In certain Speculative Fiction circles, especially those revolving around The Singularity, this is called the Plucky Baseline. note Interestingly, 'bamboo spear tactics' is an actual Japanese term for fighting against a technologically-superior adversary. In the rare cases where the technological underdogs managed to preserve their independence, they generally received a crash course in development and won with at least somewhat modern weapons of their own, rather than Bamboo Technology. Occasionally, pre-industrial forces won battles, but rarely wars, and even then this would typically be more because the more advanced armies were badly outnumbered or poorly led, or their troops made up of press-ganged conscripts with low morale or of otherwise low quality. Historically, industrialized nations regularly steamrolled over the armies of pre-industrial nations or tribes. In short, The Empire's Achilles' Heel is anything Traveling at the Speed of Plot. Suffice it to say these rocks tend to de-emphasize the eliteness of the supposed crack troops in a Redshirt Army. A little pluck, some old-fashioned ingenuity, and a really big rock will beat a laser every time. Swinging tree trunks smash straight through Powered Armor and send the enemy soldiers flying through the air into a conveniently placed abyss. Humongous Mecha fall into hidden pits and get stuck. Wooden crossbow bolts don't show up on radar, and go straight through magnetic barriers.

Unfortunately for the empire, Our Heroes happen to be living on the planet and helping the natives at this time, and they are anything but Medieval Morons.Īs it turns out, centuries of starship-to-starship combat with particle beams and shields have rendered The Empire ignorant of the simpler ways of getting killed.

A technologically advanced empire has come to conquer a poor, defenseless, primitive planet where the most advanced piece of technology is a horse.

Brick rigs tank gun control