WarGate or War Gate Fiction is a
new genre of fiction writing that blends fantasy elements, such as magic and myth, along with fantasy races, and centers around
small elements of military sci-fiction.
Typical War Gate fiction usually involves a modern or near-futuristic military
unit such as a group of special forces, or even a whole
fleet of warships, displaced in
time and
space through some mysterious means. The
unit invariably
ends up in an alternate universe featuring a classic fantasy setting with dragons, magic and other mystic elements. Chaos and heroics ensue. In extreme cases, the fantasy elements arrive here in our world, and modern military and polices forces must repel their invasion.
Note: This differs from the more general "Isekai" situation, where the protagonist dies and reincarnates, or gets transported to another universe, and through some
special quirk or
skill is able to
master the traditional mechanics and cultural elements of that universe to their advantage. The protagonist of an isekai is from all walks of life and usually becomes an integral part of that universe. In a War Gate situation, the protagonist(s) are almost always military, and will usually stand apart from the inhabitants of world, though not necessarily antagonistic towards them. The protagnist(s) will often rely more on their superior modern equipment and understanding of scientific principles, rather than attempt to incorporate themselves into existing cultures of that universe.
1. "We could hear the horde before we saw them. Hundreds, thousands of orcs, emerged from the treeline, their banners high, their ragged armor and guttral roars resulting in a great clamor that stretched from one end of the valley to the other. We didn't even give them a chance to get organized. From all along our across our defensive positions, we heard the Major give the order to
go hot, the sergeants relaying the command. The
six 81mm mortars spoke first. Then, the nine machinegun positions hammered the point home..."
2. "The
dragon was coming in again. I turned the Apache around and prepared to meet it. My finger resting on the
trigger of the machinegun. 'WarGate', that's what the
kid said. Alright, I'll bite; the whole base was just transported into some dungeons and dragons world, with genuine fire-breathing dragons! Okay. Well... It's gunships and dungeons now. I thumbed the
trigger and 25mm roared."