The GIANTS

Dossier for:

The Giants Above The Trembling Ground

“We Crush!”

Dawn of the 4th Cycle of Alamaze

The Giants Above the Trembling Ground once stood as an overlooked and underestimated nation, with their immense size being their sole attribute of value, making them ideal shock units for other nations. However, in recent cycles, this kingdom has undergone a rapid transformation, emerging as a force to be reckoned with in both military strategy and diplomatic affairs. Despite their newfound advancements and expanding influence, a lingering sentiment persists among the giants that they have yet to attain the position they rightfully deserve, yearning to establish themselves as a leading power in the world.

Militarily, the giants possess an impressive arsenal. Their renowned Giant Brigades are regarded as among the finest infantry units across all races. Combining their colossal stature with strategic acumen, they wield their immense size to create minor tremors on the battlefield, disorienting and destabilizing their adversaries. This unique ability adds an element of chaos to their warfare, granting them a distinct advantage in combat. In addition to their military prowess, the giants have made significant strides in diplomatic endeavors. Their newfound shrewdness has improved their standing in the courts, enabling them to negotiate favorable agreements and secure alliances. This diplomatic progress has played a crucial role in elevating their position within the global landscape.

Guided by the Great Titan, the giants seek recognition as a leading power, leveraging their strength, strategic prowess, and imposing presence to leave an indelible mark on the realm, reshaping the perception of their nation and cementing their position among the great powers of the world.

From Your Prime Minister:

Great Titan of The Giants Above the Trembling Ground, hear my counsel. Relative to the other kingdoms, we Giants have grown stronger in the spance between the first and second cycles as well as the third. Now we are seen as much more influential. We should be a leading power in the land. Shrewd diplomacy and a sound strategy will be vital to our success. There are no glaring weaknesses to our kingdom, but we must always be wary of spreading themselves too thinly. Avoiding a protracted early war may be necessary to assure success always endeavor to have lessor brigade types with our Giant brigades to reduce the likelihood of losing them in battle.

Specialized Traits For Our Kingdom:

The following traits provide special and unique bonuses for our kingdom. These effects are inherent and do not require specific action to enable unless otherwise specified in the section below.

Type	Name
Cultural	Acuity
Cultural	Archers
Cultural	Heroic
Cultural	Military Tradition
Cultural	Siege Engineering
Cultural	Stalwart
Magic	Substandard

• Acuity: Groups are never surprised, acts as entrenched. Agents have a reduced -10 points from being captured during missions. Political emissaries get +5 to their rebel/usurp die roll. Characters of this kingdom that become prisoners get 15 points added to their chance of escape.
• Archers: Kingdoms with the Archers trait get 50% of missile value at long range in the forest (normally 0%) and 100% at short range missile (normally 50%) in the forest. They get 50% long range missile fire in the mountains (normally 25%), also 75% in short range missile fire (normally 50%). They provide excellent rear-guard action, so their kingdom suffers only 50% of normal casualties in retreat (cumulative with other traits).
• Heroic: Kingdom starts with an additional leader who is a Marshal, its leaders always advance in rank in Unusual Encounters when they don’t issue the most cautious tactic (TAC 1), and advance at a +10 point chance in all battles until reaching Marshal rank, then as normal (no bonus) for advancement. Odds of an agent performing a successful rescue or kidnap is increased 15 points and the chance of capture during a mission is reduced by 15 points.
• Military Tradition: Adds a Marshal to the 1st group and a General to the 2nd group, leaders promote at +10 points, new leaders emerge at +10 points, and have 10 points better survivability in combat. Brigades advance in training level at 10 points greater than normal. Warriors, the soldier portion of a party’s strength rating, are worth +3 in Unusual Encounters.
• Siege Engineering: Bonus to laying siege: a town (not cities or villages) can be sieged in two turns (instead of 3). Non-allied emissaries attempting to relocate from a population center under siege will undergo a 50% chance of capture and 70% upon the completion of a siege (normally 30%/50%). Towns and cities attacked (#150 or derivative orders like #160) by a kingdom with Siege Engineering have 10% subtracted from their defense. Any war machine(s) they possess will give +15% to base combat strength in attacks against pc’s.
• Stalwart: Immune to Fear and Chaos. 25% reduction to harmful magic (4,000 magic damage would become 3,000). +15 points leader promotion and emergence, -15 points leader and wizard death (improved survivability to combat damage and kill leader / kill wizard).

Special Rules For The Giants Above The Trembling Ground Kingdom:

• Terrain Adeptness: Mastery in all terrains
• Magical Prowess: Substandard (Tier 5 of 7)
• Spells available earlier than prowess base: Conjure Prestige
• Barrage Tactic (use TAC 6). May only be used against PC’s. Requires Siege Engineering trait, Marshal or higher (not stunned), and a Veteran or higher War Machine brigade. Attacker with Barrage gets 150% in both long and short range missile stages. Retreat as Standard Battle Plan.
• Fight To The Last Man (use TAC 7). Defensive group vs. group tactic. Requires Stalwart, no Green brigades, at least two Veteran Kingdom brigades, and a Marshal or higher (not stunned). This is a defensive only tactic (does not initiate combat). Provides an additional +15% to defense over normal defensive bonus, and retreat becomes 90% (which means our troops will continue fighting until nearly completely destroyed).
• Special Tactical Option: Stomp (use TAC 8). May only be used against opposing groups (not pop centers). Unique for our kingdom due to our towering size and girth, this special tactic will cause confusion and disorientation upon opposing forces resulting in chaos (unable to retreat easily, enables greater damage). This battle tactic resolves as the standard Determined Attack (TAC 3) thereafter. Requires Warlord as our commander.
• Cyclops (Order #565 Recruit Companions) are only available for our kingdom. Cyclops are fierce in battle and will bolster our forces well. Rocs (Order #565 Recruit Companions) are also exclusively for our kingdom. These enormous flying beasts are capable of carrying our hefty Giants and other troops, up to 5 brigades total (division-sized or less including the Roc) may be flown.
• We Giants are, of course, extremely powerful beings. When Giants groups parley with population centers, we receive a 10% positive modification, reflecting our intimidating presence.
• In battle, Giants leaders and wizards are 15% less likely to be slain than are those of other kingdoms.
• Special Order: Equip Advanced Item (Iron Javelins) (Order #607, 500 mithril), iron javelins are an advanced weapon group attachment similar to forged improved weapons and cannot be traded. The iron javelins provide an extra 20% leader/wizard death effect during group combat. Equip iron javelins to group at kingdom-owned pc with forge. Group must have one or more brigades in group. Group must already be equipped with improved weapons or mithril weapons from forge (Order #605). Only able to equip improved weapons, mithril weapons, or advanced weapons to a group once on the same turn.
• Our Giants are master craftsmen and get a 10% gold discount on all buildings.
• Our kingdom has five groups available.

Your first group begins as your most powerful and important group. In addition, should you earn your Early Strategic Objective or qualify for an Appeal to the Gods (Epic Game only) there are possible awards that only go into your first group (see General Rules).

Early Strategic Objectives:

Enter your selections for the Early Strategic Objectives with your orders on turns 1 through 3. Use Order #991 and reference the instructions in the Official Rulebook. If you do not select any objectives, your kingdom will receive the default objectives listed below:

Control a region	worth 2 points
Have 3+ Dukes (not Demon Princes/Consuls/King/Queen/Regent)	worth 1 point

We are pursuing a MINOR ESO!

On turns 10 through 15, if our kingdom has achieved the above requirements to total 3 achievement points, we may claim awards worth 3 points!

Victory Conditions:

This campaign has NORMAL victory conditions.

Therefore a kingdom may win via Rex (control 5+ regions) or by Lion’s Share (most status points at end of the game).

Skeletons In The Closet:

The following skeletons, if revealed, will have detrimental impact on your influence and on regional reaction in some regions.

Type	Code
MAJOR	4001	The King Has Hydrophobia: He Is Terrified Of Water (Especially The Sea).
MINOR	1458	The King Has A Bleeding Ulcer Which Acts Up In Crisis Periods.
MINOR	2617	The Ranking Political Emissary Is Of Mixed Blood Of A Despised People.

Magical Prowess:

Proficiency: Substandard (Tier 5 of 7)

Maximum assured Power level attainable: 6

(Spellcasters may attempt to research beyond the assured level, but may fail about 50% of the time, and the gold cost is still consumed)

Gold cost per research level: 11,000

(Plateau levels have additional cost. At 3rd level, +10,000 gold. At 5th level, +30,000 gold. At 7th level, +60,000 gold. For example, to increase a pwr-2 wizard to pwr-3, the cost is the gold-cost-per-research-level x level + plateau cost, or 43,000 gold. To reach 5th level, the cost is 85,000 gold. To reach 7th level, the cost is 137,000 gold.)

Spell List

Level 0: Rite Of The Magi, Self Invisible, Wizard Assist Encounter

Level 1: Create Food, Light Of The Evening Star, Magic Research, Protect Heroes and Wizards, Raven Familiar, Shield, Stun Leader, Valor

Level 2: Bridge Of Mist, Create Gold, Fear, Guarded Attack, Heal, Lesser Masking, Lightning Attack, Speed, Ward

Level 3: Bridge Of Mist (Intrinsic), Diplomacy, Dispel Magic, Fertile Fields, Firestrike, Hidden Ore, Invisible Patrol, Kill Leader/Wizard, Light Of The Evening Star (Intrinsic), Presence (Intrinsic), Reveal King’s Influence, Ship of Mist, Sleep, Strengthen Walls, Teleport Self, Wind Storm

Level 4: Chaos, Conceal Emissary, Dire Wolf Familiar, Dispel Storm at Sea, Eagle Familiar, Flash Flood, Greater Masking, Instant Summon Phantasmal Forces, Mirror Image, Raise Population Center Census, Teleport Patrol, Ward Population Center

Level 5: Command Tornado, Create Magical Item, Destroy Undead, Dispel Dome of Invulnerability, Dispel Regional Effect, Instant Self Teleport, Invisible Brigade, Protection from Regional Effect, Storm at Sea, Teleport Brigade, True Seeing, Wall of Flame

Level 6: Blinding Light (Regional Effect), Conjure Prestige, Dire Wolf Familiar (Intrinsic), Earthquake, Invisible Division, Summon Minotaurs, Teleport Division

Level 7: Bounty (Regional Effect), Conjure Scandal, Ice Torrent, Infuriate Populace, Invisible Army, Meteor Strike, Project Image Of Group, Raise Regional Census (Regional Effect), Revelation, Summon Rock Golems, Teleport Army, True Seeing (Intrinsic), Unveil Group Locations, Unveil Population Centers

Level 8: Augment Title, Chain Lightning, Charm Region, Dome of Invulnerability, Enhance King’s Aura, Teleport Army Group

Level 9: Prismatic Rays, Summon Death

The Giants Above The Trembling Ground Military Dossier

Kingdom Brigade Description:

Our Giant brigades are, or course, second to none. We have very strong infantry troops and inflict the most damage during the melee stages of battle.

Kingdom Brigade Ratings:

LR Missile	SR Missile	Charge	1st Melee	2nd Melee	Combined	Storm (PC)	Defense
Good	Excellent	Ultimate	Good	Good	Excellent	Renowned	Superior

Recruit Troops (Order #560), Recruit Companions (Order #565), or magically summoned brigades fight at their respective values for all kingdoms. They move according to the kingdom’s movement table. They consume food and gold at their respective rates. Groups at sea fight according to the fleet quantity and quality in the given sea.

Special Note: Flyers may be available for your kingdom through the Recruit Companions (Order #565) or as a Wizard Summoning Spell. All flying groups, either as natural flyers like Dragons or groups enhanced with special brigades/artifacts that bestow flying capabilities, are considered flying at all times. When specifying the group’s movement, all terrain costs are calculated as normally in your movement order (including when flying over water areas). However, flying groups whether they are all-natural flyers (e.g., all brigades of Griffons) or non-natural flyers (ground-based troops that gain flying by acquiring an artifact or by recruiting Giant Eagles) are checked throughout the turn if their situation changes. Flying status may be lost if the group no longer meets certain criteria such as losing division-sized status required by certain artifacts due to transferring troops between groups, combining groups together, or gaining additional troops through battle as what may occur with special troops like Zombies that eat the dead and grow in number. Or Lycanthrope that spreads among the injured on the battlefield and the group acquires new Lycan brigades. Another possibility to consider is if the group will receive any troop reinforcements, which occurs at certain intervals throughout the game. So, even though a ground-based, non-natural flying group may start the turn as a flyer, its status may change throughout the course of the game. A flying group that flys over or lands upon a water area may be issued any movement order (e.g., 720 and not required a sea movement order like 710).

Natural flyers are: Black/Red Dragons, Great Bats, Phoenixes, Specters, and Wyverns, as well as the new troop types of Air Elementals, Beholders, Chimeras, Cockatrices, Fairy Folk, Gargoyles, Giant Eagles, Griffons, Manticores, Mephits, Pixies, Rocs, and Sprites. Giant Eagles and Rocs are the only natural flyers capable of bestowing flight to ground-based troops. Artifacts that are capable of bestowing flight to others are: Great Red Bats of the Lost Caves, Green Dragon Mates, and the Last Herd of Winged Stallions. If a group consists of only natural-flyers or ground-based troops that become capable of flying, the following flight bonuses apply: +20% attack bonus vs pop centers, immune to Earthquake, Flash Flood, and Wall of Flame spells, patrol-sized groups have 32 (rather than 20) movement points (only for patrols of the Black Dragon, Red Dragon, and Fairy Folk kingdoms), may fly over water without a naval fleet being involved (may finish movement upon a water area), automatically performs a reconnaissance of the group’s location as a level 1 agent, and the flying group may not be flanked in battle (a special attack maneuver that certain kingdoms may perform).

Kingdom and Recruitable Troop Types (Food/Gold Amount Is Cost To Recruit):

Type	ID	Food	Gold	Max Per Group	Notes
Giants	GI	N/A	N/A	Unlimited	Kingdom brigade, not recruitable but receive as reinforcements
Mythians	MY	6,000	8,000	Unlimited	Recruit at pop center within Zanthia (6), The Sword Coast (8), Zamora (10), Mythgar (11), or The Untamed Lands (12) and requires General and 1 Veteran brigade
Northmen	NM	4,000	6,000	Unlimited	Recruit at pop center within The Crown Islands (1), Darkover (2), The Diamond Coast (3), Triumvia (5), or Stormgate (13) and requires Captain
Nyvarians	NY	4,000	6,000	Unlimited	Recruit at pop center within The Diamond Coast (3), Nyvaria (7), Pellinor (9), The Untamed Lands (12), or Stormgate (13)
Paladins	PA	8,000	10,000	Unlimited	Recruit at pop center within Darkover (2), Krynn (4), Triumvia (5), Nyvaria (7), or Pellinor (9) and requires General and 1 Veteran brigade [Only permitted for non-evil kingdoms]
Stormgate Guard	ST	10,000	10,000	Unlimited	Recruit at pop center within Stormgate (13) and requires General
Vikings	VI	6,000	9,000	Unlimited	Recruit at pop center within The Crown Islands (1), Darkover (2), or The Diamond Coast (3) and requires General and 1 Veteran brigade
Westmen	WE	4,000	6,000	Unlimited	Recruit at pop center within Krynn (4), Triumvia (5), Zanthia (6), The Sword Coast (8), or Stormgate (13) and requires Captain
Zamorans	ZA	4,000	6,000	Unlimited	Recruit at pop center within The Sword Coast (8), Pellinor (9), Zamora (10), Mythgar (11), The Untamed Lands (12), or Stormgate (13) and requires Captain
Companions (Order #565):
Cyclops	CY	12,000	12,000	3	Recruit in wild (no pop center) in Mountains terrain and requires Marshal and 1 Elite brigade
Hill Giants	HI	10,000	12,000	3	Recruit in wild (no pop center) in Mountains terrain and requires Marshal and 1 Elite brigade
Mammoths	MA	10,000	12,000	3	Recruit in wild (no pop center) in Plains terrain and requires Marshal and 1 Elite brigade
Ogres	OG	6,000	12,000	5	Recruit in wild (no pop center) in Plains, Forest, Mountains terrain and requires General and 3 brigades
Rocs (Flyer)	RC	10,000	15,000	1	Recruit in wild (no pop center) in Mountains terrain and requires Marshal and 3 brigades
War Machines	WM	4,000	10,000	5	Recruit in wild (no pop center) in Forest terrain and requires General and 3 brigades
Summoned (By Spell):
Minotaurs	MI	N/A	N/A	5	Summon in wild (no pop center) in Forest, Mountains terrain
Phantasmal Force	PM	N/A	N/A	5	Summon in wild (no pop center) in any terrain
Rock Golems	RG	N/A	N/A	5	Summon in wild (no pop center) in Mountains terrain

Resource Consumption per Brigade (Each Turn):

Type	Food	Gold
Giants	3,000	3,000
Mythians	1,700	2,100
Northmen	2,000	2,000
Nyvarians	2,000	2,000
Paladins	2,700	2,700
Stormgate Guard	3,000	3,000
Vikings	1,800	2,200
Westmen	2,000	2,000
Zamorans	1,600	1,600
Companions (Order #565):
Cyclops	3,000	3,000
Hill Giants	2,700	2,700
Mammoths	3,000	2,700
Ogres	2,300	1,600
Rocs	2,800	3,000
War Machines	1,300	1,200
Summoned (By Spell):
Minotaurs	2,300	2,500
Phantasmal Force	0	0
Rock Golems	500	1,500

Reinforcement Schedule (Receive As Kingdom Brigades):

Turn 5:	2
Turn 10:	2
Turn 15:	2
Turn 20:	2
Turn 25:	2
Turn 30:	2
Turn 35:	2
Turn 40:	2

Terrain Combat Adjustment:

Terrain Type	Movement Point Cost	Movement (Ice Age)	Giants	Trait
Plains	5.0	6.25	0%
Forest	7.0	8.75	0%
Mountains	6.0	7.50	+20%	Mastery plus Greater Masking
Desert	7.0	8.75	0%
Marsh	7.0	8.75	0%
Sea	5.0	6.25	0%
vs PC’s	*	*	0%

Intercept Radius:

Your intercept radius is 5 areas (for Order #732).