Commander Arms RacePhilosophers call this the age of peace. They say that the horrors of war have finally cured humanity of its taste for wide scale destruction. That men grow tired of dying for their masters, that this last fifty years since a major conflict will be representative of the world going forward. They say that the weapons man can turn upon men are too terrible to contemplate using. They say that there will be no more war. They are wrong.
The old generals remember war. They remember glorious charges, heroic victories and valiant last stands. They think this generation has grown soft for lack of war. They conjure fears of the “enemy” in their people, push their governments to react to even the mildest slight. They rattle their sabers, aching to draw and lead their nations to glory once again. They believe a good war will be healthy for the state and over quickly. They are also wrong.
Alliances tangle together like a powder keg’s string, waiting for a single spark to light a wildfire. Two nations, isolated from their allies but strategically positioned, strike a match.
Askia to the East and
Etroa, to the West each claim the other has wronged them, and muster for war. While they are each isolated from their peers, they have a disproportionate influence on the world stage, each known for their incredibly competent military commanders, and for the unique, nearly magical resources they bring to the table.
Ever since they became neighboring states, tensions have brewed. Ever since they showed their strength, nations have courted them to their sides. And when tensions boil over and war breaks out, the rest of the continent will surely erupt into warfare.
The philosophers lose their age of peace, the generals are forced to learn what modern war really is, and the world burns.
Well, now that’s the cheerful introduction of the way. Let’s get into the meat of this opening post, yes?
This is an Arms Race, and most of you know what that means. For those who don’t, here’s a TLDR. You take the role of the R&D divisions of two nations, designing the equipment used by your nation’s military, be it land, air, or sea. You also take some level of command over those forces because ostensibly you know how best to implement your equipment, but this mostly boils down to choosing where you attack.
This particular AR is heavily inspired by Man of Paper’s Industrialized Warfare Arms Race and Mechanized Warfare Arms Race, although I hope to put my own spin on the ideas
and hope that you guys don’t just decide to try and replicate the special resources in those.
This is an alternate universe story, in a world steaming ahead into a rough equivalent of World War 1. The world has been wracked by war for much of recorded history, and probably most of unrecorded history too for that matter. But after a war against a mad dictator fifty years ago, an uneasy peace settled over the continent and for the better part of those years, there has been no major conflicts involving multiple countries. The odd border skirmish, a few civil wars brutal in their countries but unremarkable elsewhere. But no large, bloody conflicts between nations.
In the intervening time, a complicated tangle of alliances has formed, such that when Askia and Etroa go to war, the world goes to war with them. Each side will be the ally of several nations, who may occasionally make requests or offer trades of their own unique technology.
But what are Askia and Etroa all about? Well, I am glad you asked.
Before the war starts proper, there will be 5 preliminary turns. These turns will be different than normal, with a bit more narrative to them. In the preliminary turns, you will define your nation’s rise through history, what sets it apart from the crowd and makes it special. This will be through several design prompts of various types (again, look at Mechanized Warfare Arms Race for an example of this).
Revisions during the preliminary turns can be used for two things. On one hand, you could do the normal revision thing and improve an existing design. Or, you could bring equipment into the current age. This is more a change of role than a 1:1 equivalency; your main infantry spear doesn’t need to become a fancy modern spear in the gunpowder era, it could be a musket since that’s become your main infantry weapon.
It is highly encouraged to think about how your designs and revisions effect the nation on more than the battlefield in these phases, since that will play into my descriptions - after all, if you make a super-engine that runs icy cold instead of burning hot, then your industrialization might look quite distinct.
After the last preliminary turns, both teams will be given kits that are roughly on par with one another, though specific equipment will be different based on quality of items (that is, rolls) and the equipment proposed as solutions. Most types of equipment will have multiple options to choose from, with each option utilizing the same base roll modified by the item's complexity. For a simple example, you may get the option to choose between a highly reliable old-school bolt action primary weapon or a semi-automatic rifle with a couple issues.
During the preliminary phases all utter failure results will be rerolled once. If you roll snake eyes again, though, have fun.
As well, each side will be required to design at least one unique resource by the end of the preliminary phases.
The definitions of your nations will have some effects beyond your equipment. They also somewhat define the terrain in which you fight; this is why there isn’t a map yet, as we don’t know whether it’s the arctic hunters battling desert traders, or voyaging islanders against jungle warriors. They might also influence the kinds of allies you have; a brutal dictatorship won’t readily find friends among a free democracy, but might find a kindred spirit in a monarchy. Also, feel free to change the names if you don’t like what I gave you.
The first phase of every turn is the "Design" phase. This is where you introduce new ideas and creations. Results of a design are based off of 2d6, with rolls of 6, 7, and 8 being equivalent. Design results are also modified by difficulty. Generally the results of a Normal Design scale as below:
Utter Failure (2): Nothing is gained but the knowledge of how not to do it next time.
Buggy Mess (3): The design functions, just not too well at all. At least some experience is gained.
Poor (4): The design can be used without being a threat to anyone handling it. Still, it is far from reliable.
Below Average (5): It works, but there is clear room for improvement.
Average (6,7,8): The design generally functions as intended.
Above Average (9): The design works, and something about it works out better than expected.
Superior (10): It works much better than intended, and a lot is learned in related fields of research.
Masterwork (11): This is the perfect design.
Unexpected Boon (12): Development of this design goes so well that some sort of extra benefit is provided to the side building it.
The difficulty of the design modifies the roll for +4 (Simple), +3 (Trivial), +2 (Very Easy), +1 (Easy), 0 (Normal), -1 (Hard), -2 (Very Hard), -3 (Theoretical), -4 (Ludicrous), or -x (Impossible). Difficulty is based off of the ambition of the design as well as how experienced you are with similar concepts. Impossible designs will always fail, but they may still result in some sort of progress on a higher roll.
Each player is allowed to vote for as many designs as are being made that phase, with the design(s) with the largest number of votes being rolled for. On account of an unbreakable deadlock a coin will be flipped or proper-sided die rolled depending on the number of ties in order to randomly select an option. This will only happen as a last resort, and it is preferred that players attempt to persuade one another instead.
The second phase is the "Revision" phase. Revisions use the same 2d6 and rules as designs, but are restricted to altering pre-existing designs for the most part, although less impactful new things can be allowed depending on what they are. Results on either end of the spectrum of rolls are also generally less extreme. As with Designs, each player can vote for as many revisions as are being made that turn, with the most popular Revision being rolled for. The same rule for ties also applies.
The Strategy Phase comes after the Design and Revision Phases. In this phase each player can vote for two "lanes" to advance along (Left, Center, and Right). The lane (or lanes, if it's decided to attack one lane) not attacked on gains a small bonus to it's ability to defend. Commanders are also deployed in this phase - up to one on an attacking front and one on a defending front. More on Commanders later. The Strategy Phase will also be when any other miscellaneous votes are finalized such as Resource Allocation (detailed in "Resources and Requirements" below) or special events.
In the combat phase, the GM will resolve the combat and report results. In the core thread, because I’m not a madwoman. Combat takes place in land, sea, and air. In the air and the sea, rather than distinct control of zones, there is a level of control on a scale from Contested, where both sides are in heated combat on the air or waves and minimal land support can be provided, all the way up to Total Control, where the dominating side can provide any support available to land forces from the coast or the skies. It is possible for ground designs to help out their supporting forces or mitigate the effects of enemy control; an anti-aircraft gun, for example, might make enemy bombers less effective even with air superiority.
Each sector on the map has up to three resource "nodes" that can be developed. Once during each Strategy phase a team may choose to fill a resource node in territory they control with a resource of their selection. This can be done until all nodes in occupied territory are in use. Individual nodes cannot grant more than one of the assigned resource, but multiple nodes can be assigned the same resource in a sector. The capital of each nation is a special case, as they start with two of each primary resource and two of a specialty resource.
There are three Basic Resources:
Ore represents the cost of an item in metals and other basic resources extracted from the earth.
Wood represents the cost of an item in lumber.
Oil represents the chemical fuel and lubricant required to run vehicles and machinery.
In addition to the primary resources, each side is capable of "designing" new Unique Resources with special effects, to use in more fantastical designs. They will have a somewhat loosely defined sphere of influence, such as gravity or kinetic force. When designing a resource, the resource itself is gained without a roll, although the equipment in which it is being used is rolled for. Look at Industrialized Warfare Arms Race and it’s sequel Mechanized Warfare Arms Race for where I shamelessly stole got inspiration for this system.
You can try and add new reactions to your special resources as parts of designs. Whether it works as intended, however, may be affected by the roll. Trying to add several reactions in one design is doable, but may have a negative effect on difficulty. I’ll tell you if an effect you’re trying to accomplish is out of your resource’s sphere, but I will not tell you how hard it is to create the reaction you want.
Any design requiring a Unique Resource that is not available will become [Complex] or [Very Complex] if already complex. Each level of complexity increases the Expense Level of the design by one, which is as follows:
Cheap: All Resource needs are met or there’s only a deficit of 1, and the design can be used wherever desired.
Expensive: If a design lacks 2-3 Resources then it is considered Expensive and will not be fielded in large numbers.
Very Expensive: A Very Expensive design is missing 4-5 Resources, and is rarely seen in use.
National Effort: A 6-9 Resource deficit is a National Effort, allowing only one to be fielded at a time.
Theoretical: Any Resource deficit 10+ is considered theoretical and will not be built until that changes.
Each side will begin with two of each primary resource, and 2 of their first unique resource, in their capital territory.
Commanders are particularly stellar officers. While every country has it’s core of competent officers, there’s that rare gem that’s a genius at what they do. Commanders allow each faction some more control over their tactics on one of their fronts. Each commander will have three aspects: Type, a passive bonus and a selection of favored strategies. Type is simply whether the commander is better at defense or offense; while commanders can be used in the other role, they will likely have stronger strategies for their preferred role. Passive bonuses are what it says on the tin, a bonus to some aspect of command on whatever front they’re deployed to (EX: Tank Ace, Guerilla Fighter, Logistics Wizard). Strategies are the “meat” of what commanders do, a selection of strategies that they are able to apply to a front that can change the way the soldiers fight, potentially emphasizing some designs over others.
Commanders are created by designs. These designs, however, do not get rolled for; no worries about failing to design a commander or needing to revise them to have non self-defeating strategies. Players can dictate a commander’s Type, as well as give background and their general style of command. However, passive bonus and the strategies in a commander’s playbook are defined by the GM.
Sides may deploy one commander on offense and one commander on defense per turn, to one front each. They may have as many commanders as they wish to design.
Example Commander Design:
Commander A is an old soldier. He was a young man in the last war, and while he started as a mere rank and file infantryman, he distinguished himself through combat, quickly rising in the ranks. When he served as a colonel’s aide and his superior was incapacitated by a lucky artillery shell while overseeing a battle, Commander A jumped to take his place, using his first hand knowledge of combat and his natural strategic skill to turn the battle around.
He was granted an officer’s commission, and became a distinguished offensive commander; his fiery temper was calmed by age and experience, and he commands with a steady hand.
This design could result in, for example:
Commander A
Type: Offensive
Passive: Slow and Steady - The commander’s caution is known, despite his skills on the offense. A front he commands will be less susceptible to taking heavy casualties that risk losing his gains.
Strategies:
(O) Bite and Hold: Take and hold ground, bit by bit, rather than following through on a breakthrough and potentially overextending, making it significantly easier to avoid heavy losses.
(O) Thousand Cuts: An attack more focused on inflicting heavy losses than taking territory, the Thousand Cuts strategy seeks to bleed the enemy dry in preparation for an assault in the next season.
(D) Hold the Line: A steady defense, holding positions as long as is reasonable before retreating. The goal is to keep as many soldiers alive as possible, rather than bleed to the last holding ground.
Expense Credit: Can be used to reduce a design's cost by one level for a single turn.
Command Credit: Can be used to send out an extra commander for the turn.
Espionage Credit: Allows a number of things such as theft or sabotage of a design or various other acts of subterfuge.
Research Credit: Allows an extra 2d6 roll on a design or revision, with the highest one used for the result.
Design/Revision Credit: Grants an extra Design/Revision.
Resource Credit: Grants an extra Resource point without taking up a sector node.
Annnd that’s about it unless I forgot something. Standard rules of etiquette apply; mistakes can be made on the part of the GM and players alike, emotions can run high, but try and keep it chill and try not to pick a fight - your team isn’t trying to lose just because they prefer someone else’s idea after all. Feel free to ask questions (Although keep in mind I’m not an engineering major, I’m probably not going to get so granular as tensile strength and specific heat capacities of your ubermetal :p).
Throughout the preliminary turns, try to keep the character and history of your country in mind, because
there is a lore contest that ends with the last preliminary phase, rewarding the winner with an espionage credit.
DiscordAskian R&DEtroan R&D
