Inheritance Cycle Battles Tactical Analysis Part 3 - The Battle of the Burning Plains

[kris_norge]

Battle walkthrough

This battle occurs at the end of the second book and pits the Varden with their Surdan allies, a tribe of Urgals, and the dwarves against the empire's bloated army. Now before I begin the battle itself, I must go to where they find out about the coming army. Apparently Orrin's men misplaced the Empire's army. They thought it was

Comments

[anonymous]

The Varden has basically the worst strategy possible. Open battle is when outnumbered forces lose, especially when they are made up of four different groups with different commanders, many of whom lack the experience and training of the professional officers in the enemy army. The rebels probably lack the training, weapons, and discipline of the professional army. Assuming many of the Empire soldiers are in fact professional, the Varden should have a ridiculous disadvantage. Professional armies were revolutionary in warfare. They had more discipline, more training, and better commanders.

Traditionally, armies had been made up of knights commanding peasants with a few conscripts in there. Knights got their commanding position not through merit but through heredity. Knights were all trying to outdo each other, meaning that there wasn't much unity in the army. Professional armies had promotions on merit, full time training, and better equipment. The rebels lack all that. The Surdans probably have a good army with good commanders. Same with the elves and dwarves. The urgals are essentially barbarians that work on brute force. They won't have discipline. But even with three armies with capable commanders, who do you have commanding? The least experienced one.

The rebel army should fall to pieces. Oh, wait, it does. But apparently that isn't a bad thing? That is totally a bad thing. With the splinter groups, everybody has exposed flanks. They should easily be surrounded by the large army which would spell disaster.

Yeah, the Varden has no advantages.