Combat for 934The jungle sees Moskurg push forward one section, once again stepping foot on Arstotzkan soil.
Carpet bombers still cause more damage during raids, but only barely. Arstotzkan flares and falcons have proven capable of bringing down and repelling the carpet-riders, so Moskurg mages have moved to a "shoot and scoot" method of attack - they fly over the camp as fast as they're able and drop their firestorm grenades once overhead. They don't stop and continue on; it does less damage, and they don't always escape Arstotzka's tamed falcons, but it results in fewer casualties.
The battles during the day see Arstotzka firing their long-range artillery from behind clouds of mist. Normally they'd completely obscure their artillery with mist to prevent carpet-riders from seeing them, but they still need to be able to see the short-lived flares of their apprentices in the field. The lack of exploding ammunition still limits their lethality, but Moskurg is likewise hampered because they can't bomb with impunity any more. Ballistas are forced to move up to hit enemy targets and still hit with uncanny accuracy that Arstotzka can't match, but Arstotzka's HC1-E's have a higher fire rate and are just as plentiful. Artillery is a wash, and charging over land results in similarly well-equipped soldiers smashing into one another with no clear winner. Ultimately, it's al-Mutriqa who wins to day, flying in bravely on his War Pegasus, slashing falcons left and right and hurling fire at Arsotzkan troops down below. Arstotzka retreats back a section onto their home soil, but at least now their navy can assist from the shore.
Moskurg regains a section of the Taiga. Arsotzka blows Moskurg out of the mountains with laughable ease.
Long-range HA1's are killer against stationary castles, and the natural cold of the mountain combined with Arstotzka's Towers of Frost can't be dispelled by the Divine Desert Winds blowing up from the south. Additionally, Myark is seen here wielding a new wand; a glowing, impressive length of metal that unnerves every Moskurg soldier standing in the theatre. War Pegasi often aren't enough to repel the long-range artillery, as the obscuring mists can safely hide them here. Stationary targets don't require flares for zeroing in, and once bombardment starts Moskurg can't repel them quickly enough. Men have taken on the disturbing trend of fleeing the castle once the walls fall, not even bothering to stand and fight when hope is lost. Arstotzka's new wand - the Wand of True Light - effectively penalizes Moskurgs moral and pushes them out of the mountains and back into the desert.
Arstotzka gains control of the mountain. If they hold it for a turn, they will gain a Metal Bonus.Moskurg secures a section of the plains.
Despite no longer snowing, Moskurgs are still uncomfortable in the unnaturally cold area. The plains also benefit the longer-ranged HA1 artillery, despite their relatively non-lethal nature. Trenches are static, and once dialed in the artillery can begin shelling with mist cover, though semi-inaccurately. War Pegasi are likewise effective at bombing trenches; that is to say, to a limited degree. Falcons prevent them from truly ruling the skies, though they do make life miserable for the men down below. Extreme-Range artillery battles are still a wash, as are charges across the devastated no-mans land by infantry. Moskurgs calvary does slightly better, as it can sometimes close the gap between the lines more often than Arstotzka's calvary, but it's not terribly effective. Ultimately, despite the cold advantage, Moskurg gains ground thanks to their superior communications via teletalk wands and their ability to use their War Pegasi to respond to threats faster. It could benefit from improvement, but the Teletalk wands allow more nuanced battleplans, and Arstotzkan flare-users are often sniped too quickly for more than a couple quick artillery adjustments.
Moskurg has secured the plains. If they can hold if for a turn, they may use the Horse Bonus there.Arstotzkan ships push both the Eastern and Western Seas.
In these wide-open areas, flares are actually more useful for communication than the limited-range teletalk wands. The steamships are faster and can pick-and-choose their battles, and each ship can sink multiple Moskurg vessels before eventually burning and sinking to the bottom of the ocean. War Pegasi are still limited by range, communication, and the attack falcons, though they do a significant amount of damage to Arstotzka's ships.
Arstotzka gains ground in the Eastern and Western Seas. Expense Credit!!!The trader has returned once again! Still interested in acquiring magical artifacts to sell overseas, he has enough coin to provide an Expense Credit if we choose to sell him something. What do we trade the man?
It is 935, the Design Phase.Northern Taiga: 3/4 Arstotzka, 1/4 Moskurg
Central Mountains: 4/4 Arstotzka, 0/4 Moskurg
Western Jungle: 0/4 Arstotzka, 4/4 Moskurg
Eastern Plains: 0/4 Arstotzka, 4/4 Moskurg
Southern Desert: 0/4 Arstotzka, 4/4 Moskurg
Northern Sea: 4/4 Arstotzka, 0/4 Moskurg
Western Sea: 2/4 Arstotzka, 2/4 Moskurg
Eastern Sea: 2/4 Arstotzka, 2/4 Moskurg
Southern Sea: 0/4 Arstotzka, 4/4 Moskurg
Sabre: Officer weapon. A single-edged blade that favours cavalry combat over infantry combat. Requires training to wield, one-handed. Expensive.
Spear: General infantry weapon. Essentially a dagger on a long stick. Very cheap, requires minimal training to use. Can be used double-handed, or single handed with a light shield. Cheap.
Halberd: An axe, a hook, and a spear all rolled into one. Does well against armor and in formation. Cheap
Buckler: General infantry equipment. A small iron shield, held in one hand. Only protects a small area, but can be wielded alongside a shield. Moderate cost, requires training to wield properly. Cheap.
Pavise Shield: A large, thick, high-quality shield to guard against arrows. Can be staked into the ground, or slung across the shoulders. Needs both hands to use while on the move. Very Expensive.
Padded Armour: General infantry armour. Very cheap, just layers of cloth, but doesn't protect against much. Well ventilated in hot conditions, though. Cheap.
Scale Mail: Officer armour. Scales of steel on a leather backing. Expensive, but lighter than chain mail. Expensive. Obsolete.
Elite Lamellar Armor: All-purpose armor. Worn over padded armor. Thin plates of steel sewn together with leather thongs, backed by more leather. High quality, decent protection against arrows and melee attacks. Cheap.
Recurve Bow: General infantry weapon. A light bow composed of laminated wood and horn, curved backwards to provide more force. Inexpensive enough to equip many troops with, with very reasonable medium range and power. Can be wielded by horse archers.
Bodkin Arrows: Arrows with needle points. Can reliably penetrate plate armor at point blank range. Can penetrate less reliably further away.
Arabian Horse: A light riding horse, from short-lived Iberian settlers in the past. Very fast and maneuverable, but not too strong. Expensive.
Horse Breeding Program: Mass amounts of horses available. Tend to do poorly in the desert, and aren't quite as high quality as the Arabian Horses. Cheap.
Lances: Essentially a heavily upgraded spear. Has a tendency to splinter after the first use. Cheap.
Sailing Ship: Wind-propelled wooden ship. Fast, requires minimal crew, cannot carry many passengers, but does carry at least one wizard - so long as they don't make puns. Very Expensive.
Ballista: Large siege weapon. Can fire javelins or stone shot great distances accurately. Reliable enough for consistent use. Can be mounted on ships. Wheeled. High-quality siege engineers.Expensive.
Firestorm ammo: Pots filled with Alnnar Almuqaddasa - "Holy Fire". Bursts into sticky flame on impact. Incredibly lethal, incredibly dangerous. Nearly impossible to extinguish. Normal Cost.
Wand of Heroism: Makes a squad fight beyond human levels. A National Effort.
Adamantium: Divine metal summoned from the aether. Comes in workable copper-soft and unworkable steel-hard ingots. Expensive.
Teletalk: Short-ranged psychic communication between mystics. Enough beacons can be produced to outfit an army. Expensive.
Staff of Tubikh Rrahim Albarq: Area-of-affect spell anchored to the caster. Prevents all magic from being cast within a short range. Spell contained within a staff of ivory, field of effect controllable. Produces a glow. Expensive.
Dispell Enchantments: Dispells enchantments on items, including standard crystal weapons. Expensive.
Pegasus: Charmingly named, enchanted carpets. Levitate, can be pushed around with Gust of Wind. Limited height, duration, speed. Typically rolled up and equipped with a saddle. Has pretty tassels. Expensive.
War Pegasus:[/b] A faster, higher, tamed version of the Pegasus. Requires each carpet to be broken-in before it can be used in the field, but now has its own form of locomotion. Very Expensive.
Detect Ambush: Reveals non-magical ambushes prepared by enemy troops or physical traps.
Lucky Strike: Magical guidance makes a squad shoot or strike true far more often than usual. Expensive.
Detect Thoughts: Read the mind of an enemy commander to determine their tactics ahead of time. Expensive.
Zen Inception: By putting enemy soldiers in a zen-like state, we can use their minds as a relay system to read minds further away. The spell is easy to disrupt, but simple to use.
Gust of Wind: Evokes physical force to create a heavy gust of wind, sufficient to disperse fog and most minor concealment, as well as disperse irritating swarms. Expensive.
Cyclone Shield: Protects the beneficent from most arrows and some blows with a sheath of wind. Expensive.
Storm Strike: Summons heavy rain and winds over the course of a day. Expensive.
Clear Weather: Negates inclement weather within the given area. Nests within Storm Strike for protection.
Hammer of Allah: Induce lightning from summoned storms. Strikes indiscriminately, so can't be used in "danger close" situations.
Spear of Allah: Call down an individual bolt of lightning to target enemy commanders. Difficult to control, has a tendency to hit the caster as often as not. Our mages refuse to use it.
Tubikh Rrahim: Area-of-affect spell centered around the caster. Prevents all magic from being cast within a short range. Cheap.
Dispell Enchantments: Dispells enchantments on items, including standard crystal weapons. Expensive.
Divine Desert Winds: Sends warm desert air north. Does not reach the taiga. Warms the area by one "level". Very Expensive.
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 - [Moskurg] {COMPLETED} (Read 186654 times)