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*This post is still WIP. Any help would be appreciated.

A complete guide to Strategic Warfare in Minecraft:

The objective of war is not merely destruction. It is a means to destabilize the enemy, to gain resources, to conquer new territory. Even then, the objective of war is not apparent. Put simply, the meaning of war is victory.
If you go to war prepared, you will always win. You must be ready for any eventuality, large or small. Even then, war isn't a simple matter of cause and effect. Seeing what the enemy wants, or even what YOU want is the first step to victory.

Planning/Mind Reading:

Before going to war, you must know what you want. Likewise, if the enemy mobilizes first, you must find out their objectives. First, look at yourself. What does your faction/army have what they want? Do you have thousands of diamonds? A well built, sturdy city? Next, look at the enemy. If they can field whole armies in full diamond and live in emerald castles, they probably aren't after resources. Finally, look at your allies. Is the enemy taking you out so you cannot help them? Because of these variables, a good intelligence network is key. If you are attacking, consider this:
What do you want?
Do they have it?
Is it worth it attacking them?
What will they do if you attack?
Once you have consider the pluses and minuses of going to war, you must find out a strategy. Because the tools available are part of any strategy, this guide will go over some of minecraft's weapons of war.

Swords:
The main upside of a sword is a relatively high damage factor, cheapness, and simplicity. A sword only needs a stick and two of the material you need (wood, stone, iron, gold, diamond) Swords are also enchantable, furthering their usefulness. The main downside of a sword is that you must get close to use them, and that adds a risk factor.
Bows:
Bows are a ranged weapon that when at full charge are as effective as a diamond sword. They are cheap, but require a steady supply of arrows and are relatively inaccurate. Bows are enchantable, but I recommend that you save your EXP for swords, as they are more commonly used. Because it takes some time to achieve full charge, bows should not be used as your main weapon.
Splash Potions:
Splash potions are more expensive than bows or swords, using exotic ingredients found in the Nether. If you wish to use potions on a regular basis, it is recommended that you set up a base in the Nether. There are many kinds of splash potion, some are positive and some are negative. The most important thing about potions is that they bypass armor. It is recommended to use potions of instant damage and poison on the enemy, however to quickly heal a group of your soldiers, simply throw a splash potion of healing at them.
How to make potions can be found here: http://www.minecraft...et/wiki/Brewing
The only noticeable drawbacks of a splash potion is short range. Avoid hitting yourself with them. To cancel potion effects, drink a bucket of milk.
Special Weapons:
I refer to special weapons as A.Something not obvious as a weapon and B.Something that is effective as a weapon. 2 examples of special weapons are flint and steels, and lava/water buckets.
Both buckets can be used as weapons. Water to push enemies back and disarm traps, and lavea to destroy bases and trap enemies for an easy kill.
The flint and steel can be used to cause havoc, setting enemies on fire, slowing them down, and killing them. Because fire damage bypasses armor, a flint and steel can easily kill people in diamond.
*Strategies are now listed under "defensive and offensive tactics"

Defensive and Offensive tactics:
There are 2 kinds of war. offensive, where you are attacking, and defensive, where you are defending. This section of this guide will be split into 2 parts to cover both offensive and defensive tips.

Defensive:
When you are at war, everything you build should be fortified. This goes from putting a fence around a farm, to massive walls around fortresses.
Walls:
The basic unit of defense is a wall. A wall is designed to protect a base and provide a platform for defense. The formula for how effective a wall is is T*MS*H/L. T=Thickness, MS= Material mining speed, H=Height, and L=Length. It is important not to have a wall too long, as it will be hard to defend. For example, a 10-block thick, 50-block tall, 200-block long obsidian wall would have an effectiveness count of 37.5. Always assume the enemy has diamond tools for figuring out material mining speed. For a defensive bonus, cover the wall in water to block TnT cannon shots and to hinder movement speed. You could also fill the wall with lava to irritate miners trying to dig through.
Wall Towers:
A wall tower is built on top of a wall and contains A. a way to access it from the wall-top, B. An observation post, and C. A nest to shoot ranged weapons from. It is recommended that a wall tower goes 5 blocks above the wall. Wall towers should be placed every 24 blocks on the wall OR on the corners.
Ramparts:
A rampart is a small wall on the lip of another wall. They are designed to allow archers to shoot arrows at besieging enemies without being shot back. There are many types are ramparts, but I recommend one made of full blocks that is 1 block tall. ALWAYS make these out of the same material as the wall.

Standard Buildings:
It is a good idea to have 1 central base and facilities scattered all over the world. To make it easier to build them, you should standardize them. For example, all ore processing facilities should look pretty much the same.
Ore Processing Facility:
An ore processing facility is where unsmelted ores are stored. You should have one of these near each of your mines. In it should be: A chest for unsmelted ores, a chest for ingots, a wall of furnaces, and an area where coal is stored.
Mining Facility:
A mining facility is essentially a mine. It includes a mine (Such as a branch mine) a place to store materials, and an ore processing facility nearby. It is recommended to use this in your mine: http://www.minecraft...expandable-v02/
Warehouse:
A warehouse is an area to store good that you obtain. It is highly recommended to NOT store valuables here, as a single raider could steal them. Warehouses should be very large, capable of storing many items.
Farm Complex:
A farm complex is a massive farm that includes a farm for everything: Wheat, pumpkins, melons, nether wart. A farm setup is vital to your success, as a starving soldier is much less effective than one with plenty of food. Try using multi-level farms to make it as compact as possible.
Bunker:
A bunker is unique in that it should only be used rarely. A bunker is used for when you are losing and you must hide. Store your best equipment here for last-ditch defenses. These should be underground, for maximum protection. Also include a nether portal for quick escapes.

*Reserved

I remember something similar. It was aong time ago. But nice.

Quote from MadScientist

I remember something similar. It was aong time ago. But nice.

The guy murdered that one because he was too lazy to maintain it.

Quote from poryy

The guy murdered that one because he was too lazy to maintain it.

No wonder. It was a huge wall of text.

Nice work! Also maybe add a section about psychological things, like breaking the moral of your enemies.

Quote from SuperFire131

Nice work! Also maybe add a section about psychological things, like breaking the moral of your enemies.

That will be in the Attacking Tactics section. Please don't count on it being done soon though, it's hard writing this much. My hands are aching.

This is so good, I think I'm crying a little

I have a couple of good defence ideas!
Bomber plane: build a plane looking thing a few hundred blocks up with a tnt cannon. Without the zepplin mod these are purely defenceive. At least they get a decent range.
Sinjeon: Inspired by the medeval korean rocket launcher. Load it with arrows or fire charges. This is a real weapon of mass destruction when loaded with tnt or splash potions.

I really like it.