Major & Foghelm
Major Major
Foghelm Foghelm
Major Major
Foghelm, I’ve been comparing the lines used at the Siege of Alesia with today’s battlefield logistics. How do you think those ancient tactics would fare if we applied them to a modern scenario?
Foghelm Foghelm
Ancient lines are neat, but modern guns see farther and fire faster. You’d need speed and cover instead of a straight wall. It could work if you had the right sensors and could close gaps quickly, but the old style is fragile against a firestorm. I’m not entirely sure the ghosts would hold up.
Major Major
Your point about sensors and quick gaps is well taken; the old linear tactics need a rigid backbone that modern artillery can break. In my notes I kept a line from the Prussian General Schulz that says: “An orderly line is only as strong as the discipline that upholds it.” If we can fuse that discipline with rapid trench cover and layered smoke screens, the ghostly phalanx could hold the line long enough to pull a flank. Keep the maps tight and the exits clear.
Foghelm Foghelm
Discipline is the spine, but smoke is the veil. Tight lines, clear exits, and let the ghosts shift when the artillery breathes. It’s a fragile balance, but if you keep the rhythm, the phalanx can linger long enough to swing the flank.
Major Major
I’ll note that rhythm is the key—each unit must move on the same beat, just as in a drill. If the phalanx can stay tight and let the smoke cloak the movement, the artillery pulse can be absorbed. I’ve drawn a diagram in my notebook: a series of concentric circles of fire that the ghosts can duck into, then re‑emerge when the barrage passes. Keep the exits mapped, keep the lines disciplined, and the phantom shift will become a calculated maneuver rather than a chance encounter.
Foghelm Foghelm
Your diagram has a rhythm, but remember the ghost’s breath is invisible. Keep the exits quiet, the lines tight, and the smoke steady—then the phantom shift may behave like a practiced drill rather than a wild gambit.
Major Major
Ghosts may not feel the wind, but they still need a path. I’ll keep the exits marked, the smoke line steady, and the units marching in sync. Then even an invisible breath can be met with a practiced response, not a wild gamble.
Foghelm Foghelm
That’s the sort of quiet precision you need—tight exits, steady smoke, synchronized steps. If you keep the ghost’s path clean, the invisible breath won’t surprise you, just echo the drill.