Welcome to my first attempt at a large-scale User Tournament ever where we're going to be putting fantasy armies like those in Warcraft, Warhammer, and Lord of the Rings against each other in one big battle royale. But the difference here is each force is made by a single user and this conflict will be decided by one decisive conflict for control of the Northeastern Continent. But an arena can't be used without contestants so all of the rules and specifics for making your force are available below along with my own entry as an example of a fairly unorthodox force.
The Setting[]
The Northeastern Continent is home to many different nations, all of which with their own governments, and this one certainly is host to some of the most varied and chaotic forces which will almost certainly lead to an inevitable power struggle. A mysterious being has arrived in the continent and offered the chance for total control of the continent to anyone who will partake in its game, that being a massive battle with every other major force with a limited amount of units and a small base. Whether this being will uphold its bargain or not is unknown but there is something convincing about a creature that hails from the ancient ruins of the empire country's greatest state that now are moving again with the march of armies on the battlefield...
Overall Rules[]
1:The technology level is supposed to be at most, the height of fantasy weapons, which means that firearms like matchlocks and wheellocks, explosives like grenades, cannons for siege weapons, and armor that can take a bullet are allowed, however, said armies will be limited in numbers if that's the main theme to keep things balanced for those who don't feel like making a mass of guns their force. All armies will be limited in numbers for balancing however unless they're the weakest of the bunch in a category which means that the max numbers are unlikely to be seen.
To add onto this, this rule is mainly to represent the basics of what armies will be limited by in numbers but it boils down to how easily can your units kill enemy units and get through armor, how much their armor and/or physicality makes killing them difficult, and whatever other tricks they have that might give them an advantage. To give specifics, a Chimpanzee Skirmisher unit that relies on ripping people's faces off and stabbing them with branches sharpened into spears with little in the way of armor, if any, can be 500 Melee Infantry while a unit of Mage Swordsmen who have heavier armor that lowers their mobility and greatswords with magic to light them on fire would be 300 Melee Infantry at most. Infantry can be faster but cause less damage in melee and have weak or inaccurate projectile attacks with medium armor on the max side but the minimum side would be slower but heavy hitting melee attackers and ranged attackers that can deal high damage through firearms but have little armor to protect them.
2:Feel free to be as creative as you want with your force and you can base parts off of other fictional universes if they haven't shown up in the RTS genre before, even if they have and you find characters that weren't used in that format, you can still base part of your forces off of them. Just don't try to pass off the Warcraft III Orc Horde, Lord of the Rings Men of the West, or Warhammer Lizardmen as your "original force".
3:The latter rule doesn't apply to historical armies as there's several games that use the same forces from there anyways, medieval Europe, medieval Japan, and ancient Rome, although I would suggest adding in additional fantasy elements so you don't just have a bunch of regular humans fighting supernatural beings. You can even take a modern force like the U.S. Army or Russian Bolsheviks and downgrade their tech so that they can fit in with some powers thrown in.
Force Rules[]
It's a short description of your force's history that can be everything from a paragraph to multiple but try to explain where all of your units came from and the command units' personal history here.
These include the Leader and Champion who have two very different rules in the army but both involve unique individuals with impressive powers. The Leader resides inside the base and doesn't fight on the front lines but they can have some personal equipment, instead shaping the conflict with their powers from afar that take a while to recharge but can pack a punch and a passive power to turn the tide in their favor along with having their personality and relationship with the troops detailed. In addition, they will have an elite guard of four men each who can have armor and superhuman physicality like elite infantry along with a close combat weapon and polearm or ranged weapon with natural weapons and magic counting as well.
The Champion has three weapons, two melee or ranged and a backup melee or ranged weapon depending on whether they like getting up close or staying at a distance (weak magic blasts, reasonable dual-wielding, and natural weapons count for this), and superhuman physicality, magical armor, or a combat mount like a dinosaur to back that up, superhumans can still have regular armor but the latter has to deal with basic physicality and/or a regular mount like a horse. In addition, their personality will be described which shows their approach to combat such as whether they actually serve as a secondary leader or just set out to kill adversaries on their own, whether they rush into battle or take their time to analyze situations, etc. Their powers include one passive that provides a minor aid in combat for them or allies, two powers from the categories of offensive, defensive, movement, and support with only one allowed from each, and their Ultimate power can be anything from a super mode, extremely powerful magical attack, or buff like mass ressurection with a recharge time.
Ultimately your Leader's physically frail while your Champion is a powerhouse that can still be killed and has limits but can cause a lot of damage on their own.These include Melee, Ranged, and Elite troops who altogether form the largest chunk of the army with a maximum of 1200 allowed on the field for each force. Melee Infantry rely on blades, polearms, or blunt objects along with physicality or armor and another trick like traps, throwing weapons or a secondary melee weapon, or weak magic like fire swords to prevail up close. Ranged Infantry prefer staying at a distance and rely much more on their projectiles of choice, be it thrown objects, arrows, or bullets, along with additional equipment or powers and at least one melee weapon if enemies get too close. Elite Infantry are the best of the best for this category and can use a mix of the above equipment to be equally deadly from afar and up close along with the best armor or physical attributes to keep them going throughout a conflict. Elites should be at least half as much as Melee and/or Ranged Infantry depending on how powerful they are like a Pirate force could have 400 Boatrushers, 300 Gunners, and 150 Guardsmen with Conquistador-like armor and equipment.
These include Light and Heavy troops who altogether form the second largest chunk of the army with a maximum of 500 allowed on the field for each force. This isn't just cavalry as it can include everything from war beasts, hybrids, runner units, and flying units that are weak to projectiles or can't stay in the air permanently so there's options for every force. Light fast units focus on either melee or ranged attacks and have similar armor and physicality to the first two infantry units but can have both so long as they're still fairly easy to slay. Heavy fast units are the opposite and are more akin to tanks with possibly equally great melee and ranged options and thicker armor or skin to make them some of the most devastating units on the battlefield. Heavies should be less than Light Fast units which should be at least half as many or close to it and so you can have 200 Horse Archers and 100 Cataphracts as an example.
These are one category of troops that have a maximum of 100 allowed on the field for each force but aren't necessarily attack units. They can be units with magical or supernatural abilities that enable them to aid their allies in combat with some minor equipment to aid them. That doesn't mean that they can't be more aggressive units with powers for combat but they have two primary abilities and one passive skill with the exception of the offensive Support units.
These are one category of troops that have a maximum of 50 allowed on the field for each force and are the most powerful units. These can be everything from traditional artillery like catapults and cannons, mighty war beasts like elephants and trolls, and even alternative options like powerful mages. Said units should focus on melee or ranged attacks with melee troops being slow to close the distance and ranged units taking a while to reload although the Siege units should all pack quite a punch to make them slow but powerful attackers.
Experience:What have your forces gone up against in the past decade? This doesn't need to be extremely detailed, just list some key points about the opposing forces and possibly any notable individual enemies but try to make at least three sentences.
Tactics:This category gets a name for the overall strategy that your force uses. Individual units can have different techniques but there should be one major strategy in use by your force and maybe a secondary one, three sentences for this as well.
Land:The most unique attribute of your force is their improvised base that resembles a slice of their home land. It also can have defenses like a stone wall with wooden gate in the middle or a tunnel system for tactical options for your force but it's not a full-fledged capital so no castles or forts. Oh, and three sentences again.Death Town (Pygmy Hippo 2's Entry)[]
The small nation of Kintar was considered a place filled with lunatics, narcissists, and buffoons who lived in a frozen wasteland and couldn't even keep their land from being filled with violent criminals that caused mass terror. Ultimately they got a new ruler who tracked the crime waves to a nearby nation's gangs and did what any reasonable leader would, he declared war against them to end the threat once and for all, before calling upon all of the inhabitants to fight. One isolated town was known for being one of the most infamous places with a history of conscripting killers and taming maneaters for use along with connections to shadowy mercenaries outside the the continent's boundaries and was called Death Town because of that.
In truth, that name would become far more accurate as a brilliant Scientist lived in that town, David Baxter, and was obsessed with finding a way to save his niece from the same illness that killed her parents who were close friends of him but had no luck with mortal texts. A strange figure showed up in town one day amidst all of the bloodshed of the war, many good people had been killed for that cause, to offer the Scientist help in keeping his adopted daughter in this plane of existence, while many would shudder at the thought of starting an unholy undead ressurection, the Baxter family head accepted it. The operation was a success that resulted in Paulina Baxter becoming the first and greatest villager brought back and prompted the overjoyed Scientist to share his new discovery to help with the war effort, previously his unique cannons had been the only contribution, which led to the Town's dead rising from their graves to fight once more.
The nearby nation didn't stand a chance as ressurected corpses, apex carnivores, and hired killers made short work of the army and gangs who opposed them, leaving only a broken nation with no more crime syndicates left in it which the Scientist left alone. This act of mercy drew the ire of Kintar's ruler who wanted their territory for himself and to subjugate the people so he demonized the same warriors who won the conflict for him in an attempt to get rid of this foolish province that dared challenge his rule. However the dead were certainly more ready for another war than the living and the other provinces' militaries were either demolished or surrendered, most were left with a couple broken bones unless what they did during the conflict warranted an execution.
The Death Town was more merciful than the Kintar leadership and had now backed them up into a corner, their capital city, where they prepared for a siege by building barricades and stockpiled on equipment that would prove pointless. Some former colleagues of the Scientist recalled the layout of the capital and after a week of silence, the night was broken by the panicked screams of capital slaughter squads being torn apart by the army which came from below them. While the Kintar ruler's propaganda has plagued what truly happened with lies, the Baxter's forces didn't harm any civilians, spared what little redeemable guardsmen there were, and personally delivered justice to the corrupt head of state although watching a girl their age eat their father couldn't have helped his offspring's mental state.
After the evil was thoroughly devoured literally and figuratively, David and Paulina moved the Death Town back to their village and tried to start the old ways of living again which didn't work in the slightest as the corpses couldn't exactly fit in like they used to. The Baxter daughter needed a particular kind of food as well so the army once more marched, this time hunting whatever evildoers came across them and became even more infamous across the Kintar region before the Tournament was announced. The Scientist simply joined because he knew that no person who wanted all of the lands for themselves could be good and so his loyal troops set out to make sure that the lands remain free, even if entire forces of good men must die to get that point across to any other would-be tyrants afterwards.Scientist David Baxter
"Maybe it's because she reminded me of when I was a kid that I decided to save her and then I thought, why should the other ones have to go before their time? I followed that logic to bringing back our fallen soldiers and our ailing doctors before making a deal with some old friends and the Beast Keeper order to bring judgment to actual monsters like you."-David's response to being asked how he could turn his people into monsters by a bandit leader
Equipment:A standard hunting knife used for skinning animals and for combat against adversaries as a short ranged stabbing and slashing weapon, a custom glove that channels electricity used for his lightning but basically functions like a steel gauntlet with above-human strength otherwise, and a heavy winter coat for protecting against the elements and glancing blows. His physical condition is generally great but he is completely reaistant to pain but can still be killed by anuthing that would kill a human. His elite guard consists of the Coffin Gatherers who wield arm falchions for slashing foes and the sight of their horrific faces is enough to make adversaries have a hard time landing a hit through the outright horror they cause. Their armor is simply scavenged metal plates that cover their torso but their undead physicality is truly fearsome as they can knock armored foes over wuth blows, outrun almost anything that isn't mounted, and survive anything that doesn't separate their heads from their bodies.
Personality:The Scientist is a bit more of a motivational leader than anything else as he merely continues the same strategies from Death Town's ancient history to lead his forces to victory against enemies although he is brilliant in the sense that he has created far more advanced and unnatural advancements for combat. He tends to be more sympathetic towards others like his often maligned people but absolutely hates those like the scum that caused the disastrous fall of his homeland which is any other warlord in this case. While he usually held back his forces from killing freely before, he set them loose for this conflict and still tends to let them maintain their own tactics within the battlefield instead of micromanaging them although he does send his niece to any adversary line that proves the most difficult.
Army Relationship:The Scientist and his niece have a good relationship as adoptive father and adopted daughter which is odd considering that he lets her go into combat but still cares about her which leads to him spending time with her and reading her the old myths which he based her enhancements upon. The other undead see him as their savior and serve him with complete loyalty as he saved Death Town from complete destruction, a sentiment which the living inhabitants share as well which leads to all of the above willing to keep fighting until they or the opponent dies. There is one weakness however in the hired killers who do enjoy the nearly infinite supply of coin, meat, and bloodshed they crave from his exploits but aren't necessarily going to stay if the tide starts overwhelmingly turning against them to get slaughtered although it's unlikely another leader will successfully bribe them.
Powers:His tide changing power "Stein Charger" is to activate a powerful lightning bolt from his base that will fry any living beings in an area or at least stun tougher ones although it also reinvigorate his undead troops while having a fairly large circle radius that goes out for fifty-five feet. His passive power is "Bounty Hunt" which makes his mercenary units go for other heavy hitting units when they see them for more rewards unless they're currently in combat. The first power takes ten minutes for the next use but both are used to deal damage where it hurts the enemy the most along with providing some extra bonuses for his troops in maintaining stamina and morale.Paulina Baxter
"I only want to stay by uncle's side and dispose of anything that would harm him or innocents. Is that really so wrong?"-Paulina's view of her morality
Equipment:A intimidating double-sided Labrys Axe for smashing through armor with hacking attacks that she uses with no difficulty, a set of razor-sharp shark teeth that can cut through flesh and bone with ease, and a squid tentacle that comes out of her wrist for some ranged attacks that can bring foes to her or rip open their bodies although she only wears a typical lumberjack outfit that provides little protection. She is notably superhuman to the point where she can easily knock down trees with two swings, stomp with the force of a swung mace, and break through building walls including wooden ones with her body, leap into the air to pounce on unsuspecting victims or over obstacles and keep up with even light cavalry, and survive practically any wound that doesn't result in the complete destruction of her head or 75% blood loss with her limbs taking at least five swings to sever from a sword and being able to survive getting her head hacked open.
Personality:As she is the Scientist's adopted daughter/niece, she is completely devoted to her uncle and will do anything he asks her to do but she isn't an actual leader for his forces, rather she boosts their morale when they see her going after a tough target but they tend to let her do their own thing for fear of collateral damage if a frenzy starts. That doesn't affect her too much as she actually resembles a normal girl at first which means that anyone who isn't a child killer won't likely attack her unprovoked, something that she knows and exploits before getting into combat. If that fails, she will track and sneak up on adversaries before striking and go all-out to cause as much trauma as possible in the shortest period of time while possibly getting a quick meal, needless to say, the raw power and frightening speed are usually enough to make victims into a pile of gore.
Abilities:Her first ability is her passive skill of causing opponents to lose their strength by merely breathing next to them which slowly makes them more sluggish and feeble so her "Corpse Breath" can get even worse as she sinks her teeth into their jugular. Her second ability enables her to "Warp" to an area within 30 feet by merely standing still and staring at the location before dissapearing into another plane of existence and reappearing, usually with her Labrys mid-swing. Her third ability is "Birds of Prey" which retracts her tentacle to send three Peregrine Falcons out to harass enemies with beaks, talons, and wings to travel swiftly and they can surprisingly sqwak what sounds like words.
Her ultimate ability is her "Feeding Frenzy" which activates when she is either surrounded by corpses to feast upon or seriously damaged and changes her appearance to a three meter tall rotting corpse with one eye, shark heads replacing her hands, and four squid tentacles jutting out of her back along with retaining all her previous weapons except the Labrys. This makes her rely purely on bloodlust and instincts but she gains the power to punch through steel castle walls, stay together after being sliced in half down the middle but only once, warp anywhere she sees meat to hunt it down with her being able to essentially teleport every ten seconds. However it can't last forever, only lasting about three minutes, but can be used to heal her by consuming sentient meat extensively which can actually repair her wounds a bit when she returns to normal although it won't be usable again until thirty minutes have passed.Melee Infantry-Cleaver Girls:The resurrected corpses of female warriors who wield natas with hooks on the blade for brutal hacking and crushing blows along with gasoline in cans that can be poured and set on fire for improvised firebombs to block areas. They have superhuman strength that enables them to cleave through bones with ease and break through wooden obstacles in a couple swings and speed that enables them to easily outrun human foes and overwhelm unskilled foes with several blows. They are resistant to pain but can be torn in half from powerful blows from even regular human soldiers and are generally easy to slay once one gets a hit in, however with their clever minds, they can use their unnatural physical abilities and deadly weapons to wreak havoc in close combat.
Number:300
Ranged Infantry-Big Soldiers:The resurrected corpses of male warriors that only have chains on their wrists and ankles for equipment but can easily rip people limb from limb or break bones through armor with punches with their superhuman strength and throw objects that weigh up to 500 pounds 50 feet away or less for heavier objects as projectiles. They are difficult to kill due to the fact that they can survive injuries such as disembowlment and heart stabbings for a minute but brain hits or decapitation put them down instantly. They are unfortunately very slow in that they can only power walk at foes and their reactions are slower than the living although they aren't stupid and their crushing blows enable them to tear apart overconfident foes up close or from a distance with heavy objects.
Number:300
Elite Infantry-Psycho Mercenaries:Foreign warriors who are close with the inhabitants and frequently fight alongside them for money and the sake of bloodshed, armed with longswords for slashing, stabbing, and bashing close range attacks and a winged spear for longer ranged stabbing attacks and throwing purposes. Covered in steel plate armor with bright markings to intimidate foes and carrying a new invention called a tactical shield that can even stop a wheellock bullet or lesser projectiles. They are extremely well trained from early childhood, know martial arts involving wrestling and strikes, and have been involved in a variety of conflicts around the continent, making for a skilled heavy infantry who can match even inhuman foes in melee battles.
Number:150Light Fast-War Stalkers:The descendants of maneaters and those fearsome beasts that have been captured in the nearby area are trained by various Beast Keepers who model themselves after the carnivorous predators and this variant is particularly suited to stealth combat. The man carries a Sarissa pike and Scythian axe with steel points while wearing leather lamellar and the Amur Tiger is covered on steel armor on the top and sides of it's head and body while the teeth and claws are left uncovered to sink into throats. This deadly combo is used to silently approach and pick off straggling or fleeing enemies while pinpointing their location with enhanced hearing and the war animal can even leap high enough to tackle low-flying units and has the power to grapple lighter ones out of the air or roar loudly to decrease enemy morale.
Number:200
Heavy Fast-Oceanic Cavalry:The ultimate combination of man and beast is even more foreign mercenaries that serve only for the promise of fresh meat, namely the enemy's armies, with a Fijian Warrior sitting on top of an Australian Bunyip. The Fijian wears wooden armor over his body and carries a bow with several steel-tipped arrows to rain death from a distance along with a curved steel club for causing severe blunt force trauma at close distances. The true threat is the massive Bunyip which can shred through even steel plate with ease with her teeth and claws, cause fear through her bloodcurdling howl, take several blows to kill through her thick blubber unless the eye is hit, and can even submerge herself in water if her rider dismount to ambush unwary adversaries.
Number:75Support Unit-Plague Doctors:The medical personnel that let themselves be enhanced armed with scalpels for cutting flesh in melee combat and bottles of chemicals for melting parts of flesh and armor as a ranged attack option. They are experts in anatomy that can fix up non-fatal injuries for their allies or cause immense pain for foes but only have an outer layer of bone and muscle for physical upgrades on their human bodies. They aren't the best warriors either, being a support unit, but can cause enemy's bodies to completely shut down, causing death, by touching their skin and can motivate their fellows with the same touch that acts as an adrenaline rush, however these abilities can only be used once every minute.
Number:100
Siege Unit-Blizzard Cannon:An interesting piece of modern technology that serves a siege weapon that fires giant icicles at targets, enough to impale five men in a row, effectively countering formation tactics, and can even go three feet into a stone wall. Like other cannons, reloading is painfully slow, taking a minute, even with the freezing technology but it can also fire out bursts of cold for a blizzard-like effect that can disorient enemies and blind them for a couple moments., recharge taking half a minute This is best used as a support weapon from afar by the trained crew that takes shots whenever there's an opening in the enemy line to fire, whether to turn the tide for their allies or get a early shocking attack in that can frighten unprepared enemies. Said crew of two utilizes long electric poles in close combat that zap enemies with a weak electric shock to keep foes back and wear heavy winter coats for some protection.
Number:30Experience:Aside from their mercenary troops , the Psycho Mercenaries are used throughout the continent and their homelands as hired killers while the Oceanic Cavalry are used to hunting dangerous prey and tribal conflicts, the majority of Death Town is trained for conflict but mostly did law enforcement work and hunted various tundra animals before the conflict. It was a little over four years and the majority of foes were lightly armored but with a variety of matchlock firearms and improvised weapons while the elite troops were decked out in modern armor and carried wheellocks alongside massive swords with a variety of training ranging from professional military guardsmen to beginner street thugs. Afterwards they have been clearing out the regions of Kintar from criminals but only two factions could be considered similar to the neighboring nation's gangs which were still the least effective force against them due to a general lack of professionalism and one rogue militia that was heavily trained but had limited resources.
Tactics:Aggressive Stealth
Death Town's strategy is typical hunting strategies that involve ambushes and using the terrain to cover their presence until they get into striking distance before repeating the process over and over to wear down their adversaries until they retreat or surrender. Each attack is quick and brutal to fill the enemy with fear and the continuous nature ensures a constant sense of paranoia that is enough to outright cripple people with terror sometimes which can potentially result in forces either engaging in mutiny or hiding and refusing to fight. The troops can attack from behind opponents, from the sides, leap out from obstacles, or even from below if tunnels are available but there is no other strategy in use besides head-on assaults which means that a more versatile commander could figure out the pattern and counter it.
Land:The Death Town base is just a series of log cabins that serve as minimal planning stations and troop quarters but the true advantage is in their wide open territories filled with cold winds, snow piles, piles of debris for throwing, water pools, and many trees which provides the perfect setting for their tactics. Of course, the lack of any decent defenses is a weakness but there is an underground tunnel system with several openings across the land that provides extremely unexpected ambush points for coming out of seemingly nowhere. This area is made for guerrilla combat with a harsh climate to make invading armies have a difficult time fighting through the terrain and their forces unless they're used to the terrain.Known Participants[]
Below is listed those who have put their forces in other places and mostly have them finished which means that they do not need to put it in the comments here and I will link them for easy access...
User:Deathblade 100/User Warriors
Notes[]
Sign-Ups will end on May 28th but that may be extended if the need arises. Other than that, I've detailed basically everything in the notes except for the fact that placements in the fight will be neighboring two enemy armies and positions will be randomized along with alliances being prohibited. With that final bit of info out of the way, have fun making your forces and good luck in your battle for the Northeastern Continent...