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Marked for Death: A Rational Naruto Quest

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I'm not voting for this myself because I definitely won't be able to edit it until just before the deadline, and I'll only show up to vote then. So feel free to copy paste it and make whatever changes you desire.

[ ] Action Plan: The Bulldozer
  • Rationale
    • The most likely intent of the explosive seal attack was to slow us down, by forcing us to care for our wounded and to advance slowly in the face of an unknown major ambush. Therefore, we should move out as soon as possible and be aggressive.
    • The perpetrators are likely targetting us (the Goketsu team) specifically, and will continue to do so if we manage to dodge them during this exam stage. Confronting them has various long-term benefits, like giving us valuable political intel on who our enemies in Mist are.
    • Our group has a lot of firepower at its disposal. We are well-rested, healthy, and coordinated. This is about as strong as we're going to get during the exam, and our enemies are likely to continue coming after us if we don't deal with them.
    • Therefore, we set out with the expectation of fighting our enemies. If they let us get to the exit unpreturbed, we establish a perimeter there and wait.
  • General
    • This plan leans heavily on Pangolins as the spearhead of our assault, and therefore, on Keiko. The first thing we need to do is ask her if she's comfortable with bringing them out. If not, abort and proceed to plan <X>
    • Describe the plan to our other teammates, solicit feedback and fix errors, from Kei and Shikamaru most importantly.
    • Only proceed when everyone is in agreement. Point out that time is of the essence, however.
  • Preparations
    • We want to summon Panashe and at least two combat Pangolins, default to Pankurashun and Panjandrum, support with Noburi's chakra. [Character sheets don't have CP costs for summons and don't list all of them, so it's hard to be specific here]
    • Hand out Banshee Slayers to all of our teammates and establish a code to shout when using Banshees. Equip Keiko and Tenten with said Banshees, as well as plentiful (nonlethal) explosive tags and a few Goo Bombs. Additional, though not too many, explosive tags for anyone who wants them.
  • Rollout
    • If we can think of a straight path the Pangolins can just roll through without suffering from our traps, do that. Otherwise, take the safe routes, multiple people at a time.
    • We intend to move at a brisk pace, straight towards the exit, while constantly scouting for ambushes.
    • Panashe should be scouting ahead, not engaging, prioritizing giving us information. We can adjust the pace down for this to work smoothly.
    • Neji should be watching our flanks and back with his Byakugan, with periodic chakra refills from Noburi (they're both going to love this)
    • If we detect what looks like an opportunistic "Ring of Death" ambush (1-2 teams, not standing out), we give them the opportunity to run. Otherwise, crush them, prioritizing ending the fight as fast as possible. Being attacked by the real enemy while engaged in combat with another team would be really bad. For this reason, be very alert towards other approaching forces while engaging.
  • The Fight
    • This only applies if we find what we think is the "big" ambush. Use best judgement for this. Should be at least three teams with unusual features (prominent Mist clans present, very alert and competent, etc.)
    • Approach carefully, be mindful of traps and hidden reinforcements.
    • Start the fight with our ranged attackers bombarding the enemy with Banshees and explosive tags. Tenten and Kei can use Goo Bombs here if they see a good opportunity.
    • The main force consists of our combat Pangolins rolling in through the center of the enemy position, with our melee ninja following after them, and fanning out as they reach the enemy. The Pangolin rollout can be commanded and coordinated by Pankurashun, who should be able to do this in his sleep. Mid-range attackers like Shikamaru, Ino or Noburi apply themselves wherever they feel they fit best.
    • Prioritize taking out "soft" targets, like Wakahisa, summoners, ranged combatants. Panashe can take a shot at some of them if she thinks it's doable.
    • If part of enemy force disengages successfully and runs, don't pursue. Have Panashe track them and proceed to exit.
    • Loot seals and secret words from defeated enemies.
    • If any enemies conscious, attempt to interrogate them. Might let something slip, especially if Mist kids with hateboner for traitors.
  • The Arrival
    • Set up an impromptu perimeter next to the exit, establish lookouts and be on guard for any tomfoolery. Pangolins stay and look intimidating.
    • Arrange for a debrief after the event is done. It's likely Jiraiya will be very interested in our assailants, and it'd be good form to organize the information before passing it to him.
    • Make a few more party light seals, as time permits.
    • Hand out seals. Divide them as evenly as possible between individuals, then the remainder amongst teams, and the rest randomly.
    • After proctors start accepting seals, hand in your own. If there are any problems, politely point out that we're following exam rules to the letter (quote verbatim if necessary), and that it would be very unfortunate if the proctors decided to unilaterally disqualify so many teams from several major villages by retroactively altering said rules.
Some potential improvements:
  • Not sure if we should try to nominate a leader here, since the strategy is pretty straightforward, and it could lead to unnecessary drama.
  • A specific combat contingencies section, and a section for techniques we're keeping secret, like Briefvoice had in the last winning plan, would be nice as well.
  • The Pangolin setup needs fleshing out.

In any case, I just wanted to have a fairly detailed straightforward combat plan out there. Now I go to sleep.
 
We probably should have been making tunnels reinforced with force walls and made some not-so-obvious points of egress topside for when we wanted to leave from the start. This way the people who lured us out or set ambushes/traps for us at these "hidden" egress points could be tied up keeping watch on them while we escaped under their feet.
 
@Roomba Couple things that immediately jumped out:

First, we will be less safe by waiting for 3 hours by the exit than we are here. It will only take 3 minutes to get to the exit.

Also, there is no exit to make a perimeter at. You can exit anywhere in the swamp.
 
Cariyaga said:
@Roomba Couple things that immediately jumped out:

First, we will be less safe by waiting for 3 hours by the exit than we are here. It will only take 3 minutes to get to the exit.

Also, there is no exit to make a perimeter at. You can exit anywhere in the swamp.
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Errr, I was under the impression that there was a specific place we need to get to within half an hour of the deadline, where we hand in our seals to proctors.

If we can just leave wherever once time is up, then there is not much to plan for. Our fort is supposed to be close to the edge, so we sit tight and exit once time is up. Kinda hard to even ambush us in that case.
 
Roomba said:
Errr, I was under the impression that there was a specific place we need to get to within half an hour of the deadline, where we hand in our seals to proctors.

If we can just leave wherever once time is up, then there is not much to plan for. Our fort is supposed to be close to the edge, so we sit tight and exit once time is up. Kinda hard to even ambush us in that case.
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Outside of the swamp is safe, you cannot leave the swamp until 30 minutes until sunset.
 
Cariyaga said:
Outside of the swamp is safe, you cannot leave the swamp until 30 minutes until sunset.
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I'm confused what our people are so worried about, then. If the distance from the fort to the edge is really so small, we can just have Panashe constantly patrol it and Neji periodically scan it. We can clear that area from minor ambushes immediately, and if we see anyone else start setting up for an ambush, we can just move out in force and bully them away.

Bah, I'm not rewriting my plan now. Parts of it should still be useful, so if anyone wants to cannibalize them, be my guest.
 
Roomba said:
I'm confused what our people are so worried about, then. If the distance from the fort to the edge is really so small, we can just have Panashe constantly patrol it and Neji periodically scan it. We can clear that area from minor ambushes immediately, and if we see anyone else start setting up for an ambush, we can just move out in force and bully them away.

Bah, I'm not rewriting my plan now. Parts of it should still be useful, so if anyone wants to cannibalize them, be my guest.
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Oh no, I definitely appreciate the plan writing. Additional people writing plans is almost always better because, as befits the hivemind, we cannibalize each others' work mercilessly :p

That said, yes, that is definitely something we could do. I think we're all mostly just panicking with this being a high stress situation and one of the first times we've planned in forever.
 
I am late to this party, but the update finally happened!
I don't have anything worthwhile to contribute to the strategic part of the discussion (not yet anyway), but I do have some reaction GIFs!

IT'S HERE.
THE WAIT IS OVER.

It was almost underwhelming, without the Cthulhu Meltdown Crisis.

Well, they bait more than we can chew.
 
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Alright, I think I like Last Minute Escape, but let me try writing one:
[X] Action Plan: Last-Minute Escape

[X] Plan Crane Wings

General:
1. Discuss the plan directly with the whole group. Pull Keiko aside to ask permission about mentioning/using Pangolins like Panashe and [Communications]. Pull Noburi aside to ask permission about chakra redistribution.
2. Correct errors or oversights in the plan.

Preparations:
1. Seals:
a) Hazou makes Tunneler's Friends for everyone.
b) Hazou makes Banshee Slayers if there isn't enough for everyone.
c) Hazou makes Banshees if there's time before the ringbreak.
2. Party Trick seal allocation happens now, while there's still time.
a) Every individual right now receives 33 seals.
b) Of the remaining nine, 3 go to Team Gai and 2 go to everyone else, since Team Gai is going to be the lynchpin of the plan.
3. Scouting:
a) IF Pangolins are authorized, we'd like Neji to go with Pangolins to scout from underground.
b) He only needs to scout in the direction we expect to exit.
c) We trust him to tell us everything he considers important, like defenses, injuries, or unusual seals.
d) IF Pangolins are NOT authorized, Neji takes point for the purpose of scouting.
4: Combat Phase 1
a) We launch our offensive in about 1.5 to 2.5 hours.
b) Neji should have returned by this point, if he's doing it.
c) General notes:
i) Use Banshees and training tags liberally. Do not use other classes of explosives, except for utility options.
ii) Try to be a little conservative on the chakra use while punching through the Ring; our true enemies are resting.
iii) Noburi can redistribute chakra from subdued enemies to allies; take only as much as Noburi feels is safe.
iv) Take seals from any disabled teams and redistribute fairly.
d) Adopt a loose diamond formation.
i) We take point. Since Team Gai will be somewhat diminished by Neji taking the position of underground ambusher, that leaves us as the team most able to take an attack.
ii) Sakura and Shikamaru take the sides.
iii) Team Gai takes the rear.
iv) If any team is attacked, they will pull back towards the center. The other teams will encircle the attacking team, while Neji attacks from their rear lines.
d) If we are attacked from more than one side
i) If there are two, herd the two attacking teams into the center of the formation and lock them down.
ii) If there's more than two, split up and take the teams down one by one, always trying to make sure there's a 2 to 1 ratio of fighters.
iii) If we're totally overrun, disperse and regroup.
e) Communications Pangolin, if authorized, should be in constant use.
f) If Combat Pangolins are authorized, spread them out among the teams. Use someone like Panchipaama at point.
5. Combat Phase 2
a) When we suspect that we've run into the group preparing the ambush, this phase of the plan kicks in.
i) Note that leaving the swamp is not guaranteed to be safe; if the ambushers don't care about mailing in explosives, they probably won't care about the official boundary conditions. Not even the pavilion is guaranteed to be safe; (IIRC the proctors never explicitly said we were safe in the pavilion)
b) Neji comes abovegrounds if he thinks the other team's noticed him.
c) The diamond formation expands to surround the enemy ambush; we want to catch them in a crossfire between multiple teams of ours.
d) Opening volleys should be Banshees and possibly implosion seals to destroy fog.
e) If they have significant fortifications or trap fields, Dust Bomb the fieldworks.
6: End Phase
a) Once we've arrived at the pavilion, hand in our points and leave.
b) Prepare an after action report for Jiraiya.
c) If the proctors take exception to your seals, point out that many other teams from major villages have accepted our offer as a major source of points, and it wouldn't do for Mist to be accused of impartiality, would it?
 
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@faflec Don't forget to supply our other leaf nin with appropriate seals: Notably, Banshee Slayers for everyone to be used as we make our escape, and Strength: 0 Explosive Seals for everyone that wants them, particularly Tenten.

Also, in the case of going underground not being viable or judged well by our team, we should strongly consider summoning another Pangolin -- perhaps Panchipama -- to help us in our charge toward the exit.

e: Same goes for you @huhYeahGoodPoint

[X] Plan: Last Minute Escape

[X] Plan Crane Wings
 
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Cariyaga said:
@faflec Don't forget to supply our other leaf nin with appropriate seals: Notably, Banshee Slayers for everyone to be used as we make our escape, and Strength: 0 Explosive Seals for everyone that wants them, particularly Tenten.

Also, in the case of going underground not being viable or judged well by our team, we should strongly consider summoning another Pangolin -- perhaps Panchipama -- to help us in our charge toward the exit.
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Done.
faflec said:
Alright, here's a plan that:
  • Avoids fighting if at all possible.
  • Limits possible fighting from spilling over into "neutral" teams (i.e., teams that are nearby but aren't gunning for us specifically).
  • Maximizes Party Trick seal production.
[X] Action Plan: Last-Minute Escape
  • General:
    • BE AWARE OF OPSEC. DO NOT DISCLOSE CLAN SECRETS UNLESS APPROVED BY NOBURI/KEIKO.
      • THIS MEANS THE COMMUNICATIONS PANGOLIN TOO. MAKE SURE WE'RE ALLOWED TO TALK ABOUT IT.
    • Discuss everything with Team Goketsu, then with the group as a whole.
    • Make sure everyone is in agreement. Fix errors in plan.
  • Preparations:
    • Hazou continues to make Party Trick seals for personal use/trade.
    • Teams collectively decide now who gets how many Party Trick seals.
      • Every individual gets 33 seals.
      • New seals made:
        • Gets added to the 9 remaining seals, and distributed evenly among the 12 people here.
      • Any remaining seals:
        • Divide them evenly among the 4 teams, and let individual teams decide who gets the extra seal(s).
        • If any seals remain after that (e.g., we have 3 seals remaining), have the team leaders draw straws or something similar.
    • Keiko summons Panashe. Panashe goes underground to scout the Ring of Death. As possible Neji and other high-Awareness individuals with underground sensing go with her.
      • Location/clustering of enemies (Where are enemy teams densely packed? Where are they really spread out? Are some teams allied based on how close they are?).
      • Alertness level (Are they able to spot Panashe/her squad?).
      • Security/traps (Are they using non-standard seals, like Force Walls? Do they have traps set up? How well-hidden are they? How much would they slow us down given our plan?).
      • Combat styles (Do they have characteristic signs of Taijutsu/Weapons? Do they appear to be ninjutsu users?).
      • Other (Chakra levels? Have they taken any Consequences/injuries?).
    • Prepare to scuttle our traps and seals. Take the ones we can afford to do stealthily (e.g., 5SBs in the base) but plant timed explosives around the perimeter (from underground, if possible) with the intention that they will detonate after we've left.
    • Hazou (or Panashe/other allies, if they have an more efficient technique) uses Doton: Tunneling Excavation to make a tunnel under our Ring of Death, eliminating the need to slowly go through them.
      • Make the tunnel before we escape to give added chakra regeneration.
      • Direction of our escape is determined from the results of our scouting. We want to go through the path of least resistance, and then move towards the rendezvous point once we've escaped the Ring of Death.
      • Try to reinforce the underground tunnels with wood beams + 5SB, quietly.
    • Everyone prepares relevant seals and (as appropriate) jutsu before we leave.
      • We distribute and prepare Banshee Slayers, training explosives, and any other possibly useful seals among the teams.
  • The Escape:
    • After 1.5-2.5 hours (exact time determined during discussion) we make our escape through the escape tunnel we made.
      • Time of our escape is determined by how long we're expected to take to get to the rendezvous point, plus ~30 minutes. We want to arrive just after ~4:45PM.
    • Neji should have his Byakugan active to check enemies/traps. Other allies with similar skills (e.g., Living Roots) should do the same.
    • Ultimate goal of escape is to evade threats and arrive at the rally point at most 30min before the end time (5:15PM).
    • Depending on the situation we may want to surface (e.g., the tunnel is collapsing). If so:
      • We are running at 100% normal speed and using chakra as appropriate to boost Athletics.
      • If/when we are chased engage only if necessary. Leave behind training explosives as shitty traps to slow them down.
      • We use explosive seals to clear the path in front of us. Neji/high-Awareness individuals should direct specifics (training explosives or stronger explosives), as relevant.
      • As appropriate Keiko may summon Pangolins (e.g., Panchipaama) to help us (carry us?).
    • Discuss if we should have other Pangolins with us (e.g., Panashe) for extra help. It is the final push.
  • Contingency: Combat time!
    • This only matters if we're in a position where we have to fight, and not, say...run while throwing Banshees/training explosives behind us.
    • Our goal is to KO immediate threats and GTFO as soon as we can possibly can. Basically turn "combat" into "running away".
      • And if possible, keep pushing towards the exit point. No reason to stop moving towards our goal if we can't help it.
    • Leader should direct the overall combat plan (e.g., who fights who). Teams focus on carrying out said plan.
    • People who need little prep to fight (e.g., Hazou, Neji...) should engage and buy time for people who need actual prep time (e.g., Keiko using Summoning).
    • We take full advantage of our seal loadouts. This means:
      • Banshee Slayers + Banshee combos.
      • Training explosives.
      • Pangolin pepper macerators.
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1234qwerty said:
Quick plan suggestions:
  • What happens to the teams that succumbed to the death circle around us?
    • If they're just left around, we could try some more diplomacy.
    • If chunin collect them and bring them to safety, we can try impersonating such a chunin while carrying a disguised Neji over our shoulder for info gathering.
  • Take down enemy Wakahisa for seals.
    • Leave early to spend the last of our chakra(maybe keep half just in case) on seals from proctors.
  • Ruin seals being presented at rally point with mist.
  • Have stealth pangolin go behind enemy lines and set a fire as a faked third party action to prevent getting to rally point on time.
    • Pincer enemies between us and the fire.
    • Dig our way under the fire.
    • Stealth pangolin should do reconnaissance in any case we aren't immediately leaving now.
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I don't think your first two suggestions are viable given the plan that I've made (which is basically Go to Rendezvous, Do not stop, Do not pass Go). The third point is probably gonna make us enemies with literally everyone since we just fucked them, and I'm pretty sure the proctors would count that as assaulting other competitors (which is a DQ). The fourth plan...I'm not exactly sure how this is gonna work, could you explain it in a bit more detail? I'm just trying to figure out how the fire would stop/slow them down, it sounds to me like a physical blockade which isn't that viable given our position in a swamp.
 
Cariyaga said:
Hazou can infuse Tunneler's Friends, actually.
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True, but at the expense of party trick seals.

faflec said:
Why does our lack of Tunneler's Friend seals mean that we cannot send Neji with Panashe? IIRC Pangolins have access to a burrowing technique (similar to Tunneling Excavation) that produces a permanent tunnel; Neji could in theory follow Panashe underground while still being able to breathe.
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Never mind then, I assumed he would need them to breathe in any underground situation.
 
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