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Author Topic: Wands Race - [Arstotzka] {COMPLETED}  (Read 393972 times)

RAM

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Re: Wands Race - [Arstotzka]
« Reply #870 on: April 25, 2017, 09:43:08 pm »

arrows only had minor effect ... magically going through their visors, which a gambeson doesn't protect against ... revising our caltrops to be made of metal would've been a better revision.
I strongly dislike metal caltrops because it is reinventing stuff that we already have. They turned off our crystals, spending a revision on every single thing that effected will just give us inferior versions of what we already had. If we can attack the source of the problem, and extend a field of mostly reliable magic or something similar, which should be possible with our own antimagic, then it is a somewhat wasted effort. They would have been very good for right now, but weak in the long run. And it would take a large toll on my morale...

The gambeson improves our armour without affecting the full plate that we already got extremely good rolls on and don't want to touch. It also keeps us warm which works wonders with our temperature control.

I would have preferred the fireballs, but the gambeson is a solid choice, that hopefully heads off their arrow development, makes us a little tougher generally and it stopped the turn from being delayed further even though I would have much preferred to have some more time for my own suggestions to become the beloved darlings of the thread...

Did everyone really need to tell the enemy about our antimagic charms in the battle reports. I can't say it was wrong, they do add some lovely flavour, and we got a revision out of it which is nice... but in a couple of turns they will have sound guns that shatter quartz and all we will have is dignity, good looks, and a smashing sense of style, and, well, maybe that will be enough?
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evictedSaint

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Re: Wands Race - [Arstotzka]
« Reply #871 on: April 25, 2017, 10:01:10 pm »

Combat for 925


Neither side develops anything that could help during skirmishes, and continue to do heavy damage to one another in nightly raids.  The leather gambeson is nice, but aside from those on guard duty the average soldier doesn't wear full-plate at night and the doublet isn't enough to deflect close-range needle arrows all on its own.

The main fighting in the jungle has begun to stall.  Our earlier strategy of sniping their mages is still valid, but its become harder and harder to do.  Their mages hide behind tall wooden shields staked into the ground; on occasion we send an arrow through the gap and take them down, but they're simply too cowardly to kill easily any more.  In a similar effort to stay alive, their commanders have donned higher-quality suits of lamellar armor, painted brightly and protecting the wearer the way a suit of armor should.  Our men begrudgingly admit that while it's not as protective as full plate, it's...well, it's decent armor.  It can't deflect an arrow at close range like a good Arstotzkan breastplate, but it's more flexible than our armor.  In a melee, one of their squad commanders could beat one of ours in a one on one fight slightly more than half the time.  That rarely occurs as their brightly painted armor makes them prime targets for our archers and Moskurg soldiers don't have the balls to fight alone, but it is unsettling.  Thankfully, the average Moskurg soldier is still clad in their crappy, rusted lamellar that falls apart at the slightest scratch.  They're much easier to kill.  Annoyingly, their mages have donned these higher-quality lamellar armor as well, making them slightly more resilient to being shot in the chest.  They also carry their big, thick shields into combat and hide behind them while casting.  On the offensive they'll get close with their ivory staffs and prevent our mages from smiting attacking Moskurgs with fireballs.  A single Moskurg mage can stop several mages from casting at once, preventing us from wiping the floor with their troops.  We still win in these melees despite their larger numbers due to our higher quality soldiers, but the margin of victory isn't as much as it was before.

Our gambesons do their job.  Before their needle arrows could cause injuries that could incapacitate a soldier, but now they're utterly useless.  The only time their archers cause injury is when they find their way into the eyeslits of a helmet, something that happens far more often than it should.

A disturbing development is occurring in the jungle, however - the undergrowth has become less dense over these past few years.  This is likely due to the unseasonable snow, fire, lightning, and constant, constant, constant rain.  Moskurg soldiers are used to fighting in formation, and in massive numbers.  Our soldiers are more adept at fighting man-to-man, in squad tactics.  While it hasn't cleared enough yet to make a difference, the dying vegetation has been a concern.  Clearer ground would give Moskurg men an advantage in combat.  If we can push them out of the jungle then it wont matter, but if fighting stalls indefinitely once more then it could be a problem.  Judging by the rate at which the vegetation is dying, it'd be maybe another two years before it's clear enough to make a difference.

Order: Fog Training ([1, 5] = 1)
We issue an order to include fog-training to our soldiers to allow Channeled Fog to be more useful.  Due to a miscommunication, our commanders receive the order "Frog" Training.  Our men, while confused, trust in the people who have given them fabulous new weapons and begin a thorough regimen of frog-work.  Due to the many toxic species of frogs who live in the jungle we end up losing several squads of soldiers.  It shakes the men's faith in the design team and their moral goes down for this year.

Order: Magical Equipment Recovery Program ([2, 6] = 2)
We issue an order to recover Moskurg equipment in battle, offering the reward of monetary compensation for magical items.  We are immediately flooded with a couple hundred men claiming to have found Moskurg wands and charms after the first battle.  It takes a considerable amount of time to sift through all the results - wand-shaped twigs, colorful rocks, homemade charms, a severed thumb - but eventually we do find one item that is, in fact, magical in nature.  Well...three items, technically.  Some of our men managed to recover one of Moskurgs ivory staffs, but in order to increase the amount of reward money they could claim they divided the staff between the three of them.  It's certainly very pretty, made of carefully engraved ivory, but there's not much to learn from it once broken.  The men are paid their reward and we discontinue the reward program.



Now that their mages aren't dying before they can even cast the fighting has become more even.  We're still in the lead though, and if nothing changes we can push them out of the jungle next year, but the balance of power is starting to shift against us.


The Theatre Commander asks that you stop fooling about with hot air and design something to help secure the jungle.  If we could get our crystal weapons back then we could slaughter them all tomorrow.  If we could use our mages more effectively on the defensive we could route them more soundly.  Their anti-magic is a problem, and if we don't stop it we may soon find ourselves in the same position Moskrug did last year - without useful mages.

Neither side gains ground in the jungle.



With no new advancements to be used on the seas, neither side makes advancements here.

The Theatre Commander contemplates the advancements you've made with the steam engine, but he's still not convinced.  The fire makes him nervous, and the weight makes the ship sit alarmingly deep in the water.  Even a minor breach in the hull might be enough to send a boat to the bottom of the ocean.  He does begrudgingly admit that perhaps it could carry its weight - eventually.  After a lot of work, anyways.  He also notes that the sailors have taken up the leather Gambesons happily, as they help deflect rare long-range Moskurg arrow and keep the wearer warm in inclimate weather.

Neither side makes coastal gains in the Western Sea.



Expense Credit!!!  The tales of magic being cast as easily as breathing has traveled, apparently.  We spy a foreign vessel sailing into our harbor claiming to be a trader.  The captain is a fellow by the name of "T’ung-K’ao"...we think.  He doesn't speak our language, but it's clear he's here to trade.  His ship sits heavy in the water with all manner of gold and silver, and his men are clad in strange clothes.  He seems particularly interested in magical artifacts, the flashier the better.  After some pantomiming and crude drawings, we figure out he's willing to pay for a supply he can bring back to the outside world.

Our men are suspicious of the outsiders, and many of the wizards aren't keen on sharing our hard-earned magical prowess with others.  It could be a trap, but he seems honest enough.  Should we trade with him?  If so, what should we trade?  If we do trade, we should make enough to earn an expense credit.  Of course, we could always just seize his ship - judging by how deeply it sits in the water, there should be enough treasure on board for possibly two expense credits...


It is 926, the Design Phase.

Spoiler: State of Forenia, 926 (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Arstotzkan Elite Units (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Arstotzkan Spells (click to show/hide)
« Last Edit: April 25, 2017, 10:20:28 pm by evictedSaint »
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Chiefwaffles

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Re: Wands Race - [Arstotzka]
« Reply #872 on: April 25, 2017, 10:11:46 pm »

IF ONLY WE HAD USED THE RESOURCES SPENT MAKING THE STEAM ENGINE ON THE JUNGLE.

Problems to fix in the jungle:
  • Their mages have shields. This hampers our anti-mage units. This is bad.
  • Their mages have armor. This also hampers our anti-mage units, which is also bad.
  • The jungle is disappearing. This is bad. This is not a good thing. This should be fixed.

So what if we had some kind of enchanted arrows for our anti-mage unit? Fire or frost or something that could make their mages' new protection useless. Fire could potentially work since their armor still isn't the most effective thing and their shields are wooden.
Other idea: What about some method to grow vegetation? It could be used for more than just preventing the disappearing of the jungle, and could possibly improve effectiveness in skirmishes.

Miscellaneous idea: If pursued, would crossbows be an improvement in terms of effectiveness in scenarios like the mage hunters? I don't recall too much from history about the effectiveness of crossbows versus long bows, but I'd imagine that with Arstotzka's long bows already existing and the fact that I'm pretty sure crossbows' #1 advantage was ease of use, they wouldn't help too much with mage hunting.
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Quote from: RAM
You should really look to the wilderness for your stealth ideas, it has been doing it much longer than you have after all. Take squids for example, that ink trick works pretty well, and in water too! So you just sneak into the dam upsteam, dump several megatons of distressed squid into it, then break the dam. Boom, you suddenly have enough water-proof stealth for a whole city!

Roboson

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Re: Wands Race - [Arstotzka]
« Reply #873 on: April 25, 2017, 11:34:15 pm »

I'm down for taking a break from steam engines to invest in Plant Manipulation.

Plant manipulation: Through the manipulation of mathemagics, our mages have found a way to control plants through magic. This allows us to make them grow incredibly fast, and allows us to move/control them from a distance. 
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Tyrant Leviathan

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Re: Wands Race - [Arstotzka]
« Reply #874 on: April 26, 2017, 12:03:05 am »

Plant Manipulation. 1 tyrant

Aside that study the ivory wand to find way to counter magic and get our crystals back.

10ebbor10

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Re: Wands Race - [Arstotzka]
« Reply #875 on: April 26, 2017, 12:22:01 am »

I'm down for taking a break from steam engines to invest in Plant Manipulation.

Plant manipulation: Through the manipulation of mathemagics, our mages have found a way to control plants through magic. This allows us to make them grow incredibly fast, and allows us to move/control them from a distance.

I don't think opening a new branch of magic is the way to go.
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RAM

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Re: Wands Race - [Arstotzka]
« Reply #876 on: April 26, 2017, 12:23:59 am »

Solid metal arrows could be a revision, and ought to be able to crush their first attempt at tower shields, but can our archers fire them? Would it reduce our range?(not such a big issue in the jungle...)

Plant growth could extend our knowledge into healing magic and buy us time to work on steam... Would also grant us the ability to transform the terrain more to our liking. If the whole jungle got up and walked into the desert...

If we win the sea it should grant a bonus to the jungle...

Antimagic arrows: An exploding antimagic charm included into the back of an arrowhead. It sticks into the shield and blocks magic, until it explodes...

Antimagic bombs
 An oversized arrowhead made of quartz, composed of many facets of miniaturised antimagic crystal. It contains a core of explosive antimagic charm with spines extending outwards to draw the initial magic to itself. These need to be stored with a proper antimagic charm as they will explode after relatively little contact with active magic. The effect is that should they strike a hard surface, they will tend to scatter antimagic facets around the area. Should they strike a soft surface, they will explode relatively soon due to contact with ambient magic and scatter antimagic facets around the area. This will consume the magic in a large(compared to the charm's coverage) area making conventional spellcraft impossible for a short time before the tiny crystals become overloaded and burst into flame, creating an incendiary hazard. forcing enemy wizards to relocate during a heated battle can only be of benefit.
The bombs themselves are a very simple act of putting an antimagic charm on an arrow. The actual magic development here, of course, is the magically-stimulated growth of quartz into specific forms. Many mathemagicians died(Well, missed sleep and were called nerds) to bring us these plans.

Codpiece-Rippers
The name is an unfortunate tale. It started with an unwillingness to use something obvious, loitered in tales of high piracy on the open seas, dove into bawdy romances, then took a turn for the offensively rebellious... The design, however, is for a larger longship. With two steam-plants and four oar-wheels(named paddle to some), it implements gemwork and systems from the forever frost tower to enhance the reliability and control of the spells but primarily implements a system of gears and belts to not only force the steam-power onto the mechanisms but also allow external power to be applied. Essentially, there are four rows of spokes which can be gripped and pulled in a motion similar to that of rowing to apply additional force to the oar-wheels. We no longer need to choose between steam and manpower, but can implement both! The key here is the complex gear systems that allow multiple input sources and alternate power->speed ratios. We also took the time to implement some obvious body-work, such as copper-cladding to increase hardness, a large ram with which to break any puny kegger vessels it strikes, and a forecastle to better besiege enemies. There are concerns about its ability to steer, but its insult-power is unmatched.

Spell permissions
 We delve into the patterns of the antimagic charms to discern the precise workings of their magic absorption and to put very specific constraints upon them, allowing a selection of spells to be cast within their influence.

Antimagic crystals
Our crystalline construct, the axes, caltrops, lances and such, now act as low-quality antimagic charms by mimicking quartz. Only really able to protect themselves from magic, and perhaps nullifying the magical abilities of anyone touching one, they will serve as not only a revival of the species but also a more effective tool against opposing mages.

Plant-growth
 By magically imbuing them with vitality-infused magic we stimulate the sudden growth of flora. It can be used for impromptu fortifications, knotted and spiky footing, or even cause tree-branches and roots to burst into enemy formations with far more force(though perhaps greatly lacking in speed) than required to pierce a dozen armoured horses.

Pillar of unmagic
By focusing all of our mathemagical and trigothaumical developments, along with our experience of the forever frost towers, we construct a great tower with an intricate core of quartz, with dimond studding on key locations allowing exposed magical pathways which permit fine control of the effect. This is, in essence, a giant antimagic charm, but capable of detailed attunement. It will, with careful handling and a large amount of time spent measuring its effects and trial-and-erroring precisely what is needed, be able to select a single spell and absorb all instances of it within a single theatre of battle.

Permanent conjuration
 With our magic being unmade, we must do what has defeated us so often in the past, and make fully mundane that which we conjure from myth.

Quote from: Designs
2Plant Manipulation. 1 tyrant, RAM
0Antimagic bombs
0Codpiece-Rippers
0Spell permissions
0Antimagic crystals
0Plant-growth
0Pillar of unmagic
0Permanent conjuration:

Quote from: revisions
0Antimagic arrows:
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I shall be eternally happy. I shall be able to construct elf hunting giant mecha. Which can pour magma.
Urist has been forced to use a friend as fertilizer lately.
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Tyrant Leviathan

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Re: Wands Race - [Arstotzka]
« Reply #877 on: April 26, 2017, 12:46:51 am »

I'm down for taking a break from steam engines to invest in Plant Manipulation.

Plant manipulation: Through the manipulation of mathemagics, our mages have found a way to control plants through magic. This allows us to make them grow incredibly fast, and allows us to move/control them from a distance.

I don't think opening a new branch of magic is the way to go.


Two things:

1: Must counter the destruction of the jungle for tactical reasons. And the jungles main resource is wood. Which we are destroying in horrific amounts. So if we win it and blast it away without a means to regenerate the jungle, what's the point?


2: Element of surprise! They will not think we will get the jungle to go groot on them.


I feel after securing jungle we then go full steam with steam ships, kick their butts at sea. Then roll through desert in steam tanks as fleet beats them to corner. Should it work out. Gotta think three paces ahead, and prayer for good dice.

10ebbor10

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Re: Wands Race - [Arstotzka]
« Reply #878 on: April 26, 2017, 12:52:13 am »

You are forgetting that the enemy have anti-magic staves. Animated jungle plants can not reach them, the snimation spell would stop dhort of target. Only spells that are cast from a distance and then continue non-magically will work.

Remote Casting The ability to cast a spell from where one isn't, allowing our wizards to summon fireballs from the back of the enemy lines, bypassing their childs, or tricking them to think ambush are where they aren't.

Summon Pack Rather than summoning the tiny wasps, we summon the feared Artotzkan wolves that inhabit the taiga. Minor adjustements made as part of the spell give them a hatred for Moskurgians.
« Last Edit: April 26, 2017, 01:04:59 am by 10ebbor10 »
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Tyrant Leviathan

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Re: Wands Race - [Arstotzka]
« Reply #879 on: April 26, 2017, 12:58:18 am »

We need them to bust the shell on their anti magic then do plant trick. To restore the product we are here to get. As the jungle will build our fleet at a faster pace. But need trees for it. And no worries. Not a elf so they can be cut down. Hmmm. The arrows that screw up spell crafting/staffs sounds good.

Roboson

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Re: Wands Race - [Arstotzka]
« Reply #880 on: April 26, 2017, 01:17:50 am »

You are forgetting that the enemy have anti-magic staves. Animated jungle plants can not reach them, the snimation spell would stop dhort of target. Only spells that are cast from a distance and then continue non-magically will work.

Eh, they only use anti-magic during melee as far as I can tell, and plant magic would be great during routes and skirmishes. It can be used quite defensively as well (walls of trees and vines suddenly appearing just outside the range of their staffs, poison ivy growing over their encampment while they sleep, thorny bushes sprouting up around their horse archers feet. The possibilities of this school of magic are pretty large if we choose to pursue them).

And if they use the antimagic to stop us moving the plants (which as far as I can tell won't undo what we've already done), then we can send in wasps. They'll have to stop casting the anti-magic and start casting wind. When they do that, we hit them with more plants. Their own antimagic will prevent them from stopping us.
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VoidSlayer

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Re: Wands Race - [Arstotzka]
« Reply #881 on: April 26, 2017, 01:21:51 am »

Why counter the destruction of the jungle?

Blizzard tower:  An upgrade of the tower of frost that allows us to control the cold more directly.  We can plunge specific areas into deep cold while leaving our camps less effected as well as turning rain into snow and hale.

Shield Wall:  Large, thicker shields made of metal made to be used in formation.  Should block the new arrows much more effectively.

Stable Crystal Lances:  By more deeply tying the crystal effect to the pattern of a gem stone we prevent the crystal from shattering unless the gem itself is damaged.

Roboson

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Re: Wands Race - [Arstotzka]
« Reply #882 on: April 26, 2017, 01:44:20 am »

Why counter the destruction of the jungle?

Because if we don't Moskboogers get a bonus there like they do on the plains.
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andrea

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Re: Wands Race - [Arstotzka]
« Reply #883 on: April 26, 2017, 05:01:51 am »

what we may want to do, however, is purposefully damaging the plains to remove their horse cheapness.

anyway, voting time. I believe that we should not design more dispellable things before we can solve the dispelling problem. overwhelming them is not an option, since it is stated that one of them can dispel many of our.
Because of that, I am voting for antimagic bombs, although it pains me to stop progress toward steam engine.

Shield wall I believe is not needed right now, since gamberson seems to have solved our problems.

Quote from: Designs
2Plant Manipulation. 1 tyrant, RAM
1Antimagic bombs
0Codpiece-Rippers
0Spell permissions
0Antimagic crystals
0Plant-growth
0Pillar of unmagic
0Permanent conjuration
Blizzard tower
Shield Wall
Stable crystal lances

I am also throwing one more idea, although mostly for the future. Could be useful to snipe enemy mages.

Portable steam ranged weapon ( to be named steam arquebus) Inspired by the early accidents with our steam engines, our engineers got the idea to weaponize them.  A small boiler is mounted in a backpack configuration, with a fire spell providing heat and a water (or "condensed fog") summoning spell providing steam. This steam is then channeled to a metal tube, where it can be used to propel small darts or other metal projectiles at high velocity and range. Projectiles are loaded from the open end (lets call it "muzzle"), a trigger controls the release of steam in the metal tube from the boiler, the power of the shot depending on the time between activations. A relief valve allows steam pressure to not exceed max when not in use.
A cold spell deriver from the tower of frost keeps the back on our soldiers cool, even with the hot metal nearby.

10ebbor10

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Re: Wands Race - [Arstotzka]
« Reply #884 on: April 26, 2017, 05:06:05 am »

Quote
2Plant Manipulation. Tyrant, RAM
2Antimagic bombs Andrea, 10ebbor10
0Codpiece-Rippers
0Spell permissions
0Antimagic crystals
0Plant-growth
0Pillar of unmagic
0Permanent conjuration
Blizzard tower
Shield Wall
Stable crystal lances
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