Combat for 932The first official flight of the Moskurg Pegasi is a trepidatious one. Moskurg wizards saddle their carpets, load up their saddlebags with grenades, and gently lift into the air. The need to cut weight means they must go without pavise shields, and the need to cast Gust of Wind to move means they must go without a Staff to protect against magic. Even with these vulnerabilities, they sail slowly towards the Arstotzkan camps. Like a raven against the night sky they sail of the sparse treetops until they’re just over the enemy camp, and after a quick communication through the short-range teletalk wands they draw, light, and drop their firestorm grenades as one.
In the dead of night, a pair of grenades explode in the middle of the camp.
Chaos erupts as fire begins popping up at random in the camp, burning tents and equipment to ash and sending flaming soldiers stumbling for some semblance of protection. They are caught entirely unaware, and as soon as it starts the attack stops. Their supply of grenades spent, our wizards slowly drift back to our own lines with their mission complete. This happens again, and again, until their camps are massive, sprawling things spaced out as far as they can feasibly make them.
The Pegasus was a success!
Arstotzka’s own attacks are successful, but nowhere near as devastating. Their snipers can kill a dozen men at a time with no casualties, and their heavy calvary can do more damage but at the cost of being cut down. Their mages can’t bring their fire to bear due to our anti-magic, and without our troops being left shivering in the cold they can’t even rely on the elements to help.
Moskurg has a massive skirmish advantage.
We are caught by surprise this year as Arstotzka begins shelling us from beyond Extreme range; Beyond Line-Of-Sight range. The first shell hits a squad commander and takes his leg off at the knee, but other than that their barrages tend to be off-target. We send up a Pegasus to observe that yes, Arstotzka has rolled out a new piece of artillery this year. A giant metal monster that sends shells further than we’ve ever seen before, but they’re simply shooting blind. Not content to sit back and be shelled all year long, our Theatre Commander orders our own ballistas forward.
With Lucky Striker our ballistas can hit with insane accuracy, even though it’s diminished at Extreme range. Still, even with this accuracy, we’re caught off-guard by a second Arstotzkan innovation. Their cannons can now match our ballistas for range, and out-pace them in rate of fire. They’re still less accurate, but the true beast of the field is the few giant metal cannons they have poking up over their lines. Our ballistas focus fire on those, destroying each one until it’s just their smaller cannons left. The battle is fairly even here, and it might have slid towards Arstotzka thanks to their higher rate of fire and earlier bombardment, but we have Pegasi now.
Because both the ballistas and the Pegasi require actual trained wizards (not apprentices) to be used, we actually have fewer ballistas firing than normal this year. The Pegasi make up for it handily though. They sail over Arstotzkan lines and quickly begin lobbing their firestorm grenades down from on high. They’re devastatingly effective, and once their longbowmen start shooting up our airmen quickly put up Cyclone Shields to protect themselves from the exhausted arrows that come sailing up at them. It seems like they can’t be touched, until their elite mage-hunting troops begin shooting.
Mage-Hunters, with their superior bow skills and anti-magic bomb arrows, are effective at stopping the airborne threat. The explosive nature of the arrow means they don’t even have to have a direct hit; the shrapnel is effective at sending our men tumbling from the skies. The shards of crystal cut into the fibers of the carpets, and once damaged they quickly burn through what little magical enchantment they have stored and come crashing down. They even come close to knocking out al-Mutriqa, sailing by with his multi-colored cloak and black phantasm troops, but he pulls back in time. They manage to repel to our air forces, but by this point their lines are in complete disarray. Our ground forces come charging across the gap between the lines and does a solid job of mopping things up, and they are forced to retreat further into their homelands. Moskurg has gained a section of Taiga.
Our Theatre Commander notes that the carpet troops are a solid design choice. They could benefit from a higher ceiling and faster deployment, though. Longer-range teletalk wands would also allow for greater communication, as we are currently out of contact with them once they’re too high over head. He also notes that the Arstotzkan bomb arrows are dangerously effective against our air troops, and though we won this instance it would not be hard for the tables to be turned. He also notes that their new artillery would not be difficult to improve upon, and it could represent a shift in artillery advantage between our two sides.
Moskurg maintains their hold on the jungle and may now exploit what wood remains for resources.
Moskurg has gained a section of taiga! Arstotzka assaults the desert from the mountains.
Their towers of frost make the descent into the badlands that separate the mountains from the desert bearable, cooling off the naturally hot area. It won’t be snowing any time soon, but the weather has definitely cooled. The rocky, sandy soil is poor for trenchbuilding and Arstotzka has a minor height advantage coming from the mountains, so we have a difficult time defending. Their new artillery piece does a great deal of work, firing as often as they can. They’re still shooting blind, but it does force us to update our tactics – on several occasions they’ve been dead-on, causing casualties before we can get out of the bombardment area. Battles are brief, intense, and bloody. Without tree cover our flying wizards are easier to spot during raids, but luckily it’s difficult to take advantage of seeing them coming. Firing upwards at night is a tricky task, and though we take more casualties during the skirmishes here than we did in the jungle, we still manage to maintain a firm lead with regards to skirmishing.
Their smaller cannons are perhaps one of the deadliest things they have now that they’ve been upgraded, and especially so at Long or Medium range due to shots skipping across the smooth sandy ground. Luckily their heavy calvary and men are uncomfortable in the heat despite the assistance of the ivory towers, but our Desert Wind blows sand in their faces. It hinders visibility and finds its way into every nook and cranny. Even better, the warm weather means storms are possible again, and our lightning strikes tend to favor the large metal cannons they’ve developed. Without the lightning it might have been a close battle, but they are thankfully forced back.
Our Theatre Commander wonders if perhaps the carpets could be upgraded to allow us to drop entire squads of men behind Arstotzkan lines. Such an innovation could easily turn the tide of war even more in our favor. He is also happy that we’ve been able to use our lightning to great effect here once again; we will not be able to do so in the northern tundra. Perhaps the Desert Wind could be improved upon?
Arstotzka fails to gain ground in the desert. Things…go differently in the plains.
Their new long-range cannon doesn’t
need to see what it’s shooting at, as our lines are all trenches dug into the muddy soil. Their shelling is frequent, sporadic, imprecise, and wearying. We’re forced to slowly pull back bit by bit to stay out of range of their new cannons, and they eat up the land they gain eagerly. The increased distance between the trench lines means we can’t even strike them from long range anymore and use Lucky Strike to hit them with extreme precision. Our carpet riders are again without tree cover here, sustaining casualties during raids and especially during assaults. They’re effective, but not quite as effective as their new cannon.
Their new cannon isn’t enough to win the day all on its own, but it is definitely more of an advantage here and they are able to push us onto the back foot. Another year of this and they’ll be able to take another section of plains.
Our Theatre Commander is worried about the new artillery. Their smaller cannons are deadly enough on their own, but this trench warfare means their longer reach will eventually push us back. If it weren’t for our Pegasus riders, we would have definitely lost a section of ground this year.
Neither side gains ground in the plains. Battles in the sea benefit greatly from the Pegasus riders. The decrease in cost means every ship can afford to carry one, although the fact that it requires a wizard for both the ballista and the carpet means they often have to choose which to carry. A single ship with a Pegasus rider is a match for an Arstotzkan ship equipped with their smaller cannon, although they both tend to sink from damage sustained. Their faster ships (which our Pegasus riders report is powered by some weird, heavy metal contraption) is faster than our ships and can dictate when and where engagements happen, and are able to sink several of our ships for each one lost. This alone would let them further their hold on the seas, were it not for our air force. Countering our carpet riders is even more difficult for them on the pitching seas, but frustratingly enough their special ships are faster and can keep out from under our deadly area of effect. Our Pegasus riders are much more effective against their regular boats. Unfortunately, the limited enchantment on the carpets means that a mage must land periodically to rebuff the spell, or else he might find it running out while over the water, crash, and drown. Ultimately, both sides slaughter each other a lot and no one gains any ground.
Our Theatre Commander asks for deadlier carpet riders, or perhaps just a better ship. They’ve been rapidly outpacing us on the sea for a while now, and he wants to put a stop to it. The Pegasus riders are a good first step, but their faster ships, higher rate of fire, and ability to tank a hit means that they could easily shift the balance of power in their favor.
Neither side gains ground in the Eastern or Western Seas. Revision Credit!!!Many years ago, a brilliantly red shooting star sailed across the skies, inspiring Arstotzka’s troops and providing mild amusement for our men. Once again the star is seen above, leaving a long red tail behind it as it makes its way across the sky. To our surprise, this year the star doesn’t disappear back into the heavens. Instead we watch as it comes down far to the east, striking the earth far beyond the horizon. Plans are instantly made to travel to the landing site and claim whatever we may find there. It will be a long journey, and it will be dangerous. No doubt Arstotzka will also make an attempt to lay their foul hands on whatever Allah has chosen to send us, so whatever forces we send must be able to deal with them accordingly.
The Sultan asks for your judgement on what troops to send to claim the fallen star. Keep in mind that whatever troops we send will be unable to fight for us this year, and if our opponent sends a superior force to claim the star they will likely crush what troops we send. We don’t know what we will find when we get there, or indeed if anything even
will be there, but it’s not something our Sultan is willing to leave to chance. What should we send?
It is 933, the Design Phase.Northern Taiga: 3/4 Arstotzka, 1/4 Moskurg
Central Mountains: 4/4 Arstotzka
Western Jungle: 4/4 Moskurg
Eastern Plains: 1/4 Arstotzka, 3/4 Moskurg
Southern Desert: 4/4 Moskurg
Northern Sea: Arstotzka
Western Sea: Disputed
Eastern Sea: Disputed
Southern Sea: Moskurger
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.
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 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. 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. Cheap.
Scale Mail: Officer armour. Scales of steel 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 steel sewn together with leather thongs, backed by more leather. High quality, decent protection against arrows and melee attacks. 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.
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.
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 Alnnar Almuqaddasa - "Holy Fire". Bursts into sticky flame on impact. Incredibly lethal, incredibly dangerous. Nearly impossible to extinguish. Normal Cost.
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 Albarq: Area-of-affect spell anchored to the caster. Prevents all magic from being cast within a short 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.
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.
Divine Desert Winds: Sends warm desert air north. Does not reach the taiga. Warms the area by one "level". Very Expensive.
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 203854 times)