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[evictedSaint]

Revision: Bodkin Arrows [1]

Well...that could have gone better.

When given the order to create "armor piercing arrows" our researchers...well, they tried.  As clever as the initial thought might have been, can-openers actually make terrible arrowheads. They don't fly straight, they're too nose-heavy, and the curved hook at the end doesn't quite penetrate armor.  All-in-all, the revision turns out to be an utter failure.  This is exceptionally disappointing, as it could have been the advantage we needed.

[Devastator]

Dangit!  This is one of the reasons I wanted to use the design for gear as I didn't want to leave the new stuff rolling out this turn dependant on one single d6.

[S34N1C]

Damn, that sucks. It not the end of the world, though. We can fix this next year

[evictedSaint]

Combat for 923

The jungle is plunged into freezing temperatures this year.

Plants begin to wither and die as freezing rains douse the undergrowth in the summer and snow thinly blankets the land in the winter for the first time in thousands of years.  The inclement weather falls mostly on Arstotzkan troops due to our mastery of weather control, but our men are still surprised to see the snow after years of being deployed in the hot, humid jungle.  A snowball fight breaks out on the first snowfall of the year, but the commanders quickly put a stop to that.  It wouldn't do to be fooling about with snow when Arstotzka attacks, after all.  Despite this stance, a snowman appears outside of the officers tents and remains there for as long as the snow lasts.  The freezing rains receive a less-enthusiastic welcome than the snow - this isn't much of an issue, since it rains on the enemy's half of the jungle exclusively year-round.  Still, we Moskurgs who are even less acclimated to the cold than Arstotzka find the sudden chill that penetrates the jungle...unpleasant.

Our skirmishes find more success during the summer than they do in the winter.  Despite it being nice and dry in our territory, our soldiers huddle together and curse the cold that seeps across the border into our encampments.  Arstotzka takes advantage of this lapse in attention to launch a few surprise attacks, gaining some success.  Their men tend to shed their plate armor for these attacks for extra stealth, creeping close in the freezing dark before lighting our freezing men up with fireballs and brutal swings from their axes.  We return the favor in kind - our light calvary charges into their encampments in the dead of night, the lead horseman holding aloft a Staff of Tubikh Rrahim to dispell their crystal caltrops before they can trip our horses.  We've had to give up lulling their men into a zen state in favor of flat-out surprise attacks.   Our arrows still tend to deflect off their armor unless shot in mass or blessed by Lucky Strike, sadly.  Still, their men tend to be unarmored during our ambushes, so the end result is that both sides do terrific damage to one another.

In main combat we've begun using the Staff of Tubikh Rrahim rather than spell circles to give our wizards the extra mobility.  Their calvary troops have abandoned their crystal lances entirely, and their officers carry a broadsword as back up with their crystal axes.  With this change our crystal-dispelling magic isn't as effective.  We've used up our element of surprise last year.  It is unpleasant to note, however, the wizards wielding the Staff of Tubikh Rrahim seem to be prime targets for their anti-mage troopers.  They're shot dead wherever they appear.  Additionally, their broadswords are extra effective against our unarmored troops when used.  Some of their men still prefer axe and shield in the dense undergrowth (which is growing less dense as their Tower of Frost does its work) but they're dealing tremendous damage.

Our offensives occur almost entirely during the summer, when the clouds cooperate and allow lightning to be called down from above.  Snow-bearing clouds are less inclined to produce lightning, which is a worrying development.  The mages wielding staffs do their best to get in range of Arstotzkan wizards, and when they do their mages see fireballs fizzle out on their fingertips.  This is only a temporary advantage, however - the ivory staffs are very noticeable, and the users are very vulnerable to arrows.  That, coupled with the ease at which broadswords cleave through unarmored troops, sends our soldiers fleeing soon after each attack.  A cheer goes up from their men as they force us back and take a section of the jungle.  We can't escape the cold, either - their tower creeps closer as they gain land.  This year was a disaster.

Spoiler: Wizard Battle (click to show/hide)

Myark and al-Mutriqa meet once again on the battlefield. 

-Transcript Lost-

al-Mutriqa is injured and will require a year to recover.

The Theatre Commander is overcome by despair.  As great as the staffs are, they can't be used if their Anti-Mage hunters shoot the users dead at every turn.  Their tower is also a problem - they've limited us to assaults only during the summer to allow use of the Hammer of Allah, and even that may soon disappear.  Our men hate the cold, and it severely hampers our combat capabilities.  If they were comparable to Arstotzkan troops it wouldn't be such a problem, but our army is quickly becoming out-classed by the opposition.  We need armor.  We need mage protection.  We need something to take down that accursed tower. 


Arstotzka gains ground in the jungle.

With no new advancements to be used on the seas, neither side makes advancements here.  The Staff of Tubikh Rrahim has too small of a range for the arrow-based combat that makes up the majority of sea combat, so it is not deployed.

The Theatre Commander once again mentions how useful a longer-range Teletalk wand would be for use on the high seas.  He also asks if we could make the Spear or Hammer more accurate, to allow us to strike down on Arstotzkan ships from a safe distance.

Neither side makes coastal gains in the Western Sea.


Revision Credit!!!  Reports from the field are especially poor this year.  We know that Myark and al-Mutriqa met in the chaos of the jungle, and that al-Mutriqa was wounded and escaped, but the details of the conflict are unclear.  Our commanders are frustrated with the lack of information, especially since al-Mutriqa seems unwilling to discuss the encounter.  Please interview witnesses on the battlefield and compile a report of exactly what occurred.  Whichever side has the most well-documented version of the incident - regardless of how conflicting the reports are - will gain a revision credit for the next year.



It is 924, the Design Phase.

Spoiler: State of Forenia, 924 (click to show/hide)

Northern Taiga: 4/4 Arstotzka
Central Mountains: 4/4 Arstotzka
Western Jungle: 2/4 Arstotzka, 2/4 Moskurg
Eastern Plains: 4/4 Moskurg
Southern Desert: 4/4 Moskurg

Northern Sea: Arstotzkan
Western Sea: Disputed
Eastern Sea: Moskurger
Southern Sea: Moskurger

Spoiler: Moskurger Equipment (click to show/hide)

Mundane Equipment

Sabre:  Officer weapon.  A single-edged blade that favours cavalry combat over infantry combat.  Requires training to wield, one-handed.  Expensive.
Spear:  General infantry weapon.  Essentially a 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.
Buckler:  General infantry equipment.  A small iron shield, held in one hand.  Only protects a small area, but can be wielded alongside a shield.  Moderate cost, requires training to wield properly.
Padded Armour:  General infantry armour.  Very cheap, just layers of cloth, but doesn't protect against much.  Well ventilated in hot conditions, though.  Cheap.
   Scale Mail:  Officer armour.  Scales of steel on a leather backing.  Expensive, but lighter than chain mail.  Expensive.
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.
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.

Magical Equipment

Wand of Heroism:  Makes a squad fight beyond human levels.  A National Effort.

Teletalk:  Short-ranged psychic communication between mystics.  Enough beacons can be produced to outfit an army.  Expensive.

Staff of Tubikh Rrahim: Area-of-affect spell centered around the caster.  Prevents all magic from being cast within a short range.  Spell contained within a staff of ivory. Expensive.
   Dispell Enchantments:  Dispells enchantments on items, including standard crystal weapons. Expensive.

Spoiler: Moskurger Spells (click to show/hide)

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.
  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.  Difficult to control, has a tendency to hit the caster as often as not.  Our mages refuse to use it.

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.

[Detoxicated]

Create samurai armour, even if we failed we need better equipment all over...
i think the armour is called lamellar.

[Mardent23]

+1. I had brought it up last design phase, but  it lost to the anti magic staff. There were also variants of it ( lamellar) within the  Middle east and Asia, and was more popular in some locations than scale armor due to increased mobillity. Plus, with lamellar armor, we wouldn't have to get rid of our padded armor, the padding would just be an underlayer.

[Devastator]

Real armor, please

[evictedSaint]

EDIT: I did not specify that Moskurg lost ground in the jungle.  That is the case.  The jungle is now 2/4 Moskurg to 2/4 Arstotzka.

[ATHATH]

Create samurai armour, even if we failed we need better equipment all over...
i think the armour is called lamellar.

+1

[NUKE9.13]

Hmmmm.

Lets put more effort into developing anti-magic.

Sounds good. Let's do

Lamellar Armour: Similar to scale, lamellar consists of hundreds of individual pieces which join into one cohesive, flexible whole. Unlike scale, lamellar is not attached to a  leather backing, but rather the square pieces are all attached to each other, sort of like chainmail. Sort of. The squares can be made out of anything, from steel to hardened leather to even paper? (No, really). I think we'll go for the steel/leather version.
Whilst being as effective as scale, lamellar is more flexible. Thanks to our large population, mass production should not be an issue, as we can afford to give each smith a dozen apprentices to help him manufacture the small pieces and put them together.
Whilst we would obviously love to equip our entire army with steel lamellar, if that proves prohibitively expensive, hardened leather could be substituted for the common soldier. It's still a lot better at blocking arrows than padded armour.

Spoiler: Wizard Duel (click to show/hide)

A chill wind blows through the jungle, a thick mist driven forth upon it. The Black Phantasms ride through it, unflinching as always. The enemy tower is in sight. They shall put an end to this heretical weather.
Suddenly arrows whistle out from the darkness. Dark riders fall from their saddles, a pained grunt escaping their normally silent lips. More arrows rain down- only to be blown aside by a sudden gust. One of the riders throws off his cloak, revealing himself to be non other than al-Mutriqa, his bright robes and glittering scale lighting up the night. Like a loyal hound, lightning is at his beck and call, raining down around -but never on- the Black Phantasms. The Arstotzkan archers who are fortunate enough not to be hit by the bolts of plasma are unfortunately illuminated by them, allowing the sinister horsemen to charge into the underbrush and cut them down with their wicked scimitars.
The battle is decisively in the Phantasms's favour when a new source of light appears- a stream of fireballs cuts through the night, blowing up trees, rocks, and occasionally a horse and its rider. al-Mutriqa turns towards the source, and spots the by-now familiar face of his rival lurking amongst the foliage.

"Coward! Lurk no more in the darkness, my friend, for the light is here to bring you salvation!"

Myark rolls his eyes at this predictable spiel, but emerges nonetheless. The Phantasms are busy fighting archers and other Arstotzkan soldiers, leaving the two wizards to once again fight alone. They size each other up; Myark in his humble garb, al-Mutriqa in his opulent robes. al-Mutriqa seems to have a new piece of equipment; an ivory staff, covered in fine engravings. Myark regards it suspiciously, but has no time to make a comment before al-Mutriqa charges forth, golden mace raised high.
He quickly conjures a wall of flame between them, bringing al-Mutriqa to a halt just before the eldritch flames.

"Are you so desperate to avoid redemption, brother? Is it not written, 'Fear not the righteous man, for his embrace brings you closer to me.'?"

It may well be written in Moskurg's heathen texts, but it matters little to Myark, who starts summoning a massive fireball to finally end the annoyance that is his rival. He pours ever more power into the spell, until the flickering orb is almost a meter wide. al-Mutriqa, meanwhile, makes no efforts to flee.

"Now it ends", the grizzled mage whispers.

"Now it ends", al-Mutriqa replies, and raises his staff.

Myark prepares to launch the fireball and incinerate his rival, but moments before he does al-Mutriqa finishes muttering under his breath with a shouted "TUBIKH RRAHIM"

With that, the fireball disappears, along with the firewall, the mists, and the unnatural chill. Myark stares at the space between his hands where a fireball once sat, dazed, almost too late to notice the oncoming al-Mutriqa. Just in time he raises his sword to block the downwards swing of the shining mace. The weapons bounce off each other with a clang. Myark staggers under the force of the blow, but maintains his footing. al-Mutriqa is already winding up another swing, and he prepares to summon a crystal axe- remembering just in time how fruitless that would be, and raises his mundane weapon to block the blow instead. Another clang, and once again Myark shudders as the force of the impact runs up his arm.

"Heed my words, man of the north! Only from god comes salvation forth!"

Myark grits his teeth. al-Mutriqa is annoying enough before he starts reciting battle-poetry. He must end this soon, before the incessant chanting drives him insane.
He dodges the next blow, then lunges forth with his own weapon. al-Mutriqa knocks it away, dancing backwards. Myark presses the attack, but is blocked time and time again.
For what seems like hours (but is more realistically five-ten minutes) the two duel, locked in an eternal struggle where neither has the advantage.
Then Myark stumbles- just for a moment, but a moment is all al-Mutriqa needs. He swings wildly- and has his blow knocked away effortlessly, for it was naught but a feint on Myark's part. The spartan spellcaster strikes whilst his opponent is (for real) off balance, striking them in the chest with the pommel of his sword. al-Mutriqa gasps, winded, and Myark wastes no time in laying into him, blow after blow raining down upon the majestic mage. Several make contact, severing the scale covering al-Mutriqa's body, until he is bleeding profusely. A particularly savage blow sends the mace spinning out of al-Mutriqa's grasp, and the wizard falls backwards into the mud.
Myark stands over his prone rival, sword aimed at his neck.

"Any last words?"

"Qad 'illah yurhim ealaykum*", replies al-Mutriqa.

"Heathen nonsense", snarls Myark, and raises his sword for the finishing blow.

...and then spins around to instead block the strike of one of the Black Phantasms, whose scimitar deflects harmlessly. A second rider appears, then a third, and soon Myark is forced to retreat, as the horsemen surround their leader protectively. He spits one last insult at the bleeding wizard, then backs off into the jungle, returning to his tower.

[Mardent23]

Whilst being as effective as scale, lamellar is more flexible. Thanks to our large population, mass production should not be an issue, as we can afford to give each smith a dozen apprentices to help him manufacture the small pieces and put them together.
Whilst we would obviously love to equip our entire army with steel lamellar, if that proves prohibitively expensive, hardened leather could be substituted for the common soldier. It's still a lot better at blocking arrows than padded armour.

  Just want to add something on. We can use the padded armor  as a base layer, due to lamellar not being attached to a backing. So really, we don't need to replace anything.
Also, for revisions, should we go back to  bodkins, or start revising our shields?

[ATHATH]

Whilst being as effective as scale, lamellar is more flexible. Thanks to our large population, mass production should not be an issue, as we can afford to give each smith a dozen apprentices to help him manufacture the small pieces and put them together.
Whilst we would obviously love to equip our entire army with steel lamellar, if that proves prohibitively expensive, hardened leather could be substituted for the common soldier. It's still a lot better at blocking arrows than padded armour.

  Just want to add something on. We can use the padded armor  as a base layer, due to lamellar not being attached to a backing. So really, we don't need to replace anything.
Also, for revisions, should we go back to  bodkins, or start revising our shields?

I think that we should go for bodkins again.

[Devastator]

Did our antimagic do anything to stop fireballs?

[evictedSaint]

As I've said before several times, the antimagic does not stop fireballs cast outside of the area of effect.  It does prevent fireballs when the caster is inside the area of effect, however.

[S34N1C]

+1 to armor
And I think we should try bodkins again