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Author Topic: Wands Race - [Moskurg] {COMPLETED}  (Read 183581 times)

evictedSaint

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Re: Wands Race - [Moskurg]
« Reply #2460 on: June 17, 2017, 03:19:07 pm »

Where do you want to deploy al-Mutriqa?

Kashyyk

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Re: Wands Race - [Moskurg]
« Reply #2461 on: June 17, 2017, 03:25:45 pm »

I say the plains. We've got the least advantage there.
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NUKE9.13

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Re: Wands Race - [Moskurg]
« Reply #2462 on: June 17, 2017, 03:27:50 pm »

I'm going to say the mountains. The plains are a lost cause, I think, whereas with our newfound resistance to cold, we may yet win in the mountains, where their long-range artillery does not dominate as much.

Quote
Deploy al-Mutriqa to the
1 Mountains: NUKE9.13
0 Jungle
1 Plains: Kashyyk
0 Sea
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Atomic Chicken

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Re: Wands Race - [Moskurg]
« Reply #2463 on: June 17, 2017, 03:32:31 pm »

Quote
Deploy al-Mutriqa to the
2 Mountains: NUKE9.13, AC
0 Jungle
1 Plains: Kashyyk
0 Sea
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As mentioned in the previous turn, the most exciting field of battle this year will be in the Arstotzkan capitol, with plenty of close-quarter fighting and siege warfare.  Arstotzka, accordingly, spent their design phase developing a high-altitude tactical bomber. 

somemildmanneredidiot

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Re: Wands Race - [Moskurg]
« Reply #2464 on: June 17, 2017, 04:31:17 pm »

Tornados are most effective on plains by vitrue of IRL, so the increase of general power in addition to gaining bonuses where Tornados are weakest is nice.

I cannot think of where to send al-Mutriqa. Any front is one they could push on, and any front could be one they want most.
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"As to why you'd want to [throw your sword in combat] at all? The answer is pretty simple: There's someone you want to stab, but they're all the way over there, and walking is for peasants." - Starke of How To Fight Write

evictedSaint

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Re: Wands Race - [Moskurg]
« Reply #2465 on: June 17, 2017, 04:43:06 pm »

Smmi: that's because irl tornados run out of energy in areas with lots of wind-blocking trees and rocks, and is more likely to occur naturally in flat areas.

Your mages are the driving forces behind tornados, so you dont have to worry about trees and whatnot sapping the strength of the tornado.

somemildmanneredidiot

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Re: Wands Race - [Moskurg]
« Reply #2466 on: June 17, 2017, 05:27:56 pm »

Huh. Neat.

Quote
Deploy al-Mutriqa to the
2 Mountains: NUKE9.13, AC
0 Jungle
2 Plains: Kashyyk, SMMI
0 Sea

To give us the greatest edge for pushing literally everywhere again. Plus I think they'll push the plains to try to get to our Desert to try to make us panic.
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"As to why you'd want to [throw your sword in combat] at all? The answer is pretty simple: There's someone you want to stab, but they're all the way over there, and walking is for peasants." - Starke of How To Fight Write

Madman198237

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Re: Wands Race - [Moskurg]
« Reply #2467 on: June 17, 2017, 09:36:32 pm »

Quote
Deploy al-Mutriqa to the
2 Mountains: NUKE9.13, AC
0 Jungle
3 Plains: Kashyyk, SMMI, Madman198237
0 Sea

This is a hard choice. However, we want to do a magic school sort of design soon. Let's get a population bonus first.
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crazyabe

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Re: Wands Race - [Moskurg]
« Reply #2468 on: June 17, 2017, 09:48:33 pm »

Quote
Deploy al-Mutriqa to the
2 Mountains: NUKE9.13, AC
0 Jungle
4 Plains: Kashyyk, SMMI, Madman198237, Crazyabe
0 Sea
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S34N1C

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Re: Wands Race - [Moskurg]
« Reply #2469 on: June 18, 2017, 12:40:08 am »

Quote
Deploy al-Mutriqa to the
2 Mountains: NUKE9.13, AC
0 Jungle
4 Plains: Kashyyk, SMMI, Madman198237, Crazyabe, S34N1C
0 Sea
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As always, life is brief and transient, your posting history lasts forever, so always prioritise forum games.

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evictedSaint

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Re: Wands Race - [Moskurg]
« Reply #2470 on: June 19, 2017, 01:08:26 am »

Combat for 940


This year sees Arstotzka get a new weapon they've been working on finally on the field.  Known as the "AS-R1", it is simply a small cannon that a man could hold in his hands.  Using mainly crystal for construction, a long, thin metal handle is used to activate magic stored in the attached A-level magegems, activating a magical circuit that fires off a new type of fireball in the combustion chamber, which then propels a small shell out of the barrel.  Braced against the mages shoulder, it can reach out to Extreme Range, but struggles to hit a target at Medium Range.  Still, it's merely Expensive, smaller than a longbow, has a higher velocity, and can be used by a non-mage for an extra expense level.  It is their first foray into magical spells made usable by non-mages, and yet another step into the world of firearms.  Due to advancements made in the development of this weapon, their cannons no longer require water to operate, lessening the load on their crystal train and increasing the rate of fire of all their weapons.

Additionally, they unveil the next evolution of their armor: Combat Armor.  Constructed entirely of crystal and with a more robust degree of protection, it features a clear crystal faceplate.  Without eyeslits or gaps in the armor, it's virtually impenetrable to arrows.  It comes with a steel antenna that runs from the head down to the right foot, in order to route electricity away from the more vulnerable internal bits of the soldier wearing the armor.  The antenna is destroyed after being struck, but it means the soldier can at least survive being hit once now.  Antennas are relatively cheap, so six are put on every Crystalclad ship.

Moskurg has surprised everyone by diversifying their weather magic with yet more weather magic.  The next natural evolution of their wind spell, the "Zephyric Destruction" is a powerful tornado that can be cast by a single mage.  Able to reach Extreme Range, the tornado has been amped up in power through a revision and is alarmingly lethal in areas with high amounts of debris - such as the jungle, taiga, and to a lesser extent the Mountains.  It's not very lethal in the plains or desert unless it directly passes over an enemy soldier, but could possibly capsize a ship on the ocean.  Due to the high amounts of wind involved, this spell can't be cast by mages flying on the airships or carpets.

They also tweak their Adamantium to give themselves greater control over the pre-set temperature of the conjured metal.  Able to be mass-set by a mage over an hour-long ritual, their armor now promises to keep the soldiers warm in cold weather.  Only the severely negligent have a reason to freeze to death any more - the metal can be set from freezing to boiling temperatures, permanently.  They make a set of cook-ware for their camp cooks, much to the common soldiers happiness.




Arstotzkas combat armor shows mixed results in the jungle.

No more maneuverable than their previous plate armor, it is at least a bit lighter.  Combat once again sees the resurgence of men slogging across no-man's land to meet the enemy in combat.  The lightning rods tend to explode into a fine, super-heated vapor when struck, often knocking over the soldier hit.  Much to Moskurgs surprise, these men will get up and continue on, with rarely more damage than a crack along the armor where the antenna had been attached.  When meeting with Moskurg troops they once again have the upper hand, as their clear-crystal visors give a greater degree of visibility than their previous eye slits.  Still, no soldier survives getting struck by lightning twice, and Firestorm grenades prove to be just as effective as before.  Combat Armor clad soldiers either suffocate or boil to death when engulfed in the sticky flame, and out-dated ballistas (though fewer in number due to Moskurgs strained supply of apprentices and wizards) can still punch a bolt straight through the breastplate of the armor.  Regardless of the short-comings of the armor, it proves to give them a slightly better edge at both reaching their enemy and for actually winning in the melee.

More useful is Arstotzka's new waterless cannons.  Without needing to wait for water to be supplied, a cannon can be reloaded much more quickly with no reduction of firing velocity.  This helps bump the lethality of their HA1 despite having non-explosive ammo, but more importantly benefits their HAC-1 anti-air cannon.  An apprentice can now get more shots out per minute, which tends to cut down War Pegasi riders when multiple cannons are firing at once.

Moskurgs new tornado manages to pick up the slack where their lightning left off, however; in the jungle, a common branch on the ground becomes a ballista bolt when picked up by the Zephyr.  Charges are often proceeded by multiple tornadoes spinning across the ground towards Arstotzkan lines.  It manages to also make HA1 rounds more inaccurate, if they pass through or near the tornado, but accuracy has never been a major issue as their volume of fire isn't diminished.  The new spell proves to be much more effective than their now-nerfed lightning, but unfortunately must be cast by mages on the ground as the turbulent air is not conducive to fliers.  The Airship is usually fine, though, able to stand off at a distance and continue picking at Arstotzkan lines with lightning and ballista shots even during the tornado rampage.

Arstotzka's new rifle sees an odd use; though envisioned as a weapon that all their troops will one day wield, it is currently used exclusively by their Mage-Hunters for assassinations and wizards for anti-air emergencies.  Mage-Hunters typically crawl through no-mans land on their bellies, both their crystal armor and crystal weapons rubbed with tar, dirt, and grass to help stay out of sight of Moskurg air patrols.  Once in range, the rifle shows its superiority over the long-bow through one simple fact: you don't need to stand up to use it.  Mage-Hunters get as close to Medium Range as they can, take careful aim, and simultaneously take out commanders and wizards in a single volley.  With no steam cloud or movement required on their part, their often unseen and unheard beyond the report of their rifles.  The bullets even punch through pavise shields with ease.  Getting back is much harder, however - Moskurg air patrols are very thorough, and once caught the elite troops are often doused with firestorm shells and die a horrible, messy death.  Still, the assassinations take their toll.

The advantage is still in Moskurgs favor, however, as their control of the adjacent oceans means they get to choose when and where they can launch surprise invasions against Arstotzkan lines.  Able to stay out of range of HA1 artillery and move faster than the troops on land, they often sneak behind Arstotzkan lines and wreak havoc.  Supply lines suffer, and it's not uncommon for the Restless crystal train to not show up at all as the train tracks are an easy target for sabotage.  The naval advantage makes a large difference here.

Though they're no longer immune to lightning, Arstotzkans soldiers at least now can survive a bit longer before death comes for them.  Tornados have now overtaken lightning as the #1 cause of death for Arstotzkans, and though their assassinations are quite brutal on Moskurg wizards, commanders, and moral, Moskurgers are no longer freezing to death thanks to their heated armor.  Charging across no-man's land is still pretty lethal for both sides despite their new armor, and though the HAC-1's can now fire more rapidly they still require time to reload.  Moskurg manages to push Arstotzka back a section, though only barely and largely due to the destructive capabilities of their tornadoes when given plenty of debris to throw around and their naval advantage.

Moskurg gains a section of jungle.

In the mountains, Moskurgs tornadoes have a harder time. 

Though they now have rocks and the occasional tree to throw at enemy troops, the uneven terrain makes controlling the tornado - or even keeping it alive - quite difficult.  The terrain benefits Arstotzkan snipers here even more, who occasionally even take shots of opportunity at the low-flying carpet bombers overhead.  Arstotzka still has the artillery advantage here in the mountains, and with Moskurgs diminished carpet bombing, lightning, and tornados, they are eventually forced to concede the mountains.

Arstotzka gains control of the mountains.  If they hold it for a turn, they gain the metal bonus.

With less debris in the plains, the tornadoes generally require going directly over enemy troops to inflict casualties.  Likewise, Arstotzka's Mage-Hunters have a harder time sneaking close to enemy lines in the wide open, flat terrain.  The increased rate of fire of Arstotzka's HA1's has started to put strain on their supply lines, even despite the fact they no longer require water.  This is exacerbated by al-Mutriqa personally leading raids on enemy supply lines, leading the way with his Wand of Heroism and Black Phantoms entourage.  When the cannons fall silent, it's often due to a train being blasted while carrying a supply of shells.  Normally when this happens, Arstotzka can simply out-wait their opponents, knowing they'll all eventually die of the cold, which is not the case any more.  Battles must be fought and won, and on the rare occasions troops actually meet it's Arstotzka who has the upper hand, despite Moskurg dropping firestorm shells and blasting about with their Spear of Allah.  Their new R1 rifle can punch through Moskurg Elite Lamellar Armor with ease, thanks to the large bullet and the relatively close range it's used at.  It suffers due to the fact that the rifle can be shut off by Moskurgs anti-magic fields, though there's fewer now due to their mages being used elsewhere and getting assassinated by Mage-Hunters.

Ultimately, the fact that lightning can't kill with every strike (though it still has a profound effect if a mage uses the Spear on the same target twice), the fact that the tornado has less debris to pick up, and the fact that the increased fire rate of HAC-1's push raiding War Pegasi riders away means Moskurgs forces suffer.  Likewise, HA1's suffering from al-Mutriqa's raids, the relatively little impact of the R1 in this theater, untouchable Airships standing off and plinking away at their lines, and the fact that their superior troops must stomp through killing fields before being able to kill their counterparts means that Arstotzka's forces suffer. 

At the end of the day, it's Moskurgs ability to land troops behind Arstotzkan lines that gives them the advantage.  Arstotzka might have been able to push them back, but without a way to stop incursions from the coast their lines are ragged and bent and they must concede anther section of plains to Moskurg.

Moskurg gains a section of the plains.

The lightning-rods and faster-firing HAC-1's prove to be game-changers on the open seas.

Moskurg was already struggling to sink the Crystalclad ships with their out-dated ballistas, relying heavily on lightning strikes and War Pegasi to keep the ships suppressed.  The lightning rods do a good job of keeping the lightning from hitting troops immediately, buying time for the ships to either get out of range or shoot down the carpet-bomber casting the spell.  The Alsamma Safina is still virtually immune to anything the ships down bellow can throw at it, standing out of range and spamming their accurate Spear of Allah until the lightning rods are gone or until the crew dies, but the Sirocco has a much harder time.  Inferior to the the Crystalclad in both armor and weaponry, they're used exclusively to sink suppressed Crystalclads and to launch carpet-bombers.  The sea is mostly a deadlock, but Myark manages to push the advantage in Arstotzka's favor.  Surprisingly accurate with the R1, he excels at shooting down the fast-moving War Pegasi even at Long Range, and his Wand of True Light can make the weaker-hearted Moskurg sailors turn tail.  The tornadoes are harder to use on the open sea, and though Moskurg manages to capsize a few Crystalclads it's not enough.

Arstotzka manages to push Moskurg out, reclaiming their northern seas - the balance of naval power has shifted towards Arstotzka once again.

Arstotzka regains control of the Northern Sea.
 

Research Credit!!!
It has come time for you heir to complete their education and move from an Apprentice-level mage to a Wizard-level mage.  However, in order to "officially" receive the title of "Wizard" they must make some advancement in the field of magic.  For many, this is a rather minute advancement; a slightly streamlined piece of magical circuitry, or a better interpretation of the Word of Allah.  This task is known as a "Thesis", and your heir must go through the arduous task of researching and writing it. 

Of course your heir will gain the title whether they are worthy or not; it would not do for the future leader of the kingdom to remain a lowly apprentice.  That being said, they're actually quite magically skilled so failure on their part is unlikely, but still your Sultan is worried.  There are some who grumble that your heir is unfit to lead as she is female, and her destructive and chaotic nature (learned from al-Mutriqa) makes her unfit to rule and unreliable as a leader.  Perhaps this Thesis is a chance to show dissenters (a group supporting Hayat's younger brother, despite the line of succession going to the oldest child) the legitimacy of your heir as the future Sultan?  He has asked you to guide young Hayat with her research.

Whichever side writes a more competent Thesis for their heir will gain a Research Credit for the next turn (2 rolls for each Effectiveness, Cost, and Bugs, highest roll picked.  Penalties and bonuses still apply to rolls).  Limit 1 submission per person, limit 750 words per submission.  Sides will vote on the Thesis to submit.


It is 941, the Design Phase.

Spoiler: State of Forenia, 941 (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Moskurger Spells (click to show/hide)



Behavior Rules.  Please Read.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
« Last Edit: June 19, 2017, 12:10:29 pm by evictedSaint »
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Kashyyk

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Re: Wands Race - [Moskurg]
« Reply #2471 on: June 19, 2017, 02:08:04 am »

Okay, I think note is the time to work on that magical academy. Or make of our spells cheap. Either would be good as it is more clear we aren't using any of them as much as we could because we've only got so many wizards and our apprentices are doing sod all.
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Kashyyk

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Re: Wands Race - [Moskurg]
« Reply #2472 on: June 19, 2017, 07:27:50 am »

Magical Academy
Using a modification of Detect Thoughts and Teletalk we have created two types of amulet. The Instructors amulet, designed to be warn by a capable wizard, has the unique ability of transmitting thoughts (like a teletalk wand) to all bonded Student amulets within 20m. The student amulet needs only the presence of magical potential to be active, there should be very little actual skill required beyond basic meditation (a skill that all followers of Allah should be capable of). This set up will allow an instructor to transmit their thoughts whilst casting a spell, allowing the students to experience the casting and thus understand the intricacies of whatever spell is being taught in a way that is unreachable from mere observation.
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Detoxicated

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Re: Wands Race - [Moskurg]
« Reply #2473 on: June 19, 2017, 07:39:43 am »

Magical Academy: (1) detoxicated
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somemildmanneredidiot

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Re: Wands Race - [Moskurg]
« Reply #2474 on: June 19, 2017, 08:00:58 am »

I agree that we should do the Academy this turn, but I think we should do it as a Revision rather than a Design. I have a Plan on Discord that I'm waiting for input on before sharing more in depth, which basically boils down to us drowning them in Airships and Wizards for this turn.
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