Military Formation Template

Tools of War

A template that is intended to be used for types of military formations. These formations can be anything from a squad of slingers to an armada of spaceships. The template will help you organize the various aspects a formation needs in order to function and to be deployed. Use the organization template to describe the named units of these formations.
The example used in this template is the real-world Corps, but this is just one very specific use of this template!

The template has many prompt boxes which can be filled in. Use them for inspiration and to help format your article. Do not feel like you have to fill out all of them!

The terms in the braces below each heading tell you under which tab this prompt appears and what the title of the box is.

Composition

Manpower

(COMPOSITION > MANPOWER)
Describe how many soldiers and support individuals this formation requires for optimal deployment or a range of manpower that the unit can still operate without sacrificing too much. Keep in mind that this formation will also need support and reserves.

Equipment

(COMPOSITION > EQUIPMENT)
Every formation uses some kind of equipement for combat. This can be from standard uniforms that every member wears or maybe they just wear whatever they have accessible when they are conscripted. Use this section to also describe non-combat tools, survival gear, medical supplies and other supplies used while not in combat.

Weaponry

(COMPOSITION > WEAPONRY)
Any formation requires some kind of weapon to fight. What kind of weapon are they trained with? How do they use that weapon? This can be anything from swords to laser blasters. Do the members of this formation carry any secondary weapons for specific situations or if the main weapon is not available?

Vehicles

(COMPOSITION > VEHICLES)
Describe the vehicles used by this formation. Are there an integral component of the firepower of this formation? Or are they just support for transport or logistics? What are the used for? How are they build? Where do they come from?

Structure

(COMPOSITION > COMMAND STRUCTURE)
Describe the command structure used by this formation. How are the parts of the formation named? What kind of officers are involved? Who leads this formation typically? What happens when the command structure is disrupted during engagments? What are the backups? How does this command structure fit into other parts of the armed forces if there are any?

Tactics

(COMPOSITION > TACTICS)
Describe the tactics commonly used by this formation. How do they fight? Why is this formation used? What makes it effective? Are there specific circumstanes it is used or is it a general purpose unit that is the backbone of military organization? Who has deviced these tactics? Are they widespread knowlegde or was this a novel approach at the time? Was this formation formed to counter another with a specific tactics?

Training

(COMPOSITION > TRAINING)
What kind of training do members of this unit do in order to be integrated? How do they train during deployments? Who is responsible for the training? Is the training very hard? Or is it more important to be quick and easy? Can anyone do this training or does it require special abilities?

Logistics

Logistical Support

(LOGISTICS > LOGISTICAL SUPPORT)
Describe the logistical support needed for this formation for deployment. How are the logistics handled? Who provides the resources? How does it ensure that the right support at the right place?

Auxilia

(LOGISTICS > AUXILIA)
Describe any units or parts that are not strictly part of the formation itself, but can support the formation to increase its effectivness or to cover for certain weaknesses. This could air strikes or artillery bombardments that can be called in by the formations leadership.

Upkeep

(LOGISTICS > UPKEEP)
What are the expected or average costs of training, maintaining and equipping this formation? This can be in terms of financial costs, but also industry, materials, civilian workers and more.

Recruitment

(LOGISTICS > RECRUITMENT)
Describe the recruitment process for this formation. Who are they recruiting? How are they enticing folks to join them? Is there a competiton with other formations? Does the formation advertise in a certain way? What is the formations overall reputation in the target population? Are there any restrictions on who they can and want to recruit? Are they looking for people with specific backgrounds or abilities?

History

(HISTORY > HISTORY)
Describe the historical background of this formation. When was it first described? When was it first deployed? Was there a lot of though put into it and it was carefully designed by military strategists? Or was it born out of necessity during a conflict and not much else was possible anymore?

The corps was first named in 1805 by Napoleon during the Napoleonic Wars.

Historical loyalties

(HISTORY > HISTORICAL LOYALTIES)
Describe the organizations, characters or species that this formation was used by. Who deployed this? Was it a common deployment within the world or was it limited to a specific orgnization?

Military Formation Types - Click to Expand

Air Force
Airborne
Armour
Artillery
Cavalry
Cyber
Containment/Hazmat
Covert Ops
Escort
Infantry
Intelligence
Magic
Marines
Medical
Mech
Mechanized
Mercenary
Motorized
Militia
Navy
Paramilitary
Raiding parties
Reserves
Security
Shock
Special Forces
Spaceborne
Space/EVA
Support

Type

Infantry

Founding

1805

Dissolution

When was this kind of formation no longer used?

Overall training Level

Professional

Assumed Veterancy

Trained

Parent Formation

Military Unity Template Parent

Used by

• Organization Template

Ranks & Titles

• Title & Rank Template

Related Prompts

The prompts listed below are part of the Worldbuilding Prompts that can be found under the Community menu. These prompts use the template discussed in this article. Using these prompts is a great way to expand your worldbuilding!

• Unique Ranged Weapon