Questions tagged [warfare]
Use this tag for questions about engagement in or the activities involved in war or conflict, including about military structure, strategy, and particular battles.
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Uninvolved, non-combatant world devastated by out-of-continuum bombs; seeks end to conflict
From the 70s or early 80s. Set on a world where deadly missiles wink into being, seemingly out of nowhere. They originate from a place, or places, where physical laws are wildly different: there a ...
user147074
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What are the logistics behind sending Jaegers into battle?
Logistics is an underrated aspect of warfare and many see it as the most important part about going to war. When the Nazis were making their way into the USSR and were forced to fight in the brutal ...
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Looking for an SF story where Lebanon was the UN's petri dish for war
This story is probably 30 years old. as best I recall, the UN has determined to not work towards eliminating internal strife in Lebanon (which arguably it could do), because they felt it was better to ...
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Short story about humans losing a space war due to having SUPERIOR technology [duplicate]
In the story, an officer describes an ongoing war between humans and aliens. The aliens have less advanced technology so they assume they will easily when. However, the officer remises on how much ...
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Were Malgalad/Amdír and Oropher both slain in the Battle of Dagorlad, or in two separate incidents?
It seems to be generally understood (see the Tolkien Gateway and LOTR wiki articles) that:
In the Battle of Dagorlad, Oropher's company fought valiantly but he
was slain with the greater part of ...
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Why would Craftworld Eldar fight Craftworld Eldar?
I've been talking with some people about difficult-to-justify 40k mirror matchups. After talking about Tyranids (doable thanks to, say, Hydra) or Tau (where Farsight gives a fine precedent) we got ...
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Sci-Fi short story: Side with the most advanced technology loses [duplicate]
Looking for an old sci-fi short story where the side with the most advanced technology loses because of unexpected side effects of their high tech.
The story is told from the perspective of the ...
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Harkonnen-Sardaukar casualty ratio discrepancy against the Fremen
"The Sardaukar are excellent fighting men, no doubt of it," the Baron
said. "But I think my own legions — "
"A pack of holiday excursionists by comparison!" Hawat ...
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Book about mages who can harvest magical energy from the environment
I have a vague recollection of a book I devoured while in college; it was from the late 80's or early 90's. I remember that there were two 'classes' of mages, the ones who could harvest magical energy ...
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All the Small Wars at Once
Looking for a SF Short Story I read many years ago. Name (although not exactly sure): "All the Small Wars at Once". I believe it was written by Larry Niven (but not sure). Brief synopsis (as I ...
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Looking for a short story involving robotic proxy warfare on the moon [duplicate]
War was banished from Earth, and instead operated by proxy on the Moon. Belligerent nations would each send robots (not necessarily androids) to the moon to compete for supremacy in the given conflict....
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Humans winning an interstellar war against hive-minded aliens due to human nature [duplicate]
I read this story in the mid/late 90's, and I believe it was in a Sci-Fi anthology or a magazine (such as Asimov), so it's possibly much older.
Unfortunately, the only details I remember are very ...
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Why did Catelyn side with Renly in the War of Five Kings?
In the episode Garden of Bones (season 2, episode 4), Catelyn sides with Renly instead of Stannis even though Ned supported Stannis.
Extract video here.
Stannis: "It is strange to find you beside ...
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Why did Robert and Rhaegar fight at the Trident instead of down south in the Stormlands?
Since the first book, it's said that Robert Baratheon defeated Rhaegar Targaryen at the Trident.
I can't figure the timeline from when Rhaegar was hiding in Dorne with Lyanna, then went to the ...
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Can't remember short story, post-apocalyptic retaliation
In the story, there has been a war, and 'the other side' has won it decisively. There's some kind of long-term consequence for the losing side, disease or nuclear fallout, and it's implied that the ...
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Intergalactic war Weapons designs Flaws [duplicate]
Very short story about engineering problems with weapons development in an intergalactic space war. Force field, matter shrinking technology. Taught in engineering design programs.
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Why was the Separatist army so weak?
Correct me if I am wrong (please provide evidence that if I am wrong, provide a battle that the Separatists win during the Clone Wars era) but it seems to me that they never win any battles against ...
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Why did Humperdinck want to start a war?
We know that Vizzini was paid by Humperdinck to start a war between Florin and Guilder.
What made Humperdinck want to go to war with Guilder?
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Why did Stannis emerge victorious against Wildling host?
In-universe, why would The King Beyond The Wall only bring barely a thousand men with him?
Out of universe, probably so that Stannis could defeat him and start his war in the north.
Stannis and his ...
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Are there examples of the Empire fighting itself?
Background:
I am trying to find some evidence for a request I would like to make to the developers of the Star Wars Commander game. Currently the only match-ups possible are Rebel versus Empire. ...
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Elite troops and Single Combat in Westeros
We know personal skills are not that important in a medieval battle. Discipline was one of the two crucial aspects of almost all medieval battles, the other being numbers. In fact, this is something ...
user65648
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Where do the regions of Westeros appear to align as of the season 6 finale?
Based on a previous question, my understanding is that there are 9 regions of Westeros subject to the rule of the Iron Throne, from Dorne joining up to Cersei killing Robert.
With whom does [insert ...
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Civilisation battles enemy along time-warped front. May be fighting itself [duplicate]
City is involved in a very long war along a front which is subject to some kind of warping, such that you can never actually get there—just fire through it. At the end, protagonists suggests that the ...
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Why did only a portion of Mance Rayder's army attack The Wall?
When the King beyond the wall attacked the wall why did he only send around a 1000 men if he had a 100,000?
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Trying to find a book about a soldier that ends up fighting forever
Looking for a story about a soldier from around 1990 to the 2000's.
It was about a soldier that came home from a war and didn't fit in. so the army offered him a deal. He was to go into some sort of ...
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Why didn't the Capitol besiege District 13?
This looks like it might be inspired by this question, but in fact it's been on my to-ask list for months.
In the novel Mockingjay and the film adaptation Mockingjay Part 1, the Capitol and the ...
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1960s SF novel with sub war, telepathy, dolphins, recreational drug that makes you sick, then cures you for fun
I've clarified the details and added a few things I've remembered since first asking the question. I hope that helps someone figure this out.
I'm trying to recall a short novel probably from the ...
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Why do Hoster and Edmure Tully not rally their forces?
Raiders swoop in from the Westerlands, emboldened by Tywin's promises of sweet, sweet loot. Robb Stark calls his banners. What do the noble lords of Riverrun do? Disband their forces along the entire ...
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What was Herman Munsters' role when he fought in World War II?
I was researching the Munsters as I build a Lego Munsters diorama for Emerald City ComiCon. According to Herman Munster's Wikipedia page, he fought in World War II.
Herman married Lily, and ...
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How long did the War of Five Kings last?
The Five Kings are:
Robb Stark - The King of the North
Stannis Baratheon - Robert's younger brother and legitimate heir
Renly Baratheon - The youngest Baratheon who decided to proclaim himself king
...
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Why did the Empire not put their Stormtroopers in camouflage when they were stationed on Endor?
Playing the Star Wars: Battlefront game, there is a level set on the forest moon of Endor. On this map, the Rebel forces have a massive advantage: they are wearing camouflage. Used correctly, this can ...
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Which war did Frank Bryce injure his leg in?
It is said that Frank Bryce, the gardener for the Riddle house, injured his leg during the "war".
Frank Bryce was the Riddles’ gardener. He lived alone in a run-down cottage on the grounds of the ...
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Help find name and author of science fiction story about robots taking over all aspects of war
I read this short story a while ago. It described a futuristic war fought by robots.
It featured a team of some sort of military elite going in an underground train (which broke on the way) to their ...
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Book title about mutant humanoid slugs post apocalyptic vs air force?
I am trying to find a book series from the 80-90s whose main character talked about practicing "yuwinitsu" or you win when it suits you. It was post nuclear with a war between humans and mutant slug ...
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Has the Galactic Empire ever conducted large scale ground battles?
The Galactic Empire was at its prime after the end of the Clone Wars and prior to the Battle of Endor. The Battle of Jakku saw most of the Imperial Navy, Army & Stormtrooper Corps committed and ...
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Why do clones just run into battles and get shot at and just keep shooting?
Why do they do keep on showing when getting shot at? Why do they also run into battles without taking cover?
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Modern military jet goes back to World War I
Looking for title and author of a short story.
A pilot of an (American?) near-future military jet and his machine find themselves back in time on an airfield near the front line in World War I. The ...
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Which real-life battles did Captain America fight in?
Over the years, due to various retcons, Captain America seems to fought in practically every single battle in World War II. Is there a list of the real-life World War II battles Steve Rogers of the ...
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What was the largest death count in Star Trek?
In Star Trek they face many trials, wars, battles, what was the single worst catastrophe the federation faced, in reported casualties? Was it the battle of Wolf 359, an engagement in the Dominion war, ...
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A short story about a soldier in the future
Looking for a short story about a soldier in the future on a mission. At a certain point he bites down on a banana shaped capsule under his tongue and the drug accelerates his metabolism for the ...
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How did the clones land at the battle of Geonosis?
In Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, we see the Cavalry (warning: TVTropes link) arrive in the form of the clone army led by Master Yoda. However, just a few scenes later as Dooku is ...
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Name of short story about soccer-like game
I am looking for the name of a short story by a renowned sf writer where world violence and wars were eradicated by introducing pacific soccer-like competition around the world. But, as time passes, ...
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Why didn't the Alliance destroy The Reavers?
In Serenity, we learn that
So my question is, why didn't the Alliance destroy them? There were fewer than 30,000 Reavers and the Alliance had a much larger military.
We also learn that
So why did ...
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Characters exiled from Earth return home, fight against an organisation controlling the Government
I don't know many of the details, here's what I do know:
The book was written in 1999 or earlier. I'm thinking probably earlier, like 80's.
From what I remember of the beginning, I think the book is ...
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Earth boy goes to a magical fantasy world when he sleeps
Boy is on Earth but when he sleeps he goes to a different world. Both worlds' stories carry on over the book and they connect at the end. It starts with the boy in a monastery and in a small apartment ...
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Mankind prepares for a war with aliens by warring among itself [duplicate]
I am looking for the title or author of a atory I read back in the 90's, no idea when it was written. The plot goes something like this:
Humanity has gained access to space travel and sends 9 or 12 ...
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Need title of 1980 - 1990 techno thriller about remote sensing technology
I read a military techno thriller in the 1980s - 1990s that I would like to identify by title and author. At the time I was heavily into this genre. The book was about an advanced US technology that ...
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Man drafted for a future war that was all a thought experiment
Military Science Fiction. Short Story found in an anthology. Mid 1990s. Paperback
Title was: _last_name_'s War
The last name was complicated to read/pronounce maybe Polish or Norwegian.
An ...
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Why no automated warfare in Herbert’s Dune?
Frank Herbert created the weaponry in Dune to build a deadlock: If a lasgun is fired upon a Holtzmann shield, both will be destroyed. Unpredictably, there might be even larger damage up until to what ...
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Aliens abduct mathematician, astronomer, woman
Bits I remember about this SF movie which probably originated in late 50s / early 60s:
Humans are flying in a light, general aviation, high winged, single engine aircraft.
An alien in a flying saucer ...
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