The size of the Garlean Empire's military

Japan is not the most extreme case of modernization. Not even by a long shot. You just need to look at the neighbour Korea for a counter-factual.

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Originally Posted by Anonymoose

I'm not sure the Garleans can. I don't think they can cast much of anything. They're bollocks with magick.

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I expected better from you, Moose. While it is true that the pure-blooded Garlean elite are bollocks with magic, their average subjugated soldier from Othard or Ala Mhigo is not. Gaius knows what he's working with.

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Originally Posted by Catapult

I expected better from you, Moose. While it is true that the pure-blooded Garlean elite are bollocks with magic, their average subjugated soldier from Othard or Ala Mhigo is not. Gaius knows what he's working with.

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Well, that's where they get the signifers and medici; I was just arguing against the idea that Garlean military strategy, as standardized by the homeland, relies too heavily on tactics that homegrown Garleans cannot use. It implies that there are units made entirely of defectors from conquered enemy nations who are encouraged to use techniques that Garlemald can neither truly comprehend nor control. That doesn't sound like wise military leadership. That sounds like a good way to get your legati assassinated.

I am pretty sure the total population of the FFXIV world is not very large. Fantasy settings of such scale usually don't go beyond a few million individuals, if even that.

If the Garlean Empire's military is roughly ~100,000 bodies strong, then it's not unreasonable to assume the FFXIV world is one where ~100,000 bodies is a VERY SIGNIFICANT military body. If global population is in the millions, as it would tend to be for settings like this, then it's actually a very big deal, and understandably the largest military body of the world, hence the threat.

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Originally Posted by Anonymoose

Well, that's where they get the signifers and medici; I was just arguing against the idea that Garlean military strategy, as standardized by the homeland, relies too heavily on tactics that homegrown Garleans cannot use. It implies that there are units made entirely of defectors from conquered enemy nations who are encouraged to use techniques that Garlemald can neither truly comprehend nor control. That doesn't sound like wise military leadership. That sounds like a good way to get your legati assassinated.

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Based on that logic, using Signifers and Medici would also be off-limits.

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Originally Posted by Catapult

Based on that logic, using Signifers and Medici would also be off-limits.

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How so? Medici just heal things - and nobody's gonna treacherously heal someone to death while no one's looking. And, sure, the Signifer could throw a flame across the room in a way no Garlean can ... but Garleans have guns. I don't think any of that is quite on par in terms of new and uncontrollable threats with being able to collapse onesself into aether and travel vast distances instantly. Hell, I bet a turncoat Signifer would eliminate casting time entirely and just blow him away with one of the guns before hitting the Return button and getting a 50 malm head start.

Again, all I'm saying is that the size of the Garlean army is probably not tied [in either direction] to the Return ability. Probably. We can debate the little things all day, though, just because it's fun.