Doctrines of War: A Comparative Analysis
A comparative analysis of the major strategic doctrines. For a practical examination of these doctrines in action, see the after-action report The Battle of the Serene Valley.
1. The Adamant Phalanx (Doctrine of Severity)
The Adamant Phalanx prosecutes war via Attrition and Set-Piece Battle.
- Strength: Unbeatable in direct, fortified engagements.
- Weakness: Inflexible; vulnerable to asymmetric tactics.
- Core Tactic: Establishes a fortified line to force set-piece battles.
- Risk: Doctrinal Petrification.
2. The Living Tide (Doctrine of Mercy)
The Living Tide wages war like a force of nature, using Asymmetric Warfare and Maneuver.
- Strength: Highly mobile, adaptable, and self-sufficient.
- Weakness: Lacks discipline for sieges or long defense.
- Core Tactic: Uses area denial to turn the environment into a weapon.
- Risk: Strategic Dissolution.
3. The Hidden Dagger (Doctrine of Balance)
The Hidden Dagger is the surgical arm of the Middle Pillar, favoring Special Operations and Strategic Decapitation.
- Strength: Targets critical weaknesses to win with minimal force.
- Weakness: Cannot hold territory; relies on specialist cells.
- Core Tactic: Surgical strikes against key targets to collapse the enemy from within.
- Risk: Over-reliance on a single point of failure (the cell itself).
4. The Arcanum Legions (Doctrines of Obsession)
The Arcanum Legions are heretical orders, each a monoculture obsessed with a single Arcanum.
- Doctrine: Conceptual Blitz. Overwhelms enemies with a single, radical magical concept.
- Strength: Masters of a single niche that bypasses standard defenses.
- Weakness: Extreme specialization makes them brittle; easily countered.
5. Factional Response Doctrines (Unconventional Threats)
The great factions have also developed specialized protocols for combating threats that do not field armies, such as Qliphothic Infestations or incursions from the void of Da'at. For a full breakdown of these containment and sanitization protocols, see Unconventional Threats: A Report on Factional Response Doctrines.