There is little resemblance between a Lunar army and a modern one. The idea of squads, platoons, etc. is utterly inappropriate.
The Red Army is divided up into three corps, and a number of armies, each of which has its own organization, officers, and chain of command.
THE HEARTLAND CORPS:
THE CAVALRY CORPS:
THE COLLEGES OF MAGIC:
PROVINCIAL CORPS:
UNATTACHED UNITS:
HEARTLAND CORPS (and most occupation troops):
The reserve of the Lunar Empire, as well as its main striking force for offensive operations. Normally the Lunars try to employ it as a mass. Thus, if threatened in both the Redlands and Sartar, proper Lunar dogma would be to go on the defensive in one area, and send the entire Heartland Corps to the other, rather than commit it peacemeal.
Organization
The Heartland Corps consists of a number of regiments, each ideally numbering 1000 men. It is subdivided into seven maniples, each under the command of a centurion. Each maniple is named after a phase of the moon (of course). Thus there is the Dark Maniple, the Empty Half Maniple, etc. Each maniple nominally contains 140 men, divided into 20 files of seven men each.
If a regiment is fighting by itself, normally only 4-5 maniples are placed in the front of the line, with the remainder kept in reserve. If the regiment is fighting as part of a larger army, all the maniples are put into the line, as the high commander typically will keep entire regiments as his reserve.
Command
A regimental commander has at least one assistant commander. Typically, the commander will control four of the maniples, while his assistant takes over the remaining three. If a situation requires even more dispersed action, a higher-ranking centurion can be given control over maniples other than his own.
The centurions are ranked one above the other. Thus, there is a lowest and a highest centurion, though each controls a full maniple. The exact ranking varies from regiment to regiment -- it's based on the centurions themselves, not the maniples they control. Centurions are kept with their maniples even when they rise in rank. Thus, the Full Maniple is not necessarily the "highest" maniple.
Each Centurion has at least two aides, who help him manage his maniple.
Each file has a Monitor, who is expected to place himself at the back of the file. His best man is at the front, the second best is in second place, and so forth, until the weakest man stands in 6th place, right in front of the monitor.
Units that do not fight in "files", such as peltasts, slingers, swordsmen, etc., still have monitors, and are grouped into 7-man units.
Obviously, in practice, the exact numbers given above are probably never attained, Some units are stronger, some weaker, some commanders bulk up one maniple over another, etc.
THE CAVALRY CORPS
This is another reserve, but is not necessarily employed as
a single unit, unlike the Heartland Corps. It is larger than the
Heartland Corps, less elite, and used more often.
Organization
The Cavalry Corps is a rather motley assortment of units, many not standardized at all. Most adhere more or less to the "normal" Lunar cavalry system, described below.
Each cavalry regiment is subdivided into 12-20 troops. Each troop consists of about 50 men. Each troop further is subdivided into 6-8 sections of 6-8 men each.
Command
A regimental cavalry commander typically relies on his captains to act as his aides at need. Each captain is in charge of one of the regiment's troops, and they are ranked, with one being the highest, one the second-highest, etc. When a regimental commander needs to have one or more of his captains at his side during battle, that captain's troop is grouped with another captain's troop.
The captains are served by their section leaders, one per section in his troop. As with the captains, the section leaders are ranked first to last. And as with the regimental commander, the captain uses his section leaders as his aides, temporarily attaching sections to other sections at need.
The more flexible command structure for the Cavalry Corps is supposed to reflect the highly variable employment of cavalry in the field, as well as the multifarous origins of the soldiers within the Corps.
THE COLLEGES OF MAGIC -- These are, of course, the magic regiments, the Lunar empire's major contribution to the "art" of war. They are organized in a non-military fashion, like unto a guild.
PROVINCIAL CORPS -- every border province has its own force, under the authority of the local governor or kinglet. The Native Furthest Corps, for instance, is Tarsh's local army. These forces are normally not expected to serve outside their home areas and enemy lands adjacent to these. They are armed and organized according to their own native traditions, and vary enormously.
UNATTACHED UNITS: there are many regiments and other military forces that don't officially to one of the above corps, but are normally attached to them. For instance the Thunder Delta Slinger mercenaries are not really part of the Heartland Corps. However, they are generally placed under the control of the Heartland's commander. Occupation forces, typically drawn from the Lunar Interior and stationed in newly-conquered territory, are placed under the governer's control, but are not part of the Provincial Corps. The regiments stationed in Pavis are of this type, for instance.
Most occupation troops follow Heartland Corps organization and training regimes, since they come from the same part of the Empire. (Note: the Heartland Corps organization is a modified version of the old Dara Happan army.)
All of the above is only my informed opinion, and is subject to change when compelling evidence or logic is presented to the contrary.
Sandy P.
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