When it comes to conventional human armies vs magical armies, what is the most interesting way to handle it?

I'm assuming you don't mean modern conventional.

That king looks so goddamn happy.

I hate stories that seem to be about massive warfare, but in the end are resumed to the protagonist killing a wizard or placing a mcguffin on the mcguffin altar and then it's a automatic victory condition.

I think if the story is about an army of magic beasts and an army of human creature, the most interesting way to handle it is to either:

A) Magical creatures are individually much stronger than a human, bigger and tougher, but not invulnerable. Yet, one of it's strengths may become it's weakness by a cunning general. Bigger guys are lured into spaces where their weight or size act against them, like a swamp under missile fire, or flying enemies are forced to descent into the tight confines of the woods where their wings become hindrance and flying is of little use.

B) Armies of darkness are weak and numerous, a zerg rush if you will, but humans are resolute in standing the line and holding them. While that doesnt win the war, the fact humans hold out for so long gives enough time for reinforcements to hit them from behind or on their flanks, or for a secondary army to maneuver and cut the others retreat, forcing them to split between to fronts and eventually rout.

Basically...If the story is about a guy, using a war as background but giving him the chance to win the day by slaying a wizard or using an artifact is fine.

But if it's an story about war, then the solution has to be a tactical or strategical one. Sure, the protagonist should be the guy who comes up with the plan that turn the table, but it's enacted by his army, not him alone.

Specialised although bizarre mundane tactics can win a battle, but t the end of the day it is hard to utilise common magery on the field of battle. Curses can be foiled through marching in pentagonal formation, common defensive wards can be pierced by silver or bone arrowheads, and while it can be terrifying to have fifteen people immolated in a second by a tossed fireball, a pike crush is also terrifying. There are ways and means to deal with such a foe.

Wizards should be more a force multiplier than a blaster, as having magical communications, manipulating weather and access to magical healing are more important than setting five or six people on fire a dozen times per day. If you NEED to have blasty wizards in a fight, for the newspapers or whatever, use them when raiding and skirmishing-burning supplies is a lot easier when you have explosions on tap.

This is assuming this enemy force is not in fact composed of a wizard and its servants, whether they be daemonic, undead or ensorcelled. In these cases, the enemy leader is both the lynchpin of their entire army and their commander. It is a rare wizard who has both the talent of command and is gifted enough in ritual to raise an entire army of servants. In the case of such a talented enemy, consider utilising similar tactics yourself, or if unable through moral or practical restrictions, assassins are also an effective tool

Of course he is, he is partaking in the ultimate act of purging.

>If the story is about a guy, using a war as background but giving him the chance to win the day by slaying a wizard or using an artifact is fine.
>But if it's an story about war, then the solution has to be a tactical or strategical one.

This user knows what's up.

If it was a situation where engaging the magical army with standard tactics would end in crushing defeat then the best approach would be targeting said magical army's ability to operate rather than trying to take them out directly.

>Boobytrap the land and continuously pull back, undermine areas, force the enemy to navigate through bottlenecks or difficult terrain and lay traps, burn bridges and ambush them whilst they attempt to ford rivers. Scorch the Earth, cut off their supply lines, release diseased animals into camps, poison wells, empty villages and leave them nothing.

Guerilla tactics really, this buys enough time for your hero to find some big maguffin countermeasure to their magic.

That's like asking both armies have wizards just like both armies have archers, gunners, spearmen and other vital units to form a healthy army.

The wizards try to out magic one another so that they can drop a spell on the other army, usually anything but a combat spell since blasty wizards are boring.

>combat wizards are boring meme
Why the fuck else would you bring a wizard into battle if he isn't going to be immolating whole units by himself, or turning into a beast and rampaging through enemy lines. Who wants a story about a wizard walkie talkie or A healer?

>cavemen vs MBT's

Some gaps of knowledge are unbridgeable.

>Their powers may be weird and awesome, but they are not beyond our grasp. We will capture, dissect, probe, and analyze these beings and their equipment, working it into our own brand of magical armaments and enchantments, Commander

I kinda like the way war is done in the Malazaan books.

Mages can destroy cities and wreck armies easily but assassin and assassin types can slap their shit. Soldiers are basically based completely around protecting the mages or giving enough time for them to notice the assassins coming for them.

Tech is better by far

Ah, I see you also have accepted futurist Elmer Fudd into your heart.

I think it is more fun when both sides have a chance to win, but one of them is unlikely to... Unless the heroes help. I suppose heroes count as macguffins?
>They bleed. We can kill them. But there's just so many of them! We need a mcguffin or we're doomed

A good example was a comics whose name I don't remember, which had an army of "usual" vampires locked out of its magic portal supply line. The dwarf king remarks something like "So what? They only need blood and new recruits. Guess where they will take those from?"