/Warfare

"The great questions of the day will not be settled by means of speeches and majority decisions but by iron and blood."

- Otto Von Bismarck

This page is to provide a basic summary of warfare in the Sporewiki science fiction universe. In this page will be brief and informative summaries on how warfare is fought from tier to tier. While this page will be a guideline, think of it just that; A guideline; Don't be afraid to be unique or throw a curveball in your next war!

Why Fight?
War has all kinds of motives and nations will use many casus belli (Latin: "case for war") to wage it. While casus belli are varied, it is important that your war has a realistic reason, or else the reader may be entirely unimmersed. In all, most wars boil down to three things;


 * Land,
 * Money/resources, or
 * Ideology/religion.

The reason may be one, or a mix of all three. It is common for people or nations to declare war for one reason but be after a different goal; For example the papacy declared the Crusades where about defeating the so-called "heathens" (religious reason), but more likely than not there where many different other motivations; Creation of a buffer zone, wealth from looting, and so on.

"Types" of Warfare
"Type" in this case is a catch-all term to describe the actual nature of the war itself; Above strategy and tactics that are being used (more on that later). They are as follows,

Symmetrical Warfare
Also known as "conventional" warfare, it consists of two parties, usually countries, that are fairly evenly matched locked in war with eachother. This type of war usually has a definite beginning date and definite ending date and may consist of pitched battles, formal declarations of war, and formal peace deals.

Examples


 * First/Second World War
 * Napoleonic Wars
 * Six Day War

Asymmetrical Warfare
Also known as "guerilla" warfare it consists of two parties that are unevenly matched; Usually an occupying army and a small force of revolutionaries. Because the odds are stacked one way the inferior force must make use of raiding, sabotage and ambush attacks to even the odds. Asymmetrical wars may go on for many years and are almost always less "formalized" than Symmetrical warfare (that is, there is rarely talks between the sides).

Examples


 * Vietnam War
 * Second Phase of the Iraq War

Endemic Warfare
A less common form of war, often undertaken by tribes or clans, is a form of warfare that has similarities to both Symmetrical and Asymmetrical warfare. It consists of fairly constant, low-intensity fighting; Usually small skirmishes; With the occasional pitched battle or larger conflict. Endemic warfare is usually quite inconclusive and may drag on for generations.

Examples


 * Wars between native tribes
 * Sengoku Jidai

Difference Between "Strategy" and "Tactics"
Despite their almost interchangable use in regular speech, "strategy" and "tactics" are two very different modes of thought. "Tactics" are the "small-scale" manouvers done to win a single battle, while "strategy" is the overarching campaign plan. This distinction is important.

Planning a Campaign
To be written.

Planetside Tactics
To be written.

Naval (space) Tactics
To be written.

Glossary of Terms
The following is a useful glossary of terms used to describe war, strategy, or the tactics used therein.


 * Strategy - The utilization of a state's armed forces in large-scale planning in both peace and war.
 * Tactics - The manouvering and usage of military assets in actual combat.
 * Logistics - The art of supplying and maintaining a military force. For example replacing broken or old equipment, hospitalizing wounded, maintaining a steady supply of goods and supplies, etc.
 * Flanking Manouver - Also known as a "flank", using a section of a larger force to attack the sides or back, the "flanks", of a unit or army.
 * Encirclement - Completely surrounding an enemy force.
 * Siege - The strategy of encircling an enemy settlement or fortification to starve out the defenders or otherwise force them to capitulate.

Work in progress, expect more.