Combat for 940This 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, thing 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 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 King is worried. There are some who grumble that your heir is too frail to be a decent leader, and his fits of rage (learned from Myark) makes him rather unstable and unpredictable. Perhaps this Thesis is a chance to show dissenters (a group supporting the leader of a powerful clan, despite the fact that they've all pledged fealty to your current King) the legitimacy of your heir as the future King? He has asked you to guide young Bjorn with his 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.Northern Taiga: 4/4 Arstotzka, 0/4 Moskurg
Central Mountains: 4/4 Arstotzka, 0/4 Moskurg
Western Jungle: [color=red1/4 Arstotzka[/color], 3/4 Moskurg
Eastern Plains: 2/4 Arstotzka, 2/4 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
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. Obsolete.
Combat Armor: Crystal battle armor. Features a clear visor with no easy way for arrows to penetrate. Lightning rod allows user to survive a single blast of lightning. Cheap.
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. 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. Obsolete.
AS-SPB2-Crystalclad: Boat using a crystal hull, two steam engines, and three HC1-E's. More resilient, higher firepower, and just as fast as the Fog-O-War. Deck tends to be slippery. Equipped with a single HAC-1 for point-defense. Expensive.
Wand of True Light: Seeds doubt in enemy minds. Theatre-wide effect. Moral penalty. National Effort.
AS-STV-1 "Restless": Steam train. Crystal structure. Can carry troops and supplies to the front line. Little power, but can pick up to the speed of a horse in gallop. Very Expensive.
Magegems: Magical batteries. Comes in A, AA, and AAA forms. A is the largest, and could possibly power a couple flare spells. AAA is the smallest, and could maybe power some sort of time-keeping device. Cheap-Very Expensive.
HA1: Arstotzkan heavy artillery. Fires at beyond line-of-sight range. Requires three apprentices to operate, plus loading and water crew. Uses nickel circuitry to cool the cannon. Breech-loaded. Made mostly of crystal. 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. Cheap. Obsolete.
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 nickel etching for barrel cooling. Made mostly of crystal. Breech-loaded.Cheap.
Equalizer: Anti-magic shell. Dispells all magic around it. Difficult to produce and fire, dangerous to use. Expensive.
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.
AS-HAC-1: An all-crystal small-caliber cannon. Swivel-mounted. Breech-loaded. Aimed through horse-hair crosshairs. Relatively short reload time. Uses a "bolt action" for loading. Circuit-cooled. Expensive.
AS-R1 Hybrid Rifle: A cannon you can hold! Made out of crystal, circuit-cooled, breech-loaded, bolt-action. Two A-level Magegems allow non-magic users to use it for +1 expense level. Uses just the fireblast for propulsion rather than steam. Reaches Extreme Range, but inaccurate past Medium Range. Expensive.
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.
Crystalworks: A workshop that produces crystal items cheaply, permanently, and with a mild brittle factor. Crystals can repair microfractures, eliminating the need for maintenance. Expensive.
Wand of Fireballs: Hurls fireballs at a distance, able to destroy whole squads at a time. A National Effort. Obsolete.
Minor Towers of Forever Frost: Small, complicated towers that have to be assembled in place and requires the skill of several wizards to operate. 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. Now made with pre-inscribed marble blocks.Expensive.
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. Cheap.
Magic Axe: Conjures a set of long axes for officers. Cheap.
Dogwood Wand: Wand that allows the user to accelerate the growth of a patch of plants to an area and height equal to their own height. Wands are cheap to make, but don't last very long. Cheap.
Anti-Mages: Mage hunters equipped with R1's, anti-magic charms, anti-magic arrows, falcons, 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.
Powerful Streamlined Fireball: Hurls small balls of fire that explode on impact. Devastating against massed troops. Cheap.
Small Powerful Streamlined Fireball: Smaller fireballs, for firing cannons and guns without water. Cheap.
Flare: A small, harmless fireball. Comes in many different colors. Cheap.
Blastball: Referred to with a "-C" appending, allows a regular fireball to exert mainly expansive force. Good for explosions, but not terribly lethal on its own. 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.
Author
Topic: Wands Race - [Arstotzka] {COMPLETED} (Read 376933 times)