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Author Topic: D&D 5e: Mass Combat Playtest: The Kingdom of Castile. IC.  (Read 3277 times)

My Name is Immaterial

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D&D 5e: Mass Combat Playtest: The Kingdom of Castile. IC.
« on: August 26, 2015, 09:50:41 pm »

OOC Thread.

The court of Isabella and Ferdinand travels the land, and was passing through Toledo when word of war reached their royal ears. Your company was recuperating in the city, and now stand at the doors of the court, awaiting your cue. Other petitioners are milling around in the hall, giving you a wide berth. Your deeds are well known, but so is your less than altruistic reputation.
From the other side of the massive doors, you here a sudden quiet, and the doors swing open. The booming voice of a herald calls out your names and you step into the presence of the King and Queen of Castile and Aragon.
"Count Antonio Castanos, the Lady Sara, and their companions, Brianna Alanis, Roger Kelly, and Gabieta Jagiełło!"
The hall is full of courtiers, ministers and various major Toledian nobles, whose eyes are all on you as you step over the threshold. No one has to crane their necks to see you, since the large majority are halflings. Upon a dais at the end sit Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand, flanked by their small armies of advisers, companions, guards and functionaries. You come to a stop a respectful distance away from them, and the Queen stands to make a speech. It's mostly for the sake of the crowd; you have already agreed to spearhead the war.
"Eight days ago, the Emir of Granada showed his cowardice by attacking the small town of Zahara, and enslaving every last man, woman and child, while putting the rest to the sword. Four years ago, I signed a truce with Abu l-Hasan Ali, which was still in effect eight days ago. Once again, our southern neighbors have proven that they are ignoble and deserving of only the swords raised in the name of The Almighty!
"Now is the time to counterattack! Now, we can seize back those who were stolen from us! Now, we can purge our lands of the foul influence of the Moors. The Kingdom of Aragon, our steadfast allies, stands at our side as we enter this war that we have been forced to wage.
"We have sent out a call for heroes to lead the assault! These five brave souls have stepped forward! Join me in applauding their courage!"
As an energetic, if somewhat forced applause rings through the hall, eight pages come out, carrying five small, but seemingly heavy chests. They place themselves and their burdens behind you.
"Go forth with this gift of twenty five thousand reals, and drive back the foes who have too long defiled these lands! May God smile upon you!"

And with that, the eyes of dozens are upon you five, waiting for your response. Have you any dramatic speech to make, their eyes ask, or will you simply walk away with a sizable fortune to an uncertain fate?
« Last Edit: August 28, 2015, 12:16:40 pm by My Name is Immaterial »
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My Name is Immaterial

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Building an army.
« Reply #1 on: August 26, 2015, 09:51:23 pm »

You have been granted a total of 20,000 reals, a standard silver Castilian currency, to finance your war effort. In game terms, a real is equivalent to a silver piece, and so you each have been granted an equivalent of 500 GP.
There are a number of different types of troops you can recruit in Toledo. This is not a complete list, and if you request it, you may be able to recruit it. Troops will, for the most part, come in groups of ten, called Stands.
To recruit troops, you must pay upfront, to either equip them or release them from prior contracts. In addition, you must pay a monthly upkeep, equal to a tenth of their upfront cost. It is a good idea to keep enough funds to pay for three months of upkeep.
Spoiler: Mage College (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Temple (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Local Mercenaries (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: War Dog Kennel (click to show/hide)
« Last Edit: August 27, 2015, 03:27:55 pm by My Name is Immaterial »
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kj1225

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Re: D&D 5e: Mass Combat Playtest: The Kingdom of Castile. IC.
« Reply #2 on: August 26, 2015, 10:20:17 pm »

Sara smiles and curtsies and the royal pair. If they were on the ground one would note that they are most likely not much taller her even now. She stands up straight again and gives a nod to the crowd.
"It is our duty and honor to remove the lord's enemies from this world your grace."
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Dwarmin

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Re: D&D 5e: Mass Combat Playtest: The Kingdom of Castile. IC.
« Reply #3 on: August 27, 2015, 08:50:45 am »

Lady Brianna gives her own respectful curtsy in the Queens direction.

"It is a great honor to help deliver this land from evil-indeed, it is the duty of every Godly man and woman to defend the Christian lands. Know that I come here to help by the Grace of God, even while my own land suffers under it's own wars and troubles. I hope one day soon, you will all remember that when Queen Isabella called for heroes, the House of Alanis, who follow the House of York-the true rulers of Britannia-were the ones who answered her." She announced, ringingly, with a famous (at least to her) smile.

Action: Mass persuasion check!

~~~
Later, it was said Lady Brianna emptied out many of the best Mastiff stables in the city to equip her new, highly mobile army, and was extremely generous in purchasing supplies for her troops and their mounts...in particular, she was eager to find Apprentice Mages of the more finesse oriented magical schools with some skill in riding, and men who knew the land well. She chose a particularly large mastiff as her own mount, and was later seen riding out the city gates with her men in full pomp and livery.
« Last Edit: August 29, 2015, 08:59:43 am by Dwarmin »
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GiglameshDespair

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Re: D&D 5e: Mass Combat Playtest: The Kingdom of Castile. IC.
« Reply #4 on: August 27, 2015, 06:51:26 pm »

The dragon knight rarely spoke, and this was no exception. The red-armoured warrior said nothing, but merely inclined her head when the chests were brought out.

No speeches from her. Lady Brianna was already talking. She did that a lot. Talk, talk. Gabieta waited patiently for Brianna to finish.

Gabieta was good at waiting.
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werty892

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Re: D&D 5e: Mass Combat Playtest: The Kingdom of Castile. IC.
« Reply #5 on: August 28, 2015, 09:00:17 am »

Kelly sighed. There was a time and place for speeches, but Brianna seemed to have that covered. Despite it not really being her place to do so. He would have to talk to her later. Instead, he made a bow, and said 'Rest assured my Queen, that these infidels will be removed from your lands, and then their lands removed from them.' And stepped back, and elbowed Brianna 'That was not your best idea, eh?'

Dwarmin

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Re: D&D 5e: Mass Combat Playtest: The Kingdom of Castile. IC.
« Reply #6 on: August 28, 2015, 09:15:22 am »

((I assume you didn't do that in front of the whole court. :P))

She gave Roger Kelly her brightest smile. It's bit more authentic than the one she gave the court.

"Sir Roger, if we're going to be fighting in the mud of this far away land for a bunch of foreigners, we might as well get some tangible benefit from it. Maybe Spain could even be an ally against the Lancasters, one day! I needed to make a point, in front of their Queen-they were expecting a speech, and I gave them one. Even if all of you are not exactly fighting for the House of York. Well, let's leave the little details up to the historians..." She muses wryly.
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werty892

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Re: D&D 5e: Mass Combat Playtest: The Kingdom of Castile. IC.
« Reply #7 on: August 28, 2015, 09:57:53 am »

((It's supposed to be a quiet elbow... Also can you change your text color? It's impossible to read without highlighting it.))

'Aye, but maybe you should have asked them after we earned their respect, hmmm?' and then chuckles... 'Historians... you're supposed to be one of those! Anyways, just hold on for now.'

My Name is Immaterial

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Re: D&D 5e: Mass Combat Playtest: The Kingdom of Castile. IC.
« Reply #8 on: August 29, 2015, 03:13:20 am »

Lady Brianna gives her own respectful curtsy in the Queens direction.

"It is a great honor to help deliver this land from evil-indeed, it is the duty of every Godly man and woman to defend the Christian lands. Know that I come here to help by the Grace of God, even while my own land suffers under it's own wars and troubles. I hope one day soon, you will all remember that when Queen Isabella called for heroes, the House of Alanis, who follow the House of York-the true rulers of Britannia-were the ones who answered her." She announced, ringingly, with a famous (at least to her) smile.

Action: Mass persuasion check!
(Persuasion Check: 19+8)
Around the room, you hear much murmuring, almost all of it positive. From the dias, the queen smiles.
"We shall remember your contribution. Perhaps when our own war is over, we shall send aid."

Dwarmin

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Re: D&D 5e: Mass Combat Playtest: The Kingdom of Castile. IC.
« Reply #9 on: August 29, 2015, 08:24:39 am »

"Heartfelt thanks for your words, your majesty." Brianna said, with another courtly bow, showing proper deference-though it could be said, by the most politically astute among them, that she had cannily only given thanks for the words, not the promise of aid, fickle as it was. Of course, Brianna had not actually asked for aid-that would be uncouth-just gently implied, and let everyone work out the logic for themselves. Likewise, Brianna reckoned the Queen had both endorsed the goodwill in the room, while at the time not actually promising anything...and, indirectly implying that the war needed to be won, before any such discussions might take place.

In short, nothing had happened, but it was all very exciting.

You could miss all of this if you weren't paying attention!
« Last Edit: August 29, 2015, 08:27:08 am by Dwarmin »
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kj1225

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Re: D&D 5e: Mass Combat Playtest: The Kingdom of Castile. IC.
« Reply #10 on: August 29, 2015, 09:22:55 am »

Sara walks out the pleasantries having been exchanged. What a load of horseshit. If I was at my full power these pathetic 'nobles' would be groveling at my feet, begging me not to set their lands to the flame. And their blood would run red when I denied them. But no matter, there is war to make and other extravagant nobles who need to be cut down to size at the moment. Once my full power is reached, everyone will be equal. Equal as they die screaming.
With that mental monologue done, Sara goes to find a person good with numbers and handling money. After all, one can't expect HER to manage all her fiances.
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GiglameshDespair

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Re: D&D 5e: Mass Combat Playtest: The Kingdom of Castile. IC.
« Reply #11 on: August 29, 2015, 10:03:14 am »

Gabieta had made her choice already. A heavy core of infantry: let others take cavalry. She would endure the frontlines.

The armours were impressive in durability, but unarmed was no good. Pikes had long reach and were inexpensive.
She had a fondness for seeing muskets fire, even if she didn't know the use of them herself. A roar and flash of flame... reminded her of dragons.
Guards were solid and dependable. She'd need several squads worth. She made sure all of them had slings, and knew how to use them.
Acolytes gave her healing and magic, and finally, scouts, so she wasn't completely dependant on the others for, well, scouting.

Code: (Purchases) [Select]
1 x animated armour, arm them with pikes
2 x musketmen
5 x guards (give them slings as well, since they're free and ranged.)
1 x scout
1 x acolytes
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My Name is Immaterial

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Re: D&D 5e: Mass Combat Playtest: The Kingdom of Castile. IC.
« Reply #12 on: August 30, 2015, 11:54:52 pm »

With that mental monologue done, Sara goes to find a person good with numbers and handling money. After all, one can't expect HER to manage all her fiances.
Sara finds three likely candidates:
  • A Dragonborn named Nurit, a financier by trade. She will invest unspent money, and provide a return of 10% monthly. However, you must designate how much money you would like to invest. Money invested cannot be spent without being disinvested, a two week long process.
  • A Halfling named Ramiro, a caravan master. He will coordinate the logistics of the supply caravans that feed your forces. Supply caravans can support 50% more units and cost 25% less upkeep.
  • A Halfling named Fagildo, an ex-military supply master. He will help keep your army running smoothly by eliminating waste. All combat units cost 10% less upkeep.
All request a fee of 20 GP to join you. They will all handle monetary related issues, gathering incoming, distributing pay, and handling debt.

kj1225

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Re: D&D 5e: Mass Combat Playtest: The Kingdom of Castile. IC.
« Reply #13 on: August 31, 2015, 12:17:29 am »

Sara considers her options.
Hm, having someone investing our money could be beneficial... but dragonborn are naturally cheap... the halflings could be useful but someone could bribe them with a good meal.... hm, while I do like the aesthetics of that dragonborn, Ramiro would be ecspecially useful. Ecspecially when we get more variety in our army... hm, the returns from thetrouble investments would be invaluable... Yes, I'll pick Nurit. Merchantilly inclined people are more trustworthy than most, and a dragonborn can only be even moreso.
Sara picks Nurit.
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Dwarmin

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Re: D&D 5e: Mass Combat Playtest: The Kingdom of Castile. IC.
« Reply #14 on: August 31, 2015, 12:59:43 pm »

Action: Lady Brianna also has some small business before she is ready to leave, looking for a suitable bodyguard to keep her safe on the frontline.
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