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Something from RJ Datakim Send a noteboard - 07/06/2010 09:43:16 PM


*Snippety snip*

I've said this over and over, YES the Damane will be able to move troops, but the lack of linking is a significant disadvantage to them. It's like you have a pistol and your enemy has a machine gun, sure the pistol is better than just a knife, but you're still pretty much out gunned.


I had a vague memory that RJ had talked about traveling as a means of war and so went looking for it. Here it is, I think it is interesting:


Week 14 Question: Military strategy in the War of Power must have been odd, indeed. How do the concepts of capturing and holding territory even make sense in a world where forces can Travel?

Robert Jordan Answers: Good question, though not all of the forces involved could use gateways. (Rafo! Rafo!) Think of the ability to Travel in terms of moving troops via aircraft, and you will begin to get the picture. Even with the largest possible circles, there are limits to the size of gateways and thus limits to the front along which you can move troops out through it, the numbers you can commit simultaneously. Of course, you can use multiple gateways, but each is still only so large and can admit only so many soldiers at a time.

So-called front lines were very fluid, but you couldn't fling your forces in anywhere without regard to what would be surrounding them or how you were going to resupply, reinforce or withdraw them. Although no one has shown it so far in the books, there are ways to interfere with the making of a gateway - and ways to defend against interference - so the battle would take place on many levels. Yes, any area you hold can be attacked by your enemy, and you can attack any area that he holds. (Part of the result was great destruction and a great fall-off in the ability to produce high tech items. By the time the Bore was sealed, soldiers were already much, much more likely to ride horses and carry swords than to ride armored vehicles or aircraft and carry shocklances, which had all become very rare.) But holding an area is not impossible so long as you can successfully disrupt your opponent's attempts to make gateways into it. Even if he manages to get those first soldiers in, if you can disrupt his ability to reinforce, resupply or withdraw, it becomes another Dien Bien Phu for him. Of course, if you fail, then it becomes Gettysburg or Waterloo, a bloody fight that will be decisive for somebody. At least until the next "decisive" battle is fought. Remember, that designation is always given after the fact, by historians."


What I especially noticed there was that RJ said that there are ways to disrupt gateways and even hold entire areas by disrupting all opening gateways (presumably by the use of wards or the like).

Convenient that Rand has merged with LTT and (presumably) got most of his memories around the same as the Seanchan have got Traveling. I could see Rand now being able to teach the Asha'man how to protect all the major cities and areas around them and preventing the Seanchan from traveling at will. This is something the Seanchan don't know so Rand will once more have the advantage.
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Signing reports - 06/06/2010 07:30:37 PM 2006 Views
Interesting - 06/06/2010 07:41:56 PM 1072 Views
BS said Demandred's identity is the greatest secret in the story, and will pay off in the end... - 06/06/2010 08:05:51 PM 1285 Views
militarily perhaps, but not a duel - 07/06/2010 04:56:55 AM 1062 Views
Re: militarily perhaps, but not a duel - 07/06/2010 01:34:04 PM 858 Views
Re: militarily perhaps, but not a duel - 07/06/2010 04:17:26 PM 931 Views
Oh I like the villains to lose everything before they die - 07/06/2010 04:18:43 PM 839 Views
Bah - 07/06/2010 04:38:36 PM 943 Views
Oh no Lanfear will go down in a mouth foaming insane moment - 07/06/2010 07:04:23 PM 8856 Views
Skilled Rand would be nice. - 07/06/2010 09:24:56 PM 770 Views
I'd rather see Aviendha and Elayne link and take her out - 07/06/2010 09:41:47 PM 764 Views
Re: I'd rather see Aviendha and Elayne link and take her out - 07/06/2010 10:00:44 PM 902 Views
You are quite right, I should have said "kill all the remaining FS" - 07/06/2010 10:08:49 PM 922 Views
Re: You are quite right, I should have said "kill all the remaining FS" - 07/06/2010 10:22:11 PM 822 Views
Moridin IMO will be all Rand's to deal with - 07/06/2010 10:56:28 PM 756 Views
Moridin vs Rand will likely not be an OP fight. - 07/06/2010 11:06:16 PM 824 Views
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Nice thinking - 07/06/2010 06:16:15 PM 946 Views
I think Demandred might be... - 07/06/2010 09:48:29 AM 880 Views
I favor the Roederan theory - 07/06/2010 01:35:37 PM 891 Views
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I have this feeling that Elaida is going to surprise us, and Demandred is in Caemlyn... - 06/06/2010 08:33:16 PM 1040 Views
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While Traveling is certainly a tactical advantage, I think the Seanchan won't be able to use it. - 06/06/2010 11:15:56 PM 824 Views
A hundred gateways next to each other is as good as one giant gateway... - 06/06/2010 11:36:48 PM 933 Views
but no carts or wagons. - 07/06/2010 12:15:29 AM 940 Views
Fully supplied armies could be moved - 07/06/2010 02:45:15 AM 920 Views
you are missing the point that this would create several major problems - 07/06/2010 01:49:08 PM 889 Views
Advantages and Disadvantages to both large and small gateways - 08/06/2010 03:04:28 AM 884 Views
But the Seanchan have an advantage the Perrin did not... - 07/06/2010 02:45:26 AM 937 Views
Re: But the Seanchan have an advantage the Perrin did not... - 07/06/2010 01:52:40 PM 901 Views
Re: But the Seanchan have an advantage the Perrin did not... - 07/06/2010 06:55:59 PM 743 Views
Re: But the Seanchan have an advantage the Perrin did not... - 07/06/2010 07:03:29 PM 843 Views
Re: But the Seanchan have an advantage the Perrin did not... - 07/06/2010 07:48:01 PM 763 Views
Re: But the Seanchan have an advantage the Perrin did not... - 07/06/2010 08:22:23 PM 891 Views
Double Post -Sorry - NM! *NM* - 07/06/2010 08:22:23 PM 389 Views
We have no clue if Damane can tie off weaves - 07/06/2010 08:28:08 PM 848 Views
Re: We have no clue if Damane can tie off weaves - 07/06/2010 09:22:24 PM 902 Views
One disagreement - 07/06/2010 09:33:09 PM 876 Views
I agree...but - 07/06/2010 09:44:54 PM 798 Views
That's just it ... Egwene, Elayne and Rand have already thought of it and considered the uses - 07/06/2010 10:04:50 PM 902 Views
Egwene to pass information? You're joking, right? - 07/06/2010 10:59:25 PM 938 Views
He did say it was unlikely - 07/06/2010 11:23:20 PM 987 Views
Thanks! - 08/06/2010 12:02:27 AM 817 Views
Not to mention... - 07/06/2010 09:26:28 PM 853 Views
Re: Not to mention... - 07/06/2010 09:38:31 PM 794 Views
Something from RJ - 07/06/2010 09:43:16 PM 800 Views
NICE! - 07/06/2010 09:55:03 PM 652 Views
If they get Traveling, I hope we read the first time the Seanchan move their "creatures" through - 07/06/2010 06:22:47 PM 726 Views
Re: If they get Traveling, I hope we read the first time the Seanchan move their "creatures" through - 07/06/2010 11:03:22 PM 850 Views
That's a good point - 08/06/2010 12:05:30 AM 840 Views
The little thing is Rand's angreal IMO - 07/06/2010 04:52:17 AM 798 Views
Rand has a powerful sa'angreal though. - 07/06/2010 08:35:06 AM 813 Views
But this was often suggested - 07/06/2010 10:30:17 AM 852 Views
I think the thing from books 4-6 has to do with dreaming/TAR abilities. - 08/06/2010 12:09:53 AM 792 Views
I think BS has inadvertently given away a massive clue regarding Demandred's identity... - 06/06/2010 09:12:58 PM 991 Views
What's to prevent him from hiding as a female? *NM* - 06/06/2010 10:30:08 PM 378 Views
Forgive me if I don't give that possibility serious consideration. - 06/06/2010 10:36:20 PM 803 Views
Bc it's clearly way too dissatisfying. And Demmy's certainly too proud to hide as a woman! *NM* - 07/06/2010 01:01:52 AM 445 Views
Not entirely... if he's Egwene that explains a lot - 07/06/2010 02:17:56 AM 834 Views
You misread, IMO - 07/06/2010 12:59:58 AM 944 Views
Thank you yet again, Etzel - 07/06/2010 01:07:02 AM 706 Views
Well. Galgan, then. *NM* - 07/06/2010 04:05:57 PM 434 Views
*NM* *NM* - 07/06/2010 04:06:38 PM 423 Views
Can't be Galgan - 07/06/2010 04:37:36 PM 767 Views
See we can agree on stuff *NM* - 07/06/2010 06:35:52 PM 362 Views
Of course, we can. *NM* - 07/06/2010 07:26:00 PM 371 Views
galgan's out, but maybe... - 07/06/2010 07:01:12 PM 755 Views
Or... - 08/06/2010 09:37:21 AM 769 Views
I doubt the new Taraboner king is involved - 08/06/2010 12:52:45 PM 1097 Views
As I said, I think... - 08/06/2010 01:30:39 PM 770 Views
I'm not disagreeing with most of it - 08/06/2010 01:49:54 PM 757 Views
look above, you guys agreed on stuff for 19 hours. New record? *NM* - 08/06/2010 04:12:47 PM 371 Views
LMAO - 08/06/2010 11:01:57 PM 1031 Views

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