Referee: The teams arrive. :tada: :trumpet: :evergreen_tree:
Game Setup
Referee: Roll for initiative.
PULP: I consulted with the recently promoted General Unicorn. Choose the terrain, swampland vortex :+1:
Round 1
Dancing Lights Orchestra
Referee: @Dancing Lights Orchestra to start
Dancing Lights Orchestra: Maneuver horde
Referee: Up to 4 missile or down to 2 magic?
Dancing Lights Orchestra: Up. Then missile the opposing frontier
Referee: Up to 4
Referee: 2nd March
Dancing Lights Orchestra: Maneuver at the campaign army
PULP: please bare with me. “know they enemy” requires a bit of analysis. now that I know what I’m up against, I’ll need a bit more time up front.
PULP: oppose the frontier maneuver
Dancing Lights Orchestra: Oppose. And I forgot reserves. Sorry. Mind is elsewhere atm
Referee: We haven’t got that far yet @Dancing Lights Orchestra!! We are still only on your second march.
Dancing Lights Orchestra: See I’m discombobulated today!
Referee: I know that feeling.
PULP: (PULP observes the erratic behavior, with suspicion)
Referee: I am always like this!!
PULP: the lady cavalry quietly unpin their club sheaths
PULP: @Referee do you require input?
Referee: Not at the moment. I have to roll the frontier manoeuvre battle and then do what @Dancing Lights Orchestra tells me to do. Your input is not yet required. I am at work at the moment, so you guys are well out of sync with me, I’m afraid.
PULP: I totally get that – work – especially when playing catch up. I double-checked since I sent the oppose info (in my) last night, and I’m accustomed to you being 5 steps ahead of we westerners.
Referee: Rolling non-SAIs again using Rapid Growth for Treefolk.
Referee: @Dancing Lights Orchestra up to 5 missile or down to 3 missile?
Dancing Lights Orchestra: 5.then missile across the field to the opposing campaign
PULP: @Referee satyr not re-rolled for rapid growth?
loganj6105: Volley is an SAI :+1:
PULP: ah, der. I read “SAI” and I thought “ID icon” :eyeglasses:
Referee: @Dancing Lights Orchestra what do I do for the Cantrip?
Dancing Lights Orchestra: Flashfire the home army.
Dancing Lights Orchestra: Reserves: Retreat campaign army, maintain presence at the other two fronts
PULP
Referee: 1st March @PULP
PULP: missile attack from campaign army at swampland frontier to firewalker horde at swampland treefolk home
PULP: target the large unit with 2 saves and the small with 1 save, please. i think that is the daybringer, and not sure of the name of the small
PULP: dang. what’s dragon dice without risk and opportunity!?
Dancing Lights Orchestra: Sunflairs, shadow chaser, and watcher
PULP: guardian?
Referee: Yep. Guardian, not watcher.
Referee: 2nd March @PULP ?
PULP: (wince) maneuver attempt at firewalker home
Referee: Oppose @Dancing Lights Orchestra ? I think that he might be driving home atm.
PULP: then I hope he is able to avoid the crazy rioters
Referee: He is using his Air Flight racial. He will be ok.
Dancing Lights Orchestra: Oppose. Just finished making dinner with the future Mrs. Denmon
Referee: Ooooooo! Does she know?
Referee: Up to 4 melee or down to 2 missile @PULP ?
PULP: up, please. melee attack
Referee: Flashfire the smite I assume @Dancing Lights Orchestra ?
Referee: 4 damage, so 1 Fireshadow bites the dust. Counter @Dancing Lights Orchestra ?
Dancing Lights Orchestra: Yep. Coutering
Referee: I assume that you do not want to re-roll? Both Cantrip and Smite are possible @Dancing Lights Orchestra.
Dancing Lights Orchestra: Reroll to a smite please
Referee: Reserves @PULP ?
Dancing Lights Orchestra: I requested a ‘reroll’ to a smite @Referee
Referee: I’m afraid that it rolled melee again.
PULP: lol. retreat all units from every army to reserves, please.
Round 2
Dancing Lights Orchestra
Referee: 1st March @Dancing Lights Orchestra
Dancing Lights Orchestra: Ok…first march maneuver the PULP home to 5
Referee: Up to 5 melee.
Dancing Lights Orchestra: Yep
Dancing Lights Orchestra: Second march let’s magic at the reserves
Dancing Lights Orchestra: Ressurect a sunflair and a watcher to reserves. (May have to use a southern gentleman accent for that one)
Referee: You mean the Guardian?
Referee: Whoops! Forgot to expire Flashfire. Reinforcements?
Dancing Lights Orchestra: Yes. Guardian. Always get watchers and guardians mixed up. Guardians and sentinels to the home front, mages to the mid field. Appologies, frontier, not midfield
Referee: Is this correct @Dancing Lights Orchestra ?
Dancing Lights Orchestra: Yep
PULP
Referee: 1st March when you are ready @PULP .
PULP: may as well take a magic roll to see what opportunities arise..
Referee: Rolling for magic…..
PULP: do watery double and stonskin effects move with the armies they protect?
Referee: No. Sorry! If you had a unicorn, however, and it had rolled teleport, then that could have done the effect that you are looking for. That is why gryphons are so neat.
PULP: I was hunting through the rulebook just now to better understand the fundamental wording so I don’t make this mistake in the future, but I can’t find it. is it in the spells section? the retreat section or the reinforce step do not mention it.
PULP: anyway, so in this case I will cast 2 accelerated growths on my DUA. …and I’ll send you a photo of the terrain assignments. it’ll be a little bit while I rally the troops.
Referee: ARMY MODIFIERS
Some effects have a stated duration (such as, “until the beginning of your next turn”). If an effect with duration targets an army, it applies to that army at a particular terrain or reserves. The effect ends if there are no units remaining in the army. This is checked at the end of each action. If all the units from the army are replaced with other units as a single action, the army is still considered to be present and so the effect remains active.
Effects that apply to an army apply to all units in the army regardless when they joined the army.
Referee: Accelerated growth is not stackable, so you can only cast 1. The second one would have no added effect any way. It applies to all units that are killed, so a second spell the same does nothing.
PULP: understand, but could you imagine if it was stackable? that would be awesome!
Referee: You mean replace with 2 health units instead of 1 health etc?
PULP: I think those are all the spell options that I have. ya! like that!
Referee: Good idea.
PULP: well you were the first to articulate it, so it was your idea. so, good idea!
Referee: :grinning:
PULP: or, are you congratulating yourself?
Referee: So you are using one accelerated growth? No stone skins?
PULP: cause that would be perfectly appropriate here. that’s a great idea. no, I imagine the troops are all going to battle – they are fierce today!
Referee: Ok.
PULP: can’t leave behind a good stone skin.
Referee: I eagerly await your deployments.
PULP: yes, sir! I’ve off to get organized on the battlefront! in the meantime… “oh, my guawwwwwd. did you see that unicorn? isn’t she gorgeous!?! (sigh) Hi, General Unicorn, what is your secret?” – The Aldens Valley girls
Referee: Why didn’t the unicorn get used this time?
PULP: she got promoted.. duh
Referee: Got an office job now then? Boring!
PULP: :unicorn_face: that is her stamp of approval on that statement.
PULP: one other question: if the target of an army’s magic is itself, it is applicable to only its future rolls?
Referee: Example? If the dice are already rolled, the magic does not affect. A good example is Flashfire. With Flashfire as a Cantrip, it can’t be used to roll again, as the ‘roll dice’ and ‘re-roll’ steps have already passed. Is that what you mean?
PULP: that example perfectly answers my question.…though, another raises. is the operative word ‘roll’? If so, and if applying that example to earlier in the phased turn sequence, can Flashfire be used on the re-roll?
Referee: There won’t be a re-roll, as there was no Flashfire in effect.
PULP: I need to be clearer. if an army casts magic on a roll, applies flashfire to itself, and all this is followed by something that causes the the army to roll again in the same turn, does flashfire apply to the re-roll?
Referee: Yes it does, unless it is a roll for manoeuvres.
PULP: … in principle, to any future roll the target makes?
Referee: Yes. Flashfire will apply to any future roll until it expires, just not the roll that allowed it to be summoned.
PULP: report from the General’s office: “Darktree spotted in custody at Sol. We must deploy now! Saytr, what are you doing? The rest of the forces have reinforced the front lines.. Saytr!!”
Round 3
Dancing Lights Orchestra
Referee: 1st March @Dancing Lights Orchestra
Dancing Lights Orchestra: Maneuver at the frontier
Referee: @PULP are you opposing?
PULP: oppose
Referee: Action @Dancing Lights Orchestra ?
Dancing Lights Orchestra: Missile the treefolk home army
Referee: Ok
Dancing Lights Orchestra: Maneuver my home terrain down to 3 then missile the pine army
Referee: Reserves?
Dancing Lights Orchestra: All. Move everything to reserve
PULP
PULP: maneuver home up. end of turn
Referee: Accelerated growth expires. PULP home up to 6 melee.
Referee:1st March @Dancing Lights Orchestra
PULP: <expletive>-copy/paste error.. maneuver frontier down to 4. too late?
Referee: Not too late.
PULP: k, thx
Referee: Updated version.
Referee: It would have been too late if dice had been rolled.
Round 4
Dancing Lights Orchestra
Dancing Lights Orchestra: Magic at my reserve
Referee: Ok.
Dancing Lights Orchestra: Ressurect the 3 units in the dua
Referee: There are only 2.
Dancing Lights Orchestra: Ok then the 2 lol
Dancing Lights Orchestra: Everything but the mages to the frontier
Referee: 4 magic left.
Dancing Lights Orchestra: Can’t do anything with that 4…
Referee: True.
Dancing Lights Orchestra: Everything but the ashbringers and sunflairs to the frontier
Referee: Check please @Dancing Lights Orchestra .
Dancing Lights Orchestra: Yes
PULP
Referee: PULP, 1st March
PULP: missile across the frontier to the campaign army, please
Referee: No manoeuvre?
PULP: not at the frontier
Dancing Lights Orchestra: I suddenly miss call element. I know why it was removed. But I miss it now
Referee: V3 rules?
Dancing Lights Orchestra: Yep it let you add the color of your choice to the terrain for the turn. 5 magic though
Referee: Yep. Firewalkers need blue to function.
Dancing Lights Orchestra: Sorry. Just makes me livid when things get cheap like that. Gonna need a double dragon just to give me a chance. That won’t happen by the way
PULP: maneuver up at home, please. retreat all units from both armies to reserves.
Referee: Check please @PULP .
PULP: looks good, thanks Referee :+1:
Round 5
Dancing Lights Orchestra
Dancing Lights Orchestra: First march, magic from reserve
Dancing Lights Orchestra: 4 flashfires on the campaign army. Move frontier up 1 to 6
Referee: Frontier is currently on 4.
Dancing Lights Orchestra: To 5 then
Referee: Ok
Referee: Reinforcements? Reserves?
Dancing Lights Orchestra: Nope. End tuen
PULP
PULP: reserve magic, please
PULP: accelerated growth on DUA, please. reinforce treefolk home with all units in the reserves
Round 6
Dancing Lights Orchestra
Referee: Flashfire expires.
Dancing Lights Orchestra: Figures turtling on a tower…. Ok let’s magic in the reserves
Dancing Lights Orchestra: 3 firey weapons on the campaign army. Campaign army will maneuver down to missile, then missile
Referee: It is currently on 5 missile. You still want to move down?
Dancing Lights Orchestra: Thought 5 was melee. Sorry keep it there
Referee: Ok
Referee: What to do with the Cantrip?
Dancing Lights Orchestra: Ash storm twice on the efflora home
Referee: Firewalkers take 4 health damage. No damage to the trees.
Dancing Lights Orchestra: 4 smalls don’t care Wich I’ve lost this game. Seeing his strat is only going to last a few more tuens
Referee: Reserves?
Dancing Lights Orchestra: Mages to home. My home
PULP
PULP: maneuver up at my home, please.
Referee: Up to 8 – tower
PULP: it’ll be a moment for the action. General Unicorn’s enlisted cartographer remains behind lock doors.
Referee: Can he not send a text?
Dancing Lights Orchestra: That gets him the game by turtle. First he’ll take out my mages…I won’t get the face for the vortex. Then my melee units will get it. Because he can attack anywhere. Am I right? And I’m taking an entire army’s firepower where the units who need an I’d to contribute are just plain better. The problem is at this point of the game I can’t beat the turtle by speed. And I can’t really move the treefolk.
Dancing Lights Orchestra: Good game….lost at the initiative roll again. I conscide
PULP: @Dancing Lights Orchestra It played out as I has intended, though only after I learned the Frontier was of of great interest to you. Decisions on both sides of the table have equal influence over future actions. Like yourself I imagine, I also put a lot of thought into each move, intent on sequences of events playing through some entertaining opportunities, and quite aware the pendulum of luck could bump any of them off the road. When it works, it’s a divine feeling honoring the winner’s good planning and good fortune, particularly in this game where the chain of events is strongly variable.
PULP: Good playing on your part, I thought, and may lady luck be by your side. when I played the treefolk a couple of game’s ago, I got alucky break and pathed to the enemy’s home, but I was down by points.
Referee: @Dancing Lights Orchestra has conceded. The win is to PULP by 1-0.
PULP: thanks for the game @Dancing Lights Orchestra and thanks for moderating, @Referee!!
Post-game banter
Referee: I would like to know what would have happened if the Firewalkers split into 4 armies. That would have meant that 3 of them remain untouched each round. If one terrain and reserves allowed magic, that might have been an interesting ‘hold out for the draw’ ending.
Dancing Lights Orchestra: Not at turn 6….
Referee: Possibly a bit of a long shot.
PULP: there is something to that battlefield strategy. it was my intent to build an army that could win when choosing the frontier, but I expected the frontier to be my “missile home” to enable a melee charge at my actual home
Dancing Lights Orchestra: I’ve lost all my games because of decisions I’ve made when making my army.. Instead you won by turtling on your home terrain
Referee: As I said, I think the main problem is that Firewalkers are extremely reliant on Air Flight to function at all.
PULP: when the firewalkers went almost all-in on the frontier, I changed the strategy. the tower was chosen for that purpose, so I got lucky taking it first. I’ve not played a turtle army I think ever! I almost got my first official turtle roll. but still haven’t played one. :confused:
Referee: I’m glad that you didn’t. It takes me ages to keep rearranging them ID up!!!
PULP: that firewalker magic is something else. dang those mages are specialized.
Referee: They are very good, but they have no saves. That is why you must use the fireshadows if items and dragonkin are not played.
Referee: Firewalkers fare better with all the advanced stuff IMHO.
PULP: I am psyched the pine forest was able to make a strong showing. I tried that in the first PULP game in january, but was decimated
Dancing Lights Orchestra: Good so I’m done…ok off to lick wounds and cool off
PULP: the treefolk saves were quite reliable. take care, @Dancing Lights Orchestra
Referee: As I said before @PULP , my lack of Treefolk choice at the start of the season didn’t help much. That Pine Prince and the Satyr make a lot of difference. The light melee units also appear to be quite neat.
PULP: except when the satyr is sleeping on the job!!
Referee: Yep. I have not seen that come up yet. Not the hoof. This is my personal test for a faction. 18 health of light melee Treefolk. Look at those saves!
The equivalent for Firewalkers.
PULP: ya exactly. the willow front line is impenetrable.
Referee: If I recall correctly, I only had a few willows at the start of the season. You only had oaks to pick from?
PULP: couple them with missile at the frontier and they hunker down nicely. though this contrasts the control objective. looks like a good selection of willow (light melee), oak (heavy melee), nymphs (cavalry), and dryads (magic), but limited missile pine (missile).
PULP: so I was completely wrong about my memory of pine in the first game. there was 0. nice mix of oaks and willows, chasing the ladies
Referee: More willows there than I thought.
PULP: though willows appeared to be in short supply in large units, because they were replaced completely in the future rounds
Referee: Yep. I think that I only got a noble willow recently. New. So you were missing saves for most games.
PULP: that’ll do it! it’s ironic that saves were reliably resident this game. the weeping willow watch
Referee: It does tend to help if you have a few units capable of producing saves.
