The Care and Feeding of a Unit

Tactics have always been a big part of what we do here in Dagorhir and other games. But many don't openly discuss or post about it. I would like to give my 2 denari on the subject and open the floor to a progressive discussion so that we may all learn and grow as veteran commanders and new unit leaders!

Chapter 1
Espirit De Corps
"The common spirit existing in the members of a group and inspiring enthusiasm, devotion, and strong regard for the honor of the group."

Esprit de Corps is one of the most essential elements during war/ game play. Any commander will tell you that Morale wins battles. Anything that binds a unit together should be considered. Be it the Waaagh or just shiny stuff, It is the dedication to and pride for the group that makes a rabble of soldiers into an efficient fighting unit.

Unit Organization

It is crucial to a unit that it maintains the cohesion of its command structure. People come and go. Sergeants, war bosses and even commanders will become inactive from time to time. After every war the unit is likely to experience this.

Get Past It.

A unit should have a number of reliable or Core members that the grunts know and respect. Whatever structure is chosen for the unit must be maintained from practice to practice. Regular unit meetings should to be held at least once between each war. Means for electing officers, promotions and communication need to be established.

Colors and Display

These are vital for building camaraderie & group identity. Time spent between the wars putting these together is well spent.

Tabards and shields, emblazoned with the groups symbols, look good, give the unit a uniform look on the field, and help identify one another in the heat of battle.

The unit should have at least one banner at events. Unit signifiers like the roman eagles. Something the unit can put pride in and defend. Add a ribbon or small trinket to it for each war to begin developing a unit history and story line. This is involved with legend building!

BONDING IS IMPORTANT. Some units i have seen over the years recruit every new person they see just to increase their numbers. Where it is great to help new members of dagorhir, it's also important to think of them as an individual and not a force multiplier.

Coming up next, Chapter 2: Unit Drills