Game chat

[Sohala]

So, we had the time and means to communicate with the trolls, who were not enraged or engaged. That is what I am getting from you. We can't talk to the engaged combatants for "reasons/flavor", but the reserves should have been fair game.

Get brushed off? Sure. Not to even try though? Then actively condemn them to death? When we are likely next?

That does not inspire confidence.

[wrathgon]

no you misunderstood... the reserved were engaged by infected as the elves and main force battled.

We got alert of attack and started to gather troops, by the time we were on way reserves were defeated. main elf troll battle had finish wave 1, then started wave 2 with elves pushing hard to remove trolls from field but by time they were finish their battle, the infected had split and surrounded them on 2 sides. They each turned and fought their own infected army engaging them. In past times both forces should have been able to defend. This time they did not.

 

There was no opportunity to contact trolls where they were not in raging in battle rage.

 

The only thing elves could have done is withdrawn, giving up the hex which then they could unrage, but then the infected would hit them anyways so there was no point of that either giving up land.

[Sohala]

Ah, the initial map that you described was inaccurate. That clears it up.

[wrathgon]

So Jake was asked to give insight to tactics because of his high command status.It was a token gesture from the commander to show recognition to him for his sim rank.

PraX could after hearing Jake suggestions. Give her own tactical assessment overriding. Jakes, which would then take away from his input into the battle. So if praX wants to do that will use your tactics rolL

[Sohala]

If she thinks he flubbed it, I see no reason for her to hold back. She got him up to speed as best she could, not everything likely translated 1-for-1. Maybe if they had a direct line, she'd help him save face and pass it off as his own... but she is not going to sacrifice lives if she thinks he is wrong.

And after recent events, without the private line, she is likely a little rude about it. To avoid bashing the whole vault SIM, probably go after his inexperience on the island. Ooh... turn it as a 'self-assigned' failure on her part to get him ready, 'perhaps he will prove more useful as he sees us fight' sort of thing. Her tone would speak of her disappointment in him.

Edited April 17 by Sohala (see edit history)

[Sohala]

"+10(won vs foes before)" intrigues me as a concept vs the amalgamation that is the assembled forces, who are receiving penalties for having not worked together before.

If it is to represent some sort of momentum thing, or no longer being 'green', that is something else entirely.,

You keep trucking though.

[wrathgon]

in the last 10 years has won vs any of the forces is the condition which is true at least once. Its a morale thing knowing they can beat the troops standing against them. This is not the first time you have gathered together to fight them. If there was trolls or orks that would be different as that is much less likely to have happened but even that is not impossible.

You lose points for not training together for months, or living together for months or the leader leading you for months.

 

As i was saying in discord setting up a training program would have added benefits in the wartime combats in the future if that can be setup .

O and just to be clear you also got the +10 bonus

[wrathgon]

7 hours ago, Sohala said:

If she thinks he flubbed it, I see no reason for her to hold back. She got him up to speed as best she could, not everything likely translated 1-for-1. Maybe if they had a direct line, she'd help him save face and pass it off as his own... but she is not going to sacrifice lives if she thinks he is wrong.

And after recent events, without the private line, she is likely a little rude about it. To avoid bashing the whole vault SIM, probably go after his inexperience on the island. Ooh... turn it as a 'self-assigned' failure on her part to get him ready, 'perhaps he will prove more useful as he sees us fight' sort of thing. Her tone would speak of her disappointment in him.

so he didnt flubbed it but you might have given better tactics advance. It would have not had any impact as their commander did not change the tactics even when he got extra info back.

[Sohala]

37 minutes ago, wrathgon said:

in the last 10 years has won vs any of the forces is the condition which is true at least once. Its a morale thing knowing they can beat the troops standing against them. This is not the first time you have gathered together to fight them.

I had meant this precise force vs that precise force. Otherwise, I would have assumed some part of the living force has beaten some part of the infected force.

That is a long window after all.

Then again... if it is an attacker/aggressor only thing...

Either way, just an interesting point on the mechanics that were shown.

Running mental commentary 

The fact they had 400 banshee is another thing entirely. I am not sure why there is a fight if they have that... of course, if they are some kind of faux-banshee, that changes things...

[wrathgon]

the banshee are the infected ones not the DND ones, these don't technically fly even, they are basically elven vampires not the ones we know from D&D. They can go mist form but i did not give the troop the flying bonus for them as they cant do anything in that form.

 

I will be posting and updating these rules to have them make a bit more sense but as i said i did not expect players to be involved in this starting battles while i ran the original rules and made changes as i go.

 

This morale bonus will be more specific in later battles as everyone basically will get it every time.

[Sohala]

3 hours ago, wrathgon said:

O and just to be clear you also got the +10 bonus

Missed your edit, must have just missed its notation as well. You are working on a lot things, probably just short-handed it. Completely reasonable.

Pointless math

Man... running the numbers on movement, ~80 rounds worth of attacking is possible on a 30 ft base move speed, straight line sprinting, for her max, no penalty range. Full damage too, no incorporeal protections. Shame it doesn't matter. Probably would have missed every shot. Nah, wouldn't have gotten the same target twice, better odds on that.

 

Edited April 17 by Sohala (see edit history)

[wrathgon]

33 minutes ago, Sohala said:

Missed your edit, must have just missed its notation as well. You are working on a lot things, probably just short-handed it. Completely reasonable.

Pointless math

Man... running the numbers on movement, ~80 rounds worth of attacking is possible on a 30 ft base move speed, straight line sprinting, for her max, no penalty range. Full damage too, no incorporeal protections. Shame it doesn't matter. Probably would have missed every shot. Nah, wouldn't have gotten the same target twice, better odds on that.

 

when running battle where PCs are given tasks, then these will impact the battle, but since i wont draw the game to a crawl doing that here for you, your impact is the extra points your lvl adds to the officer ranks and you using magic so it is not pointless math there is impact but the roll for combat still is deciding factor. You also forgot almost all targets have DR and the visibility is next to nothing from 400 mist forms covering the battlefield good luck finding a target more than 10 feet from you. They took no losses cause you all couldn't see anything to hit, and by the time you could you where in melee so your shooters were useless.

[Sohala]

4 hours ago, wrathgon said:

when running battle where PCs are given tasks, then these will impact the battle, but since i wont draw the game to a crawl doing that here for you...

Eeh, let's not. I voiced my opinion before this started that a swift adjudication, enough to say she/they 'did the thing', was acceptable. We were overruled and now we have to roll through the predictable outcomes.

4 hours ago, wrathgon said:

You also forgot almost all targets have DR...

Alchemists used properly should have negated swathes of this.

4 hours ago, wrathgon said:

...visibility is next to nothing from 400 mist forms covering the battlefield good luck finding a target more than 10 feet from you. They took no losses cause you all couldn't see anything to hit, and by the time you could you where in melee so your shooters were useless...

I glanced at what I assumed to be the original inspiration (I later found out it is just a modern take that details more rules): slow-moving, no mention of obscuring vision, and I assume 'normal' means non-magical (confirmed). Apparently, they are vulnerable to weather/wind magic too.

I guess if you want to really buff it up. *shrug* They are your baby and you can have them do whatever you want.

Once again, alchemists would nullify the immunity with consumables and area attacks don't target.

Again, this is all just pointing out simple things the setting allows, if you don't treat the NPCs like idiots fighting the infected for the first time. It doesn't take a genius+ person to realize you can capture infected and find out how to kill them, then just have your troops carry around the tools to do so. (I assume you are going to point to a bonus somewhere and say that its covered)

Edited April 18 by Sohala (see edit history)

[wrathgon]

8 hours ago, Sohala said:

Alchemists used properly should have negated swathes of this.

I was talking About your assumed post How effective you would be with your gun hitting every hit max dmg ect. Your weapon doesn't ignore dr.

and once again you all have secondary weapons that can hurt them giving +5 to power. I am not playing the npc as idiots am running mass combat rules that give bonuses for various things then rolling for results. I am adding in fluff to cover the result. If you note your army has a much closer rating than other two from the planning of the npcs so I say they are doing pretty good on the tactics front.

 

[Sohala]

I actually said it would miss every shot or never hit the same target twice (negating the damage due to regeneration/healing) And if we are discussing its ability to get past DR, it does have a few covered while in her hands. -As the kill count is zero, one has to figure how their character was completely ineffective, after first calculating their effectiveness.

As I said, I assume there is a number somewhere for it. The mass combat rules "exist", have fun with them. Attribute what your like for abilities/equipment/etc, makes no difference to me. Mechanics are whatever you make them. Don't know them, don't think I need to know them.

Reviewing the battle log, as suggested, I am not sure how the infected kept their full strength/bonus going into the duel engagement, after dividing their forces up. Contradictory fluff or quick short hand, just looks weird.

But yes, I had/have noted the higher value, along with what appeared to be a higher number of troops. 'More stuff beats less stuff', as the old adage goes. Shame the brilliant elven force couldn't merge with the human one. We could have even more stuff then.

I think it is fact you appear to holding the infected's mechanical defense as the reason the living can't do anything/are ineffective in your covering fluff. Then I am asking "why" and giving easy to reach mechanics as counterpoints.

Musings

How the infected have remained on the island is a logical mystery in and of itself. Two primary alliances have control of the island and a third one comes in. The third faction would have had to steal their position from someone. Immediate counter attacks should have followed, either crushing the, ineffectively led, infected. Or establishing them as a very real threat. -Even if the original alliance ignored them, the opposing one should have seen it as an opportunity to take the hex.

I have a hard time seeing how they have been ignored and allowed to build up. Their existence threatens the established balance of control. And they are sitting on hexes filled with magical potential.

But this is for you to worry about and my lowly self to only prattle/chatter on about.

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I have nothing meaningful to add to the combat sequence, tactical insights, orders, changes, etc. Everything seems fairly well "set". You may proceed without a post from Prax.

Edited April 18 by Sohala (see edit history)