Combat for 945Arstotzka scraps their project from last year and starts again this year learning from their past mistakes. Known as the ASAF-F44 "Avenger", it was conceived as a weapon to rival Moskurgs so-far uncontested air superiority. Two years of development went into the engine (proudly referred to as the "Kinetic Propulsion Drive" Mk. 2) and power source (known as the "Aether Reactor"), which required a fair amount of fine-tuning to get it working. The Avenger is prone to capsizing, and the Aether Reactor lives up to the name - it "reacts" quite explosively when damaged, necessitating rather thick crystal shielding. The KPD Mk. 2 is a heavily modified variant of their "Blastballs" spell, in that it uses an on-going continuous explosion inside a crystal "cup" to provide thrust. This bell-shaped cup can be tilted with spherical controls in the cockpit, allowing the Avenger to move left, right, forwards, and backwards (although turning is done through banking). The pilot sits up front in a clear crystal canopy and a gunner in the rear works an unpowered ball turret equipped with an HAC-1, though he has a field of view limited primarily upwards. The entire contraption is shaped roughly like an arrowhead and can move quite fast, though it has terrible acceleration and requires the pilots full focus to keep from going into a deadly capsizing event. For their revision Arstotzka finally fixes the "anti-magic" problem that's been plaguing their devices for decades, to an extent. Their circuits are now "hardened" against anti-magic, meaning their devices that do not rely on mages (such as the HA-1b "Mundane", R1 and Avenger, specifically) can operate successfully in anti-magic fields.
Moskurg likewise works on their air force this year with the introduction of the "Skyhawk", the next-generation air-borne artillery platform design to obsolete their Alsamma Safina. Much like the Phoenix, it is powered by four Adamantium engine clusters that provide lift and movement. It is equipped with two ballistas and a large supply of explosive ammo, but has difficulty engaging nearby targets and relies on the crew to take care of threats. It is skinny like a canoe, making it difficult to hit from a distance, but that also means it can "capsize" if the pilot isn't careful. For their revision they upgrade their Adamantium War Pegasi Scrolls to flat-out Adamantium jet engines. Using multiple inter-linking scrolls of varying size, it can provide even more thrust than the previous generation of flight-capable rugs. This only really benefits the Phoenix and Skyhawk, as smaller aircraft are already fast enough that the limiting factor is the ability of the pilots to see through the wind and perform maneuvers successfully.
The Taiga continues to burn, but not nearly as much.
The Avenger is Arstotzka's shaky step into the world of directly contesting Moskurg's air superiority, and it shows. The unpowered turret makes lining up shots on the faster Skyskiffs virtually impossible, and the primary focus is the large, lumbering Phoenix ships. If an Avenger can get close enough, the HAC-1 can punch through the Adamantium armor plating. Hitting the fuel tank doesn't really do much besides make the crew nervous; the ammo isn't explosive or heated, and Adamantium doesn't spark when hit as the temperature is constant. What is vastly more effective is hitting an engine cluster. It only takes a couple of shots before output begins to falter in a cluster, and hitting two on the same side will cause the ship to list and capsize. This tends to be unfortunate for the crew and anyone underneath, but Moskurgs Skyskiffs do a fair job at keeping them at bay and the Phoenix is usually escorted by Skyhawks. If nothing else can be said about the Avenger, then the crews will admit that the damn thing is hardy. Ballista rounds can't crack the crystal hull, and the lightning-resistive crystal requires a few lightning strikes before holes can be blasted through. Once the armor on the Aether Reactor is worn through, though, then the brilliant explosion will send shrapnel at everything in a fifty foot radius. All-in-all, it's not really good for much other than hitting the vulnerable-yet-deadly Phoenix airships and keeping them from running freely overhead. Anti-Magic Hardened Circuits are about equally as helpful, able to allow the aircraft and some of the artillery on the ground below to operate regardless of the glowing "No-Fun" field. Mages still can't cast, though, but Aethergems and circuits operate just fine.
More helpful for Moskurg than their anti-magic is their Skyhawk, which has double the rate of fire of the previous generation Alsamma Safina. Able to hit from beyond anything Arstotzka can reach, Moskurg doubles down on their "pick and chip" philosophy. Avengers are a concern though, as it takes a few lightning strikes to knock them out of the sky. If they're too close then mages need to strike at the pilot or gunner, as the explosion would damage the Skyhawk. Thankfully, their massive control of the weather makes it hard for Arstotzka to scramble interceptors or launch sorties, as it's nearly impossible to maintain formation in such inclement weather, so they don't really do much on that end. Moskurgs newer, better engines also allow them to fly through and over Arstotzka's field of anti-air fire, putting them out of range of gun crews on the ground below.
Arstotzka still has the advantage when it comes to melees, as more and more of their troopers begin favoring the R1 and its ability to firmly knock out an enemy soldier from range without a fight, but it still suffers from firing rate and cumbersome reloading. The Protector still suffers from the poor locomotion issues that have plagued it since conception, and like the jungle these are exacerbated by the dense pine forests. It can at least operate as a pillbox once it - inevitably - breaks down, though.
Despite the Phoenix no longer being the "kill everyone" weapon it was last year, Moskurg still has an overwhelming air advantage. As the pine forests get denser, though, this becomes less and less of a factor and battles begin to rely primarily on hand-to-hand combat. Even worse for Moskurg is the fact that Arstotzka has naval superiority in the surrounding waters (although just barely). Troops can be landed behind Moskurg lines, and with their superior infantry Arstotzka can win battle after battle.
It's a hard-fought battle, and though Moskurg is dominating in the air it's not quite enough. Arstotzka manages to push the invaders out of their homeland - but just barely.
Arstotzka regains the Taiga.Air superiority dictates much more of the battle in the plains, however.
With close air support and the ability to hit trenches with (little) Arstotzkan opposition, Moskurg continues their roll from the desert to the north. The Avenger shines with the ability to drop explosive artillery shells, though the bombing runs are often inaccurate and limited in effect compared to Moskurgs air superiority. Combined with their navy hitting from the shores and their air force hitting from above, Arstotzka is forced to abdicate a section of ground here and give Moskurg a foothold. The R1 and Protector both show promise here, but the problems that have plagued them limit what they can do.
Moskurg gains a section of the Plains.The Mountains surprise everyone when Moskurg storms up the slopes and regains a foothold.
Small airships shine here, most notably the Avenger and Skyskiff. With strongholds being all but obsoleted, most battles are proceeded with days of artillery barrages and air raids on choke points and defensive emplacements before being stormed. Moskurg's explosive ammo and Skyhawk put them on par with Arstotzkan artillery (which unfortunately must be lugged from one place to another by cart on the treacherous mountain trails), so the battles are decided by the better air support - which must go to Moskurg. If nothing else, the Skyskiffs are merely Cheap while the Avengers are Very Expensive, meaning that even if they were worse they would still vastly outnumber their aerial competitors. The Protector is useless in the steep inclines and narrow, rocky paths, and the Phoenix is too easy to hit from concealed positions in the mountainous ground below. Melees are infrequent, but the R1 proves to be quite useful here with its ability to shoot without standing up and flat trajectory. That doesn't decide the major battles though, so Moskurg manages to gain foothold on the mountains once again.
Moskurg has gained a section of the Mountains.Arstotzkas Avenger struggles against the larger and better-armed Skyhawks, and the smaller and faster Skyskiffs. Moskurgs faster engines and new artillery platform lets them shell Arstotzkan ships from a safe distance, and one by one the crystal ships sink below the waves in the frigid northern seas. This is especially bad for Arstotzka - this means that next year they will not be able to use their naval support to increase the effectiveness of their ground forces, but at least Moskurg doesn't have naval superiority.
Moskurg gains a section of shoreline in the Northern Seas. Arstotzka loses naval support for next year.Espionage Credit!!!Both sides make good use of their Espionage Credit this year.
Arstotzka manages to steal a thing, which will let them do a thing if they spend some time figuring it out.
Moskurg manages to kidnap a few of the high-level mages (turns out the crew is particularly adept at piracy and caught a few crystalclads out at sea). They had to cut out their tongues so they couldn't cast against us, but thankfully left their fingers. After a bit of coercing, we learn the process by which Arstotzka collects their mages. Through a process of testing the civilian population and offering magically-inclined individuals scholarships, we could potentially increase our overall number of mages. We'd still need to increase the size of our school to accomodate the increased number of magic-users we'd be training, but now we have a solid lead on increasing our forces.
Design Credit!!!Hayat has been tinkering with her lightbulbs for the past year, and believes she has developed something new and exciting related to that field (dubbed "electricty") that she wants to share with the design team. The Sultan has agreed to finance the little venture, so this year we gain an extra
Design Credit - so long as it deals with our "electricity".
It is 946, the Design Phase.Northern Taiga: 4/4 Arstotzka, 0/4 Moskurg
Central Mountains: 3/4 Arstotzka, 1/4 Moskurg
Western Jungle: [color=red0/4 Arstotzka[/color], 4/4 Moskurg
Eastern Plains: 3/4 Arstotzka, 1/4 Moskurg
Southern Desert: 0/4 Arstotzka, 4/4 Moskurg
Northern Sea: 3/4 Arstotzka, 1/4 Moskurg
Western Sea: 0/4 Arstotzka, 4/4 Moskurg
Eastern Sea: 0/4 Arstotzka, 4/4 Moskurg
Southern Sea: 0/4 Arstotzka, 4/4 Moskurg
Sabre: Officer weapon. A single-edged Adamantium blade that favours cavalry combat over infantry combat. Requires training to wield, one-handed. Expensive.
Spear: General infantry weapon. Essentially an Adamantium dagger on a long stick. Very cheap, requires minimal training to use. Can be used double-handed, or single handed with a light shield. Cheap. Obsolete.
Halberd: An axe, a hook, and a spear all rolled into one. Does well against armor and in formation. Cheap
Buckler: General infantry equipment. A small Adamantium shield, held in one hand. Only protects a small area, but can be wielded alongside a shield. Moderate cost, requires training to wield properly. Cheap.
Pavise Shield: A large, thick, high-quality shield to guard against arrows. Can be staked into the ground, or slung across the shoulders. Needs both hands to use while on the move. Very Expensive.
Padded Armour: General infantry armour. Very cheap, just layers of cloth, but doesn't protect against much. Well ventilated in hot conditions, though. Worn under armor. Cheap.
Scale Mail: Officer armour. Scales of Adamantium on a leather backing. Expensive, but lighter than chain mail. Expensive. Obsolete.
Elite Lamellar Armor: All-purpose armor. Worn over padded armor. Thin plates of Adamantium sewn together with leather thongs, backed by more leather. High quality, decent protection against arrows and melee attacks. Adamantium is tailored to the temperature of the theater being fought in, preventing soldiers from freezing to death. Cheap.
Recurve Bow: General infantry weapon. A light bow composed of laminated wood and horn, curved backwards to provide more force. Inexpensive enough to equip many troops with, with very reasonable medium range and power. Can be wielded by horse archers.
Bodkin Arrows: Arrows with needle points. Can reliably penetrate plate armor at point blank range. Can penetrate less reliably further away. Now with Adamantium tips!
Arabian Horse: A light riding horse, from short-lived Iberian settlers in the past. Very fast and maneuverable, but not too strong. Expensive.
Horse Breeding Program: Mass amounts of horses available. Tend to do poorly in the desert, and aren't quite as high quality as the Arabian Horses. Cheap.
Lances: Essentially a heavily upgraded spear. Has a tendency to splinter after the first use. Cheap.
Sailing Ship: Wind-propelled wooden ship. Fast, requires minimal crew, cannot carry many passengers, but does carry at least one wizard - so long as they don't make puns. Very Expensive. Obsolete.
Sirocco: Ships made from lightweight and hardy junglewood and clad in glowing Adamanitium armor. Much more resilient and faster than Arstotzka's ships as of 935.
Ballista: Large siege weapon. Can fire javelins or stone shot great distances accurately. Reliable enough for consistent use. Can be mounted on ships. Wheeled. High-quality siege engineers.Expensive.
Firestorm ammo: Pots filled with Alwathnayu Mukafa'a - "Heathen's Reward". Explodes into sticky flame on impact. Incredibly lethal, incredibly dangerous. Nearly impossible to extinguish. Cheap.
Heathen's Reward: Alwathnayu Mukafa'a, a variant of Alnnar Almugaddasa. More reactive to open flame, tends to expand rapidly.
Fire and Thunder: Even more explosive Alnnar. Less flames, more boom. Can be put in an iron shell to cast fragments at enemies, although the fuse can be finicky.
The Pheonix: A giant tank of Alnnar, propelled into the air by dozens of Adamantium War Pegasi Scrolls. Requires multiple wizards to keep running. Armor is thick enough to withstand 14 mm's up to Medium Range. Features a turret on the bottom to spray the Alnnar on the poor fools below. Slow, highly explosive, but absolutely terrifying. Very Expensive.
Wand of Heroism: Makes a squad fight beyond human levels. A National Effort.
Moskurg's Apprentice Gramary for Inter-magical Competency: Trains some apprentices to Wizard-level. Does not provide more mages. National Effort.
Alsamma Safina: Sirocco, stripped-down and packed with War Pegasi for lift. Requires multiple dedicated mages to keep the carpets enchanted and in sync. Very Expensive. Obsolete.
Skyhawk: An Adamantium airship, with two ballistas and four jet engine clusters for lift and movement. Very Expensive.
Adamantium: Divine metal summoned from the aether. Comes in workable copper-soft and forge-able steel-hard ingots. Temperature can be permanently set. Cheap.
Teletalk: Short-ranged psychic communication between mystics. Enough beacons can be produced to outfit an army. Expensive.
Wand of Thunderbolts: Glass wand, painted with zinc and copper. Adamantium core. Good for a single modestly-powerful blast of lightning. Cheap.
Staff of Tubikh Rrahim Albarq: Area-of-affect spell. Prevents all magic from being cast within field of effect out to Long Range. Spell contained within a staff of ivory, field of effect controllable. Produces a glow. Expensive.
Dispell Enchantments: Dispells enchantments on items, including standard crystal weapons. Expensive.
Pegasus: Charmingly named, enchanted carpets. Levitate, can be pushed around with Gust of Wind. Limited height, duration, speed. Typically rolled up and equipped with a saddle. Has pretty tassels. Expensive.
War Pegasus:[/b] An even faster, higher, tamed version of the Pegasus. Requires each scroll to be broken-in before it can be used in the field, but now has its own form of locomotion. Enchantments now last longer. Made of Adamantium. Cheap. Obsolete.
Adamantium Jets: A rudimentary jet engine, made of concentric Adamantium tubes. High thrust. Cheap.
Skyskiff: A two-seater Adamantium canoe. Equipped with two Adamantium jets. Very fast, thick armor. Cheap.
Detect Ambush: Reveals non-magical ambushes prepared by enemy troops or physical traps.
Lucky Strike: Magical guidance makes a squad shoot or strike true far more often than usual. Expensive.
Detect Thoughts: Read the mind of an enemy commander to determine their tactics ahead of time. Expensive.
Zen Inception: By putting enemy soldiers in a zen-like state, we can use their minds as a relay system to read minds further away. The spell is easy to disrupt, but simple to use.
Gust of Wind: Evokes physical force to create a heavy gust of wind, sufficient to disperse fog and most minor concealment, as well as disperse irritating swarms. Expensive.
Cyclone Shield: Protects the beneficent from most arrows and some blows with a sheath of wind. Expensive.
Storm Strike: Summons heavy rain and winds over the course of a day. Expensive.
Wrath of Allah: Calls upon Allah to allow lightning to rain down, even in snowy weather. Multiple mages allow faster casting of Storm Strike.
Clear Weather: Negates inclement weather within the given area. Nests within Storm Strike for protection.
Hammer of Allah: Induce lightning from summoned storms. Strikes indiscriminately, so can't be used in "danger close" situations.
Spear of Allah: Call down an individual bolt of lightning to target enemy commanders. Requires line of sight to target. Can be used in "danger close" situations.
Zephyr of Allah - Zephyric Destruction: Tornado cast by a single mage. Very powerful, goes out to Extreme Range. Lethal with debris, less lethal otherwise. Can pick up a soldier, if it passes directly over him. Expensive.
Heretics' Downfall: Greater control over lightning. Can 'persuade' lightning to travel down certain paths despite easier paths being available.
Winds of Ruin: A variant of Storm Strike. Allows the casters to lend their intent to the storm, allowing it to blunt the range of enemy artillery and cast weather attack spells beyond line of sight. Very Expensive.
Tubikh Rrahim: Area-of-affect spell centered around the caster. Prevents all magic from being cast within a short range. Cheap.
Dispell Enchantments: Dispells enchantments on items, including standard crystal weapons. Expensive.
Divine Desert Winds: Sends warm desert air north. Does not reach the taiga. Warms the area by one "level". Very Expensive.
Antichronic Reverbramancy: A trance that focuses on the branching nature of time. Locates "chokepoints" in the branches, where things will happen. Can only detect cataclysmic, nearby events, like artillery barrages, usually within 10-30 seconds. Tends to cause mages to be lost in the flow of time. Cheap.
As inspired by the "Behavior Rule" attached to Sensei's new Arms Race thread, I've decided to adapt them to Wand Race. Most of these are blatantly copied from his thread, and I expect them to be followed. After running this game for a few weeks now and following the last Arms Race, I'm aware that they're prone to attracting bad attitudes. Keeping the game smooth, on schedule, and argument free is probably a greater concern of mine than whatever you are arguing about: I expect you to be mature and adopt the same attitude.
1. Don't be salty! If at any time you find yourself having an urge to mouth off at another player, step away from the keyboard, go outside, and take a breath. Seriously. Players who repeatedly get angry or passive aggressive will be asked to leave. If you have an issue with the way the game is being run, DO NOT expect a tantrum to get you what you want.
2. Keep in mind that I am not a historian, so there will sometimes be mistakes and inaccuracies. Even in the best of circumstances, minor inconsistencies are a common occurrence. If some piece of equipment is imbalanced/unrealistic, I might consider changing it if you bring it up once -AND ONLY ONCE- and politely state your argument. However, I will err on the side of consistency with my own game, I do not like to go back and change things. Sometimes it is more important to simply keep the game running smoothly than other concerns.
3. Do not accuse me of being biased. Do not accuse me of being biased. I put a lot of effort into being objective and fair and being accused otherwise is pretty fucking irritating. On multiple occasions this has nearly derailed the game and made me want to abandon it all together. I have absolutely no more patience for this, and if you do it YOU WILL BE BANNED.
4. Do not spy on the other team's private thread. Trust me, playing fair is more fun for everyone! If you suffer from a lack of self-control and cannot stop yourself from spying, keep it to yourself. Do not use it to metagame. And do not post what you saw in the central thread. This has happened multiple times now, and if you do it you will be banned with no warning.
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Topic: Wands Race - [Moskurg] {COMPLETED} (Read 204249 times)