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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/2299
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

You can also use an appendix. These don't have to be as dry and as detailed as they have the reputation for. (I think Lord of the Rings put many writers off using an appendix). For instance, [Simon Scarrow](http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0755349709) writes incredibly successful fiction about a pair of Roman warriors, one a Centurion and the other his Optio. Understanding the structure and the ranks of the legion is fundamental to enjoying the story, so he includes a simple two page appendix explaining this at a level of detail appropriate for the story (that last part is key). He also includes his appendix at the start of the novel, so it's almost more like a non-fiction prologue.

On the other side of the scale, you can just not explain them at all and assume that either the reader knows them (which they might if they are well-read or well-travelled) or just that a detailed understanding of the hierarchy is not important to the story. It might be enough to know that Oberst is higher ranking than the Feldwebel and that's all you need to know. This is the approach [Louis de Bernières](http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0749397543), who writers higher brow fiction and often sets his books in foreign countries, takes.

Original score: 2