Governing a Fake Army

The Art of War by Sun Tzu is one of the earliest books on military strategy and is highly worth a read. Most of us do not have an army at our disposal, myself included. But we can simulate what it is like to have an army through strategy games. I particularly enjoy Age of Empires II, Civilization V or VI, Rise of Nations, and Dune: Spice Wars. So here are some things you can apply to managing a fake army!

Pictured: My homie Sun Tzu.

1. Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him.

The perception of how strong you are is almost more important than how strong you actually are. If you are perceived as strong, you are less likely to be attacked out of fear. If you are perceived as weak, you invite conflict. But this can be used to your advantage if you can convince an enemy to attack you where you are strong. Pretending you are open in a place you aren't is a great way to thin the enemy herd.

2. Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.

Pretty self explanatory. But a good way to apply this is to build military bases/buildings outside of your main city center. That way you can create and attack from unexpected places.

3. If he is taking his ease, give him no rest.

The ability to keep up the fight and not yield is important for the final push. If you are completely exerted by the time you destroy an opposing army, it's not a victory; it's a stalemate.

4. If you lay siege to a town, you will exhaust your strength. There is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare.

If your enemy is in a fortified position, you can't just send waves and waves of enemies; they will just be beaten back from ranged units beyond the fortification. That's just a waste of resources. Having the correct units to take down the fortifciations (or better yet, finding another angle of attack) is critical.

5. The best thing of all is to take the enemy's country whole and intact; to shatter and destroy it is not so good.

In many games, you have the ability to "convert" units instead of destroying them. This is helpful because you are essentially using the enemies resources against them. If there is a way to capture units, this is better than destroying them.

Pictured: One of my favorite games of all time!

6. If equally matched, we can offer battle; if slightly inferior in numbers, we can avoid the enemy; if quite unequal in every way, we can flee.

Retreat is an option. If you are vastly outnumbered, don't feel the need to make a noble stand. Run away to a better fortified position and save your units.

7. March swiftly to places where you are not expected.

The element of surprise cannot be discounted. Attacking somewhere unexpected, your enemy will have to take the trouble of moving their units. In the meantime, you have free reign over that area. Go ahead and destroy fortifications while the enemy's time is wasted. And, for further insult to injury, run away once the enemy shows up.

8. The enemy can be forced to an engagement even through he be sheltered. All we need to do is attack some other place that he will be obliged to relieve.

If you want to engage in battle but your enemy is fortified, make them come to you! Attack somewhere that you have the advantage or is neutral territory and your enemy will come to meet you.

9. We can prevent the enemy from engaging us. All we need to do is to throw something odd and unaccountable in his way.

Again, the element of surprise can equalize almost any situation. If you throw a few units away on a suicide mission, you can make the enemy think you are somewhere you aren't. Waste the enemy's time with pointless small attacks while you prepare the real army.

10. Do not repeat the tactics which have gained you one victory, but let your methods be regulated by the infinite variety of circumstances.

Don't become predictable. Once your attacks are figured out, the enemy can better counter you and put you at a disadvantage. By making your attacks varied, you ensure that your enemy will not be able to properly counter you. On the other hand, if you notice that your enemy is using the same kind of units, create an army that counters it.