Combat for 944Arstotzka makes a thing this year, but it has a tendency to flip over and explode. Despite the potential military applications of a giant exploding thing, they decide not to release it this year. For their revision they improve their Aethergems, allowing them to recharge much, much faster. This improves the rate of fire of their HA1-b "Mundane". They hold back one of their Expense Credits and use the other to make Aethergems even cheaper, reducing the cost of their Mundane and R1 - which is now Expensive and Cheap respectively.
Moskurg has decided that More Flying Things Is Good and produce what they call "The Phoenix" - a giant flying flamethrower. Essentially a giant tanker filled with Alnnar and powered by dozens of Adamantium War Pegasi Scrolls, it is hardy enough to withstand anything smaller than an HAC-1 at Medium Range and able to spew the oily substance on the poor men below. It rolls with perfect Effectiveness and no Bugs, but some members of the Moskurg Design Team are still angry that it's not fast and can't fly very high or tank full-sized artillery shells. Rather than fix any of those things however, Moskurg instead spend their revisions improving their Anti-Magic to be usable from their Skyskiffs and create a variant of their Firestorm grenades called "Fire and Thunder" - much less fire and much more boom. For their Expense Credit they've decided to spend it wooing the traveling magician.
The Taiga, Arstotzkas Homeland, is the first to see the devastating power of the Phoenix this year.
Moskurg Skyskiffs, still virtually untouchable, run rampant over the skies this year - the same as they had last year. The only difference is that the "gunner" can use their Anti-Magic Ivory Staves to stall the magic of the wizards below. Their initial supply of new-and-improved grenades (now with brittle iron shells to throw shrapnel) is spent first. All-in-all the new grenades don't do much that the old ones can't. The shrapnel doesn't penetrate armor unless it's really close, and it doesn't leave flaming patches of hard-to-put-out fire. Still, they're great against softer targets like horses or unarmored men. Once their bomb stores run dry the Skyskiffs stop high in the air and blanket the ground below with their Anti-Magic fields. Arstotzkan circuitry still isn't immune to anti-magic, so their cannons and guns can't fire. This proves to be a horrific oversight.
Over the horizon, massive oblong Adamantium ships crawl towards Arstotzkan lines. As they pass over Arstotzkan troops and defenses, the small turret on the bottom of the ship sprays those below with the contents of the tank above. Unable to use their cannons, there's little Arstotzka can do but attempt to flee as a single bolt of lightning arcs from one of the ships above to the mess below.
Arstotzkas entire battle line goes up in flames.
The forests burn non-stop this year.
Moskurg gains a section of Taiga this year. They've held the Jungle for a year, and may exploit it for the Jungle Wood.The R1 proves to be more effective in the desert where more open lines of sight are available, and the melees that occur when Moskurg troops surprise Arstotzkan forces go almost entirely in Arstotzka's favor. The R1 is never a soldiers only weapon, but the ability to quickly kill an enemy before switching to axe or broadsword is invaluable. The 11 mm bullet punches through the thin leather-backed Adamantium armor that Moskurg soldiers wear, but one shot is all it's good for before the excess weight is dropped and the soldier goes for his main weapon. The Protector is still suffering from poor locomotion and asphyxiation, but now they're also suffering from Anti-Magic from above completely shutting down the IDE engine inside.
Moskurg, meanwhile, has learned that they can't beat Arstotzka in a fair fight - either in artillery slug matches or man-to-man melee's. They rely entirely on their airforce now, shutting down Arstotzkan magic and bombing men below. With the advent of the Phoenix Arstotzka has learned to space their artillery out in huge, wide fields of deployment. This makes it difficult to coordinate bracketing fire or protect one another from assaults, but on occasion a Moskurg Skyskiff will fail to shut down an artillery piece as the Phoenix comes in for the killing blow. The explosions are breathe-taking, and anyone within a half-mile of the crash usually doesn't walk away from it, but these lucky strikes are few and in between. Even without the Phoenix, naval superiority, or al-Mutriqa (who has taken a liking to standing on the bow of the giant fire-breathing Adamantium balloon), Moskurg could probably have pushed their Arstotzkan intruders back this year anyways.
Moskurg regains a control of the Desert.With Moskurg forces tied up fighting in the desert, they are unable to push north to fight in the Plains or Mountains. No battle occurs there this year, but things look grim for the defenders this coming year.
Arstotzka continues to hold the Mountains and Plains.Neither side really does much this year that drastically changes the war on the oceans. Skyskiffs are still the weapon of choice for Moskurg, and Crystalclads are still what Arstotzka relies on for their naval power. With nothing really changing, Moskurg gains full control of the seas to the East and West of Forenia this year.
Moskurg gains a section of shoreline in both the Eastern and Western Seas and now has full control of both.!!DESIGN CREDIT!!Both sides attempt to woo the fabulous Saint this year.
Arstotzka starts off with their magical technology; demonstrating the feats of magic they're capable of producing without a mage at all! The Saint is quite impressed - he admits that some of the feats they've performed are difficult for even
him to perform. He does a flourish and immediately pulls a string of handkerchiefs out of his mouth that goes on for an inordinate amount of time before ending in a pair of pantaloons. Everyone applauds despite their confusion. Next they give him a Restless train of his own; a large, blocky hunk of crystal confined to Arstotzka's limited railway system. He's less impressed, but still accepts the gift and then pulls a bouquet of flowers out of thin air and hands them to a bystander.
Moskurg tries to put on a bit of fanfare, showing off their magical prowess in a fantastic show that mimics many of the feats they've seen him perform. He seems...less than enthused, muttering about "originality" and how they were "riffing off his talent", but his annoyance turns to awe when Moskurg pulls back the curtains to reveal the treasure seized from the merchant last year. The Saint vanishes in a puff of smoke, only to reappear on top of the pile of gold with a deck of cards. He successfully discerns which card a nearby child pulls from the deck and asks everyone to check their pockets, as they've all gained the same card magically - the Ace of Spades. With a bit of a flourish, the Saint doffs his top hat, does a bow, and then does his most amazing trick yet - vanishing without a trace with every last coin on stage. Though they search far and wide, it seems the Saint has disappeared from the island altogether with nary a credit left behind.
Neither side gains the Design Credit.Espionage Credit!!!After a bit of finger-snapping interrogation, it seems the trader is from the far-off land of China. He admits to buying the boat from the former trader after his last trade run, intending to take his place and make his fortune selling magical artifacts from Forenia. Unfortunately, his intentions were less-than-pure; had he managed to gain something of value from your nation, he would have gone to your enemy and attempted to sell your secrets for a massive profit.
Fortunately, this gives us a unique opportunity to use his skilled crew to further our own gains. Loyal to a fault, they agree to perform an
Espionage Credit for us if we release their captain and return their ship. If we agree to these terms, we must honor our word and release the trader captain once their work is done. Of course, we could just execute them all and be done with the mess...they're not exactly trust-worthy, after all.
It is 945, the Design Phase.Northern Taiga: 3/4 Arstotzka, 1/4 Moskurg
Central Mountains: 4/4 Arstotzka, 0/4 Moskurg
Western Jungle: [color=red0/4 Arstotzka[/color], 4/4 Moskurg
Eastern Plains: 4/4 Arstotzka, 0/4 Moskurg
Southern Desert: 0/4 Arstotzka, 4/4 Moskurg
Northern Sea: 4/4 Arstotzka, 0/4 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
Broadsword: An iron age classic. A double-edged blade designed for speed, flexibility and force. Requires training to wield, can be used one or two handed. Removable pommel for throwing.Cheap.
War Axe: Can be used as a tool in a pinch, this is a single-handed weapon that does well against heavily armoured foes. Can be used with minimal training. Cheap.
Wooden Shield: General infantry equipment. Couples well with an axe, cheap, easy to replace. Works best in heavy melee. Can be used with minimal training. Cheap.
Hide Armour: General infantry armour. Cheap, thanks to the plentiful sheep in the taiga. Turns aside weak blows. Cheap. Obsolete.
Gambeson: A leather armoring doublet designed to go with plate armor. Helps protect against arrows.
Chain Mail: Officer armour. Expensive, due to the steel required. Very effective against most weapons. Expensive. Obsolete.
Plate Mail: General infantry and officer armour. So well designed it costs surprisingly little to make. Normal cost. Obsolete.
Combat Armor: Crystal battle armor. Features a clear visor with no easy way for arrows to penetrate. Lightning rod allows user to survive a single blast of lightning. Cheap.
Longbow: General infantry weapon. Difficult to find wood and requires a lot of training, but long ranged and powerful. Cheap.
Shire Horse: A heavy riding horse. Survives and rides well in cold weather. Powerful charge. Normal Cost.
Longship: Oar-rowed wooden ship. Slow, but sturdy, and can carry large numbers of landing troops. Very Expensive. Obsolete.
Steam Engine: A highly expensive and enormously heavy steam engine. Uses a steam turbine to generate power. Uses PSF's and a steam recycler with enchanted nickel etchings to manage heat. Cheap.
Internal Detonation Engine: An experimental new engine that uses two cylinders and timed PSF-C guided by a complicated circuit and cooling system. A little bit smaller than the Steam Engine, but with a higher output. Expensive.
SPB "Fog-O-War": Boat using two steam engines for power. Slightly faster than Moskurg ships. Tends to sink after the first hit. Expensive. Obsolete.
AS-SPB2-Crystalclad: Boat using a crystal hull, two steam engines, and three HC1-E's. More resilient, higher firepower, and just as fast as the Fog-O-War. Deck tends to be slippery. Equipped with a single HAC-1 for point-defense. Can be out-fitted with HA1's. Cheap.
Protector: The worlds first APC/tank. Rolls around on wooden wagon wheels, powered by an IDE, made mostly out of crystal. Equipped with an HAC-1 and HC1-E. Can carry a few soldiers. Expensive
ASAF-F43 Interceptor: 1,200 AAAethergems strapped to a blastball producing pad. Features an enclosed cockpit and ball gunner made of crystal glass. Incredibly unstable, heavy, slow, and explosive. Expensive.
Wand of True Light: Seeds doubt in enemy minds. Theatre-wide effect. Moral penalty. National Effort.
AS-STV-1 "Restless": Steam train. Crystal structure. Can carry troops and supplies to the front line. Little power, but can pick up to the speed of a horse in gallop. Very Expensive.
Magegems: Magical batteries. Comes in A, AA, and AAA forms. The AAA battery should be able to power a couple flares. An AA battery should be able to power a SPSF-C all by itself, and an A battery should be able to power a regular PSF-C. Three A batteries can power a single PSF in all its glory. Made of a special crystal-glass with nickel banding. Does not lose charge. New D-level gem equal to two A-level gems can be recharged in 5 minutes. Cheap-Very Expensive.
Aethergems: Essentially a circuitry, anti-magegem, and wire setup that attaches to a magegem. Replenishes a magegem automatically at 3 minutes for A gems, 2 minutes for AA gems, and 30 seconds for AAA gems. Can "double up" on gems for +1 expense and reduced lifespan. Cheap.
HA1: Arstotzkan heavy artillery. Fires at beyond line-of-sight range. Requires three apprentices to operate, plus loading crew. Uses nickel circuitry to cool the cannon. Breech-loaded. Made mostly of crystal. Cheap.
Blastshells+R: A hollow shell, in which a circuit-gem core can be inserted into before firing. Provides extended (albeit less accurate) range, out to BLOS+1. Cheap.
Blastshells+E: A hollow shell, in which a circuit-gem core can be inserted into before firing. Provides explosive capabilities to the shell upon landing thanks to a fragile limiting AAA gem in the tip. Cheap.
Blastshells+R/E: A hollow shell, in which a circuit-gem core can be inserted into before firing. Provides both extended range and explosive capabilities, albeit less accurately. Cheap.
HA1-b "Mundane": A variant of the HA1 for mundane use. Features 3 A-level Aethergems that can be slotted in and out and specialized firechamber to produce PSF-C's on command. 1 round per 3 minutes. Expensive.
HC1: AKA the "Extreme-Range Hybrid Cannon". Arstotzka's first cannon. Uses a fireball to propel a fist-sized iron ball Long-Range. Inaccurate, but can be loaded quickly. Has a tendency to crack. Cheap. Obsolete.
HC1-E: The Elite version of the HC1. Fires at Extreme-Range. Uses rifling, ballistics, and an overall better and more consistent design. Utilizes enchanted nickel etching for barrel cooling. Made mostly of crystal. Breech-loaded.Cheap.
Equalizer: Anti-magic shell. Dispells all magic around it. Difficult to produce and fire, dangerous to use. Expensive.
HC2: A failed attempt to upgrade the HC1 with auto-cooling barrel and ambitious steam recycler. Explodes or breaks after every shot. Very Expensive. Obsolete.
AS-HAC-1: An all-crystal small-caliber cannon. Swivel-mounted. Breech-loaded. Aimed through horse-hair crosshairs. Relatively short reload time. Uses a "bolt action" for loading. Circuit-cooled. Cheap.
AS-R1 Hybrid Rifle: A cannon you can hold! Made out of crystal, circuit-cooled, breech-loaded, bolt-action. A single AA-level Aethergem allow non-magic users to use it, provided they replace it with each shot. Uses just the fireblast for propulsion rather than steam. Reaches Extreme Range, but inaccurate past Medium Range. Cheap.
Arzotskan Academy for Adequate Apprenticeship: Basic magic training for apprentices. Allows them to be more useful on the offensive. Very prestigious. Actively recruits new apprentices.Expensive.
Crystalworks Mk2: A workshop that produces crystal items cheaply, permanently, and with a mild brittle factor. Crystals can repair microfractures, eliminating the need for maintenance. Larger facility allows Expensive.
Wand of Fireballs: Hurls fireballs at a distance, able to destroy whole squads at a time. A National Effort. Obsolete.
Minor Towers of Forever Frost: Small, complicated towers that have to be assembled in place and requires the skill of several wizards to operate. Creates a very powerful cold evocation and then channels it directly into the air, consistently lowering temperatures within a radius of about fifty miles. Can induce snow in the jungle during the winter, freezing rain in the summer. Now made with pre-inscribed marble blocks.Expensive.
Anti-Magic Charm: A magically enchanted quartz crystal. Hums loudly in the presence of magic, and prevents magic from being conjured inside the very limited range. Expensive.
Anti-Magic Bomb Arrows: Arrows that explode on contact with magic into red-hot, razor-sharp crystal shards.
Magic Lance: Conjures a set of lances for a cavalry squad. Thick enough not to break on use. Cheap.
Magic Axe: Conjures a set of long axes for officers. Cheap.
Dogwood Wand: Wand that allows the user to accelerate the growth of a patch of plants to an area and height equal to their own height. Wands are cheap to make, but don't last very long. Cheap.
Anti-Mages: Mage hunters equipped with R1's, anti-magic charms, anti-magic arrows, falcons, and the best armor we can give them. Excel at sniping enemy mages.
Obscuring Mist: Cloaks a squad in a fog cloud, hiding their numbers and equipment, and making them harder to hit at range.
Variant (Channeled Fog): A denser form of Obscuring mist, continuously generated.
Summon Swarm: Conjures a swarm of stinging wasps to harass foes. Expensive.
Variant (Fire Wasps): Conjures stinging wasps that can start small fires. Expensive.
Webs: Conjures a sticky web, immobilizing an entire squad and preventing them from moving. Very Expensive.
Fireball: Hurls fireballs at a distance, able to destroy whole squads at a time. Damaging side effects harm morale. Very Expensive. Obsolete.
Minor Fireball: Smaller version of fireball. Doesn't cause collateral damage, but doesn't explode on impact. Expensive. Obsolete.
Powerful Streamlined Fireball: Hurls small balls of fire that explode on impact. Devastating against massed troops. Cheap.
Small Powerful Streamlined Fireball: Smaller fireballs, for firing cannons and guns without water. Cheap.
Flare: A small, harmless fireball. Comes in many different colors. Cheap.
Blind-Flare: Very bright variant used to blind enemies. Cheap.
Blastball: Referred to with a "-C" appending, allows a regular fireball to exert mainly expansive force. Good for explosions, but not terribly lethal on its own. Cheap.
Firewall: Creates static walls of fire. Long casting time, concentration sustain. Very Expensive.
Crystal Caltrops: Jagged crystals designed to lay in the grass and catch enemy troops unaware. Good for defense. 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 - [Arstotzka] {COMPLETED} (Read 392894 times)