39,327
edits
So You Want To/Write a War Story: Difference between revisions
m
Mass update links
(Import from TV Tropes TVT:SoYouWantTo.WriteAWarStory 2012-07-01, editor history TVTH:SoYouWantTo.WriteAWarStory, CC-BY-SA 3.0 Unported license) |
m (Mass update links) |
||
Line 52:
* [[Gun Porn]]. While it is a given those reading a war story will like accuracy in their weapons descriptions, try not to go overboard on it. Be accurate, but not gushing unless it is in-character of course, some soldiers do get a little more attached than is healthy (although unless it is a "war is hell" type of story this will be treated with suspicion by their senior officers). Few readers will thank you for page after page of minutiae on firearms when a story could be being told.
* [[National Stereotyping Tropes]]. Be very careful when dealing with armed conflict between nations, especially if there well known and negative stereotypes about the peoples and or countries involved.
** [[Cheese
** [[All Germans Are Nazis]]. If the work involves the Wehrmacht, then don't automatically assign them as German=Nazi=Evil. Beware [[
** [[Eagle Land]]. Both types, as type 1 can come off as jingoist and type 2 comes off as simply America bashing.
** [[Reds With Rockets]], if combined with inherrently making them malevolent because they are Russian+/Communist.
Line 70:
* [[Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy]]. Normally, main characters don't get hit easily, almost as if the enemy loses all their aiming skill, [[Accidental Aiming Skills|even accidental ones]].
* [[Mary Tzu]]. While a [[Mary Sue]] and vexing to encounter regularly, this trope is okay to play with for subversions and deconstructions. For example: what if a friendly Mary Tzu is so miraculously gifted because they're actually working for the [[Big Bad]]? Or possibly the unbeatable general becomes a [[Death Seeker|defeat seeker]], waging wars looking for an opponent who can best him. Sure, the general's great at fighting the enemy, but they're [[Gone Horribly Right|so good that the also fight everybody else.]]
* [[Super Soldiers]]. If any of these are every made in real life, they will likely be normal people wh are very well trained and conditioned while being given some sort of powered armor. How about instead of making a [[Super Soldier]] invincible, make them just insanely skilled and more physically fit than what normal people could attain, but make them just as fragile and vulnerable as everybody else. Look up Yahtzee's rant on supersoldiers. Also, the idea has been deconstructed to death already; the supersoldier is [[Badass Abnormal]], but at the cost of a short harsh life, never knowing love, being affected with [[Shell
* [[War for Fun And Profit]]. Real wars are extremely expensive and are getting more and more expensive all the time as more advanced technologies are implemented. A war for profit, typically of a [[Corrupt Corporate Executive]], is very unlikely now to pay off. Most likely, he's going to end up ruined and convicted in international court. War for fun and profit only works wit very low cost low intensity conflicts such as gang wars, where controlling the sale of drugs more than compensates for the price paid in guns and members.
Line 78:
* [[War Is Glorious]]. On the other hand, the cinematic value of having [[Apocalypse Now|a group of attack helicopters coming over the horizon to the tune of Ride of the Valkyries]] is pretty darn awesome. War is an opportunity for someone who is nobody to rise to the occasion and become a hero. Soldiers are honored and supported like no other profession during a time of conflict. Then there's the fact that war drives innovation; tons of things we take for granted nowadays were developed for military applications at first with the civilian aspects coming later.
* [[Do Not Do This Cool Thing]]. Goes hand in hand with propaganda in some cases. It's amazing what kind of spin the media can put on things when they want to and this should be at the back of your mind if you want to deal with the homefront. Played straight, subverted, inverted, do whatever you want but if your story is set in a modernesque world you cannot discount the power of media during a war.
* [[Fire
* [[Not So Different]]. Many of the greatest war stories have focused on the fact that soldiers on opposing sides are not different creatures. They are all human, they just happen to have different allegiances and if a war wasn't going on, they might well have become very good friends. One side is not necessarily more predisposed towards war crimes and morally questionable acts than the other (that's not to say you can't have a time-honored Good vs Evil story).
* [[Private Military Contractors]]. Is there a market for them? If so, what is their reputation, generally speaking? What do the standard militaries think of them?
Line 87:
* For most military stories, a [[Boot Camp Episode]] will be more or less mandatory.
* Tell the tale of a main character who is conscripted, goes to war, and then readjusts to civilian life.
* Not all war stories have to take place during a war. The story can be about the trials of a [[Shell
* Similarly, the story can be about the lead up to war and what drives the parties involved to fight.
* Give the story of a single battle from beginning to end.
Line 116:
== ''Casting Director'' ==
Pretty much every story is going to necessitate these.
* [[The Squad]], possibly subdivided into a [[Five
** If you do go the way of the [[Five
*** [[The Hero]]= squad leader, usually a [[Sergeant Rock|sergeant]] or a low ranking officer, if the officer is not a [[Naive Newcomer]] or [[The Neidermeyer]]. Usage and playing with the [[Captain Smooth and Sergeant Rough]] and the [[An Officer and A Gentleman]] tropes is possible.
*** [[The Lancer]]= the second in command of [[The Squad]]. If [[The Hero]] is an officer, then chances are that [[The Lancer]] will be a sergeant of some type. If the leader is a sergeant, then [[The Lancer]] may be of the same rank, or a bit below them. Chances are that they will be the team's best fighter.
Line 130:
* Hospital staff who take care of wounded soldiers.
* Townsfolk, who may or may not welcome the occupation force.
** Maybe have some of the soldiers fall for local girls, or some of the women soldiers can fall for local boys. Depending on where the work lies on the [[Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism]], this can be played for romance, [[Played for Drama|drama]], angst, [[Played for Laughs|comedy]], [[Squee]], or used [[Friend Versus Lover|to set up]] [[Star
*** Characters could get intimate with the townsfolk, but only for a fling, or brief affair. Have a [[Hooker With a Heart of Gold]] on hand for some [[Platonic Prostitution]], or to give the [[Fresh Meat]] [[Naive Newcomer]] his first taste of sex [[You Don't Want to Die A Virgin Do You|before he goes off to battle.]]
* A girl, friend, or family member back home works to create some depth to a character, especially if they have to hear the news about what happened to their son.
Line 138:
* In a way, the seriousness and realism of the story will decide what sorts of stunts are possible.
** Realistic series like [[Band of Brothers]] tends to have relatively few stunts, explosions that are more concussive than fiery, and low key bullet impacts.
** Action series like [[Rambo]] are going to be more fanciful, with things with dual weilding, [[One
* A story about [[Its Raining Men|paratroopers,]] fighter pilots, or any other high octane job, will by necessity, contain some pretty cool stunts.
** Don't skimp in stories about the [[Badass Normal|SAS]], [[Yanks With Tanks|Navy SEALS]], or any other [[Elites Are More Glamorous|special operations group]]. This extends to SWAT Police Officers too.
Line 148:
* [[Mobile Suit Victory Gundam (Anime)|Victory Gundam]] is in many ways like the Gundam version of [[Full Metal Jacket]].
* ''[[All Quiet On the Western Front (Literature)|All Quiet On the Western Front]]'' may be close to required reading. Warning: it is one hell of a [[Tear Jerker]].
* [[To Hell and Back]] is the true story of Audie Murphy, the most decorated and [[Badass]] soldier in American history. If you only watch [[The Film of the Book|the film]], then be aware that they toned down or removed some of his actions [[Reality Is Unrealistic|because they were too unbelievable!]] [[Beyond the Impossible|The book still have them all.]] And to cap it all off, the man was [[Pint
* [[Battle of the Bulge]] is great despite its liberties with history and geography. THE ARDENNES DOES NOT LOOK LIKE CENTRAL SPAIN! NO! NO! NO!
* Tobruk is an example from [[Rock Hudson]].
Line 158:
* [[John Wayne|John Wayne's]] [[The Green Berets]] is known for being the only traditional war movie about [[The Vietnam War|Vietnam]] and it is a damn good one.
* ''[[Literature/The Illiad|The Illiad]]'', and it may even be the [[Ur Example]].
* ''[[The Aeneid (Literature)|The Aeneid]]'' has a back half that tells of a pretty awesome war story. Such a shame with the [[What the Hell, Hero?]] [[Gainax Ending]].
* [[Objective Burma]] although this is somewhat controversial.
* [[Black Hawk Down]] is definitely one of these.
| |||