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Lord Cyrahzax
Oct 11, 2012



quote:

Author's Note:

Guns of Infinity takes place in the Infinite Sea, a fantasy setting possessed of functional magic, among other extraordinary phenomena. It is a setting where wealth, class, gender, allegiance, and birth restrict a person's role in society. Its magical and social politics are not consistent with stories starring protagonists whose experiences are largely identical regardless of class or sex.

Thus, the player character is required to be a young man of noble birth, for purely pragmatic reasons. Characters of other genders and social classes would have their own radically different stories to tell, but those stories are for another time.

Import a character from Sabres of Infinity.
Replay the major decisions of Sabres of Infinity.
Select a pre-made character history.

quote:

Service Record: Captain Alaric d'al Sancroix KCSJ

Born in the year 572 to house Sancroix, holders of a barony sworn to the Duke of Cunaris.

Entered service in the spring of 602, soon after the outbreak of war with Antar, as a cornet of the Royal Dragoons with a commission purchased at the cost of 800 crown.

Proceeded to Antar aboard HMS Victorious (44 Guns, Captain R. Walken Commanding).

Assigned to detached duty under the command of Captain Sir E. d'al Hunter (Grenadiers). Was given a six-man patrol and took on Sergeant S. Lanzerel as second-in-command. Took part in a successful action against an Antari force at the Kharan River Bridge autumn 602.

Took part in a relief of outpost commanded by Lieutenant M. d'al Carrecort (White Rose Lancers) and was complicit in the cashiering of Carrecort. Acquired a promotion to lieutenant in the summer of 603.

Served on the regimental staff of His Grace, the Duke of Cunaris (Colonel-in-Chief, Royal Dragoons) after promotion.

Was given command of 6th Troop, Third Squadron, Royal Dragoons the next year. Sergeant Lanzerel promoted to staff-sergeant at the same time. Was recalled to the main force of Third Squadron, Royal Dragoons, then under the command of Captain D. d'al Elson, in early 607.

Participated in an action against Antari cavalry in spring of 607. Attended the reception of His Grace, the Duke of Wulfram (Lieutenant-general, Councilor Militant) that same year.

Served with great distinction at the Battle of Blogia, holding the Castle of Blogia and the extreme left flank of the Tierran line against heavy Antari attack in joint command with Lieutenant C. d'al Cazarosta. Was promoted to captain and made Knight-Companion of the Order of Saint Joshua alongside C. d'al Cazarosta by Royal Order that same year.

Would you like to continue the story of this Dragoon officer?

Yes, let me continue the story of this Dragoon officer.

For a more detailed look at Alaric's career, see here.

quote:



"Wake up, sir!"

You open your eyes as you are shaken awake by a dark blur. Blinking the last shreds of sleep from your mind, the sensations of the outside world flood in: the light of the rising sun, the hard surface of the forest floor pressing through the cloth of your bedroll, the bite of the crisp air of southern Antar.

In a short, drowsy moment, the dark blur resolves itself into the shape of a man, one wearing the same green-grey tunic as you: Staff-sergeant Lanzerel, a man who has served as your senior non-commissioned officer since your very first command all those years ago; the one who followed you as you were promoted twice, and the one who stood by your side at the butcher's yard that was the Battle of Blogia barely four months ago.

Blogia.

On that horrible day, the Royal Tierran Army had crumpled under the relentless assault of Prince Khorobirit's Antari. The King's Army lost three thousand men, including some of its best officers and its finest General.

It was also the day of your finest hour, the day you held the ruined castle on the Tierran flank against an Antari assault, outnumbered ten to one. The King promoted you to captain and made you a Knight of the Red for that brief moment of courage.

"Dammit, sir! Wake up!"

You push yourself upright, the quickest way to assure your senior NCO that you are indeed awake.

"What is it, Lanzerel?"

Lanzerel responds with a thin slash of a smile, a hunter's smile.

"Well sir, we've found 'em."

ACHIEVEMENT: A Hero's Ascent: You've imported a hero of Blogia.

quote:

A few minutes later, you find yourself hidden in the underbrush of southern Antar's primordial forest, peering into your spyglass, the two hundred men of Sixth Squadron, Royal Dragoons waiting crouched behind you.

Lieutenant-colonel Marras had led Sixth Squadron into battle at Blogia. He did not lead them out again. Only a handful of the flamboyant Lieutenant-colonel's men avoided death or capture that day, and those few, along with the men you brought with you from your previous command, made the hard core of veterans around which Sixth Squadron—your squadron—rebuilt itself.

Those bold, hard-bitten men had not been pleased with their new commander. Hero or no, to them you were still an upstart with the King's favour and damned little else. You've had little time to convince them otherwise, but as contemptuous as they might be of your authority, they are still disciplined veterans, especially compared to the rest of the squadron.

For every veteran of Blogia under your command, six or seven are raw replacements. Even worse, they are unsuitable replacements. When Antar first declared war, it was the boldest and brightest who volunteered for the King's Army. They were led and trained by the professional NCOs of the peacetime army. Now, after more than five years of war, most of those men are dead. Those who had replaced them were convicts, debtors, vagrants—men who would do anything for a bed and a meal, even consign themselves to the hard life of a common soldier.

Now, most of those men are dead too. It is their replacements that now make up most of your command: conscripts. For all of its history, the Unified Kingdom of Tierra had been defended by a volunteer army and navy. Now, after the disastrous losses at Blogia, the young King Miguel has ordered the unthinkable; more than half the men in your squadron are here not of their own volition but through bare, ugly coercion.

Worst of all, you've almost no junior officers and NCOs to command them. The Royal Dragoons lost two thirds of its lieutenants, cornets, and sergeants at Blogia, and many of the survivors (yourself included) were promoted. Now only you, Lanzerel, and two or three NCOs run a force which normally would require at least a dozen commissioned officers and NCOs.

"There!" Lanzerel exclaims, pointing in the distance. "You see it?"

You point your glass in the direction of your Sergeant's finger, and you do indeed see it: a cloud of dust moving down the bright, chalky ribbon of the Imperial Highway ahead of you. At its head, a fluttering of red and white, the double-eagle banner of the League of Antar.

The enemy.

You glance behind you, taking another look at the men whom you officially command. They are half-trained, unhardened, and lack even their barest complement of junior officers. Some disdain you, while others save their hate for the government you represent, the one that dragged them out of their homes and sent them to this land across the sea to die. Only a few have the barest scrap of respect for you…

…and now you are to lead them into battle for the first time.

quote:

Over the next few minutes, you watch the approaching mass until you can pick out the shapes of men and horses.

The Antari force is three hundred strong. They are led by a vanguard of wild-eyed light cavalry, their felt vests and fur shakos aglitter with gold and steel, their belts crammed with sabres and pistols. Behind them are a ragged column of Antari peasant levies, serfs with improvised weapons, minimal training, and even less fighting spirit. Only fear of the baneblooded overlords drives them onward.

The enemy outnumbers you three to two, but they've none of their vaunted Church Hussars with them; a large raiding party, no more. Though Prince Khorobirit was able to defeat the Tierran Army at the field of Blogia, his forces had been bled hard enough to be unable to push you and your fellow Tierrans into the sea. For the past few months, the Lords of the League Congress have satisfied themselves with raiding the small strip of Antari land under Tierran occupation.

Nevertheless, your men are mostly untested and certainly unused to fighting under your command. Though your dragoons are likely better drilled than much of the Antari force, there is no guarantee you could secure victory in a simple head-on engagement.

How will you fight this battle?

I'll ask my Staff-sergeant for advice first.

This is a free action, and I'll be taking those whenever possible.

quote:

You turn to Lanzerel. "Staff-sergeant, your thoughts?"

Lanzerel doesn't hesitate to give his answer.

"My advice would be to take this lot back down south for another six months of training, but we can't bloody well do that, can we? We've our orders to deal with that Antari raid, and I know you're generally not one for running."

The grizzled non-com gives a long, frustrated sigh.

"It's going to be a gamble no matter what we do, and I don't bloody much fancy the odds, sir."

Not the most encouraging response, but you asked for the man's opinion.

With that in mind, how will you fight the Antari force before you?

With brute force; I'll lead the men in a head-on mounted charge.

With cunning; I'll lure the enemy into an ambush.

With bravado; standing firm across their path will rattle the enemy's nerves.

Welcome to Guns of Infinity, one of Choice of Games' newest offerings, and the sequel to the much lauded Sabres of Infinity, which I recently finished lp'ing here.. We are going to be continuing with the officer the last thread voted into existence, the very, uh, spirited Captain Sir Alaric Sancroix of His Majesty's Royal Dragoons! But let's set the ground rules and provide some information first:

Wow, this has a lot of backstory and a whole other thread of baggage. Is it safe for me to jump in here?

You can, the summary above is probably good enough to get you started and enjoying this game, but I would recommend at least reading the updates from the old thread for a more full experience here. It's not too much work. This game also includes some supplementary backstory, which I recommend if you're interested and will be including in this LP, but is entirely optional.

And anyone is interested in more backstory and information, I have been in contact with the author, who has agreed to answer any questions that come up in this thread. Just post them!

Spoilers:

This game just came out, and there will be spoilers as we go through it. Still I'd like people in the thread to avoid or tag them until they're revealed in updates or we get Alaric to the end.

Reader participation?

I expect and encourage it! Just bold your favorite option at the end of each update, and the one with the most votes wins. Simple enough.


And before you start voting, please check Alaric's stat page:

quote:



As of the Summer of the 607th year of the Old Imperial Era

Sir Alaric d'al Sancroix
Age: 35
Rank: Captain
Wealth: 215
Income: 30

Soldiering: 24%
Charisma: 50%
Intellect: 60%
Reputation: 25%
Health: 75%
Idealism: 36% Cynicism: 64%
Ruthlessness: 95% Mercy: 5%

You are a Knight of the Red, having the right to wear bane-hardened armour and wield a bane-runed sword.

You can speak, read, and write the Antari language.

Unit Information:
Sixth Squadron, Royal Dragoons
Senior NCO: Staff-sergeant Lanzerel
Discipline: 25%
Morale: 30%
Loyalty: 25%
Strength: 100%

If you participated in the last thread, you may notice a few differences. For one, our final Reputation has been halved (give or take). This is to show that we are now a senior officer now, and playing with the big fish. What cut it when we were commanding just a few men won't now that we're a squadron commander. Speaking of the squadron, its Strength is a new attribute. Lose too many men, and our unit will lose effectiveness. Our unit information also shows that our Morale, Loyalty and Strength have gone down, as our old unit is just influencing our new squadron. The rest should look familiar.

Alright, that should be everything! How are we going to handle those Antari bastards?

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the JJ
Mar 31, 2011
Cunning was our high stat, seems the least worst option.

AJ_Impy
Jun 17, 2007

SWORD OF SMATTAS. CAN YOU NOT HEAR A WORLD CRY OUT FOR JUSTICE? WHEN WILL YOU DELIVER IT?
Yam Slacker
Agreed. Use our Brains and strike from ambush.

my dad
Oct 17, 2012

this shall be humorous
We've made a name for ourselves by repeatedly outwitting the opponent (and burning and massacring unarmed people, but hey, who's counting? :v: ), I see no reason to stop doing that now.

Ambush.

Pangurban
Apr 29, 2015

Ambush Let's hopefully start this out on a high note.

Pump it up! Do it!
Oct 3, 2012
Ambush hopefully that will get us the opportunity to commit some war crimes!

Leif.
Mar 27, 2005

Son of the Defender
Formerly Diplomaticus/SWATJester
An ambush nearly cost us Blogia. We shall return the favor.

Ikasuhito
Sep 29, 2013

Haram as Fuck.

Lets start the game off on the right foot with a Cunning ambush.

Xander77
Apr 6, 2009

Fuck it then. For another pit sandwich and some 'tater salad, I'll post a few more.



Leif. posted:

An ambush nearly cost us Blogia. We shall return the favor.
You mean the head-on massive army battle followed by a charge against a defended castle? That was quite the ambush, yeah.

GyverMac
Aug 3, 2006
My posting is like I Love Lucy without the funny bits. Basically, WAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAHHH
HHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Ambush seems to be the best option here.

Deceitful Penguin
Feb 16, 2011
Ambush.

Although dammit, I'm annoyed we didn't pick up the super-weapon on this character.

Mightypeon
Oct 10, 2013

Putin apologist- assume all uncited claims are from Russia Today or directly from FSB.

key phrases: Poor plucky little Russia, Spheres of influence, The West is Worse, they was asking for it.
Made my first playthrough through guns.

Shame it is already over. Was probably well to honorable to participate in some of the unusual things.

Will try as a merciless competent bastard next.

sullat
Jan 9, 2012
Cunning brutality (ambush)

Mightypeon
Oct 10, 2013

Putin apologist- assume all uncited claims are from Russia Today or directly from FSB.

key phrases: Poor plucky little Russia, Spheres of influence, The West is Worse, they was asking for it.
I recommend double checking if your reputation is being carried over.

Mine degraded to 35% from 60+ or so, this was steam to steam.

Lord Cyrahzax
Oct 11, 2012

Mightypeon posted:

I recommend double checking if your reputation is being carried over.

Mine degraded to 35% from 60+ or so, this was steam to steam.

That's intentional. Basically, now that you're effectively a senior officer, the old ceiling of your rep as a cornet/lieutenant has been raised. You're playing with the real brass now, so your old small-scale heroics don't matter quite as much.

ShootaBoy
Jan 6, 2010

Anime is Bad.
Except for Pokemon, Valkyria Chronicles and 100% OJ.

Anybody else unable to play this? I've tried to start it 3 times and its crashed steam everytime. Have to do a full reboot to get steam to stop thinking its running, and nothing I've tried has made it playable. :(

edit: and now it works just fine, loving magic boxes I swear.

ShootaBoy fucked around with this message at 23:27 on Mar 29, 2016

Dong Quixote
Oct 3, 2015

Fun Shoe
Ambush. Sancroix wouldn't do it any other way. Hopefully we'll roll them up as prisoners and get to commit war crimes right out of the gate!

Mightypeon
Oct 10, 2013

Putin apologist- assume all uncited claims are from Russia Today or directly from FSB.

key phrases: Poor plucky little Russia, Spheres of influence, The West is Worse, they was asking for it.
I just got that as well, after I did a max rep run my new reputation was 45% or so.

Leif.
Mar 27, 2005

Son of the Defender
Formerly Diplomaticus/SWATJester

Xander77 posted:

You mean the head-on massive army battle followed by a charge against a defended castle? That was quite the ambush, yeah.

I mean the "Church Hussars hidden in the grass where we obviously expected the ambush yet failed to do anything about it". So yeah, it actually was quite the ambush.

ShootaBoy
Jan 6, 2010

Anime is Bad.
Except for Pokemon, Valkyria Chronicles and 100% OJ.

Now that I've played through a few times I can safely follow along. An ambush is probably Al's best bet here.

Lord Cyrahzax
Oct 11, 2012

quote:

You quickly cook up a plan to lure the Antari into an ambush and begin putting it into action.

The basic idea is a simple one: you will dismount and stand in the middle of the road with a small portion of your men, enough to lure the Antari in close. Then, the majority of your unit, hidden in the woods, will open fire upon the enemy at close range with their carbines.

Despite the simplicity of your plan, getting it into motion before the Antari get close is another matter. There are few dragoons willing to volunteer to act as the 'bait,' even though you plan to stand alongside them. With time running short, you are forced to simply order three dozen entirely un-enthusiastic dragoons to follow you while the rest set up firing positions under Lanzerel.

No sooner is your trap set do the lead horsemen of the Antari column ride into view. The enemy horsemen spur their mounts to a gallop and roar their battle-cries, their moustaches abristle, sabres twirling and flashing silver in the morning sun.

Beside you, the men stand trembling, their hands gripping their sabres so tightly that their knuckles turn white. You pray that they will stand firm.

quote:

The Antari horsemen are at full charge now, leaving their supporting infantry far behind. They are still a hundred metres away from you when you hear Lanzerel give the order to fire.

The air crackles with musketry and the forest to your right floods with powder-smoke as the vast majority of your squadron give fire. Most of the men under your command are mediocre shots at best, but the short-barreled, rifled carbines of your dragoons are far more accurate than the smoothbore muskets of the line infantry. At less than fifty metres, at a target the size of a mounted man in profile, they could hardly miss.

Only a handful of Antari horsemen ride out of the smoke. Despite their horrific losses, the enemy cavalry are still dead set upon charging home.

Your men lose their nerve. Perhaps they expected the Antari horsemen to turn back or for the single volley to kill all of them. Either way, the men alongside you are breaking. Some clutch their weapons tight as they flee, while others simply drop them onto the road.

Those men will not outrun the Antari, not on foot. Standing together, you would have been able to repulse the handful of Antari still in their saddles. Fleeing individually, they are nothing more than targets.

There is also a more pressing concern: with your men fleeing, you stand alone. While the next volley from the rest of your squadron may wipe out the remaining enemy horsemen, it will take your men half a minute to prepare for it. The Antari will be upon you long before then.

What do you do?

I'll face those Antari horsemen alone if I have to!

I save my fleeing men and my own life with some quick thinking.

I'll rally my fleeing men and face the Antari head-on.

Ikasuhito
Sep 29, 2013

Haram as Fuck.

Clever thinking got me into trouble, Quick thinking will get me out.

Ikasuhito fucked around with this message at 12:44 on Mar 30, 2016

AJ_Impy
Jun 17, 2007

SWORD OF SMATTAS. CAN YOU NOT HEAR A WORLD CRY OUT FOR JUSTICE? WHEN WILL YOU DELIVER IT?
Yam Slacker
Mind bullets!

Mightypeon
Oct 10, 2013

Putin apologist- assume all uncited claims are from Russia Today or directly from FSB.

key phrases: Poor plucky little Russia, Spheres of influence, The West is Worse, they was asking for it.
Time for cryptic smilie spoilers that tell basically nothing!

There may be :black101: , :j: and :commissar: in this game.

ShootaBoy
Jan 6, 2010

Anime is Bad.
Except for Pokemon, Valkyria Chronicles and 100% OJ.

Time to think fast Al.

my dad
Oct 17, 2012

this shall be humorous
We're charismatic, too, right? RALLY THE MEN!

CottonWolf
Jul 20, 2012

Good ideas generator

Only our quick wits can save us!

Dong Quixote
Oct 3, 2015

Fun Shoe
Think fast, Alaric!

Deceitful Penguin
Feb 16, 2011
Rally, being the coward this early is begging for catastrophe.

Goatse James Bond
Mar 28, 2010

If you see me posting please remind me that I have Charlie Work in the reports forum to do instead
Just got and did a runthrough of Guns.

It's complicated. :psyduck:

And there are some Very Tricky Bits.

Lord Cyrahzax
Oct 11, 2012

quote:

Once again, your knowledge of the Antari language comes in handy. You taunt the oncoming riders as they bear down upon you. You shout horrible, disgusting things about their mothers, their sisters, and their goats.

Some of the Antari continue chasing your men, but most swerve towards you instead.

You have their attention now, and you plan to exploit it. You run for the side of the road, and hoping that the Antari light cavalry have more temper than brains, you duck into the forest.

The Antari chasing you realise what you're doing, but it is too late. A horse at full charge cannot be stopped easily, especially when it has just been run into the thick and uneven ground of a primordial forest.

There is a mighty crash as one of the pursuing horses trips over a root or log or some other obstacle on the rough ground, sending its rider flying. Another soon follows, smashing head-first against a tree trunk. A third's horse steps into a hidden crevice, and the dry-tinder crack of breaking bone echoes through the trees. The last rider turns around, shouting in frustration, stopping only long enough to rescue the rider of the lamed horse before beating a hasty retreat from the forest. You look around as the haze of battle clears and see the last of the Antari horsemen retreating back up the road. The men with you have been savaged. Many are wounded, and only a few are still on their feet. Only your quick thinking and valour were able to stop the Antari from killing more.

However, now is no time to rest. The Antari infantry are still on the advance, and their sheer numbers will be more than enough to overwhelm a few wounded, reeling, exhausted dragoons. With the rest of your squadron scattered throughout the woods, you've not the men or the resources to secure a victory today.

Hesitantly, you regroup with the rest of your squadron in the woods. The mood there is clear; after seeing the slaughter which the Antari worked upon the men with you, none of them have a wish to face the enemy again today. No matter how much you might want to try again, retreat is the only real option, and so retreat you do.

You and your men mount up and withdraw back down the Old Imperial Highway, the cheers of the victorious Antari fading into the distance.

quote:

On the long ride back south to the safety of the main army's camp in Noringia, your Staff-sergeant rides up to your position at the front of the column, his mood no doubt as foul as his expression.

"drat these stupid bastards!" he scowls. "drat their insolence, drat their cowardice, drat their ineptitude! Today was ours, dammit! Your plan was good, but these men couldn't be trusted to guard a latrine ditch, let alone win a battle."

"I'm sure these men will sort themselves out eventually."

"You're right, Staff-sergeant. Changes need to be made."

"Perhaps I should make some examples, then; punish a few to encourage the others."

Ikasuhito
Sep 29, 2013

Haram as Fuck.

Clearly, we are going to need some Changes if we want to start seeing some results.

sullat
Jan 9, 2012
is it too early to start :commissar: yet? We should punish some fools. We gotta spread the war-crimes to our own side, too.

AJ_Impy
Jun 17, 2007

SWORD OF SMATTAS. CAN YOU NOT HEAR A WORLD CRY OUT FOR JUSTICE? WHEN WILL YOU DELIVER IT?
Yam Slacker
What would the thin white Duke do?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pl3vxEudif8

Leif.
Mar 27, 2005

Son of the Defender
Formerly Diplomaticus/SWATJester
The best war crimes always start with phrases like: Changes must be made.

Dong Quixote
Oct 3, 2015

Fun Shoe
As much as I want to :commissar: right off the bat, these guys are green conscripts and we'll almost definitely get fragged.

Makes some changes to toughen them up. And next time put deserters up against the wall.

ShootaBoy
Jan 6, 2010

Anime is Bad.
Except for Pokemon, Valkyria Chronicles and 100% OJ.

I think a few changes are in order.

Mightypeon
Oct 10, 2013

Putin apologist- assume all uncited claims are from Russia Today or directly from FSB.

key phrases: Poor plucky little Russia, Spheres of influence, The West is Worse, they was asking for it.
Basically, whatever Lanzerell does will never be the worst solution, and thats not going to change

Lord Cyrahzax
Oct 11, 2012

quote:

Your Staff-sergeant smiles and nods. Lanzerel tosses a concerned look back at the men behind you.

"Look, sir, those men are in want of a lot of things, but what they need the most are leaders. There's nothing we can do about the lack of commissioned officers in the squadron, but there's a few of the newcomers that'd make good corporals, and two or three of the old lot would manage all right as sergeants. Give the word, and I'll give them the stripes."

"No, Staff-sergeant, I'm sure the men will sort themselves out in time."

"Very good, Staff-sergeant, see that it is done."

"No, Staff-sergeant. I command, and I shall make a decision."

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tatankatonk
Nov 4, 2011

Pitching is the art of instilling fear.
See that it's done, Sergeant

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