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[Maximum Spin]

Oh yeah, this.
Uh, let me see.
Eiji "Ted" Yamamoto, Dragon Nexus Ōtokage, Cowboy Samurai Retainers → Line 1
Royal Uncle Dave, Sparrowhawk → Line 2
Nephele Semiautonomous Drones, Super High-Tech Jet Fighters, Boom Arsonist Prospectors → Line 3

My reasoning? The enemy placement seems to be have been exactly the same both times. Air on the left, catgirls in the middle, what seems to be some kind of defensive buff on the right. If this pattern holds, this should be the perfect response. Even if it doesn't, it should perform adequately.
Now, you might say that the centre looks a little thin even with Dave's anti-catgirl power, but I have a plan for that.

Pecuniary Extravagance: Sparrowhawk: Of course Dave knows that, while Sparrowhawk is very dear to him, she's also completely useless in any combat scenario. Instead, to use her powers most effectively, her job is to act as a tracker and spotter for some remote artillery he bought her as a surprise present. Sparrowhawk gains the Ghost with the Shells trait for the duration of the turn.
Ghost with the Shells: Slipping invisibly between enemy ranks and nipping into all their encampments and supply lockers with super speed, Sparrowhawk can leave behind tiny, almost unnoticeable radio beacons anywhere she thinks looks important. Much less tiny and extremely noticeable, though, are the massive artillery shells that are then automatically launched at those beacons once she gets out of range and presses the appropriate button. We're all desperately hoping she is smart enough not to screw that up.

Westernization: Cowboy Samurai Retainers: Even with a dragon on the field, it doesn't hurt to uneven the odds a little further in your favour. Ted found some really interesting Western military hardware available for lease on a shady website, so now the Retainers have new toys to play with. The Cowboy Samurai Retainers gain the Cow-to-Air Missiles trait for the duration of the turn.
Cow-to-Air Missiles: It's exactly what it sounds like. The really hard part was adapting the firing mechanism to operate by lasso. Note that the missiles do not contain an entire cow, only the milk. And a modestly-sized fission warhead. Instead, the name derives from the fact that each launcher is hauled by a team of oxen.

[TricMagic]

Oh yeah, this.
Uh, let me see.
Eiji "Ted" Yamamoto, Dragon Nexus Ōtokage, Cowboy Samurai Retainers → Line 1
Royal Uncle Dave, Sparrowhawk → Line 2
Nephele Semiautonomous Drones, Super High-Tech Jet Fighters, Boom Arsonist Prospectors → Line 3

My reasoning? The enemy placement seems to be have been exactly the same both times. Air on the left, catgirls in the middle, what seems to be some kind of defensive buff on the right. If this pattern holds, this should be the perfect response. Even if it doesn't, it should perform adequately.
Now, you might say that the centre looks a little thin even with Dave's anti-catgirl power, but I have a plan for that.

Pecuniary Extravagance: Sparrowhawk: Of course Dave knows that, while Sparrowhawk is very dear to him, she's also completely useless in any combat scenario. Instead, to use her powers most effectively, her job is to act as a tracker and spotter for some remote artillery he bought her as a surprise present. Sparrowhawk gains the Ghost with the Shells trait for the duration of the turn.
Ghost with the Shells: Slipping invisibly between enemy ranks and nipping into all their encampments and supply lockers with super speed, Sparrowhawk can leave behind tiny, almost unnoticeable radio beacons anywhere she thinks looks important. Much less tiny and extremely noticeable, though, are the massive artillery shells that are then automatically launched at those beacons once she gets out of range and presses the appropriate button. We're all desperately hoping she is smart enough not to screw that up.

Westernization: Cowboy Samurai Retainers: Even with a dragon on the field, it doesn't hurt to uneven the odds a little further in your favour. Ted found some really interesting Western military hardware available for lease on a shady website, so now the Retainers have new toys to play with. The Cowboy Samurai Retainers gain the Cow-to-Air Missiles trait for the duration of the turn.
Cow-to-Air Missiles: It's exactly what it sounds like. The really hard part was adapting the firing mechanism to operate by lasso. Note that the missiles do not contain an entire cow, only the milk. And a modestly-sized fission warhead. Instead, the name derives from the fact that each launcher is hauled by a team of oxen.

+1, all the cows.

[Stirk]

Line 1
Both sides deployed a significant number of fighters to this location. The enemy brought along four "air battleships" filled with marines to duel Ted and his Dragon. The sky above the mountains lit up with cannon-fire and dragonfire as both sides exchange blow after blow, with Ted himself fighting off multiple boarding attempts (helpfully let him vent his mispronunciation based frustration). While the cowboy retainers knew this was a perfect opportunity to deploy their missiles, they found that their oxen have been rustled by some dishonorable sneaky enemy leaving them unable to bring them to bare.

The exchange of fire ended in a melee with  one of the enemy airships and the Ōtokage crashing into each other. Various types of furies with lever action rifles swarm the dragon trying to take the reigns from Ted. It could go either way, the battle neck and neck, with Ted fighting off the swarm with his trusty sixgun as he tries to maintain control of the vehicle. In the end it was his loss. He was forced to deploy his escape pod to avoid capture. Fortunately a prospector shouted DORAGON BURITSU elsewhere allowing it to escape the very confused air marines.

Ted Incapacitated 1 Turn. Pushed back 1/2 step to B4.

Line 2
Sparrowhawk's surprise present is much more surprising to the enemy, as is the fact that they continue to transform into felines. The catgirl cavalry being the only enemy present in the area, they are easily defeated by the dynamic dou. Instead the scene focus on a conversation between Dave and Sparrowhawk where Sparrowhawk questions why Dave's power didn't drive away the cursed bird spirit, and wonders aloud if her powers are magical in nature and if that means they go away whenever Dave is near making them tragically doomed to deploy apart.

Dave just tells her she's being silly and there is no such thing as magic or curses. 

Catgirl Calvary Incapacitated 2 Turns. Pushed forward 1 step to B5

Line 3
Among the beach and floating islands, another massive battle takes place. The enemy general has once again fortified this line - transforming many of the floating islands into floating fortresses. His infantry and the artillery make effective use of the vertical battlefield to better combat your flying units. Perhaps more importantly the girl who had done battle with the shrine maidens is here - with a shiny new bayonet that looks like it is a reforged version of Hanako's broken blade.

Said woman seems more composed but no less deadly during this fight. She leaped from floating island to floating island with an impressive strength, shooting down drones and occasionally jets as she leaped. Eventually she through a grappling hook onto one of our jets and took the battle to the upper atmosphere, where she engaged our jets while in free-fall using her lever-action rifle. She won. There was a series of impressive explosions involved.

Our adult pilots are currently floating back towards the ground in their chairs and awaiting new jets.

Meanwhile the prospectors made great use of their new dragon friends, both the tactical information and artillery strikes. Unfortunately they have difficulties reaching the floating strongholds. Most of their attempts end up getting pushed back - and with the loss of air superiority they're forced to retreat back to the beach.

Super High-Tech Jet Fighters Incapacitated 1 turn, pushed back to B6.

It is now the Protagonist Phase.

Spoiler: Current Roster (click to show/hide)

Eiji "Ted" Yamamoto P20 Westernization, Purge the weebs!, Friendship is Over Rated, Doragon Buritsu Incapacitated 1 turn
Temple Maiden Army: P5 Princess's Personal Personnel
Cowboy Samurai Retainers: P5 Six Shooting Samurai
Great Nexus Ōtokage: P5 Deploy Spaceship! Crouching Dragon, Dragon Dragon
Saio Princess Hanako: P10 Light Priestess Saio, Mahou Shoujo Otaku, Huge Fujoshi
Super High-Tech Jet Fighters: P6  Can Into Space, Actual Adult Pilots Incapacitated 1 Turn
Royal Uncle Dave: P14  Princeton Educated, Penetration Expert, Pecuniary Extravagance
Boom Arsonist Prospectors: P8 Blow it all to hell!
American Superhero Sparrowhawk:P1 Super Strength, Super Flight, Super Invisibility
Nephele Semiautonomous Drones: P6 Eye of the Dragon
 

Spoiler: Map (click to show/hide)

        AC
A1     A2     A3
A4     A5     A6
B4     B5     B6
B1     B2     B3
        BC

AC: Heian-Style Castle Refurbished to look like a Western Castle on a ridge overlooking the head of a river
A1: Mountains
A2: Highlands with pastures
A3: Mountains
A4: Mountains
A5: Valley floor, lakes, river.
A6: Mountains

BC: Veloxflumine, the political capital of the alliance.
B1: Mountains (with cities for winged creatures)
B2: Alverlon Ruins
B3: Floating Islands (with cities)
B4: Hills with caves (and occasionally settlements)
B5: Flat farmland with a few mountains
B6: Coastal Lowlands

Spoiler: Step Status (click to show/hide)

Line 1 is currently at B4
Line 2 is currently at B5
Line 3 is currently at B6

[Maximum Spin]

I feel like this could have gone better.

Do you want to try this?

Brain Satellite APOLLYON
Joining the experience with robotics gained from the redesign of Ōtokage with our recent insights into space travel and satellite deployment, Jingay scientists, in partnership with NASA, have developed the world's first fully artificially intelligent modular satellite system, ominously titled APOLLYON (アポリョン). Equipped with military-grade full-spectrum sensors capable both of zooming in on a single ant and tracking hundreds of signatures at a time, APOLLYON leverages that data to manage a network of weapons autonomously across air, ground, and space, although it can still only focus on one battlefield at a time. In order to keep it under control, it has been programmed with absolute loyalty to the Emperor, and has a broadband neural interface allowing it to be commanded directly from Dragon Nexus Ōtokage. Its primary weapon, "Zusu no Sandaa", fires a bolt of plasma that ionizes the air along its path, striking the earth like lightning from the heavens. Ted gets so mad when people pronounce it "Aporyon".

Traits:
- Absolute Coverage: When APPOLYON's eyes are trained on a battlefield, no enemy movement, no matter how subtle, goes unnoticed. The locations of every enemy unit on the battlefield are tracked and broadcast to our own soldiers in realtime.
- Absolute Control: APOLLYON carries an orbital deployment platform capable of launching drones, based on the same design used with Ōtokage, into the battlefield to carry out its orders directly. Each drone is equipped with a tiny flamethrower.
- Absolute Capability: APOLLYON runs a state-of-the-art learning algorithm. After a fight, it gains Power based on what it has learned about the enemies it faced, and it can exchange five Power for a new trait related to that knowledge.

I also have to admit I *forgot* that the floating islands were floating islands and that land-based troops would have trouble getting around there. We should probably do something about (jump jets?) that in one of the next two phases.

[TricMagic]

I feel like this could have gone better.

Do you want to try this?

Brain Satellite APOLLYON
Joining the experience with robotics gained from the redesign of Ōtokage with our recent insights into space travel and satellite deployment, Jingay scientists, in partnership with NASA, have developed the world's first fully artificially intelligent modular satellite system, ominously titled APOLLYON (アポリョン). Equipped with military-grade full-spectrum sensors capable both of zooming in on a single ant and tracking hundreds of signatures at a time, APOLLYON leverages that data to manage a network of weapons autonomously across air, ground, and space, although it can still only focus on one battlefield at a time. In order to keep it under control, it has been programmed with absolute loyalty to the Emperor, and has a broadband neural interface allowing it to be commanded directly from Dragon Nexus Ōtokage. Its primary weapon, "Zusu no Sandaa", fires a bolt of plasma that ionizes the air along its path, striking the earth like lightning from the heavens. Ted gets so mad when people pronounce it "Aporyon".

Traits:
- Absolute Coverage: When APPOLYON's eyes are trained on a battlefield, no enemy movement, no matter how subtle, goes unnoticed. The locations of every enemy unit on the battlefield are tracked and broadcast to our own soldiers in realtime.
- Absolute Control: APOLLYON carries an orbital deployment platform capable of launching drones, based on the same design used with Ōtokage, into the battlefield to carry out its orders directly. Each drone is equipped with a tiny flamethrower.
- Absolute Capability: APOLLYON runs a state-of-the-art learning algorithm. After a fight, it gains Power based on what it has learned about the enemies it faced, and it can exchange five Power for a new trait related to that knowledge.

I also have to admit I *forgot* that the floating islands were floating islands and that land-based troops would have trouble getting around there. We should probably do something about (jump jets?) that in one of the next two phases.

They are floating after all. +1

[Stirk]

I feel like this could have gone better.

Do you want to try this?

Brain Satellite APOLLYON
Joining the experience with robotics gained from the redesign of Ōtokage with our recent insights into space travel and satellite deployment, Jingay scientists, in partnership with NASA, have developed the world's first fully artificially intelligent modular satellite system, ominously titled APOLLYON (アポリョン). Equipped with military-grade full-spectrum sensors capable both of zooming in on a single ant and tracking hundreds of signatures at a time, APOLLYON leverages that data to manage a network of weapons autonomously across air, ground, and space, although it can still only focus on one battlefield at a time. In order to keep it under control, it has been programmed with absolute loyalty to the Emperor, and has a broadband neural interface allowing it to be commanded directly from Dragon Nexus Ōtokage. Its primary weapon, "Zusu no Sandaa", fires a bolt of plasma that ionizes the air along its path, striking the earth like lightning from the heavens. Ted gets so mad when people pronounce it "Aporyon".

Traits:
- Absolute Coverage: When APPOLYON's eyes are trained on a battlefield, no enemy movement, no matter how subtle, goes unnoticed. The locations of every enemy unit on the battlefield are tracked and broadcast to our own soldiers in realtime.
- Absolute Control: APOLLYON carries an orbital deployment platform capable of launching drones, based on the same design used with Ōtokage, into the battlefield to carry out its orders directly. Each drone is equipped with a tiny flamethrower.
- Absolute Capability: APOLLYON runs a state-of-the-art learning algorithm. After a fight, it gains Power based on what it has learned about the enemies it faced, and it can exchange five Power for a new trait related to that knowledge.

I also have to admit I *forgot* that the floating islands were floating islands and that land-based troops would have trouble getting around there. We should probably do something about (jump jets?) that in one of the next two phases.

D20 Roll: 11!

It is now the Supporting Character phase.

[Maximum Spin]

Lindorm-class Planetary Vehicles
Another series of successful launches has enabled the completion of Orbital Platform Jörmungandr, the latest extension to the APOLLYON system. Jörmungandr is nothing more than a modular orbital construction and deployment platform, but at a much larger scale than we have attempted before. Using Jörmungandr, we have built the Lindorm-class Planetary Vehicles, a fleet of fully orbit-capable spacecraft designed for transfers between orbit and the upper atmosphere. Each LPV is equipped with its own sub-fleet of personal jetpacks for individual personnel mobility, which have come to be nicknamed Knuckers (ナッカー). (Knuckers are equipped with emergency parachutes in case of malfunction.) Any unit deployed with Lindorm access therefore enjoys direct insertion from orbit and complete three-dimensional mobility in the battlefield without requiring additional air support. Finally, LPV are equipped with kinetic guns which can be traditionally manned or left to the management of APOLLYON as desired.
Trait: APOLLYON integration: All elements of Lindorm can be managed by APOLLYON and transmit data to APOLLYON's learning algorithms regardless of the battlefield in which they are deployed.

[TricMagic]

Lindorm-class Planetary Vehicles
Another series of successful launches has enabled the completion of Orbital Platform Jörmungandr, the latest extension to the APOLLYON system. Jörmungandr is nothing more than a modular orbital construction and deployment platform, but at a much larger scale than we have attempted before. Using Jörmungandr, we have built the Lindorm-class Planetary Vehicles, a fleet of fully orbit-capable spacecraft designed for transfers between orbit and the upper atmosphere. Each LPV is equipped with its own sub-fleet of personal jetpacks for individual personnel mobility, which have come to be nicknamed Knuckers (ナッカー). (Knuckers are equipped with emergency parachutes in case of malfunction.) Any unit deployed with Lindorm access therefore enjoys direct insertion from orbit and complete three-dimensional mobility in the battlefield without requiring additional air support. Finally, LPV are equipped with kinetic guns which can be traditionally manned or left to the management of APOLLYON as desired.
Trait: APOLLYON integration: All elements of Lindorm can be managed by APOLLYON and transmit data to APOLLYON's learning algorithms regardless of the battlefield in which they are deployed.

+1

[Stirk]

Lindorm-class Planetary Vehicles
Another series of successful launches has enabled the completion of Orbital Platform Jörmungandr, the latest extension to the APOLLYON system. Jörmungandr is nothing more than a modular orbital construction and deployment platform, but at a much larger scale than we have attempted before. Using Jörmungandr, we have built the Lindorm-class Planetary Vehicles, a fleet of fully orbit-capable spacecraft designed for transfers between orbit and the upper atmosphere. Each LPV is equipped with its own sub-fleet of personal jetpacks for individual personnel mobility, which have come to be nicknamed Knuckers (ナッカー). (Knuckers are equipped with emergency parachutes in case of malfunction.) Any unit deployed with Lindorm access therefore enjoys direct insertion from orbit and complete three-dimensional mobility in the battlefield without requiring additional air support. Finally, LPV are equipped with kinetic guns which can be traditionally manned or left to the management of APOLLYON as desired.
Trait: APOLLYON integration: All elements of Lindorm can be managed by APOLLYON and transmit data to APOLLYON's learning algorithms regardless of the battlefield in which they are deployed.

D10 Result: 6!

It is now the Character Development phase.

[Maximum Spin]

Western Pen Pal: Emperor Ted has finally reached the pinnacle of his life to date: he has made a new friend from the fascinating and exotic lands of the West. What's more, this new friend inexplicably finds our boring, ordinary traditions to be fascinating and exotic in turn! How unthinkably bizarre. Could this... could this be the true meaning of friendship?

Eiji "Ted" Yamamoto gains the trait Bokutachi Tomodachi Da!.
Bokutachi Tomodachi Da!: Emperor Ted has developed a new understanding of intercultural cooperation. When native Jingayan units (such as the royal family, their retinues, and the jet pilots) are deployed alongside Western units (such as Sparrowhawk or the prospectors), both receive a combat bonus. Robots have neither culture on their own, but maybe they count as a third culture which adds its own level of cooperation for another bonus when all three are together.

[Stirk]

Western Pen Pal: Emperor Ted has finally reached the pinnacle of his life to date: he has made a new friend from the fascinating and exotic lands of the West. What's more, this new friend inexplicably finds our boring, ordinary traditions to be fascinating and exotic in turn! How unthinkably bizarre. Could this... could this be the true meaning of friendship?

Eiji "Ted" Yamamoto gains the trait Bokutachi Tomodachi Da!.
Bokutachi Tomodachi Da!: Emperor Ted has developed a new understanding of intercultural cooperation. When native Jingayan units (such as the royal family, their retinues, and the jet pilots) are deployed alongside Western units (such as Sparrowhawk or the prospectors), both receive a combat bonus. Robots have neither culture on their own, but maybe they count as a third culture which adds its own level of cooperation for another bonus when all three are together.

Did he get that while spinning around in his escape pod? Truly the defeat taught him the value of friendship.

It is now the Deployment Phase!

Spoiler: Current Roster (click to show/hide)

Eiji "Ted" Yamamoto P20 Westernization, Purge the weebs!, Friendship is Over Rated, Doragon Buritsu, Bokutachi Tomodachi Da! Incapacitated 1 turn
Temple Maiden Army: P5 Princess's Personal Personnel
Cowboy Samurai Retainers: P5 Six Shooting Samurai
Great Nexus Ōtokage: P5 Deploy Spaceship! Crouching Dragon, Dragon Dragon
Saio Princess Hanako: P10 Light Priestess Saio, Mahou Shoujo Otaku, Huge Fujoshi
Super High-Tech Jet Fighters: P6  Can Into Space, Actual Adult Pilots Incapacitated 1 Turn
Royal Uncle Dave: P14  Princeton Educated, Penetration Expert, Pecuniary Extravagance
Boom Arsonist Prospectors: P8 Blow it all to hell!
American Superhero Sparrowhawk:P1 Super Strength, Super Flight, Super Invisibility
Nephele Semiautonomous Drones: P6 Eye of the Dragon
Brain Satellite APOLLYON: P11 Absolute Coverage, Absolute Control, Absolute Capability
Lindorm-class Planetary Vehicles: P6 APOLLYON integration
 

Spoiler: Map (click to show/hide)

        AC
A1     A2     A3
A4     A5     A6
B4     B5     B6
B1     B2     B3
        BC

AC: Heian-Style Castle Refurbished to look like a Western Castle on a ridge overlooking the head of a river
A1: Mountains
A2: Highlands with pastures
A3: Mountains
A4: Mountains
A5: Valley floor, lakes, river.
A6: Mountains

BC: Veloxflumine, the political capital of the alliance.
B1: Mountains (with cities for winged creatures)
B2: Alverlon Ruins
B3: Floating Islands (with cities)
B4: Hills with caves (and occasionally settlements)
B5: Flat farmland with a few mountains
B6: Coastal Lowlands

Spoiler: Step Status (click to show/hide)

Line 1 is currently at B4
Line 2 is currently at B5
Line 3 is currently at B6

[Maximum Spin]

You actually left off the new stuff from the roster.

[Stirk]

You actually left off the new stuff from the roster.

You guys had new stuff? Oh I guess you did.

[Maximum Spin]

Okay, uh...

Sparrowhawk, Hanako, Otokage, Temple Maiden Army → Line 1
Dave, Retainers, Nephele → Line 2
APOLLYON, Prospectors, and the Lindorms → Line 3

I'm still thinking this over; this is the second draft after rereading the last battle.
Stirk: Do we get a Westernization this turn?

[Stirk]

Okay, uh...

Sparrowhawk, Hanako, Otokage, Temple Maiden Army → Line 1
Dave, Retainers, Nephele → Line 2
APOLLYON, Prospectors, and the Lindorms → Line 3

I'm still thinking this over; this is the second draft after rereading the last battle.
Stirk: Do we get a Westernization this turn?

No, all bonuses and abilities of your Leader are out until your leader is back in.