Talk:Mikaela - The Eastern Zone

Note: This is just some ideas. Not official. :p

For traits, they are intended to be relatively mix-and-match so people can customize their group. 2-3 'doctrine' type traits should probably be assumed.

Resistance Groups

Resistance Groups are the primary PC powers in the Zones; organized militant groups that have long (or not-so-long) histories fighting the Chosen. These rootless groups can and do travel between various city-states, nations and conflict areas, adding their skills and power to local uprisings and fading away when overwhelming force appears. However, while made up of elite troops and hand-crafted gear much more effective than the mass-produced norm in the Zones, they also lack access to nation-sized economies - they are not national armies, nor could they fight one alone.

Focus

Each resistance group has one Focus - this is their fundamental strength and strongest base of knowledge and skill. Any trait that requires a Focus they do not have costs double.

Steel Focus

Your commanders, engineers and mechanics have studied hard at the Great Library, taking advantage of every scrap of literature that touches upon matters of guns, steel and machinery. Unlocks the Pioneer unit type, an elite infantry unit with useful abilities.

Ether Focus

The wisdom of the Stone Circle has enlightened your leaders and swelled your ranks with magi. Unlocks the Druid unit type, a powerful healer that can ressurect (heal) non-mechanized units after battle.

Soul Focus

Instead of putting your trust in guns or magic, you put your trust in your fellows. Your leader is so inspirational that he or she gains +1 level - moreover, if they die or otherwise get removed from play, this level transfers to your new leader.

Resistance Traits

General Traits

Rust Brigade:

Nobody can do more with less. Your army is composed of relics, modern parts and battlefield salvage cobbled together in inventive ways. It may not shine, but it is rather easy to pick up all the broken pieces and put them together again.

Living Legend

[i]Everyone[/i] in the Zones has heard of you, and you live up to everything they expect. Your reputation is everything. Enjoy the benefits of an immense recruitment pool and public trust, so long as you remain in good graces. Gain power when fighting for a Zone state. Gain fate if you suffer stains on your honor.

Fields of Ruin

Regardless of their fighting spirit, your forces are poorly disciplined and difficult to control. You are unreliable and it might cost those who support you. Gain fate if your host Zone power suffers dearly for your presence.

For Spite's Sake

Someone deeply wronged those who fight under your banner. Now that the War in Heaven has left the Chosen's domination in shambles, it's time for revenge. It doesn't matter how, but you will make them suffer. Gain Power whenever you come into conflict with your Enemy.

Liberator

Mikaela and Rafaela have been under the Chosen's ceaseless oppression for a thousand years. Now that they're gone, you will resist all those who would try to follow in their steps. Gain Fate if you successfully preserve a Zone state's independence from foreign imperialism.

Steel Focus

Achtung Panzer

Your resistance doctrine is to strike hard and strike fast, shattering the enemy with advanced wheeled, tracked or multiped vehicles far superior to the crude trench-crawlers of Mikaela.

Cost: ?

Requires: Steel Focus

Unlocks: Panzers, Mobile Artillery

Rolling Hot

Your soldiers travel in style, trained to dismount and fight from armored vehicles like Panzer Dragoons.

Cost: ?

Requires: Steel Focus

Unlocks: Mechanized Infantry

Effects: Tankrider ability for all other infantry

Lead Zeppelins

The resistance air fleet always operated as a Fleet in Being . . . but now you are a fleet in action.

Cost: ?

Requires: Steel Focus

Unlocks: Skycarrier, Overstriker

Doolitle's Raiders

Forget biplanes. You have two and four engine bombers. Jibril's cities will burn in the light of incendiaries.

Cost: ?

Requires: Steel Focus

Unlocks: Bomber

The Big Wing

He who controls the air controls the war.

Cost: ?

Requires: Steel Focus

Unlocks: Attack Plane, Interceptor

Seas of Steel

Battleships are cool. Nuff said.

Cost: ?

Requires: Steel Focus

Unlocks: Fast Battleship, Torpedo Cruiser

Run Silent, Run Deep

Under the waves were one of the few places where the Chosen's overwhelming air dominance could not be brought to bear.

Cost: ?

Requires: Steel Focus

Unlocks: U-Boat

Bullet Train (thanks Arc)

Armed, Armored and Coming Your Way.

Cost: ?

Requires: Steel Focus

Unlocks: Railway Artillery

Impractical Engineering

Nazi Superscience is the bridge between Genius and Madness.

Cost: ?

Requires: Steel Focus

Unlocks: Land Dreadnought

Ether Focus

Onyx Circle

The innermost of the Stone Circle sometimes take to the field, trailing regiments of lesser magi to punish the interlopers.

Cost: ?

Requires: Ether Focus

Unlocks: Warcasters

Opal Circle

The Opal Guardians have protected the Stone Circle for a millenia. While individually weak magi, they are deadly personal and disciplined warriors.

Cost: ?

Requires: Ether Focus

Unlocks: Opal Guardians

Quartz Circle

A dash of magic and some mass produced enchantments.

Cost: ?

Requires: Ether Focus

Unlocks: Battlepikes

Applied Stone Lore

Properly applied geomancy can turn even the ground itself against the enemies of the world.

Cost: ?

Requires: Ether Focus

Unlocks: Golems, Stonefist Infantry

Iron Giants

The Stone Circle's trump card were the immense Iron Giants, golems that could shake the mountains with their strides.

Cost: ?

Requires: Ether Focus, Onyx Circle, Applied Stone Lore

Unlocks: Iron Giants

Jurassic Park Rangers

They grow them big on Rafaela. Really big. Big enough to mount a 155mm howitzer.

Cost: ?

Requires: Ether Focus

Unlocks: Dinosaur Cavalry, Galloper Guns

Killosaurus Rex

They have slept since the Cataclysm. Is it truly wise to awaken them?

Cost: ?

Requires: Ether Focus, Jurassic Park Rangers

Unlocks: Behemoth, Kraken

The Dark Tower

In the deepest and darkest corners of the Zones are the things that go bump in the night. But even these can be heroes.

Cost: ?

Requires: Ether Focus

Unlocks: Werewolf Regiments, Frankenstein's Monsters

Ghost Regiment

The spirits can be terrible forces in battle when roused.

Cost: ?

Requires: Ether Focus

Unlocks: Spirit Warriors

Deathknights

Any qualms about using the dead as weapons of war have long since vanished. Besides, if the enemy didn't want you to raise their dead against them, they'd have burned their corpses.

Cost: ?

Requires: Ether Focus

Unlocks: Zombie Riflemen, Skeletal Dragoons

Soul Focus

Supreme Commander Commanding Supremely

You have the nerve center of the entire Zone resistance. What you bring is not unusual weapons or magical powers, but experience and effectiveness.

Cost: ?

Requires: Soul Focus

Unlocks: Stormtroopers

Effect: All of your Military-type heroes gain +1 level.

New Model Army

You have mass-produced vehicles a step beyond the Zone norm.

Cost: ?

Requires: Soul Focus

Unlocks: Infantry Tank, Fighter, Dreadnought

Old Model Army

You've taken steps to spread the techniques of magic more widely among your troops.

Cost: ?

Requires: Soul Focus

Unlocks: Flying Cavalry, Warcasters, Golems

Shells, Not Lives

The Zones have access to good artillery pieces and doctrines. You have access to superlative artillery.

Cost: ?

Requires: Soul Focus

Unlocks: Siege Artillery, The Jibril Gun

The Best Defense . . .

. . . is a Great defense. Your troops are the masters of fortifications, having the uncanny ability to build them with stunning speed - be they simple field trenches or massive defensive lines

Cost: ?

Requires: Soul Focus

Unlocks: Pioneers

Effect: All your infantry gain +1 Defense

Revolutionary Vanguard

Under your tutelage the revolution will spread, bringing the Zones into a new age! (Note: You get both Effects)

Cost: ?

Requires: Soul Focus

Unlocks: Partisans

Effect 1: All of your Diplomat-type heroes gain +1 level.

Effect 2: You may spawn Partisans in any occupied Zone territory that borders the nation or hex any of your Diplomats are currently in.

Captain Harlock

Somehow you have seized a Chosen weapon of unprecedented power and now you wage your lone war against those who betrayed (?) you.

Cost: ?

Requires: Soul Focus

Effect: You may buy from the Chosen list.

Looters

Your troops are experts at turning the weapons of the enemy against them.

Cost: ?

Requires: Soul Focus

Effect: You may buy (at normal cost) any unit that you have just killed in combat - it becomes a Looted unit and you pay the normal 1x upkeep for it. Looted units lose the Magic ability. Gifted units do not become Looted - for good or for ill.

100thlurker's Suggestion

In keeping with Shrike's specialized army theme, but with a very different take on implementation more in line with the current trait system. There are two main paths: General's Staff or New Model Army. Each has a different emphasis. One is more commanding a (perhaps more than one?) polity and the other focuses on a high tech army with its own organization and resources, with a concurrent loss of influence. A WWI state versus a roving extranational WWII army/airships/fleet, in essence. Magic is of course present as an extra, more general series of traits for Rafaelans and some Mikaelans.

New Model Army (D)

The old ways are have failed us: pitiful massed armies helpless against Chosen's sorcery, too slow to evade their wrath, too large to hide. The Great Library's secrets have shown us a new way. A better way. Fast, mobile forces with advanced technology independent of the infant states.

Your army fights. Can always recruit and support a minimum of production until all characters have been killed.

Panzer General (E)

The Jibrilites were not prepared to face warmachines capable of battling their warjacks. The armored fist of the zones.

An army with this trait can recruit advanced Panzers and mechanized infantry. Requires New Model Army.

Air Marshall (E)

Far too too long have Jibril's slave soldiers occupied our skies. Sleek monoplanes and zeppelin carriers disabused them of that arrogance.

An army with this trait can recruit advanced aircraft and zeppelins. Requires New Model Army.

High Seas Fleet (E)

The waves are the highway of invasion. We must secure them with with innovative designs both above and under the waves.

An army with this trait can recruit advanced warships. Requires New Model Army.

General's Staff (D)

Let others play with finicky toys, it is time to guide the people of the Zones to glory. They have the industry, organization, and ingenuity that the ten thousand times accursed Chosen stamped out in Jibril. If we nurture these talents they can grind their enemies under their boots.

Your army provides expertise. Free control of a Host nation and the ability to lay advanced railroads.

Brusilov Offensive (E)

Only those who risk much, succeed greatly. Our special troops shall lead these shock attacks.

Your Host nation can recruit zoner stormtroopers and assault pioneers. Requires General's Staff.

le feu tue (E)

An iron mountain of shells and reserves will overcome any obstacle. This we taught the Jibrilites.

Your Host nation can recruit improved artillery and all Zoner infantry gain the Line Relief trait. Requires General's Staff.

(Line Relief: Units destroyed in battle have a chance of reappearing in a stack's reserves next turn.)

attaque à outrance (E)

Jibril's superior firepower is no use when your troops are overrunning their positions.

All Zoner infantry gain the Close Assault trait. Requires General's Staff.

General Traits

Stone Circle (E)

The Chosen tried to rape our culture; they murdered our wise elders, torched our books and burned our children - innocent of any crime - at the stake. Why? Because they were afraid. They tried to tell us this was Good. But they did not succeed, not by half.

Your Army can recruit Hedge Wizards possessing Low Magic into its forces.

Steel Circle (E)

Heylel is steeped in the traditions and lore of a thousand years of unfettered magic. Our gifts are raw and uncultivated by comparison. The Zenith have much to teach us.

Your Army can recruit mages of Heylel caliber in your forces. Requires Stone Circle and tutelage by a Heylel power. Cannot begin the game this trait.