06-05-2014, 08:18 PM
<big>Mass combat </big>
Introduction
Role playing games encompass a spectrum of competition that spans from highly combative, statistic based outcomes to fully collaborative team fiction. The former relies on character sheets, equipment lists, dice and random chance. The latter involves highly collaborative plot and outcome development where tense scenes are worked out off-screen between two writers. Together, collaborative writers intend to craft a story that is a surprise to other readers.
Forum based RPG's, such as The First Age, lies somewhere between those two extremes, but we lean more closely to collaborative-fiction than combative table-top gaming. However, there comes a time when data needs to be incorporated into the hierarchy of the site in order to maintain a sense of order when combat arises. Examples include channeler strength and experience levels as a viable gauge of dueling outcomes. While these are gray-areas in and of themselves, because creativity of the writer themselves must be taken into consideration, definitions allow us to grasp and utilize a rules-based magic system. From quantification and certainty comes the freedom to write stories out of what might otherwise be a mechanical role of the dice.
As there needs to be clear definitions among individual characters, there also needs to be a continuance of such rules that we can extrapolate into large-scale combat.
As the site and story of The First Age continues to grow, we are therefore going to implement our own version of "Campaign Sheets" to be used as reference for future large-scale warfare. These sheets will be relevant to anyone that writes on behalf of- or commands- a nation's armed forces, mercenary group, or otherwise establishes their own military following.
When your character comes into control of a group of armed forces, you will need to submit a filled out Forces Campaign Sheet. As Game Master, Ascendancy will monitor and approve these sheets and discern what information on them would be considered Common Knowledge, and therefore is allowed to be shared with the rest of the players, in- and out-of-character (OOC). Likewise, Ascendancy will discern what information is kept a strategic secret and withhold it from other players, OOC. As tactical and strategic information becomes shared In Character (IC, ie, in story), such information will likewise be updated for the rest of the site to see.
There may come a time that your character expands their power, influence, and armies beyond what the original Campaign Sheet lists. The only way this may occur is to parallel this expansion with posts made IC that describes how and why the character manages to implement substantial increases in their authority. Just as we require posts showing your character's use of the One Power as a basis to justify an expansion in their strength and experience, we will likewise require similar threads that justify the character (or nation's) growth in armed forces.
Play Report
If your forces engage in battle with those of another nation's or mercenary's armed forces, you'll be required to submit a Play Report that documents the outcome of the battle including a description costs in terms of personnel, life, and money.
<small>(Examples of a completed Campaign Sheet and Play Report are in following posts.)</small>
<big>Campaign Sheet
</big>
Military Forces
Descriptive statistics
Name of force or forces:
Alignment: this has no effect on battle outcomes, but primarily summarizes the force's attitude as a whole.
Morale: A description of the forces' confidence.
Battle capabilities
Land:
Sea:
Air:
Special abilities & special forces
Eg: Trained channelers with military experience on the battlefield
Special forces operations capabilities:
Equipment
Comprehensive list of equipment.
Eg: Anti-air, anti-tank, electronic warfare. Small arms, support weapons. Artillery, air assets. Notably skilled troops. Logistics capability.
Tactics
Intended fighting style
Eg:Traditional, Symmetrical, Asymmetrical, Guerrilla
Tactical expertise
The expertise of your army is reflected by the nature of their training and the formal education of leadership.
<small>Sample tactical expertise
Cautious Combat: Your army fights cautiously in order to maintain morale.
Defensive Wall: Your army fights defensively, taking actions to protect fellow units as needed.
Dirty Fighters: Your army uses trickery and unfair tactics to gain an advantage at the start of a battle.
Expert Flankers: Your army is skilled at surrounding the foe and distracting them, at the cost of spreading out too much and being more vulnerable.
False Retreat: Once per battle, your army can make a false retreat, luring a target enemy army deeper into your territory.
Full Defense: Your army focuses on total defense of the battlefield.
Relentless Brutality: Your army throws caution to the wind and attacks with savage and gory vigor.
Sniper Support: Your army holds some ranged units in reserve to attack a target enemy army during the Melee phase.
Taunt: Your army is skilled at taunting their opponents, provoking stupid mistakes and overconfidence in battle. Your army must have high moral standards to successfully taunt another.</small>
Intelligence
Eg.Communications, satellites, GPS.
Logistics
Leadership
What, if any, hierarchy do you employ? How are orders distributed from the highest commander to the single soldier?
Costs
What is the yearly budget to maintain and pay your supplies and forces? How do you acquire the wealth to cover this budget? Taxes? Etc?
Auxiliaries
Non-fighting auxiliaries are necessary for every working army: cooks, physicians, suppliers, engineers, etc. Do you incorporate these auxiliaries into your combative forces?
Recruitment
If you were previously the leader of a nation or mercenary group and by virtue of the position-alone inherit a standing military force, this need not apply to you. However, if you are not such a leader, the GM may require that you need to achieve some sort of in-game accomplishment via role play threads to earn the respect and renown needed to raise an army.
<big>Play Reports</big>
To be filled out after the plot concludes.
Introduction
Mass combat takes place over the course of three battle phases: the Tactics Phase, the Ranged Phase, and the Melee Phase. A phase doesn't denote a specific passage of time, leaving the GM latitude to determine how long a mass combat takes to resolve. Play reports are used as summaries of ongoing battles between large-scale forces.
1. Tactics Phase:
The commanders have given forethought to the upcoming battle and each selected a tactic their respective armies will use during the battle.
Title of thread that demonstrates IC tactical phase:
2. Ranged Phase:
Any army with the ability to make ranged attacks may do so. This phase typically precedes the advancement to melee range, and then uses melee attacks thereafter. If both armies have ranged attacks, they may choose to stay at range and never approach each other for melee (at least until they run out of ammunition, though the Consumption cost of maintaining an army generally means the army is capable of many shots before this happens). Armies without ranged capability can't attack during this phase, but may still rush forward.
Title of thread that demonstrates IC ranged phase, if applicable:
3. Melee Phase:
The armies finally clash with melee attacks. Each commander has dedicated IC posts toward thought and planning of the melee phase, then each army makes an attack against another army. Repeat the Melee phase until one army is defeated or routs, or some other event ends the battle.
Title of thread that demonstrates IC melee phase:
<small>*Note, tactics phase, ranged phase, and melee phase do not necessarily have to be three separate threads, but for adequate story development, typically will span at least more than one thread.</small>
Introduction
Role playing games encompass a spectrum of competition that spans from highly combative, statistic based outcomes to fully collaborative team fiction. The former relies on character sheets, equipment lists, dice and random chance. The latter involves highly collaborative plot and outcome development where tense scenes are worked out off-screen between two writers. Together, collaborative writers intend to craft a story that is a surprise to other readers.
Forum based RPG's, such as The First Age, lies somewhere between those two extremes, but we lean more closely to collaborative-fiction than combative table-top gaming. However, there comes a time when data needs to be incorporated into the hierarchy of the site in order to maintain a sense of order when combat arises. Examples include channeler strength and experience levels as a viable gauge of dueling outcomes. While these are gray-areas in and of themselves, because creativity of the writer themselves must be taken into consideration, definitions allow us to grasp and utilize a rules-based magic system. From quantification and certainty comes the freedom to write stories out of what might otherwise be a mechanical role of the dice.
As there needs to be clear definitions among individual characters, there also needs to be a continuance of such rules that we can extrapolate into large-scale combat.
As the site and story of The First Age continues to grow, we are therefore going to implement our own version of "Campaign Sheets" to be used as reference for future large-scale warfare. These sheets will be relevant to anyone that writes on behalf of- or commands- a nation's armed forces, mercenary group, or otherwise establishes their own military following.
When your character comes into control of a group of armed forces, you will need to submit a filled out Forces Campaign Sheet. As Game Master, Ascendancy will monitor and approve these sheets and discern what information on them would be considered Common Knowledge, and therefore is allowed to be shared with the rest of the players, in- and out-of-character (OOC). Likewise, Ascendancy will discern what information is kept a strategic secret and withhold it from other players, OOC. As tactical and strategic information becomes shared In Character (IC, ie, in story), such information will likewise be updated for the rest of the site to see.
There may come a time that your character expands their power, influence, and armies beyond what the original Campaign Sheet lists. The only way this may occur is to parallel this expansion with posts made IC that describes how and why the character manages to implement substantial increases in their authority. Just as we require posts showing your character's use of the One Power as a basis to justify an expansion in their strength and experience, we will likewise require similar threads that justify the character (or nation's) growth in armed forces.
Play Report
If your forces engage in battle with those of another nation's or mercenary's armed forces, you'll be required to submit a Play Report that documents the outcome of the battle including a description costs in terms of personnel, life, and money.
<small>(Examples of a completed Campaign Sheet and Play Report are in following posts.)</small>
<big>Campaign Sheet
</big>
Military Forces
Descriptive statistics
Name of force or forces:
Alignment: this has no effect on battle outcomes, but primarily summarizes the force's attitude as a whole.
Morale: A description of the forces' confidence.
Battle capabilities
Land:
Sea:
Air:
Special abilities & special forces
Eg: Trained channelers with military experience on the battlefield
Special forces operations capabilities:
Equipment
Comprehensive list of equipment.
Eg: Anti-air, anti-tank, electronic warfare. Small arms, support weapons. Artillery, air assets. Notably skilled troops. Logistics capability.
Tactics
Intended fighting style
Eg:Traditional, Symmetrical, Asymmetrical, Guerrilla
Tactical expertise
The expertise of your army is reflected by the nature of their training and the formal education of leadership.
<small>Sample tactical expertise
Cautious Combat: Your army fights cautiously in order to maintain morale.
Defensive Wall: Your army fights defensively, taking actions to protect fellow units as needed.
Dirty Fighters: Your army uses trickery and unfair tactics to gain an advantage at the start of a battle.
Expert Flankers: Your army is skilled at surrounding the foe and distracting them, at the cost of spreading out too much and being more vulnerable.
False Retreat: Once per battle, your army can make a false retreat, luring a target enemy army deeper into your territory.
Full Defense: Your army focuses on total defense of the battlefield.
Relentless Brutality: Your army throws caution to the wind and attacks with savage and gory vigor.
Sniper Support: Your army holds some ranged units in reserve to attack a target enemy army during the Melee phase.
Taunt: Your army is skilled at taunting their opponents, provoking stupid mistakes and overconfidence in battle. Your army must have high moral standards to successfully taunt another.</small>
Intelligence
Eg.Communications, satellites, GPS.
Logistics
Leadership
What, if any, hierarchy do you employ? How are orders distributed from the highest commander to the single soldier?
Costs
What is the yearly budget to maintain and pay your supplies and forces? How do you acquire the wealth to cover this budget? Taxes? Etc?
Auxiliaries
Non-fighting auxiliaries are necessary for every working army: cooks, physicians, suppliers, engineers, etc. Do you incorporate these auxiliaries into your combative forces?
Recruitment
If you were previously the leader of a nation or mercenary group and by virtue of the position-alone inherit a standing military force, this need not apply to you. However, if you are not such a leader, the GM may require that you need to achieve some sort of in-game accomplishment via role play threads to earn the respect and renown needed to raise an army.
<big>Play Reports</big>
To be filled out after the plot concludes.
Introduction
Mass combat takes place over the course of three battle phases: the Tactics Phase, the Ranged Phase, and the Melee Phase. A phase doesn't denote a specific passage of time, leaving the GM latitude to determine how long a mass combat takes to resolve. Play reports are used as summaries of ongoing battles between large-scale forces.
1. Tactics Phase:
The commanders have given forethought to the upcoming battle and each selected a tactic their respective armies will use during the battle.
Title of thread that demonstrates IC tactical phase:
2. Ranged Phase:
Any army with the ability to make ranged attacks may do so. This phase typically precedes the advancement to melee range, and then uses melee attacks thereafter. If both armies have ranged attacks, they may choose to stay at range and never approach each other for melee (at least until they run out of ammunition, though the Consumption cost of maintaining an army generally means the army is capable of many shots before this happens). Armies without ranged capability can't attack during this phase, but may still rush forward.
Title of thread that demonstrates IC ranged phase, if applicable:
3. Melee Phase:
The armies finally clash with melee attacks. Each commander has dedicated IC posts toward thought and planning of the melee phase, then each army makes an attack against another army. Repeat the Melee phase until one army is defeated or routs, or some other event ends the battle.
Title of thread that demonstrates IC melee phase:
<small>*Note, tactics phase, ranged phase, and melee phase do not necessarily have to be three separate threads, but for adequate story development, typically will span at least more than one thread.</small>