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Threads Of Destiny(Eastern Fantasy, Sequel to Forge of Destiny)
- Thread starter yrsillar
- Start date
- Original Users' Choice!
Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
Varder
Tired Cultist
- Location
- Hell
We can only make educated guesses at what's going on. It comes down to what we believe is more likely.
If this is the superior strike force, following them and ambushing them when they commit is the best decision. If we think that there is another one like that, going to the third village is a must, if only to evacuate few survivors. If we believe in plans within plans then rushing back it is. Or if we refuse to take a guess we stay here and wait for any new info.
If this is the superior strike force, following them and ambushing them when they commit is the best decision. If we think that there is another one like that, going to the third village is a must, if only to evacuate few survivors. If we believe in plans within plans then rushing back it is. Or if we refuse to take a guess we stay here and wait for any new info.
Yeah, that's a good argument. It's possible that the other village isn't seeing a serious attack. Maybe the barbarians they saw were just a minor scouting party, or a deliberate feint to stop us from reinforcing their main target.
But if two villages are seeing attacks of this size, then odds are that they're hitting the whole valley, and we really need to be back at our village.
Just because we didn't catch a glimpse of any scouts before we left doesn't mean that there weren't any.
- Location
- Washington
Both of the villages apart from our assigned one reported their attacks and requested reinforcements at roughly the same time. I don't think they held back for an hour for some reason.
- Location
- UK
Yesss and then we can lament with Meizhen about our mutual suffering of the cruelties of Forbidden Love, while she is stoically disgusted by our choice in men <3
Black Noise
Curious
- Location
- About 1AU from Sol
I'll just copy over some arguments from discord:
That's the info we got before we set out.
With that and what we learned here, we can:
In that sense, Return seems like a pretty big gamble, one I'm not sure we can afford when we're de-facto the most mobile heavy hitter in the local area and the only one that can contest a full-sized barbarian raid force until sect reinforcements arrive. Going after the raid we see here is tempting since that's one less threat to worry about later, but has similar problems to Return in terms of opportunity risk.
Which is why I think we either keep working off the info we have and push for the other village, or we wait and find out where we're most needed; trading some extra damage done elsewhere to learn where we can do the most good next.
The barbarians are already on the clock due to sect mobilized forces. Our job here is to minimize the damage until then, which is best done by going after enemy force concentrations attacking the settlements.
[X] Help the other village
[X] ...Wait
(imo wait is more interesting developmentally but tactically both of these are correct plays compared to the other two, which are more gambles by nature)
That's the info we got before we set out.
With that and what we learned here, we can:
- Continue acting on the info (help the other village very likely under attack)
- Regroup and try to get a more up to date look at where we're most needed (wait, costs time)
- Go after the raid before our eyes, making sure they don't do more damage (hunt, cost is personal risk and not helping anything already under attack)
- Or make a guess that the south village is also under attack by something warranting our presence and head back (costs a hell of a lot of time if we're mistaken)
In that sense, Return seems like a pretty big gamble, one I'm not sure we can afford when we're de-facto the most mobile heavy hitter in the local area and the only one that can contest a full-sized barbarian raid force until sect reinforcements arrive. Going after the raid we see here is tempting since that's one less threat to worry about later, but has similar problems to Return in terms of opportunity risk.
Which is why I think we either keep working off the info we have and push for the other village, or we wait and find out where we're most needed; trading some extra damage done elsewhere to learn where we can do the most good next.
The barbarians are already on the clock due to sect mobilized forces. Our job here is to minimize the damage until then, which is best done by going after enemy force concentrations attacking the settlements.
[X] Help the other village
[X] ...Wait
(imo wait is more interesting developmentally but tactically both of these are correct plays compared to the other two, which are more gambles by nature)
- Location
- Finland
The idea that it is up to us to defend all three villages feels very much like protagonist thinking.
We're not the protagonist. The world does not revolve around us, we can, and should, depend on other people to be competent at their jobs, and actually do ours.
Not checking on our village is a huge gamble, not only because it is now the most vulnerable, but because assuming that 2 villages will be attacked, but not the third, seems unlikely.
This update warned us of pride, running to save the third village, because it is up to us, is very much being too prideful.
We're not the protagonist. The world does not revolve around us, we can, and should, depend on other people to be competent at their jobs, and actually do ours.
Not checking on our village is a huge gamble, not only because it is now the most vulnerable, but because assuming that 2 villages will be attacked, but not the third, seems unlikely.
This update warned us of pride, running to save the third village, because it is up to us, is very much being too prideful.
Arkeus
Crazy cat guy
- Location
- France
Wait is definitely the mitigated play that will make sure that Ling Qi is sure to help the most important failure point. It's the smart play. The price we pay is that no matter what both villages will hurt, but that's all they will do.
I don't think Hunt is a gamble as much as it's about a different set of priority. Like Wait is about "no matter what, we'll make sure that things can't go too bad", Hunt is "no matter what, we'll make sure the barbarians hurt". While it can be seen as a gamble from a protector's point of view, from a strategic point of view it's not a gamble, it's just saying hurting the barbarian is more important than protecting the villages.
Both Return and Help are gambles, but they are different kind of gambles.
Help gambles that there is a significant threat in other village, that Sha Fengen didn't go help it (when it seems he did), and that there is no threat to our own village. Given our own village is the least defended, that the reports were of 'suspicious activities', and that other village might already have 3 green defender, we are basically gambling that it's another outsized attack like the one on Shen Hu's village that is striking northern village.
Return is gambling that other village can deal with a stronger than normal raid (might have three green there defending), and that if there are two different stronger than normal attacks on villages than usual something funky is going on. As Ling Qi is the scout for her own village there is no one there to actually warn/be aware if anything is going on, and as Ling Qi's own village has only 1 green even a '2 green and 5 yellows' raid could be very painful.
One is gambling on hints of suspicious activies toward northern village, the other is gambling that if things are going wrong in two villages they might be going wrong in 3, so it makes sense to go to the least protected one... especially as it is the least protected because Ling Qi left it.
I don't think Hunt is a gamble as much as it's about a different set of priority. Like Wait is about "no matter what, we'll make sure that things can't go too bad", Hunt is "no matter what, we'll make sure the barbarians hurt". While it can be seen as a gamble from a protector's point of view, from a strategic point of view it's not a gamble, it's just saying hurting the barbarian is more important than protecting the villages.
Both Return and Help are gambles, but they are different kind of gambles.
Help gambles that there is a significant threat in other village, that Sha Fengen didn't go help it (when it seems he did), and that there is no threat to our own village. Given our own village is the least defended, that the reports were of 'suspicious activities', and that other village might already have 3 green defender, we are basically gambling that it's another outsized attack like the one on Shen Hu's village that is striking northern village.
Return is gambling that other village can deal with a stronger than normal raid (might have three green there defending), and that if there are two different stronger than normal attacks on villages than usual something funky is going on. As Ling Qi is the scout for her own village there is no one there to actually warn/be aware if anything is going on, and as Ling Qi's own village has only 1 green even a '2 green and 5 yellows' raid could be very painful.
One is gambling on hints of suspicious activies toward northern village, the other is gambling that if things are going wrong in two villages they might be going wrong in 3, so it makes sense to go to the least protected one... especially as it is the least protected because Ling Qi left it.
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Yeah, but our scouts might have just missed ones near our village. Shit happens. Especially if the QM is trying to give us actual challenging choices to make - after all, if we'd seen similar signs near our village we just wouldn't have left. There would be no point in having a vote.
~~
[X] ...Wait
[X] Return
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- Location
- UK
[X] ...Wait
[X] Return
[X] Return
I just remembered something relevant to Return. Because of the troubling news, civilians already started being evacuated. Maybe not all the way into the underground bunkers, but within the spirit wards, which for economic reasons shouldn't be too far out. Even if barbarians do attack our village, they should have been more evacuate-y than the northern ones, which were likely hit with attacks shortly before they sent out messengers, which they would have done immediately.
Less reason to worry about Zhengui and Xiulan's difficulty shielding civilians compared to Shen Hu.
Less reason to worry about Zhengui and Xiulan's difficulty shielding civilians compared to Shen Hu.
That's good, because they have like zero ability to do that
TimEd
Meteor maker
They also lost their Scout so they lose the chance of advanced warning if Barbarians DO attack them.
Seemed kinda relevant me thinks? After all, why would our village evacuate when its not them under attack?
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Pretty sure we've got subordinates. We're the officer, not the minion.
TimEd
Meteor maker
... Sure. And are you relying on minions to order abandoning a village when they arent 100% sure they are gonna be attacked?
Seems like a job for an Officer, Oh Wait! Thats US!
Yeah no kiddingThat's good, because they have like zero ability to do that
They're a funny pair for barbarians to fight. Zhengui is kind of a sitting duck, but he's a sturdy sitting duck. Xiulan, meanwhile, well, Xiulan kills what she hits. Voltron them together and you have a defense battery you don't want to get close to, at the very least.
The biggest worry is Zhengui's big and might have a hard time retreating? But I guess he could just dig, uh, down. He's good at digging. Having fields around him set ablaze by raiders feels like, at least thematically, it should give him some kind of benefit tho. Inspiration for new techniques, maybe!
... that's Xiulan's job.
Their job is to tell her if barbarians are coming.
EternalObserver
eYe Gaze baCk
- Location
- The Void
Feels like you're counting Lanlan out on this one. Heck I kinda got the impression she was of a slightly higher rank than us (basing this on some of the flavor text in the paragraphs before and when Xiulan showed up)
You know, I wonder how the hierarchy actually works here. Does it go by sect rank? Cultivation? Do the scout and army captains have indisputable authority in their own spheres? Does the army captain get final say? It is a mystery.
TimEd
Meteor maker
the Sect moves in mysterious ways.