Next update will be inside Markovia Part 4 and things will come to a close. I've got two to three more big twists left at the end of this event before we head back to our regularly scheduled program. Some things are starting to bite you in the ass a little bit (Ubu had no idea who Roxanne was because you've never met with the League outside of your own tower and none of your subordinates have either).
This is the first time I can definitively say that things have gone wrong due to your own choices to an extent (a lot of the assumptions you made have made your plan a lot more complicated than I think you intended to make it). It'll be interesting to see how you react when everything is not going perfectly your way for once.
After returning to Metropolis on a LS&S steam packet, Leland flung himself back into weapons design with obsessive fervor. Delegating management of the railroads to his subordinates, he drafted, prototyped, and tested.
But while he worked, the war raged on. The Peninsula Campaign, which had begun so auspiciously with the crushing of Confederate naval defenses at Hampton Roads and wide-ranging support from the U.S. Navy, ultimately petered out. Even with the aid of several smaller ironclads, the Thunderer had proven unable to permanently silence the Rebel artillery at Drewry's Bluff. Worse yet, McClellan's operations on land had degenerated into a farce.
McClellan had been a fine logistician and trainer of troops, but on the battlefield his performance was inadequate to the challenges he faced. He shied away from Confederate 'fortresses' whose 'heavy guns' were in fact crudely painted logs, and from Confederate 'army corps' whose size he had overestimated by a factor of two or three. J.E.B. Stuart's cavalry rode circles around McClellan's Army of the Potomac in the Seven Days' Battles, and McClellan could not react fast enough to defeat counterattacks from Stonewall Jackson's infantry. Jackson's troops were hardened veterans of their Shenandoah campaigns, coincidentally making them highly experienced from shredding portions of the Metropolis & Ohio Railroad.
Having baffled McClellan and forced him into retreat, General Lee swung the Confederates' main army north to repel Union forces pushing their way into northern Virginia to take advantage of Lee's distraction. Lee trounced General Pope's Union troops in a campaign many historians regard as his best, then followed up with an invasion of western Maryland, pressing on to take the war onto his opponent's soil regardless of his losses during the summer campaigns.
Even as the Confederates battled Pope's army in August 1862, Leland Luthor presented the fruits of his research to President Lincoln and several delegates from the War Department: The first fully automatic, recoil-operated machine gun, famously known as the "Luthor gun."
The Luthor gun
Many Army officers were skeptical of the demands the weapon would place on the nation's supply of cartridge-based ammunition, then a new technology. And a previous machine gun design, the 'Ager gun,' had already proven a great disappointment. But President Lincoln, something of an inventor in his own right, retained a measure of interest. And Leland Luthor's connections with the president, his status as a hero of the hour from the Battle of Hampton Roads, and the luster of the Congressional Gold Medal voted to him in April, carried the day.
The Rebels Strike Back
It would take time for Luthor to provide the guns to the Union Army, and Lee was on the march, having broken Pope's forces. Lee's goal was to sever the M&O beyond Luthor's ability to repair, permanently crippling Union industry in the region, and then to cut east and south to strike the capital at Washington, D.C. McClellan would, once again, be commanding the Union forces. McClellan floundered at first, and might well have fallen into a massive, crushing trap if not for his fortuitous receipt of a copy of the Confederate battle plans, procured for him by Graves Agency detectives who had some few contacts, even within Lee's Army of Northern Virginia.
Having a more numerous and better supplied army, along with intimate knowledge of his foe's plans and intentions, McClellan managed the greatest tactical performance of his career and fought the Confederacy to a tie at the Battle of Antietam. After this, the Confederates withdrew south across the Potomac… leaving the M&O to repair a massive amount of rail infrastructure, much of it along the same tracks they'd fixed only a scant year earlier.
Work in the foundries of Metropolis went on. Luthor Steam and Steel and their main factory at the Metropolis Iron Works formed at the heart of a powerful industrial concentration, and one very close to Confederate territory. Metropolis, while never as fully pro-Union as most northern cities, was less restive than its sister city of Baltimore, due to the presence of large immigrant populations that had no particular interest in the prospects of a Confederate victory. Metropolis would provide the Union army with rifles, artillery, and explosives, along with thousands upon thousands of tons of more mundane supplies.
In November 1862, Leland managed to arrange for the dismissal of Lt. Col. John Ripley, the U. S. Army's chief of ordinance and a strong opponent of the Luthor gun and other, similar inventions. His replacement ordered dozens of the weapons, and began training an number of former light artillery units in their operation. The Luthor gun was to prove somewhat delicate for field use, especially when being bounced around on a wheeled artillery carriage as was common in 1863. However, experienced gunners could still use the weapon to terrible effect, as would be proven during the decisive showdowns of the coming year's campaign.
After returning to Metropolis on a LS&S steam packet, Leland flung himself back into weapons design with obsessive fervor. Delegating management of the railroads to his subordinates, he drafted, prototyped, and tested.
But while he worked, the war raged on. The Peninsula Campaign, which had begun so auspiciously with the crushing of Confederate naval defenses at Hampton Roads and wide-ranging support from the U.S. Navy, ultimately petered out. Even with the aid of several smaller ironclads, the Thunderer had proven unable to permanently silence the Rebel artillery at Drewry's Bluff. Worse yet, McClellan's operations on land had degenerated into a farce.
McClellan had been a fine logistician and trainer of troops, but on the battlefield his performance was inadequate to the challenges he faced. He shied away from Confederate 'fortresses' whose 'heavy guns' were in fact crudely painted logs, and from Confederate 'army corps' whose size he had overestimated by a factor of two or three. J.E.B. Stuart's cavalry rode circles around McClellan's Army of the Potomac in the Seven Days' Battles, and McClellan could not react fast enough to defeat counterattacks from Stonewall Jackson's infantry. Jackson's troops were hardened veterans of their Shenandoah campaigns, coincidentally making them highly experienced from shredding portions of the Metropolis & Ohio Railroad.
Having baffled McClellan and forced him into retreat, General Lee swung the Confederates' main army north to repel Union forces pushing their way into northern Virginia to take advantage of Lee's distraction. Lee trounced General Pope's Union troops in a campaign many historians regard as his best, then followed up with an invasion of western Maryland, pressing on to take the war onto his opponent's soil regardless of his losses during the summer campaigns.
Even as the Confederates battled Pope's army in August 1862, Leland Luthor presented the fruits of his research to President Lincoln and several delegates from the War Department: The first fully automatic, recoil-operated machine gun, famously known as the "Luthor gun."
The Luthor gun
Many Army officers were skeptical of the demands the weapon would place on the nation's supply of cartridge-based ammunition, then a new technology. And a previous machine gun design, the 'Ager gun,' had already proven a great disappointment. But President Lincoln, something of an inventor in his own right, retained a measure of interest. And Leland Luthor's connections with the president, his status as a hero of the hour from the Battle of Hampton Roads, and the luster of the Congressional Gold Medal voted to him in April, carried the day.
The Rebels Strike Back
It would take time for Luthor to provide the guns to the Union Army, and Lee was on the march, having broken Pope's forces. Lee's goal was to sever the M&O beyond Luthor's ability to repair, permanently crippling Union industry in the region, and then to cut east and south to strike the capital at Washington, D.C. McClellan would, once again, be commanding the Union forces. McClellan floundered at first, and might well have fallen into a massive, crushing trap if not for his fortuitous receipt of a copy of the Confederate battle plans, procured for him by Graves Agency detectives who had some few contacts, even within Lee's Army of Northern Virginia.
Having a more numerous and better supplied army, along with intimate knowledge of his foe's plans and intentions, McClellan managed the greatest tactical performance of his career and fought the Confederacy to a tie at the Battle of Antietam. After this, the Confederates withdrew south across the Potomac… leaving the M&O to repair a massive amount of rail infrastructure, much of it along the same tracks they'd fixed only a scant year earlier.
The winter forced a pause in the war across much of the continent, but work in the foundries of Metropolis went on. Luthor Steam and Steel and their main factory at the Metropolis Iron Works formed at the heart of a powerful industrial concentration, and one very close to Confederate territory. Metropolis, while never as fully pro-Union as most northern cities, was less restive than its sister city of Baltimore, due to the presence of large immigrant populations that had no particular interest in the prospects of a Confederate victory. Metropolis would provide the Union army with rifles, artillery, and explosives, along with thousands upon thousands of tons of more mundane supplies.
In November 1862, Leland managed to arrange for the dismissal of Lt. Col. John Ripley, the U. S. Army's chief of ordinance and a strong opponent of the Luthor gun and other, similar inventions. His replacement ordered dozens of the weapons, and began training an number of former light artillery units in their operation. The Luthor gun was to prove somewhat delicate for field use, especially when being bounced around on a wheeled artillery carriage as was common in 1863. However, experienced gunners could still use the weapon to terrible effect, as would be proven during the decisive showdowns of the coming year's campaign.
Whoo boy I'm excited for seeing how it all comes to a close. One of the things I enjoy most in this series of omakes is imagining what happens behind the scenes. Things like the Graves Agency's acquisition of plans or how Leland Luthor managed to get Ripley dismissed its a lot of fun to attempt to fill in the background of these stories and I consistently am inspired to further flesh out my world thanks to these omakes.
Whoo boy I'm excited for seeing how it all comes to a close. One of the things I enjoy most in this series of omakes is imagining what happens behind the scenes. Things like the Graves Agency's acquisition of plans or how Leland Luthor managed to get Ripley dismissed its a lot of fun to attempt to fill in the background of these stories and I consistently am inspired to further flesh out my world thanks to these omakes.
Next update will be inside Markovia Part 4 and things will come to a close. I've got two to three more big twists left at the end of this event before we head back to our regularly scheduled program. Some things are starting to bite you in the ass a little bit (Ubu had no idea who Roxanne was because you've never met with the League outside of your own tower and none of your subordinates have either).
Eh, true. On the other hand, if we'd coordinated closely with the League, I suspect we'd still run into pretty much the same problem- Ra's seems to be running his own game here, and if so, he has little real interest in cooperating with us. He wants to be the one to take out Whisper, and letting Whisper escape the country to a new location is probably acceptable in his book, so long as she doesn't feel cornered enough to blow up her doomsday device.
Next update will be inside Markovia Part 4 and things will come to a close. I've got two to three more big twists left at the end of this event before we head back to our regularly scheduled program. Some things are starting to bite you in the ass a little bit (Ubu had no idea who Roxanne was because you've never met with the League outside of your own tower and none of your subordinates have either).
This is the first time I can definitively say that things have gone wrong due to your own choices to an extent (a lot of the assumptions you made have made your plan a lot more complicated than I think you intended to make it). It'll be interesting to see how you react when everything is not going perfectly your way for once.
The obvious issue may well be that the other parties involved don't trust us enough to actually attack the targets we've identified. We're unknown.
The problem, of course, is that we didn't really have time to establish ourselves in-country very well. Without having known in advance that Markovia would end up hosting an alien with a doomsday device and putting a diplomatic mega-collaboration to get on good terms with them earlier, I'm not sure we could have done all that much better. We could have concentrated on a single target better, but then we'd have risked completely missing our target.
The obvious issue may well be that the other parties involved don't trust us enough to actually attack the targets we've identified. We're unknown.
The problem, of course, is that we didn't really have time to establish ourselves in-country very well. Without having known in advance that Markovia would end up hosting an alien with a doomsday device and putting a diplomatic mega-collaboration to get on good terms with them earlier, I'm not sure we could have done all that much better. We could have concentrated on a single target better, but then we'd have risked completely missing our target.
This is true. However in my opinion the potential mistake is as follows. Rather than do anything yourselves you requested other people to do everything for you. You could have potentially let Ra's handle the two targets he seemed to be aware of and coordinate that with him and gone after Vertigo yourselves or some other combination that left you free to take a potential reward without much of a fight.
Instead in not comitting to anything and taking very few risks throughout the event (the thread always played it safe on almost every option). Due to not taking a hard stance on anything and not committing to any one route option or attack you ended up in a position where no matter what you do the doomsday device will not be in your hands by the end of this event without betraying someone and making even more enemies. The mistake is less "You will be unable to get rid of Whisper" but rather "You have spread yourself so thin that you have guaranteed someone else will reap the rewards of how things play out rather than yourself".
Granted it is only a potential problem but it is certainly a hole the thread has dug itself into. I also think the fact that you never discussed the doomsday device beyond "Intergang has it" was a mistake since now everyone else has come to a conclusion as to how to use it without your input on what to do. None of these mistakes are crippling but this is the culmination of a lot of little decisions that are giving you problems. Playing it safe will have its own pitfalls.
General George McClellan has a special trait that is, like, the exact opposite of Blindspot's. Instead of nullifying opponents' Intrigue scores, the man had a trait that nullified his own Martial score on opposed checks.
This is true. However in my opinion the potential mistake is as follows. Rather than do anything yourselves you requested other people to do everything for you. You could have potentially let Ra's handle the two targets he seemed to be aware of and coordinate that with him and gone after Vertigo yourselves or some other combination.
Instead in not comitting to anything and taking very few risks throughout the event (the thread always played it safe on almost every option). Due to not taking a hard stance on anything and not committing to any one route option or attack you ended up in a position where no matter what you do the doomsday device will not be in your hands by the end of this event without betraying someone and making even more enemies. The mistake is less "You will be unable to get rid of Whisper" but rather "You have spread yourself so thin that you have guaranteed someone else will reap the rewards of how things play out rather than yourself".
Granted it is only a potential problem but it is certainly a hole the thread has dug itself into.
I mean, I'm personally fine with someone else getting most of the benefits of Whisper's personal capture/death, as long as it isn't Ra's. Her getting caught by NATO or the Markovian government wouldn't be that bad, even if it's a mission failure for us in a technical sense.
I couldn't really figure out a plan that would avoid giving Ra's options there, though which is pretty much what you're talking about; we don't have a concentrated force capable of intervening.
Though frankly, given that we showed up in-country such a short time before Whisper executed a well-planned escape attempt, we never had a very good chance of spotting her. We could have concentrated our whole force and (for instance) attacked Baron Bedlam's mansion, but for all we know Whisper wasn't even there, and even if she had been, we might have had to fight our way past her exotic tech and Count Vertigo at the same time. Not fun.
You're right. In hindsight we should have done a write-in where we had Roxanne reveal her employer to Wladon; I thought about it briefly but didn't act.
On the other hand, I have to say...
Everything piling up rapidly and all at once is a big contributing variable here. We haven't had much time to make alliances, scout out the territory, or anything else before matters abruptly come to a head. That's not me criticizing @King crimson , mind you, but it's inherently a situation where very few if any plans we could have set in motion earlier would work.
Remember, we sent Lex, Cassandra, and five guys to Karnz because we thought we had time- we could scope him out and figure out what to do. Likewise with Mercy and Baron Bedlam. Roxanne wasn't even supposed to be coordinating our inter-allied activities, just to make contact with Wladon's partisans.
Whisper kicking everything into high gear right away is understandable, but makes our situation very difficult no matter what we did.
Think this is gonna be were I unfollow, last few updates have been a real disappointment for me still I liked it earlier and I wish the author luck writing even if it isn't for me.
Unrelated note but something I found while digging. Whoever it was that stated that Ubu was a title not a name was technically correct. Ubu is a lineage of individuals trained from birth to be Ra's bodyguard. Bane did have the title for a while in comics. This was news to me.
Think this is gonna be were I unfollow, last few updates have been a real disappointment for me still I liked it earlier and I wish the author luck writing even if it isn't for me.
I'm sad to hear that you are longer enjoying the quest and that this is apparently goodbye for a while.
However I do have a request, both to you in specific and other people who chose to leave the thread as time goes on. If you are going to announce that you are leaving to the thread I'd prefer it if you give an actual critique of what I wrote rather than stating that it was disappointing.
Just stating that things have been disappointing does not do much to help me improve or reflect on things as a writer. If you have thoughts on things then I'd prefer to hear them even if they are negative.
Simply stating that you are going to leave does next to nothing for me or the other people in the thread and as such I'd prefer it if people avoided doing so.
The Metropolitan Clan, Interlude- Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville
Humiliation
After the stalemate at Antietam, Lincoln needed a victory. He ordered General Grant to advance on the Confederate stronghold of Vicksburg on the Mississippi River, and removed McClellan and several other indecisive generals. Unfortunately, McClellan's replacement, Ambrose Burnside, felt himself unfit for army-level command and accepted the post mainly to keep 'Fighting Joe' Hooker, a man he disliked, from being appointed in his place. Burnside was a stolid, unimaginative commander, but unlike McClellan he was reasonably aggressive, and (importantly) had no political ambitions. Sadly, he was known less for his military talent than for his remarkable facial hair.
If you have ever wondered where the word 'sideburns' comes from... Wonder no more!
Burnside almost immediately planned an operation intended to feint and trick Lee's troops, confusing them as to his intentions. He expected that Lee would sit still for a few critical days, waiting to understand Burnside's movements, and allowing Burnside critical time to approach Richmond without interruption. Given the nature of the two men, this was never a likely outcome; President Lincoln warned him that he had better move quickly if he was to succeed at all.
Sluggishness
The plan began to fall apart almost immediately. Burnside expected bridging equipment to be readily available so that he could begin marching his men across the Potomac quickly. But while the army had plenty of equipment, it was all far away due to administrative bungling. With the M&O Railroad still disabled from the damage done by the Confederates in the Antietam Campaign, bringing up the equipment took over a week. Meanwhile, Burnside hesitated to send a portion of his force across to scatter the handful of Confederate outposts on the south bank of the river, and even after crossing the Potomac, advanced very slowly.
General Lee, who had originally expected to have to hastily fall back to a position at the gates of Richmond to block a fast-moving Union force, was pleasantly surprised by the slow pace of Burnside's advance. He easily interposed his army to stop the Union troops at the city of Fredericksburg, on the Rappahannock River, while Burnside continued to hesitate. By the time Burnside was ready to attack, Lee's forces were fully in position and entrenched… and Burnside had convinced himself that the enemy would never expect a frontal assault directly across the river.
The Confederates were expecting a frontal assault directly across the river. Their snipers began picking off the engineers who tried to build bridges for the troops to cross. Burnside ordered his cannons to blast the snipers out of their positions, but his artillery had been emplaced in the basements of nearby houses. The gunners could not see or fire out to target positions close to the Confederate side of the river. A bold action by a few hundred Union troops cleared the sniper positions at last, volunteering for the duty with a cheer despite Burnside's despairing remarks in front of them that it would result in most of them being killed.
With the snipers dead, the numerous Union army could cross the river- and did so, clearing out Confederate positions in the center of Fredericksburg in brutal urban fighting. The town was blasted with over 5,000 artillery shells and looted by four full brigades of Union troops after the battle. Amazingly, only four civilian deaths are reported from this phase of the battle.
Unfortunately, further operations proceeded on a piecemeal basis. The Union troops took days to cross, with over a hundred thousand men to move across a handful of narrow, improvised bridges that were still being bombarded at times. Even after crossing, Union army units often acted independently and with poor coordination, further complicated by Burnside's ambivalent and confusing orders. Burnside repeatedly ordered weak attacks by small portions of his army, expecting these actions to intimidate General Lee.
Disaster
General Lee was not intimidated. He directed his forces into strong blocking positions, and held the line tenaciously. The Union forces continued to act sluggishly. Some commanders fought boldly and followed difficult orders to the best of their ability, while others hung back, confused and uncertain of what to do. This culminated with Burnside finally ordering a large scale offensive- in the worst place possible, across a wide stretch of open ground in front of Marye's Heights. The Confederate artillery commander claimed that "a chicken could not live on that field when we open fire on it."
Casualties in the failed offensive on Marye's Heights were massive. But Burnside, the stolid, unimaginative commander, continued to press the attack for another day. In the cold winter of December 14th, his army huddled while he blamed subordinate commanders for the failures of his offensives. Few believed him.
The Battle of Fredericksburg cost the Union Army twice as many casualties as the Confederates; Burnside was compelled to withdraw in humiliation and disgrace. Confederate morale soared, Union morale plummeted, and Lincoln himself was reported to say "if there is a worse place than Hell, I am in it." Burnside was relieved of command a month later, replaced by his rival, the infamously hard-drinking, hard-gambling ladies' man, "Fighting Joe" Hooker.
Reform
Hooker proved to be a capable administrator who restored morale and improved the supply system. Furthermore, he did away with the lurching, clumsy command organization Burnside had imposed on the Army of the Potomac, refining the corps structure favored by McClellan. He reorganized the intelligence service, reducing the army's reliance on reports by Pinkerton and Graves detectives.
After three months of work, his improved intelligence service gave him hope that he could try a more plausible plan for drawing Lee out of position than Burnside had attempted. However, his cavalry raids were turned back by heavy rains and never reached their targets along Lee's supply lines; by mid-April it was clear that Hooker would need a new plan. This time, he proposed a massive, secretive movement that would completely surround the Confederates' main army, quickly crossing the Rappahannock and pushing on to cross the Rapidan River at Chancellorsville.
The Gambit
Hooker succeeded in tricking Lee with a sudden advance in late April. Moreover, he had several advantages. His men had been well rested and well fed for months, generously supplied by the Union railroads and with whole factories ready to hand to supply their needs. This was compounded by the effect of the Union Navy blockade- to pick one simple example, Union soldiers had a coffee ration every day, while Confederate soldiers had to make do with caffeine-free substitutes. Lee's troops were poorly supplied and scattered across the entire state of Virginia- for instance. J.E.B. Stuart's cavalry were still stationed in the vicinity of Hampton Roads to contain the sizeable Union force that had stayed behind even after McClellan retreated from the Peninsula last year.
However, when Lee realized Hooker was advancing towards Chancellorsville, he responded with quick decisiveness that neutralized Hooker's early advantage. Leaving barely enough forces to guard his base from the Union decoy force Hooker had left behind, Lee swiftly concentrated his troops and marched to Chancellorsville.
Regrettably for the Union cause, Hooker would prove less skilled as a tactician than he had as a strategist and administrator. On learning of Lee's approach, he hesitated and allowed his men to linger in a wilderness area full of burned-out trees and rough terrain. This made it difficult for Hooker to deploy his men and artillery to full effect, granting an advantage to Lee. This may have been motivated by a desire to avoid bloody defeat like the one suffered at Fredericksburg by forcing the Confederates to be the ones on the offensive this time, but the effects were disastrous. Lee now had the initiative.
The Dice Fall Badly
Taking advantage of locals with knowledge of the terrain, Lee sent his "stout right arm," Stonewall Jackson, to march around the flank of the Union army by a little-known road. This was to be Hooker's undoing. He soon found himself in a difficult position, struck with great aggression by Jackson's veterans and constantly clashing with Lee's main force at the same time. Badly outmaneuvered, Hooker's position steadily deteriorated, though in the confusion of the battle, General Jackson was shot and seriously wounded by his own men; he would die of his wounds a week later.
Hooker was in no great shape himself by May 3rd. With his army hard-pressed by Lee's forces, he himself suffered a concussion from an artillery strike on his headquarters. Refusing to hand over command, he gave increasingly confused orders, culminating in bloody, misguided offensives very similar to the disastrous attack launched at Fredericksburg. By the time he recovered his senses and disentangled his forces from the enemy, the Union had lost over seventeen thousand men killed, wounded, or captured. They at least inflicted something closer to a proportionate loss on the Confederates than before, including manpower the Confederacy could ill afford to lose.
While Hooker's failure was less grievous than Burnside's, he was very much under a cloud. Antagonism between him and figures in the capital grew over time. Meanwhile, General Lee took the victories at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville to mean that his army was virtually invincible- after all, twice now he had won against 3:2 or 2:1 numerical odds.
Thus it was that by late June of 1863, Lee was invading Pennsylvania, while Hooker had just been relieved of command in favor of one of the more capable of his corps commanders, General George G. Meade.
The Metropolitan Clan, Interlude- Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville
Humiliation
After the stalemate at Antietam, Lincoln needed a victory. He ordered General Grant to advance on the Confederate stronghold of Vicksburg on the Mississippi River, and removed McClellan and several other indecisive generals. Unfortunately, McClellan's replacement, Ambrose Burnside, felt himself unfit for army-level command and accepted the post mainly to keep 'Fighting Joe' Hooker, a man he disliked, from being appointed in his place. Burnside was a stolid, unimaginative commander, but unlike McClellan he was reasonably aggressive, and (importantly) had no political ambitions. Sadly, he was known less for his military talent than for his remarkable facial hair.
If you have ever wondered where the word 'sideburns' comes from... Wonder no more!
Burnside almost immediately planned an operation intended to feint and trick Lee's troops, confusing them as to his intentions. He expected that Lee would sit still for a few critical days, waiting to understand Burnside's movements, and allowing Burnside critical time to approach Richmond without interruption. Given the nature of the two men, this was never a likely outcome; President Lincoln warned him that he had better move quickly if he was to succeed at all.
Sluggishness
The plan began to fall apart almost immediately. Burnside expected bridging equipment to be readily available so that he could begin marching his men across the Potomac quickly. But while the army had plenty of equipment, it was all far away due to administrative bungling. With the M&O Railroad still disabled from the damage done by the Confederates in the Antietam Campaign, bringing up the equipment took over a week. Meanwhile, Burnside hesitated to send a portion of his force across to scatter the handful of Confederate outposts on the south bank of the river, and even after crossing the Potomac, advanced very slowly.
General Lee, who had originally expected to have to hastily fall back to a position at the gates of Richmond to block a fast-moving Union force, was pleasantly surprised by the slow pace of Burnside's advance. He easily interposed his army to stop the Union troops at the city of Fredericksburg, on the Rappahannock River, while Burnside continued to hesitate. By the time Burnside was ready to attack, Lee's forces were fully in position and entrenched… and Burnside had convinced himself that the enemy would never expect a frontal assault directly across the river.
The Confederates were expecting a frontal assault directly across the river. Their snipers began picking off the engineers who tried to build bridges for the troops to cross. Burnside ordered his cannons to blast the snipers out of their positions, but his artillery had been emplaced in the basements of nearby houses. The gunners could not see or fire out to target positions close to the Confederate side of the river. A bold action by a few hundred Union troops cleared the sniper positions at last, volunteering for the duty with a cheer despite Burnside's despairing remarks in front of them that it would result in most of them being killed.
With the snipers dead, the numerous Union army could cross the river- and did so, clearing out Confederate positions in the center of Fredericksburg in brutal urban fighting. The town was blasted with over 5,000 artillery shells and looted by four full brigades of Union troops after the battle. Amazingly, only four civilian deaths are reported from this phase of the battle.
Unfortunately, further operations proceeded on a piecemeal basis. The Union troops took days to cross, with over a hundred thousand men to move across a handful of narrow, improvised bridges that were still being bombarded at times. Even after crossing, Union army units often acted independently and with poor coordination, further complicated by Burnside's ambivalent and confusing orders. Burnside repeatedly ordered weak attacks by small portions of his army, expecting these actions to intimidate General Lee.
Disaster
General Lee was not intimidated. He directed his forces into strong blocking positions, and held the line tenaciously. The Union forces continued to act sluggishly. Some commanders fought boldly and followed difficult orders to the best of their ability, while others hung back, confused and uncertain of what to do. This culminated with Burnside finally ordering a large scale offensive- in the worst place possible, across a wide stretch of open ground in front of Marye's Heights. The Confederate artillery commander claimed that "a chicken could not live on that field when we open fire on it."
Casualties in the failed offensive on Marye's Heights were massive. But Burnside, the stolid, unimaginative commander, continued to press the attack for another day. In the cold winter of December 14th, his army huddled while he blamed subordinate commanders for the failures of his offensives. Few believed him.
The Battle of Fredericksburg cost the Union Army twice as many casualties as the Confederates; Burnside was compelled to withdraw in humiliation and disgrace. Confederate morale soared, Union morale plummeted, and Lincoln himself was reported to say "if there is a worse place than Hell, I am in it." Burnside was relieved of command a month later, replaced by his rival, the infamously hard-drinking, hard-gambling ladies' man, "Fighting Joe" Hooker.
Reform
Hooker proved to be a capable administrator who restored morale and improved the supply system. Furthermore, he did away with the lurching, clumsy command organization Burnside had imposed on the Army of the Potomac, refining the corps structure favored by McClellan. He reorganized the intelligence service, reducing the army's reliance on reports by Pinkerton and Graves detectives.
After three months of work, his improved intelligence service gave him hope that he could try a more plausible plan for drawing Lee out of position than Burnside had attempted. However, his cavalry raids were turned back by heavy rains and never reached their targets along Lee's supply lines; by mid-April it was clear that Hooker would need a new plan. This time, he proposed a massive, secretive movement that would completely surround the Confederates' main army, quickly crossing the Rappahannock and pushing on to cross the Rapidan River at Chancellorsville.
The Gambit
Hooker succeeded in tricking Lee with a sudden advance in late April. Moreover, he had several advantages. His men had been well rested and well fed for months, generously supplied by the Union railroads and with whole factories ready to hand to supply their needs. This was compounded by the effect of the Union Navy blockade- to pick one simple example, Union soldiers had a coffee ration every day, while Confederate soldiers had to make do with caffeine-free substitutes. Lee's troops were poorly supplied and scattered across the entire state of Virginia- for instance. J.E.B. Stuart's cavalry were still stationed in the vicinity of Hampton Roads to contain the sizeable Union force that had stayed behind even after McClellan retreated from the Peninsula last year.
However, when Lee realized Hooker was advancing towards Chancellorsville, he responded with quick decisiveness that neutralized Hooker's early advantage. Leaving barely enough forces to guard his base from the Union decoy force Hooker had left behind, Lee swiftly concentrated his troops and marched to Chancellorsville.
Regrettably for the Union cause, Hooker would prove less skilled as a tactician than he had as a strategist and administrator. On learning of Lee's approach, he hesitated and allowed his men to linger in a wilderness area full of burned-out trees and rough terrain. This made it difficult for Hooker to deploy his men and artillery to full effect, granting an advantage to Lee. This may have been motivated by a desire to avoid bloody defeat like the one suffered at Fredericksburg by forcing the Confederates to be the ones on the offensive this time, but the effects were disastrous. Lee now had the initiative.
The Dice Fall Badly
Taking advantage of locals with knowledge of the terrain, Lee sent his "stout right arm," Stonewall Jackson, to march around the flank of the Union army by a little-known road. This was to be Hooker's undoing. He soon found himself in a difficult position, struck with great aggression by Jackson's veterans and constantly clashing with Lee's main force at the same time. Badly outmaneuvered, Hooker's position steadily deteriorated, though in the confusion of the battle, General Jackson was shot and seriously wounded by his own men; he would die of his wounds a week later.
Hooker was in no great shape himself by May 3rd. With his army hard-pressed by Lee's forces, he himself suffered a concussion from an artillery strike on his headquarters. Refusing to hand over command, he gave increasingly confused orders, culminating in bloody, misguided offensives very similar to the disastrous attack launched at Fredericksburg. By the time he recovered his senses and disentangled his forces from the enemy, the Union had lost over seventeen thousand men killed, wounded, or captured. They at least inflicted something closer to a proportionate loss on the Confederates than before, including manpower the Confederacy could ill afford to lose.
While Hooker's failure was less grievous than Burnside's, he was very much under a cloud. Antagonism between him and figures in the capital grew over time. Meanwhile, General Lee took the victories at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville to mean that his army was virtually invincible- after all, twice now he had won against 3:2 or 2:1 numerical odds.
Thus it was that by late June of 1863, Lee was invading Pennsylvania, while Hooker had just been relieved of command in favor of one of the more capable of his corps commanders, General George G. Meade.
It's less alternate-historical than most and required less thought. I mostly put it there because:
1) The idea that we've fucked up a plan led logically to me thinking of Ambrose Burnside and Joe Hooker, two men who fucked up plans.
2) It serves as a bridging segment to establish that the situation for the Union Army in the next bits that involve the Luthors more heavily is... rather dire. The Army of the Potomac spent the first two years of the war repeatedly attacking Lee's Army of Northern Virginia under different generals, never getting a break for more than a few months at a time, and repeatedly getting trounced in bloody slaughters, then only barely fending off Lee's counterattacks.
Think this is gonna be were I unfollow, last few updates have been a real disappointment for me still I liked it earlier and I wish the author luck writing even if it isn't for me.
Alright I've been working a while to get this one out there. Hope you all enjoy this one a bit more. It's a nice change of pace to write from an omniscient narrators point of view rather than sticking to a single characters perspective. I might try and include more of this type of stuff in the future.
So I will warn in advance that this interlude touches on some uncomfortable and gross things and that if you are very faint of heart (there is an oblique mention of bestiality and an implied rape conducted by Belial) you might not want to skip over this. I personally think it is fine as I wrote it but everyone has different things they are comfortable with.
I had a lot of fun with this and I am very curious as to peoples reception of it. The next post in this chain will either be the continued adventures of Jason Blood and Etrigan, the Sister's Inwudu or the Children of Morgaine Le Fay (My personal favorite). The cost of the next interlude will go down and the one after that will go up.
Remnants of Camelot Interlude: The Sons of Belial
In our last foray into the world of Camelot we discussed how the origin of the kingdom could be traced to the demon Belial and his actions. Belial is a cruel and capricious demon, fond of violence and carnal temptations. He is vicious violent and evil to the core.
Belial conquered vast swathes of hell and during one of these campaigns he encountered the queen of serpents Ran Va Daath. He laid with her after conquering her army and from this unholy union the demon Etrigan was born. Etrigan was a foul and violent creature having all of Belial's nature condensed into an even more vicious offspring. Naturally Etrigan would upset the balance in hell.
Belial was not pleased with the chaos his son caused as they threw his plans for the conquest of hell into turmoil. As such Belial threatened Etrigan to get him to behave himself. Etrigan refused. Initially Belial beat Etrigan but this physical sort of punishment was not enough to get Etrigan to change his ways. Eventually Belial found a solution. He cast Ran Va Daath into one of the pits of hell in order to punish Etrigan by depriving him of the only individual he genuinely loved. The plan seemed to succeed and Etrigan took up the role of a dutiful son.
However all that incident had really done was teach Etrigan how to be patient and plan. He soon came up with a clever trick in order to get his revenge on his father. Etrigan cast a glamor on a goat, making it appear to be a beautiful minor nature goddess and informed his father that he could make her his bride. Belial did not sense the trap in his sons words. He captured the disguised goat and took her to the courts of hell. In his mind this was his chance to show the legions of hell that he was the greatest of the triumvirate, after all he would be the only one to successfully capture and mate with a deity. However as he began to copulate with it, Etrigan removed the glamor and made Belial look like a fool in front of the legions of hell, for he had been tricked into laying with a goat.
Belial was furious at his son and when the goat gave birth Belial swore that his offspring would destroy Etrigan, for the second son was more powerful than the first. However the second son, a demon known as Lord Scapegoat, loved and cherished his older brother and refused to harm Etrigan. This only increased Belial's fury and he swore he would find a way to make his son suffer. Belial left hell and search for the perfect mother for his third and final child, who would utterly defeat and humiliate both Etrigan and Scapegoat.
Belial wandered the earth for centuries before encountering the powerful witch Ur. Ur was a dangerous mortal practitioner on a level that could even give Belial pause. Belial had found the perfect breeding stock for his final son. Belial disguised himself and lay with Ur as she slept. When Ur grew heavy with child she was shocked but decided to keep it and named the child Merlin. Belial observed Merlin from the shadows and saw that his magical power far outstripped Etrigan's or even his own. Now he was ready to begin his revenge.
When Belial returned to Hell he tricked his son Etrigan. He told him tales of the might of the wizard Merlin and taunted Etrigan that Merlin would always defeat him. In a rage and a desire to prove his father wrong Etrigan left hell to go confront Merlin. Belial then mocked his second son that Etrigan would need his help to ensure that Merlin didn't destroy him and so Scapegoat followed his brother in an attempt to save him.
The ensuing battle was fierce but in the end Merlin defeated both Etrigan and Scapegoat and cast them both into the Beyond Region, a pocket dimension outside of normal existence. Belial was satisfied with his vengeance and was triumphant, while Merlin left to go travel the world. Merlin ventured far and wide to try to find a solution to evil. He cut deals with the Fae, who in their lands he met the sisters Inwudu, who would later be revealed to be the elder half-sisters of Arthur Pendragon, he studied under the great wizard Mamargan and helped him trap the terrible dragon known only as the Three Faces of Evil beneath the Rock of Eternity, located the House of Mystery and the House of Secrets and managed to explore the both of them without getting lost in the Dreaming and even managed to speak with the first murderer. Merlin found the Phantom Stranger and questioned him on the nature of the universe, fought countless questing beasts and succeeded and wrote the Book of Eternity, his own study into magic that to this day has not been matched. Yet none of this was enough to actually find the solution Merlin was looking for.
For seven days and seven nights culminating in the winter solstice. Merlin conducted a ritual that would show him how to create a just and righteous kingdom. His vision showed him that if he created a magic sword of immense power he could guide the king into making the promised righteous kingdom. Merlin's attempts to make the right sword failed thrice before he ended up successfully creating the sword Excalibur.
Merlin planted the sword in a stone before declaring that whoever pulled the sword out of the stone would be the rightful king. Many people tried but the only one to succeed was a young boy named Arthur. When Arthur succeeded many knights flocked to his banner and a war broke out in which unjust kings, including Arthur's own father Uther Pendragon, were deposed and the kingdom of Camelot was founded. However numerous monsters still roamed the countryside and countless people sought to bring ruin to the kingdom of Camelot. Merlin served as an advisor to Arthur and helped him guide his kingdom onto the right path and even took on a student, Morgaine Le Fay. However Merlin's past would soon once again confront him.
Etrigan eventually managed to escape the Beyond Region and sought to avenge himself against Merlin. Merely killing him was not a good enough vengeance in Etrigan's eyes and if he couldn't defeat Merlin with Scapegoat's help what chance did he stand on his own? As such Etrigan sought to take a different route to victory. Etrigan sought to destroy what Merlin had built and attempted to assassinate King Arthur. He set fire to part of Camelot, forcing Merlin to go an put out the hellfire before attempting to kill King Arthur. He successfully wounded King Arthur with a surprise attack. Only the arrival of a young man named Justin whose interference bought enough time for Merlin to show up saved Arthur's life that day. Merlin then captured Etrigan and bound him to the Book of Eternity. This entire altercation was viewed by Morgaine Le Fay and Justin was knighted for his bravery.
Morgaine then began to scheme in earnest to take the throne of Camelot. Morgaine experimented with creating Homunculi and installed several of her "children" in key positions in Camelot. She seduced the knight Sir Jason and enlisted him in her quest to gain power. All of this was done without Merlin being any wiser as to what was going on. The stage was set for a coup.
When Lancelot and Guinevere's infidelity was revealed and the realm broke out into civil war, Morgaine made her move. She had Sir Jason steal the Book of Eternity and unleash the monsters trapped within its pages onto the battlefield to keep Merlin occupied. She then called on as many dark forces as she could manage and had them focus on keeping Merlin occupied.
Merlin fought off all of these forces but when he saw Etrigan once again he was angered and confused. Someone had stolen the Book of Eternity and unleashed Etrigan to help Lancelot and his rebels. Merlin managed to fight off the magical threats but this time Etrigan escaped after the battle was done. Arthur then managed to win the war in fairly short order following that.
Merlin was curious as to who could have stolen the book and gazed back in time to see who had stolen it. He then saw that it was Sir Jason who had stolen the book. Merlin teleported to confront Sir Jason when Sir Jason revealed that he had stolen the book to aid Morgaine who had taken over Camelot while Arthur and Merlin were away fighting a war. Merlin realized the depths of Morgaine's treachery and teleported Sir Jason back to Arthur's camp. Merlin then informed Arthur that they were going to have to fight another war.
This time Morgaine and Merlin personally fought as the war waged on. Their battle was immense and leveled Camelot. Sir Jason was shocked by Morgaine's brutality and then despondent when Morgaine revealed she never cared about the kingdom of Camelot she just wanted to rule and that Sir Jason meant nothing to her besides being a useful tool. It was then she revealed that Mordred had successfully killed Arthur and was his own "son" and thus could use Clarent. Merlin was enraged by the death of his friend and fought harder than ever. Eventually he managed to overpower Morgaine but before he could strike the finishing blow Etrigan interrupted and attempted to murder Merlin.
Etrigan gloated that everything that Merlin had ever tried to build had been destroyed and the two fought. Normally Merlin was far more powerful than Etrigan and should easily have won any fight he engaged in but Merlin was injured and tired from all the fighting he had done, putting the battle in Etrigan's favor. In the chaos of the ensuing struggle Morgaine gathered her surviving children and escaped Camelot. Merlin would have died at the hands of Etrigan had Sir Jason not intervened and attempted to save the wizard's life. This bought enough time for Merlin to bind Etrigan to Sir Jason. This was meant to be a punishment for both of them. Merlin informed Sir Jason of his cursed status and informed him of his new abilities. Merlin also mentioned that Sir Jason would never find peace unless he righted the wrongs he had caused when working for Morgaine Le Fay. Merlin then stripped Jason of his knighthood and dubbed him Jason Blood for the blood of Camelot and of King Arthur would forever be on his hands.
Merlin then vanished and has not been heard from since, his dreams utterly crushed. Lord Scapegoat remains trapped in the Beyond Region abandoned by the brother he so cherished. Even Etrigan remained bound to Jason Blood the two tied together in mutual hatred, with Etrigan being reduced to a mad dog on a leash forever restricted and controlled by Jason despite his attempts to wrest control of their shared body.
The sons of Belial all brought ruin to one another. The cycle of hatred ground down anything they might have achieved and caused no end of strife to the people of Camelot. The pain of loss has ensured that only Etrigan has remained active in the world at large till the present day. He is a remnant of the once great kingdom of Camelot, the eldest son of Belial who still shapes the events of history to this very day. But that is a story for another time.
Things are moving. This is a relatively small post but everything is coming to an end now. The two biggest twists are still in play but things are looking up. Karnz rolled a few critical failures during this exchange so he came off very poorly. Markovia is slowly coming to an end. As the event comes to an end I'd like some feedback on how this event worked and what peoples thoughts on it were. This was a test for me to try something that I might want to incorporate more when Superman shows up to give events that occur on a shorter time frame then the usual turn cycle. This particular example is a little more bloated than what I particularly would want to do and I may simply have these things occur as their own distinct phase but I want to know what I can do to improve and what people have enjoyed from this. Any and all feedback is appreciated.
Inside Markovia Part 4
Infiltrating the general's camp is surprisingly easy. The guards are rather lax and with Cassandra's skills you are able to knock out those who might notice and slip into the camp unobserved. You had your men fan out and search the place. You took four men and Cassandra into the General's tent. The General is a portly man with a monocle and a mustache. He reaches for a gun but before he can pull it Cassandra bounds across the room and shatters his hand. You pull out your own weapon to ensure that he stays silent.
You ask General Karnz the salient questions. He knows who Whisper A'Daire is and she is not with him. Baron Delamb has ordered him to head to the border to perform a drill with the new super tanks. You have your men check the plans in the General's private quarters and it seems to match up. Whisper A'Daire and her doomsday device are both not here. As such this would be a dead end to continue searching. All of a sudden you hear shouting and explosions. One of your men set off the bases entire stock of explosives in order to cripple Karnz's men as effectively as possible. Three of the super tanks were caught in the blast and further contributed to the explosion. The base has devolved into complete and utter chaos as Karnz's men rush around in a panic. Evidently his men do not trust each other so there is little to no cooperation in this event.
It is at this moment in which you receive an update from both Mercy and Roxanne. Mercy has confirmed that Whisper was in this country and was working with Baron Delamb. Furthermore Delamb, Karnz and a foreigner known as Count Vertigo are all running the operation to get Whisper out of Markovia. However in the ensuing chaos one of the men who went with Mercy to infiltrate the Baron's estate has not returned. That is quite troublesome. You are not fond of these complications. Instinctively you relay out the orders you want to take. Roxanne is to remain in contact with Bito and meet with the man who is hiring him. She is to attempt to ask Bito to rescue your employee if he was caught and barring that is going to meet with the League of Shadows and coordinate with them. Mercy and the men with her will attempt to anonymously reach out to the royal family and attempt to get them to entrap Delamb and ensure he cannot leave the country. You will take care of Karnz. You fully intend to ensure that Whisper does not escape this country alive. Bringing in allies might make it more difficult to deal with a doomsday device but you will not allow Intergang any more leeway to do damage.
Roxy soon calls and confirms that she has managed to get in contact with Ubu, (and how that man survived is a mystery in and of itself but you do not have time to ponder that) and that she will be coordinating with the League. Admittedly she managed to do very little actual negotiating with Ubu and while Bito was reasonable he has refused to do anything besides commit to violence. Her description of his technology is interesting and you will file away that knowledge for later use, especially since he will likely remain in contact with you and your men.
A loud gulping snaps your mind back to reality. You still have to deal with General Karnz. While the threat of his forces has mostly been neutralized, he has seen you and he could cause you problems later on down the line. You'll also probably have to send Cassandra out of the room if you do kill him as she has not been desensitized to death at all. This whole situation is a mess but you are still confident you can end up on top. This expedition to Markovia hasn't been as fruitful as you had initially hoped but your mind is capable of handling any challenge that comes your way and you will achieve your objectives by the end of this operation. Lex Luthor does not fail when he cannot afford to do so.
Dealing with Karnz subvote
You now have to deal with the captured General Karnz. The man is currently not a threat at all but he has seen your face and he could be a problem later. As such you need to figure out how to deal with the man going forward. Please vote for your favorite option from the list. Any votes not in approval format will be discounted. There is a 1 hour moratorium on voting.
[ ] [Karnz] Cripple Karnz
Not quite as permanent as killing him but you won't have to send Cassandra out of the room to do so and it will prevent him from physically doing much. Cutting off his tongue and arms should prevent him from being able to communicate just what you have done
[ ] [Karnz] Send Cassandra out of the room and kill Karnz
Cassandra is not desensitized enough to death to be capable of watching you coldly kill a man without having an emotional reaction. With your daughter's capabilities an emotional breakdown on her end could be quite dangerous. Sending her out of the room guarantees that she will not see you kill anyone but it doesn't prevent her from getting caught up in the chaos outside. Killing Karnz though is the best way to ensure he no longer is a problem
[ ] [Karnz] Threaten and Blackmail Karnz
You have a confession from Karnz that he was working with an actual terrorist. A fact like this could completely destroy his career and make him a wanted man. Using this to blackmail Karnz and force him to work for you is an option you have although it relies on Karnz's caution and intelligence and he has demonstrated a lack of both
[ ] [Karnz] Do nothing
You are on too tight of a schedule to deal with Karnz. THis option leaves Karnz capable of doing damage later but it will help you as you leave the base.
Leaving the Base subvote
You have inflicted a great amount of chaos on Karnz's forces in your infiltration of his base. While it is not enough to wipe out his forces completely it is enough that you will be able to operate without fear of their interference during the window of time in which Whisper will be trying to leave the country. As such you have to decide how you want to leave the base. Please pick your favorite option of the bunch. Any votes not in approval format will be discounted. There is a 1 hour moratorium on voting.
[ ] [Leave] Wipe out everyone in the base
This option is immensely dangerous and time consuming but it will ensure that this loose end is firmly tied up
[ ] [Leave] Sabotage the vehicles in the base
This option is fairly time consuming but it will ensure that the men here will not be able to arrive anywhere outside of the base anytime soon
[ ] [Leave] Steal a super tank
The design of these "super tank's" is interesting. Capturing one and then reverse engineering its secrets could prove quite beneficial. Furthermore bringing a powerful weapon to what may be an immensely dangerous fight is just common sense
[ ] [Leave] Leave immediately as soon as possible
This option gives the most chances for Karnz's men to do something but it also gets you out of there the fastest so you can more effectively attempt to take on the other two places where Whisper could be and reduces the chance that you or anyone with you gets killed or injured.
Regrouping subvote
You and the individuals with you will be able to regroup and reorient themselves to deal with the ploy devised by Whisper and Delamb. How you plan this out could effect how everything ultimately plays out. Please vote for your favorite option of the bunch. Any vote not in approval format will be discounted. There is a 1 hour moratorium for this vote. Write-ins are acceptable for this option but all write-ins are subject to QM approval.
[ ] [Regroup] Link up with Mercy and the men with her
[ ] [Regroup] Link up with Roxanne and the men with her
[ ] [Regroup] Head to a NATO base to attempt to deal with them directly
[ ] [Regroup] Head to Bito Wladon's camp to deal with him directly
[ ] [Regroup] Head to the royal castle to directly deal with the royal family
[ ] [Regroup] Attempt to chase down Delamb
[ ] [Regroup] Attempt to chase down Count Vertigo
[ ] [Regroup] Write-in
[ ] [Karnz] Send Cassandra out of the room and kill Karnz
Cassandra is not desensitized enough to death to be capable of watching you coldly kill a man without having an emotional reaction. With your daughter's capabilities an emotional breakdown on her end could be quite dangerous. Sending her out of the room guarantees that she will not see you kill anyone but it doesn't prevent her from getting caught up in the chaos outside. Killing Karnz though is the best way to ensure he no longer is a problem
[ ] [Karnz] Threaten and Blackmail Karnz
You have a confession from Karnz that he was working with an actual terrorist. A fact like this could completely destroy his career and make him a wanted man. Using this to blackmail Karnz and force him to work for you is an option you have although it relies on Karnz's caution and intelligence and he has demonstrated a lack of both
[ ] [Leave] Steal a super tank
The design of these "super tank's" is interesting. Capturing one and then reverse engineering its secrets could prove quite beneficial. Furthermore bringing a powerful weapon to what may be an immensely dangerous fight is just common sense
[X] [Karnz] Send Cassandra out of the room and kill Karnz
Cassandra is not desensitized enough to death to be capable of watching you coldly kill a man without having an emotional reaction. With your daughter's capabilities an emotional breakdown on her end could be quite dangerous. Sending her out of the room guarantees that she will not see you kill anyone but it doesn't prevent her from getting caught up in the chaos outside. Killing Karnz though is the best way to ensure he no longer is a problem.
This guy is useless. The other options are a bit lacking so I favour just shooting him and leave.
[X] [Leave] Steal a super tank
The design of these "super tank's" is interesting. Capturing one and then reverse engineering its secrets could prove quite beneficial. Furthermore bringing a powerful weapon to what may be an immensely dangerous fight is just common sense.
[ ] [Regroup] Link up with Mercy and the men with her
[ ] [Regroup] Link up with Roxanne and the men with her
[ ] [Regroup] Head to a NATO base to attempt to deal with them directly
[ ] [Regroup] Head to Bito Wladon's camp to deal with him directly
[ ] [Regroup] Head to the royal castle to directly deal with the royal family
[ ] [Regroup] Attempt to chase down Delamb
[ ] [Regroup] Attempt to chase down Count Vertigo
[ ] [Regroup] Write-in
After the disaster of my last plan I'm not sure how we want to play this.
Bito is an anti-monarchy zealot, so we can buy shit from him but our man inside is gonna be screwed when he attacks. It is tempting to ride up to DeLamb's estate in "his own tank" for a rescue though. If not doing so, we really need to start a fund to provide employee welfare and berevement funds for the family of those who die in our service.
Roxy should go with Ubu to liase with the Shadows handing Ras' or whomever is running this operation one of our burner phones. I'm hoping a phone call would be enough to direct them against Vertigo.
However, the most pragmatic thing to do seems to be meeting with Mercy to deal with the Royals out of "respect for their sovreignty" no matter how much we have trampled over it already. Or should we just Chase DeLamb with the supertank so he runs to the royal castle?
[X] Plan Stuff
-[X] [Karnz] Threaten and Blackmail Karnz
--[] If this doesn't work do the next one.
-[X] [Karnz] Send Cassandra out of the room and kill Karnz
-[X] [Leave] Steal a super tank
The design of these "super tank's" is interesting. Capturing one and then reverse engineering its secrets could prove quite beneficial. Furthermore bringing a powerful weapon to what may be an immensely dangerous fight is just common sense
-[X] [Regroup] Attempt to chase down Count Vertigo
--[X] Have Roxanne and her group chase down Delamb
You are being a little hard on yourself there, no?
Even if it was a complete disaster (which I don't feel it was despite thinking mistakes were made) at the end of the day this is a game (to an extent). You should be able to make mistakes in games. As such don't feel too afraid to try things. Sometimes things will work and sometimes they won't.
[X] Plan Stuff
-[X] [Karnz] Threaten and Blackmail Karnz
--[] If this doesn't work do the next one.
-[X] [Karnz] Send Cassandra out of the room and kill Karnz
-[X] [Leave] Steal a super tank
The design of these "super tank's" is interesting. Capturing one and then reverse engineering its secrets could prove quite beneficial. Furthermore bringing a powerful weapon to what may be an immensely dangerous fight is just common sense
-[X] [Regroup] Attempt to chase down Count Vertigo
--[X] Have Roxanne and her group chase down Delamb
This is not a valid vote. It is in plan format as opposed to approval format which is what I asked for. Just vote for the options you want to take without a unifying plan (like how voting for actions at the start of a turn works).
Cut out the plan and the "if this doesn't work do the next one" bit and it will be fine though
You are being a little hard on yourself there, no?
Even if it was a complete disaster (which I don't feel it was despite thinking mistakes were made) at the end of the day this is a game (to an extent). You should be able to make mistakes in games. As such don't feel too afraid to try things. Sometimes things will work and sometimes they won't.
This is not a valid vote. It is in plan format as opposed to approval format which is what I asked for. Just vote for the options you want to take without a unifying plan (like how voting for actions at the start of a turn works).
Cut out the plan and the "if this doesn't work do the next one" bit and it will be fine though
[X] [Karnz] Threaten and Blackmail Karnz
[X] [Karnz] Send Cassandra out of the room and kill Karnz
[X] [Leave] Steal a super tank
[X] [Regroup] Attempt to chase down Count Vertigo
--[X] Have Roxanne and her group chase down Delamb
