Continued Training & Experience: 

     Ratik’s situation required a disproportionately large force compared to its population, which in turn required conscription, the acceptance of mercenaries, and precluded stringent recruiting standards. Nevertheless, the Ratikkans did well with what they had, at least until Lexnol’s demise. Archbaron Lexnol continued the training policies of the Great Kingdom in its heyday, including continuous and rigorous training at the individual: Soldiers who did not meet training standards trained on their off time in their platoon’s “awkward squad”. Each season, training progressed from the individual, to squad, to platoon, to company, culminating in each cohort conducting force-on-force exercises the week before each fest.[69] 

     Continuous action against the humanoids of the Bone March ensured that Ratik’s regulars and levies had a leavening of experienced NCOs and officers. The southeastern and southwestern districts frequently saw action against the Bone March, and activity alongside (or against) Suel barbarians, in the Rakers, and at sea provided experience for the other districts, who are also frequently called to assist in the south (particularly the regulars).[70] 

     Volunteer borderers were more likely to become Scouts or Rangers than Fighters. Most join with somewhat better skills, whether self-taught, form militia serviced, or both. Being stationed directly on the borders, they generally see more combat than infantrymen, but had slightly less experience overall, since fewer of them make the military a career.  

     A larger percentage of cavalrymen come from better socio-economic backgrounds. Most who do not get selected as Subalterns during initial selection end up joining the cavalry.      

   Although feudal and provincial levies take inexperienced men to fill their quotas, they are often more experienced than their regular counterparts, particularly privates, since most of them had already completed an active term of service. This is also true of spellcasters and craftsmen, who frequently take their talents to “The Real World”. On the other hand, levies are more likely to be those who didn’t become quite as proficient as those who become professionals. [71] Overall, widespread military service has made Ratikkan civilians better trained than is typically found in the Flanaess. (See Appendix 6 for additional details)

Post-586 

     The need to dip deeper into Ratik’s small manpower pool due to expansion and losses, and perhaps the demise of Archbaron Lexnol, apparently resulted in a drop in the level of training and experience among male Ratikkans during the early 590s.[72] Specifically, the creation of the active duty navy (with as many as 20 vessels) required the expansion of the Marine Company from three squads per platoon to six, with the slack being taken up by foreigners (as with the Infantry Companies) for both marines and sailors.[73] Heavy losses among the gnomes had a similar result among the engineer platoons, the levies, and standing local units.[74] The Archbaroness and local leaders expanded their use of mercenary units (e.g., Lord Bredivan’s alliance with the Loftwood Foresters.[75]).

Endnotes: 

[69] McNab, The Roman Army, 152-153;   

    Michael, Armies of Medieval Burgundy, 14. 

   Roman legionnaires trained continuously; Charles the Bold’s 1473 Ordinannce required maneuvers and an inspection every three months. 

   I assumed that the Ratikkans were unusually militarily effective, based on the fact that a small country avoided being overwhelmed by what seems to be greatly superior numbers of orcs, gnolls, and other humanoids from the south, while having to keep an eye on the north and the Rakers as well. Some of this might have been due to diplomatic superiority (e.g. alliances with the Frutzi and Knurl). Some of it may have been at the strategic/operational level, i.e. the competence of generals (e.g. the Marshal’s ambush of the Vile Rune at the Loftwood), but the Ratikkans still would have had to have found a way to turn a typical Ratikkan into a relatively effective soldier. 

[70] Gygax, “Developments from Stonefist to South Province”, 14. 

   Gygax mentions a “Ratiker-Fruztti” expedition against Stonefist in 577.  

   At battle of the Loftwood 578: 3,650 Ratikkan regulars; about 4,000 levies and militia; about 3,000 gnome levies and militia; 600 elves. This seems to be all of Ratik’s infantry, borderer, and cavalry companies; Most of the levies and militia came from the southeastern freeholds; I assume that the following levied companies served at the battle: 12 SE infantry; 1 SE cavalry; 1 infantry from the Central district; 1 SW infantry; 1 SW cavalry; 2 W infantry. 

[71] Lau, The Ungoblin RTK 3-05, p. 20;   

    Lau, The Whispering Tide RTK 3-06, p. 13. 

  In 593, Lord Krevik Bredivan was an Ari5/Ftr6, but his “captain” (possibly the Bredivan Cohort Commander, assuming that Lord Bredivan does not fill that position himself), Sir Barrett Winden, is a Ftr7. Lord Aramson Cormik is an Ari4/Ftr4/Duelist1, while the other guests on the Whispering Tide are strictly NPC class-types. 

[72] Lau, Reflections RTK 0-01, pp. 2-3. 

    The population of Grassflats ca. 591 seems to have more 1^st level commoners than one would expect in a nation that has had about 20 years of universal military service. 

    Lau, Enemy Lines RTK 2[m]-05, p. 3. 

    By 592, part of an infantry squad in Kalmar Pass is made up entirely of 1^st level Warriors; It is possible that their adult supervision was temporarily missing, but it is odd that none of the Warrior class soldiers had managed to become 1^st level Fighters. An alternative explanation is that  they may have been part of a hired mercenary band rather than Ratikkan soldiers, or young levies who had not yet served on active duty.     

[73] Holian, Mona, Reynolds, and Weining, Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, 19, 89. 

      The human population of Ratik in mid-590 (109,415) seems to be for the “overall population” based on the definition on p. 19. This contradicts the usual D&D 3.5 format found in table 5-2, p. 137. This is a notable increase over 585 CY, possibly including most of the remaining Bone March refugees. 

     Cruel Summer Lord, “The Aerdy East, Part 3”, see “Ratik”: http://www.canonfire.com/cf/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=456 

     Acknowledging CSL’s note that Rtik had a navy of 20 vessels in 591… 

     Gygax, “Developments from Stonefist to South Province”, 15 (“Ratik most desperately needs an effective naval arm in the coming years, and the Frutzi alliance would facilitate this…”). 

     Perhaps the alliance was not enough… 

[74] The gnomish population apparently suffered a population decline between 576 and 590: 

    Gygax, A Guide to the World of Greyhawk Fantasy Setting, p. 32 (3,000+ gnomes in Ratik ca. 576)… 

    Gygax, “Developments from Stonefist to South Province”, 15 (all 3,000 gnome warriors present; heavy losses strongly implied during the course of the battle). 

    Sargent, Atlas of the Flanaess, Reference card #2 (3,000 gnomes, defined as “adults capable of fighting” on p. 22). 

    Holian, Mona, Reynolds, and Weining, Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, 89 (2% of 138,500 = 2,770 gnomes in Ratik ca. mid-590). 

[75] Lau, Matt, Empty Coffers RTK[m]3-03 Living Greyhawk Ratik Regional Adventure, pp.5-6; 

     Lau, Scalphunt RTK[m]3-0, p. 5. 

     The Loftwood Foresters are mentioned in the above adventures.

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