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Author Topic: Playground of the Gods / Kaynan God / Turn 3 Strategy  (Read 10408 times)

NUKE9.13

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Re: Playground of the Gods / Kaynan God / Turn 1 Revision
« Reply #150 on: February 15, 2022, 01:59:37 pm »

Votebox. More proposals wouldn't hurt, but in the absence thereof, votebox. 

Quote from: Boxed Votes
Ost Materia Trading Company: (1) NUKE9.13
Blackcrag Dead Officers: (1) NUKE9.13
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A_Curious_Cat

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Re: Playground of the Gods / Kaynan God / Turn 1 Revision
« Reply #151 on: February 15, 2022, 02:10:45 pm »

Quote from: Boxed Votes
Ost Materia Trading Company: (2) NUKE9.13, A_Curious_Cat
Blackcrag Dead Officers: (2) NUKE9.13, A_Curious_Cat
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Kashyyk

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Re: Playground of the Gods / Kaynan God / Turn 1 Revision
« Reply #152 on: February 16, 2022, 01:05:19 pm »

Go on then.

Quote from: Boxed Votes
Ost Materia Trading Company: (3) NUKE9.13, A_Curious_Cat, Kashyyk
Blackcrag Dead Officers: (3) NUKE9.13, A_Curious_Cat, Kashyyk

Wrt our various strategy decisions, we can contact either the Water plane or the Chaos plane. I think I'd prefer to contact the Undying. The idea of Undead Reavers returned to keep their duty is a good one, and I think we'll need their resilience to hold the line long enough for our Reavers to cut through the enemy.

For the PTN, I'd want to retarget it to the Dragons. I think they'll appreciate the value of trading low quantity,  high quality items more than the Fae.

For the Reavers, we've got a region full of small islands of stability surrounded by difficult, broken terrain. And another region just like it. Halberds will be slightly more viable in/under the Mountains than a Swamp though.

Evivizet I think should go politic with the Fae. Getting that magic bonus would be great.
« Last Edit: February 16, 2022, 03:24:53 pm by Kashyyk »
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Doubloon-Seven

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Re: Playground of the Gods / Kaynan God / Turn 1 Revision
« Reply #153 on: February 16, 2022, 08:00:08 pm »

Quote from: Boxed Votes
Ost Materia Trading Company: (4) NUKE9.13, A_Curious_Cat, Kashyyk, D7
Blackcrag Dead Officers: (4) NUKE9.13, A_Curious_Cat, Kashyyk, D7

I think it might be worth the gamble to concentrate all our forces on the mountains. We only need to win on one lane, after all. :P
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A_Curious_Cat

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Re: Playground of the Gods / Kaynan God / Turn 1 Revision
« Reply #154 on: February 16, 2022, 08:26:33 pm »

Quote from: Boxed Votes
Ost Materia Trading Company: (4) NUKE9.13, A_Curious_Cat, Kashyyk, D7
Blackcrag Dead Officers: (4) NUKE9.13, A_Curious_Cat, Kashyyk, D7

I think it might be worth the gamble to concentrate all our forces on the mountains. We only need to win on one lane, after all. :P

What happens if we take one lane, they take the other, and they beat us to the punch?
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Man of Paper

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Playground of the Gods / Kaynan God / Turn 1 Strategy
« Reply #155 on: February 18, 2022, 10:51:51 pm »

Proposal: Ost Materia Trading Company
Difficulty: Hard
Result: (6+5)-1=10, Superior

The Ost Materia Trading Company is the logical result of an entrepreneurial mind witnessing trade between the planes and thinking "Yeah, but I can do better."

The Company has a small office constructed alongside the Planar Trade Network which houses the merchants and documentation involved with interplanar trading, and helps facilitate smooth and fair transfer of goods to and from the Mortal Plane. What makes the Company stand out is their decision to create semipermanent settlements in the Magic Planes to increase their trade influence even further.

Mortal Enclaves are a bit more difficult to set up than one would initially imagine, as the sheer nature of the Magic Planes can be uncomfortable for humans at best and outright inhospitable at worst. A lot of time is spent scouting for prime locations to set up, and a lot of resources are used to actually construct the couple of buildings that form the core of these trade centers. Mortal Enclaves significantly increase trade and influence, at the small cost of centralizing operations in an easy-to-identify settlement. If you view that as a downside.

A Mortal Enclave can be constructed in any Magic Realm targeted by the Planar Trade Network, but only one may be built per turn. Note that you cannot build a Mortal Enclave in a Realm you are switching your PTN to targeting, as that switch does not take effect until the turn rolls over.

The Ost Materia Trading Company, being a subdivision of the Planar Trade Network, is counted as Unique.


Proposal: Blackcrag Dead Officers
Difficulty: Normal
Result: 6+5=11, Masterwork

It is a commonly held belief that death is the only way to leave the Blackcrag Reavers. This is technically true, if you consider the Reavers define death as being stripped of their rank, number, and equipment. Those Reavers who become too old or crippled to be a perfectly efficient fighter are forced to "die" and receive a vertical line tattooed from the top of their head, across their face, and down to the base of the neck to mark them as such. In the past these ex-Reavers often found themselves rapidly adopted by the core Blackcrag military and a number of the surrounding fiefdoms. Now, unified under Evivizet, the Dead Reavers have been brought together to form the hierarchy of command within the ranks of the Kaynan military.

Blackcrag Dead Officers take on the inglorious tasks of planning, management, and directing of forces brought to bear by the Kaynan Empire. Order is imposed on those beneath the Dead Officers, and strict training regimens enacted by the drill instructors at the behest of the Officers magnify the Officers' will. Even the most unruly mobs in the Empire are whipped into a cohesive unit (or units) under the ever-present eye of the Blackcrag Dead Officers.

Besides the direct benefits to units provided by the training enacted by Dead Officers, lesser units also find their morale increased when facing danger and death, if only to avoid death or, worse, the wrath of an Officer.

While not the most numerous individuals in the Kaynan military structure, there are enough Blackcrag Dead Officers to fill the higher ranks comfortably, making them Common.

----------------

It is now the Strategy Phase.

Both armies will attack along both lanes simultaneously, so you do not need to make decisions on where you'll push. You do need to decide where any Unique units or tactics are applied, including where your Avatar is deployed. Remember you can choose to switch the target of the PTN as well as where you may decide to build an Enclave for a Magic species within the Mortal Plane and a Mortal Enclave in a Magic Plane.

The Magic Planes you can contact this turn are the Water Plane with the Illithids and Lizardmen as well as the Chaos Plane with the Infernal and Undying. Remember, whichever species you contact will see their opponent join your own enemy.

Spoiler: Equipment (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Control and Influence (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: The Map and Key (click to show/hide)
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Kashyyk

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Re: Playground of the Gods / Kaynan God / Turn 1 Strategy
« Reply #156 on: February 19, 2022, 03:25:57 am »

The decision to build a Fae and a Mortal Enclave are a foregone conclusion I think, but technically still need voting on. Everyone also seems to be happy with sending the Reavers to the Mountains. I've copy-pasted Nuke thought on this phase from discord for ease of reference.

Quote from: NUKE9.13
So, once revisions are done, what do we do strategy-wise (assuming the revision results don't throw a wrench into things somehow)?

We already discussed sending the Reavers to the Mountains.

But we also have to decide where to send Evivizet, where to aim the PTN, and who to contact.

As I've said before, I'd like to contact the Infernals. My reckoning is that their desire to return to the material plane(s) can be exploited by the PTN- we might not be able to bring them all back to the Material, but we can bring the Material to them.

The Undying seem to be more concerned with securing their position on the Chaos Plane; they're also banished from the Material, but they will probably be less infatuated with Material goods.

So my vote would be to contact the Infernals, target the Chaos Plane with the PTN, and send Evivizet to the Swamps. Although I could also see sending Ev to the Mountains, to ensure victory- if the Aurans have developed something that will help them in the mountains and send their own avatar there... I would still expect the Reavers to win, but I'm not sure.

Oh, and establish a Faerie Enclave in the Fields.

I don't feel like the Faerie Enclave is so crucial as to merit being put in the Maelstrom- like, if we get pushed back so far we lose either the Fields or Forests, I don't think illusions would be our top priority.

The Infernals are probably our best bet for getting to Tier 2 (and thus a Species Template) quickly, as our trading angle seems to be exactly what they're after.They are strong combatants and casters, so we could get a solid magic-knight unit out of them.

However I prefer the Undying. The liches are also powerful lcasters, and they are described as "very resilient and persistent in any shape and aize", which would be a great template for a line Infantry Unit to pin down the Auran army whilst specialist units (like our Reavers) surgically destroy key parts. I also really want undead in an AR. EIther way, we should point the PTN at the Chaos Plane. Will probably want a Mortal Enclave there next turn to help get that Alchemy bonus.

Quote from: Strategy
Deploy Evivizet to the...
(1) Swamp: Kashyyk
(0) Mountains:

Deploy Reavers to the...
(0) Swamp:
(1) Mountains: Kashyyk

Build a...
(1) Fae Enclave in the Fields: Kashyyk
(0) Dragon Enclave in the ___:

Build a Mortal Enclave on the Air Plane?
(1) Yes: Kashyyk
(0) No:

Contact the...
(0) Illithids:
(0) Lizardfolk:
(0) Infernal:
(1) Undying: Kashyyk

Target the PTN at the...
(0) Air Plane:
(1) Chaos Plane: Kashyyk
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NUKE9.13

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Re: Playground of the Gods / Kaynan God / Turn 1 Strategy
« Reply #157 on: February 19, 2022, 03:40:33 am »

While I prefer the Infernals, I don't prefer them to such a degree that I want to try and convince a bunch of folks to change their mind (and it sounds like most folks are on board with undead Reavers, which are indeed a cool prospect).
Quote from: Strategy
Deploy Evivizet to the...
(2) Swamp: Kashyyk, NUKE9.13
(0) Mountains:
(0) (We can also send it to an elemental plane):

Deploy Reavers to the...
(0) Swamp:
(2) Mountains: Kashyyk, NUKE9.13

Build a...
(2) Fae Enclave in the Fields: Kashyyk, NUKE9.13
(0) Dragon Enclave in the ___:

Build a Mortal Enclave on the Air Plane?
(2) Yes: Kashyyk, NUKE9.13
(0) No:

Contact the...
(0) Illithids:
(0) Lizardfolk:
(0) Infernal:
(2) Undying: Kashyyk, NUKE9.13

Target the PTN at the...
(0) Air Plane:
(2) Chaos Plane: Kashyyk, NUKE9.13
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Doubloon-Seven

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Re: Playground of the Gods / Kaynan God / Turn 1 Strategy
« Reply #158 on: February 19, 2022, 11:12:40 am »

While it does have its risks, I want to see what can be done by concentrating our forces against a single target. I don't have a problem with anything else in the plan, and establishing ourselves as the zombie faction seems like it would be fun!

Quote from: Strategy
Deploy Evivizet to the...
(2) Swamp: Kashyyk, NUKE9.13
(1) Mountains: D7
(0) (We can also send it to an elemental plane):

Deploy Reavers to the...
(0) Swamp:
(3) Mountains: Kashyyk, NUKE9.13, D7

Build a...
(3) Fae Enclave in the Fields: Kashyyk, NUKE9.13, D7
(0) Dragon Enclave in the ___:

Build a Mortal Enclave on the Air Plane?
(3) Yes: Kashyyk, NUKE9.13, D7
(0) No:

Contact the...
(0) Illithids:
(0) Lizardfolk:
(0) Infernal:
(3) Undying: Kashyyk, NUKE9.13, D7

Target the PTN at the...
(0) Air Plane:
(3) Chaos Plane: Kashyyk, NUKE9.13, D7
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A_Curious_Cat

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Re: Playground of the Gods / Kaynan God / Turn 1 Strategy
« Reply #159 on: February 19, 2022, 01:57:28 pm »

Quote from: Strategy
Deploy Evivizet to the...
(3) Swamp: Kashyyk, NUKE9.13, A_Curious_Cat
(1) Mountains: D7
(0) (We can also send it to an elemental plane):

Deploy Reavers to the...
(0) Swamp:
(4) Mountains: Kashyyk, NUKE9.13, D7, A_Curious_Cat

Build a...
(4) Fae Enclave in the Fields: Kashyyk, NUKE9.13, D7, A_Curious_Cat
(0) Dragon Enclave in the ___:

Build a Mortal Enclave on the Air Plane?
(4) Yes: Kashyyk, NUKE9.13, D7, A_Curious_Cat
(0) No:

Contact the...
(0) Illithids:
(0) Lizardfolk:
(0) Infernal:
(4) Undying: Kashyyk, NUKE9.13, D7, A_Curious_Cat

Target the PTN at the...
(0) Air Plane:
(4) Chaos Plane: Kashyyk, NUKE9.13, D7, A_Curious_Cat
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Man of Paper

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Playground of the Gods / Kaynan God / Turn 2 Design
« Reply #160 on: March 05, 2022, 04:37:14 pm »

Turn 1 Intelligence

(Remember to check the core thread for the main update)

The Undying of the Chaos Plane are glad to be allied with a god as powerful as yourself. The Liches in charge of the Undying are trying to gather the strength to overcome and hold off the Infernals in order to feed off of the raw magical energy in order to keep from devolving. Anything that could aid their efforts would be appreciated, doubly so if it doesn't eat into their precious magic reserves.

The Dwarves of the Earth Plane, stubborn as they are, knew to seek the aid of a god when their opponents became backed by one. The Dwarves are requesting aid in pushing the Elves further into their forests to allow the expansion of Dwarven industrial might as well as means of protecting themselves from Elven raids and ambushes.

An Undying Enclave is little more than a boneyard with a massive tower of black glass in the center. Control of the area housing the Undying Enclave grants a bonus to actions utilizing necromantic magics.

A Dwarven Enclave is a collection of stone huts housing the fairly xenophobic squatfolk. They pride themselves on their expert craftsmanship, providing the controller of the region a bonus to actions used specifically to create arms and armor.


With an increase in Influence within the Air Plane, generic efforts will no longer increase Kaynan standing among the Faeries. The Senate is still in a deadlock, and they must find a way to circumvent or otherwise manipulate the Senate to support their desire for fair representation.

The Dragons in the Fire Plane are unhappy with the recent but extremely limited success of Auran-supported Orcish heists. While they aren't occurring at any alarming, or really very notable pace at all, they are still very damaging to the affected Dragons pride and must be put to a stop.


It is now the Design Phase.

You have two design actions. Remember, you may choose to use both as a single High-Effort Design!

Spoiler: Equipment (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Control and Influence (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Bonuses (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: The Map and Key (click to show/hide)
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Kashyyk

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Re: Playground of the Gods / Kaynan God / Turn 2 Design
« Reply #161 on: March 06, 2022, 04:57:47 am »

Just throwing a link here to a previous post, which has Charming Artwork, Sorcerer Sara's Stealthy Sensor and Traitor's Mist.

Charming Artwork is definitely a Dragon-focused design, but should help us lock down approaches to our army camps in the Deep Swamp and Underdark.

The Sensor would be good for observing areas prior combat as well, and should help Faerie spies to get good blackmail material. Might be useful to Dragons as well.

And then, cos it got talked about, have a Mirage Spell. Probably good for the Dragons in distracting raiders, and definitely good for the army for the same reason.

Quote from: Trickster's Mirage
There have always been stories from the western half of the continent about oases that taunt the traveller before disappearing. Of course, these are always told by people who spend an unhealthy amount of time with Aurans, so we remained skeptical. Until we observed the effect ourselves in the barrens of the Fire plane anyway.

With some help from Fae Scholars, we have been able to imitate the effect. The ensorcelled area will swap and steal colours and imagery from within its area to present whatever the caster wants. This could be covering a vineway with impassable branches and leaves, multiplying a loose formation of infantry into a dense phalanx or the classic of a false body of water as blue as the sky above.
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NUKE9.13

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Re: Playground of the Gods / Kaynan God / Turn 2 Design
« Reply #162 on: March 06, 2022, 12:03:07 pm »

My own take on the mirage spell concept- trying to make it a bit more clear that it is combining Air and Illusion magic.

Quote
Misleading Mistral Mirage: Turns out that wobbly air can make things look different? Add magic on top of that, and it can make things look really different. By infusing air with magically-induced motion to create a mirage effect, and adding some fae trickery on top, we can create reasonably convincing mirages. They won't fool someone standing next to them (or even several meters away) due to the lack of detail and the shimmery effect, but in their intended roles they only need to fool people standing some ways off.
Examples of applications include: tricking Orcs into entering an empty (trapped) cavern, by creating the appearance of a pile of treasure in the back- or tricking them into ignoring a treasure trove by overlaying the appearance of bland rocks; deceiving scouts by placing illusory troops at key positions (whilst our real troops take a different route)- or making them believe a route is blocked off by natural barricades. Even if our foes learn they can see through the illusions by getting close, forcing orcs to double-check every pile of rocks (and take extra time when entering a treasury) and forcing scouts to get dangerously close to our soldiers or waste time investigating every blocked path is worthwhile.

Still considering other ideas. Maybe something to help in the Swamp would be good? I feel the Reavers should be able to finish off the Mountains without too much assistance. Although, the Aurans may come out with their own advanced soldiers in response, in which case they might struggle a little.

E: A more combat-oriented spell. Not super interesting, but useful given their archers.
Quote
Cyclone Shield: This spell creates a howling vortex of wind, blowing projectiles off course and staggering any who try to march through. Requires consistent concentration by the caster to maintain. Can be moved around at a modest speed, allowing it to stay ahead of advancing friendlies. Approx 3 meters wide.
« Last Edit: March 07, 2022, 08:15:55 am by NUKE9.13 »
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Kashyyk

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Re: Playground of the Gods / Kaynan God / Turn 2 Design
« Reply #163 on: March 07, 2022, 05:15:14 pm »

I offer you magic grenades. It's just a combat weapon at the moment, but the Fae might find qrson useful, and the Undying might like the mana-efficiency compared to generating the fire directly with magic. I reckon we could add a Revision to use it as a booby trap, helping the Dragons and guarding our camps.

Quote from: Fire Gems
A dragon's fire can turn knights to ash and stone walls to slag. The fire imbued in these semi-precious gems are nowhere near as potent, but one can dream. A suitable gem is one with a high amount of 'fire' (the rainbow of colours is displays in light), which gives it the ability to hold true Fire thanks to the Law of Similarity.

As part of the enchantment the gem consumes a nearby flame, taking on a flickering glow that can be used as a light source in the dark and when a word of power is spoken along with an exertion of will, the gem starts glowing brighter. At the zenith of its glow it then emits a burst of flame and heat that can scald and burn any nearby as if they stood in a bonfire. For best effect, the user should throw the gem at a nearby group of enemies prior to the conflagration.


I had some ideas for cursed coins that would be really good for the Dragons. Not sure how much application they'd have elsewhere though.

Quote from: Coin of Alarum
One of the big problems Dragons have is that there is only one of them to protect a hoard, so you just can't be more than one place at once. But what if the hoard itself took part in defence?

Any normal coin can be enchanted with "Alarum". This coin gains a degree of awareness for all other coins in its vicinity, and comes to know them as "familiar". If the Alarum coin is introduced to any unfamiliar coins, or if a familiar coin is taken away, then the Coin will emit a keening screech that can be heard for miles. The only way to silence the coin is to utter a command phrase to rest the familiarity rule, or to return it to its "friends".

Quote from: Coin of Avarice
One of the big problems Dragons have is that there is only one of them to protect a hoard, so you just can't be more than one place at once. But what if the hoard itself took part in defence?

Any standard coin can be enchanted with "Avarice", although it is recommended that you choose one with some form of blemish or distinction so that those in the know can handle it appropriately. It can be moved around with gloves/tools and left with other coins safely, however if the coin ever touches bare flesh it will immediately bond with it.

This can be more or less disruptive depending on what it attaches to, but the typical thief will no doubt find this coin permanently attached to the thumb and fingers. If they are foolish enough to pry it off with the other hand, or even get a friend to help, yet more of them will be stuck until they realise the only solution is amputation.
« Last Edit: March 08, 2022, 06:58:50 am by Kashyyk »
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Doubloon-Seven

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Re: Playground of the Gods / Kaynan God / Turn 2 Design
« Reply #164 on: March 08, 2022, 01:20:31 pm »

This isn't really a spell or a magic unit in and of itself, more of an alternate delivery method.

Quote from: Red Letters
Magic loves a show. Presentation, flair, whatever you want to call it, magic loves to look flashy. This is one of the many reasons why members of the decidedly-scruffy soldiery have little talent for the art; they just don't meet appearances. There is, however, a trick to exploit there. Magic loves the underdog as much as it loves the master. Magic loves ostentation. Magic loves the grand reveal.

Now, imagine: a novice witch or wizard, just starting their apprenticeship. There's little going for them. Their talents are weak, and ahead of them lie long, mostly boring years of menial chores and the dullest parts of education. Two things, however, are of note.

One: Regardless of individual skill, they're still a conduit for magic.

Two: Unlike most people, the average apprentice is literate.

As mentioned, magic loves presentation. It loves the accoutrements of sorcery as much as it loves the expression of it. It luxuriates in them. And, once you know that, magic can be trapped in a gilded cage. Magic can be drawn from the apprentice, and instead of expressing itself in superficial whiz-bang effect, it can be imbued. In the case of the Red Letters, imbued into ink, glittering richly with finely-suspended silver dust. To complete the Red Letter, however, more must be done to semantically reassure the captured spell of its own importance. Calligraphic application. Thick parchment, deep red. Elaborate seals, the beeswax faintly fragrant.

And then, for some hour of great importance and greater danger, a veritable red letter day in some distant part of the world, some imperiled Kaynanite soldier can break the seal. The stoppered magic is loosed, and walks the earth as a supernatural second wind for whosoever calls it forth. Shifting tides, sudden rejuvenations. Magic loves a show.

Not every spell is suitable for postage, nor does every spell need to be. But for those spells that can be coaxed onto paper by ensorcelled hands, there will be some scruffy soldier out there, awaiting their special delivery.
« Last Edit: March 08, 2022, 06:42:18 pm by Doubloon-Seven »
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