@OldShadow just to be sure, I want to know a couple of things about these rolls...
Regarding the two actions we were most worried about, Old World's Gift and Newcomers, would using an omake bonus on them affect the result in any significative way?
Reagrding Fleshless, Remorseless, the last time we got over 80 on this action they tried to snatch the blades from us... should we use a bonus here or was it successfully countered?
How was the Duel solved, and using an omake reward would make any difference? I mean, by its description seems like it would be solved "in gameplay terms" two confronted dice, and there are a few of our heroes who would have lost.
And finally, if we push Andreyas roll over 100, would that have any special effect, or should we not bother about it?
@OldShadow just to be sure, I want to know a couple of things about these rolls...
Regarding the two actions we were most worried about, Old World's Gift and Newcomers, would using an omake bonus on them affect the result in any significative way?
Reagrding Fleshless, Remorseless, the last time we got over 80 on this action they tried to snatch the blades from us... should we use a bonus here or was it successfully countered?
How was the Duel solved, and using an omake reward would make any difference? I mean, by its description seems like it would be solved "in gameplay terms" two confronted dice, and there are a few of our heroes who would have lost.
And finally, if we push Andreyas roll over 100, would that have any special effect, or should we not bother about it?
Hmmm, I do not want to give too much informations...
I will simply say that the results are more or less set, using additional omakes bonus will have little to no effect...
Unless you want to push Andreyas roll over 100, witch will trigger a few additional rolls...so do you feel lucky ?
On the subjects of Omake bonus, I am thinking of a new policy, not sure if I will implement it. More or less, it would be either writer chosing when to use their bonus, with limited information, or "slotting" then for either general use or use during specific circumstances (Winter Turns, Expeditions...) and I will use them during those circumstances for maximum effect with my QM knowledge.
It is for now a purely theorical framework, I am just thinking of it as a way to kept secrecy over various hidden parameters will fully rewarding those who spent time and efforts writing omakes for the quest.
On the subjects of Omake bonus, I am thinking of a new policy, not sure if I will implement it. More or less, it would be either writer chosing when to use their bonus, with limited information, or "slotting" then for either general use or use during specific circumstances (Winter Turns, Expeditions...) and I will use them during those circumstances for maximum effect with my QM knowledge.
It is for now a purely theorical framework, I am just thinking of it as a way to kept secrecy over various hidden parameters will fully rewarding those who spent time and efforts writing omakes for the quest.
This seems like a pretty good system, the only small caveat that I see here is that may force the omake writers to choose wether they want an OOC question or a bonus the rewards their omakes when they are still undecided...
By going over 100, Andreyas was able to act like a true hero, and as begin to travel the path to empower himself.
Somewhat comparable to what happened to Sara, if far lesser (Sara is equvalent to nat 100 + specifics circumstances).
However, contrary to Sara, Andreyas as a far more...mixed spiritual nature, due to his experiences. The rolls were to see what dominate in his nature at first, what define for now his soul.
And it is travelling through desolate lands and Chains, not only the chains of slavery, but the chains of duty, of class, of birthright.
Well, it is definitely going to be interesting and seeing the options that have won the sidequest will probably bring the greatest catharsis for Andreyas upon completion...
But Dammit I wish that those crazy rolls would have gon towards Paladin and Heir instead to Chains and Desolation...
Hhm from his backstory it could be old lucifer cause he did went on a quest to destroy an evil temple or maybe its a dark African spirit that latched on to him when he was weakened and captured by the slavers.
It's definitely problematic, but I wouldn't describe it as apocalyptic. If Andreyas is indeed suffering from some psychological vulnerabilities, then Sara should be able to help close those wounds. I was hoping to crash unlock a new hero unit next spring, but I suppose we can use the dice on healing Andreyas instead.
On the plus side, if and when Andreyas gets on the other side of this, I definitely think we can expect at least one additional Prince die.
It's definitely problematic, but I wouldn't describe it as apocalyptic. If Andreyas is indeed suffering from some psychological vulnerabilities, then Sara should be able to help close those wounds. I was hoping to crash unlock a new hero unit next spring, but I suppose we can use the dice on healing Andreyas instead.
On the plus side, if and when Andreyas gets on the other side of this, I definitely think we can expect at least one additional Prince die.
Sara has sung all Winter, all evil fading away before her. From victory, she has grow stronger. She needs less sleep, and her voice can now be heard over even a storm. Her soul rings with the strength of a great church bell.
Sara obtains 1 additional Personal Dice, and a +5 modifiers to all Personal Dice rolls. Unlock new Death Singing actions.
If they're still available I definitely want to take A Voice Stronger, A Soul Mightier along with Sin-Eaters (+1 Mourner die and overall strengthens the Mourners.) One of the places where we're most limited in dice ATM is Death-Singing dice, and especially Personal dice.
If they're still available I definitely want to take A Voice Stronger, A Soul Mightier along with Sin-Eaters (+1 Mourner die and overall strengthens the Mourners.) One of the places where we're most limited in dice ATM is Death-Singing dice, and especially Personal dice.
I mostly agree, if we have the same options that we had last year I also want A Soul Mightier, Sin-Eaters, and Unbent, Unbroken (1 Winter roll will be re-rolled each Winter turn. One event will be automatically nullified each Winter.)... But we should wait to see the options that we have available before committing to anything because we might have unlocked some unique rewards like the Blades or integrating the Unchained, or have some of the First Walker rewards returning...
Besides that, we have to remember that the Warrior's Son also works as a Death Singing dice, so if we have to choose upgrading him is better than Sin Eaters...
Yes and no. Andreyas must be involved, but I strongly suspect that Sara should be able to help. The Warrior's Son is supported by his Skirmishers and all that jazz.
And I think we can still crash unlock the new hero units, especially if we can pick [] A Voice Stronger, A Soul Mightier as a reward...
Although we may want to put a couple of Sara dice on Sheperd of Corpses to make sure that we have another two Dead Dice in Summer...
I think it's worth noting that Spring is pretty much the only season where we are likely to have much Sara dice free, so we'll need to be careful in how she is deployed.
I think it's worth noting that Spring is pretty much the only season where we are likely to have much Sara dice free, so we'll need to be careful in how she is deployed.
Really? I know that next year we are going to raid the Tribute Takers like there was no tomorrow, but I thought that her involvement on these expeditions would be a single dice per turn to accompany the Blades...
IIRC there were Sons and his Skirmishers the ones who were fully booked for the full year...
Really? I know that next year we are going to raid the Tribute Takers like there was no tomorrow, but I thought that her involvement on these expeditions would be a single dice per turn to accompany the Blades...
IIRC there were Sons and his Skirmishers the ones who were fully booked for the full year...
On the turn of the diversionary raids, we'll want a larger amount of Sara dice alongside the Blades both to protect them from Tribute-Taker attempts to take them over as well as disarming any spiritual traps they might have left. Plus, Sara herself is now quite a combatant herself.
On the turn after, I've actually been considering having Sara + Blades + Andreyas (or some other combination of combat and occult dice) go after the 3rd Gifts for the Takers action. The plan is for the Tribute-Takers to try and protect it which will leave the path to the Lesser Pit open, but now I've considered using a Question after the initial raids to see what level of defenses we'd be facing. If it's vulnerable enough, then a third strike would be a good way to inflict further damage on the Tribute-Takers.
Particularly since my current plan is leaning on doing Swamp Beasts + Dam first turn, which would leave provoking the Lords to rampage on the 2nd, which would be a good diversion to keep the Tribute-Takers too busy to go chasing after the Skirmishers after they finish their work. However, this idea is contingent on how the first round of raids go.
On the turn of the diversionary raids, we'll want a larger amount of Sara dice alongside the Blades both to protect them from Tribute-Taker attempts to take them over as well as disarming any spiritual traps they might have left. Plus, Sara herself is now quite a combatant herself.
On the turn after, I've actually been considering having Sara + Blades + Andreyas (or some other combination of combat and occult dice) go after the 3rd Gifts for the Takers action. The plan is for the Tribute-Takers to try and protect it which will leave the path to the Lesser Pit open, but now I've considered using a Question after the initial raids to see what level of defenses we'd be facing. If it's vulnerable enough, then a third strike would be a good way to inflict further damage on the Tribute-Takers.
Particularly since my current plan is leaning on doing Swamp Beasts + Dam first turn, which would leave provoking the Lords to rampage on the 2nd, which would be a good diversion to keep the Tribute-Takers too busy to go chasing after the Skirmishers after they finish their work. However, this idea is contingent on how the first round of raids
I'm not really a fan of that, and not just because I strongly suspect that we will need to recover from Winter too much to launch those die-heavy raids in the Spring. A major reason why I recommended doing two Gifts then the Pit is because I want the Takers to be so busy guarding those three locations (especially the third) that they don't bother reinforcing the Lesser Pit.
We can get much of the same disruption you describe by taking Lords+Dams instead, which has the added benefit of not giving the Takers six months to fortify the Lesser Pit. The logistical shock from taking down the Pit might also make it harder for the Takers to reinforce those locations, so the sooner we get it done, the better.
I'm not really a fan of that, and not just because I strongly suspect that we will need to recover from Winter too much to launch those die-heavy raids in the Spring. A major reason why I recommended doing two Gifts then the Pit is because I want the Takers to be so busy guarding those three locations (especially the third) that they don't bother reinforcing the Lesser Pit.
We can get much of the same disruption you describe by taking Lords+Dams instead, which has the added benefit of not giving the Takers six months to fortify the Lesser Pit. The logistical shock from taking down the Pit might also make it harder for the Takers to reinforce those locations, so the sooner we get it done, the better.
When did I say we would be doing these in the Spring? I thought the entire plan was still Summer for the two raids, Pit for the Autumn. And I want to do the third raid alongside the Pit because while they might be initially distracted by the two raids on the Gifts and assume a third on the last one, it's far less likely that they'll remain distracted once news of the raid on the Pit reaches them, and between the Pit being deep in Tribute-Taker territory and the raiders likely to be slowed down by freed slaves, I feel there's a risk that they'll be under threat of interception if we don't do something that would actively draw attention away that turn instead of just passively.
Also, I wanted to do Swamp Beasts as one of the two raids because judging from the description of that incident during A Wider Hunt, the Warrior's Son has special effects on that option specifically.
Which he doesn't seem to have on the other two options. So we might as well send him on the action where he could have the most effect.
Alternatively we could do Swamp Beasts and the Lords for maximum "problems that the Tribute-Takers have to engage in battle and take casualties repulsing" distraction that's more likely to last into next turn, but the Lords feels like an option where the Silent Blades won't do much good since it's more about disrupting rituals and offerings than direct killing and breaking, and I'm leery on letting the Tribute-Takers continue to build up their control of the rivers without contesting it in some manner.
I do think we want all three of the Gifts for the Takers options to have been hit before the main Tribute-Takers raid strikes us, since they all, from what info we have, will negatively affect us if allowed to go off without a hitch. At the very least, I'd like to have it up for consideration that we hit the third alongside the Lesser Pit. It will be more vulnerable to disruption if we hit it shortly after the other two, and I'm more than willing to spend an omake on a Question on the level of protection after the first two strikes.
When did I say we would be doing these in the Spring? I thought the entire plan was still Summer for the two raids, Pit for the Autumn. And I want to do the third raid alongside the Pit because while they might be initially distracted by the two raids on the Gifts and assume a third on the last one, it's far less likely that they'll remain distracted once news of the raid on the Pit reaches them, and between the Pit being deep in Tribute-Taker territory and the raiders likely to be slowed down by freed slaves, I feel there's a risk that they'll be under threat of interception if we don't do something that would actively draw attention away that turn instead of just passively.
Ah, some slightly unclear wording combined with my tiredness and resulted in a bit of a mixup. I thought you had changed your mind about that but I see my mistake. My apologies.
As for doing the Lords at the same time as the Pit, I feel rather dubious about that. This operation is basically kicking a hornet's nest, then hopefully fleeing fast enough that the bugs kill Tribute Takers instead of us, except the "bugs" are actually giant monsters. As such, I really think it should be handled by the Warrior's Son if possible. He didn't have a bonus effect before, but we have unlocked the [Shadow] dice trait since then.
With respect to your idea of launching another attack to distract from the Lesser Pit in general, I think I might have already had a discussion about this topic before, either with you or someone else. Regardless, the biggest issue I can see is coordination. Coordinating troop movements across serious distances was extremely difficult during this time period. Doing so when both units are in enemy territory without being detected, that's practically impossible. If the distraction forces arrive too late, they will be unable to disrupt the Takers' pursuit. If the Pit forces arrive too late, they will end up drawing attention instead of the Lords forces.
On the turn of the diversionary raids, we'll want a larger amount of Sara dice alongside the Blades both to protect them from Tribute-Taker attempts to take them over as well as disarming any spiritual traps they might have left. Plus, Sara herself is now quite a combatant herself.
When did I say we would be doing these in the Spring? I thought the entire plan was still Summer for the two raids, Pit for the Autumn. And I want to do the third raid alongside the Pit because while they might be initially distracted by the two raids on the Gifts and assume a third on the last one, it's far less likely that they'll remain distracted once news of the raid on the Pit reaches them, and between the Pit being deep in Tribute-Taker territory and the raiders likely to be slowed down by freed slaves, I feel there's a risk that they'll be under threat of interception if we don't do something that would actively draw attention away that turn instead of just passively.
Well IIRC the plan we discussed was hitting in Summer the Swamp Beasts with the 2 dice from the Warrior's Son, 2 dice from the Skirmishers, and 1 dice from the Sheperds' assistance; and for the Dams we were using 2 Blade Dice, 1 Sara Dice, and the last Sheperds' assistance dice... So even if we put a couple of Sara's Dice with the Dams we should still have a couple of Sara's dice free in Summer and Autumn (assuming we pick A...
And for the Lesser Pit, we were going to hit it with all the Warrior's Son and Skirmisher dice and use 2-4 dice from the Voices, because we don´t want the Blades involved in the Raid if we want to rescue survivors
Alternatively we could do Swamp Beasts and the Lords for maximum "problems that the Tribute-Takers have to engage in battle and take casualties repulsing" distraction that's more likely to last into next turn, but the Lords feels like an option where the Silent Blades won't do much good since it's more about disrupting rituals and offerings than direct killing and breaking, and I'm leery on letting the Tribute-Takers continue to build up their control of the rivers without contesting it in some manner.
I do think we want all three of the Gifts for the Takers options to have been hit before the main Tribute-Takers raid strikes us, since they all, from what info we have, will negatively affect us if allowed to go off without a hitch. At the very least, I'd like to have it up for consideration that we hit the third alongside the Lesser Pit. It will be more vulnerable to disruption if we hit it shortly after the other two, and I'm more than willing to spend an omake on a Question on the level of protection after the first two strikes.
Regarding this, I wanted to do the Lord's Actions with the Blades to take advantage of the fear that their weapons cause them, but you convinced me to put the action on hold until we get the Warrior's Son and his skirmishers were available in Spring or Summer of the next year...
TBH if we want to hit another objective alongside the Pit, I would rather go for [] Attack Tribute-Takers Expeditions [0/150], which serves as a distraction and is a relatively easy expedition...
Or we can use that chance of having Sara and the blades relatively free in Autumn to advance on the "War on the Woods" mandate, we still need to finish a project next year to do so...
A/N: I finally got done with that omake. This mostly came about from me noticing that we don't have many crafting projects and have mostly just been doing defense. I crave violence! Hopefully some of these ideas will stick and make life harder for the planners.
Crafts of War
It was the time between seasons, after the busy activities of fall. The harvest had been stored away, the wickerman burnt, wood stacked, and projects complete. It was the time for little things, when there was time for nothing else. The gossip between families, double checking defenses, the playing of children, cleaning of weapons, repairing of tools, and all the other minute activities of life. It was a time of dread, before the Winter came. People would pray more often, assign guardians to the children if the worst happened, go on more patrols, and plan for coming danger.
It was at this time that the craftsmen were busy tinkering away in their own little workshops in the Atelier. While many could feel the approach of the cold winds and empty bellies, they could feel what would happen afterwards. War would be waged. Not a culling of monsters and beasts, but a true war against the human servants of Winter. The battles would require new weapons, new armor, new medicines, and new magics, if the people of Union would overcome the new challenges.
–<0>–
The scraping sound of the hand planer was a constant noise from the workshop of John Granit. When he used his hands for work, they would not twitch out of nervousness. When his mind was turned to shaping, his worries were far away. Still, he shuddered at the thought of those worms crawling out of the wood he was working.
Insects were just one enemy that every woodworker had to face. Moisture, rot, dent, scratches, fire; all of them would eventually come for his work. His master had told him of some paints, varnishes, and treatments to stop them. They might even be able to protect against some of the abnormal dangers of winter. He knew that he could get resin and tar from the pines, and linseed oil from flax seed, but wax would be hard to find. He had heard whispers of the Mourners finding a strange sort of bee, but he would likely need to talk directly to Sara.
His hand twitched and it was only a ghostly whisper that stopped him from his tool. The strange powers that the Mourner had scared him. All of the magic, ghosts, and monsters scared him. Even so, he had done a little bit himself. It was a moment of weakness for him; a straight stick taken from one of the scarecrows. He had carved crude warding symbols into it, fire sharpened the tip, and fletched it. Now the cursed arrow sat in a locked box with its tip still smoldering. He should have just thrown it into a fire, but he could feel the potential.
Looking down, he realized that he had finished his work. It was a bigger stock then he would usually make, but that would fit the blacksmith's project just fine.
–<0>–
Arnaud Fabre leaned over his anvil, constantly pounding away. He had been constantly making nails, fittings, and tools for months and was tired of it. Even with both he and his apprentice working, there was little time for anything else. It was good that he had time to work on some of his personal projects, even if he could only use scraps.
The smithy was a place where everyone that used tools needed to visit at some time. All year he had heard people complaining and fearing a shortage of gunpowder. With the stock that John had delivered him, he was working towards a solution. Metal limbs, a stirrup, and trigger were mounted to it with handmade screws. With both arms, he flexed the limbs back as his apprentice put the string on. In his hands he held the finished crossbow.
It was heavier, bulkier, and less powerful than a gun, but it didn't require gunpowder, was quieter, and worked when wet. It would be perfect for some of the more stealthy hunts that the Son's Skirmishers might get into. He would need to put some channels in the bolts in case they used poisons.
Of course, there weren't just weapons that he needed to worry about. Fighters needed armor to defend from attacks. The issue was that he lacked the steel to make full plate, unless he used the bones from the Lords. He did have a way to work around that, but would take more time. Using a mix of poor steel for chainmail and good steel for splint, the small supply of steel could be stretched out.
If only they had more metal, not just steel. Lead for bullets, pewter for tableware, and bronze for countless different small things. Maybe he could get some of the scouts to look for signs of any deposits or buy some from the next ship to stop by? Something to think for another time.
–<0>–
A chimera stared with unblinking eyes at the young woman as its claws and fangs were ready to attack. However, Adesuwa wasn't scared as it was only two feet tall and made of stone. She was mostly making it as a way to use her creative energy, but the idea came from the Europeans. Apparently, it was common practice for churches to be adorned by fantastical, monstrous, and sometimes bawdy sculptures. At least it gave her something to do besides carve bricks and cannonballs.
Carving them was a way to make things that would always be needed and get a feel for the local stone. It helped that the material was readily available instead of needing to find or quarry larger stones. Carving such mundane objects didn't stop her from being creative. In some cannonballs she carved the faces of angry saints and the new repetitive swirling style that had become popular.
There was one type of rock that she could not carve; flint. Before the introduction of steel, it was the Winter Walker's most valuable tool making material. The only way for her to shape it was through their method of knapping. While it was unlikely to be of much use, she still felt there was something significant about the stone.
–<0>–
In another section of the Atelier, more gentle work was being done by a native and colonist. Nixkamich, the leatherworker, and Crying Mother, the weaver, worked side by side with the materials of their craft and similar tools. While neither one talked, they still enjoyed the shared company.
Together they worked on things that could help the scouts and warriors in the coming year. With them traveling such a large distance, there would be a need to carry supplies. New bags, sacks, belts, and satchels needed to be designed for food, water, weapons, and ammunition. Even outside of war they had their use in gathering supplies.
Another of their projects had a different purpose; stealth. To his own pride, Nixkamich had found himself quite adept at dyeing leather even though he was never taught how. His hope was to get a combination of colors that would blend in with the forest and complement Crying Mother's work. She worked on a cloak made of twine and turkey feathers. A mix of natural camouflage and sound dampening to keep one hidden from view.
Yet these projects would wait for a time when they were not repairing the clothes of Union for the coming Winter.
–<0>–
Gunpowder! If Union was going to go fight, they needed more of it. There was no master powderman to guide them, so they would need to make due with the knowledge of former soldiers and workers.
Getting the materials was the most basic task and most important. They had charcoal and plenty of ores would provide sulfur when smelted, but saltpeter would be needed in great abundance. They had compared recipes and there was not one that had it make up less than half of the black powder. Luckily, there was one amongst them that had once worked as a saltpeter man; Aitard Blackdirt.
He had been reluctant to speak of his profession from its reputation, but the threat of Winter and amiability of the people had won out. For that reason, he explained the hard and dirty work of running a nitrary. First, they would need to make shallow clay lined pits covered from the rain. Wood ash, dirt, hay, and feces needed to be mixed together in a pile four feet high underneath. It would need to be constantly mixed and kept moist by urine for a year till a white powder would form on the rotting mass. Then it was a simple matter of soaking the dirt to collect the saltpeter.
While it sounded simple, they would still need other pieces of equipment to properly measure, purify, process, and store the material; scales, vats, mills, distilled spirits, and barrels with copper hoops. They had barely even started and they had so much to do.
–<0>–
Within a smoky and steamy room men and women argued over a pot of boiling herbs. This was only one of many squabbles over the proper method of preparing a healing medicine. The types of herb, what form they were administered, what the illness actually was, what caused it; all of these things were subjects to constant conflict.
Thankfully, there were some herbs that were known to Europeans, Natives, and Africans. Some they expected to be in demand were yarrow, horsetail, and goldenrod to heal bleeding internally and externally. This led them to realize that it would be better for those injured to have access to such medicine in the field as to not bleed out. Some experimented with soaking bandages in an herbal mixture, others bottled teas, and other packaged salves in satchels of corn leaf.
There were other worries that had less to do with curing illness and more to do with preventing them. The native practice of daily bathing, teeth brushing, and chewing spruce sap were starting to spread as many realized that they did not suffer disease as often. The addition that the people from the Old World introduced was the use of soap. Soon they might need to start making it in large batches for everyone to use.
–<0>–
The final group worked far away from the others in rooms with sturdy doors and little light. The wise members of Union worked on projects that would likely get them branded evil witches by many. This did not mean that what they did was wrong as many white witches and cleverfolk had protected people from supernatural threats.
While none of the people could claim to be masters of beneficial magic, they had lived long enough to learn some of the practices. Some tried their hands at making a witch bottle to contain harmful hexes, curses and spells. Others whispered of different charms and amulets used to increase one's luck like flint arrowheads and crucifix necklaces. Ways to stop hostile spirits from following warriors back from conflict throw ritual cleansing.
It was not only old practices, but completely new ones. In small vials made of bone and antler, the acid of the many-limbed devourers was stored. A liquid that could melt flesh but leave other things untouched could have many uses against the servants of Winter. Some of the Unchained had used feathers and razorweed thorns to delicately craft blow darts that they safely stored for later use. Others continued to look into the use of the magically imbued ash that they had available for any new uses.
–<0>–
And so it was that each craftsman went to work experimenting with many of the ideas that they had. It was certain that some would fail to succeed or need to be drastically changed, but that was part of the process of making new things. They all had experience with such things when first starting their craft. All the time and effort would be worth it, for it was went towards crafting greater then themselves.
It went towards crafting Union.
I know that this is a real random mess of ideas, but sometimes the writing process is like that. I want Union to really get into the spirit of unconventional warfare and freak out any Europeans that come over. I have plenty more ideas if anyone wants to hear them, and can explain anything mentioned written in greater detail.
With that my brain has been released from its obsession with magical colonial warfare and can focus on some new obsession.
