Brainstorming - Military

Like the other brain storming branch I will edit in suggestions in the comment section.

The major problem for any armed **** in Lady Land is that each and every soldier is liable to become pregnant. There has to be either an elite caste of virgin warriors or an assumption that everyone leaves active service before very long.

Aqualis64 has put forward that soldiers could be on heavy duty birth control not used in civilian life that inhibit the sex drive and prevent periods.

Perhaps an army could be structured so that after a set amount of time women get sent to guard their home town while working a civilian job? They have to reproduce eventually.

Worship of Athena is a central element of military life along side in the Western World. This implies that knowledge (especially of strategy) is highly prised.

Does boot camp encourage rowdy, competitive behaviour or tech a refined, lady-like manner?

Would an all female martial-tradition favour different strategies and tactics? For example, more emphasis on covert operations.

In a private conversation Aqualis64 proposed a history of tactics and strategy. Below is my interpretation with some sociological additions:

The tactical differences between LadyLand and real life can be traced back as far as the stone age. With less strength and endurance to work with huntresses developed sophisticated ambush tactics similar to lionesses. Rather than everyone chasing after the target with spears the bulk of the hunting party threw stones to drive their prey towards the strongest of the party who would use spears to make the killing blow. The bird like calls used to co-ordinate these hunts continue to be used to this day.

In parallel to this development the other members of the tribe (especially those with daughters to care for) banded together for defence against predatory animals forming both close emotional bonds and the first rudiments of martial arts.

Tamed wolves (eventually bred into dogs) also became a major part of both.

When the first tribal wars started there was a clear distinction between the hunting parties (typically made mostly of younger, single women) performing hit-and-run assaults while the more experienced defenders protected what they held dear. However with advances in both farming and housing hunting and fighting animals such as wolves became less a part of daily life. Thus to avoid conquest by lack of skill tribes began to be ruled by an elite class of knights who specialised in the arts of war. They advanced hunting tactics with the invention of chariots and defence by the invention of armour.

At this point I should note that, first, even in the stone age each tribes bird-calls became a secret language so that enemies could not understand what they were about to do. Secondly while armour was important to knights they generally chose to wear less of it to conserve their strength. Though after plate plate replaced mail there came a fashion for armour to not only accent the breasts but display strength by comically exaggerating them.

Cities became walled to protect against raids. This had two major consequences. First the advancement of various mechanical systems such as cranes and water-wheels to aid in construction that proved helpful in every other aspect of life.

Secondly the rise of a new type of warrior. The assassin. Entering under the cover of darkness she can spy, poison the water supply, kill key people, steal valuables or simply open the gates for more conventional knights to charge in. All of this is natural adaptations from the ancient ways of huntresses.

Finally the invention of accurate firearms makes armour largely obsolete and a few centuries later the motor vehicle largely replaces horses. From a strict technological perspective the armed forces of LadyLand are very similar to those of real life. Pistols, rifles and rockets. Ships, tanks and planes. However strategically they still have the strong split between hit-and-run **** and hold-the-line defence. Sword training has also remained mandatory for traditions sake.

What do uniforms look like? In one thread I mentioned WWI uniforms being knee-length dresses buttoned up at the front but other ideas would be appreciated. Also I personally imagine that the old custom of having a less practical but more stylish uniform to wear when combat appears unlikely has remained strong.