Insert Suitably Witty Campaign Name Here

Campaign Diaries & After Action Reports (AARs)
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murtalianconfederacy
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Re: Insert Suitably Witty Campaign Name Here

Post by murtalianconfederacy »

An update will be forthcoming tomorrow (just having to generate two NPEs atm)
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Re: Insert Suitably Witty Campaign Name Here

Post by Emiricol »

Looking forward to it ;) I'm enjoying following along.
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Re: Insert Suitably Witty Campaign Name Here

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What happened in your AtR campaign, if I may ask? How much damage did the Salik do?
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Re: Insert Suitably Witty Campaign Name Here

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Okay, update on Tuesday. Had a bit of trouble generating the NPEs, but hopefully should be done on Tuesday... :roll:
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Re: Insert Suitably Witty Campaign Name Here

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murtalianconfederacy wrote:What happened in your AtR campaign, if I may ask? How much damage did the Salik do?
The timing rolls really saved the UEA's bacon. The Salik, with greatly stretched supply lines using a chain of supply vessels, sent one of their invasion fleets into Struvan territory and destroyed both Struvan battle fleets convincingly, but because of unusual dice rolls all around, suffered enough damage that it felt prudent to retreat and regroup rather than try to stay in-system.

Meanwhile, just after the Salik fleet jumped out to Struvan territory, the bulk of UEA space assets jumped into the staging point system, and was able to engage the Salik fleets left behind before having to deal with the returning Salik fleet from Struvan territory. Divide and conquer.

The end result: Struvan navy destroyed (but they had JUST successfully prototyped a local-system-only design that could be mass produced quickly). Salik attacking navy destroyed, but the empire safe behind a chain of 3 empty systems leading to a big colony with defenses and shipyards. Half the UEA navy wrecked to the point that it was better to split the remaining crews among their other defensive fleet to get it up to regular (instead of green) rather than try to rebuild 1st Fleet yet. Ultimately a zero-sum exchange that left nothing settled and everyone howling for revenge.

It did show me what I consider an undesirable element of the game, which is the "keep throwing everything into the meatgrinder at once" syndrome. I don't like the feel of having three powers throw the bulk of their military assets at once.

Between a resulting decision that I needed to find or create rules for more limited engagements, which I have not yet done, and the supposed upcoming release of 2E, I shelved the campaign and will start a new campaign when 2E comes out. It was a *really fun* campaign until then though, and I learned a lot. I have a few new tweaks I'm likely to try, and several that I was using that didn't add much to the game while adding complexity, which I'll toss out for the next campaign.
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Re: Insert Suitably Witty Campaign Name Here

Post by murtalianconfederacy »

Ah, okay. I thought you might have gone a few more turns further than that, as I knew that already...

This universe has gotten a bit more crowded, since the last update. Four NPEs have been generated, two in about 3003.05, and the two I'm generating now in 3003.10. A total of one INT-3, two INT-2 and one INT-1
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Re: Insert Suitably Witty Campaign Name Here

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3003.03 continued

The raid on the NHR trade fleet was beaten off by the trio of Basilissa Olgas, which defeated the lone Sloop and the pair of pinnaces easily.

The raid at New Jylland was also defeated fairly easily, the NWA's strategy of assigning a pair of Wurzels and a quartet of Lundys to each trade fleet paying off when the two Dromons and 16 Darts were destroyed in two rounds of combat.

3003.04

The NWA forms its third light fleet at New Exmoor.

The RU realises it has yet to scrap the FR trade fleet and does so, and constructs three Ravia-Paqs to perform escort duty.

The NHR, in the same vein, constructs a pair of Georgios Averoffs, mainly to support the Basilissa Olgas that fought off the raid last month.

No raids took place, and the exploration squadrons failed in their exploration checks. The diplomatic corps of all five powers had a holiday.

3003.05

The NWA exploration squadron operating out of New Dartmoor discovered a new system, a minor colony (#47). However, this news is overshadowed by the encounter out of Wessex-Agreatul, when they make a jump into a system and discover a communications buoy belonging to the Balasian Technocracy. Relations are friendly, and both sides enter into a state of normal relations. The Balasians have encountered an INT-1 power known as the Mujlarin Federation, but they are on the far side of the Technocracy. The BT and MF are in a Partnership with each other.

Apart from this, no other newsworthy stories occur.

3003.06

Barely one month after a new species is encountered, the Ravian Union and Balasian Technocracy both discover, at the same time, an IND-3 power, the Djosta Republic. Luckily, all three sides are friendly, and normal relations are entered into.

The NWA squadron that discovered the minor colony last month decides that second place is fair enough as they discover another link into Balasian territory, this time finding themselves in the Takra system, the third system in the Technocracy.

The NHR offers the NCR a peace treaty, which is accepted.

The NWA decides to test the water and offer the BT a NAP, trade and peace treaty, which are all accepted (auto-acception of the NAP, which triggered a house rule that if a treaty is automatically accepted (i.e., the acceptance chance is over 100%), then the next level of treaty is rolled on)

Two flights of Pinnaces attack New Asia. The OA handily defeats this 'raid'

(CM Note: I didn't bother to resolve it, to be entirely honest. Unless the Pinnaces got incredibly lucky and had a Superb modifier, the OA a Disastrous modifier and the minimum possible battle length, they would still, likely, have been destroyed)

3003.07

The NWA decides to embark on a new colonisation attempt, this time system #37. A normal colony fleet (without Census) is constructed at New Exmoor, and the Census is loaded onboard. Three transport fleets move to Agreatul, New Wessex and New Dartmoor to embark three Census. On the defensive side of the equation, a trio of Wellingtons is constructed.

No exploration squadrons succeed in their checks.

The NCR offers the NHR an MDT, which is accepted.

The NHR, meanwhile, petitions the NWA for formal membership. After a lengthy debate, the petition is accepted and the NHR becomes part of the NWA.

(CM Note: As usual, I checked both ways, and both sides passed)

The NHR fleet elements will be left as they are, with the exception of trade and transport fleet escorts, which will be brought up to NWA standards.

3003.08

The NWA moves all of its civilian fleets, plus one light fleet and the new defence squadron, into New Lundy, ready to move to #37 next month.

The NWA scraps the pair of Georgios Averoff cruisers constructed in 3003.04, and constructs two Wurzels and four Lundys. It leaves the three Basilissa Olgas intact until the raft of new construction begins in two months.

The BT offers the DR a NAP, which is auto-accepted, and a PT/TT, which are both accepted. The BT also offers the RU a NAP, which is accepted.

The RU explores the last jump lane out of Ravia, finding a minor colony system.

The MF exploration squadron narrowly escapes a small hyperspace storm. (scout force in peril, rolled a 8 to pass the SCIP check)

3003.09

The NWA begins colonisation of New Alliance (the new name for #37), moving in the colony fleet and one transport fleet. The NWA also purchases 2 points of productivity at New Alliance.

Another small raid occurs, this time in New Lundy, where the escorts fight off the lone Sloop.

The NWA, following in the NHR's footsteps, offers the NCR an Alliance, which is accepted.

The NWA exploration squadron operating from #47 finds a new jump route to New Denmark.

3003.10

The NWA is busy this month. The completion of the colony of New Alliance occurs, and scraps the colony fleet. Base and shipyard building kicks off, with a shipyard being built at New Wessex, New Exmoor and New Dartmoor, and 3 Silurias built at Agreatul, Hellas, New Quantock and New Denmark. The NWA also constructs another pair of Wurzels and four Lundys, but scraps the 3 Basilissa Olgas that were in service protecting the NHR transport fleet.

A routine audit of some NHR citizens discovers that one, a prominent businessman, had been involved in serious fraud and other shady business practices. The Crown Courts successfully prosecuted him and his assets have been sold off to pay back those who were affected by him. Unfortunately, it seemed that he had avoided detection for so long because he paid half of the maintenance costs of two groups of Vasilefs Georgios torpedo boats. The NWA now has to find the funds to keep them in operation...

(CM Note: I screwed up the NHR generation process. When I calc'd the maintenance, for some reason I only costed the twelve VGs at 1/12, instead at 1/6 (thus gifting the NHR an extra EP a turn for 42 turns!). I'd discovered this when the NWA coffers would not have been able to take the hit, and there have been a couple of occasions when the NHR went to 0EP. I thus decided to play CM and handwave the problem away for the previous turns, but would pay the proper maintenance from this point forth. What really surprises me, though, is that when the NHR built another 12 VGs, I raised the maintenance by the proper amount. It was only when generating the Murtalians that the issue came up, and I went back and found this)

The former NHR exploration squadron encounters an INT-3 power, the Murtalian Confederacy. The first contact goes well and both enter into normal relations. The Murtalian Confederacy has encountered one other NPE, an INT-2 power called the Valaxon Hegemony. Despite a reasonable relationship, both sides had only entered into a NAP due to the high XE stat of the VH

The RU discovers a colony system, while the BT exploration squadron discovers a minor colony system.

3003.11

The NWA exploration squadron operating out of Wessex-Agreatul finds another jump route into New Exmoor.

The VH discovers a jump route into the system connecting New Hellas and New Cyprus. The NWA and VH, however, do not get on very well and hostilities are declared on both sides.

Because of this development, the VH loses its cool at the MC when the latter offers a NAP, peace treaty and trade treaty to the NWA. The VH breaks its NAP with the MC.

In other diplomatic news, the MF offers the BT a research treaty, which is accepted (the MF would have offered Unification, but their own acceptance chance is -4%)

The RU offers the BT a peace treaty which is also accepted, and the DR offers the RU a NAP which is accepted.

Two raids occur, one consisting of a Battlewagon, a Brigantine and four Darts at Ravia against the main fleet, and another consisting of one Barque and two Sloops against the Garrison squadron at Valax Delta (a Valax Mugnar, two Valax Mognars, four Valax Megnars and the six Valax Mignars the Valax Mugnar carried)

3003.12

The exploration squadron in New Dartmoor discovers a jump route into New Camelot.

The exploration squadron in New Hellas discovers a jump route into Servalki.

The NWA invests almost its entire treasury into technology, deciding to attempt research into jamming technology and scout advances.

The NWA 1st Fleet moves into New Hellas, and its light fleet operating out of New Quantock moves to #18 (the system that the VH exploration squadron discovered the month before)

The VH 1st Fleet moves to Valax Beta, ready to meet the NWA fleet in battle.

The OA fails a declaration of hostilities against the NWA as the result of a natural '50' roll.

The VH suffers another political disaster against the MC because of the MC deciding to offer the NWA a MDT. It enters into hostilities, and a failed hostilities check pushes the VH into declaring war on the MC, which is notified of the change in relations. The VH and NWA both succeed in a declaration of war, and both sides make the declaration public.

End of year 3003

New Wessex, New Dartmoor, New Hellas, Agreatul, Ravia, Alvenhai, Balasia, Djosta, Murtalia, Torkhan and Valaxon pass their population checks. Morale rises at Wessex, Novi Agreatul, Jylland, Ravia, Wessex-Agreatul, Thi, Takra, Mujlari, Talonar and Valaxon, but falls at New Asia, Valax Delta and Valax Beta.

The MC stock markets improve after optimistic economic growth projections (+25% to turn income). The NWA and MF also improve, but not as much (+15% to turn income).

Solar flare activity at Balasia reduces allowing habitation of the first planet in the system (+1 Capacity)

A mass exodus of New Asia occurs, two Census moving to New Lundy. The refugees report growing disaffection in New Asia.

The NWA passes its tech checks, researching ECM and a scout advance.
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Re: Insert Suitably Witty Campaign Name Here

Post by murtalianconfederacy »

Campaign has ended. I'll update on Saturday as to what happened, but boredom conspired with some new ideas for campaigns to kill this campaign.
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