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[NUKE9.13]

For reference, I'm not a fan of improving the pawns for two related reasons. The first being the previously mentioned 'would rather do combat stuff next turn, using a theme'. The second being that I don't think Pawns need to be more than cannon fodder- they're the boring starting generic units, not intended to be very effective. No matter our strategy, I don't see Pawns as being really important going forward.

[FallacyofUrist]

Design Phase 0000:

Bishop

The Bishop is a humanoid construct made of durable metacrystal. It moves at a brisk walk, and can communicate out to moderate distances. It has a complex intelligence allowing it to identify where it should best position itself. May direct other constructs and share information. Emits an aura that repairs and maintains like-colored constructs.

Bishop:
(3, 4) + 1 - 2 = 6

Your first red-colored Bishop emerges from your Gates, and greets your group of Rooks. It quickly becomes clear that it's the superior leader compared to your Rooks - while its movement, communication, and command capabilities are equal to that of the Rook, the Bishop actually augments the force it is stationed with. The Bishop's red glow of repair isn't all that long-ranged, nor is it fast, but it affects every one of your constructs within its radius, and damaged constructs may now be repaired instead of the damage they receive being permanent.

While one Bishop cannot self-repair, if two Bishops are in close proximity, they'll repair each other. Though it seems that multiple auras being layered atop each other provides no more benefit than a single aura does.

Sadly, its durable metacrystal form and the complexity of its repair aura generation do mean that it will remain at Low Usage.

Tophat
A construct designed to construct, the Tophat consists of a small horizontal circle with four legs and two arms. It can extrude blocks of metacrystal, which it can either feed into a Gate to speed up the generation of other units, or assemble into simple fortifications (or other simple structures). It has no offensive capabilities.

Tophat:
(5, 4) = 9

The disk-like, red-colored Tophat isn't the most impressive thing physically. Even a Pawn could swiftly destroy one. Of course, it was never meant to be a combat construct. Under direction of one of your new Bishops, a set of Tophats extrude bricks of metacrystal. Construction metacrystal. The new substance is too heavy to use as armor or such, but it has more durability than fragile metacrystal - though not nearly as much as durable metacrystal.

The dull grey bricks allow you to create one of the simplest and yet most advantageous structures... Walls. Also, simple towers accessible via brick staircase, but those aren't the most useful when the only ranged construct you have is the Rook, and there's no complex terrain to obstruct vision. Of course, giving a leader a higher view of the battle is fairly effective.

The Tophat can also create bricks of fragile metacrystal and feed them into a Gate, but since the Gate isn't actually made to accept outside metacrystal sources, this isn't the most useful functionality, for now.

At the very least they're easy to produce. Full Usage.


Reversal Die: 2.

The force of chaos that is the Reversal Die does not strike this Design Phase.

Spoiler: Current Designs (click to show/hide)

A humanoid construct made of fragile metacrystal. Colored according to the color of the faction it belongs to. Moves at a slow walk, but exists in great numbers. Simple intelligence, may follow simple directions and move in simple formations. Wields a metacrystal spear that does minor damage. Full Usage.

A humanoid construct made of fragile metacrystal, plated with plates of thin durable metacrystal. Colored according to the color of the faction it belongs to. Moves at a brisk walk, and may sprint for short durations. Complex intelligence, may follow complex directions, but cannot move in formation due to lack of coordination. Wields a metacrystal sword that does moderate damage and may parry melee attacks. Partial Usage.

A humanoid construct made of durable metacrystal. Colored according to the color of the faction it belongs to. Moves at a brisk walk, and may communicate at short to moderate distances. Complex intelligence, may direct other constructs and share information. Emits short-ranged energy beams that deal severe damage, and may be aimed precisely, but fire slowly. Low Usage.

A tall ring of metacrystal, energy humming within. Colored a deeper version of the color of the faction it belongs to. Immobile, unintelligent, but may be controlled by other constructs. Slowly fabricates other constructs according to the controller. Can only assemble another Gate in segments which have to be painstakingly assembled. Disassembly is impossible without breaking it. Low Usage.

A humanoid construct made of durable metacrystal. Colored according to the color of the faction it belongs to. Moves at a brisk walk, and may communicate at short to moderate distances. Complex intelligence, may direct other constructs and share information, and will position itself in safety when possible. Emits a short-ranged aura that repairs matching-colored constructs at a slow pace. An individual unit cannot self-repair, but can be repaired by another Bishop. Multiple instances of the aura will not create added benefit. Low Usage.

A four-legged disc-like construct made of fragile metacrystal. Has two short manipulator arms. Colored according to the color of the faction it belongs to. Moves at a slow scuttle. Simple intelligence, mainly specialized in following directions and performing extremely basic engineering. May extrude construction metacrystal, and use it to assemble walls, staircases, and simple towers. May also create fragile metacrystal and feed it into a Gate, but this is currently pointless. Full Usage.

[Man of Paper]

Shift: Uno Reverse
The Reversal Die's roll pool is changed as follows: On a 1, the following combat phase will swap the initiative of Attacker/Defender. For example, a team besieging a fortress would find themselves defending the walls.

---

Kinda want to turn that one roll into a whole fun thing, but I get doing something to change the units/battlefield is probably more desirable.

[Quarque]

Shift: choking gates.

No one knows why the gates exist or how they work. Even more mysterious is why they suddenly start malfunctioning, as if something is choking the extradimensional source from where they were gating. Gates on both sides stop producing units and start vomiting purple goo instead.

(this should favor us because we have a way to prolong the life of existing units through healing and a non-gate source of metacrystal)

[NUKE9.13]

Shift: Open the Menagerie
There are cracks in reality. Sometimes, an animal will fall through. Sapient beings will too, but as far as the Zookeepers are concerned they can sort themselves out. Zookeepers are interdimensional beings who can sense animals falling into cracks in reality. They rescue these helpless beasts, and bring them to the Menagerie dimension; an entire dimension that acts as a wildlife sanctuary.
...which is getting full. So any Entity that can produce the necessary food (or set aside enough Pawns to produce it) to feed them can now purchase animals from the Menagerie. Whether you want faithful warhounds, dashing cavalry, or voltaic whales, the Menagerie has it all. So long as it isn't sapient, any species in the multiverse can be found there, from the mundane to the mystical.


Some big beastie to crash through their lines and bowl over their Bulwarks, perhaps? Not quite as useful at tearing down walls (although not inherently favouring either side).

[Man of Paper]

Ooh, I'd like to build up to pushing that shift (Quarque's, I got ninjaposted) in a couple turns, do enough to hold our ground while building up infrastructure and then hit em with a turn of oopsiedoodles. I think it'd be doubly good to hold off on that one since there isn't gonna be any ground actually changing hands for another combat phase, and that's a big one-turn slap.

[Kashyyk]

Hmm... whilst I'm still happy with our designs last turn, I think we would've lost Progress. We'll need a way to deal with those Wizards.

Shift: Split Attentions
During the design phase, instead of doing a singular (Major) Design, an Entity can choose to do two Lesser Designs. Smaller in scope, and with penalties attached for making "new" things, Lesser Designs are ideal for editing an already existing unit.

Shift: Raw Crystal
With the shifting of Terrain, small nodes of Raw Metacrystal can be found in clusters scattered across the battlefield. With time and effort it can be extracted, processed and moulded into units.

[Man of Paper]

Raw Crystal and some sort of farming unit could be fun, and would play into setting up for the nasty gate turn if we go that route.

Make em Raw Crystal Blossoms and we could have the “farming” unit be crystal bees. Crystals are seeded just like plants, so it makes perfect sense!

[Quarque]

Ooh, I'd like to build up to pushing that shift (Quarque's, I got ninjaposted) in a couple turns, do enough to hold our ground while building up infrastructure and then hit em with a turn of oopsiedoodles. I think it'd be doubly good to hold off on that one since there isn't gonna be any ground actually changing hands for another combat phase, and that's a big one-turn slap.

I think both Raw Crystal and the menagerie could be used to build up to it. Bonus points for menagerie because random cows falling from the sky is funny as hell.

[Kashyyk]

Obviously it's improved if we do Raw Crystal, but I'd like to do the following design this turn (alongside a combat one to deal with the Wizards). Although I really don't like that Reversal Shift, so I'm tempted to write a Shift to cancel it.

Design: Cauldron
A large hollow creation of Dark Red, the Cauldron is unintelligent but can be directed to amble slowly on three stubby legs. When stationary, allied Units can cast any available Metacrystal pieces into the Cauldron (be it Raw, neutral Grey, Red, or even captured Blue), and then activate the Primary Function, bringing the gathered Metacrystal into a mouldable state, and colouring it Red. Finally, this Crystal can be extruded into whatever form the controller desires just like a Gate.

[Quarque]

Hmm... whilst I'm still happy with our designs last turn, I think we would've lost Progress. We'll need a way to deal with those Wizards.

I would like to spend one design in the next phase on a heavy duty combat unit. To counter the wizards / bulwarks and the units they design this turn at least somewhat.

[NUKE9.13]

Hmm... whilst I'm still happy with our designs last turn, I think we would've lost Progress. We'll need a way to deal with those Wizards.

I would like to spend one design in the next phase on a heavy duty combat unit. To counter the wizards / bulwarks and the units they design this turn at least somewhat.

My Menagerie suggestion is intended to lead into that. I don't want to do an artillery-esque design if we can help it, cos if there's a switcheroo, they'd be able to destroy our walls with it. I mean, they can still design artillery by themselves, and it's only a 1/6 chance... but still, I'd prefer a solution that only works for us. I figure heavy cavalry (in whatever format) is suitable for breaking through to Wizards, but not suitable for breaking down walls.

Edit: Votebox.

Uno Reverse:
choking gates:
Open the Menagerie: (1) NUKE9.13
Split Attentions:
Raw Crystal:

[Quarque]

Uno Reverse:
choking gates:
Open the Menagerie: (1) NUKE9.13
Split Attentions:
Raw Crystal: (1) Quarque

[NUKE9.13]

Bear in mind that if neither of us do a shift that enables more interesting units, we're gonna have to design two generic units next phase.
...also bear in mind, people other than Quarque, that this game needs active participants.

[Kashyyk]

Uno Reverse:
choking gates:
Open the Menagerie: (2) NUKE9.13, Kashyyk
Split Attentions:
Raw Crystal: (1) Quarque

Getting back into the swing of things. I'm still fond of the idea for Raw Crystal Nodes, but the Menagerie does sound fun.