For those who are not familiar with general military terms, there are a few that are used in general. Much of this was ganked from other sources, but is put here to provide a reference point.
- Tactics
- The lowest level of planning, involving small units ranging from a few dozen to a few hundred men.
- Operations
- Conversion of Strategy to Tactics. This will generally be used to refer to the men on a ground in an area, doing something in particular. "Operation Shelton" might refer to the attempt to conquer Jaguar Island, off Cibola.
- Strategy
- Concerned with the overall means and plan for achieving victory.
This means in game-terms that people with the military lore will know tactics first, and be able to command small troops.
As they gain in experience, military characters will probably skip the operations side, and learn strategy direct - this is what NPCs are for, after all. However, there is always the option of medium-scale work.
Units
This is a general overview of the structure of Amber's army, from bottom to top. It is just to give a general idea of terms. It is in no way cut in stone, or meant to limit any idea or theme in game.
- Section
- Nine to Ten Soldiers
- Platoon
- Sixteen to Forty Four Soldiers or two to four sections (plus leadership)
- Company
- Sixty-two to One Hundred Ninety-two Soldiers or Three to Five Platoons
- Battalion
- Three Hundred to One Thousand Soldiers or Four to Six Companies
- Regiment
- Six Hundred to Two Thousand Soldiers or Two Battalions.
- Brigade
- Three Thousand to Five Thousand Soldiers
Please note that with Ducal contributions, Foreign Units, Equivalent Ranks and the like, this is only a notion of how an army /generally/ is. Amber is big, complicated, and perhaps only Top Brass know the whole of it. Maybe not even them. However, the army has a fractal structure, so that each smaller unit represents the bigger ones, in having leaders, suppliers, and signallers among its numbers, albeit not in the ratios or jobs one might expect.
The Defenders of Kolvir, for instance, are a Brigade, but have only 2000 regulars but are meant to expand up to 5000 in times of war. The First of Foot Platoon in the Defenders of Kolvir has a captain, three Lieutenants, a platoon sergeant, three corporals, three lance-corporals, and at least one signaller.