Empire Military Organization

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Hyarion
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I am planning out my next campaign and starting to get into some of the details.

Can anybody point me in the direction of some resources as to how WFRP-Comparable armies were organized?

I could do a straight lift from modern armies with ranks E1-E9 W1-W5 O1-O10 but that seems both needlessly complex and not necessarily reflective of the setting.

I could do a take from the Medieval period where it's just a Feudal Lord in sole command of the troops that he brought to the fight, and hierarchy depends on your feudal standing and levy size but that doesn't seem reflective of the professional standing army we see in the WFRP setting.

The WFRP career system (here taken from 2e) has direct places for things like Sailor -> Mate -> Admiral, Captain, Cadet, Grandmaster, and Sergeant; all of which seem to imply a rank of some kind. While I don't necessarily want Rank and Career to be a one to one correllation, it serves as a starting point.

Many thanks in advance.
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Orin J.
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the book heraldy of the empire gives a visual example, but to a large extent it's mostly however the nobles assert it in the state forces. i think the general gist of the emperor's required force is like:

Emperor
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Generals- - -where nobles usually insist on being
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Majors- - -Knight's elite is also here more or less
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Captain- - -Engineers are here too and most other specialist units, i think
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seargant
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You, asking this

with each officer having their own forces appended to them including lower officers wizards and dragons and stuff at attached outside of the chain of command. a lot of it seems to be up to the reigon or the exact person in command of a given force though. one of the differences between an army that runs of volunteers and one that relies on drafting is the empire is frequently mustering up troops as needed instead of looking for things for them to do.
Capitaneus Fractus
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Osprey have good books on how Early Modern Armies were organized.

Those three booklets had a great influence on my understanding of how should be armies of the Empire.
- https://ospreypublishing.com/the-landsknechts-pb
- https://ospreypublishing.com/armies-of- ... 1524-26-pb
- https://ospreypublishing.com/landsknech ... 86-1560-pb

(together with the Warhammer Armies : the Empire booklet).
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Overlord
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From Warhammer Empire lore perspective it goes like this
Emperor have his own army as Elector Counts - also every Elector Counts have their own chain of command so Emperor cant order army of other Elector Counts (that war councils are for make a plan - Every Generals, Captains, Elector Counts are present). Chain of command is still Generals usually they are Knights(there isnt a Major - its modern addition), next Captains often Royal Blood or Aristocracy - they have lead most of armies, but they have they own companies (Pistolliers, Spearsmans, Outriders ect.), now Caprals help with leading - it goes like this: they are 5 to 10 squads with 1 with captain and Capral, rest have caprals (in middle ages it was and earlier there were Decimals and Centurions) Here You have full movie about army structure https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rcbedan ... =ISODESIGN.
Next Knights - they are in army but as separate branch. They get orders from Order Masters often Generals/Captains of Elector army.

Robert Earl Broken Honor - about siege of Hergig, Beastman attacking Hochland ect. - good read
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Karanthir
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More or less what Orin J. and Overlord said. The WFRP3 supplement Omens of War actually has some really good information about this, including diagrams of some example armies and their organisation. Ironically it's one of the less popular supplements because the background it provides is seen as too WFB rather than WFRP (lots of stuff about big armies and battles). But for your purposes, that means it's one of the cheaper and more readily available ones if you did feel like picking it up, especially if you can get just the book without the components. It also contains a fair amount on imperial knightly orders as well.
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Overlord
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Point to Karanthir for pointing fantasy battle all army books of empire armies are good example what "kind off" army structures You could use
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Hyarion
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Karanthir wrote: Mon Feb 15, 2021 3:05 am ....The WFRP3 supplement Omens of War actually has some really good information about this, including diagrams of some example armies and their organisation....
That was just what I needed. Thank you so very much!
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Karanthir
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Happy to help!
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Hyarion
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I have some rough story beats planned out, but if *you* were playing in a military campaign, what would be a situation or scenario that would make you feel disappointed if it were left out?
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Wyrmslayer
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I'd lift a load from the Sharpe series of novels or tv movies.
Visitor Q
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Holding off a horde of goblins whilst defending a fort or farmstead. Classic last stand stuff.

Of course this being wfrp the players would probably find a way of scarpering with the valuables and leaving their comrades.

WFRP Military scenarios are also an opportunity to put in some of the more extraordinary things such powerful magic items, monsters and the like.
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Orin J.
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Hyarion wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 7:38 am I have some rough story beats planned out, but if *you* were playing in a military campaign, what would be a situation or scenario that would make you feel disappointed if it were left out?
Is it really a military campaign without a session where they go on leave to have fun then spend a whole arc covering for the insane crap they did while they were on leave?
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Hyarion
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I love all of you. I always get such great advice when I ask questions here, thank you so much. If there's more input to be had, please keep it coming, this is great stuff.
I hold the glaive of Law against the Earth.
Zisse
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I suggest some type of siege, ideally once for both sides. Also you can use war machines. I would also consider some naval action. deliver and receive a volley of cannon balls, getting of of a sinking battle ship, maybe.
Capitaneus Fractus
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Pratzen's Le Vol de l'Aigle ["The Flight of the Eagle"] is the best Strategy Roleplaying Game I know. The rules are for Napoleonic Wars however, so a good adaptation would need to have some knowledge on Renaissance's warfare, but I'm sure that it might be very interesting to any War campaign where PC are meant to command troops.
https://didier-rouy.webs.com/levoldelaigle.htm
Veniam, Duelli Malleum, phantasticum ludum personae uidebo, in fera terra periculosorum aduenturorum ludebam.
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Overlord
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The truth is that small is simple and good. People can really interact and feel the ambience of it. Little warband of survivors from Chaos invasion, remnants of larger army forced to scavenge in enemy territory, deserters now reavers who plunder unguarded lands and my favorite broken, tired veterans of fights going home in lands burned by war - forced to fight again to help people cought in the conflict.
I have ocean of treasures at the bottom. You can search it If You want, but You may never come back.
domokun
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@Hyarion A few years ago I wrote a couple of documents for our campaign that might interest you:

Army sizes & make-up in Empire – a 2-page guide to the size of the Reikland and Middenland armies in mid-2514, including its leaders (for use with the Empire at War campaign). DOC / PDF

Altdorf & Middenland army sizes – a spreadsheet for calculating a realistic size of armies in the Empire, including the make-up of their units (for use with the Empire at War campaign).
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