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 get a hold of an educational scroll relating to Lucky Strike...we think. Very few of our Mathemagicians can read Moskurgian, and deciphering the religious mumbo-jumbo and separating it from the actual spellwork is a task all on its own. It'll take some time to figure out how to make it work for us, but at least now we have the blueprints for the spell.
Moskurg manages to steal a thing, which will let them do a thing if they spend some time figuring it out.
Design Credit!!!Bjorn has been tinkering with his Aethergems for the past year, and believes he has developed something new and exciting related to that field that he wants to share with the design team. The King has agreed to finance the little venture, so this year we gain an extra
Design Credit - so long as it deals with our Aethergems.
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
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. Obsolete.
ASAF-F44 "Avenger": Improved version of the Interceptor. Uses an expensive, dangerous Aether Reactor and a KPD Mk.2 engine for lift. Features an enclosed cockpit and ball gunner made of crystal glass. Unstable, heavy, and slow acceleration. Very 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 386107 times)