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The End War - A Starcraft Commander Quest
- Location
- Philippines
No, not powerful enough for non visual mental attacks. You'd need someone like Nova for that.
what about applying kinetic force to the thor's joints? or causing one of its HE shells to cook off in its storage?
01: I have a plan of attack: Attack!
- Location
- Philippines
The resistance was stiff, but not insurmountable. Yet, if Ward allowed his enemies to slip past him now, how many more men would die in the battles to come because he lost his nerve here? The sum of his enemies was greater than the parts.
No, there was no choice but forward.
"Siege tanks, forward," Ward ordered over his earpiece. "Men, continue to screen their advance."
"Is this wise?" Lockheed asked, speaking at last. "Moebius has already sieged up their tanks, and they have more of them. Commander Nova's men are the best of the best, but even they'd find such odds difficult."
"They're a distraction," Ward said.
"A distraction? For who?" Lockheed asked.
"For you," Ward said. "I've a mission for you." He pointed to the orbital command and the thor. "Those are the cornerstone of their defense. Take one of them out, even for a minute, and this battle will be won decisively."
"The orbital command will be easier, but it'll take longer," Lockheed said.
Ward frowned. "I thought all ghosts were psionics. Couldn't you just fry the thor's pilot's mind?"
Lockheed tilted his head. The visor made it hard to tell what the ghost was feeling. "If I had a few minutes, direct line of sight, and no interruptions, maybe. I'm sure Commander Nova could do it, but I am a lowly 7 on the Psi Index."
"What about sabotage then?" Ward asked. The ghosts were said to have superhuman strength, if the news was to be believed. "Apply enough kinetic force to the joints, or cause of its explosives to go off prematurely in storage."
"You've been listening to too much propaganda," Lockheed said. "I wouldn't believe half of what the newscasters say about what we can or can't do."
"I'll leave it to you then. You're the expert on what you can do," Ward said.
"The orbital is doable," Lockheed said. He watched the tanks began to roll forward, accompanied by squads of marines. "That's a lot of men to spend on a distraction."
I don't remember ghosts giving this much lip in the past, Ward thought, before chalking it up to Valyrian's "humane reforms". "They were never going to decide this battle," Ward said, feeling his stomach twist. Sending men to their deaths was never something a good commander got comfortable with, though it was easier now. "The enemy has to believe this push is not a feint, or they'll suspect something. Go, quickly. Each second you tarry is more of my men dead."
Lockheed nodded, breaking off into a run along the edge of the platform. It was hard to tell the exact moment he faded from sight, happening so gradually, so seamlessly it was as if he was never there.
Ward shuddered. This day was one giant reminder not to get on a ghost's bad side.
"This is Ward to all pilots, stay out of the thor's range for now," he said. "Pick off any stragglers, but keep out of anti-air range."
A chorus of affirmations streamed through the intercom, and Ward watched as his pilots began a furious aerial dance. It was a feat of skill, knowing just how close they could get before having to pull back. Some of the enemy marines were fooled during the first few passes, leaving the safety the thor provided for the briefest of moments, but the briefest of moments was all the banshees and wraiths needed.
There was a flash of turbolaser or a streak of missile, and the smell of charred flesh filled the space through their odour simulants.
The ground troops did not fare so well, however. Like Lockheed had pointed out, the enemy's tanks were sieged up already, and they outnumbered theirs. Some of the marauders accompanying the tanks intentionally rushed forward to take the first volleys in lieu of the tanks, and Ward had scarcely seen such bravery before from the Dominion. There was some footage from Raynor's Raiders in the early days of the Brood War using similar tactics, but they were desperate men with nothing to lose.
Finally, finally Ward's own tanks managed to set themselves up. The veteran crews fired significantly faster and surer than the Moebius tanks, but that experience was about the only thing going for them in the ground fight. The infantry screening them had scattered, taking cover against the shells falling on their positions. The enemy infantry was doing something similar on the other side of the field.
Had the fight over the skies been more contested, the enemy might have decided to charge forward with their infantry at this point to try and overwhelm their position. It seemed almost crude to resort to the tactics of the First War of Terra with massed men charging fixed artillery, but sometimes the old ways were best.
War really didn't change in the end.
"This is Lockheed," buzzed Ward's intercom. He heard gunfire through it. "Comms are down."
"Enemy comms are down!" Ward relayed immediately. "All crafts focus down that thor!"
Banshees and wraiths turned on a dime, closing in from everywhere and disappearing from their enemy's sight. The thor's pilot visible panicked, unleashing a whole barrage of ordinances, but without any guidance on where the stealth crafts were, they hit nothing but empty air. Modern crafts were simply too mobile to hit randomly.
Missile after missile flew into the thor's joints. It stood up to the punishment well, truly a testament to terran engineering, but nothing could last forever. First went its knees, causing it to collapse forward atop a siege tank and more than a few marines. Then, its arms, so it could not push itself up or attempt some desperate suicide.
Then, only when it had been crippled beyond use, did they land the killing blow.
Afterwards was cleanup. The infantry and armored cavalry did not really have the means of shooting up fast enough to overcome their air superiority. The smarter ones among their enemies did not descend into blind panic, but attempted to regroup near the missile turrets on the other entrance of their base. Unfortunately for them, none of the siege tanks escaped the strafing runs and a single siege tank under Ward had survived the furious exchange of volleys.
Slowly, surely, the lone siege tank whittled away what missile turrets remained, and when the last one fell, the marines activated their bayonets and made a desperate mad dash against Ward's men. Their enemies broke like ripples against stone, barely getting any shots off within effective range before the vikings landed and finished gunning them down.
"Lockheed, are you alive?" Ward asked.
"It'll take more than a few lab rats to put me down," Lockheed said. "You may want to send some men in here. Quite a few prisoners in here."
Those must be the scientists, Ward recalled. Nova had mentioned some being help prisoner, though what to do with them? They could be put to work, but it'd require keeping them defended. Also, there was every risk that some of them were collaborators. After seeing the ghost from earlier break his own bones... well, it was best not to assume anything about this enemy of theirs.
It didn't take Ward long to arrange for a squad of marines to seize the command center and march the scientists out.
Lockheed headed straight for Ward, accompanied by a dark-skinned man with cybernetic arms. "Sir, this is Reigel. He claims to be a defector."
"I'm sure many of them claim to be defectors from Moebius Corp," Ward said.
"Not Moebius Corp," the man, Reigel, said. "That refers to the security arm of the Moebius Foundation, and yes, I've left their services permanently."
"He made some bold claims," Lockheed said. "I thought it best to kick the matter up to you."
Ward crossed his arms across his chest. "Alright, let's hear it then."
"I work directly for Emperor Valerian," Reigel said.
Ward's brow shot up. "You know the Emperor?"
"I'm a weapons technology specialist in his employ."
A bold claim indeed... "Is that so? I don't suppose you have any proof of this," Ward said.
Reigel visibly deflated. "No, nothing like that. My work was deemed top secret."
The man seemed to believe what he was saying, but there seemed to be some mind fuckery going on with whatever the hell was going on at the moment. Sleeper agents weren't uncommon threats.
"Why were you on this facility?" Ward asked.
"I'm afraid that's classified," Reigel said.
Ward frowned. That was becoming an all too familiar refrain these days, and he didn't like it one bit. "Alright, is there anything you can tell me about this facility, anything that could help my mission?"
"That I can do," Reigel said. "There are three EMP scramblers on this station, as you might know. Their effects get stronger the closer you are to them. If one of your pilots should fly too close to it, there's every chance it'll cause them to crash or turn their vehicles non-responsive."
"How do you propose we eliminate them then?" Ward asked.
"With infantry would be best," Reigel answered. "They might have reduced output from their suits, but they should still manage fine. There's no easy answer unless you have some zerg lying around. The scramblers affect just everything in the Dominion's arsenal. All of our weapons run on electricity of one form or another."
"Why in Terra's name would we build these things here then?" Ward asked.
Reigel smiled. "They were originally a countermeasure designed to stop any protoss incursions. If you think what it does to our tech is bad, you should see how quickly it shreds through the psionic shields of the protoss."
"I'll take your word for it," Ward said. "What about these stabilizers then? I haven't gotten a straight answer on how much time we have left before we turn Augustgrad into a pancake."
"By my estimates, you have less than an hours left to secure the remaining stabilizers before we pass the point of no return and have to evacuate," Reigel said.
Ward cursed. "That's not a lot of time."
"No, it isn't," Reigel said. "But for every additional stabilizer you secure, it should buy you about forty-five minutes each."
"Is there anyway you can help us?"
"It depends on how much freedom and access you're willing to give me."
[X] Give Reigel and the scientists full access - A double edged sword if there ever was one. Letting an unknown run rampant could do untold damage to communications and infrastructure, but he might also have some tricks to help seize the most heavily fortified sections of the platform
[X] Partial freedom - Post Lockheed to shadow the lab rats. It will slow down their work, but would let Ward keep tabs on whatever he's up to
[X] Limited access - A somewhere in between option that keeps Reigel from damaging certain critical functions the operation needs to continue.
[X] No access - Remains a prisoner, but has no chance of sabotaging ongoing operations
[X] Make it Nova's problem to deal with.
If given access, what should the scientists work on?
[X] Focus on upgrades - It won't yield immediate benefits, probably not even until Sky Shield is secured, but having better weapons was always, well better
[X] Focus on stabilizers - This should buy Ward more time to secure the platform
[X] Focus on EMP shielding - Allows Ward's aircraft to actually operate within the EMP zones, albeit still with reduced effectiveness.
"I heard you managed to turn the base to scrap," Nova said.
"I did," Ward said. "Did Lockheed tell you?"
She hummed non-committal like. "You picked up some scientists?"
"Yes, but I find it hard to trust them," Ward said. "After what happened with the ghost from earlier... who knows how many of them are compromised. Giving them access to our systems is risky."
"All of war is a risk," Nova said. "Anyhow, I just finished up on my end. I think I'll push towards the EMP scrambler near me. Make sure we're not leaving a knife at our back."
Ward informed her of the intel Reigel provided.
"He certainly seems to be making himself useful," Nova mused.
"A common enough tactic for sleeper agents," Ward grumbled. "That's the tricky thing about imposters---they're always hell to pick out from among us."
Nova didn't pursue the subject. Instead, she asked, "So, what'll you be up to?"
Ward paused, giving the question some thought. He could push forward, but they'd suffered moderate casualties taking the base. The men and their gear weren't in the best shape to keep fighting at the moment, and some time to repair their crafts would return effective strength to more appropriate levels. They also had a new cache of resources to exploit from the enemy base.
On the other hand, aggression had served them well so far.
Trait Gained: Strike First, Strike Fast, No Mercy - Ward has a noted predilection towards aggressive tactics on the battlefield. Gains more stress the longer he delays and builds up.
[X] There is a plan of attack: Attack! (-20 Stress)
[X] Repair and Refit Craft - Fixes what can be fixed and brings Ward's troops back into fighting condition (+15 Stress)
[X] Expand Base Facilities - Greed is good, and there's a base for the taking. It would make ramping up far easier (+30 Stress, grants bonus actions)
When all is said and done, eventually a new target for attack will have to be chosen.
[X] Attack Platform 5 (Stabilizer)
[X] Attack Platform 6 (EMP Scrambler)
[X] Write In
Note: Appendix has been updated.
No, there was no choice but forward.
"Siege tanks, forward," Ward ordered over his earpiece. "Men, continue to screen their advance."
"Is this wise?" Lockheed asked, speaking at last. "Moebius has already sieged up their tanks, and they have more of them. Commander Nova's men are the best of the best, but even they'd find such odds difficult."
"They're a distraction," Ward said.
"A distraction? For who?" Lockheed asked.
"For you," Ward said. "I've a mission for you." He pointed to the orbital command and the thor. "Those are the cornerstone of their defense. Take one of them out, even for a minute, and this battle will be won decisively."
"The orbital command will be easier, but it'll take longer," Lockheed said.
Ward frowned. "I thought all ghosts were psionics. Couldn't you just fry the thor's pilot's mind?"
Lockheed tilted his head. The visor made it hard to tell what the ghost was feeling. "If I had a few minutes, direct line of sight, and no interruptions, maybe. I'm sure Commander Nova could do it, but I am a lowly 7 on the Psi Index."
"What about sabotage then?" Ward asked. The ghosts were said to have superhuman strength, if the news was to be believed. "Apply enough kinetic force to the joints, or cause of its explosives to go off prematurely in storage."
"You've been listening to too much propaganda," Lockheed said. "I wouldn't believe half of what the newscasters say about what we can or can't do."
"I'll leave it to you then. You're the expert on what you can do," Ward said.
"The orbital is doable," Lockheed said. He watched the tanks began to roll forward, accompanied by squads of marines. "That's a lot of men to spend on a distraction."
I don't remember ghosts giving this much lip in the past, Ward thought, before chalking it up to Valyrian's "humane reforms". "They were never going to decide this battle," Ward said, feeling his stomach twist. Sending men to their deaths was never something a good commander got comfortable with, though it was easier now. "The enemy has to believe this push is not a feint, or they'll suspect something. Go, quickly. Each second you tarry is more of my men dead."
Lockheed nodded, breaking off into a run along the edge of the platform. It was hard to tell the exact moment he faded from sight, happening so gradually, so seamlessly it was as if he was never there.
Ward shuddered. This day was one giant reminder not to get on a ghost's bad side.
"This is Ward to all pilots, stay out of the thor's range for now," he said. "Pick off any stragglers, but keep out of anti-air range."
A chorus of affirmations streamed through the intercom, and Ward watched as his pilots began a furious aerial dance. It was a feat of skill, knowing just how close they could get before having to pull back. Some of the enemy marines were fooled during the first few passes, leaving the safety the thor provided for the briefest of moments, but the briefest of moments was all the banshees and wraiths needed.
There was a flash of turbolaser or a streak of missile, and the smell of charred flesh filled the space through their odour simulants.
The ground troops did not fare so well, however. Like Lockheed had pointed out, the enemy's tanks were sieged up already, and they outnumbered theirs. Some of the marauders accompanying the tanks intentionally rushed forward to take the first volleys in lieu of the tanks, and Ward had scarcely seen such bravery before from the Dominion. There was some footage from Raynor's Raiders in the early days of the Brood War using similar tactics, but they were desperate men with nothing to lose.
Finally, finally Ward's own tanks managed to set themselves up. The veteran crews fired significantly faster and surer than the Moebius tanks, but that experience was about the only thing going for them in the ground fight. The infantry screening them had scattered, taking cover against the shells falling on their positions. The enemy infantry was doing something similar on the other side of the field.
Had the fight over the skies been more contested, the enemy might have decided to charge forward with their infantry at this point to try and overwhelm their position. It seemed almost crude to resort to the tactics of the First War of Terra with massed men charging fixed artillery, but sometimes the old ways were best.
War really didn't change in the end.
"This is Lockheed," buzzed Ward's intercom. He heard gunfire through it. "Comms are down."
"Enemy comms are down!" Ward relayed immediately. "All crafts focus down that thor!"
Banshees and wraiths turned on a dime, closing in from everywhere and disappearing from their enemy's sight. The thor's pilot visible panicked, unleashing a whole barrage of ordinances, but without any guidance on where the stealth crafts were, they hit nothing but empty air. Modern crafts were simply too mobile to hit randomly.
Missile after missile flew into the thor's joints. It stood up to the punishment well, truly a testament to terran engineering, but nothing could last forever. First went its knees, causing it to collapse forward atop a siege tank and more than a few marines. Then, its arms, so it could not push itself up or attempt some desperate suicide.
Then, only when it had been crippled beyond use, did they land the killing blow.
Afterwards was cleanup. The infantry and armored cavalry did not really have the means of shooting up fast enough to overcome their air superiority. The smarter ones among their enemies did not descend into blind panic, but attempted to regroup near the missile turrets on the other entrance of their base. Unfortunately for them, none of the siege tanks escaped the strafing runs and a single siege tank under Ward had survived the furious exchange of volleys.
Slowly, surely, the lone siege tank whittled away what missile turrets remained, and when the last one fell, the marines activated their bayonets and made a desperate mad dash against Ward's men. Their enemies broke like ripples against stone, barely getting any shots off within effective range before the vikings landed and finished gunning them down.
"Lockheed, are you alive?" Ward asked.
"It'll take more than a few lab rats to put me down," Lockheed said. "You may want to send some men in here. Quite a few prisoners in here."
Those must be the scientists, Ward recalled. Nova had mentioned some being help prisoner, though what to do with them? They could be put to work, but it'd require keeping them defended. Also, there was every risk that some of them were collaborators. After seeing the ghost from earlier break his own bones... well, it was best not to assume anything about this enemy of theirs.
It didn't take Ward long to arrange for a squad of marines to seize the command center and march the scientists out.
Lockheed headed straight for Ward, accompanied by a dark-skinned man with cybernetic arms. "Sir, this is Reigel. He claims to be a defector."
"I'm sure many of them claim to be defectors from Moebius Corp," Ward said.
"Not Moebius Corp," the man, Reigel, said. "That refers to the security arm of the Moebius Foundation, and yes, I've left their services permanently."
"He made some bold claims," Lockheed said. "I thought it best to kick the matter up to you."
Ward crossed his arms across his chest. "Alright, let's hear it then."
"I work directly for Emperor Valerian," Reigel said.
Ward's brow shot up. "You know the Emperor?"
"I'm a weapons technology specialist in his employ."
A bold claim indeed... "Is that so? I don't suppose you have any proof of this," Ward said.
Reigel visibly deflated. "No, nothing like that. My work was deemed top secret."
The man seemed to believe what he was saying, but there seemed to be some mind fuckery going on with whatever the hell was going on at the moment. Sleeper agents weren't uncommon threats.
"Why were you on this facility?" Ward asked.
"I'm afraid that's classified," Reigel said.
Ward frowned. That was becoming an all too familiar refrain these days, and he didn't like it one bit. "Alright, is there anything you can tell me about this facility, anything that could help my mission?"
"That I can do," Reigel said. "There are three EMP scramblers on this station, as you might know. Their effects get stronger the closer you are to them. If one of your pilots should fly too close to it, there's every chance it'll cause them to crash or turn their vehicles non-responsive."
"How do you propose we eliminate them then?" Ward asked.
"With infantry would be best," Reigel answered. "They might have reduced output from their suits, but they should still manage fine. There's no easy answer unless you have some zerg lying around. The scramblers affect just everything in the Dominion's arsenal. All of our weapons run on electricity of one form or another."
"Why in Terra's name would we build these things here then?" Ward asked.
Reigel smiled. "They were originally a countermeasure designed to stop any protoss incursions. If you think what it does to our tech is bad, you should see how quickly it shreds through the psionic shields of the protoss."
"I'll take your word for it," Ward said. "What about these stabilizers then? I haven't gotten a straight answer on how much time we have left before we turn Augustgrad into a pancake."
"By my estimates, you have less than an hours left to secure the remaining stabilizers before we pass the point of no return and have to evacuate," Reigel said.
Ward cursed. "That's not a lot of time."
"No, it isn't," Reigel said. "But for every additional stabilizer you secure, it should buy you about forty-five minutes each."
"Is there anyway you can help us?"
"It depends on how much freedom and access you're willing to give me."
[X] Give Reigel and the scientists full access - A double edged sword if there ever was one. Letting an unknown run rampant could do untold damage to communications and infrastructure, but he might also have some tricks to help seize the most heavily fortified sections of the platform
[X] Partial freedom - Post Lockheed to shadow the lab rats. It will slow down their work, but would let Ward keep tabs on whatever he's up to
[X] Limited access - A somewhere in between option that keeps Reigel from damaging certain critical functions the operation needs to continue.
[X] No access - Remains a prisoner, but has no chance of sabotaging ongoing operations
[X] Make it Nova's problem to deal with.
If given access, what should the scientists work on?
[X] Focus on upgrades - It won't yield immediate benefits, probably not even until Sky Shield is secured, but having better weapons was always, well better
[X] Focus on stabilizers - This should buy Ward more time to secure the platform
[X] Focus on EMP shielding - Allows Ward's aircraft to actually operate within the EMP zones, albeit still with reduced effectiveness.
"I heard you managed to turn the base to scrap," Nova said.
"I did," Ward said. "Did Lockheed tell you?"
She hummed non-committal like. "You picked up some scientists?"
"Yes, but I find it hard to trust them," Ward said. "After what happened with the ghost from earlier... who knows how many of them are compromised. Giving them access to our systems is risky."
"All of war is a risk," Nova said. "Anyhow, I just finished up on my end. I think I'll push towards the EMP scrambler near me. Make sure we're not leaving a knife at our back."
Ward informed her of the intel Reigel provided.
"He certainly seems to be making himself useful," Nova mused.
"A common enough tactic for sleeper agents," Ward grumbled. "That's the tricky thing about imposters---they're always hell to pick out from among us."
Nova didn't pursue the subject. Instead, she asked, "So, what'll you be up to?"
Ward paused, giving the question some thought. He could push forward, but they'd suffered moderate casualties taking the base. The men and their gear weren't in the best shape to keep fighting at the moment, and some time to repair their crafts would return effective strength to more appropriate levels. They also had a new cache of resources to exploit from the enemy base.
On the other hand, aggression had served them well so far.
Trait Gained: Strike First, Strike Fast, No Mercy - Ward has a noted predilection towards aggressive tactics on the battlefield. Gains more stress the longer he delays and builds up.
[X] There is a plan of attack: Attack! (-20 Stress)
[X] Repair and Refit Craft - Fixes what can be fixed and brings Ward's troops back into fighting condition (+15 Stress)
[X] Expand Base Facilities - Greed is good, and there's a base for the taking. It would make ramping up far easier (+30 Stress, grants bonus actions)
When all is said and done, eventually a new target for attack will have to be chosen.
[X] Attack Platform 5 (Stabilizer)
[X] Attack Platform 6 (EMP Scrambler)
[X] Write In
Note: Appendix has been updated.
Last edited:
- Location
- Where I an right now
[X] Partial freedom - Post Lockheed to shadow the lab rats. It will slow down their work, but would let Ward keep tabs on whatever he's up to
[X] Focus on upgrades - It won't yield immediate benefits, probably not even until Sky Shield is secured, but having better weapons was always, well better
[X] Repair and Refit Craft - Fixes what can be fixed and brings Ward's troops back into fighting condition (+15 Stress)
[X] Attack Platform 5 (Stabilizer)
We can't trust a guy we just met with no Solid proof of ID
Upgrades are King, and we are hitting a stabilizer so we should have time
Repair, we just took out a base, we need to make sure we can push again without problems, unlike the game, I expect damage to reduce the efficiency of the troops
[X] Focus on upgrades - It won't yield immediate benefits, probably not even until Sky Shield is secured, but having better weapons was always, well better
[X] Repair and Refit Craft - Fixes what can be fixed and brings Ward's troops back into fighting condition (+15 Stress)
[X] Attack Platform 5 (Stabilizer)
We can't trust a guy we just met with no Solid proof of ID
Upgrades are King, and we are hitting a stabilizer so we should have time
Repair, we just took out a base, we need to make sure we can push again without problems, unlike the game, I expect damage to reduce the efficiency of the troops
- Location
- Earth
Scientists sus.
[X] Partial freedom - Post Lockheed to shadow the lab rats. It will slow down their work, but would let Ward keep tabs on whatever he's up to
[X] Focus on upgrades - It won't yield immediate benefits, probably not even until Sky Shield is secured, but having better weapons was always, well better
[X] Repair and Refit Craft - Fixes what can be fixed and brings Ward's troops back into fighting condition (+15 Stress)
[X] Attack Platform 5 (Stabilizer)
Warmach1ne32
Machine of War and Quests
- Location
- Indonesia
I see what you did there
[X] Partial freedom - Post Lockheed to shadow the lab rats. It will slow down their work, but would let Ward keep tabs on whatever he's up to
[X] Focus on upgrades - It won't yield immediate benefits, probably not even until Sky Shield is secured, but having better weapons was always, well better
[X] Expand Base Facilities - Greed is good, and there's a base for the taking. It would make ramping up far easier (+30 Stress, grants bonus actions)
[X] Attack Platform 5 (Stabilizer)
Nova got a Stabilizer and we just took half the map. We have some time to replenish our units. There is also a high chance the 2nd base will launch a counter attack. Once we get reinforcements, then we'll attack another Stabilizer.
Last edited:
- Location
- Planet Earth
[X] Partial freedom - Post Lockheed to shadow the lab rats. It will slow down their work, but would let Ward keep tabs on whatever he's up to
[X] Focus on upgrades - It won't yield immediate benefits, probably not even until Sky Shield is secured, but having better weapons was always, well better
[X] Repair and Refit Craft - Fixes what can be fixed and brings Ward's troops back into fighting condition (+15 Stress)
[X] Attack Platform 5 (Stabilizer)
Ouch, so few updates and we've already gotten a negative trait without anything positive to balance it out.
[X] Focus on upgrades - It won't yield immediate benefits, probably not even until Sky Shield is secured, but having better weapons was always, well better
[X] Repair and Refit Craft - Fixes what can be fixed and brings Ward's troops back into fighting condition (+15 Stress)
[X] Attack Platform 5 (Stabilizer)
Ouch, so few updates and we've already gotten a negative trait without anything positive to balance it out.
BlueWerewolf25
The Dreamer
- Location
- Wouldn't You Like To Know?
- Pronouns
- He/His/Him
Ooooh, new update! It looks like things turned out very well, even if we took moderate losses. But hey, that's why we took out the base: To actually build up our forces more. Less than an hour until it crashes, but each reclaimed stabilizer gives us an extra 45 minutes. Not bad, not bad at all.
But oof, that trait is...I somewhat regret it.
Now, I'mm post an alternative plan just so we do have two choices to pick from
[X] Partial freedom - Post Lockheed to shadow the lab rats. It will slow down their work, but would let Ward keep tabs on whatever he's up to.
[X] Focus on upgrades - It won't yield immediate benefits, probably not even until Sky Shield is secured, but having better weapons was always, well better
[X] Expand Base Facilities - Greed is good, and there's a base for the taking. It would make ramping up far easier (+30 Stress, grants bonus actions)
[X] Attack Platform 5 (Stabilizer)
In hindsight, there's only one key difference here. But lemme explain my thought process.
I trust Reigal, but Ward does not and neither of us trust the other scientists. Reigal is a talented scientist and engineer in many aspects, but his arguably best specialty is making new shit for the troops. Thus, upgrades while being watched by friendly neighborhood ghost. Sorry Nova, we're snatching your future tech guy from you.
We need more time of course while Nova deals with the nearby EMP, so Platform 5. Now, the different choice. We're at 30/300 stress, and 100 makes a new negative trait. Honestly, I think we can take that extra 30 stress in exchange for REALLY buffing up our forces. We took over a good base area, why not use it? Plus, bonus actions can only mean good things for us~. If we can get a factory running and pump out some Hellions, we can probably have them play chicken and soften up any infantry groups. Not to mention replace our lost airforce and marines.
EDIT: Also training up some Marauders, that's always good for a bio-ball. And once we have a large force again, we can lower that stress level by rushing one objective after the other~.
But oof, that trait is...I somewhat regret it.
Now, I'mm post an alternative plan just so we do have two choices to pick from
[X] Partial freedom - Post Lockheed to shadow the lab rats. It will slow down their work, but would let Ward keep tabs on whatever he's up to.
[X] Focus on upgrades - It won't yield immediate benefits, probably not even until Sky Shield is secured, but having better weapons was always, well better
[X] Expand Base Facilities - Greed is good, and there's a base for the taking. It would make ramping up far easier (+30 Stress, grants bonus actions)
[X] Attack Platform 5 (Stabilizer)
In hindsight, there's only one key difference here. But lemme explain my thought process.
I trust Reigal, but Ward does not and neither of us trust the other scientists. Reigal is a talented scientist and engineer in many aspects, but his arguably best specialty is making new shit for the troops. Thus, upgrades while being watched by friendly neighborhood ghost. Sorry Nova, we're snatching your future tech guy from you.
We need more time of course while Nova deals with the nearby EMP, so Platform 5. Now, the different choice. We're at 30/300 stress, and 100 makes a new negative trait. Honestly, I think we can take that extra 30 stress in exchange for REALLY buffing up our forces. We took over a good base area, why not use it? Plus, bonus actions can only mean good things for us~. If we can get a factory running and pump out some Hellions, we can probably have them play chicken and soften up any infantry groups. Not to mention replace our lost airforce and marines.
EDIT: Also training up some Marauders, that's always good for a bio-ball. And once we have a large force again, we can lower that stress level by rushing one objective after the other~.
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Warmach1ne32
Machine of War and Quests
- Location
- Indonesia
Valerian is still our boss so technically, Reigel could get re-assigned on Valerian's order to help Nova during her campaign.
Also yeah, nobody likes a negative trait. If it meant we get a bonus to multi pronged attacks like Maru or TY or Clem I would be happier.
BlueWerewolf25
The Dreamer
- Location
- Wouldn't You Like To Know?
- Pronouns
- He/His/Him
I think that if we prefer a certain type of plan, there should be a narrative or mechanical bonus that comes with it? Plus it's our first Commander trait.
- Location
- Central Standard Time
[X] Partial freedom - Post Lockheed to shadow the lab rats. It will slow down their work, but would let Ward keep tabs on whatever he's up to.
[X] Focus on upgrades - It won't yield immediate benefits, probably not even until Sky Shield is secured, but having better weapons was always, well better
[X] Expand Base Facilities - Greed is good, and there's a base for the taking. It would make ramping up far easier (+30 Stress, grants bonus actions)
[X] Attack Platform 5 (Stabilizer)
[X] Focus on upgrades - It won't yield immediate benefits, probably not even until Sky Shield is secured, but having better weapons was always, well better
[X] Expand Base Facilities - Greed is good, and there's a base for the taking. It would make ramping up far easier (+30 Stress, grants bonus actions)
[X] Attack Platform 5 (Stabilizer)
- Location
- USA
[x] Partial freedom - Post Lockheed to shadow the lab rats. It will slow down their work, but would let Ward keep tabs on whatever he's up to
[x] Focus on stabilizers - This should buy Ward more time to secure the platform
[x] Repair and Refit Craft - Fixes what can be fixed and brings Ward's troops back into fighting condition (+15 Stress)
[x] Attack Platform 5 (Stabilizer)
[x] Focus on stabilizers - This should buy Ward more time to secure the platform
[x] Repair and Refit Craft - Fixes what can be fixed and brings Ward's troops back into fighting condition (+15 Stress)
[x] Attack Platform 5 (Stabilizer)
- Location
- Philippines
The three major military votes so far you guys voted overwhelmingly aggressively.
Where to Land = Platform 1 (moderately aggressive, given this was a write in vote). Second largest vote in a close vote was also moderately aggressive attack on Platform 6.
First Attack = Moebius Corp base (very aggressive, overwhelmingly voted in favor of)
Continue Assault = Yes, and you guys also chose to fight into an entrenched position with fewer siege tanks (very aggressive, given this was a write in vote, and overwhelming voted in favor of).
I think you guys might be underestimating how good of a stress burner the trait is. Given you'll be fighting a lot (it is a commander quest after all), you're basically given an option to burn down stress for most votes. If you had gotten an opposite trait like "Patient Hunter" or "Adaptive Terrain", you wouldn't have a lot of stress burning mechanics.
Still, if this turns out not to be balanced properly we can tweak things in the future, but for now I'm content to let this one play out.
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BlueWerewolf25
The Dreamer
- Location
- Wouldn't You Like To Know?
- Pronouns
- He/His/Him
Fair enough! Also, just one-two votes off from Expanding Base vote to win, darned.
- Location
- Philippines
Votes not over, just tallying so we have a clear idea of where we're atFair enough! Also, just one-two votes off from Expanding Base vote to win, darned.
BlueWerewolf25
The Dreamer
- Location
- Wouldn't You Like To Know?
- Pronouns
- He/His/Him
From what I understand, combat in general generates stress. Because realistically yes, it is pretty stressful having to go through Starcraft 2. Now our commander has three stages of stress levels, but as long as he keeps following his shtick, he can easily negate whatever stress he gains. Doing stuff that goes against his shtick risks extra stress, but also nets great narrative rewards. It's a resource management thing.
Stress, Traits, and Doctrines
- Location
- Philippines
What is Stress narratively?
War is hell. Starcraft is worse.
Stress captures 2 things for this quest. 1) It reflects the mental strain of being in combat, and certain things like prolonged combat beyond expected, lack of supplies, heavy losses, increase this. 2) It reflects how in character you've chosen to play as.
What is Stress mechanically?
Mechanically, it's a resource. You can accumulate up to 300 Stress before Bad Things Happen. Additionally, at intervals of 100 Stress, you can gain negative traits, or make existing negative traits worse.
Thus, taking on Stress is a trade-off between playing in character, or choosing paths which might yield great benefit. This does not mean that all Stress-inducing path always yield greater benefit. It's entirely possible playing in character is the objectively better choice. What taking Stress on does allow you is the flexibility to do so, while also putting actual stakes in every decision made.
What are Traits?
Traits are essentially what characteristics Ward has taken on, as a result of your votes. Note that I say votes, not winning votes. Votes that win in a landslide have far more impact on swaying Ward towards certain characteristics, and votes that end up being close have less of an impact (unless both options trend towards the same theme). Similarly, the timing of your votes can affect traits as well, though to a far lesser degree.
This means that when I say your vote matters, I mean every vote matters.
Some traits are negative, which means they tend to be used as "stress burners". They make reducing stress easier. Some traits are positive, which means they give some bonus or open up special interactions. All traits tend to narrow the scope of actions you can take stress-free.
This means there's a balancing act in play where accumulating high stress leads to negative traits which makes it harder to keep accumulating stress, and getting positive traits makes it easier and so on and so forth it goes.
Can traits be changed? Yes, through consistent voting of options that are opposite from what the trait suggests you ought to take (gaining you stress), it's possible to overwrite it. It usually means taking on enough stress to take on a new negative trait however.
At the moment, I have decided on a hard cap of 5 traits you can take on to prevent bloat.
What is Doctrine?
Doctrine is traits writ large. A trait you take on can become adopted by Alpha Squadron at large, becoming a modus operandi or an ideal your men strive to follow.
For example, "Strike First, Strike Fast, No Mercy" as a doctrine would give your forces a bonus at mobilizing, which decreases in strength the longer a mission progresses (until they return to a base of zero). Almost any trait can become a doctrine.
How do traits become doctrine? Through consistent voting patterns essentially. Once enough votes following a certain trait is reached, there'll be an option to turn it into a doctrine, which often causes more stress as you try to implement large scale changes. Doctrines can also end up influencing what calldowns you have.
At the moment, I have decided on a hard cap of 3 doctrines you can take on to prevent bloat, not including the specialist doctrine you get with every commander.
War is hell. Starcraft is worse.
Stress captures 2 things for this quest. 1) It reflects the mental strain of being in combat, and certain things like prolonged combat beyond expected, lack of supplies, heavy losses, increase this. 2) It reflects how in character you've chosen to play as.
What is Stress mechanically?
Mechanically, it's a resource. You can accumulate up to 300 Stress before Bad Things Happen. Additionally, at intervals of 100 Stress, you can gain negative traits, or make existing negative traits worse.
Thus, taking on Stress is a trade-off between playing in character, or choosing paths which might yield great benefit. This does not mean that all Stress-inducing path always yield greater benefit. It's entirely possible playing in character is the objectively better choice. What taking Stress on does allow you is the flexibility to do so, while also putting actual stakes in every decision made.
What are Traits?
Traits are essentially what characteristics Ward has taken on, as a result of your votes. Note that I say votes, not winning votes. Votes that win in a landslide have far more impact on swaying Ward towards certain characteristics, and votes that end up being close have less of an impact (unless both options trend towards the same theme). Similarly, the timing of your votes can affect traits as well, though to a far lesser degree.
This means that when I say your vote matters, I mean every vote matters.
Some traits are negative, which means they tend to be used as "stress burners". They make reducing stress easier. Some traits are positive, which means they give some bonus or open up special interactions. All traits tend to narrow the scope of actions you can take stress-free.
This means there's a balancing act in play where accumulating high stress leads to negative traits which makes it harder to keep accumulating stress, and getting positive traits makes it easier and so on and so forth it goes.
Can traits be changed? Yes, through consistent voting of options that are opposite from what the trait suggests you ought to take (gaining you stress), it's possible to overwrite it. It usually means taking on enough stress to take on a new negative trait however.
At the moment, I have decided on a hard cap of 5 traits you can take on to prevent bloat.
What is Doctrine?
Doctrine is traits writ large. A trait you take on can become adopted by Alpha Squadron at large, becoming a modus operandi or an ideal your men strive to follow.
For example, "Strike First, Strike Fast, No Mercy" as a doctrine would give your forces a bonus at mobilizing, which decreases in strength the longer a mission progresses (until they return to a base of zero). Almost any trait can become a doctrine.
How do traits become doctrine? Through consistent voting patterns essentially. Once enough votes following a certain trait is reached, there'll be an option to turn it into a doctrine, which often causes more stress as you try to implement large scale changes. Doctrines can also end up influencing what calldowns you have.
At the moment, I have decided on a hard cap of 3 doctrines you can take on to prevent bloat, not including the specialist doctrine you get with every commander.
[X] Partial freedom - Post Lockheed to shadow the lab rats. It will slow down their work, but would let Ward keep tabs on whatever he's up to.
[X] Focus on upgrades - It won't yield immediate benefits, probably not even until Sky Shield is secured, but having better weapons was always, well better
[X] Expand Base Facilities - Greed is good, and there's a base for the taking. It would make ramping up far easier (+30 Stress, grants bonus actions)
[X] Attack Platform 5 (Stabilizer)
get a base set up now when its easy so that we don't need to do it later on
[X] Focus on upgrades - It won't yield immediate benefits, probably not even until Sky Shield is secured, but having better weapons was always, well better
[X] Expand Base Facilities - Greed is good, and there's a base for the taking. It would make ramping up far easier (+30 Stress, grants bonus actions)
[X] Attack Platform 5 (Stabilizer)
get a base set up now when its easy so that we don't need to do it later on
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Warmach1ne32
Machine of War and Quests
- Location
- Indonesia
BlueWerewolf25
The Dreamer
- Location
- Wouldn't You Like To Know?
- Pronouns
- He/His/Him
That's true, but as in the game, you're also perfectly capable of building up your forces steadily until the timer goes down by half, and then taking an objective to increase the timer once more. The larger force makes it easier to steamroll your opponents. So while being aggresive ends the game faster (but nets more consistent casualties), we don't have to.
BlueWerewolf25
The Dreamer
- Location
- Wouldn't You Like To Know?
- Pronouns
- He/His/Him
Hey, at least we're not in the endless cycle of hatred that is World of Warcraft nowadays. That's something at least! Terrans Zerg and Protoss were all united by the endgame...ish. Discounting Terran Rebels, Tal'Darim and feral zerg.
So we're the brain cells, and the entire voting process is Ward bouncing ideas off the wall to see what sticks. Because while the winning options influences him more, a close vote for the runner up means that he did heavily think on another way too. And that means something.
Postive traits have their consequences, and negative traits have their pros too. Resource management.
Warmach1ne32
Machine of War and Quests
- Location
- Indonesia
We don't know how long a turn will take so while we know how long it would be before game over, we don't really have a good idea how long a turn will take in comparison with the IC time limit.
Also we did, intentionally, contact Nova and asked for a Co-Op instead of charging in immediately.