Combat for 938Arstotzka does something entirely unexpected this year. Previously thought impossible, they build another cannon, that's
smaller than their existing cannons. While many decry the AS-HAC-1 as a waste of magical effort, others are quick to point out the higher rate of fire, high muzzle velocity, all-crystal design, 360 degree firing arc, and brand-new sliding bolt-action breech-loader, which they've taken the liberty to append to all their existing cannons. It's been mounted on all their existing Crystalclads as an anti-air measure, and is cheap enough that they can afford to station a few in the field to combat carpetbombers overhead.
Moskurg, in an attempt to combat Arstotzka's overwhelming artillery advantage, has delved deeper into the field of Divination with their development of the Antichronic Reverbramancy spell. Designed to focus on the ever-branching possibilities of the future, the spell allows mages to enter a trance that lets the caster view these twisting, winding threads. Once a cataclysmic event is ensured to happen the mage can recognize the sudden choke-point in the branching future for what it is and warn his allies of his prediction. Skilled casters can gain a warning up to thirty seconds in advance, but less skilled casters like apprentices are lucky to get ten seconds. The mage is otherwise useless while casting, and staying under for more than ten minutes risks losing their mind to the flow of time permanently. For their revision, they go ahead and fix the innate inaccuracy of the lightning in their Wand of Thunderbolts, which has the nice benefit of also
finally fixing their two-decade old Spear of Allah. Assuming the weather cooperates, they can finally use the spell for its intended purpose.
Thanks to their new breech-loading artillery, Arstotzka can now fire their HA1 artillery slightly faster. While this is nice by itself, the real benefit is that the cannons no longer need to tip down to allow new shells to be rammed down the barrel. This means the artillery doesn't need to be re-sighted between each firing event and can more reliably hit the same location. Moskurg combats this with their impressively-named Antichronic Reverbramancy, but the fact that mages must constantly dip in and out of the trance to maintain their grasp on the present means it sees a limited usefulness. It does save lives on occasion, but often the warning doesn't come soon enough to relocate, especially since Arstotzka has taken up the policy of blanketing an entire "square" with artillery fire. It would benefit from being able to stay in the trance longer, or allowing the mage to be useful in the meantime, or even simply giving a longer fore-warning, but as it is the spell doesn't provide a very large defensive bonus.
Carpet bombers are likewise met with frustration. The HAC-1 doesn't quite perform its intended role of "filling the skies with iron" as even with bolt-action breech-loading, a new round and fresh water must be loaded in each time. Arstotzkan mages instead track overhead targets, take careful aim, brace the tripod for recoil, and fire. Often times they miss, as the crude cross-hairs aren't exactly sophisticated and they're targeting a moving target high above. When they do hit, though, the effect is devastating. The high-caliber shells rip helmet-sized holes through both flesh and carpet alike, and even a glancing blow is typically lethal.
Moskurg fires back with their refined Wands of Thunderbolt. Their method of attack typically involves getting overhead and quickly firing off as many wands as they can , then tossing the entirety of their firestorm grenade saddlebag overboard. Being struck by lightning isn't enough to ruin an HA1 artillery piece, but it does cause enough damage to put it out of commission until repairs can be enacted. Hitting the operators tends to be more effective - anyone touching the artillery piece when it's struck will typically never fire another round. The Alsamma Safina does its job standing at extreme range, high and out of the firing range of HA1 and HAC-1's alike. It's a Very Expensive artillery piece that Arstotzka can't touch, and is often a sign of doom for the men on the ground.
Surprisingly, the HAC-1 proves to be effective in ground combat, despite being envisioned as an anti-air cannon. The high-velocity round is a line-of-sight weapon, and has a faster travel time and flatter trajectory than a longbow. Moskurg soldiers caught in the open can expect to be hit before they even know what's happening; the small round doesn't trigger Antichronic Reverbramancy, so the tranced-out mages on horseback fail to warn the party. The HAC-1's can't exactly be used to ambush, though, since Moskurgs Detect Ambush spell from their initial spellbook is still in effect.
At the end of the day, Arstotzka does a decent job of hitting Moskurgs at range, especially since cannons no longer need to be re-aimed between loadings. This, combined with their new HAC-1's preventing Moskurg War Pegasi from holding complete supremacy, provides the necessary advantage to take another section of jungle. Moskurg soldiers are still freezing to death, so even if their artillery detection spell was working perfectly, they'd still be suffering casualties - it's year-round cold, and though their lightning is now accurate they can't cast if snow clouds won't permit it. Even al-Mutriqa can't do that, though he does a solid job of raiding Arstozkan trains and preventing them from resupplying HA1 artillery pieces. Moskurg is lacking in their offensive capabilities, and are pushed back to the far edge of the jungle.
Arstotzka gains a section of jungle.The mountains favor Arstotzka.
The cold, artillery barrages, and HAC-1's are enough to eliminate Moskurg soldiers in the ancient castles. Moskurg's heavy lifting is done through their carpet riders and airships, but it's not enough all on its own. With Myark at the lead, they're rather soundly defeated.
Arstotzka pushes Moskurg out of the mountains.
Arstotzka has regained the mountains. If they hold it for a year, they may use the metal bonus.Rapid-firing, accurate, train-supplied, long-range artillery dominates in the plains.
Moskurg does their best, but ultimately they don't have the offensive punch that long, sustained artillery on entrenched positions does.
Arstotzka pushes Moskurg out of the plains.
Arstotzka gains control of the plains. If they hold it for a year, they may use the plains bonus.The seas are, once again, no contest.
Unlike the rest of the continent, the Spear of Allah
can be cast here. Previously, Moskurg avoided casting Storm Strike on open waters, as the waves caused by the storm affects their ships just as much as it does Arstotzka's. Now that their ships are all primarily fliers, it's less of a concern to keep the sea calm.
War Pegasi carpet bombers continue striking the exposed steam engines of Crystalclad ships, causing critical explosions. The HAC-1 does a fair bit of work here, with one loaded on each ship - Moskurg has learned not to underestimate a massed group of anti-air cannons all firing at once. The cannons even penetrate the Alsamma Safina ships, although the Adamantium covering manages to deflect all but the most square shots. Even then, it takes many shots before the ship goes down. In the meantime, the mages onboard call down the storm, and one-by-one call the Spear of Allah down on their enemies. Requiring little more than a visual on the target, the spell is critically effective on Arstotzka's ships. The Arstotzkan fleets in both the Eastern and Western seas are both completely annialated, and Moskurg takes control of both.
Moskurg gains control in the Eastern and Western Seas. Next turn they will be able to apply their naval bonus to both the jungle and plains theatres. Revision Credit!!!The Sultans daughter, Hayat Salbi, has recently come of age. She shows magical prowess; it's uncommon for females to join the ranks of the mages, but the Sultan is insistent that she receive proper training if she is to one day lead the kingdom in this age of magic. The Sultan is utterly without magical talent, however, and asks that you train his daughter in his stead.
Please describe the training regime she's to be put on, and what spells she is to be taught. Remember that she is utterly untrained in the magical arts, and will likely be unable learn every spell in our arsenal - let alone be able to perform National Effort spells - in a single year.
Whichever side trains their heir to be a more competent mage will win a bonus revision for the next turn.It is 939, the Design Phase.Northern Taiga: 4/4 Arstotzka, 0/4 Moskurg
Central Mountains: 4/4 Arstotzka, 0/4 Moskurg
Western Jungle: 3/4 Arstotzka, 1/4 Moskurg
Eastern Plains: 4/4 Arstotzka, 0/4 Moskurg
Southern Desert: 0/4 Arstotzka, 4/4 Moskurg
Northern Sea: 4/4 Arstotzka, 0/4 Moskurg
Western Sea: 0/4 Arstotzka, 4/4 Moskurg
Eastern Sea: 0/4 Arstotzka, 4/4 Moskurg
Southern Sea: 0/4 Arstotzka, 4/4 Moskurg
Sabre: Officer weapon. A single-edged Adamantium blade that favours cavalry combat over infantry combat. Requires training to wield, one-handed. Expensive.
Spear: General infantry weapon. Essentially an Adamantium 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 Adamantium 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 Adamantium 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 Adamantium 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. Now with Adamantium tips!
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. Obsolete.
Sirocco: Ships made from lightweight and hardy junglewood and clad in glowing Adamanitium armor. Much more resilient and faster than Arstotzka's ships as of 935.
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.
Alsamma Safina: Sirocco, stripped-down and packed with War Pegasi for lift. Requires multiple dedicated mages to keep the carpets enchanted and in sync. Very Expensive.
Adamantium: Divine metal summoned from the aether. Comes in workable copper-soft and forge-able steel-hard ingots. Cheap.
Teletalk: Short-ranged psychic communication between mystics. Enough beacons can be produced to outfit an army. Expensive.
Wand of Thunderbolts: Glass wand, painted with zinc and copper. Adamantium core. Good for a single modestly-powerful blast of lightning, has a tendency to explode into glass shrapnel. Cheap.
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. Enchantments now last longer.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. Requires line of sight to target. Can be used in "danger close" situations.
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.
Antichronic Reverbramancy: A trance that focuses on the branching nature of time. Locates "chokepoints" in the branches, where things will happen. Can only detect cataclysmic, nearby events, like artillery barrages, usually within 10-30 seconds. Tends to cause mages to be lost in the flow of time. Cheap.
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 186598 times)