Combat for 932Our guards stand on the edge of our camps at night, scanning the horizon, alert, ready, waiting for the inevitable Moskurg raiders to come charging through. Our apprentices cast crystal caltrops, just
knowing it’s a fruitless countermeasure. It hasn’t stopped them for years, but it’s a necessary gesture – it forces them to bring their anti-magic to bear. A lucky archer might be able to snipe the staff-wielding mage and prevent the raid altogether, but that’s a slim chance all on its own. Meanwhile, our men sleep lightly in their tents further into camp, wearily wondering if tonight will be the night they can get a full nights sleep. Our Theatre Commander stays up late and pours over maps and strategies and troop logistics in a desperate attempt to find some way to break the Moskurg lines and regain a foothold in the jungle.
In the dead of night, a pair of grenades explode in the middle of camp.
Chaos erupts as fire begins popping up at random in the camp, burning tents and equipment to ash and sending flaming soldiers stumbling for some semblance of protection. We are caught entirely unaware, and as soon as it starts the attack stops. This happens again, and again, until our camps are massive, sprawling things spaced out as far as we can feasibly make them.
Our own attacks are successful, but nowhere near as devastating. Our snipers can kill a dozen men at a time with no casualties, and our heavy calvary can do more damage but at the cost of being cut down. Our mages can’t bring their fire to bear due to their anti-magic, and without Moskurg being left shivering in the cold we can’t even rely on the elements to help.
Moskurg has a massive skirmish advantage.
Our new artillery shows its strength on the battlefield. Moskurg is camped on the edge of the jungle, intent on holding their line. Nothing can compare to the reach of the HA1, and we can shell them with impunity from long range. The effect of the artillery is unclear; we’re simply shelling locations where Moskurg
might be. Barrages must stop periodically due to a lack of ammunition, but in the taiga we are rarely without water. The swampy lands that border the jungle provide the water we need, and further north into the tundra we will have plenty of snow we could easily melt into water. Still, despite these drawbacks the shelling must be having some effect. We can see something rising from Moskurg lines – a balloon, perhaps? Soon after Moskurg will roll forward with their ballistas and the shelling begins in earnest.
Their ballistas are still uncannily accurate, but we now have HC1-E’s as our main artillery force. The small cannons aren’t as accurate and they don’t have fire-shells like Moskurg, but they fire much more quickly. Plus, we still have our HA1’s, which have a much larger caliber. We don’t have time to disassemble the HA1’s and reassemble them further back, so they’re stuck at Extreme Range with the rest of the artillery. Their large size makes them an immediate target and they are destroyed one-by-one, but they do manage to take a couple ballistas with them.
The prior shelling and the larger, accurate HA1’s tip things in our favor, even though the HC1’s are evenly matched with the ballistas. Curiously, there are fewer ballistas than usual, but this only emboldens our men. We make some progress pushing them back…until their mages fly overhead. It’s a new Moskurg trick, flying; their mages slowly drift over our lines, just barely within reach of our longbows. Once their fire grenades start falling from above the nature of their nightly attacks becomes clear. The bombing is terribly effective. Our archers begin firing upwards with some minor success, managing to pick off a wizard, but the arrows that miss begin falling back down into our own troop lines. Right away they put up their disgusting shields of wind, which is effective at deflecting the stray, spent arrow that would otherwise kill. It is at this point our Mage-Hunters start shooting.
Mage-Hunters, with their superior bow skills and anti-magic bomb arrows, are effective at stopping the Moskurg threat. The explosive nature of the arrow means they don’t even have to have a direct hit; the shrapnel is effective at sending them tumbling from the skies. From the wizards who come down we find that they seem to be riding…rolled up carpets? It’s a cheap Moskurg trick, and their floor-ware doesn’t save them from out bomb arrows. We even come close to knocking out al-Mutriqa, sailing by with his multi-colored cloak and black phantasm troops, but pulls back in time. We manage to repel to Moskurg air forces, but by this point our lines are in complete disarray. Moskurg charges across the gap between our lines and does a solid job of mopping things up, and we are forced to retreat further into our homelands. Moskurg has gained a section of Taiga.
Our Theatre Commander gravely informs us that Moskurg has gained a foothold in our homelands. They will be hampered by our fleet and the cold if they attempt to push further, but for the moment they’ve pressed beyond the jungle. He notes that our bomb arrows were particularly effective at repulsing the enemy, but during night raids it’s difficult to spy Moskurg wizards above. This has a huge detriment to our war effort. The HA1 is also effective, but our inability to spot where our shells are landing is hurting us. In a similar vein, the difficulty of keeping them supplied when they go through 4 shells per minute keeps our barrages from being constant. He discounts the flying trick as just that: a trick. They move slow, they fly relatively low, and now that we know to watch out for them our Mage-Hunters will be able to keep them away. Flight will have absolutely no role in warfare beyond this one, single surprise trick.
He does note that the HC1-E is doing its job quite nicely, and is able to stand up to their main ballista force all on its own. On a brighter note, he mentions that small growths of plants have begun popping up in the jungle now that it is no longer snowing, suggesting that the environmental devastation both sides has visited upon it will not be permanent.
Moskurg maintains their hold on the jungle and may now exploit what wood remains for resources.
Moskurg has gained a section of taiga! We assault the desert from the mountains.
Our Towers of Frost make the descent into the badlands that separate the mountains from the desert bearable. The rocky, sandy soil is poor for trenchbuilding and we have a minor height advantage coming from the mountains, so they have a difficult time defending. Our HA1 does a great deal of work, firing as often as the limited ammo supply will allow. Battles are brief, intense, and bloody. Without tree cover their flying wizards are easier to spot during raids, but it’s difficult to take advantage of seeing them coming. Firing upwards at night is a tricky task, and though they take more casualties during the skirmishes here than they did in the jungle, they still manage to maintain a firm lead with regards to skirmishing.
Our new artillery is still plagued by limited supplies and the difficulty of knowing where we’re hitting, so at Beyond LOS range they’re not as effective as they could be. Our most valuable asset is our HC1-E’s, which excel in the open terrain, especially at Long or Medium range due to shots skipping across the smooth sandy ground. Our heavy calvary and men are uncomfortable in the heat despite the assistance of the Towers of Frost, but even worse is the wind blowing sand in our face. It hinders visibility and finds its way into every nook and cranny. Even worse, the warm weather means storms are possible again, and their lightning strikes tend to favor the large metal HA1’s. The constant rain means we at least have the water to feed our HA1’s, so again the limiting factor becomes spotting and ammo supply. Without the lightning it might have been a close battle, but we are sadly forced back.
Our Theatre Commander desperately wants to use the HA1’s more, but we don’t even know if we’re hitting at BLOS range. Their air troops do a decent job at harassing our men, although it’s primarily only at night. The Mage-Hunters do a good job at keeping them at bay during the day, but they are still managing to get through at times and they can’t be everywhere. If it weren’t for our bomb arrows they would have complete control of the skies.
Arstotzka fails to gain ground in the desert. Things go differently in the plains.
Our HA1 doesn’t
need to see where it’s hitting here. We already know where their emplacements and trenchlines are. They fire as soon as they’re fed ammo, and the sudden increase in range forces Moskurg to creep their lines backwards. Advancement is slow, but successful. Much like in the desert, the constant rain and light snow lets them occasionally bring their lightning to bear, randomly striking where it may. The HA1’s are commonly struck, requiring repairs often. Again, the lack of tree cover means their air forces are less effective during skirmishes and during assaults and we shoot a fair number of them down, but it’s an effective tactic. Clearly these mages used to be powering their ballistas, which is why Moskurg has been fielding fewer this year.
Our men are still growing sick due to sitting in trenches, but the increased distance between the trenches means they no longer have to be worried about being randomly struck by a lucky artillery shot. Now all they have to worry about are carpet-riding zealots dropping grenades into the trenches. The HA1 isn’t enough to win the day all on its own, but it is definitely more of an advantage here and we are able to push Moskurg onto the back foot. Another year of this and we’ll be able to take another section of plains.
Our Theatre Commander is worried about the carpet-riders. He, unlike the Theatre Commander in the jungle, fears that this represents another change in combat doctrine – much like when they first introduced their ballistas. He urges our design team to develop a counter as quickly as possible and develop our own air force, lest we lag behind in this ever-changing war.
Neither side gains ground in the plains. Battles in the sea benefit greatly from the HC1-E. The decrease in cost means our ships can now all afford to be outfitted with the superior cannon. A single ship with an HC1-E is a match for a Moskurg ship equipped with a ballista, although they both tend to sink from damage sustained. The SPB is faster than Moskurgs ships and can dictate when and where engagements happen, and are able to sink several Moskurg ships for each one lost. This alone would let us further our hold on the seas, were it not for Moskurgs air forces. Countering their carpet riders is even more difficult on the pitching seas, but thankfully our SPB’s are faster and can keep out from under their deadly area of effect. They are much more effective against our regular non-steam boats. Ultimately, both sides slaughter each other a lot and no one gains any ground.
Our Theatre Commander asks for the design team to develop a larger boat that could either carry multiple HC1-E’s or a HA1. We could so easily take the seas from those Moskurg dogs, if only we had the tools to do so.
Neither side gains ground in the Eastern or Western Seas. Revision Credit!!!Many years ago, a brilliantly red shooting star sailed across the skies, inspiring our troops and foretelling our eventual victory. Once again the star is seen above, leaving a long red tail behind it as it makes its way across the sky. To our surprise, this year the star doesn’t disappear back into the heavens. Instead we watch as it comes down far to the east, striking the earth far beyond the horizon. Plans are instantly made to travel to the landing site and claim whatever we may find there. It will be a long journey, and it will be dangerous. No doubt Moskurg will also make an attempt to lay their foul hands on whatever God has chosen to send us, so whatever forces we send must be able to deal with them accordingly.
The King asks for your judgement on what troops to send to claim the fallen star. Keep in mind that whatever troops we send will be unable to fight for us this year, and if our opponent sends a superior force to claim the star they will likely crush what troops we send. We don’t know what we will find when we get there, or indeed if anything even
will be there, but it’s not something our King is willing to leave to chance. What should we send?
It is 933, the Design Phase.Northern Taiga: 3/4 Arstotzka, 1/4 Moskurg
Central Mountains: 4/4 Arstotzka
Western Jungle: 4/4 Moskurg
Eastern Plains: 1/4 Arstotzka, 3/4 Moskurg
Southern Desert: 4/4 Moskurg
Northern Sea: Arstotzka
Western Sea: Disputed
Eastern Sea: Disputed
Southern Sea: Moskurger
Broadsword: An iron age classic. A double-edged blade designed for speed, flexibility and force. Requires training to wield, can be used one or two handed. Removable pommel for throwing.Cheap.
War Axe: Can be used as a tool in a pinch, this is a single-handed weapon that does well against heavily armoured foes. Can be used with minimal training. Cheap.
Wooden Shield: General infantry equipment. Couples well with an axe, cheap, easy to replace. Works best in heavy melee. Can be used with minimal training. Cheap.
Hide Armour: General infantry armour. Cheap, thanks to the plentiful sheep in the taiga. Turns aside weak blows. Cheap. Obsolete.
Gambeson: A leather armoring doublet designed to go with plate armor. Helps protect against arrows.
Chain Mail: Officer armour. Expensive, due to the steel required. Very effective against most weapons. Expensive. Obsolete.
Plate Mail: General infantry and officer armour. So well designed it costs surprisingly little to make. Normal cost.
Longbow: General infantry weapon. Difficult to find wood and requires a lot of training, but long ranged and powerful. Cheap.
Shire Horse: A heavy riding horse. Survives and rides well in cold weather. Powerful charge. Normal Cost.
Longship: Oar-rowed wooden ship. Slow, but sturdy, and can carry large numbers of landing troops. Very Expensive.
Steam Engine: A highly expensive and enormously heavy steam engine. Uses a steam turbine to generate power. Uses PSF's and a steam recycler with enchanted gold etchings to manage heat. Very Expensive.
SPB "Fog-O-War": Boat using two steam engines for power. Slightly faster than Moskurg ships. Tends to sink after the first hit. Very Expensive.
HC1: AKA the "Extreme-Range Hybrid Cannon". Arstotzka's first cannon. Uses a fireball and steam to propel a fist-sized iron ball Long-Range. Inaccurate, but can be loaded quickly. Has a tendency to crack. Expensive.
HC1-E: The Elite version of the HC1. Fires at Extreme-Range. Uses rifling, ballistics, and an overall better and more consistent design. Utilizes enchanted gold etching for barrel cooling. More expensive to produce. Very Expensive.
Equalizer: Anti-magic shell. Dispells all magic around it. Difficult to produce and fire, dangerous to use. National Effort.
HC2: A failed attempt to upgrade the HC1 with auto-cooling barrel and ambitious steam recycler. Explodes or breaks after every shot. Very Expensive. Obsolete.
Arzotskan Academy for Adequate Apprenticeship: Basic magic training for apprentices. Allows them to be more useful on the offensive. Very prestigious. Actively recruits new apprentices.Expensive.
Wand of Fireballs: Hurls fireballs at a distance, able to destroy whole squads at a time. A National Effort. Obsolete.
Tower of Forever Frost: An astoundingly expensive tower that has to be assembled in place and requires the skill of a master wizard to operate, as well as countless other skilled wizards. Creates a very powerful cold evocation and then channels it directly into the air, consistently lowering temperatures within a radius of about fifty miles. Can induce snow in the jungle during the winter, freezing rain in the summer. A National Effort.
Anti-Magic Charm: A magically enchanted quartz crystal. Hums loudly in the presence of magic, and prevents magic from being conjured inside the very limited range. Expensive.
Anti-Magic Bomb Arrows: Arrows that explode on contact with magic into red-hot, razor-sharp crystal shards.
Magic Lance: Conjures a set of lances for a cavalry squad. Thick enough not to break on use, and lasts long enough to be useful in combat. Expensive.
Magic Axe: Conjures a set of long axes for officers. Weapon is anchored to a small gem in the handle, allowing it to exist longer than 24 hours. Expensive.
Dogwood Wand: Wand that allows the user to accelerate the growth of a single plant to a limited degree. Wands are cheap to make, but don't last very long. Cheap.
Anti-Mages: Mage hunters equipped with longbows, anti-magic charms, anti-magic arrows, and the best armor we can give them. Excel at sniping enemy mages.
Obscuring Mist: Cloaks a squad in a fog cloud, hiding their numbers and equipment, and making them harder to hit at range.
Variant (Channeled Fog): A denser form of Obscuring mist, continuously generated.
Summon Swarm: Conjures a swarm of stinging wasps to harass foes. Expensive.
Variant (Fire Wasps): Conjures stinging wasps that can start small fires. Expensive.
Webs: Conjures a sticky web, immobilizing an entire squad and preventing them from moving. Very Expensive.
Fireball: Hurls fireballs at a distance, able to destroy whole squads at a time. Damaging side effects harm morale. Very Expensive. Obsolete.
Minor Fireball: Smaller version of fireball. Doesn't cause collateral damage, but doesn't explode on impact. Expensive. Obsolete.
Streamlined Fireball: Hurls small balls of fire that explode on impact. Devastating against massed troops. Cheap.
Firewall: Creates static walls of fire. Long casting time, concentration sustain. Very Expensive.
Crystal Caltrops: Jagged crystals designed to lay in the grass and catch enemy troops unaware. Good for defense. Normal Cost.
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 - [Arstotzka] {COMPLETED} (Read 377083 times)