Welcome to Gaia! ::

((GM Edit - as usual, first comes the War Room, then starts the real session as soon as my first post))

”Git thar fustest with the mostest.”

-Confederate General Nathan Bradford, on winning battles.

“There is no greater joy than to be shot at without effect.”

-Winston S. Churchill

((Yeah, so I am late with this. So sue me.))

The Analysis


The Blues:

Cheshire: With her speed, can be hugely disruptive to enemy plans and formation. She can also wage a highly effective hit-and-run campaign, whittling down the enemy’s numbers without exposing herself to much in the way of counterattack.

Johan: Not having the ability to affect a large number or enemies in a short time span, Johan is better off playing defense, repairing whatever damage the bastards may get lucky enough to inflict.

Matty: Heavy combat? Bring it! Indestructible, and with the massive area I can cover with my shockwave (a 2,750-foot long cone), I can take out a lot of enemies if we line them up right. We need to have good coordination, however-I would hate to take any friendlies out too. Tip: do not stand in front of me. Please.

Mercy: Also able to hit multiple enemies in a short time span, and her teleportation makes her the prime candidate for ‘assassination’ of officers, mages, or other VIPs if we can identify them.

The Reds:

Hobgoblins: If they are close in ability to those orcs, then they will drop like flies. Still, anything is dangerous if you can assemble enough of them in the same place-but bunching up that way leaves them vulnerable to area attacks. I would not be surprised if a shaman or two or something else that poses a little more resistance existed-we might need Mercy to get at these individuals.

The Objective:

I feel I must emphasize the objective is to get through to the portal-the hobgoblins are of interest only because they get in the way. If we need to go through them by wiping them out to the, uh, hobgoblin, then so be it. But, if we can break and scatter them, without having to waste them all, so much the better. Better yet if we can bluff or threaten our way through without any bloodshed at all. Remember-lucky hits only occur if hits are being exchanged-and anybody can get lucky.

((And remember the wise counsel of Sun-Tzu-‘It is best to win without fighting.’))


The Plan

According to this stupid map here, *waves map* there are no good choke points we can use to make this easier-so that nixes plan zero right in the bud. So we have to be a tad more creative.

Plan ‘A’

Plan A is to hit them and wipe them all out in a short span of time. This is going to require good reconnaissance, almost certainly provided by either Cheshire or Mercy.

Anyway, assuming we can find where the hobgoblins camp or village or whatever is, then we can either bypass it if we are lucky, or else take the offense and wipe them all out in a short span of time. A 2,750-foot long cone is likely to cover most any reasonably-sized village, and whatever is left standing should be A) more likely to be on the lookout for his own hide, and B) easy pickings.

((Staples

That was easy))


Plan ‘B’

Plan B is a trap. We have had great luck with those in the last couple of days, so why not?

We find a position that gives us a clear line of fire, and then Johan and I hunker down there and wait while Mercy and Cheshire lure the enemy towards our spot. Although the damage the girls can inflict to the enemy is not going to be inconsiderable, the carnage we can wreak from a prepared position can be devastating. We can use Cheshire’s bombs to set up a minefield, or maybe trigger a landslide that buries them all. Then there is Johan sniping, and my half-mile long shockwaves, plus some other evil you guys can probably come up with, and we can arrange for the hobgoblins to have a pretty crappy day all around. twisted


Plan ‘C’

Plan C presupposes a lot, but if we get a chance to use it, we might be able to cow the hobgoblins into not being willing to fight us at all. It does rely on a lot of things to go right, but it can buy our way without much bloodshed if it works.

The scam works like this: if they talk to us first (say, to demand a toll for passage) instead of attacking on sight, we challenge them to a battle of champions (gee, wonder which one of us that is going to be? wink ), one-on-one, unarmed. To pull this off to maximum effect, I might have to borrow some of Cheshire’s throwing daggers, then ask her to ‘Hold on to them for me. I will not be long.’ (The trick is to make it look like we are giving something up, even if we are not. Perception is more important than truth-just ask your local politician. smile ). The wager is our free passage versus, well, we can offer them whatever they want. It is only going to be an issue if we lose, which is not in the plan anywhere.

After the hobgoblin champion gets his a** beaten in as graphic a fashion as possible, the rest should not be eager to get their dose of the same. Or, they might become enraged and attack. I never said this one was not without risk.




OK, stick a fork in me, I am done.

((Your AoE is, but mine is not-and it is also rather hard to aim precisely at that size.))


"Unfortunately, no, not really-communication is a two-way street. An impromptu challenge may be possible, but I would not really count on it. Remember, this relies on being able to speak with them."

((EDIT: Oh, that makes more sense.))

"Nope."

*Sighs.*

"Like I said, Plan C is far from a guarantee. I personally am not counting on it, much as I would like to."

*Smacks forehead and mutters.*

"Stupid!"

"Um, I guess we give anything that asks questions first and shoots later the benefit of the doubt."

"As for the plan, as long as you and Mercy can keep them chasing you, which should not be too hard once you start attacking them, you ought to be able to lead them wherever we need them to be."

After traveling for some time, the sound of combat can be heard faintly up ahead. By the time the group reaches the scene, the combat is already over. The remains of a half-dozen creatures that look very similar to orcs, but with orange skin, lay on the ground, each bearing heavy wounds that look like bites and scratches from an enourmous creature. Instead of such a creature, however, a human-sized woman stands among the bodies, looking up at you. She currently has many of the features of a racoon - a light coat of distinctly-colored fur, small ears, snout, and tail, as well as a slight alteration to her hands. She looks quite like you'd imagine a lycanthrope, though you've probably never imagined one that was a female racoon. She smiles at you brightly.

*nods slowly*

"And you're the adventurers from the other world?"

"Well, I would not say adventurers, but we are from the other world. My name is Matty. How do you do?"

*seems a little shy and unsure of herself, but smiles nonetheless*

"It's good to meet you, Matty. I am well. This small scouting party posed no real threat, but there are many more hobgoblins than this up in the encampment. And they're not even the real enemy, according to the Queen."