Konya wa Hurricane Alliance Turn 11

by on September 29, 2017 at 12:00 pm
Posted In: Konya wa Hurricane

Thanks to taking out a number of Federation planets on my turn, the overall Alliance economy was down 30 EP. 17 points of the Kzinti budget were stuck in the Barony (the Federation had been forced to deliver them there instead of to the capital last turn), which were used for repairs and building a FKE. The Kzinti subbed two FFs for a CL, but had to cancel their BC. The Federation built their full schedule, started upgrading a MB to BATS at Earth, and converted some ships to escorts, but built no new carriers.

Builds:
Federation: DN+, 2xCA, 11xNCL, LTT, 12xFF, MB->BATS(F), 2xDD->DE, 2xFF->FFE
Kzinti: CV, LTT, 2xMEC, FFK, FKE, 6xFF
Hydran: KN, HN, 2xHR->NEC

The Hydrans raided two province garrisons this turn, forcing a crippled F5L to retreat, and killing an E4, eliminating Long-Term Capture in another province. The last E4 that began as a garrison in the area has to be getting nervous…. The Kzinti re-raided province 0701, killing a FF, and crippling a DW, while the other DNL picked off an E4 in 2101, also disrupting two NZ hexes. A Fed DNL hit an F5 (with a second reacting in), which retreated intact, the other DNL forced a SN and K4 to retreat, and the CF picked off a SN. In no case were Coalition ships able to even make a raider retreat (the use of DNLs, often with PTs, is just murder, even on the larger garrison ships).

Movement started with the bulk of the Kzinti navy moving out not only to re-take 1802, but hitting Klingon task forces at the edge of Federation space in 2003 and 2005. Most things couldn’t react, but the Lyran garrison on 1502 blocked a little of it. Further moves in Federation space showed that there was a broad advance against Klingon positions underway. I had expected him to toss me off both planets in the 4th Fleet zone, but he only hit one, with most of the 4th Fleet moving to hit 1807 with the combined Klingon BATS + Lyran MB. The 3rd Fleet moved to hit NZ planet 1910, with further ships hitting the two BATS nearby and a good force to  major planet 1611.

On the Romulan side, the 2nd and 5th Fleets moved to take back 3706, but nothing else happened other than moving some cripples back towards the capital, and repositioning some POLs. Hydran space saw no Operational activity whatsoever.


Activity in eastern Kzinti space.


Hitting me where it hurts.


One strike on the Romulan front….

As can be expected, all this struck into the areas without great reserve coverage, though a Lyran reserve was pinned in 1807, and a Klingon one in 1910. The only ones available to respond were a Lyran reserve, which went to aid the pinning fight in 1601, and a Klingon reserve, which went to aid the defense of 1910.

Battles:
1809: Retreat after refused approach.
1810: SSC: Federation: crip FF
1811: Klingon: dest BATS; Federation: crip FF
2111: SSC: Klingon: dest F5L
2209: SSC: Klingon: dest E4
2408: Klingon: dest F5; Federation: crip FF
2007: SSC: Klingon: dest F5
1802: Klingon: dest E4
1502: Kzinti: dest FF
2409: Klingon: dest F5; Federation: crip FF
1611: Klingon: dest MON, 4xPDU; Federation: dest DE, capture planet
2210: SSC: Klingon retreat
1910: Klingon: dest D5, F5L, 3xF5, FRD, crip D5, MD5, 2xF5; Federation: dest CC, SC, crip FF, planet captured
2106: Klingon: dest F5, F5J, E4A, crip F5, F5G, E4R; Federation: dest EFF, crip NCT, DD, 2xDE, CFF
2003: Klingon: crip D5, F5; Kzinti: crip MEC, CLE
2005: Klingon: crip D5, 2xF5; Kzinti: dest FKE
1807: Lyran: dest MB; Federation: dest NCL
1601: Lyran: crip 2xCW, 2xDW; Kzinti: dest SDF, crip SDF
3706: Romulan: dest FAL, SKE, 2xSNB, K4, crip 2xK7R, SP, SK; Federation: dest CC, LSC, crip CA, CF, 6xFF

BATS 1809 had reacted out its fighters to pin a FF in 1810, so even though he only had three ships, the 9 fighter factors he had suggested to me that he’d try to at least damage the station, but instead he retreated out and into the big battle for 1910. Meanwhile, the fighter squadron managed to cripple, but couldn’t quite kill the FF. The other border BATS in 1811 faced a similar force, but with 2xFF instead of 1xCL, and this time he went in to take it out, and good rolls (4-1 and 6-1) let him take it for minimal damage.

Three good carriers was way more than a major planet’s defenses could take, though a 1-3 split at least allowed me take out a DE, and a FFE stayed behind as a garrison in retrograde, meaning there’s a CVS without escorts for the moment.

Byron tied one of the garrison F5s up with a fighter squadron strike from the 3rd Fleet SB, and after I reacted other ships in, supported the fighters with a LAV. With both sides near the top end of SSC totals, neither side hurt the other, and I retreated out, since I’d have to chew through the fighter squadrons before getting to do any real damage.

My main hope was to hold onto the forward base of NZ planet 1910, but even with two reserves present, I just couldn’t match the force Byron put into the hex (aided by a two-ship differential in the lines thanks to having an ADM, and me not having better than a D7C). The second round went decently, but I just couldn’t match the damage he was doing.

On the other hand, we were very evenly matched over 2106, and the first couple rounds were pretty even damage at low BIR, despite the Klingons being at a EW disadvantage again, but by round three, the Federation force was out of fighters, and was out-rolled. In 2005, the forces were nearly even, except for the Kzinti CV groups backed by carrier tug refills. A lucky roll got nearly even damage on each side, and I retreated. Byron failed pursuit, but considering my decent line, I think he would have paid for killing a couple F5s. Unfortunately, the battles in this region left my forward forces out of supply, and if I’d paid greater attention, I could have avoided that.

With the main portion of the 4th Fleet in 1807, I expected Byron to take out both the Klingon BATS and the Lyran MB in the hex. I didn’t hide the MB so I’d get some aid from both bases at once, and the Federation just blew the MB and retreated instead of taking the BATS as well.

The Federation arrived at 3706 with a lot more than the Romulans had, but no fighters, and the first round saw a small ComPot advantage from larger ships that quickly faded as high BIR burned through both sides.

The VPs still aren’t very meaningful at this point, but did shift in my favor over the last turn:

Coalition: 423.1 EP (x2) + 599 (bases) + 829 ships (/5) + 100 (Hydran Capital) = 1876.8
Alliance: 232 EP (x2) + 370 (bases) + 525 ships (/5) = 1044.0

This is still a “Decisive Victory”, but still does not count the Gorns, who come in next turn. Also, I don’t regard the 100 points for the Hydran capital at all stable at this point. The Alliance economy really fell off this turn (purely from Federation losses), and the Federation lost four BATS. While all three Alliance Empires gained ships (+14 Federation, +10 Kzinti, +2 Hydran), so did the Coalition to a lesser extent (+3 Klingon, +7 Romulan, +11 Lyran), which is surprising at the rate they’re losing ships.

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Dungeons & Sorcery Spells 7

by on September 25, 2017 at 12:00 pm
Posted In: GURPS

Here’s another set of ten spells for my GURPS Dungeons & Sorcery project (note that I changed the name slightly recently to make it clearer that this isn’t meant to be a direct plug-in to GURPS Dungeon Fantasy or the Dungeon Fantasy RPG).

Clairaudience (C)
Divination, Somatic, Verbal
93 points
Casting Time: 3 seconds
Casting Roll: IQ
Range: 1,000 yards
Duration: 3 minutes

After casting this spell, the caster can pick one location within 1,000 yards, and listen to anything going on there as if he were present. This requires an IQ + Talent roll to actually accomplish, and there is a -3 penalty if the location chosen is not currently visible. Failing this roll normally means that the spell fails, and nothing happens, but on a miss by one, the GM will pick another location, and the spell will function from there. Normally, locations that are out of sight can only be defined by bearing (e.g., ‘300 yards due west’), but ones that the caster is familiar with can be specified directly.

Unlike many spells, the caster can cancel the spell at any time, and return his sense of hearing to his own location, but he will be unable to use clairaudience again without re-casting the spell. While there is no visible manifestation of the effects of this spell, various detect spells will notice the focus of the spell, and it can be dispelled.

Clairsentience (Clairaudience, -30%; Extended Duration, x3, +20%; Increased Range, x100, +60%; Fixed Location, -10%; Fixed Range, -5%; No Strain, +25%; Requires Gestures, -10%; Requires Magic Words, -10%; Second Nature, +70%; Sorcery, -15%; Takes Extra Time, x2, -10%) [1.85×50]
↓ Read the rest of this entry…

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Mindline

by on September 21, 2017 at 12:00 pm
Posted In: Books

Part two of the Dreamhealer’s duology naturally picks up right where Mindtouch left off.

Jahir starts his residency on Selnor, and finds that it has even higher gravity than the (for him) heavy gravity that he’d had to get adjusted to on Seersana. I was a bit tired on my own while reading this, and the combination of reading through Jahir’s struggles with a planet too heavy for him grinding him down really made me feel it.

Vasiht’h chases after him and helps keep him going as they get drawn into a medical crisis that strains both of them. (This gets into one of my problems with psionics, as Jahir’s purely mental (as in brain/nervous system) ability seems to be able affect something that from what very little description is given is more purely chemical.) In some books, this might be enough for the entire story, with a triumphant, but bruised ending.

But this is a book about two people, and not the external problems they come across. The crisis is maybe half the book, and definitely makes me think of Cordelia’s Honor: “But I’ve always thought—tests are a gift. And great tests are a great gift.” The second half is rebuilding from a test that nearly kills them (Jahir especially), and a clearer return to the themes of the first book.

The pair really are one story. There’s a third book in the series now (and some short stories), but that’s a sequel, and a new story, and so isn’t essential to pick up immediately as this one is.

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Konya wa Hurricane Coalition Turn 11

by on September 17, 2017 at 12:00 pm
Posted In: Konya wa Hurricane

Crossposted from the SFU blog on BGG.

Overall, the Coalition economy took a hit from the loss of all the captured planets in Hydran space and some captured provinces, but the fact that the Romulans are still exploring their own space allowed them to pick up nearly 10 EP (including captured NZ hexes) to make up for the bulk of that.

After doing all the repairs I could, the Klingons were slightly short of their goals and had to upgrade a MB to a BS with one fighter module instead of a BTS with the normal two. (Which isn’t entirely bad—taking the extra step costs a turn, but is still the same number of EPs, so if he can kill it this time, I’m out less money, and if he kills it next time, he still encounters a partially upgraded base. I hope he doesn’t kill it at all, of course….)

The Klingons have started work on their third B10 (I think I’m unlikely to start the fourth, but we’ll see how the budget looks in two years), and while B10-2 is delayed (‘1’), B10-1 got a ‘6’ to put it in line for completion in two to three turns (it’s at 32/40; I just need to average ‘4’ to get it in two turns, and as long as I get at least a ‘2’ next time, it will be possible to get it in two turns. …Or it could drag itself out for eight turns, at which point I definitely won’t be starting B10-4….)

Builds:
Klingons: D7C, D7V, D6M, 4xD5, D5U, 2xAD5, MD5, D5S, F5L, 6xF5, 2xF5E, E4R, MB->BS(f), D6->D6S, D6->D6D, D6->D6J
Romulans: CON, FH, SP, SPB, SPC, SPF, SK, 2xSKE, SH, WE, SNB, WE->KE, BH->BHF
Lyrans: BC, STT, CW, LTT, STJ, CWE, DWV, 2xDWE, 2xFF, FCR, PDU, BS(F)->BATS(F), CW->CVL, 2xFF->DW

My raids were largely a repeat of the previous turn’s: One Lyran raid to disrupt the Kzinti capital province, and one into NW Federation space, while all the Klingon and Romulan raids went deep into Federation space. The crippled D5 from last turn was replaced with a C5 and the Romulans filled their last raid slot with another SP. Both Lyran raids worked, but the Klingons and Romulans only succeeded with one raid each, and another D5 was crippled, though three different Federation fighter squadrons were destroyed.

With the collapse of the Hydran front, my activities there were confined to re-occupying the home system and neighboring planets to re-establish the supply grid, moving cripples out of the theater, and securing all possible on-board provinces. Kzinti space was somewhat more active, with the main Lyran fleet moving over to take out planet 1802, the last Kzinti base outside the capital, and substantial portions of Klingon forces shifting to take out a Federation BATS and planet 2106.

My main goal in that area was actually to hit as many of the planets near and behind the 4th Fleet SB as I could (presumably four of them), and BATS 2603, which lost its fighters in a raid. However, he reacted out a few ships to 2106, and a noticeable number to 2306, so instead I turned everything I had left in range to the SB to try and take it out. Meanwhile, the Romulans continued rolling up the border stations along the border, and sent a force to take the minor planet near the 5th Fleet SB, small forces to two locations past the 6th Fleet SB, and the bulk of the Home Fleet to the major in 3509.

I expected to see one of the western Fed reserves go to a planet fight (probably 2306), and the other to either go to the SB or to 2106. Instead, one went to 2306, while the other went to unpin the reserve in 3209. I had expected the 3008 reserve to do that, and 3209 to go to 3706 or 3509. Instead, both eastern reserves went to 3509.


Kzinti space and the 4th Fleet area.


Minimal activity between Earth and the border.


Romulan Drive For Five.


Picking up after Hurricane Hydrax.

Battles:
0418: SSC: Hydran: dest POL
1802: Kzinti: dest 2xPDU; Lyran: dest BC, crip DW
1702: Klingon: dest F5
2103: Federation: dest BATS; Klingon: crip F5
2306: Federation: dest 2xCA, FF, MON, 3xPDU, capture F5J; Klingon: dest D7A, D6M, planet captured
2106: Federation: dest CA, FFS, 2xPDU, crip CFF; Klingon: crip F5E, planet captured
2204: Federation: crip NCL; Klingon: dest D6D
2105: Federation: dest FF, crip FF
2610: Federation: dest 2xPDU; Klingon: crip F5G, capture planet, then retreat to let it go again
2511: SSC: both sides retreat
3210: Retreat after refused approach
3612: Federation: dest 2xPDU; Romulan: crip WE, SK, capture planet
3810: Federation: dest BATS; Romulan: crip SEH
3209: Federation: crip NCD, 2xDD, 2xFF, capture WE; Romulan: dest SN, crip WE, 3xBH
3808: Federation: dest BATS; Romulan: crip KR
3509: Federation: dest 2xPDU; Romulan: dest FAL, crip F5L
3806: Federation: dest BATS; Romulan: crip SK
3706: Federation: dest MON, 2xPDU; Romulan: crip SP, capture planet

The Kzintis directed on a BC at 1802, and Byron was happy to trade fighters for a BC. I was happy to trade a BC for a defended planet. After the first round, the Kzinti left, and did a fighting retreat over what would have been a small SSC and killed a F5.

I had two D7As available at 2306, and would have used both if there had been an approach battle. As it was, he killed it and a F5J (which was a hard lesson on just how bad the damage rules on penal ships are), and thankfully, when he rolled a successful capture attempt, got the F5J. He burned the F5J for a die roll bonus on the second round, and then retreated behind the MON and one PDU left on the planet before round three (though he didn’t have any cripples either).

With the reserve going to the 4th Fleet SB, I didn’t have what it took to really threaten it (especially since I didn’t really have specialty ships past three medium and two light carriers), and he had an ADM and I didn’t (he was busy in 2306), and then he spent a command point. Rather than try to slog through to cause some damage over a few rounds, I took a round of 11 ships to 13 once and left. I did a Fighting Retreat over the force that had retreated from 2106, and killed a FF and crippled another in return for fighters. Overall, we each lost three cruisers in those four fights, except that mine were more valuable, and the Federation also lost two extra FFs, a MON, and 5 PDUs.

I thought I’d have a decent fight at 3209, but was sadly mistaken. Part of the problem is the continuing trouble with Alliance EW superiority, and the Roms are nowhere near combating that, so a -2 shift with a small-ship heavy line caused a nearly 2:1 difference in damage. Another good capture roll got Byron a WE, which is in an odd space at the moment. The KE seems to be on its way to being its own hull (the KEV lists its hull type as KE, but the KE says WE), which means a captured WE can’t be upgraded to it (which makes sense, with how thorough the conversion is), and the ‘Queen Eagle’ variants aren’t in the game yet. Byron will be turning it in for scrap, though I’d probably keep it as an extra hull myself.

I put more than enough on 3509 that I figured I could take a major planet with a MON and about half a dozen FFs parked there, and a reserve. I had not expected two reserves to show up, and the fleet wasn’t able to take it. So I traded a FAL for a couple PDUs (couldn’t do enough to kill a third), and then retreated out, taking minimal damage, and left the Federation with a number of unresolved involuntary minus points.

My goals were a bit better focused this turn, and the results show it. The two big disappointments were not doing any damage to the 4th Fleet SB and not taking 3509. However, I had expected two reserves to to go to the two planet fights in the Western Fed (making those fights iffy at best), and one to 3509, which I’d take with some damage, and have something of a bloody fight over the SB. Instead, most of the damaging fights were avoided, and I’m happy with having (temporarily) taken five Federation planets this turn.

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The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt

by on September 13, 2017 at 12:00 pm
Posted In: Books

Like a lot of people, ancient Egypt has always had a fascination for me, and being a history buff, I’ve picked up a decent amount of knowledge on the subject over the years. But, I’ve never had any one great source for what is quite a lot of history, and Toby Wilkinson’s book serves the purpose very well.

One advantage of it is that instead of just being Dynastic Egypt, the text runs all the way from what we know of pre-sedentary societies in the area (all-new to me), to the death of Cleopatra, and the end of Egypt as any sort of independent entity until modern times. Coverage naturally varies depending on how much is known, with the usual suspects of the early I Dynasty and the XVIII Dynasty getting a lot of attention. Normally, I don’t see much about the period between the XIX Dynasty and the Ptolemaic period, so the expanded scope was appreciated.

The book is clear, concise, and well-written, and as an introductory overview stays well away from any sort of controversies, or discussion of trends of thought in Egyptology, even when those bear directly on text. The greatest example of this was having to look up Ptolemy VII separately to find out that he may not have reigned/existed at all, and if he did it was a very short while (say a month); but the book talks about Ptolemy VI and Ptolemy VIII in the same paragraph, and doesn’t think to note the reason why there’s a missing number. There is a stated attempt to point out forms of repression and absolutism inherent in the governmental system, but it’s not all that well explored, and (since its what we have records of) the book tends to gloss over parts of that anyway in its narration of the doings of high officials and armies.

In addition to the standard bibliography, there’s a fairly extensive collection of color photographs (a number of black-and-white ones are scattered throughout) at the end of the (Kindle) book. They aren’t bad on a smaller screen, and are big enough to view comfortably on my desktop monitor. There’s also a lot of notes for further reading on specific subjects; unfortunately, at least in the Kindle version the names of books are not italicized, making them harder to pick out of the text, and the sources of articles mentioned are not given. What actually makes me unhappy, is that the reading is almost all for particular subjects, instead of anything that just breaks down to the next level of overview, i.e., suggestions for the Old Kingdom as a whole.

There’s some talk about the various trade routes around the Nile, which help explain the importance of certain areas, and at least mention of the fact that the Nile Delta was more important that it seems, simply because it’s much harder to do archaeology there. But, while lacking a means of easy access to the next level of detail, there is plenty here, and it is overall a well-put together look at around 3000 years of history.

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