#145 - New Player Primeval with Wizard Mentor

[Rogal]

Thanks, that's the kind of info I am looking for and would love to hear more from some of the other big victory point vets. The more points of view the better.

[Lord Diamond]

Stone of All Minds, Crystal of Seeing, Ring of Power, and Ring of Spells are my favorites.

[Rogal]

Please keep the artifact hunt advice coming all you vet players. You want new competition, you all need to help us new guys out, so thanks in advance.

Odd question, if the elves are getting ents as new 565 troops, if they are better then elven units, will they go on the unusual encounter? Old Treebeard is just flexing his limbs to crack open a dungeon door or 10.

[Hawk_]

And be sure to study this:

When is Discretion the Better Part of Valor?
Oracle 4
Rick McDowell


Sooner or later one or more of your proud groups will encounter something very strange. Not a known adversary, for which you can draw on your experience, like a town's defenses or an enemy army, but something completely unknown. Now, as their ruler, you must decide whether to order your heroic leaders and expensively developed wizards, along with a handful of their best troops, forward into the unfathomable. Here they will be at their greatest risk; each life threatened like a candle in the wind. Perhaps none will return.

However, there is also the potential reward to consider for the risks taken. Imagine vast treasures and a powerful artifact! Do you risk their loss, or leave the exploration to those more bold or foolish?
The above may have startled some among you, who may have assumed encounters with the unusual involved little more than stooping to gather gems and magical items.

Be forewarned: more than one Power 5 wizard or warlord has met his end in mortal combat with the paranormal. The important point is that any of these unfortunate deaths could have been avoided with better tactics and planning on the part of the king who ordered the mission.
Some unusual sighting may not lead to combat for the patrol dispatched to investigate. Instead, there may be a meeting with a wandering wizard, the discovery of a flock of giant eagles who might be befriended, a riddle or clue to an artifact's location, or a gateway to another world, among other possibilities.

The result of these encounters could depend on a number of factors. These factors would include the race of the patrol, its composition (number and levels of heroes and wizards), and the tactical selection chosen for the
encounter.

These same factors will be important for combat resolved encounters as well, but for different reasons. For example, the wizard might be frightened off by too aggressive an approach, or may choose not to join a group already laden with magical talent. The eagles may allow the Rangers to ride, but not those heavy Giants!
A Peek Inside the Black Box. Normally of greater risk are those encounters which result in deadly combat.

First, let's take a look at how the struggle will be decided. When battle is imminent, the patrol will be evaluated for its prowess and this will be compared with that of its foe. The dozen troops in the patrol are assigned a value based on their kingdom and their morale. The strong military powers will enjoy the same sort of advantage they do in other battles. If we assume each veteran has a value of 1, each giant may have a value of, say, 3. Most kingdoms then will range in value somewhere between 1.0 and 1.7 per soldier. The per troop value is multiplied by 12 for the 12 soldiers in the patrol, and further multiplied by the group morale.

Next, the value of its heroes is added. Wizards are then added to the total, with a multiplier added to their power level of somewhere between 5 and 10 depending on their kingdom. (Since a Power 2 Warlock wizard knows considerably more magic than a Power 2 Dwarven, he receives a correspondingly higher multiplier.) Thus, a Power 2 will have a value of somewhere between 10 and 20. Finally, if the group is in possession of an artifact which would aid its attack in combat, this will add a significant amount, say 25, to the total. Most, not all, opponents in these encounters will have a value between 50 and 100.


The combat value of the patrol is now compared to that of the foe, to yield a percentage chance of defeating the foe prior to modification for tactical selection. Regardless of the superiority of the patrol, there is always a minimum 5% chance of failure. The tactical modification is important and works as follows. A tactical selection of 1 (Probe) reduces the chance of succeeding by 25% of what it would be normally. (Example: if the chance of success was 70%, a tactical selection of 1 would reduce it to 45%. Conversely, a tactical selection of 3 (Determined Attack) increases the likelihood of overcoming the adversary by 25%.


So why not choose the determined attack always? Here's where the other foot falls. Remember, the tactical selection in combat determines the casualty acceptance level and the level of risk taken. These are your heroes, not your common troops. when you tell them to risk it all to achieve an objective, they don't need much coercion. A tactical selection of 3 increases the net chance of any figure being killed by 50%; a selection of 1 reduces the chance by 50%. Here are two examples. If the chance of success in overcoming the foe before tactical modification was 40%, use of Tac 3 would increase the chance of being slain by 21% over its former level. If the unmodified chance of success was 80%, the increase to fatality probability per leader or wizard under Tac 3 would be 11% over the former level. Equivalent reductions would occur with Tac 1.


In addition, regardless of tactic being used, all heroes and wizards begin with a base chance of being killed in a reconnaissance of unusual sighting that is three times as high as they would in any other type of battle. Thus, if a captain in a group to group combat normally faces a 14% chance of perishing, his base risk is 42% with an unusual sighting. This risk would be modified by the strength of the patrol vs. its opponent from a 70% starting point. Let's assume a patrol whose formula, prior to tactical modification, sows a 80% chance of succeeding. The following shows the modification to both the chance of success in overcoming the foe, and the resultant likelihood of the captain perishing.

Shortcutting through formulas we arrive at:
Tactic % Success % Cpt Slain
1 55 19
2 80 38
3 95 57
Each leader and wizard is individually "tested" to determine their survival. Note that each figure adds to the strength of the group and so diminishes the chance of all individuals being killed, since the group is stronger by their presence and so better able to quickly overcome the foe.


What can be learned from this confusing mess? Well, for one, hopefully the above illustrates the detail the computer searches through in determining the outcome of the Order #140 battles. These "Unusual Encounters" battles and sea battles are magnitudes less data-intensive that are group to group battles or population center engagements. We would never attempt to explain the computer's gyrations and acrobatics in an article for these battles.
Second, the player should appreciate the significant risk his figures are at in their quest to recover artifacts.

It should be clear that a powerful patrol is much more likely to recover an artifact with fewer losses than is a weak patrol. Third, greater attention should be devoted to tactics in these encounters than might first have been assumed. For example, if a group chances upon an unusual sighting without knowing what may lay within, it might be best to attempt a probe (Tac 1) first, to glean a better insight into the dangers within, rather than risking all for something which might be so little importance to the kingdom.

The probe may end up being the best tactic anyway. On the other hand, if the group has a good idea that a particularly useful artifact is within, and speed is of the essence, then a Tac 3 approach may be called for, especially if the patrol is not particularly powerful and so would need the advantage this tactic provides, while accepting the increased risk to its heroes and leaders.
Next time you encounter the unknown, maybe there will be a trace of familiarity after all.

A nice summary, however, it seems on the face to this Noo(wanna)B to only be useful if you know the troop values in question. Since the chances of success can "wag" by as much as three fold given the range you suggest (Giant = 3.0, Wizard kingdoms = 1 or less), if you do not know these relative strengths, you are basically left guessing. And, despite my best searching, all I have found about troop strengths is that there is a loose undefined correlation with the generic race descriptions in the subsection for military (very low, low, medium, high, very high). Is there a rough numerical assessment of the strength of each of the kingdom militaries somewhere in the archives? If not, are any of you vets at least willing to share the range of values within the game (max = 10, min = 0.7). At least then you can approximate the meanings of very low, low, ok, good, very good (assuming, of course, linearity in the progression - which is not necessarily a safe assumption). Does this make sense?

My Guesses on troops:
SO UN 1
EL DA WA DE 1.3
WI 1.4
AN 1.5
RA DW 1.7
TR 2.4
GI 3
BL/RD no soldiers

Wizards values
SO WA WI 10
RA EL DA BL 8
AN DE 7
UN RD GI 6
DW TR 5

Just guesses.

My main thoughts are to get your Patrol up to like 75+ pts to have a decent success rate. Weapon Artifacts help a ton. Try to 101 with your wizards on a 3 and let the captains die...

[Beatific]

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[quote='Hawk_' pid='22878' dateline='1409671926']


My Guesses on troops:
SO UN 1
EL DA WA DE 1.3
WI 1.4
AN 1.5
RA DW 1.7
TR 2.4
GI 3
BL/RD no soldiers

Wizards values
SO WA WI 10
RA EL DA BL 8
AN DE 7
UN RD GI 6
DW TR 5

Just guesses.

My main thoughts are to get your Patrol up to like 75+ pts to have a decent success rate. Weapon Artifacts help a ton. Try to 101 with your wizards on a 3 and let the captains die...

Great info. At least it gives you an idea. With the new rules making it more difficult to advance or get new leaders, I imagine that leader preservation becomes a lot more important now.

[Ukla the Mok]

I will preface this statement that I don't claim to be the sharpest knife in the drawer. I know that several readers of this forum will have a hearty laugh at my predicament.
I checked and double checked my turn before sending. All was well. I send it in and see that NOTHING I ordered went correctly.
??? Checked orders again. Only the standing orders I had went through. No idea what went wrong.

After a while I checked the mail I sent. Long story short--I attached orders for 145_GN_T6. Not T16.

I've already sent a mail to support. Thoughts from everyone?

A very chagrined King Gnome.

[Lord Diamond]

I did that in a Warlords game. For two of the kingdoms, I sent the orders for the previous turn. It was devastating. Luckily, my opponent conceded that turn or I would likely have lost.

You are likely screwed. It is the player's responsibility for sending in the proper orders.

[Rogal]

Do not worry too much about it, this is why we are playing a new player game. Hopefully with the new order system, these type of errors will be far fewer in the future. Best to make mistakes now instead of a full blown game where one mistake set of orders could really effect your kingdom. You missed a turn, but as far as I know this is possibly the friendliest game of alamaze to date. For example, I have lost more Priestess then elf warriors.

[Ukla the Mok]

That's kind of what I figured. At least next turn's orders won't take too long to put together...

[Jumpingfist]

I am seeing a lot of noblemen with shiny black boots in my PCs. Is this something to be concerned about?

I got a few more toys this turn Failed two turns now trying to get my main Mage to p12. A mentor has to keep from getting bored ya know.