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Hope will never die : a Fire Emblem Awakening quest

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Chapter 2-6: Prepare for battle
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    • [X] To stay there, and prepare to receive the charge in the best possible conditions
    [X] On foot
    [X] At the rear, to keep a good view of the battle and direct troops where they're needed
    [x] Use the baggage convoy as a barricade to break up any charges and stop spells
    -[X] put the valuables and as many supplies as possible in 1 or 2 wagons at the center
    [X] Arrange the majority of the spearmen and some wagons in a light arc around the center wagons. Leave the rest to guard the rear and/or shore up the front line.
    [X]Have the archers stand behind the arc, facing the forest. Tell one to fire a single arrow towards the woods, and tell the rest to not fire again until bandits have reached that arrow.
    [X] Defer to the knights' commander for how the mounted soldiers will place themselves.
    [X] Tell the soldiers that they must hold the bandits here, or they will trap your father and his men in the city and go on to ravage the country. You will stand with them and fight for Ylisse and your Father.
    As you look around you, you know you have little time for hesitation. "A bad plan is better than no plan at all", taught you Robin. Well, you still hope you may come up with something decent. You consider changing your position, before discarding the idea; it is probably too late to find a better ground, and the remaining time would be better employed to prepare your defenses. And though the current location doesn't offer much in terms of cover, you might be able to use what you have on hand. You take a deep breath, before starting issuing orders.

    "We have little time. We need to use the wagons as a barricade to break their charge. Keep the valuables at the center of the convoy, use the rest to give us cover!"

    Your words are enough to send the men into a frenzy. There is little time to offload the wagons, but a rudimentary barricade is quickly assembled, while the archers, under your instructions, mark their range. You can feel that having someone taking charge and projecting an impression of confidence is enough to calm the nerves of many young recruits, even if said confidence comes from a child - and is largely faked. Nonetheless, you know what is expected of you. As a princess of House Ylisse, you cannot simply issue orders from afar, you must provide them with inspiration. You don't know how your father would do it, but you intend to do your best nonetheless. Still atop your horse with your sword drawn, you address the men before you, a mask of determination on your face.

    "Soldiers of Ylisse! We cannot allow those men to continue their advance in our lands, spreading death and terror among our people. Should we fail here, they will be free to threaten our friends and families with impunity, leaving only ruins behind. I do not intend to let that happen. I ask of you, stand with me and fight, for the Exalt and the Halidom!"

    An approving clamour rises from the troops, and you can feel your own inner turmoil being washed away by their vote of confidence. As you prepare to continue directing the defensive preparations, you hear the voice of sir Kardin near you.

    "Well said, princess. Your father would be proud."

    As you turn toward him, you hesitate. Giving instructions to raw soldiers is one thing, but those are trained knights, some of them having taken part in Ylisse's previous campaign. In the end, you defer to their officer to choose their position.

    "My lady, your father left us behind to ensure your safety. We will remain at your side."

    You can't help but frown a little. You don't intend to fight on horseback, meaning they'll have to dismount too in order to fulfil their job. Moreover, you planned on following Robin's advices and stay back during the first stage of the battle to observe and direct reinforcements where they are needed - you even have located a small elevated position to get a better view on the field. That means they won't support the recruits right away. On the other hand, you suppose having them in reserve could come up handy depending on how the battle proceeds. Nonetheless, you can feel a wave of last minute anxiety threatening to overcome you. Are you making a mistake right now?

    [] Continue as planned
    [] Make a last minute adjustment (what?)

    Sorry, a rather short update this time around.
     
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    • Enshuu said:
    ...the plan is probably still fine but, like Lucina, I'm suddenly questioning it.

    I'll think about it for a bit then come back.
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    Unless there's a horrible flaw in the plan suddenly, its probably best to leave it. They're already setting up the formation we ordered, throwing it into chaos with even less time on the clock? *shrug*

    Should be alright. I think we were just going to let the knights do whatever anyway. Although maybe expecting them to flank... we might be able to get half of them to split off to do that anyway if they think they can split off and come back easily enough. Treeline and all.
     
    [X] Make a last minute adjustment
    -[X] ask some of the knights if it would be safe and/or logical for them to ride away from the main group and flank the bandits
    --[X] You're going to be in an elevated position, thus potentially vulnerable to sniper fire. You can't really hide the fact that you're a child, but it might be a good idea to obscure the fact that you're Lucina. Alternatively, if there's no fast way to disguise yourself, try keep at least one knight between you and the forest.

    It's natural to feel nervous, but I think this is still a good plan. Just needs a couple more details, like formalizing the idea of flanking and making sure the first enemy archers can't target Lucina quickly.

    Edited: Changed the wording
     
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    Enshuu said:
    [X] Make a last minute adjustment
    -[X] ask some of the knights to ride away from the main group in preparation for flanking the bandits.
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    Maybe tack on a "If they think it will work" to the end of that? We have good tactics, but our Combat Riding skill is fairly low... or non-existent, I can't remember, so deferring to them on whether or not it will work feels both IC, safe (politically), and safer (for them).
     
    Chapter 2-7: Battle on the western road
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    • [X] Continue as planned

    You push back against that sudden wave of anxiety. Now is not the time to doubt yourself. Nodding to the officer, you move away to take your position near the back lines in close proximity to the bowmen, with the dismounted knights keeping a tight formation around you. Before you, the barricade is almost finished, when the bandit's vanguard finally appears. You cannot help but notice that the rumours about the quality of their equipment seem to be true; from what you can see their weaponry seems plain, but you can recognize good iron when you see it, and many of them are sporting chainmails or boiled leathers. As you watch them gather you also realize their numbers seem closer to two hundred; your forces are still more numerous, but it's an unpleasant discovery nonetheless.

    For a moment, the two forces simply observe each other. You can tell that seeing an armed convoy having already taken a defensive position is enough to make some of the enemies hesitate, before several barked orders make them rally - for now. From this distance, you cannot see who was the one in command, or even what he said, but you wouldn't be surprised if Plegia had put one of their own officers to direct this party - this was what they did during last war after all, and it proved to be quite effective, to Ylisse's dismay. As for you, you're surprised to find yourself utterly calm, only focused on the battle to come. Seeing the enemy before you is actually reassuring, in a way: you know what you have to do, and your tutors made sure to give you the means to do it. As you hear the bandit army cheering, in what probably was a prelude to their charge, there is no doubt in your heart, only determination.

    Finally, the bandit force begins to move. There's no complicated maneuver or fancy tactics, you simply watch as the masses pick up speed in order to execute a frontal charge. Still, you notice their lines are somewhat dispersed, which would reduce the losses they'd suffer from your bowmen - and without cavalry, there's no easy way to exploit their loose formation before the melee starts in earnest. It doesn't matter. You watch as the enemy finally reaches the mark signaling your effective bow range, and give the order to fire, the sound of released bowstrings echoing all around you. It's not a perfectly executed volley, and the general precision leaves something to be desired, but a hundred archers firing at an enemy army are bound to hit something - and while the bandits are wearing decent armours, there is a distinctive lack of shields to protect them. Several arrows find their mark, and you can see a dozen enemy combatants falling to the ground - injured or dead, you couldn't tell.

    The opposing archers make an attempt at returning fire, with close to fifty bandits pulling out their bows, but the wagons prove to be an effective cover, most of the arrows hitting the wood harmlessly. One lucky shot manages to hit a spearman in the neck, the first casualty on your side, but you force your gaze to remain on the enemy. Things complicate themselves when the bandits finally reach your lines. Your levies do their best to take advantage of their defensive positions and longer reach, spearing several assailants as soon as they come close, but the bandit axes prove to be rather effective at chopping wood, slowly grinding the cover to pieces and severing spear shafts all the same. It isn't long before the melee begins in earnest, blood being spilt from both sides, with your own archers having trouble finding targets, their lines of sight hampered by your own wooden barricade, and not relishing the prospect of firing into their own comrades. They finally opt to fire against the enemy bowmen, who are quick to return the favour.

    As for you, you do your best to keep track of the ongoing battle. Tome in hand, you take aim at a bandit trying to climb above the wagons, stunning him with a lightning bolt, long enough for one of your men to run him through. Still, it is not easy to pick up targets in this chaos, and the enemy bowmen are outside your range. So far, you can tell your lines are holding, but several positions on the barricade are hard pressed. You also manage to catch a glimpse of several bandits attempting to turn around the wagons, probing for a weak spot in your lines. As you're about to order them stopped, you realize they are not your only problem: in the center, you finally see the enemy officer, whose breastplate and steel axe make stand out. As you watch him cut down two of your soldiers in quick succession, invigorating his men with his presence, you can't but fear for the morale of your troops. So far, they have performed admirably despite their losses, the sense of purpose you managed to instill them still pushing them forward, but that would last only so long.

    A last unpleasant surprise befalls you when a strange shiver runs down your spine. You feel the presence of dark magic just before you hear a scream near your position. An archer is on the ground, his body shaken by spasms, and you can feel his life being drained out of him. This morbid scene is enough to give his nearby companions pause, shaken by a threat they cannot defend against. It isn't long before you notice a cloaked figure standing among the archer bandits, dark energy crackling around him. So the enemy has a dark mage, and from the looks of it, he was able to reach further than you could with his magic. An arrow threatens to hit him, but is batted away in a gust of wind. So he's a wind mage too. Great.

    Your forces:
    82 spearmen holding the center, 13 dead. Morale: steady, but decreasing (for Ylisse!, superior numbers, inferior quality, enemy officer threat)
    30 spearmen holding the left flank, 0 dead. Morale: good (for Ylisse!, superior numbers, safe from missile fire, no losses)
    25 spearmen holding the right flank, 5 dead. Morale: good (for Ylisse!, superior numbers, safe from missile fire)
    40 spearmen in reserve, 0 dead. Morale: good (for Ylisse!, safe from missile fire, no losses)

    94 bowmen, firing at enemy archers, 6 dead. Morale: wavering (for Ylisse!, under archer fire, targeted by dark magic)

    20 dismounted knights, guarding Lucina, 0 dead. Morale: excellent (for Ylisse!, elite troops, no losses)

    Enemy forces:
    73 bandits charging the center, 12 dead. Enemy leader spotted among them.
    38 bandits trying to turn your right flank, 7 dead.
    16 bandits testing your left flank, 4 dead.

    40 archers firing at your bowmen, 10 dead. Enemy mage spotted among them.

    [] What will you do?
     
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    • Do we have any options to defend against dark magic? Because if we don't we might have to get more aggresive and send in our knights to run them down. Hmm... do we know what energy source he's using or make a guess at whether he can keep sniping us? If it's the equivalent of in-game Mire then it will probably have a pretty low accuracy too.

    Option 1: Play things safe.
    []Send the reserve spearmen to the right flank.
    []Personally Rally the archers
    []Order the knights to hold the center.

    Counter the enemy's attempts to turn our flank, push through the center and break our archers. The Dark mage might try to snipe us though. Hopefully it is the equivalent of mire and has a low hit chance.

    Alternatively we could order the knight go round the left flank and attack the archers and the mages. It would probably be better for us then to focus on the center as the archers are unlikely to be of much use for the rest of battle once everyone is in melee.

    Option 2: Take out the mage.
    []Send the reserve spearmen to the right flank.
    []Personally Rally the center
    []Order the knights circle round the left flank and attack the enemy mage and archers

    Thoughts?
     
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    ... Okay I gotta ask.

    Since Lucina is trained in Tactics.

    Shouldn't there be at least some options from her?
     
    Macros said:
    What exactly do you mean by "some options"? You mean, some vote options that she thinks might help?
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    Yeah.

    Sorry that it didn't sound clear. I mean I got general ideas of a plan.

    But it just ends up to me looking like I am winging it and I have no idea what I am doing when I am supposed to be trained in this!? Kinda feeling. Sorry.
     
    Hadiz said:
    But it just ends up to me looking like I am winging it and I have no idea what I am doing when I am supposed to be trained in this!? Kinda feeling. Sorry.
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    No, don't be sorry, that's a rather fair complaint. On the other hand, it'd be rather hard for me to list every possibility you may take, and from an IC perspective, Lucina's knowledge is still mostly theoretical, and most of her training had been geared toward more large-scale battles. How about I try to make a summary to clarify the situation instead?

    Basically, from what Lucina can tell, you currently have three problems:
    - your center, with a bloody melee occurring, opposing hardened, if undisciplined killers led by hat could count as a hero unit, only opposed by raw recruits. So far it held, due to defensive positions and numbers, but the impact of those factors is gradually lessening, as it's becoming harder to keep the enemy off the barricade and the numerical superiority is becoming more contested.
    - your right flank, who's about to be hit by a sizable force, which might overwhelm the defenders left here. The good news is it's not a particularly well executed attempt, leaving you with a bit of time to react
    - the mage, who while not inflicting heavy casualties, is a threat to morale - and might have more deadly tricks up his sleeves. The real problem is that he's far away - he seems relatively protected against stray arrows, and since you have no cavalry, any troops who want to reach him might be exposed to enemy fire. On the other hand, it is unlikely he can turn the tide of the battle by himself.

    On the other hand, you still enjoy a few advantages:
    - having reserves, while all the enemy forces are tied up, with both the knights and a group of raw recruits ready to assist (though the knights are reluctant to leave you)
    - more missile troops, though they are currently having trouble picking up the enemy melee troops, who are now using the melee or your own wagons as cover
    - a relatively secure left flank. In fact, an option could be to help them first, in order to quickly free the troops stationed here so they can help elsewhere - of course any reinforcement sent there will no be able to rescue the rest of the army right away, so it's a gamble.
    - yourself, depending on what you want to do.

    All in all, Lucina is still rather confident that this battle can be won, but is fearing it might claim a lot of lives still, especially if the center keeps getting mauled.

    Does that help a bit?
     
    Sounds like a good time to commit reserves to taking out their mage? Easy to justify to our guards, if they don't take that guy out he'd freely fry us anyway, even if they are there.
     
    Gods damn Axes->Lances->Swords-> advantage. Alright. So we have to:

    -Shore up the front line
    -Kill the mage
    -Kill the Hero Unit
    -Stop the attack on the right side

    [X] Tell the knights that the mage is a danger to you that they can't block. He needs to be eliminated quickly.
    [X]Send the reserve spearmen to the right flank and center
    [X]Personally rally the archers. Continue to fire upon the enemy archers and mage.
    [X]Order the knights to circle round the left flank and attack the enemy flank followed by their mage and archers
    [X] Keep at least one knight in reserve to guard you.
    [X] Tell the archers to keep targeting the bandit archers and the mage! He can't cast both wind and dark magic at once, and hopefully the knights charging at him will distract him from the incoming arrows.

    I wish there were a way I could see the battlefield. @Macros , is the mage closer to the left or the right?
     
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    Enshuu said:
    I wish there were a way I could see the battlefield. @Macros , is the mage closer to the left or the right?
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    Unfortunately, I'm terrible with online maps. If someone has an idea of something idiot-proof I could use to give you a visual medium in the future, I'm all ears.

    The mage is currently closer from your left flank (so says the coin I just flipped).
     
    Enshuu said:
    [X] Ask if some of the knights could ride out from the right, breaking up the enemy attack, while others take care of the enemies on the left and ride from that side. Smash the bandits from both sides and attack the mage from both sides.
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    Not sure if we have enough knights to split them up like this. I think it would probably be better to just let them circle round the left flank.

    [X]Send the reserve spearmen to the right flank and center
    [X]Personally Rally the archers. Continue to fire upon the enemy archers and mage.
    [X]Order the knights circle round the left flank and attack the enemy flank followed by their mage and archers.

    I'm a bit split between rallying the archers or the center. The archer's moral is wavering but it's not as if they will be terriblely useful once everyone is engaged in melee. Also we're in big trouble if the centre crumples in on us. Although as long as our flanks hold and it is an orderly retreat we could turn it into a encirclement.

    Battle of Zama - Wikipedia

    Something to consider.
     
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    People are forgetting that we're a mage (have magic.) It's doubtful we can take on a darkmage alone but with our knights we can jump the Plegian officer or headhunt the mage, we could even make a counter push, get the momentum back on our side at the cost of (likely) higher losses.

    Again, I'm regretting that the vote for dark magic specialty failed with the dark mage teacher, sigh.
     
    We really should take the field ourself. We are probably one of the best units on the entire field bar maybe the Knight captain.

    Raallying the Archers isn't going to do much, because it's not morale that's an issue for them, but that they just can't hit anything without risking friendlies.

    The Knights are being, frankly, completely useless where they are right now. And if we jump into the thick of it to hit their commander they'll be less than useless. Depending on how good they are off horseback anyway.

    Okay, so have half split off and around to hit the mage, he needs to go as he's basically a Sniper/Assassin right now, then have another two grab the reserves and plug up the right flank. The last three come up with us to fuck up the commander and try not to get in our way. To be fair, they might very well save us, hence why I'm taking three up. That's a good number for the melee going on up there without them getting in the way, as long as they get off the horses and can still fight. Which I would hope at least three in a ten man squad can do.

    [X] Split off half of the Knights to go around the left flank and take out the Dark Mage. He's the greatest danger on the battlefield right now.
    -[X] After the Mage is dead, it's up to their judgement on where they can do the most damage from behind the enemy lines or to retreat if they're injured.
    [X] Split off two more Knights to get all but a token force from the reserves to shore up the right flank
    -[X] If the token reserves see anyone coming, they should flee to the left flank to get more troops to bring back with them
    [X] We and the best three Knights at fighting off of their horses will hit the enemy commander in the melee in the center

    The screams of the token forces will be the warning signal for a flanking maneuver at our back. :p Or, hmm... The left flank should be finished up by the time that happens actually.
     
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