I must admit to reading the debate on the fine points of lunar military doctrine with some (and growing) trepidation.
I think in concentrating the minuitia (sp?) of lunar military to such a great extent a huge amount of important facts and (to me) much more interesting colour is bieng left out. I hope that this is a reflection of the questions being asked on the daily but if not then consider this a desperate plea for some "lunar" balance of focuss in SGU and Hero Wars.
Believe me, as an ex-wargamer, I know the temptation to debate and obsess about these things, but...
The important fact that seems to be missed in all of the talk about combined arms and the superior doctrinal flexibility of the T'arnils officer corps is that, if you look at the history of the lunar empire, most of their major victories and defeats do not come from purely military means.
The 1st and 2nd battles of Chaos, the four arrows of light, Jaranthir's revolt, Sheng's victories and defeats, the Battle of the Falling Hills, the Building Wall, the fall of Boldhome and whitewall, the campaigns of the conquering daughter, etc... These are all examples where it was superior magical or mythical understanding that gave victory to one side or other. Heck, even games of Dragon Pass are most commonly decided by the use of the exotics rather than "regular" troops.
So, while the lunar army is powerful and does things that other armies (until the advent of Argrath) haven't learned to do, it is the deep insight of the lunar way and the underlying mythic strength of the empire that has allowed it to prosper.
I concrete terms, I, for one, will be very dissapointed if, for example, the page count in SGU devoted to the lunar military and military cults is greater than that explaining the basis of the lunar way and philosophy. I think that would be a great disservice to the lunars and those of us more interested in things other than whether a lance is used overhand or couched.
I'm sure, knowing Martin, that my fears are unfounded but i felt it necesary to provide an antidote for the IMHO militarist bias that seems to be appearing.
Cheers,
Yak
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Dave Pearton
pearton_at_u.washington.edu
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"Its habit of getting up late you'll agree
That it carries too far, when I say
That it frequently breakfasts at five-o'clock tea,
And dines on the following day.
The Hunting of the Snark, Lewis Carroll
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