21.7 Direct action goals for legions in the field.
Goals are the name given to direct actions - generally as a result of
orders from dispatches or commands directly conveyed - performed by a
legion. They usually employ a central specialist-skill augmented by a
larger number of peripheral ones, with such factors as circumstances,
environment, morale, equipment, leadership, recent history and opposition
also having an impact. Goals have no aim above and beyond themselves; they
are not to be confused with 'missions' (see HELP MISSION) or 'dispatches'
(see HELP DISPATCHES) both of which include a preceding
decision/assessment and subsequent evaluation/possible amendment of
tactics as a result of the goal's outcome.
The easiest way to cause a legion to attempt the action required to
achieve its goal is to become its commander and COMMAND it to act. Almost
as straightforward is the dispatches method whereby a dispatches scroll is
gotten (by hand, runner or carrier pigeon) to the legion, its contents
being a single unequivacol order to act, regardless of circumstances, and
pursue the stated goal. Beyond these methods are the more complex routes
whereby a legion can be given a variety of possible actions/goals, but
which it attempts will depend on criteria as defined by misson or factors
documented in dispatches. This is a whole world of tactics and skill -
endless permeatations, the struggle to predict every challenge; methods
covered in HELP MISSIONS and at the end of HELP LEGIONS (the section on
dispatch criteria).
The goals detailed below have been divided up, for convenience, into more
intuitive sections. Each goal is given a syntax with three dots before the
command being documented. The three dots are where you would either place
the word COMMAND assuming you are at a legion command-post and want to
send the order for immediately attention, e.g. COMMAND MARCH NORTH. This
is the quickest and most reactive/flexible method of legion control;
especially effective in the hurly burly of the battlefield. See HELP
COMMANDER for further details on the command-post position and how you
would marshall yourself into the role of directly controlling a legion.
Alternatively, you can control multiple legions (and, moreover, exert this
control whether or not you are present in the land at any given moment) by
using dispatches. HELP DISPATCHES contains all you need to know on the
intricacies of penning advance, criteria-based orders for legions (divided
into direct goals, as listed below, and broader missions, detailed
elsewhere). Use DISPATCH SCRIBE <dispatch number> GOAL followed by
one of the syntaxes below (found after Syntax: ...). An example would be:
DISPATCH SCRIBE 1000 GOAL MARCH NORTH to pen an order to march north into
the set of dispatches. Whichever legion is then given these dispatches,
providing loyalties/authority matches, will then executed the march
command. Generally you would add some criteria or further orders to the
dispatch, perhaps some circumstances to check up on (like an invading
force approaching your homeland)... such events often kick into action a
city's defence dispatches and suddenly legion after legion is sparked to
life, deployed ready to face the approaching foe.
As you can surmise, then, there is an important role for both the direct
command-post mode of legion control and the working through, often in
larger groups, of dispatches to cover emergencies and/or coordinated
action involving entire swathes of a city or guild's soldiery. Listed
below you will find, in most cases, the specialist-skill closely
associated with whichever order command is being documented. See HELP
TRAINING and more info at the end of this helpfile for further help.
The goals or command-orders are all imminent actions and they can be divided
into six distinctive types: MOVEMENT, TERRAIN, EQUIPMENT PRODUCTION, EQUIPMENT
USAGE, INFORMATION and DESTRUCTION. Key to all six aspects, however, are
factors such as legion size, its specialist training, morale and recent
experiences. See HELP FIELD for help on the smattering of hugely significant
commands - orders - affecting over-riding states of a legion (the direction
it is facing, for instance, or the target its attention rests upon by
default).
MOVEMENT is covered in HELP MARCHING and relates to shifting position of
a legion, amending formation and stance within a locale, ascending, descending,
circumventing obstacles, and/or moving location to location.
TERRAIN is detailed in HELP TERRAIN and covers those goals/command-orders
causing a legion to attempt to make an impact on the locale, such as digging
trenches, burrowing tunnels, or building up fortifications.
----> WARNING, what follows is now ENTIRELY scraps from leftover helpfiles
collated to give you some hints/insights into the direction of warfare goal
implementation. Nothing that follows is definitive. Experiment entirely at
your peril!
SECTION THREE - Largescale production of equipment, etc.
While much of the equipment used by legions is prepared by cities, by
individual citizens or foraged personally from about the land, certain
items are fashioned using the specialised skills of well-trained legions
while, moreover, many important battlefield tools (some crucial for
turning the tide of a conflict) require training to maneuver, handle and
bring to bear on an enemy. Foodstuffs are used by default as rations,
steeds are aggregated out if cavalry is part of a legion's repertoire,
armour likewise apportioned as judiciously as possible. Everything else
requires either specific training or apposite orders.
Syntax: ... ARMOUR TOTAL/THRIFTY/NEVER/LIFESAVING/<percentage importance>.
Syntax: ... ARMOUR SHARE <percentage to share>.
Syntax: ... ARMOUR ALTRUISM TOTAL/ROUTED/DOMINANT/PEER/<percentage altruism>.
Specialist: "ArmourForms"
Syntax: ... FIELDEQIUP FASHION <item of field equipment>.
Syntax: ... FIELDEQUIP ASSIGN <item> <legion>.
Syntax: ... FIELDEQIUP RETRACT <item> <legion>.
Syntax: ... FIELDEQUIP PRIORITY <item> <percentage>/NEVER/ALWAYS
Syntax: ... FIELDEQUIP ASSERT <item> UP/DOWN <percentile difference in might>.
Specialist: "FieldEquipment"
Syntax: ... FIELDFIX SPECIFIC <item> NOW/NEVER/ALWAYS/<percentile priority>.
Syntax: ... FIELDFIX WHEN <size of legion>/SAFE/UNENGAGED/ALWAYS/NEVER
Specialist: "EquipmentFix"
Syntax: ... STEEDCARE WHEN <percentile priority>/ALWAYS/NEVER/DOMINATING/LOSING.
Syntax: ... STEEDCARE WITH <percentage of resources>/ALL/NONE/LEFTOVERS
Specialist: "SteedCare"
Syntax: ... FORAGE <direction>/HERE FOREVER/NEVER/<time to forage>.
Syntax: ... FORAGE SEEK/UNSEEK <target type>/ALL/NOTHING/HERBS/POISONS/FOOD.
Syntax: ... UNFORAGE <item> <time to unforage>/INSTANT.
Specialist: "Foraging"
SECTION FOUR - Legion use of equipment; conflict and battlefield action.
Legions when equipped are vastly more effective than those without the
correct inventories for the battlefield. A small troop of well-trained
archers are capable, for instance, of decimating a vast corps of
loin-cloth wearing dunderheads even if outnumbered ten to one. The task of
the military commmander is twofold: firstly to ensure the legions in
his/her charge are suitably equipped, and secondly to either issue
commands in real-time or prepare dispatches sufficiently complex to make
good use of any advantages (horses, armour, bows, etc).
Syntax: ... ARCHERY LONGBOW/CROSSBOW <priority percentile>
Syntax: ... ARCHERY WHEN <when to use>, ARCHERY ONLY.
Specialist: "Archer"
Syntax: ... HURL ALL/<specific projectile> <priority percentile>.
Syntax: ... HURL WHEN <when to use>, HURL ONLY.
Specialist: "Projectiles"
Syntax: ... MOUNT <priority to cavalry>, CHARGE <target>, MOUNTLEAP <direction>
Syntax: ... FORD <direction>, CAVALRY ONLY.
Specialist: "Cavalry"
Syntax: ... CAULDRON FILL, CAULDRON AIM/HASTE/SPREAD <percentage split>
Syntax: ... CAULDRON EMPTY, CAULDRON IGNITE, CAULDRON DOUSE, IMMOLATE <target>.
Specialist: "OilCauldrons"
Syntax: ... MAN FORTIFICATIONS <direction>/HERE/ALWAYS/FOLLOW
Syntax: ... UNMAN FORTIFICATIONS <direction>/HERE/ALL/FOLLOW
Specialist: "FortifyManning"
Syntax: ... BODYGUARD <group>/EVERYONE/NOBODY
Specialist: "Bodyguarding"
Syntax: ... PROTECT <from direction> <to direction>/<target1> <target2>/HERE/NONE
Specialist: "Protectionism"
Syntax: ... REARGUARD ALLIES/BRETHREN/NOBODY/REINFORCE
Syntax: ... REARGUARD HOLD <direction>/HERE, REARGUARD REPLENISH
Specialist: "RearGuarding"
Syntax: ... DESPERATION <size of group to begin desperate death-fight>
Syntax: ... DESPERATION HOMELAND, DESPERATION REVENGE [<target>].
Specialist: "Desperation"
SECTION FIVE - Information, gathering insight, protecting secrets.
Passing orders/dispatches and gathering information can be two of the most
important aspects of a successful military strategy, defensive or offensive,
whatever your ultimate aims. Fighting an enemy blind, knowing nothing of their
make-up is walking into potential disaster, just as cutting yourself off from
being able to give orders to your legions - rolling with an ever-changing
battlefield - can easily spell your doom. Thus it's pivotal to develop legions
capable of fulfilling these needs; doubly so on those occasions you may
face individual enemies beyond your ability to match toe-to-toe (and thus
find yourself prevented from reaching your legions to pass on orders by
dint of their superior fighting prowess).
NOTE: Many of the commands below do NOT have the ellipsis (...) preceding
the syntax info. This means they are standalone commands are not intended to
be appended to COMMAND or DISPATCH SCRIBE. BEFRIEND, for instance, to employ
the "familiarity" specialist-skill is its own command and is typed separate to
any dispatches etc.
Syntax: BEFRIEND <legion to grow more familiar> <target>/ME/NOBODY.
Syntax: ... BEFRIEND <target>/ME/NOBODY.
Specialist: "Familiarity"
Syntax: LAYER <top dispatch> <sub dispatch>
Specialist: "Orderscripts"
Syntax: REMOTE COMMAND <legion destination> [<order as per normal>].
Syntax: DISPATCH RUNNER/DISPATCH PIGEON as per HELP DISPATCHES file.
Specialist: "Messengering"
Syntax: WINDWORD COMMAND <from legion> <legion to> [<false order>].
Syntax: WINDWORD BEWILDER <from legion> <legion to>.
Specialist: "WindWords"
Syntax: PATHWAY <legion for aid> <destination/target>.
Syntax: ... PATHFIND <destination/<target>.
Specialist: "Pathways"
Syntax: SCOUT <destination legion> [<helpful hint to whereabouts>].
Syntax: ... SCOUTOUT <destination legion> [<helpful hint>].
Specialist: "Scouting"
Syntax: COVERT <destination legion> <number to covert-up> <extent>.
Syntax: UNCOVERT <destination legion> <number to release> <extent>.
Specialist: "CovertCitizen"
Syntax: CONVEY <skill> FROM <from legion> TO <to legion>.
Specialist: "Conveyencing"
Syntax: RELAY FROM <from legion> ABOUT <destination/legion/target>.
Syntax: RELAY WIPE <from legion> ABOUT <destination/legion/target>.
Syntax: ... RELAY EVERYTHING/SUMMARY/NOTHING <destination area/legion/target>.
Syntax: ... RELAY WIPE <destination area/legion/target>.
Specialist: "DistantRelay"
Syntax: RELAY REGION <from legion>.
Syntax: RELAY LOCALE <from legion> <locale>.
Syntax: RELAY SCOUTOUT <from legion> <destination target in locale>.
Specialist: "Hawkeyes"
Syntax: RELAY MINES <from legion> HERE/<direction>.
Syntax: RELAY HAWKMINES <from legion> HERE/<direction>/<locale>.
Specialist: "MineHunting"
Syntax: MARSHALL <legion> as per HELP COMMANDER/HELP VANGUARD.
Specialist: "Ghostrider"
SECTION SIX - Destruction of equipment, property; conquest.
One of the most significant differences between the consequences of
warfare and the fall-out from a combat between two individuals is the
extent and permanence of harm done to the defeated, the scale of spoils
afforded to the victor, and - for some as important as any material wealth
- the indelible mark made on the ever unfolding history of the land.
Although treaties and divine negotiators tend to involve themselves in
aiding peace settlements long before anything so serious as a complete
annihilation of one party is countenanced, the theory remains that if a
victorious group was so inclined they could chase down and slay every last
defender, besiege, raze to the ground and plunder every construction, all
the opponent's wealth, possessions, commodities and artifacts; burn down
and pillage, to an irretrievable extent, the homeland of the defeated foe.
Guilds could be closed down, academies destroyed, city councils and
ministries rendered homeless and impotent... whole cities can be made
vassals to the victor; the possibilities and stakes of War are
near-limitless and should cause even the most staunch of warmongerer to
reflect a moment on the spectrum of outcomes - victory to defeat -
merciful occupation to sadistic conquest - futures unknown. Warfare, even
more so than the divine ordination, can have the mightiest impact on the
land and thus there are many commands/orders to deal with the process of
conquest, plunder and reordering enemy soil freshly laid bare and
undefended.
Syntax: ... SABOTAGE <target> [<direction>].
Specialist: "Sabotage"
Syntax: ... BESIEGE FORTS/BARBICAN/GATEHOUSE/WALL/OBSTACLE <direction>/HERE.
Specialist: "Besieging"
Syntax: ... PLUNDER GATEHOUSE/<direction>/HERE.
Specialist: "Plundering"
Syntax: ... RAZE <direction>/<target>.
Specialist: "Razing"
Syntax: ... LUMBERJACKING WHEN TOTAL/<percentage>/CURSORY/NONE.
Syntax: ... LUMBERJACKING WHERE EVERYWHERE/ENEMY/NEUTRAL/NOTHOME/NOHERE.
Specialist: "Lumberjacking"
Syntax: ... SCORCH WHOSE <target group>.
Syntax: ... SCORCH TIME COMPLETE/<minutes>/RETREAT/SAFETY/CURSORY/NONE.
Specialist: "ScorchedEarth"
Syntax: ... THIEVERY FROM <target group>.
Syntax: ... THIEVERY WEALTH <wealth level of target>/INDISCRIMINATE.
Syntax: ... THIEVERY FOCUS <percentage of energies>/BACKGROUND/CURSORY/NONE.
Syntax: ... RUSTLE FROM <target group>.
Syntax: ... RUSTLE FOCUS <percentage of energies>/CURSORY/SAFELY/NONE.
Syntax: ... RUSTLE WHERE ENEMYSOIL/WILDLAND/FOREIGNSOIL/HOME/TOTAL/NOWHERE.
There are, in addition to the comprehensive list above, a wide range of
specialist-skills in the repertoire of one or other profession (guild
legions only). These often involve magic, in massed accumulations of
power, to achieve ends beyond those attainable via regular tools and
high-skilled non-magic users. The specifics of the magical
specialist-skills are not revealed here but can be delved into, in due
time, by those of appropriate shared heritage. No more can be said of such
matters here.
See also HELP LEGIONS, HELP DISPATCHES and HELP SPECIALIST, or HELP
SPECIALIST followed by a specialist-skill (e.g. HELP SPECIALIST RAZING)
for access to even more detailed info on the spectrum of skills available
for legions to train in and one-day utilise out in the field.
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