Post by ashimbabbar on Aug 3, 2023 23:49:40 GMT
dusting up what I had posted long ago in a forum far away
At first sight it seemed a pretty good idea, especially as I envisioned games in pretty neat terrain.
Looking more closely, it has a busload of drawbacks, namely it seriously narrows the opportunities offered by HOTT.
TERRAIN
. No rivers, lakes or sea anymore.
. No roads anymore.
. Bad Going is restricted to the categories that also impede shooting, namely algæ forests, labyrinths of corals or of rock, wrecks, merfolk villages…
STANDS
. No Water Lurkers anymore.
. It becomes pretty hard to justify rating stands as Ærials.
My conclusion is, if one wants to play Undersea Hott, one has to introduce special features that compensate for those losses.
So far I have thought of two. I would welcome your opinion on those as well as any suggestions…
SEA CURRENTS
Sea Currents are straight or diagonal bands 300p wide, that go from one edge of the battlefield to the other. They have a direction which could be indicated by an arrow.
. A stand that crosses a sea current in one bound exits it 100p in the current’s direction from the point it would normally have exited.
. A stand that stops within a sea current is carried 100p in the current’s direction in the beginning of the next bound. If it crosses then, same as above. If it does not move, it can be carried away from the battlefield, then it counts as if it had recoiled.
. A stand may use its whole movement to turn while it’s within a sea current. It can move againt the current with its movement halved ; it can move with the current with a bonus of 100p.
. I suppose a current should give a malus of 1 to range attacks.
SCHOOLS OF FISHES
Schools of fishes basically are mobile Bad Going. Every bound they move 200p in a random direction. If they exit the battlefield another school appears at the opposite point. They are subject to Sea Currents.
I have considered adding vortexes but what I came up with was horrendously complex and not really interesting.
Looking more closely, it has a busload of drawbacks, namely it seriously narrows the opportunities offered by HOTT.
TERRAIN
. No rivers, lakes or sea anymore.
. No roads anymore.
. Bad Going is restricted to the categories that also impede shooting, namely algæ forests, labyrinths of corals or of rock, wrecks, merfolk villages…
STANDS
. No Water Lurkers anymore.
. It becomes pretty hard to justify rating stands as Ærials.
My conclusion is, if one wants to play Undersea Hott, one has to introduce special features that compensate for those losses.
So far I have thought of two. I would welcome your opinion on those as well as any suggestions…
SEA CURRENTS
Sea Currents are straight or diagonal bands 300p wide, that go from one edge of the battlefield to the other. They have a direction which could be indicated by an arrow.
. A stand that crosses a sea current in one bound exits it 100p in the current’s direction from the point it would normally have exited.
. A stand that stops within a sea current is carried 100p in the current’s direction in the beginning of the next bound. If it crosses then, same as above. If it does not move, it can be carried away from the battlefield, then it counts as if it had recoiled.
. A stand may use its whole movement to turn while it’s within a sea current. It can move againt the current with its movement halved ; it can move with the current with a bonus of 100p.
. I suppose a current should give a malus of 1 to range attacks.
SCHOOLS OF FISHES
Schools of fishes basically are mobile Bad Going. Every bound they move 200p in a random direction. If they exit the battlefield another school appears at the opposite point. They are subject to Sea Currents.
I have considered adding vortexes but what I came up with was horrendously complex and not really interesting.
As to the armies that would fight in those environments - which after all is the main point - they would be of two types: native life-forms and outsiders with technological ( or magical ) means to overcome the surface dwellers deepwater disabilities
As examples here are 3 paired lists I managed to work out, two of them 24 and one 2x24
LES PETITS HOMMES – LE PEUPLE DES ABYSSES
Les Petits Hommes ( the Little Men ) is a mediocre French comic but it includes a pretty cool idea for an undersea battle. I must warn in advance that I got rid of the comic years ago, what follows is developped from what I remember.
Said Little Men are inhabitants of a French town that got shrunk to about 2,5cm when a meteorite fell on them in the 70s. Not wanting to become lab rats, they’ve settled in a network of caves where they’ve built a rather high-tech lifestyle ( such as you could conceive in the late 70s-early 80s ), thanks to their resident shrunken scientist professor Hondegger.
In this issue they’ve been coerced by other shrunken humans – the remainder of Atlantis, who live in an undersea bubble city and have a distinctly Mayan look – into fighting their equally small Mermen enemies ( although quite advanced in their own way, the Atlanteans’ religion forbids them to make war ). Actually it turns out the Merlittlemen have a point ( which the Atlanteans carefully abstained to mention ) and peace will be made after a battle.
. The Little Men’s force is of individual vehicles that look rather like a plane’s cockpit where the pilot has to lay on his belly, propelled by water-jets at the rear that can be reoriented or reversed, and armed with paralyzing rays.
. The Mermen have managed to steal one individual paralyzing ray and copy it thanks to the Atlanteans’ free-access matter duplicators so part of their army will be equipped with them. They look like humans with scaly chest and limbs, and white hair; they have big white eyes, otherwise their faces are quite human.
My reason for rating them as Wb is I see them as elite detachments in skirmish formation, and those without advanced weapons would bulk out.
THE LITTLE MEN
. Hero General : Renaud, the series’ hero.
. 1 God : professor Hondegger insisted on taking part. His piloting skills are erratic to say the least but dumb luck makes it surprisingly efficient, also he took care to make himself immune to the paralysis ray.
. 8 Riders
STRONGHOLD : entry to Atlantis
X
THE MERLITTLEMEN
. Warband General : the leader and guards
. 3 Warbands : more mermen with paralysis rays
. 3 Hordes : mermen with tridents and other weapons
. 1 Lurker : ambush of mermen with huge net
. 3 Behemoths : squids, fishes etc with handlers
STRONGHOLD : entry to their own grottoes
Les Petits Hommes ( the Little Men ) is a mediocre French comic but it includes a pretty cool idea for an undersea battle. I must warn in advance that I got rid of the comic years ago, what follows is developped from what I remember.
Said Little Men are inhabitants of a French town that got shrunk to about 2,5cm when a meteorite fell on them in the 70s. Not wanting to become lab rats, they’ve settled in a network of caves where they’ve built a rather high-tech lifestyle ( such as you could conceive in the late 70s-early 80s ), thanks to their resident shrunken scientist professor Hondegger.
In this issue they’ve been coerced by other shrunken humans – the remainder of Atlantis, who live in an undersea bubble city and have a distinctly Mayan look – into fighting their equally small Mermen enemies ( although quite advanced in their own way, the Atlanteans’ religion forbids them to make war ). Actually it turns out the Merlittlemen have a point ( which the Atlanteans carefully abstained to mention ) and peace will be made after a battle.
. The Little Men’s force is of individual vehicles that look rather like a plane’s cockpit where the pilot has to lay on his belly, propelled by water-jets at the rear that can be reoriented or reversed, and armed with paralyzing rays.
. The Mermen have managed to steal one individual paralyzing ray and copy it thanks to the Atlanteans’ free-access matter duplicators so part of their army will be equipped with them. They look like humans with scaly chest and limbs, and white hair; they have big white eyes, otherwise their faces are quite human.
My reason for rating them as Wb is I see them as elite detachments in skirmish formation, and those without advanced weapons would bulk out.
THE LITTLE MEN
. Hero General : Renaud, the series’ hero.
. 1 God : professor Hondegger insisted on taking part. His piloting skills are erratic to say the least but dumb luck makes it surprisingly efficient, also he took care to make himself immune to the paralysis ray.
. 8 Riders
STRONGHOLD : entry to Atlantis
X
THE MERLITTLEMEN
. Warband General : the leader and guards
. 3 Warbands : more mermen with paralysis rays
. 3 Hordes : mermen with tridents and other weapons
. 1 Lurker : ambush of mermen with huge net
. 3 Behemoths : squids, fishes etc with handlers
STRONGHOLD : entry to their own grottoes
ATLANTIS CHRONICLES
Issues 4 and 5
A schism between the Atlantean king Orin ( who trusts science ) and his high priest and brother Shalako ( who trusts the gods) led to Shalako’s party leaving Atlantis and founding Tritonia a short time before the deluge makes of both underwater cities.
There is a sad process of degeneracy in the Tritonian leaders. Shalako, although a fanatic who sacrificed his wife to the forces of Darkness, was loyal to his brother and always acted for what he thought was the greater good. His son Dardanus was no doubt traumatized by witnessing the sacrifice, so we can understand his causing his father’s death ( Shalako’s dying curse turned all Tritonians scaly except him because reasons ); that however is no excuse for raping princess Cora of Atlantis. As far as we can tell, in this battle he leads from the farthest rear too. As to Kordax, the issue of that rape – a scaly Tritonian with a shock of blond hair – he is a vicious brute more at home with sea-monsters than with people.
The Tritonians’ Warband rating reflects both their greater mobility in water, cruder weaponry and lesser discipline
POSEIDONIANS
. Blade General : Warlord Bazil
. 5 Blades
. 3 Shooters : with laser guns
. 3 Knights=small vessels with laser guns
X
TRITONIANS
. Behemoth General : Kordax riding a sea-behemoth
. 10 Warbands : Tritonians
Issues 4 and 5
A schism between the Atlantean king Orin ( who trusts science ) and his high priest and brother Shalako ( who trusts the gods) led to Shalako’s party leaving Atlantis and founding Tritonia a short time before the deluge makes of both underwater cities.
There is a sad process of degeneracy in the Tritonian leaders. Shalako, although a fanatic who sacrificed his wife to the forces of Darkness, was loyal to his brother and always acted for what he thought was the greater good. His son Dardanus was no doubt traumatized by witnessing the sacrifice, so we can understand his causing his father’s death ( Shalako’s dying curse turned all Tritonians scaly except him because reasons ); that however is no excuse for raping princess Cora of Atlantis. As far as we can tell, in this battle he leads from the farthest rear too. As to Kordax, the issue of that rape – a scaly Tritonian with a shock of blond hair – he is a vicious brute more at home with sea-monsters than with people.
The Tritonians’ Warband rating reflects both their greater mobility in water, cruder weaponry and lesser discipline
POSEIDONIANS
. Blade General : Warlord Bazil
. 5 Blades
. 3 Shooters : with laser guns
. 3 Knights=small vessels with laser guns
X
TRITONIANS
. Behemoth General : Kordax riding a sea-behemoth
. 10 Warbands : Tritonians
Now the 2x24. I intensely dislike the Dragonlance scenarios and novels, still they do furnish an undersea battle with some potential
BATTLE FOR THE SUNKEN CITY OF ISTAR in DL12 Dragons of Faith
GOOD GUYS
• Magician General OC : Apoletta (sea-elf fighter-wizard)+Zebulah (ageing human wizard, her lover)
. 4 Blades : mermen and sea-elves with hooked nets and tridents.
. 3 Shooters : big globelike fishes that shoot darts
. 1 Beast : dolphins
. 1 Dragon : elite sea-elven rangers riding giant sea-slugs. Seriously.
• Hero General : the Heroes of the Lance at the moment except Raistlin
. 1 Magician : Raistlin
. 2 Knights : sea elves with lances riding seahorses
. 2 Riders : sea elves with bows riding seahorses
. 2 Artilleries : harpoon launchers on chariots with stabilizer fins drawn by hippocampi, with sea elf crew
. 1 Beast : swordfishes
• Magician General OC : Apoletta (sea-elf fighter-wizard)+Zebulah (ageing human wizard, her lover)
. 4 Blades : mermen and sea-elves with hooked nets and tridents.
. 3 Shooters : big globelike fishes that shoot darts
. 1 Beast : dolphins
. 1 Dragon : elite sea-elven rangers riding giant sea-slugs. Seriously.
• Hero General : the Heroes of the Lance at the moment except Raistlin
. 1 Magician : Raistlin
. 2 Knights : sea elves with lances riding seahorses
. 2 Riders : sea elves with bows riding seahorses
. 2 Artilleries : harpoon launchers on chariots with stabilizer fins drawn by hippocampi, with sea elf crew
. 1 Beast : swordfishes
STRONGHOLD: ruins of temple
BAD GUYS
• Behemoth General OC : the draconian Gildentongue on the Turtle Dragon Darktide, impersonating Dragon Lord Kitiara. It's complicated.
. 2 Behemoths : Sea dragons
• Behemoth General OC : the draconian Gildentongue on the Turtle Dragon Darktide, impersonating Dragon Lord Kitiara. It's complicated.
. 2 Behemoths : Sea dragons
. 4 Beasts: 3 stands of sea serpents, 1 of barracudas
. 2 Riders: manta rays
• Hero General OC: the King of the Deep, a huge fish with a crab's pincers and tentacles and whatnot, malevolently intelligent. Based as a Behemoth.
. 1 Hero: the King's goons: a spirit naga + 1 spectre
. 6 Warbands: sea ghouls
. 4 Hordes : sea hobgoblins ( the King of the Deep can bring them back as zombies )
STRONGHOLD: caves of the King ( in the Battlesystem scenario he was near-unkillable except somebody navigated the danger of its cave to action the equivalent of a destruction switch )
).