Concerning Battles

[Angmor]

Ok, I have a big question that I need help with. I already have ideas for some major battles in the future on both Surdan and Imperial soil, not to mention all the small skirmishes and things, but I don't really have any good idea on how to go about arranging them so that they are fun to RP.

Help?

[Xelschea]

Ideas you say? Hmmm....

I have a few that could be possible for this site.

1. What if people surrounding the Empire capital could lead a rebellion of sorts against the smaller Imperial cities?

2. Or Imperials could decide to again target Cithri due to its importance to the Varden to cut of supplies or whatnot, try to continue the siege so to speak.

I would love to throw Xelschea within a battle again, so I hope this helps from my input.

[~X~Cali~*]

A Conversation Between me & Angmor (hey Angmor Im not sure how to post this, but i'll change it if its better posted otherwise)

XCali: Say most battles were go fight & win or lose , but with Milestones its Fight smaller battles within the bigger Battle & then Win or lose

Angmor: So, you're trying to capture all the shifts and turns of fate within the flow of a battle by breaking it in to parts, and deciding the outcome of each part?

XCali: Yes I think breaking it into parts will give more a real feel to it
Angmor: Now I see the your vision, and I like it. =)

XCali: I told you it was hard to explain

Angmor: Well, I have it now. Or at least, close enough. I don't think that mapping it all out beforehand would work, there are just too many possibilities for that. But I do like a sort of thing were I (Or someone else) jumps in and says "Ok, because you did this, you ran straight into the ambush that was waiting for you behind the hill..."

XCali: Say & then because there were too many soldiers there they must fight their way to a more defensible spot ?

Angmor: Right, exactly! Basically, now that I think about it, the problem with the battles we tried before was the fact that people didn't agree on what each side was doing.

XCali: yes thats why i was thinking in this direction to give it more focus points XD

Angmor: Right! This way, we can still have the battles go somewhere, but still have room for spontaneous heroism or impossible deeds that are the stock and trade of unkillable characters.
XCali: Oh & remember that the City halls of towns under siege can also come to play a part in the battles

Well That was it , Any Changes Angmor?

[Angmor]

Nope, that's about it. Thanks Cal!

Basically, battles would be run much like they were before, just with someone (probably me, perhaps someone else depending on the battle) keeping track of the bigger picture and changing things accordingly. At the start of each battle, I would post a summary of how the defenses are laid out, how the men are arranged, that sort of thing. After this, whoever is involved in the thread would begin their RP posts. After a few of those, I would jump back in and (in OOC) say what's happening. Say you play a Varden character, and charge with the rest of your force. After a few posts of that, I would jump back in and give a summary of the outcome. Like, perhaps you were surrounded suddenly, or the cavalry swept in.

Now, I make it sound pretty rigid, but it really won't be. It would really just be that I decide on certain outcomes. It's not like you can't control any of the NPCs or anything like that, I would just provide the situations needed to keep the momentum going.

Questions? Comments?

[Elvorn]

I like Excal'ika's preposition. Would that be all of the staff or just you Angmor?

[Andromeda]

I like it too. This should keep our battles going for a while. On Lethr they died out after a little while and we never got very far.

As far as realism goes, I think it would help if a sub board that represented each camp was added.

For example:
If there was a battle at Aberon, then a sub board for the actual battle would be made, and then two sub boards would be added to the battle sub board for each camp (Varden and Imperial). There's a code I saw on proboard support that allows you to put a sub board within a sub board.

Also, a site I used to play on had random events. Maybe staff members, or designated players, could pop in in OOC (kind of like what you're doing with the battle summaries) and toss in a random event such as a rainstorm, or a magician being killed.

Example:
Staff/Player:
"As the battle wages on, towering dark clouds roll in from the mountains, and soon it begins to rain heavily."
Or...
"The magician protecting a score of Imperial troops is killed, leaving his men without magical protection."

What do you guys think?
I realize it'd be a bit tough, but it'd make things more interesting and realistic.

[Xelschea]

That's a great idea Andy. That would be perfect for keeping up the activity for battles and not letting them to fade away like they seem to do in Lethr.

[Angmor]

Yes, that's a great idea! The sub boards the battle I had already thought of, but it didn't even occur to me to do so for the camps as well. And random events would be handy in order to toss in a new element to a thread. Good thinking!

And no Elvorn, not just me. I have a feeling that would keep me more busy than I want to be. XD Well, the only (major) problem I can foresee here is if one of mine or Elvorn or Lily's characters are participating in the battle that we are also moderating.

[falriln]

I which case another mod can step in or the mods could designate another person to decide. The whole idea gets my vote!

[jacobi]

what about...melian v cithri

[Wild Dog]

There really arn't enough battles around here. You could appoint another mod to be sort of the Attack leader or something. His/her job is to set up battles, make the game plan for each side, tell the conditions, and ask for volunteers. That way the other mods didn't have to worry about the battles. (If this is already a suggestion, never mind. i hate reading long posts)

[Angmor]

Yeah Wild, I'm afraid this thread is rather old, and we have more or less resolved this issue since then. And, since then, I have discovered something. Battles, especially long battles, are boring. It may seem odd, but it's true. Everyone likes to start a battle, and no one likes to finish them. I don't know why, the very best way to drive people away is to put a battle in it. Obviously, we need some, but I have come away from the viewpoint of progressing the main plot as a series of battles. XD

Thank you very much for your input, though. In fact, when next we do have a big battle, we'll use an approach very like that.

[Wild Dog]

Ah. i was bored. Battles would be fun, but that is me who has only warrior ch.s o well.