In sci-fi/fantasy as in real life, the highest passions of humanity (or any other race) are concentrated in love, politics, and warfare. Few things can excite a reader more than a tactically skillful, hard fought battle between the forces of good and evil. While I am no expert on military strategy, I can give you a few insights on how to write an effective large scale battle from my experiences as a writer and a reader. If there is anything that irks you about mainstream sci-fi/fantasy battles or that you’ve found helpful in your own fighting exploits, please leave a comment!

Tactics
The range of military tactics that have been used throughout history is nearly endless, so I will stick to the basics. In most large-scale battles, the goal is not (as it is usually portrayed in fantasy) to obliterate your enemy; rather, it is to starve, frustrate, evade, or spook him into submission. There is no need to have your protagonist’s army march in a frontal assault against the Dark Guard when an ambush or siege would do just as well with a much lower casualty rate. Now, granted, a month-long wait at the antagonist’s citadel is not nearly as dramatic as the forces of light and dark clashing across a sun-kissed field, but if you are determined to portray a traditional battle in your writing, be prepared to deal with some traditional unpleasantness. Depending on how technologically advanced your characters are, hundreds, thousands, or possibly even more will die. At least half of the dead will be allied with your protagonist, including major or sympathetic characters (spare them and risk breaking your reader’s suspension of disbelief). Your heroes will witness things that sicken them and permanently change them in ways that are not always entirely desirable….

Weapons
Most of the confusion involving weapons in sci-fi/fantasy can be resolved through common sense. Arrows fired into the heart of a raging battle cannot distinguish between friend and foe; this is why the archers of opposing armies traditionally fired at one another before a battle began in earnest. Cannons and catapults, while useful, cannot be reloaded very quickly and are prone to breaking. Guns, if modeled on those in use before the 19th century, are notoriously inaccurate. It is extremely difficult to (squeamish readers skip this part!) cut someone’s head, limb, or mount’s head or limb off in a single blow. In medieval executions, it sometimes took three or four attempts to achieve this end - and that was without all of the confusion of a battlefield.

Contrasts
No matter how ugly or dirty the fighting becomes, it should always be clear which army represents Good (your protagonist’s!). This is trickier in practice than it sounds in principle. Your protagonist’s army must fight valiantly to win the respect of your reader, but it must also fight fairly and mercifully to gain his or her sympathy. If possible, your protagonist should never kill innocents or civilians in battle (even if that stretches believability). He or she should feel some remorse after killing enemy soldiers, especially during his or her first battle.

This week, write a short battle scene that incorporates fantastic elements while maintaining a basis in military reality. Have fun!