Demon Team: Revision Phase T1TURNTURNTURNDemonic Heraldry v2
After a pair of imps argued for a while about the differences between painting the Language of Inception upon shields versus clothing, and the drawbacks of doing so depending on the content of the runes, Magoc got bored and ate them both. It was then quickly declared that either option was just fine so long as the standard selection of corruption runes were used rather than the set reserved for invoking thoughts of mayhem in the readers. Thus some plans for painting runes upon shields and adding it to a tabard designed to go over armour were quickly drawn up.
Demonic Heraldry: Easy: (3+4)+1=8: Unexpected Boon
Who knows what brought on the stroke of inspiration. Was it really the combination of Bootlegger's, three different psychotropic mushrooms, Noraganian moon sugar, and a pinch of what a salesman had claimed was powdered manticore horn- but which later analysis proved to be chalk dust? Maybe, maybe. Either way, the cultist who imbibed the brew is dead now, and the exact proportions of the ingredients are unknown. But before he died, frothing at the mouth while turning a most unusual shade of purple, he was struck by an insight into the inscription of the Language of Inception- an insight that was, to your mind, so obvious that it hadn't occurred to you to share it with the cultists struggling to reproduce the cursed characters, yet apparently had eluded them until the words of the intrepid drugsmith brought it to their attention. Thanks to this insight, the prior difficulties with LoI inscription have been greatly reduced. Some practice is still required, and the runes still need empowering, limiting the amount a scribe can write before passing out, but they should much more plentiful now.
This insight is particularly useful when it comes to the creation of the new Demonic Heraldry. Featuring a variety of messages extolling your favourite sins, urging the reader to submit to temptation, and demanding worship of Magoc, the shield & tabard combo are made available to all your forces. In addition to the powerful effect that seeing the same messages repeated again and again is predicted to have on the enemy, the uniformity of appearance instils a sense of unity amongst your troops, improving unit cohesion. It also makes it easier to distinguish friend from foe in a chaotic melee.
Demonic Heraldry is available to all your forces, at no extra cost. In addition,
Language of Inception Graffiti is now
Common, and
Teachers of Magoc are
Uncommon.
Bootleg Barrel Bombs: Bootlegger Barrel Bombs are thin-walled wooden kegs of Bootlegger's Bounty that come in a wide variety of sizes. These barrels can be struck and breached by a spell as simple as the magic missile. The barrels are thin enough that a magic missile should be able to breach it and ignite the Bootlegger's Bounty within. While they don't provide much in the way of explosive force, even the smaller sizes are capable of unleashing quite a fireball.
Bootlegger Barrels themselves can also be sold to tavern owners or particularly affluent individuals.
Bootlegger Barrel Bombs: Trivial: (1+1)+2=4: Below Average
It all seemed so simple. And it was. Yet somehow you feel like this should've gone better.
Bootlegger Barrel Bombs are simply barrels of Bootlegger's. The "thin-walled" requirement was received a little late, and as a result you now have vast stockpiles of barrels with walls of varying thickness. It's actually amazing how many barrels they managed to churn out in a short period- even though they now know to produce thin-walled ones only, the stockpile you have could last for years, and it seems a waste to throw them all away. As a result, there are some kegs out there that will not explode unless struck by a 'full power' magic missile from an Acolyte, and some that won't explode even then. These 'duds' are unfortunately indistinguishable from regular BBBs, making their use slightly unreliable.
Nevertheless, a little gambling never hurt anyone- at least not the house, and when you gamble you are
always the house-, so BBBs will be deployed in combat as makeshift traps.
They will also be sold to affluent individuals. Unfortunately, your cultists had heard of the concept of a 'bulk discount', and not being experienced merchants, managed to price the barrels such that you don't really make any more money off of their sale than you do off of regular bottles. Still, it can't hurt to offer a wider range of products.
Bootlegger Barrel Bombs will be deployed in ambushes and maybe sieges. They are more expensive than regular bottles, but since regular bottles are pretty cheap they may be considered
Uncommon
Our forces have secured an unguarded route into the Mountain Passes, but ran into an issue before making it through to the Dry Plains. We advanced past two more abandoned forts before scouts brought the news: unknown forces, bearing banners of blue and white emblazoned with a pair of multicoloured wings, had been spotted moving towards our position. These were almost certainly the Angel's forces.
We've sent some troops to garrison the closest abandoned fort, but getting caught in a siege would not be good for us; the forts are old and crumbling, not to mention small, and the Angelic forces could cut us off from supplies and reinforcements easily. The fort should be a fallback; ideally, we should defeat the enemy in the field. There are plenty of places suitable for an ambush, so we need to be careful- even as we look for opportunities to ambush our rival. If we avoid ambushes, combat is likely to occur in the narrow passes, limiting opportunities to manoeuvre- at least, for conventional forces.
A similar story arrives from the River Crossings. Our forces are far too small to contest the more well-guarded bridges, so detours are necessary to find crossings where we will go unopposed- by the queen's armies, at least. The terrain is more open in this region, making it harder to spring an ambush, so victory will be determined by who can cross the rivers. Quick, decisive action to secure a beachhead will be key.
Meanwhile, our missionaries continue to infiltrate the kingdoms of Lesimor and Dolgoth, with the most intrepid travelling as far as the Fortified Frontier and the Trade City. It will be hard to operate so far from friendly territory, however, so most of our efforts will be focused on the Scholarly Towers, Lawless Capital, Wartorn Wastes, and the Ostentatious Capital. Undoubtedly the Angelic cultists have similar plans, and though we have no real way of directly interfering with their efforts at present, it is possible that they have developed ways of interfering with ours; we should be on guard.
With the war set to start any day now, the only question remaining is this: where will you, our illustrious dark master, make your presence felt this month?
It is now the Strategy Phase! How exciting.
So, there isn't much for you to do in the Strategy Phase at the moment, but just so you know what's going on:
One decision you definitely have to make every turn is where to send your Avatar (that is, the Angel/Demon). You can choose to send them to either of the two combat lanes, in which case they will fight on the front lines, or one of the two influence lanes, in which case they will generally disguise themselves as a human and act as a missionary/spy/counterspy/whatever (but more effectively than regular cultists). Of note, the influence lanes have no front line, so your Avatar can be sent to any of the six influence provinces.
Any champions should also be deployed, in a similar fashion (although not all champions will be equally effective in both lane types).
COMBAT
Combat lanes will see direct confrontation between your armies and the other team's. At the start of the game, your armies are small, but it is still not feasible to sneak an entire army past the front line; you'd get encircled and destroyed easily. So gradually pushing your opponent back is the goal. As mentioned in the rules, combat outcomes are determined by me, and depending on the margin of victory, the front line may move up to 2 sections per turn.
Of note, you have not actually conquered the combat-lane kingdoms. Your 'control' over their provinces represents your ability to move troops through them unopposed, but the human rulers still hold the major settlements and strongholds. Indeed, while you have identified forts that you could fall back to, at the start of the game you haven't even garrisoned the ones behind the front lines, since you don't have the manpower. Lack of manpower is also the reason you cannot simply conquer the combat-lane kingdoms outright.
As the game goes on, however, your forces will swell, and it will become possible to start exerting more control. After a certain number of turns, opportunities will be presented to conquer some strategically valuable targets in the human kingdoms, seizing them for your own benefit. This will involve fighting the human armies, temporarily diverting forces from the front line (not all of them, but enough to make a difference- you'd have to be winning by a pretty big margin to keep advancing). Once captured, however, the passive human monarchs will usually give up on retaking them, and most of your forces can return to the front. Of course, if the other side also has access to the location, they can try taking it away from you (and if both sides attack a human-held location at once, they will fight each other before fighting the humans).
INFLUENCE
The Influence lanes are where your cult operates in the shadows, seeking to slowly convert/subvert the influence-lane kingdoms to your cause. In other words, don't march in and announce your presence to all and sundry; that's a great way to get arrested, along with your associates. Your influence in each province is measured on a 5-point scale. However, going from 1 to 2 does not mean going from 20% converted to 40% converted. Rather, the scale can be thought of as working something like this (actual situations may vary):
0: No influence- almost no members in the province; maybe a handful of converts, but certainly not enough to yield any material rewards. Also makes more complex infiltration actions trickier.
1: Marginal influence- a reasonable number of peasants or other lower-class people have been converted. Provides a support network that makes it possible to perform more complex infiltrations, but not much in the way of rewards.
2: Minor influence- somewhat more important people (minor merchants, government clerks, maybe a few soldiers, etc) have been converted, or your cultists have managed to get themselves appointed to such positions. Allows for a small amount of resources and specialists to be sourced from the province, and opens the doors for intricate intrigue interactions.
3: Moderate influence- your tendrils spread steadily through the upper classes, bringing people who can exercise real power into the cult (wealthy merchants, town mayors, military officers, etc), or seeing cultists promoted. This enables your cult to siphon substantial resources and manpower from the province, and can use political power to aid the cause.
4: Major influence- the real big fish (merchant princes, members of the nobility, senior officers, etc) fall under your sway. At this point, it is obvious that something is up, but it's hard for anyone to do anything about it. Your cult can drain the province dry (if need be), and can exert major control over political decisions.
5: Total control- the ruler(s) of the province (whoever that may be) are members of your cult (one way or another). You can operate openly, for none would dare defy you. The main reward here is that if all three provinces in a lane reach this level, you can absorb the entire kingdom, placing you at the head of both the kingdom's armies and your own, effectively winning the game (as the combined might will easily crush the other team's armies).
Moving up the scale becomes progressively harder as you go, as the more important someone is, the less likely they are to join the cult. Not to mention, the other team can interfere in your efforts, while the mortals' own politicking can throw a wrench into things.
Note that unlike control in the combat lanes, you and your enemy can have more than 5 influence combined (though only one side can reach 5/5). You do not need to root out every last one of your rival's agents to control a province. Of course, the stronger your rival is in the province, the more they will be able to interfere with your own infiltration efforts.
Gaining influence can be achieved in many ways. Converting people is crucial, as the cult needs manpower and infrastructure to support its efforts; in a way, one might consider missionaries to be 'influence footsoldiers', in that they are not the most exciting, but nothing else can function without them. Infiltrating the government or other important institutions will also greatly help the cause, as control over such institutions is almost required to control the province. Spying will not directly increase influence, much as scouting will not directly win battles, but an army without scouts is gonna have a bad time. And obviously defensive efforts- counterspies, inquisitors, suchlike and so forth will prevent the other team from advancing their cause too quickly. This is not an exhaustive list- feel free to get creative. I will tell you if you try to do something totally infeasible.
It is difficult for your cult to operate in isolation, so increasing influence above that of the adjacent provinces is harder. Eg, if the Angelic team has 2/5 influence in the Trade City, they will have a harder time raising their influence in the Ostentatious Capital to 3/5 (unless they have 3/5 or higher in the Wartorn Wastes)- harder, but not impossible; if their infiltration techniques happen to work especially well in the OC, but not so well in the TC (or mortal politics play out in a particular way), they may still reach 3/5 in the OC before the TC. For this purpose, your home base may be considered to be at 5/5 influence.
This turn, all you have to do is choose where to send Magoc, from the following: Mountain Passes, River Crossings, Scholarly Towers, Lawless Capital, Fortified Frontier, Trade City, Ostentatious Capital, Wartorn Wastes.
Magoc: The diabolical leader of your faction, a being of immense power. There is very little they cannot do. Needless to say, they are Unique. Their Power is currently 20.
Mundane Units:
Armed Cultists: Being equipped with only a rusty dagger, a spear, and a wooden shield, combined with their lack of training, mean these are not elite warriors- they'd lose a one-on-one fight with a real soldier-, but they're cheap and plentiful. Their shield and tabard are emblazoned with demonic runes that assault the mind with dark temptations and demands to worship Magoc. Like regular cultists, their dedication makes them more resilient mentally than civilians. Common
Cultist Archers: Cultists who have some experience with a bow are valuable assets in combat, harassing the enemy from a distance. They aren't sharpshooters, and their bows are designed for hunting, not piercing armour, but they're better than nothing. Their tabard matches those of the Armed Cultists. Like regular cultists, their dedication makes them more resilient mentally than civilians. Uncommon
Mutamist Sprayers: Cultists carrying a tank of mutagenic liquid on their backs, connected by hose to a pump-and-nozzle contraption that sprays the substance over the battlefield, creating clouds of mist that induce random mutations in those exposed to it, as well as vastly boosting aggression. The range is pretty anemic, though, and the effects are temporary. Their tabard matches those of the Armed Cultists. Uncommon
Acolytes: Cultists who have begun their exploration of the magical arts, studying under the Demon. They can cast any Common spells (unless noted otherwise). Their physical strength leaves something to be desired, but their mental fortitude is even greater than regular cultists. Their tabard matches those of the Armed Cultists. There are not many Acolytes in a unit. Uncommon
Teachers of Magoc: Acolytes who specialise in the use of the Language of Inception. They primarily accompany missionaries and aid in late-stage conversion with their scrolls of dark scripture. Uncommon
Summoned/Mutated Units:
Misfits: A small band of mutants. What kind of mutants? Who knows! Cultists who consumed CMD and spun the wheel, ending up with some sort of beneficial mutation. Not much stronger than regular cultists, but kinda freaky, so that's fun. Rare
Spells/Rituals:
Magic Missile: Known by many names, the simple technique of blasting your opponent with raw Magic/Good/Evil is a tried and true method of making things go away. Efficacy increases with caster's mental might, and decreases with the target's. Common
Magical Equipment:
Chaotic Mutagenic Draught: A random assortment of alchemical ingredients, infused with Evil, chucked together and processed into bottles of unusual liquids (usually brown, though). Consumption can have one of a wide range of effects, from nothing at all, to death, to moderately serious mutations. Used by infiltrators to cause havoc. Uncommon
Bootlegger's Brew: An Evil-infused liquor produced by Magoc's followers. The taste is said to be sublime, to the point where many become addicted after a single shot. Comes in a trademark black bottle with red label, very classy. Sales are used to fund the cult's projects. Common
Bootlegger Barrel Bombs: Kegs of Bootlegger's that explode when struck by magic of sufficient force. Somewhat unreliable. Uncommon
Infiltration Techniques:
Proselytise: Cultists go forth and spread the Evil word, finding those sympathetic to their cause and slowly winning them over. Not the fastest way of gaining converts, as baseline cultists are not expert missionaries, but it keeps the cult growing. Common
Bootlegger Club: A recruitment method specifically aimed at addicts of Bootlegger's Brew, promising a stable supply of the liquor to reel in new members. Very effective. Uncommon
Language of Inception Graffiti: Demonic runes, drawn in blood, subconsciously impart their message onto those who view them. Painted on the walls of human settlements, they subtly steer the population towards evil. Common
Infrastructure:
Draughtsmith: An eclectic laboratory where a handful of fledgling alchemists develop a variety of potions to augment and stabilise demonic mutations.
DARRIN (Combat)Rice Terraces:
0/4 |
4/4Mountain Passes:
2/4 |
2/4Dry Plains:
4/4 |
0/4LESIMOR (Influence)Scholarly Towers:
?/5 |
1/5Lawless Capital:
?/5 |
0/5Fortified Frontier:
?/5 |
0/5XA-NAM (Combat)Light Jungle:
0/4 |
4/4River Crossings:
2/4 |
2/4River Delta:
4/4 |
0/4DOLGOTH (Influence)Wartorn Wastes:
?/5 |
1/5Ostentatious Capital:
?/5 |
0/5Trade City:
?/5 |
0/5
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Topic: Demon Team - Chiaroscuro Arms Race: Strategy Phase 10 (Read 42767 times)