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I might as well present my argument in full Sidious Send a noteboard - 16/11/2009 09:52:34 AM

There are too many problems with the theory that gateway disruption is made with wards...

1. There is no evidence at all for this ward. I have no problem with a bit of insight. Someone once suggested using a gateway as a weapon and in KoD it suddenly appeared. Still, it's theoretical at best, whereas gateway blocking is an established weave and hints that gateway interference is done in such a way.

2. Tactically, a ward is stupid. If you block the area off against Travelling you injure your own abilities too. You cannot escape, or Travel somewhere, or send your own troops off. It's like making a ward against channeling - its helps you but also harms you. In effect, the defending army is pinned down.

3. The warding would have to be enormous to have a big enough effect. Shannow suggests that it's too difficult for a channeler to run around blocking gateway formation and that a channeler can merely make a gateway half a mile away. However, a ward needed to cover such an area anyway would require an enormous amount of the Power - either with a sa'angreal or a large circle.

So in my opinion it works like this...

Channelers ward the battlefield for miles around with wards that detect saidin or saidar. This is an established tactic used by Forsaken generals, especially Sammael who was a master of defense and probably Rahvin who located Rand almost instantly with lightning. It also seems to be a tactic that both Rand and Taim agree to be the most apt for defending a battleground.

When channelers detect saidin or saidar, they immediately Travel to that area of the battlefield. They know the area, so it's easy. A gateway will probably be established by then but no one is going to use one gateway to send an army - more will follow. A group of channelers will then attempt to either unravel the formed gateway, block gateways which are forming, or kill soldiers who are trying to get through. Does this mean that channelers spend all their time running around doing this? Of course it does. If you have a thousand channelers in your army, you should dedicate at least twenty percent to running around trying to thwart incoming gateways and tactical advancements. The other 80% can fight or Heal, or whatever else they do.

Channelers on both sides will attempt to do the following...
- form gateways for reinforcements
- help maintain the gateways in case enemies try to unravel them
- block incoming gateways
- destroy anyone who tries to get through
- try and destroy the channelers on the other side, or at least shield them.
- try and unravel their platforms if they use skimming.

It makes much more sense for an army to do this than to create a Travelling deadzone that hurts your army as much as the enemy's.
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How to disrupt gateways that are made into a battle zone... - 16/11/2009 08:48:36 AM 767 Views
there could be other defensive methods as well - 16/11/2009 09:06:56 AM 482 Views
Excellent suggestions... - 16/11/2009 09:08:59 AM 510 Views
That depends on whether moving gateways are possible. - 19/11/2009 02:01:40 AM 428 Views
I might as well present my argument in full - 16/11/2009 09:52:34 AM 579 Views
Both options can be valid, but here's why you MUST have the ward... - 16/11/2009 10:10:55 AM 745 Views
Re: Both options can be valid, but here's why you MUST have the ward... - 16/11/2009 12:08:30 PM 459 Views
Another idea - 16/11/2009 02:59:39 PM 497 Views
You're talking about manipulating the Pattern? - 17/11/2009 01:54:32 PM 392 Views
The problem with that... - 16/11/2009 05:11:16 PM 411 Views
Peter Hamilton's "Pandora Star" - 16/11/2009 03:36:39 PM 566 Views
I think there's some evidence in favor of the wards idea you are all missing. - 16/11/2009 05:29:22 PM 428 Views
I disagree - 16/11/2009 07:15:53 PM 429 Views
Except - 16/11/2009 07:24:56 PM 385 Views
It's definitely possible that there can be a ward to detect a gateway opening. - 17/11/2009 03:22:33 PM 403 Views
How bout a compromise? - 16/11/2009 06:37:40 PM 486 Views
We know that, for e.g., Sammael could detect the location of a Gateway - 16/11/2009 08:21:57 PM 389 Views
Ahh, I see that Sidious has already suggested this. *NM* - 16/11/2009 08:30:55 PM 174 Views
I believe that you cannot make a ward completely preventing Traveling. - 17/11/2009 01:52:24 PM 387 Views

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