Cannon Fodder

[Deleted member 84247]

So many stories, games, and movies have cannon fodder enemies. In Halo you have the grunts. In Star Wars you have the storm troopers. In several fantasy books you have skeletons, zombies, goblins, and even that crappy noble at the start. Almost every series that has some fighting in it always seems to have cannon fodder. Even in a game that's touted for difficulty like Dark Souls, the undead at the start are mostly cannon fodder.

One could write a whole essay about cannon fodder enemies, but instead, I will ask a few questions. What do you think of cannon fodder enemies? What is your favorite or least favorite ones? And what purpose do you think they can serve in a narrative?

 

[jrell]

Vampires are kinda good, too.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

Diminutive humanoid creatures usually - "goblins" or "gnomes" or whatnot. Especially when they might have special powers. At least in fantasy worlds.

Rats and wolves in horror settings.

Hired Goons/Mercenaries in superhero and action stories.

It really varies.

 

[RepresentingWrath]

My favorite are probably simple guardsmen of Imperial Guard(fine, Astra Militarum) from WH40K. I like them because they are the perfect representation of 40K universe and super versatile. You can use them to highlight bravery, you can use them to highlight horrors of that universe. You can show that the Imperium of Man doesn't actually care about people.

Least favorite are probably animals. I won't drop the story or avoid reading it because of it, but I like animals, so seeing characters slay them in large batches isn't what I like.

 

[DeepWater]

Skeleton because of the bone sound.

 

[Corty]

Angry Young Masters! so dumb nobles.

 

[Alski]

Cannon Fodder 3 was my favorite I didn't get to play1 & 2 at release because i was still under my parents thumbs and they didn't like me playing shooting games

 

[georgelee5786]

Zombies

 

[Bartun]

I always frowned at the stormtroopers from Star Wars. They were supposed to be crack troops in-universe but I guess they needed to show just how cool the Jedi were and it just devolved into 'cannon fodder' over time.

I like stories where the enemies aren't underestimated like in Goblin Slayer. Even the lowliest Goblin can pose a significant threat, or the Skeletons in Dark Souls where a single mistake can cost you all your souls.

 

[ThisAdamGuy]

Guards are my favorite, which I guess can best be classified as grunts on your list. Nameless, powerless dudes who will pour out of the woodwork and serve as perfect human bowling pins for the bowling ball that is the main character.

 

[Tyranomaster]

Everyone loves to hate on goblin fodder.

 

[melchi]

?‍?‍

 

[SuperMushroom]

I have to say, the elderly are probably my least favorite type of cannon fodder. I realized this after writing a disproportionate amount of them in as such.

I really have nothing against old people...

 

[Santaisblue]

The best fodder is sub-humans like writers or people who go on forums .

 

[Deleted member 84247]

The best fodder is sub-humans like writers or people who go on forums .

?

 

[Deleted member 148356]

Other in a sense, I pick both sides of war.
Humans vs yao vs mo.
The three of them I like since the more the marrier.

The least are family.
So you are monster from a wolfs den.
Humans then hunt them down to extinction.

?

Thats the first for me.

 

[TreasureHouse]

The best fodder is sub-humans like writers or people who go on forums .

 

[Shard]

I prefer unintelligent beings like animals. More specifically, mutated ones, because I hate seeing normal animals killed. Any kind of corrupted creature is good.

I also really had the typical 'generic human #9482' type stuff, because all those people have homes, families, lives outside of being sandbags. Or at least they should. Even in 'evil organizations' the majority of people are likely there simply to make a living, not for the sake of being evil. That said, you do get corrupt people, and I've no issue with them getting cut down like the monsters they are.

Even goblins and the like have lives, some may not even be as bad as typically portrayed. Wolf packs aren't mindless and don't throw themselves into a clearly losing fight. Skeletons and zombies, if not natural creations, are likely created with a task, and are unlikely to be 100% hostile. Would no necromancer ever have beings just to tidy up the place, or bring them food/drinks?

It just annoys me when there is no thought given to the cannon fodder. In my story, they have negative effects on the ecosystem, and that is often why they are a problem that needs removing.

 

[Nolff]

The best fodder is sub-humans like writers or people who go on forums .

What bout the creator of said forums? Are they one of the main casts?
@RepresentingEnvy

What?! I do no wrong!

 

[TheMonotonePuppet]

So many stories, games, and movies have cannon fodder enemies. In Halo you have the grunts. In Star Wars you have the storm troopers. In several fantasy books you have skeletons, zombies, goblins, and even that crappy noble at the start. Almost every series that has some fighting in it always seems to have cannon fodder. Even in a game that's touted for difficulty like Dark Souls, the undead at the start are mostly cannon fodder.

One could write a whole essay about cannon fodder enemies, but instead, I will ask a few questions. What do you think of cannon fodder enemies? What is your favorite or least favorite ones? And what purpose do you think they can serve in a narrative?

Me.
I won’t speak for others but I feel I am part of humanity’s cannon fodder against the grind of society.
My least favorite cannon fodder is skeletons because I prefer them as necromanctic masterpieces or continually refined rather than the chaff they always seem to be become. However, they do serve a good role as it both fits you against friends, family, and neighbors, but it oxymoronically dehumanizes them in a way that stops the main character (whether summoning in a basic bitch summon skeleton spell or killing them) from looking like too much of a deranged lunatic.