Basic Trope: Combat troops wear impractically dressy uniforms.
- Straight: General Lareneg's combat uniform is outfitted with shiny gold trim.
- Exaggerated: Lareneg's uniform is outfitted with so much gold and jewels it's almost too shiny to look at.
- Downplayed:
- General Lareneg wears an ordinary uniform but has a distinctively blingy cap.
- General Lareneg wears what looks like an ordinary uniform, but it's made of a higher-quality material than a typical uniform and has been tailored so that it fits perfectly.
- General Lareneg’s uniform is stylish but tastefully subdued.
- Justified:
- Lareneg plans to undermine the enemy's confidence by showing them that his country is so rich they can afford to bling out their army that way.
- The uniform is magical, and magic = shiny.
- The army are Private Military Contractors, and the general wants to remind the men what they're fighting for. Plus, he doesn't want to leave his wealth anywhere the mercenaries might pinch it, so he wears it all.
- Lareneg is a great warrior who wears bling taken from the enemies he has slain and would scorn bling obtained in another fashion. His Bling of War thus announces what a badass he is.
- Lareneg lives in a part of history when these kinds of uniforms were the norm.
- Lareneg commands an honor guard or ceremonial unit, in which elaborate uniforms are the norm for such duties.
- Lareneg wants to reassure his soldiers and mercenaries that he's rich enough to pay them on time if he can afford to waste money on fancy armor. If he loses, the enemy will know that he's rich, and thus keep him alive for ransom instead of killing him.
- The gold coating is actually practical for stopping corrosion. Especially useful when facing rust monsters.
- The gold coating was really chosen because of its conductivity.
- Inverted:
- Lareneg's uniform consists of ragged, war-torn poor man's clothes, since his unit is on its last legs and was never well-supplied to begin with.
- Lareneg wears his camouflage fatigues to all formal occasions.
- Lareng makes a point of wearing a sergant's uniform level of embellishment at most as a general.
- Subverted:
- Ensign Newbie Lareneg exits his tent wearing gold and jewels. His valet points out that that's his ceremonial uniform, and he rushes back in to change into his field uniform.
- Lareneg's Lorica Segmentata may look golden, but it's actually made from a dirt cheap alloy known for its resilience.
- Double Subverted: ...which is also decorative.
- Parodied:
- Lareneg wears gold, jewels, necklaces, bracelets, diamond rings, and even neon lights.
- Lareneg's medals keep falling off, forcing him to stop whatever he's doing to pin them back on.
- Lareneg and his soldiers all wear impractically fancy uniforms... which are camouflage, because they fight in a City of Gold
- Zig Zagged:
- Lareneg's uniform is showy, meaning he can be used to distract the enemy, but he puts his own life in danger by doing this, so sometimes he swaps out his showy and distracting uniform for something more practical. Sometimes he even puts someone else in his flashy uniform to draw fire away from the real thing.
- Lareneg is first shown wearing an incredibly elaborate uniform on parade or during a ceremony, but changes to ordinary fatigues or barracks dress after it's over.
- Averted: Lareneg wears a relatively normal uniform.
- Enforced: The two sides need to be Dress-Coded for Your Convenience; The Empire gets fancy, fascist-looking uniforms, to better contrast them with The Federation's practical ones.
- Lampshaded:
- "Yo, Lareneg, are you going to war or to a fancy dress ball?"
- "Aren't we sitting ducks for snipers wearing all this gilded crap?"
- Invoked: Lareneg has given himself an incredibly memorable Iconic Outfit in case he ever wants someone to pretend to be him.
- Exploited: Half of Lareneg's Praetorian Guard are garbed in anachronistic glittery dress uniforms, and march right beside him. This draws the eye away from the drab, civilian-clothed bodyguards flanking him at a more discreet distance and ready to pounce on any attempted attacker.
- Defied: Lareneg has a Custom Uniform that has all the markings to confirm he is, in fact, a general, but it's less gaudy than a general's usual outfit, so he's not as obvious a target.
- Discussed:
- "How do we know which one's Lareneg?" "Assuming the sun is up, you shouldn't have a problem."
- A Warrior Poet sings a song describing his Bling of War in loving detail.
- Conversed: "With what those guys are dressed in, I'm guessing the opposing army wears sequins."
- Deconstructed:
- The flashiness of Lareneg's uniform make it impossible for him to sneak up on the enemy, and he and his men are gunned down in a heartbeat.
- The flashiness of his uniform breeds resentment in the ranks and causes his men to think of him as an armchair general unfit to lead troops in the field.
- The military wastes too much money on bling, compromising their effectiveness.
- General Lareneg's foes are willing to go Straight for the Commander. With all the bling he's wearing, he might as well have painted a target on himself.
- Reconstructed:
- Anticipating this, Lareneg forgoes sneak tactics in favor of pure face-to-face warfare.
- Alternatively, Lareneg uses his visibility to draw the enemy's attention while a stealthier force sneaks up on the enemy.
- Lareneg worries about making himself such a target, but knows his men will fight better if they can easily spot him leading from the front.
- Related to the above, Lareneg has cultivated a reputation as an unbelievably successful general capable of winning against seemingly impossible odds. By making his presence on the field obvious, he demoralizes his enemies and encourages and inspires his men.
- His gaudy wear is actually an upgrade of the standard protection worn by the ranks, giving him more safety and allowing him to guide at the front more frequently.
- The real Lareneg isn't wearing bling. The Lareneg his enemy just killed? A decoy.
Back to Bling of War, sir, and permission to speak freely? The live birds may be a bit much, sir.
