Any possibilities of running another game in this setting (which probably won't be Chroma as we know) is pushed back until people start graduating...
But until then, good luck with your own local D&D games.
Statistics: Posted by Zanaikin — Thu Mar 11, 2010 8:04 pm
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Chroma reboot due for December.
Dave, you have until beginning of Thanksgiving break to decide whether you want to commit or not, and by commit I mean seriously commit, not me-send-you-3-PMs-before-you-post.
Otherwise administrative stuff (since it's obviously not the most fascinating part) will be mostly npc-fied, and you can just take the offensive, diplomatic or militaristically.
Expect data on full weapon/component optimization on the military units...
Statistics: Posted by Zanaikin — Fri Oct 30, 2009 8:29 pm
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1. you may have realized, a good portion of that territory (especially the center of continent part) is dessert, or dry steppes.
2. that's also were a third of Chroma's petroleum production comes from, although the Kusanagi controls most of the oil production via their oceanic drilling platforms. Mohara first got rich off their oil, and their oil fields have been over-excavated over the years.
Statistics: Posted by Zanaikin — Tue Jun 09, 2009 4:49 pm
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also, there'll be eventually something written more on this:
there are four relative categories of Incarnum Spirits:
Soulspark Spirits - the most common ones, look like colored orbs with slight variations such as a bump or small power tendrils [CR7 or less]
Lesser Spirits - lesser spirits are soulsparks with enough power to manifest certain special features (e.g. energy wings, halo) or special abilities [CR8~15]
Greater Spirits - greater spirits may be natural or formed by when soulsparks and/or lesser spirits combine together. They typically have unique but still incorporeal forms, typically resembling beings of natures (especially beasts). [CR16~20]
Elder Spirits - the most powerful of Incarnum spirits, Elder Spirits have tremendous powers capable of leveling entire cities, and are able to fully manifest themselves into corporeality. They are also capable of appearing as one of many forms, usually with one of them being humanoid. Legends have it that the Spirits were brought to Chroma by nine Ancestral Elder Spirits, one representing each alignment. Records seems to prove that a few of them did indeed take part in the early wars of Chromian colonization, with the power equivalent to entire armies capable of deciding wars. However, how many, if any, of them remain, is unknown. [CR Epic]
Non-incarnum-blooded humanoids may gain the ability to meld Incarnum by merging (temporarily) with Incarnum Spirits to benefit from its powers. Permanent binds also exist, although they're extremely rare and are one of the ways Incarnum-blooded humanoids are first brought into existence. Powerful spirits sometimes also forge covenants with humanoids (typically either Dantists or Spirit Binders), a lasting agreement of partnership in which the spirit and binder will accompany one another and merge on a common basis in the pursuit of a joint goal.
Statistics: Posted by Zanaikin — Mon Jun 01, 2009 6:51 am
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Just wondering if I can squeeze in a few discussion sessions to clarify on what kind of stuff you guys need to think/work on when I head back to China during late-May-early-June.
Statistics: Posted by Zanaikin — Tue Apr 28, 2009 6:12 pm
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I am officially notifying the DM that I will not be very active for the next few weeks. Between 3 final projects, I really don't have the time.
Statistics: Posted by Mr_Praetorian — Tue Apr 21, 2009 2:26 am
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There will be "druids" in Chroma
I'll work on trimming a 6th lvl spellcasting Shugenja once I get around to it, access to the druid list rather than the unsupported Shugenja list.
Expect something like the Magus.
Statistics: Posted by Zanaikin — Sat Apr 11, 2009 3:46 am
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EDIT: also, posted viewtopic.php?f=70&t=912&p=13528#p13528 in tactics discussion thread
Statistics: Posted by Zanaikin — Wed Mar 25, 2009 11:55 pm
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this is still slightly tentative, but I'm far more likely to add than subtract:
Tactical Command Score =
Intelligence Modifier
+ Wisdom Modifier
+ Command Aura effectiveness (or effective command aura for Strategic Guidance)
+ 2 x Strategic Guidance effectiveness
+ Every 10 ranks in Knowledge (Local/Psychology)
+ Every 5 ranks in Knowledge (Tactics)
+ Every 5 ranks in Profession (Military Command)
Strategic Command Score:
Intelligence Modifier
+ Wisdom Modifier
+ Strategic Guidance effectiveness
+ Every 10 ranks in Knowledge (Local/Psychology)
+ Every 10 ranks in Knowledge (History)
+ Every 10 ranks in Knowledge (Nobility/Politics)
+ Every 10 ranks in Knowledge (Tactics)
+ Every 10 ranks in Profession (Military Command)
I'm not sure is strategic command score is actually needed, seeing as strategic decisions are usually made in-person by players [shrug].
Statistics: Posted by Zanaikin — Tue Mar 24, 2009 11:22 pm
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Mains are pretty much set obviously, free feel to modify cohorts before the due date (or until you use them ingame, whichever comes first)
Statistics: Posted by Zanaikin — Sun Mar 15, 2009 10:59 pm
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It should also be noted that since the Imperial began with the military and support personnel of a mere beta fleet base plus some the Arcanum Order refugees from Earth, they had virtually no civil administrators to begin with, and in the chaos after abandoning Earth, revealing the existence of magic, and the collapse of the Church tied up most of the administrators on Astraea. Penthiae was pretty much taken mostly with the aid of Penthiaens, and much exhaustive work on the part of the Emperor and the Knight-Grand-Cross.
You get:
9 Civil Servants w/ township or county departmental administrative experience (CR 6~9)
Balint Erico, Human Male NG CR11 (Expert 5/Politician 6//Evangelist 9/Radiant Servant 2) - An experienced evangelist and church relations officer from the city of Halihill, Balint once traveled in the central territories (former Fens) after the war to both help with the establishment of new public order and to convert the barbaric tribes, or at least attempt to.
Gadar Siegal, Human Male LN CR15 (Noble 8/Fighter 2/Knight Justiciar 5//Sorcerer 5/Knight Enforcer 7/Dracolexi 3) - Currently 61, Gadar is an officially retired Knight-Enforcer of Norinth who was a member of Gallagher Corshek's unit back during the Imperial takeover. He agreed to the commission only on a pure advising position (although he's willing to help with negotiations and training the younger ones), and only because the man has a hobby for traveling and sightseeing, and was quite interested in checking out Chroma.
Six of the aids, plus Balint, are currently have other duties which must take 1~3 months to full relinquish, until then they can only spend part of their day over on Chroma. Of the seven, only Balint could manage to take the time to come with the ships, the rest will be here on and off basis once the first teleportation gate is established.
Statistics: Posted by Zanaikin — Sat Mar 14, 2009 2:41 am
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your above requests have been rejected
Statistics: Posted by Zanaikin — Sat Mar 14, 2009 12:13 am
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You receive 100 million Imperial Credits in funding (if you want to think in terms of gps, this is equal to 10 million) for campaign funding. This is extra gold in addition to all the normal military stuff (ammunition, supply, pay, etc). Basically, spend it as you will to accomplish your mission objectives.
Oh the Imperial (Cross Knights in particular) are very heavy on corruption if you decided you want to try... making a part of this funding vanish, or use it for questionable purposes.
On a matter of comparison, the average Imperial per-capita income is roughly 50,000 per year.
Statistics: Posted by Zanaikin — Fri Mar 13, 2009 11:27 pm
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Statistics: Posted by Laharl — Sun Feb 22, 2009 2:47 pm
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Crunch will come in its own time (aka if not this weekend, next, and no sooner. This week is baaaaad for me.)
Penthiae is really about all we have in regards to the Imperium apart from some sparse details about Astraea, and while I don't need to worry about writing for Chroma, I know others do.
Statistics: Posted by Laharl — Sat Feb 21, 2009 6:05 am
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If initial negotiations go poorly, we can make a show of force to intimidate them into surrender. While we are still at the table initially, it should be possibly to call down a demonstrative orbital strike.
If negotiations fail entirely, we will land the brigade and set up a fortified base, then quickly seize several key targets while trying to minimize Kochikaze casualties. Possibilities include occupying a major population center, seizing key infrastructure points (does Kochikaze even have these? maybe a large wind farm or something), or something similar. We want a contingency plan in place so that we can move quickly if needed.
Thoughts? Suggestions?
Also, Dai, we're planning to begin negotiations pretty aggressively with the two nations bordering Kochikaze almost as soon as we hit the ground, so the sooner we can get info on them the better.
Statistics: Posted by TheDude51 — Mon Feb 16, 2009 9:14 pm
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After we take control of orbit, we will land a group of diplomats to negotiate the surrender of the Kochikaze territory. If this fails, we proceed to make a show of force, either by having the Berezina blow something up or by actually invading, then demand their surrender.
Statistics: Posted by TheDude51 — Mon Feb 16, 2009 3:21 am
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While our initial scouts are in Kochikaze, they will take a couple items that once belonged to Kasai Kochikaze. This shouldn't be much harder than just going through the trash.
As the initial orbital assault begins, Gabriel will use Discern Location to discover Kasai Kochikaze's location. Sigmund will use his Devotion Weave to teleport the 7th Cross Knight Squadron and the 5th Knight Vindicator Squadron to that location and capture Kasai, teleporting him back to the Berezina.
As soon as Kasai is in custody, we proceed to deploy our ground troops and occupy the Kochikaze capital, then begin negotiations for the surrender of the territory. Negotiations should be brief and straightforward.
I've also thought some more about negotiation tactics. The best method I can see would be to offer the choice between a peaceful surrender and a violent invasion, more an ultimatum than anything else. Use our destruction of the orbital defenses to intimidate, and possibly blow something up from orbit just for good measure.
I'm still not sure how to approach diplomacy once we're established. Thoughts?
Statistics: Posted by TheDude51 — Mon Feb 16, 2009 1:40 am
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If anything, we need to start off small and as unnoticed as possible. Not just because we don't want to look like a major threat, but also because we need to observe how the clans interact with each other. It may require us to play the part of a vassal for a while, but if it leads to us to being able to build up a network in allies, then I think it shall be worth it.
Where exactly we'll land is a decision for someone else. All I ask is that we be careful.
Statistics: Posted by Mr_Praetorian — Wed Feb 04, 2009 2:01 am
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Yes there is a clan named 'Obama' (xD), and yes that is a Japanese phrase (it means "little beach"). I found this particularly funny when I came across it.
Statistics: Posted by Zanaikin — Wed Feb 04, 2009 1:48 am
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The Northern Strategy:
Land in Bisha or Sanada territory, promising to help them against Jinnan in exchange for their loyalty. We gather as many of the small clans in that area as we can, then invade the Frostspark Peninsula.
Pros:
Easy diplomacy. The Bisha and Sanada have almost no choice but to side with us, and so we will be guaranteed a solid start with a few allies.
Cons:
We would begin with a drawn-out campaign against one of the more powerful militaries on Chroma. This will drain our resources somewhat, and allow everyone else we might ever fight to have ample information on our tactics and capabilities. Delral and Faerskor would also probably interfere, supplying Jinnan with arms and cash, organizing an attack from our rear, or even intervening directly with their military.
Long-Term:
We would try to gather more small clans to us, and would make overtures towards the Akashi, Asa, and Kusanagi based on freeing slaves in our territory. If all went well, this would leave us solidly in control of the northern half of the Eastern continent.
The Southern Strategy:
This relies on a solid diplomatic grounding with the Kusanagi. We land in the small states east of Mohara and establish a power base there as described in the Small States strategy above. We then ally with Kusanagi to launch a joint invasion of Mohara.
Pros:
Easy start establishing a base of power in smaller states.
If we pull it off well, we gain more and more powerful allies than any other of the strategies.
Chroman forces from the smaller states could provide the infantry manpower needed to take and occupy a city from the Moharans.
Cons:
Relies on alliance with Kusanagi from the start almost as much as the original Kusanagi/Mohara plan does.
Delral and Faerskor have ample time to pursue one of any number of strategies against us, allying with small states that oppose our takeover and with the Moharans.
Mohara will be immediately threatened by this, unlike the Northern Strategy, and will move against us quickly.
Long-term:
Conquer Mohara, ally with the Asa and Akashi, and sweep up any remaining smaller states. This will leave us firmly in control of the South and center of the Eastern continent.
I personally would prefer to pursue the Southern strategy, diplomacy permitting. It seems that the Mohara would be a much more difficult foe to face over the long term than the Jinnan. However, this hinges on allying with the Kusanagi.
What I would like to do is to promise to restore something like the old order and unite the planet under a single government led for the most part by the Kusanagi clan, subject to Imperial control. I'm not sure whether we are politically able to do this. If we do, it will somewhat hinder further diplomacy with other clans, but I feel the advantage of getting the Kusanagi on our side right from the start is big enough to offset this.
Thoughts?
Statistics: Posted by TheDude51 — Wed Feb 04, 2009 12:14 am
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On outright taking Delral and Faerskor first :
This is likely a very bad idea. Because these two clans live underground and there is no good means of gathering data on them from outer space, Imperial intelligence really has very little clue exactly how powerful they are or what their defenses are composed of. Still if they're anything like their dwarve cousins of Penthiae, they're guaranteed to be very dug-in with a wide array of fortifications. Combine this with the fact that Imperium Legion brigades are optimized for field battles in open terrain (as opposed to any kind of underground combat), then you have a near impossible task at hand.
On Mohara/Kusanagi Area:
I think your analysis on this one is pretty straight on. It all really depends on how negotiations to ally with the Kusanagi goes. Yet even if you get their support you still face the Mohara's distinct advantage in urban combat which by the look of things, is obviously what the Kusanagi has problems as well. Their cruiser fleets after all can only do so much in supporting infantry. And since the Mohara relies on infiltrator and sabotage, their threat grows with time as opposed to being relatively diminished with time. On the plus side, one should note that the Mohara is also the center of Incarnum slave trade across Chroma. Taking it out would, on the good side, deprive resource inflow to a lot of the evil industries of Chroma, but on the bad side will piss a lot of political powers off.
On going after a small clan first:
As you've identified, this is definitely the least risky proposal, also the least gain, although it depends very heavily on where said smaller clan is and which major power they're near or possibly next to. Although keep in mind that occupying a major power's "buffer state" may alarm them far more greatly than simply occupying something one or two territories away, but once again, the safer option offers less advantages to exploit.
One thing Intel will note is that with the Jinnan pushing through the last of the Bisha defenses, the all the territories in the northern half of the eastern continent are threatened by this aggressive clan, especially those closer to them. Many of these smaller clans may just be interested in becoming vassals to another power as long as they can get more autonomy than what the Jinnan will leave them (which isn't much at all given history). Of course this would imply fighting the Jinnan army once they pushes into our new position, and this northern military power doesn't scare people for no reason.
Furthermore the note you identified on technology gap is definitely true. It will be impossible to completely keep all technologies a secret, the Imperials are no more saints than the rest of mankind and secrets will fall to the other side with time. However, unlike in the Penthiaen Campaign, the Chromian industry IS built on a electromechanical energy tech-base with transistors and all that, it will be much easier for them to adapt to Imperial technology than the painful process Penthiaens went through. So keep in mind with every passing day this technology gap grows smaller once the Imperials land. Unfortunately political considerations calls for a slow takeover in a prolonged campaign, so the military simply has to face these problems themselves.
Statistics: Posted by Zanaikin — Tue Feb 03, 2009 9:57 pm
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Option 2: Mohara/Kusanagi:
land somewhere in this territory. Immediately ally with Kusanagi and conquer Mohara.
Benefits: We will have overwhelming force and native allies from the start. Mohara will be most dangerous if we face them once we are already established, when they can infiltrate and sabotage our bases and territories. By taking them out early on, we destroy the enemy most skilled at this kind of tactics and direct conflict more to the diplomatic and purely military spheres, where we are better able to fight evenly. Further, Mohara has a large industrial base that we should be able to co-opt if we do manage to conquer them quickly.
Downsides:
Mohara is unlikely to face us directly, and neither the Legion nor the Kusanagi military are optimized for urban conflict. Taking Moharan cities could prove to be a long and bloody task.
The Kusanagi will not be pleased with any arrangement that subjugates them to a foreign power. They are likely to reject our help if it comes at the price of their sovereignty, unless they feel they have no other choice.
Even if the Kusanagi are cooperative, Delral and Faerskor will be a problem. They can be expected to immediately cut off their trade with Kusanagi, a move that could significantly hurt our allies military capabilities in the short run. Further, Delral and Faerskor could send a huge fleet to attack us while we are bogged down in a grueling urban campaign.
Option 3:
Small clans
Land somewhere in the patchwork of smaller clans that dot the Eastern Continent. Take control, peacefully if possible, of one or more of the clans, offering them power and prosperity in exchange for their allegiance to us. This should be much easier diplomatically than trying to ally immediately with the Kusanagi, since smaller clans have a much weaker bargaining position and it only one of the over a dozen clans needs to accept in order for us to gain a foothold.
Once planetside, we upgrade the manufacturing base and military power of chosen clan, then expand. Start making offers to other clans around us to join into our commonwealth/alliance/empire type thing. We take the clan that most forecefully rejects us, and crush them utterly, then return to negotiations with the others, promising peace and prosperity if they do join. Our objective is to build up a large and powerful allied military force that is more technologically advanced than our competitors to offset our lack of numbers, and to demonstrate the prosperity that Imperial commerce and technology can bring.
We would most likely use this influence and the promise of ending/phasing out Incarnum slavery to build alliances with the Asa, Akashi, and Kusanagi, then move on Mohara.
Advantages:
Least risky in the short term. Fighting Delral/Faerskor initially is a huge military challenge, and Option 2 is a huge diplomatic challenge and a non-trivial military challenge.
Allows us to set up a power base, build alliances, and expand our strength while gathering more information on the specifics of Chroman geopolitics.
Disadvantages:
Both the Mohara and the Delral/Faerskor will likely move against us, each in its own way. Delral and Faerskor will be openly hostile from the start, definitely interfering with trade and most likely also coordinating alliances against us and possibly invading directly. This strategy also gives all of Chroma the chance to unite against us before we are strong. Although "all of Chroma" is unlikely, an alliance between Delral/Faerskor and a large group of the other small clans could conceivably put us in an even worse military situation than if we had invaded the Delral/Faerskor directly.
Mohara will begin to infiltrate our territory and our Chroman allies, and they will be have fertile ground due to our thin knowledge of our allies and the small clans fractured nature.
This strategy will also give the most chance for other clans to steal our technology and upgrade their own forces, reducing our technological advantage. Since Chroma is only a single tech level behind us, Delral and Faerskor could conceivably close most of the tech gap if they get enough information and are given enough time, making them much more formidable.
Statistics: Posted by TheDude51 — Tue Feb 03, 2009 9:35 pm
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You're joking, right?
Statistics: Posted by Mr_Praetorian — Tue Feb 03, 2009 8:08 pm
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In Delral/Faerskor continent, immediately attack them with overwhelming force
-benefits: we are already hostile to these two due to the destruction of the orbital platforms, and this will immediately neutralize the threat from them. If we don't do this, these two will work against us at every turn, most likely supplying and aiding our enemies and even sending a fleet across the sea to fight us directly while we are engaged with others.
If we succeed in conquering them, we will control the most productive area on Chroma, securing a huge industrial base to aid in taking the rest of the world.
Downside: EXTREMELY risky. These are the two most powerful clans in the world, and it is far from certain that we will be able to defeat them with our single brigade.
-other options coming, I need to go to class before i can type them-
Statistics: Posted by TheDude51 — Tue Feb 03, 2009 7:59 pm
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On the next deadline, please decide on the landing location before February 15.
Statistics: Posted by Zanaikin — Tue Feb 03, 2009 12:34 am
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Character concept (including alignment and class lines), personality, and history outline (not the exact details if you don't have time to work that out yet)... due by the end of January.
Also, as I've noted to Dave/Drew, since tech gear in this game is all about you thinking up of them rather than going through a list of made ones (I am not building you guys Gadget Compendium), please get started on brainstorming that stuff early. None of it will cost you anything (since the 'gold limit' applies strictly to magical items/enhancements only), but I will keep in mind of your income n wealth n all that, so it's probably a good idea to have a rough categorization on how badly you need it...
going through stuff like the MSRD equipment (although most of those gadgets are seriously underpowered in stats) and Scifi d20 settings like SWd20 helps...
Statistics: Posted by Zanaikin — Tue Jan 13, 2009 6:33 pm
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Statistics: Posted by Zanaikin — Mon Jan 12, 2009 7:30 pm
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Level: 16, although I may moderate to lvl14~15 depending on your backstory. Don't worry if you have a slightly slower start, because since XP will be given on a pure char-by-char contribution means, you can catch up as long as you work at it. I kind of expect a level gap to start between the PCs =P.
Cohort: assuming your backstory has room to make sense of it, you may start with one cohort that you design yourself, at a maximum level up to 1 below your character level. Of course, you must have the appropriate leadership score to acquire this cohort. The cohort of the Imperials MUST come from the same organization their character is in, and will serve as the second in command of their units (thus, should have executive, diplomatic, or commanding skills appropriate for their position and organization).
Magical Gear: 50,000gps. The Imperials can pay at only 50% standard costs (I'll be using that term a lot, seeing as "Market Cost" means its affected by supply/demand, not to mention mass production lol). The Chromians may get a discount depending on their backstory. As in Penthiae, free gear may be given for organizations: such as the Knight Order members will get free starting magical weapon and armor.
Mundane/Technological Gear: Depends on your organization, backstory, and special requests =9. Obviously, everyone should at least get Civilian Grade Implants for free =9
Statistics: Posted by Zanaikin — Thu Dec 25, 2008 8:52 pm
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Hopefully that'll be additional encouragement for you to try get reputation modifiers =9
Statistics: Posted by Zanaikin — Tue Dec 23, 2008 12:37 am
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1. Do not assume you can just restart at even character Lvl16 if you die. The starting cohorts are there for a reason to give you a second chance with a build you like. Cause after that, chances are I'll have to insert you as an existing NPC that's on the friendlies list. Lvl16 characters do not pop out of the ground.
2. This game involves politics, therefore character deaths isn't the only way to get a game over. Watch your steps, cause a drastically wrong one will end your careers and pretty much give your character a game over even if he's still alive and perfectly fine.
Statistics: Posted by Zanaikin — Sun Dec 21, 2008 8:14 pm
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