The Imperial Sages report:
There is much to report this season, as the season of blood starts.
Gurati amass a sizable army, ready to strike at their neighbors. No real offensive move is made, though.
Count Donovan, the newest noble to flock to the Lortran banner, is a tall man with hard eyes and an unsmiling face. He retreated a decade ago to Sanctuary during a moneylending scandal, and his involvement with a certain Gurati noble was well known. A return to politics, howeever, opens up the possibility of old enemies coming back to cash in past debts.
Lortran jumpships materialize over Mox, quickly passing the arther surprised sentry stations and landing in the midst of its sparkling, grandiose city. Only the few miners left on the planet offered token resistance, and these were wiped out by the conquerors with no casualties whatsoever. The gain of Mox' mines will surely swell the Lortran coffers.
The second Lortran attack was directed againt the Kadesh. For all his age and wisdom, this seems a dubious move. Fighting a two front war is a sure way to ruin one's House.
Attackers:
Jumpships: Lidia, Audacious, Persistent, Ardent
Troops: 2 damper fields, 2 amazonians-3, house troops-1, 2 psychic vets-2, 5 heretics-1
Defenders:
Nobles: Lord Corinus Dacklin
Troops: 3 Clone Soldiers(ME)-2, Damper Field, Mercenaries (ME)-3, 2 Pilgrim Troupes-1, Mercenaries-2, Warrior Priests-2P
Nuclear exchange phase: No nuclear arsenals present
Psi phase: A Sisteria assistant to the Kadesh, a pretty blue-haired girl of barely nine years, collapses during psychic preparation, blood flowing from her ears, eyes and nostrils. Unnerved by such a bad omen, the first death of this conflict, only a minor effect is summonned up by the Kadesh Champion.
First strike phase (K:3+1): The sole Kadesh noble leads his warrior priests into the teeth of the dismounting army, in a reactment of the last conflict. A unit of Heretics perishes before knowing what hit them.
Regular combat phase (L:14 K:13): The Lortran troops do well, methodically wiping out the pilgrims along with the single unit of mercenaries and a group of cyber-enhanced clone soldiers. Gone are the set-piece attempts of the last invasion, with endless drawn out firefights. Now the Lortran rush in, taking care of business quickly and brutally. This tactic costs them dearly, however, as they lose four heretics and a house troop, leaving their core units unprotected.
Attackers:
Jumpships: Lidia, Audacious, Persistent, Ardent
Troops: 2 damper fields, 2 amazonians-3, 2 psychic vets-2
Defenders:
Nobles: Lord Corinus Dacklin
Troops: 2 Clone Soldiers(ME)-2, Damper Field, Mercenaries (ME)-3, Warrior Priests-2P
Psi phase: The Lortran Psychic veterans efficiently extinguish an attempt by Corinus to summon up destructive energies. Lightning flashes and the area is abthed in darkness as they clash.
First strike: the tactical advantage gained by the Kadesh is squandered by bad judgment. The weight of commanding the garrison in the face of a determined assault almost buckles Lord Dacklin's resolve.
Regular combat (L:10 K:7): It seems, all that is really left at this point to secure a Lortran win here is a noble to lead their troops. Alas, they have none, and it shows. In confused close quarters fighting in the tunnels beneath the capital, only one unit of Kadesh clone soldiers perishes. One unit of psychic veterans perishes in the fight, incinerated while held down by the already dead clones.
Attackers:
Jumpships: Lidia, Audacious, Persistent, Ardent
Troops: 2 damper fields, 2 amazonians-3, 1 psychic vets-2
Defenders:
Nobles: Lord Corinus Dacklin
Troops: 1 Clone Soldiers(ME)-2, Damper Field, Mercenaries (ME)-3, Warrior Priests-2P
Psychic phase: Only a minor effect as the result of the warrior priest's effort, a psionic blast. Could it be enough to shift the balance of power now?
First strike phase: Tracking down the waves of psychic interference, Lord Dacklin and his warrior priests track down the remaining unit of psychic veterans. The resulting battle is short and bloody, leaving dead Lortran everywhere.
Regular combat (L:6 K:5): Suddenly it seems amazonian soldiers are everywhere. Tall, beautiful women clad in anachronistic armour and wielding energy weapons simply walk all over the remaining defenders; those who don't submit are rent apart by energy whips and seeking arrows with thermite warheads. The lose half of their number in this last push - but the prize is theirs. The planet at their mercy, its noble defender in chains at their feet.
Now, they take revenge for the enslavement of their comrades.
Final result: Lortran win.
Surviving units:
Jumpships: Lidia, Audacious, Persistent, Ardent
Troops: Amazonians
The Lortran were active on the diplomatic plan as well. General Marcos was seen on the Lortran home planet, escorted by a honour guard of Amazonian princesses. Shortly after he retired from the public eyes, the announcement came that the Imperial Army would grant its support to House Lortran.
Kadesh moves as well. The Lortran attack against Parralax intercepted one flank of their effort that was directed against Punah. The other half of the invasion force arrives shortly after Lortran jumpships left.
Attackers:
Jumpships: Matilda of Canossa, Zealous, Julius II, Isabelle II
Nobles: Sir Willem Kalgari, Irulan Kadesh, Captain Caroline Kadesh, High Priest Harrion Kadesh
Troops: 5 Robot Death Machines-3, 2 Damper Fields, 2 Imperial Conscripts (ME)-2, 3 Warrior Priests-2P
Defenders:
Jumpships: Guild Fluyt, Golden Hind, Resilience, Royal Oak
Nobles: Baroness Carley, Duchess Catherine
Troops: Damper Field, Amazonians-3, 2 Discordian Heretics-1, House Troops-2, 2 Nuclear Arsenals, Subterranean Mutants-1F
Nuclear attack phase: The defending nuclear arsenals flill the skies above the verdant planet with starfire. Much of this nuclear fury is absorbed by damper fields, but one ship is caught in a vortex of ardiation, killing all aboard instantly. Captain Caroline Kadesh is among the casualties.
Attackers:
Jumpships: Matilda of Canossa, Zealous, Julius II
Nobles: Sir Willem Kalgari, Irulan Kadesh, High Priest Harrion Kadesh
Troops: 4 Robot Death Machines-3, 1 Imperial Conscripts (ME)-2, 2 Warrior Priests-2P
Psi phase (K:5 L:2+2): The Kadesh, aided by their Sisteria allies, summon up huge psychic forces (Telekenetic Maelstrom, Molecular Disruption and Dimensional Rift, for a total of 9 AD!), while the Lortran struggle to organize defeneses. Only Duchess Catherine managed to put up a Psionic Blast (1 AD).
First strike (K:21 dice, lolwut? L: 8): The Lortran meet the overwhelming attack head-on. They even put up a hard fight, clustered around their nobles. Kadesh warrior priests and imperial conscripts perish in the withering crossfire of skillfully camouflaged defenders. But, their joy is short lives as shiny Death Machines led by the Kadesh nobles descend into the jungles, and turn verdant forest into charred wasteland. No defending unit survives this conflagration.
The fate of the Lortran prisoners remains unclear, and probably up to the present Kadesh nobles.
Result: Kadesh victory.
Remaining units: Jumpships: Matilda of Canossa, Zealous, Julius II
Nobles: Sir Willem Kalgari, Irulan Kadesh, High Priest Harrion Kadesh
Troops: 4 Robot Death Machines-3
The Nitrix manage to attract the attention of another noble as well. Lady Elsbeth Dawnspear is the scion of a small noble family, looking to expand her connections and influence. Evil tongues accuse her of consorting with the Silexian Surgeons, and go so afr as to accuse her of providing them with numerous test subjects from her fief.
Lord Nitrix makes a move as well. The approach he takes is alltogether different from the others, however. This is in part dictated by his available troops and planets. Nitrix jumpships appear over Sedeen, expecting heavy reistance.
Defenders:
Troops: Imperial conscripts, Pilgrim Troupe, Pilgrim torupe (ME), Imperial Conscripts (ME), Nuclear Arsenal
Attackers:
Jumpships: Harbinger, Devastation, Doombringer
Troops: 4 Pirates, 8 Nuclear Arsenals, 1 House Troops
Nuclear phase: both combatants pull the stops on their arsenals. The Nitrix choose to to turn the hive world into a nuclear inferno. A pirate jumpships perishes, caught too close to a blast, but the Nitrix force is otherwise unschated. Sedeen, on the other hand, is wiped clean of defending units, along with most other living organisms. It will cost a fortune to restore the planet to the semblance of something inhabitable. Consenquently, the nitrix choose not to claim it.
A lone, empty Nitrix jumpship appears in the skies above Mox and is promptly blotted out by a strike from the Lortren nuclear arsenal stationed there.
The Imperial cartographer reports:
________ ________ ____ ______ _______
A/Lortran \_______/ \______/ \______/Pyreen\_______/ \____
\_L3/0___/ \________/ \____/ Fah \_N1/0_/ \_______Nitrix\
B/ \_______/Sanctuary______/ \_L4/0_/ \_______/ \N10/2/
\________/ \__L5/5__/ \____/ \______/ \_______/ \
C/ Hellish\_______/ \______/ \______/ \_______/ \_____/
\__L2/0__/ \________/ \____/ \______/ Mox \_______/ \
D/ \_______/ \______/ \______/ \_L9/3__/ \_____/
\________/ \________/ \____/ \______/ \_______/ \
E/ \_______/ Punah \______/ \______/ \_______/Yoravar\_____/
\________/ \_K_4/3__/ \____/ \______/ \__N3/0_/ \
F/ \_______/ \______/ \______/Dalton\_______/ \_____/
\________/Paralax\________/ \____/Aquara\_N15/0/ \_______/ \
G/ \__L1/4_/ \______/ \_G11/3/ \_______/ Frost \_____/
\________/ \________/Sedeen\____/ \______/ \_G13/2_/ \
H/Mercurum\_______/ \__5/3_/ \______/ \_______/ \_____/
\__K3/0__/ Marx \________/Scorch\____/ \______/Bolavor\_______/ \
I/ \__K2/2_/ \_K6/0_/ \______/ \_G17/1_/ \_____/
\________/ \________/ \____/ \______/ \_______/ \
J/Kadesh \_______/Computus\______/ \______/ \_______/ \_____/
\__K4/0__/Quayat \___K2/0_/ \____/ \______/Bazarum\_______/Gurati
\__K1/0_/ \______/ \______/ \__G1/0_/ \G5/1_/
Planet | Information |
---|
Kadesh
- Type: Homeworld
- Benefits: Fanatics, Warrior Priests
- Income: $9
- Owner: Countess Kadesh
| [Private to Countess Kadesh:
- Nobles:
- Units: , Kadesh Fanatics, House Troops, House Troops, House Troops
- Jumpships:
- Specials:
] |
Lortran
- Type: Homeworld
- Benefits: Psychic veterans
- Income: $9
- Owner: Duke Lortran
| [Private to Duke Lortran:
- Nobles: , Duke Lortran
- Units: , Discordian Heretics, Discordian Heretics, Amazonians
- Jumpships:
- Specials:
] |
Nitrix
- Type: Homeworld
- Benefits: Suicide squads
- Income: $9
- Owner: Lord Nitrix
| [Private to Lord Nitrix:
- Nobles: , Lady Elsbeth Dawnspear, Prelate Longinus
- Units: , Suicide Squads, Discordian Heretics, Discordian Heretics, Pirates, Damper Field, House Troops, House Troops, House Troops, Suicide Squads, Nuclear Arsenal
- Jumpships: , Pride of Nitrix, Enola Gay
- Specials:
] |
Gurati
- Type: Homeworld
- Benefits: Anthrosynth berserkers, Cyborg commandoes
- Income: $9
- Owner: Baron Gurati
| [Private to Baron Gurati:
- Nobles:
- Units: , Anthrosynthetic Berserkers, Imperial Shock Troops, Imperial Death Squad, Church Inquisitors, Imperial Death Squad
- Jumpships: , Mithril
- Specials:
] |
Aquaria
- Type: Ocean
- Benefits: Sea Monsters
- Income: $1
- Owner: Baron Gurati
| [Private to Baron Gurati:
- Nobles:
- Units: , Sea monsters, Damper Field, Church Inquisitors, Sea Monsters, Imperial Death Squad, Imperial Death Squad, Nuclear Arsenal, Imperial Shock Troops, Imperial Shock Troops, Imperial Shock Troops, Sea monsters
- Jumpships: , Macarbre, Brash, Intellegosa
- Specials:
] |
Bazarium
- Type: Commerce
- Benefits: Mercenaries & Jumpships
- Income: $7
- Owner: Baron Gurati
| [Private to Baron Gurati:
- Nobles:
- Units: , Rebels
- Jumpships:
- Specials:
] |
Bolavor
- Type: Jungle
- Benefits: Jungle Fighters
- Income: $7
- Owner: Baron Gurati
| [Private to Baron Gurati:
- Nobles: , Sir Drake Gurati, Lady Delia Stanthorpe, Lord Tyson Gurati
- Units: , Jungle Fighters, House Troops, House Troops, Anthrosynthetic Berserkers, Anthrosynthetic Berserkers, Church Inquisitors, Damper Field, House Troops, Jungle Fighters, Jungle Fighters, Jungle Fighters, Jungle Fighters, Church Inquisitors, Church Inquisitors, Church Inquisitors, Damper Field, Nucelar Arsenal
- Jumpships: , Codex
- Specials: , Altar of Battle
] |
Computus
- Type: Machine
- Benefits: Robot Death Machines
- Income: $3
- Owner: Countess Kadesh
| [Private to Countess Kadesh:
- Nobles:
- Units: , Robot Death Machines, Imperial Conscripts
- Jumpships:
- Specials:
] |
Dalton
- Type: Research
- Benefits: Transhuman supersoldiers & Nukes
- Income: $1
- Owner: Lord Nitrix
| [Private to Lord Nitrix:
- Nobles: , Dame of Blades, Lord Nitrix, Ioannes Behcet, Daniel Vessus
- Units: , Discordian Heretics, Pirates, Pirates, Pirates, Pirates, Pirates, Pirates, Nuclear Arsenal, Pirates, Discordian Heretics, Pirates, Pirates, Pirates, Nuclear Arsenal, Pirates
- Jumpships:
- Specials:
] |
Frost
- Type: Ice
- Benefits: Ice barbarians
- Income: $1
- Owner: Baron Gurati
| [Private to Baron Gurati:
- Nobles:
- Units: , Ice barbarians, Damper Field, Ice Barbarians, Nuclear Arsenal, Church Inquisitors, Rebels, Rebels, Church Inquisitor, Ice Barbarians, Ice Barbarians, Ice Barbarians, Cyborg Commandos, Cyborg Commandos
- Jumpships: , Santana, Independant
- Specials:
] |
Fah
- Type: Living World
- Benefits: Psychic powers don't work here
- Income: $1
- Owner: Duke Lortran
| [Private to Duke Lortran:
- Nobles:
- Units: , Discordian Heretics, House Troops, House Troops, Damper Field
- Jumpships:
- Specials:
] |
Hellish
- Type: Radioactive
- Benefits: Subterranean mutants & Nukes
- Income: $9
- Owner: Duke Lortran
| [Private to Duke Lortran:
- Nobles:
- Units: , Nuclear Arsenal, Subterranean Mutants
- Jumpships:
- Specials:
] |
Mox
- Type: Gem world
- Benefits: Miners
- Income: $8
- Owner: Duke Lortran
| [Private to Duke Lortran:
- Nobles:
- Units: , Psychic Veterans, Psychic Veterans, Damper Field, House Troops, House Troops, House Troops, Damper Field, Discordian Heretics
- Jumpships: , Ambuscade, Guild Jammer, Zephyr
- Specials:
] |
Marx
- Type: Clone world
- Benefits: Clone soldiers
- Income: $1
- Owner: Countess Kadesh
| [Private to Countess Kadesh:
- Nobles:
- Units: , Clone Soldiers, Clone Soldiers
- Jumpships: , Gerard Thom, Joan of Arc
- Specials:
] |
Mercurium
- Type: Mining world
- Benefits: Miners & Nukes
- Income: $3
- Owner: Countess Kadesh
| [Private to Countess Kadesh:
- Nobles:
- Units: , Miners, Miners, Miners
- Jumpships:
- Specials:
] |
Parralax
- Type: Industrial world
- Benefits: Nukes & Jumpships
- Income: $4
- Owner: Duke Lortran
| [Private to Duke Lortran:
- Nobles: , Lord Corinus Dacklin
- Units:
- Jumpships: , Lidia, Audacious, Ardent, Persistent
- Specials:
] |
Pyreen
- Type: Pacifist world
- Benefits: Diplomacy
- Income: $1
- Owner: Lord Nitrix
| [Private to Lord Nitrix:
- Nobles:
- Units: , Colonial Rangers
- Jumpships:
- Specials:
] |
Punah
- Type: Pleasure world
- Benefits: Amazonians
- Income: $5
- Owner: Countess Kadesh
| [Private to Countess Kadesh:
- Nobles: , Sir Willem Kalgari, Irulan Kadesh, High Priest Harrion Kadesh
- Units: , Robot Death Machines, Robot Death Machines, Robot Death Machines, Robot Death Machines
- Jumpships: , Matilda of Canossa, Zealous, Julius II
- Specials:
] |
Quayat
- Type: Desert world
- Benefits: Desert warriors
- Income: $1
- Owner: Countess Kadesh
| [Private to Countess Kadesh:
- Nobles:
- Units: , Pilgrim Troupe
- Jumpships:
- Specials:
] |
Sanctuary
- Type: Ice world
- Benefits: Recruit noble
- Income: $6
- Owner: Duke Lortran
| [Private to Duke Lortran:
- Nobles: , Count Hubert Donovan, Baron Marcos
- Units: , Discordian Heretics, Psychic veterans, Psychic veterans, Discordian Heretics, Discordian Heretics
- Jumpships: , Pride, Royal Oak, Resilience, Guild Fluyt, Golden Hind
- Specials:
] |
Sedeen
- Type: Hive world
- Benefits: Imperial conscripts
- Income: $-22
- Owner:
| [Private to :
- Nobles:
- Units: , Pirates, Pirates, Pirates, Nuclear Arsenal, House Troops
- Jumpships: , Harbinger, Devastation, Doombringer
- Specials:
] |
Scorch
- Type: Volcanic world
- Benefits: Lava projectors & Nukes
- Income: $1
- Owner: Countess Kadesh
| [Private to Countess Kadesh:
- Nobles:
- Units: , Lava Projectors, Nuclear Arsenal, Pilgrim Troupe, Pilgrim Troupe, Pilgrim Troupe(ME), Pilgrim Troupe
- Jumpships:
- Specials:
] |
Yoravar
- Type: Shipyard
- Benefits: Jumpships (cost 4)
- Income: $7
- Owner: Lord Nitrix
| [Private to Lord Nitrix:
- Nobles:
- Units: , Nuclear Arsenal, House Troops, House Troops
- Jumpships:
- Specials:
] |
The Imperial advisor reports:
Kadesh:
1. Mercenary Guild
4 Mercenaries
2. Sisteria
+1 to psychic attack rolls
3. Brotherhood of Machines
Pay cost of unit again to have it gain +1 AD, once
4. Stellar Pilgrims
3 Pilgrim Troupes & Random event roll +1d6
5. Imperial Aristocracy
Noble Action or Recruit Noble
Gurati:
6. 5th Sector Rebels
3 Rebels & Sabotage
7. Church of Mankind
Diplomacy & 2 Church Inquisitors
8. Black Market
2 Nuclear Arsenals & Income
9. Imperial Secret Police
2 Imperial Death Squads & Assassination
11. Arms Dealers
1 Solat per 10 units in the game
Nitrix:
12. Surgeons of Silex
Recruit Noble & Income
13. Rimspace Pirates
2 Pirates
14. Colonial Council
1 Colonial Ranger & Diplomacy
Lortran:
15. Discordian Heretics
4 Heretics
16. Imperial War Academy
All Imperial units function at +1 AD
17. Mercantile Consortium
Income actions raise Solats by +2 instead +1
18. Imperial Navy
3 Jumpships
19. Spacing Guild
2 Jumpships & 1 Solat per 10 jumpships in game
20. Imperial Bureaucracy
Strategic Planning
10. Imperial Army
3 Imperial Shock Troops