Skinnie tactics are all about surprise, misdirection, and speed... often combining elite units with relatively cheap and numerous units, the Skinnies represent a "best of both worlds" between quantity and quality that the Terrans and Arachnids often fail to achieve.

Skinnie Raiders form the backbone of any force, and represent levy's of citizens minimally trained and armed with fairly simple weaponry. The main job of the Raiders is to provide fire support where needed, and to otherwise stay out of the way of their betters on the battlefield.

While there is nothing overtly impressive about Raiders, over time such units gain veterancy and are given the designation of "Ambushers". Ambushers often carry an array of explosives, close-range weaponry, and dangerous "pets" known as Scree Hounds to help them engage in close-quarters combat. Adept at infiltration tactics, Skinnie Ambushers are skilled in the ways of asymmetric warfare.

While Skinnie Troops like Raiders and Ambushers attempt to hold a line against their enemies, they are often supported on their flanks by "cavalry" of extremely fast and well armed Speeders. These vehicles will often swarm and encircle isolated enemies and otherwise harass the main body of enemy troops... thinning their ranks.

Skinnie Striders are one of the newer weapon systems in their arsenal and rely on highly advanced ECM systems for defense. Meanwhile, they possess very powerful weapons, and capable armor and speed, allowing them to go on the offensive.

A noble steed believed to be from the Skinny homeworld, the Ostricar is fast and surprisingly aggressive for an omnivore grazing animal. Of course, having to fend off packs of Scree Hounds is likely to help any species evolve to be aggressive! The Skinny's unsurprisingly highly value the swift and sturdy beasts and sometimes ride them into battle with heavy weapons and a potent ECM apparatus. Being so equipped, such Ostricar cavalry are in effect a poor-man's Strider, with even less armor, similar speed, and half the firepower... but of course, the production and supply requirements are enormously smaller and simpler than a mechanized vehicle. While lacking in most ways (especially durability) when directly comparing the two, it should be noted that Ostricars perform better over rough terrain, within forests or swamps, and improved performance in close combat.

Skinnie military structure is not purely based on strategy and tactics, but also on a ethos of hero-worship. When a particularly skilled leader goes to war, he will often bring a unit of dedicated "Honor Guards" who will happily shield their leader and die in his stead. Armed with rifles and a networked phase shield system, Honor Guards can often shrug off attacks that would typically devastate ordinary infantry.

Whilst the Skinny Hegemony has been making enormous strides in what the Terrans might call "modernizing" their army... the Hegemony continues to celebrate their cultural diversity through an array of eclectic battlefield units. Perhaps none is more unexpected than the "Honor Beast". A capable Skinny warrior will be mounted along with a heavy weapon on a rather large, typically slow, and armored beast hailing from whatever world the Skinny army calls home. The rider and beast will be equipped with a small portable ECM array to avoid being easily targeted, and will then also be carrying a phase shield array. The beast and rider are typically then integrated into the army's Honor Guard unit and acts as a mobile heavy weapon's platforming and adds to the potent phase shield network. Otherwise, if the beast (or perhaps the rider) does not play well with others, the unit will be deployed separately and typically given a long range weapon and act as a sort of armored sniper unit. Regardless of the exact battlefield implementation, the presence of a Honor Beast buoys the morale of any Skinny force.

The leaders of any Skinnie army, the Venerables are elite warriors who've proven themselves repeatedly in battle and have been gifted with jump-jets, ECM defenses, and a array of powerful weapons. Venerables may not have the sheer endurance of Terran powered armor, but they more than make up for this with greater flexibility.