What are your elite warriors like?

[Tecdavid]

Mine belong to an order that takes centre-stage in the storyline, thanks to the fact my main cast are among their number. The elites in question (which are, quite aptly, named "Elites" ) are what you would expect; soldiers who've proven themselves to be the cream of the crop through talent, raw might, and well-tailored experience. I've tried to avoid the Stoic Badass trend that top fighters often wear in stories, though. Its the more quirksome, hurdy-gurdy sort the reader tends to meet, this time around.

 

[Gumboot]

Are the household cavalry elite? I thought they were somewhat sneered at by the "working" regiments. It's generally considered by the public and the press, that the Marines and the Para's are the best of our fighting units and Marine Commando's, SBS and SAS units as the special forces elite.

Yes, they're elite. But there's different types of "elite". It's worth pointing out that they are a "working regiment" (well, two working regiments); that was kind of my point; they're a regular combat unit just like the other cavalry regiments, they just have this additional ceremonial and protective duty (it's worth pointing out that troops from one regular infantry battalion are also engaged in these ceremonial duties at any given time).

I think perhaps in the era of equine cavalry they may have been presented as elite, but i think thats something of a hollow boast now. I guess there are two angles, to the army and top brass maybe they are presented as elite but the public doesnt buy it anymore

Again, there's different types of elite; and what you're saying above is basically my exact point; some units are perceived as elite due to cultural tradition and convention rather than any particular capability. For example the Ghurkas are no more elite than any other Rifle Battalion, but they're perceived as being more elite because of tradition.

Meanwhile units like the Paras, SBS and 22SAS are perceived as elite not because of tradition but because of ability.

But it's also a point of interest with the english common soldier. To the English hierarchy they were somewhat ignored for their role in the victories, but to the French they were "the devil". I suspect they were more feared by the French, because of their non chivalrous and common nature, an unruley and ungodly mob of peasants, the height of shame to be defeated by. So maybe to a French Knight at the height of the age of chivalry, they gave more fear than expected. To lose to another Knight meant they retained their honour and status and would probably be given quarter for ransome. But to the lose to the rabble.. a higher chance of a painful and uncerimonious death and the loss of their honour. Who knows but interesting to think about the different perspectives.

I don't think the French particularly feared them. Indeed; a significant part of why the English longbowmen were so effective had nothing to do with their own ability but rather their enemy's gross failure to regard them as a serious threat.

The Praetorian Guard were also considered elite and well equipped, but much like the household cavalry, sneered out by actual legionaires.

Do you have any evidence the Household Cavalry are actually "sneered at" by the rest of the British Army? Because I sincerely doubt it. Bear in mind that every single British Army unit has ceremonial function and archaic ceremonial uniforms for that ceremonial function. The British Army units are pretty fearsome about preserving and promoting their long military histories, so it seems improbable they'd look down on the unit with the longest military history. The Blues and Royals first battle honour is from 1662.

I'm pretty sure they were considered to be toy soldiers and ill disciplined brutes who were never seriously expected to fight on a battlefield (did they ever?).

That depends a lot on when you're talking. The Praetorian Guard were originally raised from veteran legionnaires and were in every way an elite fighting unit. For about 200 years they were a pretty effective and positive influence in the Empire, and a group not to be trifled with. It was really after the reign of Marcus Aurelius that the Praetoria (and, to be fair, the legions in general) began to descend into a mob of political mercenaries.

 

[Reivax26]

Each faction in mine have elite troops. The elite warriors of different groups in a world really should differ in my opinion. At least as far as weaponry is concerned.

 

[Gumboot]

Each faction in mine have elite troops. The elite warriors of different groups in a world really should differ in my opinion. At least as far as weaponry is concerned.

This is very much my attitude. I think they will naturally differ enormously. The other thing is that not everyone will agree on who is elite.

The Grand Duchy of Primatia may consider their Monkey-fighters to be their most elite killers, but their long hated enemy, the Kingdom of Kleen may instead be held in check by unreasoning fear of the fearsome killing potential of Primatia's Mud-flinger regiment.

 

[Bakerman]

Two things come to mind whenever I write 'elites' in a science-fiction story. The first is facelessness. I've just realised that all my 'elite' forces wear concealing headgear (weather for practicality or coolness) and regular uniforms. And do things like speak through megaphones which mangle their voices. The second thing is the idea of a one-man army, which I think I picked up from reading Starship Troopers too many times as a kid and only taking away the parts that involved the marauder suit. And other influences like the Kulu Kingdom soldiers in Night's Dawn, or the main character's battle suit in Fallen Dragon.

 

[Freya Robertson]

Interesting discussion! The "elite" forces in my story are accepted into the army at the age of seven, chosen based on a series of tests of intelligence and character. So they don't necessarily end up the biggest or the strongest, but they are the most well trained. Intention has a lot to do with it too - like you were saying with Agincourt, etc, soldiers fighting for a cause will tend to have greater oomph (sorry to be so technical) than mercenaries. Although money can also be a good motivator But my elites fight for a religious cause, and that - and the belief in themselves that they are elite - lifts them above the ordinary.

 

[chrispenycate]

One must make the difference between "warrior" (one who enjoys fighting, indeed is only really living when his system is saturated with adrenalin, ie. he's fighting or fornicating. Note that the "he" is the generalised form, not a statement that women can't be warriors) and "soldier", one who fights for his living. Hollywood prefers the former, as they make better action heroes, but civilised armies show a marked preference for the more disciplined, less flamboyant killer.

Since I tend to use the universe, and human stupidity (well, actually, sentient stupidity; no race could rise to sapience without direct divine intervention or stupidity as part of the education process. Chrispy's second law.), greed and egocentricity. So there's little need for a separate military subspecies; you select among generalists for the most suitable. Fast reaction time, evidently, but more than that the ability to integrate information and make rapid, generally correct decisions. Which ability is cogent for all unpredicted emergencies, so you're only choosing for destructive activity to be a high priority.

Physical strength and size are less important; there will always be someone stronger. If the protagonist is faster, more determined, more vicious and has the common sense to fight when victory is assured he'll win over the giant monster, however well armoured; the extra size makes a bigger target. Training and tradition make up the rest; and there the male of the species has a notable advantage, at least over fertile females; there isn't the lost time in pregnancies.

But the most important is the ability to make instant decisions, as to actions or whether something is friend or foe; considered choices in a minimum of time. Just destroying everything is a waste of energy, and ultimately self defeating, but trusting the wrong person is a recipe for a short existence. There again, that talent , the 'anti-dither', is useful in a wide selection of situations.

 

[JoanDrake]

I'm working on one story where this world has several. One are these rather small (though fully grown) and slender girls, all very pretty. They're a race of elite scouts, using compound bows and a supersharp small sword made of ultratough plastic. (Where these come from is a major plot point) They're much, much stronger than they look, extremely fast and can travel long distances on foot faster than cavalry. They tend to be federated as mercernaries with this world's analogue of Romans. Their males are rarely if ever seen out of their home territory, about 2 to 3x the size of Great Apes and are led into battle by the girls on chains.

In another story I have a secret police nicknamed the Good Friends, though they are actually from the Bureau of Public Amity and Societal Welfare.

 

[BetaWolf]

I've always been fascinated by the Ottoman Janissaries and Egyptian Mamelukes. Having a class of foreign-born slave-soldiers seems one way for my green-skinned spacefarers to deal with the issue of low population growth (and carrying capacity) in places like the Jovian system. Young humans make good targets for indoctrination, and it is rumored that Earth governments are looking the other way in exchange for tech and research data.

I'm basing the cultures involved on ancient Greece (though many of the names are Roman) in terms of warrior ethos and the focus on single combat over mass battles.

When necessary, each of these warriors (who has some genetic and cybernetic enhancements) can direct a number of war machines.