Combat for 944Arstotzka makes a thing this year, but it has a tendency to flip over and explode. Despite the potential military applications of a giant exploding thing, they decide not to release it this year. For their revision they improve their Aethergems, allowing them to recharge much, much faster. This improves the rate of fire of their HA1-b "Mundane". They hold back one of their Expense Credits and use the other to make Aethergems even cheaper, reducing the cost of their Mundane and R1 - which is now Expensive and Cheap respectively.
Moskurg has decided that More Flying Things Is Good and produce what they call "The Phoenix" - a giant flying flamethrower. Essentially a giant tanker filled with Alnnar and powered by dozens of Adamantium War Pegasi Scrolls, it is hardy enough to withstand anything smaller than an HAC-1 at Medium Range and able to spew the oily substance on the poor men below. It rolls with perfect Effectiveness and no Bugs, but some members of the Moskurg Design Team are still angry that it's not fast and can't fly very high or tank full-sized artillery shells. Rather than fix any of those things however, Moskurg instead spend their revisions improving their Anti-Magic to be usable from their Skyskiffs and create a variant of their Firestorm grenades called "Fire and Thunder" - much less fire and much more boom. For their Expense Credit they've decided to spend it wooing the traveling magician.
The Taiga, Arstotzkas Homeland, is the first to see the devastating power of the Phoenix this year.
Moskurg Skyskiffs, still virtually untouchable, run rampant over the skies this year - the same as they had last year. The only difference is that the "gunner" can use their Anti-Magic Ivory Staves to stall the magic of the wizards below. Their initial supply of new-and-improved grenades (now with brittle iron shells to throw shrapnel) is spent first. All-in-all the new grenades don't do much that the old ones can't. The shrapnel doesn't penetrate armor unless it's really close, and it doesn't leave flaming patches of hard-to-put-out fire. Still, they're great against softer targets like horses or unarmored men. Once their bomb stores run dry the Skyskiffs stop high in the air and blanket the ground below with their Anti-Magic fields. Arstotzkan circuitry still isn't immune to anti-magic, so their cannons and guns can't fire. This proves to be a horrific oversight.
Over the horizon, massive oblong Adamantium ships crawl towards Arstotzkan lines. As they pass over Arstotzkan troops and defenses, the small turret on the bottom of the ship sprays those below with the contents of the tank above. Unable to use their cannons, there's little Arstotzka can do but attempt to flee as a single bolt of lightning arcs from one of the ships above to the mess below.
Arstotzkas entire battle line goes up in flames.
The forests burn non-stop this year.
Moskurg gains a section of Taiga this year. They've held the Jungle for a year, and may exploit it for the Jungle Wood.The R1 proves to be more effective in the desert where more open lines of sight are available, and the melees that occur when Moskurg troops surprise Arstotzkan forces go almost entirely in Arstotzka's favor. The R1 is never a soldiers only weapon, but the ability to quickly kill an enemy before switching to axe or broadsword is invaluable. The 11 mm bullet punches through the thin leather-backed Adamantium armor that Moskurg soldiers wear, but one shot is all it's good for before the excess weight is dropped and the soldier goes for his main weapon. The Protector is still suffering from poor locomotion and asphyxiation, but now they're also suffering from Anti-Magic from above completely shutting down the IDE engine inside.
Moskurg, meanwhile, has learned that they can't beat Arstotzka in a fair fight - either in artillery slug matches or man-to-man melee's. They rely entirely on their airforce now, shutting down Arstotzkan magic and bombing men below. With the advent of the Phoenix Arstotzka has learned to space their artillery out in huge, wide fields of deployment. This makes it difficult to coordinate bracketing fire or protect one another from assaults, but on occasion a Moskurg Skyskiff will fail to shut down an artillery piece as the Phoenix comes in for the killing blow. The explosions are breathe-taking, and anyone within a half-mile of the crash usually doesn't walk away from it, but these lucky strikes are few and in between. Even without the Phoenix, naval superiority, or al-Mutriqa (who has taken a liking to standing on the bow of the giant fire-breathing Adamantium balloon), Moskurg could probably have pushed their Arstotzkan intruders back this year anyways.
Moskurg regains a control of the Desert.With Moskurg forces tied up fighting in the desert, they are unable to push north to fight in the Plains or Mountains. No battle occurs there this year, but things look grim for the defenders this coming year.
Arstotzka continues to hold the Mountains and Plains.Neither side really does much this year that drastically changes the war on the oceans. Skyskiffs are still the weapon of choice for Moskurg, and Crystalclads are still what Arstotzka relies on for their naval power. With nothing really changing, Moskurg gains full control of the seas to the East and West of Forenia this year.
Moskurg gains a section of shoreline in both the Eastern and Western Seas and now has full control of both.!!DESIGN CREDIT!!Both sides attempt to woo the fabulous Saint this year.
Arstotzka starts off with their magical technology; demonstrating the feats of magic they're capable of producing without a mage at all! The Saint is quite impressed - he admits that some of the feats they've performed are difficult for even
him to perform. He does a flourish and immediately pulls a string of handkerchiefs out of his mouth that goes on for an inordinate amount of time before ending in a pair of pantaloons. Everyone applauds despite their confusion. Next they give him a Restless train of his own; a large, blocky hunk of crystal confined to Arstotzka's limited railway system. He's less impressed, but still accepts the gift and then pulls a bouquet of flowers out of thin air and hands them to a bystander.
Moskurg tries to put on a bit of fanfare, showing off their magical prowess in a fantastic show that mimics many of the feats they've seen him perform. He seems...less than enthused, muttering about "originality" and how they were "riffing off his talent", but his annoyance turns to awe when Moskurg pulls back the curtains to reveal the treasure seized from the merchant last year. The Saint vanishes in a puff of smoke, only to reappear on top of the pile of gold with a deck of cards. He successfully discerns which card a nearby child pulls from the deck and asks everyone to check their pockets, as they've all gained the same card magically - the Ace of Spades. With a bit of a flourish, the Saint doffs his top hat, does a bow, and then does his most amazing trick yet - vanishing without a trace with every last coin on stage. Though they search far and wide, it seems the Saint has disappeared from the island altogether with nary a credit left behind.
Neither side gains the Design Credit.Espionage Credit!!!After a bit of finger-snapping interrogation, it seems the trader is from the far-off land of China. He admits to buying the boat from the former trader after his last trade run, intending to take his place and make his fortune selling magical artifacts from Forenia. Unfortunately, his intentions were less-than-pure; had he managed to gain something of value from your nation, he would have gone to your enemy and attempted to sell your secrets for a massive profit.
Fortunately, this gives us a unique opportunity to use his skilled crew to further our own gains. Loyal to a fault, they agree to perform an
Espionage Credit for us if we release their captain and return their ship. If we agree to these terms, we must honor our word and release the trader captain once their work is done. Of course, we could just execute them all and be done with the mess...they're not exactly trust-worthy, after all.
It is 945, the Design Phase.Northern Taiga: 3/4 Arstotzka, 1/4 Moskurg
Central Mountains: 4/4 Arstotzka, 0/4 Moskurg
Western Jungle: [color=red0/4 Arstotzka[/color], 4/4 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. Obsolete.
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. Worn under armor. 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. Adamantium is tailored to the temperature of the theater being fought in, preventing soldiers from freezing to death. 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 Alwathnayu Mukafa'a - "Heathen's Reward". Explodes into sticky flame on impact. Incredibly lethal, incredibly dangerous. Nearly impossible to extinguish. Cheap.
Heathen's Reward: Alwathnayu Mukafa'a, a variant of Alnnar Almugaddasa. More reactive to open flame, tends to expand rapidly.
Fire and Thunder: Even more explosive Alnnar. Less flames, more boom. Can be put in an iron shell to cast fragments at enemies, although the fuse can be finicky.
The Pheonix: A giant tank of Alnnar, propelled into the air by dozens of Adamantium War Pegasi Scrolls. Requires multiple wizards to keep running. Armor is thick enough to withstand 14 mm's up to Medium Range. Features a turret on the bottom to spray the Alnnar on the poor fools below. Slow, highly explosive, but absolutely terrifying. Very Expensive.
Wand of Heroism: Makes a squad fight beyond human levels. A National Effort.
Moskurg's Apprentice Gramary for Inter-magical Competency: Trains some apprentices to Wizard-level. Does not provide more mages. 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. Temperature can be permanently set. 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. Cheap.
Staff of Tubikh Rrahim Albarq: Area-of-affect spell. Prevents all magic from being cast within field of effect out to Long 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] An even faster, higher, tamed version of the Pegasus. Requires each scroll to be broken-in before it can be used in the field, but now has its own form of locomotion. Enchantments now last longer. Made of Adamantium. Cheap.
Skyskiff: A two-seater Adamantium canoe. Equipped with two Adamantium War Pegasi Scrolls. Very fast, thick armor. Cheap.
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.
Wrath of Allah: Calls upon Allah to allow lightning to rain down, even in snowy weather. Multiple mages allow faster casting of Storm Strike.
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.
Zephyr of Allah - Zephyric Destruction: Tornado cast by a single mage. Very powerful, goes out to Extreme Range. Lethal with debris, less lethal otherwise. Can pick up a soldier, if it passes directly over him. Expensive.
Heretics' Downfall: Greater control over lightning. Can 'persuade' lightning to travel down certain paths despite easier paths being available.
Winds of Ruin: A variant of Storm Strike. Allows the casters to lend their intent to the storm, allowing it to blunt the range of enemy artillery and cast weather attack spells beyond line of sight. Very Expensive.
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 186628 times)