THE INFINITE BROOD (Starcraft/Supreme Commander Crossover Quest!)

[DragonCobolt]

The Brood of Blades
​

Cerebrate Prime: Samantha Clarke

Spoiler: STRANDS

LEVEL: 5
XP: 205/210
TRAITS

Strategic Genius: Once per structured encounter, Sam can create a piece of the environment that is in her favor as a sticky spark. Roll a d3 for its value.
Empathetic: upon meeting an NPC, learn their motivation!
Legendary Commander: Gain 4 Command sparks at the beginning of each mission/combat. Command sparks may be spent to give NPCs orders, which they may either obey or refuse to obey (doing nothing instead.) Command sparks may not be regained via skills or powers.
Hunted: Something wants her - but for what? +1 Danger to all scenes​

SKILLS

CLOSE COMBAT (2): Brawling, Edged Weapons
PERSONAL (2): Awareness, Resilience
SOCIAL (4): Charm, Empathy, Leadership, Taunt​

MASTERY

ACU Pilot (2): Nanofabrication [Mass], ObSat Operations [Range]
The Hilt (4): Biomorphic Spawning (People), Regeneration (Durability), Physical Perfection (Speed), Telepathic Dominion (Range)​

POWERS

The Living Swarm
Vent: 4-0
Effect: Gain 1 Living Swarm spark, +1 per vent reduction.​

The Living Swarm: While this swarm exists, move in three dimensions and through anything smaller than a keyhole, reforming at will. You may expend these sparks to cause 3 Hit Sparks in a Area 2 radius.​

Area Upgrade: +1 to Area Characteristic​

Biomorphic Reinforcement
Vent: 4-0
Effect: Create 1 Biomorphic Reinforcement spark, +1 per vent reduction, which can be given out to anyone within Range 2, or to yourself
Biomorphic Reinforcement: +1 to Damage or Mass characteristic for the purpose of raw physical strength/feats.

Back to Back
Vent: 4-0
Effect: Choose 1 ally (+1 per vent reduction), within Range 1. Each can take one action using one of your skills, any of them that you wish. Once they have done so, you may make a free attack with your melee weapon, getting +1 to your skill per ally that acted.​

Adaptation
Vent: 4-0
Effect: Create a number of sparks equal to the enemy's difficulty, narratively based on turning their abilities against them. Works on enemies of Diff 2>, +2 per vent reduction.​

Just as Planned…
Vent: 6-0
Effect: Vent 6 heat and create 1 Planning Spark for her or an ally, +1 Spark per vent reduction.​

Planning: The person holding this Spark can expend this to get +1 to a skill check as a free action. Using this Stack counts as you are helping for the purpose of relationships.​

GEAR

Zeratul's Psi-Blades
Adds: +0 (Edged Weapons) | Characteristics: Damage [Speed] (4)[1]​

Shadowstep (3): Can expend as a free action to move without crossing intervening space.
Guarded Space (3): Can expend to use Damage as a secondary characteristic for Durability, reducing incoming Damage characteristics.​

GALACTIC WAR
Victory Points: 5​

RESOURCES​

TERRAN DOMINION [Background] (1)​

The men and material of the Dominion - limited, but they're mustering as we speak. ​

ALLIANCE EXPEDITIONARY FORCES [Mastery] (1)​

While you have access to several ACUs of every faction, they lack economic and technological support to be fully effective. ​

ZERG HIVE [Mastery] (1)​

The scant few Zerg you control that are free of Amon's influence. Mostly Zerglings. ​

AEON FLEET [Background] (1)​

While half a dozen CZARs seem impressive, they're not actually well made for ship to ship combat. ​

ALLIED COHESION [Motivation] (1)​

The alliance is fragile and weak.​

FRONTS​

Trade Sector-34-51 [Pirate Activity]

Spoiler: Sparks

Pirates Raiding 6 (Supply Lines in Disarray 1)

COMMAND: Jim Raynor | ARMY: Raynor's Raiders
RESULTS: Pending

Braxis [Zerg Invasion]

Spoiler: Sparks

Borealis Siege 6 (Zerg Rampage1)

COMMAND: General Samantha Clarke | ARMY: Brood Clarke
RESULTS: Pending

Typhan II [Active Xel'Naga ACU]

Spoiler: Sparks

Typhan II Occupied 6 (Xel'Naga ACU Spotted 1)

COMMAND: Lt. Colonel Mathew Horner | ARMY: UEF Armored Command Unit
RESULTS: Pending

Deep Space Sector 981 [Hive Fleet Identified]

Spoiler: Sparks

Zerg Hive Fleet Spotted 6 (Kerrigan? 1)

COMMAND: Citizen-Commander Dostya | ARMY: CN Armored Command Unit
RESULTS: Pending
​

ENEMY ASSETS (Currently Known)
​

THE GOLDEN ARMADA
ACTIVITY: Unknown | Threat Level: 6​

 

[Reese]

Planetary Annihilation, they have instantaneous planetary-range teleporter gates.

Click to shrink...

Ah, thanks! From a quick search, looks like that's another RTS.

Sorry! Planetary Annihilation. It's a spiritual successor to Total Annihilation and Supreme Commander. The teleporter there is basically a stargate; send units in one and they come out another.

Click to shrink...

Ah, and thanks. (And apology accepted.)

Tho pa has no lore or campaign so it might work between star systems as well

Click to shrink...

...Wha.
No... lore. How?

Expeditionary has at least two acu bays open. Those could hold a lot of refugees for a bit at least.

Click to shrink...

Ah. I know very little of the Supreme Commander side of things here.

 

[notgreat]

No... lore. How?

Click to shrink...

It technically has lore but, like, a couple paragraphs of it and no campaign. "A bunch of robots fight an endless war across the galaxy even though all their biological masters died off long ago" is 95% of it.

Ah. I know very little of the Supreme Commander side of things here.

Click to shrink...

There's basically no canon info about their space ships (since everyone uses the gates/teleportation to travel around). I do recommend trying out SupCom if you get the chance, it's a really interesting RTS that focuses so purely on the macro side and is regularly fairly cheap on Steam.
SupCom 2, however, is pretty much a perfectly mediocre RTS that lost most of the first's charm. It's not bad, but it's nothing special.

 

[LilyWitch]

[X] Operation: Repair Beams! - use four actions to bat down the hit sparks for 0, 0, 1 and 2 heat. Then gain 3 heat to blast one of the zealots with Vehicular Weapons 2. Then vent 4 heat to use Marksman and blast a second one for free! The remaining two have already acted, so the stalkers will get to act - and they seem focused on defending the Shrines.

 

[Draz]

I think PA would be better with an even simpler story:

All the humans are dead and some of the robots are fighty and bored, so they fight! Don't worry about them, they love it!

 

[Sigil]

[X] Operation: The Best Defense - target down the zealots with your Vehicle Weapon skill: Taking out two for free (diff 1 and diff 1+1), then taking 1 heat and 2 (diff 1+2 and diff 1+3) heat for the other two. Next, vent 3 heat and create 4 Just as Planned sparks to bolster your next turn's actions. The hit sparks will decay into the sticky spark of Destroyed Defenses - but you can always build them again.

 

[DragonCobolt]

There's basically no canon info about their space ships (since everyone uses the gates/teleportation to travel around). I do recommend trying out SupCom if you get the chance, it's a really interesting RTS that focuses so purely on the macro side and is regularly fairly cheap on Steam.
SupCom 2, however, is pretty much a perfectly mediocre RTS that lost most of the first's charm. It's not bad, but it's nothing special.

Click to shrink...

My fandom theory is that the spaceship shown early on was just that - a very early one, and they had space based gates because teleporting a ship from one solar system to another gives you far more room for error in placement than teleporting a person.

That is why I do HAVE spaceships mentioned - it's just that they're most autonomous and civilian, not used for military purposes, because the only thing the UEF and their enemies are interested are habitable planets, really.

 

[Mailstrome]

DC, what are the mechanics for capturing?

 

[Spart117MC]

It technically has lore but, like, a couple paragraphs of it and no campaign. "A bunch of robots fight an endless war across the galaxy even though all their biological masters died off long ago" is 95% of it.

Click to shrink...

Planetary Annihilation during it's Early Access builds featured significantly more lore in regards to humanity and the Pro-Com War, however most of that information is not present in the game's final build. A short summary of the details are as follows:

Humanity encounters and is attacked by a brutal alien species beginning a centuries long war that they are on the losing end of. In response the Commanders are created. With their aid the conflict ends in victory for humanity. Afterwards a Commander claiming humanity is seeking to enslave the AIs and begins a war of extinction against humanity. Rebel Commanders clash with humans soldiers and loyalist Commanders.

Countless worlds are wiped of life by rebel forces and humanity is forced to resort to a nondescript weapon which sees all Commanders shut down for an indeterminate period of time left with fragmented memories. The reawakened Commanders are each convinced in their own way that humanity is still a threat and form factions that double as a means of pushing their preferred ideologies and assemble a bulwark against their poorly remembered enemies.

 

[DragonCobolt]

DC, what are the mechanics for capturing?

Click to shrink...

Creating a sticky spark representing the capture of the enemy!

So, you'd need to make a nested spark, then protect that spark until it decays and you get the unit!

 

[Reese]

It technically has lore but, like, a couple paragraphs of it and no campaign. "A bunch of robots fight an endless war across the galaxy even though all their biological masters died off long ago" is 95% of it.

Click to shrink...

Wow. By contrast, I still vaguely recall happily reading through the Starcraft 1 manual as a kid. But different people like different things.

There's basically no canon info about their space ships (since everyone uses the gates/teleportation to travel around). I do recommend trying out SupCom if you get the chance, it's a really interesting RTS that focuses so purely on the macro side and is regularly fairly cheap on Steam.

Click to shrink...

Thanks, but I don't have the time I'd like for the games I already have.

 

[Mailstrome]

Creating a sticky spark representing the capture of the enemy!

So, you'd need to make a nested spark, then protect that spark until it decays and you get the unit!

Click to shrink...

So, to capture the Warp Prism, it'd be a 7-stack? Could this be sped up by adding more 'Capture' stacks?

 

[DragonCobolt]

So, to capture the Warp Prism, it'd be a 7-stack? Could this be sped up by adding more 'Capture' stacks?

Click to shrink...

Nah, it'd just be 1, since it's only diff 1!

 

[Mailstrome]

[X] Operation: Repair Beams! - use four actions to bat down the hit sparks for 0, 0, 1 and 2 heat. Then gain 3 heat to blast one of the zealots with Vehicular Weapons 2. Then vent 4 heat to use Marksman and blast a second one for free! The remaining two have already acted, so the stalkers will get to act - and they seem focused on defending the Shrines.

 

[Geedubs]

[x] Operation: Repair Beams!

 

[Draz]

I have some more rules questions!

- So what happened with our Just As Planned spark? Could we use it to offset one of the Zealot hits to make the defenses not be destroyed?
- Can we fab any more stuff this turn or are we blocked by the resources spark being too small?
- What happened to the terrazine and engineers sparks? I was expecting them to become sticky sparks because they are both level 1 and decayed by 1.

[X] Operation: Free stuff!? - Nanofab a mixed bot and engineer squad to capture the portable pylon (Maybe 1 heat for a bigger squad?). Blow two zealots away with the ACU guns for 0 and 1 heat. Use marksman, venting 2 heat and gaining 3 free attacks, which blow away another two zealots, and the stalker platoon at the shrine (using our free movement to get there). Incoming hit sparks will turn our defences into "destroyed defences", but that's okay. Opponent's shrine defence spark presumably disrupted by us blowing up the stalkers doing the defending.

 

[DragonCobolt]

I have some more rules questions!

- So what happened with our Just As Planned spark? Could we use it to offset one of the Zealot hits to make the defenses not be destroyed?

Click to shrink...

Sparks you create all decay by one at the end of *your* turn! So, the spark went away sadly!!

- Can we fab any more stuff this turn or are we blocked by the resources spark being too small?

Click to shrink...

You can fab more stuff by sticking it to the resource spark so long as it's tall enough! You can also make another resource spark, or you can make the currently extant resource spark taller (though these are different actions, and incur diff increases)

This all matters because…

- What happened to the terrazine and engineers sparks? I was expecting them to become sticky sparks because they are both level 1 and decayed by 1.

Click to shrink...

They exist narratively, but until their nested spark is finished decaying, they're not done. Imagine it like queuing up orders and needing to get it all done. If the spark is snuffed out by enemy action, it all gets ruined.

But once it's done, it's all done!

Does that all make sense?

 

[Draz]

Thanks! Just checking I understand:

Is this inconsistent with the first fight? In that one, I think the Just as Planned Spark reacted to the Carrier that appeared after the end of our turn.

How much space do we have left in the Resources spark? I think it's 3 tall cos that was it's initial value and we nested 3 things in it (defences, economy, engineers) and the defences turned into a sticky spark. Can we nest another thing right now, and if so, why?

Regarding the engineers and terrazine, are you saying that they become real once the thing they're nested in (the resources spark) decays?

 

[DragonCobolt]

Is this inconsistent with the first fight? In that one, I think the Just as Planned Spark reacted to the Carrier that appeared after the end of our turn.

Click to shrink...

I may have forgotten to let something to decay!

How much space do we have left in the Resources spark? I think it's 3 tall cos that was it's initial value and we nested 3 things in it (defences, economy, engineers) and the defences turned into a sticky spark. Can we nest another thing right now, and if so, why?

Click to shrink...

2! Since each spark decays at the same rate! You had 3-2-1-1, then it decayed to 2-1!

Regarding the engineers and terrazine, are you saying that they become real once the thing they're nested in (the resources spark) decays?

Click to shrink...

They're real from the moment you make the spark - but they only accomplish what you want when the whole spark decays.

In this case: The resource structures are providing energy and mass to the gate engineers and the terazine collection systems. Once they finish up, you'll have a gate built by those engineers and it'll be powered up and ready to go! You'll have a terazine container, full of the precious purple ghosty stuff! But if some stalkers showed up and blasted your power plants and metal extractors, then occupied the resources (by blowing up your sparks), then your engineers wouldn't be able to finish the gate, and your terazine collection would slow to a crawl.

It'd still be narratively possible, but you'd have to recover using skills!

EDIT: For another example - in a less SupCommy game, say you were trying to throw up a barricade to stop zombies. If you created a spark of Wooden Planks, those planks would exist, but they're not yet a barricade until the sticky spark you made decays. And what's fun is, since the Sticky Spark's value is equal to the highest value spark in your nest, the better effects inherently take longer (and are more likely to be disrupted.) Creates a fun little narrative gambit there.

Because, like, you can get plenty of effects with just normal spark stacks - those just decay away into nothingness. Permanence though requires risk!

 

[Legionman]

[X] Operation: The Best Defense - target down the zealots with your Vehicle Weapon skill: Taking out two for free (diff 1 and diff 1+1), then taking 1 heat and 2 (diff 1+2 and diff 1+3) heat for the other two. Next, vent 3 heat and create 4 Just as Planned sparks to bolster your next turn's actions. The hit sparks will decay into the sticky spark of Destroyed Defenses - but you can always build them again.

 

[DragonCobolt]

"Shit," you hissed.

The defense towers started to bloom with white flares of heat as molten metal flew as the zealot warriors drew their weapons backwards - revealing that they had done a shockingly good job of ripping apart your defensive line.

"General!" Stukov said. "They're coming."

"I know," you said. Your thumb slid along the overcharge setting. You aimed - and then loosed.

The sound of an Zephier class antimatter cannon letting loose is unforgettable and, you've been told, terrifying from inside and outside a cockpit. The projectile is visible for just a few seconds - a brilliant, multifaceted jewel of jacketed antimatter, inverting and twisting as they whistled through the air. The zealots seemed to recognize something was wrong. One of them sprang forward, with bravery or stupidity, you weren't sure. The antimatter struck his chest...and the shield flared. He burst through it, unharmed, the antimatter skidding around him and flaking off like a series of glittering red flower petals.

You had a fraction of a second of pure terror.

They're immune to antimatter...

Then the zealot landed.

And the flower petals destabilized, their jacketing hissing and dissolving. Their shielding repelled the antimatter. But that just meant the fragments of it slammed into the atmosphere around them. A million pinprick suns burst to life and radiant heat slammed their shields from every direction. The aliens seemed almost as shocked as you were as the overlapping explosions hammered the outside of the ACU with a series of sonic booms.

The surviving zealots are less stunned than you were hoping for. They shook themselves, their shields crackling. Your Zephier was still hissing and smoking - so you switched to the coaxial cutting laser. You aimed and swept the beam along the ground. Ruby red light touched those crackling shields and they flashed away, and the zealots burst into flames. Within a few seconds, you were pretty sure you had killed more people than you had in your entire career. You forced that thought backwards, lifting your arm up and opening the vents. hissing steam exploded around the barrel and you said: "Situation?"

"You have incoming. The alien...uh...warp prism I suppose w have to call it...it's opening more quantum teleports - and...something a lot more stable..." Stukov said.

You frowned and watched through the ObSat. Your economic structures were thrumming at full tilt and the gate construction was going on full tilt now. You just had to keep them running for a few seconds longer and you could get the civilians out. You just-

Then you saw the warp prism, unfolded and twirling, bringing in its new arrival. The new arrival was a small, sleek, black and red device that had to be robotic. There was no way it could fit an entire alien inside it. Right? It flashed and a glowing blue portal appeared in the air beneath the spinning, glittering prism.

"They're warping in something big. Maybe an experimental?" Stukov sounded unsure.

"No, the energy levels are wrong - look at the shape - it's...almost like...a building of some kind..." Dr. Hanson said. "This technology is fascinating.

"Yes, well-"

You were cut off as an entire platoon of the walkers appeared on the ridgeline. One second, they were half a click away, the next, they had appeared.

You had forgotten they could do that.

Reminder to not get arrogant about your out of context technology, eh? You turned to face your sturdier profile towards them as the walkers unfolded short, stubby weapons - and brilliant red beams began to whip out of them, arcing and slamming repeatedly into your chest, shoulder, head. The ACU shuddered with each impact, the screen flickering and flashing as you saw high ionization warning. Your chest plates flashed green - they weren't getting much in the way of penetration. But they were still hammering you - and advancing as they did so. You lifted one arm to shield your cameras, peering out as you did so.

The hazy shape of a structure was growing out there.

You remembered on the ObSat, seeing a building just like that.

You knew it was alien technology. But the gut instinct that punched into your chest made you snarl.

The fuckers were building a factory outside you...

The...

They were fucking proxying you!?

That...

Those...

Motherfuckers!

---
Okay!

You blast the zelots, create your 4 just as planned sparks, which decay to 3!

Now, four enemies get to act. The Zealots are dead! So, the Stalkers get to act. The double platoon move max speeds to get within -10 range, while the Stalkers at the Shrine chitter forward and open fire! They have a Diff of 3, which means they create three hit sparks...ON YOU! Then I spend my 2 shock to recreate Portable Pylon (2) with the warp prism, then 2 shock to nest within that a Proxied Gateway (2).

First, the Proxy Sparks decay to (1)(1). In one more turn, they'll make a Sticky Spark of Forward Operating Base (2). Enemy Sticky Sparks add their value to Shock per turn: And they're gonna be using that to manifest even more zealots! Then the hit sparks decay! hit sparks set your "minimum heat" to the number of hit sparks you have. So, 3 hit sparks means your heat is 3/6 and can never get lower. Then when they decay, they create 1 heat!

(In other missions, you might have allies who can negate hit sparks before they decay!)

This means you begin this turn...at MAX HEAT! *alarming overheat noises!*

CURRENT HEAT
6/6

RANGES
Double Stalker Platoon: -20
Stalker Platoon at Shrine: -0
Warp Prism: -0

ENEMY SPARKS
Portable Pylon (1)->Proxied Gateway (1)
Guarding the Shrines (1)

YOUR STICKY SPARKS
Destroyed Defenses (1)

YOUR SPARKS
Resources (1) [ETA: 1 turns]

INCOMING HIT SPARKS
None


So, uh, this may be a mistake, but I'm going to risk it and see what chall do! Remember, you can't vent heat with a power unless you want your turn to straight up end, and overheating will end your turn! You can't directly attack the Warp Prism without taking out the "Guarding the Shrines" spark - but the Stalkers, since they're on the offensive, can be targeted at will!

[ ] Write In

 

[Asmodemus]

ACT ONE, MISSION TWO: First Strike (0.6)

Click to shrink...

Should be 0.7.

I do not have the headspace for the game mechanics, but personally, I'd back up and take out the stalkers then get some more defenses up because no time to make a factory probably.

Really shoulda gotten an air transport and hauled in some units from our previous position earlier, we had the time after all.

 

[Mailstrome]

"Shit," you hissed.

The defense towers started to bloom with white flares of heat as molten metal flew as the zealot warriors drew their weapons backwards - revealing that they had done a shockingly good job of ripping apart your defensive line.

"General!" Stukov said. "They're coming."

"I know," you said. Your thumb slid along the overcharge setting. You aimed - and then loosed.

The sound of an Zephier class antimatter cannon letting loose is unforgettable and, you've been told, terrifying from inside and outside a cockpit. The projectile is visible for just a few seconds - a brilliant, multifaceted jewel of jacketed antimatter, inverting and twisting as they whistled through the air. The zealots seemed to recognize something was wrong. One of them sprang forward, with bravery or stupidity, you weren't sure. The antimatter struck his chest...and the shield flared. He burst through it, unharmed, the antimatter skidding around him and flaking off like a series of glittering red flower petals.

You had a fraction of a second of pure terror.

They're immune to antimatter...

Then the zealot landed.

And the flower petals destabilized, their jacketing hissing and dissolving. Their shielding repelled the antimatter. But that just meant the fragments of it slammed into the atmosphere around them. A million pinprick suns burst to life and radiant heat slammed their shields from every direction. The aliens seemed almost as shocked as you were as the overlapping explosions hammered the outside of the ACU with a series of sonic booms.

The surviving zealots are less stunned than you were hoping for. They shook themselves, their shields crackling. Your Zephier was still hissing and smoking - so you switched to the coaxial cutting laser. You aimed and swept the beam along the ground. Ruby red light touched those crackling shields and they flashed away, and the zealots burst into flames. Within a few seconds, you were pretty sure you had killed more people than you had in your entire career. You forced that thought backwards, lifting your arm up and opening the vents. hissing steam exploded around the barrel and you said: "Situation?"

"You have incoming. The alien...uh...warp prism I suppose w have to call it...it's opening more quantum teleports - and...something a lot more stable..." Stukov said.

You frowned and watched through the ObSat. Your economic structures were thrumming at full tilt and the gate construction was going on full tilt now. You just had to keep them running for a few seconds longer and you could get the civilians out. You just-

Then you saw the warp prism, unfolded and twirling, bringing in its new arrival. The new arrival was a small, sleek, black and red device that had to be robotic. There was no way it could fit an entire alien inside it. Right? It flashed and a glowing blue portal appeared in the air beneath the spinning, glittering prism.

"They're warping in something big. Maybe an experimental?" Stukov sounded unsure.

"No, the energy levels are wrong - look at the shape - it's...almost like...a building of some kind..." Dr. Hanson said. "This technology is fascinating.

"Yes, well-"

You were cut off as an entire platoon of the walkers appeared on the ridgeline. One second, they were half a click away, the next, they had appeared.

You had forgotten they could do that.

Reminder to not get arrogant about your out of context technology, eh? You turned to face your sturdier profile towards them as the walkers unfolded short, stubby weapons - and brilliant red beams began to whip out of them, arcing and slamming repeatedly into your chest, shoulder, head. The ACU shuddered with each impact, the screen flickering and flashing as you saw high ionization warning. Your chest plates flashed green - they weren't getting much in the way of penetration. But they were still hammering you - and advancing as they did so. You lifted one arm to shield your cameras, peering out as you did so.

The hazy shape of a structure was growing out there.

You remembered on the ObSat, seeing a building just like that.

You knew it was alien technology. But the gut instinct that punched into your chest made you snarl.

The fuckers were building a factory outside you...

The...

They were fucking proxying you!?

That...

Those...

Motherfuckers!

---
Okay!

You blast the zelots, create your 4 just as planned sparks, which decay to 3!

Now, four enemies get to act. The Zealots are dead! So, the Stalkers get to act. The double platoon move max speeds to get within -10 range, while the Stalkers at the Shrine chitter forward and open fire! They have a Diff of 3, which means they create three hit sparks...ON YOU! Then I spend my 2 shock to recreate Portable Pylon (2) with the warp prism, then 2 shock to nest within that a Proxied Gateway (2).

First, the Proxy Sparks decay to (1)(1). In one more turn, they'll make a Sticky Spark of Forward Operating Base (2). Enemy Sticky Sparks add their value to Shock per turn: And they're gonna be using that to manifest even more zealots! Then the hit sparks decay! hit sparks set your "minimum heat" to the number of hit sparks you have. So, 3 hit sparks means your heat is 3/6 and can never get lower. Then when they decay, they create 1 heat!

(In other missions, you might have allies who can negate hit sparks before they decay!)

This means you begin this turn...at MAX HEAT! *alarming overheat noises!*

CURRENT HEAT
6/6

RANGES
Double Stalker Platoon: -20
Stalker Platoon at Shrine: -0
Warp Prism: -0

ENEMY SPARKS
Portable Pylon (1)->Proxied Gateway (1)
Guarding the Shrines (1)

YOUR STICKY SPARKS
Destroyed Defenses (1)

YOUR SPARKS
Resources (1) [ETA: 1 turns]

INCOMING HIT SPARKS
None


So, uh, this may be a mistake, but I'm going to risk it and see what chall do! Remember, you can't vent heat with a power unless you want your turn to straight up end, and overheating will end your turn! You can't directly attack the Warp Prism without taking out the "Guarding the Shrines" spark - but the Stalkers, since they're on the offensive, can be targeted at will!

[ ] Write In

Click to shrink...

[X] Plan: What's Yours is Mine
[X] Capture the Nearby Stalkers and the Warp Prism, and the Proxied Gateway.
[X] Vent 6 heat to create one Just As Planned Spark.

Not quite sure what to do here beyond just capture their robots then vent heat. Does going above 6 then venting still keep us from negative consequences? I'd love to know, as well as if we can Vent then act.

Edit: And what are the mechanics for rebuilding the Destroyed Defenses?

 

[Asmodemus]

Not quite sure what to do here beyond just capture their robots then vent heat.

Click to shrink...

It'd be interesting to try to capture the stalkers. Being cyborg bodies with protoss interred inside as life support. It's also alien technology.

So, wonder if it'll work. Instant samples of Protoss and their tech. Assuming it doesn't kill them in the process.

 

[Mailstrome]

It'd be interesting to try to capture the stalkers. Being cyborg bodies with protoss interred inside as life support. It's also alien technology.

So, wonder if it'll work. Instant samples of Protoss and their tech. Assuming it doesn't kill them in the process.

Click to shrink...

A couple of other things that make this more complex: Stalkers apparently use AIs based on the interred warrior's dead brain? This might also be how Dragoons work? Why would these Protoss have access to designs specific to the 'Good Protoss' that are incredibly recent creations? Only DC knows.

 

[DragonCobolt]

Edit: And what are the mechanics for rebuilding the Destroyed Defenses?

Click to shrink...

Making a sticky spark to replace their sticky spark, of the same value!

Should be 0.7.

Click to shrink...

Fixed!

[X] Plan: What's Yours is Mine
[X] Capture the Nearby Stalkers and the Warp Prism, and the Proxied Gateway.
[X] Vent 6 heat to create one Just As Planned Spark.

Click to shrink...

So, you can't mathematically capture the warp prism AND the proxied gateway and the stalkers before overheating - since you're at 6 heat already! But you could create a pair of nested sparks (Immobilized (1)->Subversion Beam (1)) with your nanolathe skill. You can do that without accuring heat (since that's diff 1, then diff 1+1.)

Now, here's where things get interesting! the value of a spark denotes its impact. So, doing immobilized (1) and subversion beam (1) nested decays instantly into a sticky spark of Captured Stalker (1)! But the enemy platoon is diff 3. You'd have captured one, but left the others undamaged and they'd be free to attack you!

Course, you could then vent 4 heat to use Marksman and blast the remainder, or you could push to overheating to try and capture all of them!

But neither would let you then go on to get the proxying gateway, since the instant you overheat or go into cooldown by using a power, your turn ends and enemies get to act.

I think this is all very neat, interesting choices. Narrative consequences!