Impressive feats of strategy

Impressive feats of strategy Another "Top" thread

#1 Zetubal

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Posted 11 April 2019 - 09:03 AM

Hey guys,

whenever I read fantasy novels that have battles in them, I find myself enjoying these particularly much when there're clever tactics at play. I think there's just generally something very satisfying to one commander outsmarting his/her opponent, and it's all the more impactful in these grand-scale conflicts where the lives of thousands plus the fate of nations are sometimes at stake.
MBotF in this regard is great, because there are plenty of battles and plenty of commanders who are famous for being great at what they do. That being said, it's not like all the battles throughout the series are a feast for fans of military strategy & tactics. Some or great, others less so.

My question(s) to you guys: Do you also enjoy the tactical element of military fiction in general - and what are some of your favorite moments throughout MBotF (and Ian's novels) in that regard? Is there any single character who you consider particularly ingenious when it comes to warfare, and if so, why?

#2 Aptorian

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Posted 11 April 2019 - 09:45 AM

In the latest Esslemont book, Kelanved's Reach, I greatly enjoyed Orjins tactics.

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#3 worry

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Posted 11 April 2019 - 06:04 PM

Gruntle's had this ingenious tactic

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They came with white hands and left with red hands.

#4 D'rek

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Posted 13 April 2019 - 03:05 PM

Do I enjoy it? Yeah, I think so. But I don't want an entire chapter showing the minutiae of the scouting and planning and all that, I'm happy to just see the results. I can go read tactical military fiction if I wanted all of that.

worrywort, on 14 September 2012 - 08:07 PM, said:

I kinda love it when D'rek unleashes her nerd wrath, as I knew she would here. Sorry innocent bystanders, but someone's gotta be the kindling.

#5 John II

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Posted 12 May 2019 - 07:14 AM

I absolutely love this aspect. The notion of a small disciplined force, such as Malazan marines standing against a massive army is simply epic, and that's the keyword of epic fantasy.
Django Wexler's Shadow Campaigns does this really well imo. Some of it is a bit contrived, but it shows both the sergeant/squad side with Winter, and the high command side with Janus and Marcus.