It’s been about a month since the last segment of the annotated log of the first campaign of Strategic Primer, so it’s time for another installment. Today we begin the turn dated February 21, 2001.
| Player Name | Date | Unit | Attempted Action | Result of Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Washington | 2/21/01 | None | None | None. George invents the Armored Glide-Bomber. |
As I’ve remarked before, in that campaign I was extremely lax in making sure that inventions were reasonably possible; this marked a turn for the extreme in that tendency. (Though with a turn a day, the sort of detailed back-and-forth I’ve given the players in this campaign wasn’t possible.) Flight—even unpowered flight—only a few turns away from a fully medieval technological level, and without any of the usual “steps in between,” just wasn’t reasonable. However, I do like what this player did under my lax and derelict hand.
| George Washington | 2/21/01 | All units now at Napoleon’s HQ | Retreat from Napoleon’s HQ to home HQ | Moved correctly 2 hrs (128 mi). Bogged down. Moved out of step 2 hrs (128 mi). Moved correctly 2 hrs (128 mi). Moved correctly the rest of the way (almost 1 hr). |
| George Washington | 2/21/01 | All in HQ (Horse-drawn Catapults 1-4 & 8-11, Crossbowmen 1, Armored Catapult 1-51 | Ring HQ (10 mi radius) with fire. | Done. |
I’m not sure, after all these years, what “ring with fire” meant—probably “attack every position on a circle of the specified distance,” and I think there wasn’t anyone anywhere along it. In retrospect, I’m also highly dubious about the specified radius being within rage of a catapult or crossbow, though the resolution of the map was such that units would have had to be practically on top of each other to be in range of weapons of that era.
| Xenophon | 2/21/01 | Legion 2 | Move N along shore | Moved correctly 2 hrs (20 mi). Moved out of step 2 hrs (20 mi). Moved correctly 2 hrs (20 mi). Moved out of step 2 hrs (20 mi). Moved correctly 2 hrs (20 mi). Moved correctly 2 hrs (20 mi). Moved correctly 2 hrs (20 mi). Total distance: 280 mi. |
| Xenophon | 2/21/01 | Crossbow 2 & Junk 1 | Set sail from east port on exploring voyage, going S to bottom of island, crossing lake, going N up other side, returning. | Moved correctly 2 hrs (140 mi) Moved correctly 2 hours (140 mi). Moved out of formation 2 hrs (140 mi). Moved correctly 2 hrs (140 mi). Moved correctly 2 hrs (140 mi). Moved correctly 2 hrs (140 mi). Laid anchor at (323, 864 1/2). |
When I prepared for the game, I had drawn up tables of possible results that gave me elaborate rules for sea travel. But at this distance I’m not sure whether I used them or not, or even what all the possibilities were (though I could look that up). Those rules, with the rest of that table, are no longer part of the game, so I need to be thinking about a new set of rules and statistics for the activity now while I have leisure rather than suddenly when a player starts building a navy. Also: Xenophon was the one player in that campaign who showed any interest in sea travel, as far as I can recall.
| Xenophon | 2/21/01 | Horse-drawn Catapults 3 & 4, Mounted Crossbowmen 2 | Fortify present position [Northport to be], recruit sailors. Start building 2 junks. | Done. 2 turns remaining for junks. |
| Xenophon | 2/21/01 | Scout 1 & Horse-drawn Catapult 1 | Fortify Southport, recruit sailors, continue building 2 junks. | Done. 1 turn remaining on junks. |
| Xenophon | 2/21/01 | Catapult 5 | Stay in Southburg, recruit legionnaires. | Done. In 2 more turns, legion will be complete. |
In that first campaign, I didn’t put really any thought into what was necessary to build a unit (except for manpower in that a Rabble could turn into as many units of the player’s choice as it had men for), or how long it would take to collect it and put it together. This is something I’ve tried to correct in the present campaign, with mixed success because of my so severely limited knowledge and research skills, though the population model (which has significant implications on player recruitment) will likely change again in future campaigns or even (more subtly) in the present one.
| Xenophon | 2/21/01 | Legion 1 & Cavalry 2 | Move N, not hurrying, camp. (at the Legion’s speed. Ed.) | Moved correctly 2 hrs (20 mi). Moved out of step 2 hrs (20 mi). Moved correctly 2 hrs (20 mi). Moved correctly 2 hrs (20 mi). Moved correctly 2 hrs (20 mi). Moved correctly 2 hrs (20 mi). Moved correctly 2 hrs (20 mi). |
| Xenophon | 2/21/01 | Mounted Longbowmen & Scout 3 | Join the Mounted Crossbow 1, 3 & 4, and the Aerial Scout. (56 1/2 mi to the meeting point). | Moved correctly all the way (almost 1 hr). |
| Xenophon | 2/21/01 | Mounted Crossbow 1, 3, & 4, and Aerial Scout 1 | Move S to the meeting point | Moved out of step the whole way (almost 1 hr). |
| Xenophon | 2/21/01 | Mounted Longbow 1, Scout 3, Mounted Crossbow 1, Mounted Crossbow 3, Mounted Crossbow 4, & Aerial Scout 1 | Move S, in no hurry. (starting 1 hr into the day) | Moved correctly 2 hrs (60 mi). Moved correctly 2 hrs (60 mi). Moved correctly 2 hrs (60 mi). Moved out of step 2 hrs (60 mi). Moved correctly 2 hrs (60 mi). Moved correctly 1 hr (30 mi). |
That’s the end of Xenophon’s turn, and a reasonable place for us to stop; we’ll pick up next month with the beginning of Arthur Pendragon’s turn.
Shine Cycle Online 