skirmishers
Advance combat troops
Skirmishers are soldiers who engage in skirmishes—brief, scattered fighting rather than formal battle.
Historically, skirmishers operated ahead of or alongside main forces, harassing the enemy with hit-and-run tactics: The skirmishers exchanged fire before the main engagement.
The term extends to anyone engaging in minor conflict or preliminary sparring.
Minimally equipped mobile troops
- scoutsInformation gatherers ahead
- flankersThose protecting the sides
- vanguardForemost position or group
- sharpshootersHighly accurate firearms experts
pickets · advance guard · riflemen · irregulars · dragoons · hussars · rangers · outriders
Tiny representations of larger things
- wargamingSimulating military conflicts recreationally
- deploymentOrganized distribution of resources
- flankingAt the sides of
- terrainLand's physical features
hit-and-run · tabletop · Warhammer · line of sight · tactical retreat · activation · objectives · suppression
Those who incite disturbance
- provocateursThose who incite discord
- troublemakersThose causing problems deliberately
- disruptorsThose who destabilize systems
- antagonistsOpponents in conflict
challengers · instigators · rabble-rousers · critics · gadflies · contrarians · stirrers · firebrands
light infantry
Minimally equipped mobile troops
- scoutsInformation gatherers ahead
- flankersThose protecting the sides
- vanguardForemost position or group
sharpshooters · pickets · advance guard · riflemen · irregulars · dragoons · hussars · rangers · outriders · foragers
miniatures
Tiny representations of larger things
- wargamingSimulating military conflicts recreationally
- deploymentOrganized distribution of resources
- flankingAt the sides of
terrain · hit-and-run · tabletop · Warhammer · line of sight · tactical retreat · activation · objectives · suppression · dice rolls
agitators
Those who incite disturbance
- provocateursThose who incite discord
- troublemakersThose causing problems deliberately
- disruptorsThose who destabilize systems
antagonists · challengers · instigators · rabble-rousers · critics · gadflies · contrarians · stirrers · firebrands · detractors
- soldiersinfantryman, private, grenadier, grenadiers, fusilier
- ancient armiesphalanx, legion, hoplites, heavy infantry, light infantry
- cavalrycavalry, cavalryman, cavalry brigade, cavalry charges, cavalry officer
- Civil War Infantryfoot soldiers, riflemen, battle formations, battle lines, privates
- medieval warriorsknights, soldiers, warriors, fighters, archers
- military tacticstactics, flanking, maneuver, ambush, battle formations
skirmishersline infantry
Soldiers in ranked formations
heavy infantry · battle line · phalanx · shock troops · legionaries
skirmishersreserves
Resources held back
rear guard · rearguard · garrison · baggage train · camp followers
skirmishersstorm troops
Soldiers trained for rapid offensive attacks
shock troops · heavy cavalry · battering ram · spearhead · vanguard
- border skirmishesSmall fights at boundaries
- military skirmishesBrief armed engagements