Book 2 – Page 51

[GaryThunder]

While I appreciate your concise and on-point summation of why Tramennis, though smart, isn't winning, I question your assertion that he would send Slately to the portal room. Why? Slately will disband if he goes through that portal, like Bea did. If Slately wants to commit suicide, he's got better options.

[I D]

While I appreciate your concise and on-point summation of why Tramennis, though smart, isn't winning, I question your assertion that he would send Slately to the portal room. Why? Slately will disband if he goes through that portal, like Bea did. If Slately wants to commit suicide, he's got better options.

I suspect he meant that the portal room might (might; I don't remember it being shown before) be an easily defensible location and that it could serve as an interesting plot point.

edit: edited for grammar

[Kyrt]

Even if it weren't for the Archon's clogging Jetstone's airspace, Slately wouldn't be going up in a jetpack. Neither he nor Tramennis knows it's a jetpack, for one thing, and neither one seems like they have the time or patience to learn the basics- unlike D&D, speaking doesn't seem to be a free action in this world.

Can't say that for sure. If all it does is give them the special "Flight", then they may indeed be able to just fly off. Still...JSs Dollamancer would probably really enjoy working for Parson.

But more importantly, this entire storyline has been devoted to showing how Tramennis is too conventional a thinker to best Parson.

To an extent, I'd disagree. The entire storyline has shown that Parson breaks/bends the rules. Trams response has been, IMO, unconventional by Erfworld standards. Rather than go fot he standard, conventional fight Tram went for a long range strategy. His one mistake was in thinking JS had no options left....and the rule bending that made that an incorrect assumption is the plot point behind Parson.

He's the best tactical thinker for his side since Ansom, and possibly better at strategy, but his decisions are exactly the sort of decisions Parson is counting on him to make.

Parson doesn't seem to have counted on him for anything. Once Parson got his plan set up, it was independent of anything JS did. The Parley just seems to have offered a good time to enact it.

He can't conceive of the portal room as a possible weak point (and really, who in ErfWorld could at this time?)

Its not a weak point. Only casters can through so unless Parson has a commando sqaud of caster class ninjas, theres nothing that can come out of that portal JS can't handle. Even Parson is just one Warlord.

so he'll send Slately down there

He won't. Slately can't use the Portal so he'll be trapped there. If JS win out anyway, then he's as safe where he is. If they don't, they need a way to let him escape....and the Tower offers the jet pack, some casters, and some flying units.

[danhaas]

Is there any other thing Tram can do besides dumping everything he has to the atrium? If he tries to escape with Slately, the dwagons will catch them next turn. If he just end turn and try to defend the tower, the dwagons will siege the cwap out of it next turn. When Jillian was there it was an even fight, without her they don't stand a chance.

His odds aren't that bad. He still has 4 casters, nice leadership bonuses and some heavies; the archons can't attack the ground and Jack's juice is low. If the bridge was a strong defensive point, why wouldn't the tower be? As for tactics for JS, it would be nice to target Wanda (ofc) and the decrypted units, because they can't be redecrypted.

I think Parson will really have to cross the portals. His leadership bonuses, magical items and tactical genius will tip the scales.

Unless Charlie pulls up another Deus ex Machina.

[Utoryo]

And Jetstone couldn't recover the 25k, as they have no way to get the Archon to Charlie before things go tits-up in Jetstone.

I'm thinking the Jetpack is manoeuvrable enough that you could grab someone else in flight, and powerful enough that it could keep flying at full speed. It would certainly make more sense than a faster-mount-equivalent-that's-good-for-escaping (even if it could be that as well).

[fehler]

Jack is sane, and faking it. This is the second time he has been confronted with actual insanity, got perplexed, and laughed it off.

I'm assuming the GW forces can't "storm the tower", as that seems to involve crossing the zones. But they have siege, in reds and purples, that can bring the tower down. And they may be getting a one-man siege engine coming through the portal with his chief warlord, too (but if Parson thought he _had_ to have Sizemore bring down the tower, he'd order it.) So JS has to escape, either down through the courtyard/atrium into Wanda's hands, or to the air and face Ossamer's Archons.

[hyzhenhok]

Jeeze, guys, give Tramennis a break! He's spent most of his Erfworld life as a dipomat; the events of Book 2 have suddenly and unexpectedly thrust him into the role as Jetstone's Chief Warlord.

Parson, by contrast, has been spending his time studying Erfworld mechanics and gaming scenarios since TBFGWK. And before TBFGWK, he spent all of his time (when he wasn't drawing Hamstard or working at Kinko's) gaming or preparing for gaming sessions.

Now that Tramennis has not only been warned about Hamster (which generated curiosity, not caution) but also seen him break the rules, I expect we'll see him beginning to truly counter Parson. He finally understands what he's up against.

[splintermute]

Jack is sane, and faking it. This is the second time he has been confronted with actual insanity, got perplexed, and laughed it off.

I'm assuming the GW forces can't "storm the tower", as that seems to involve crossing the zones. But they have siege, in reds and purples, that can bring the tower down. And they may be getting a one-man siege engine coming through the portal with his chief warlord, too (but if Parson thought he _had_ to have Sizemore bring down the tower, he'd order it.) So JS has to escape, either down through the courtyard/atrium into Wanda's hands, or to the air and face Ossamer's Archons.

They've already crossed the zone - that was the whole point of Parson's food fight strategy. The tower and atrium are both part of the garrison zone, and the GK forces can go anywhere they want. That's why Tram's so worried.

[Allsardane]

I realize it would take a miracle for Trem to realize this (and I have already stated it before), but I still offer my previous action as a viable means of at least balancing the odds- Ending the turn.

If Trem can figure out that the dragons were harvested, he can end turn and remove from decrypting all of the dragons except the yellows (and possibly the one armored red). His own dead units should also de-pop (I think they vanish at end of turn, not at start of their next turn?), removing them as viable units for Wanda.

Seeing as how GK units can attack during Trem's turn, the opposite is also true.

End turn to remove 70+% of the available dragons and possibly most of your dead units.
Use the remaining tower spells (if any) on the remaining fliers (transelvito had this happen to them, so you can use it on other's turns).
Swarm the atrium with any heavies that can stand up to dragons and any leadership units (left) still capable of directing traffic, possibly Trem himself. Yellow dragons crap attacks will probably make them very vulnerable while they stay on the ground. If they decide to take off into the air, the only change in the situation is that wanda and the remaining fliers are now FAR weaker than they were a turn ago.

It would show a very impressive lateral thinking motion by Trem as he learns to cope with Parson's abilities and keeps the battle far more balanced than it is about to be. It also provides our Queen of Faq with the time needed to come back and further muck up the situation (should she wish it).

[Althernai]

He won't. Slately can't use the Portal so he'll be trapped there. If JS win out anyway, then he's as safe where he is. If they don't, they need a way to let him escape....and the Tower offers the jet pack, some casters, and some flying units.

He is not safe where he is: Gobwin Knob has crossed into the garrison zone and can now fight whatever is in the tower. The only safe place remaining in the city is the dungeon which is probably where Trammenis is about to send Slately. He's not guaranteed to go to the portal room, but he'll be well within the reach of Parson since Jetstone will probably send most dungeon units up stairs to fight Gobwin Knob.

[wraithben]

I think it's established somewhere in book 1 that de-pop is at the start of the next turn. Seeing as how GK will be going before JS ending turn is actually more like to play into Parson's hands. Any JS units still in the atrium won't get to pull out, any already dead will still be there for Wanda - ending turn will also mean no more damage to Wanda, Jack or any GK units before they get full juice and move back.

It would also actually give Wanda plenty of time to decrypt - as we already know she can decrypt off turn.

[drachefly]

He is not safe where he is: Gobwin Knob has crossed into the garrison zone and can now fight whatever is in the tower. The only safe place remaining in the city is the dungeon which is probably where Trammenis is about to send Slately.

Spacerock hasn't got a dungeon. They have the atrium instead.

Bodies don't depop immediately at the end of a turn, and they don't depop at all if they've been moved. The 'end turn' plan does nothing.

[╒╦╧╬╩╦╦╛]

Spacerock has a dungeon, but no tunnels if I remember correctly... Which probably makes it an elaborate dead end...

[Althernai]

Spacerock hasn't got a dungeon. They have the atrium instead.

No. It has a dungeon, but no tunnels:

Most Level 5 cities were designed with some unique or augmented feature. Some designs emphasized outer walls or tower or tunnel structures, often at the expense of other parts of the city. Spacerock had dungeons, but no tunnel zone at all. Instead, it had an unusually ornate and well-defended Garrison.

And yes, this does make it somewhat of a dead end -- but Slately seems like the type who would rather hide in the safest possible place than take his chances running through the wild.

[the_tick_rules]

I wonder if the decryption will give him his arm back?

[I D]

Out of curiosity, since I don't recall myself, do we even know where the portal is? It could very well be at the top of the tower. Regardless of where it is, though, I would expect Parson to play some sort of role in the fight if he makes it through the MK and Jetstone's portal.

[the_tick_rules]

That's a good question. I don't know if it has been given a location.

[Decorus]

Parson's strategy would work no matter what his opponent did as long as his opponent attempted to Parley.
Actually scratch that it would probably work even if he didn't attempt to parley.
So saying his opponent was acting stupidly is a fallacy.
Charlie told him not to and told him why, he didn't trust Charlie or believe what Charlie was telling him.
He also came to the conclusion even if they wiped out the forces currently at Jetstone they would still get slaughtered by GK it would just take longer.
His only option was to try and get a ceasefire while he was in what he believed to be a position of strength.
No one except perhaps Charlie would have even considered that Parson might take an unwinnable situation and come up with a strategy which would allow him to win.
Even then Parson is gambling that Wanda would survive the fall with only a 33% chance of survival. (Too bad he couldn't promote her to a heavy unit)

[Lamech]

Even then Parson is gambling that Wanda would survive the fall with only a 33% chance of survival. (Too bad he couldn't promote her to a heavy unit)

Umm... the chance of survival is in all likely hood way above 33%. The chance of simply not being incapacitated is also probably above that too. We have seen several falls. Ansom (from Wanda), Wanda, Ansom (from bogroll, maybe), Bogroll, Parson (on Bannana, maybe), Ansom (from Ossomer) Wanda (two pages ago) and Jack.

So if we assume falls are as lethal as possible; We have one death Ansom, three incapacitations Wanda*2 + bogroll*, and three a little damages. Parson is ignored because he may not have had the needed shockamancy built into him. So it certainly seems like falls are skewed against death...

*Bogroll survived longer than Ansom so if bogroll died when he hit the ground Ansom would have had to die in the air. Therefore if we assume maximum damage from falls we can get bogroll incapacitated and Ansom croaking. One could argue though that 1 death, 2 incapacitations and 3 "a little damage" is more lethal than my 1/3/3 though.

End turn to remove 70+% of the available dragons and possibly most of your dead units.
Use the remaining tower spells (if any) on the remaining fliers (transelvito had this happen to them, so you can use it on other's turns).

Two flaws. One most spells can only be cast on-turn UNLESS an enemy on their own turn is in your hex. So a lot of spells will suddenly be uncastable. That will be much worse for Jetstone than Wanda and co. She can still decrypt. Two bodies won't insta depop they stick around for a bit.

[Althernai]

I wonder if the decryption will give him his arm back?

I would think so. Ossomer was decapitated before being decrypted and many of the Coalition soldiers at the Battle of Gobwin Knob must have been rather badly burnt.