SCENARIOS AND VARIANTS: SORCERER by Arnold Hendrick The following Scenarios continue the history of Bannorkhemea in the later First to early Third Ages, exploring in more detail the characters of wars of the minor sorcerers of the realm. Scenarios are given in chronological order. Players are warned that Scenario 118.3 can be extremely long and bloody, and that, except where suggested, Optional Rules may well ruin the balance of the game. Selected use of Optional Rules include Shir as a third Player in 118.2 or 118.5. Assassins in 118.4 (one of the few ways of breaking the stalemate that often develops), and the Cloak of Invisibility in 118.6. [118.1] GORM'S COURTSHIP OF DES Gorm, best know for his amorous affair with the she-demon Zhirramximar, actually had very large and diverse amorous tastes. In the 61st Cycle of the First Age, for example, he developed an interest in the sorcerer Des, and won her after a magical fencing match. However, it must be admitted that Gorm was not entirely fair in his methods, in that he won Des' submission at a critical moment through wearing a special ring of beauty. When Des, originally a willing loser, discovered his true, repulsive form (Zhirramximar had worked certain changes in his body), she fled. [118.11] STARTING FORCE First Player (Des) One Red-Blue Sorcerer (Des) One Red Sorcerer (Maci) One Green Sorcerer Four human infantry One Red (4) fortress One Green (4) fortress One Red demonic infantry One Green demonic infantry Deployment: Fortresses are placed according to rules in 16.0, human infantry in any gray city hexes. Demonic infantry are fortress garrisons, and the sorcerers may be placed in any Friendly occupied city or fortress. Second Player (Gorm) One Purple-Yellow Sorcerer (Gorm) One Yellow Sorcerer One Orange Sorcerer Three human infantry One Yellow (4) fortress One Orange (2) fortress One Yellow demonic infantry One Orange demonic infantry Deployment: Fortresses are placed according to rules in 16.0, human infantry in any unoccupied city hexes. demonic infantry are fortress garrisons, sorcerers may be placed in any Friendly occupied city or fortress. [118.12] VICTORY CONDITIONS Game ends after ten Game-Turns, using the normal Victory Point system. Alternately, if a two-color sorcerer is in a hex with the other one, and one is alone and depleted, that indicates that either Gorm has conquered Des, or that Des has humiliated Gorm. This ends the game immediately with a victory for the undepleted. If both are alone and depleted in the same hex, the game ends immediately in a draw (Gorm and Des have a brief love affair, while their magical armies wander around aimlessly!) SPECIAL RULES: [118.13] Only the one-color Red sorcerer and one-color Yellow sorcerer may be killed. All others may never be reduced below the depleted state. If depleted, they ignore any further adverse combat results. Actually, the Green and Orange sorcerers represent friends of the opposing sides, and in this friendly rivalry, neither Gorm nor Des would go so far as to kill the other's friends (although their assistants, the Red and Green sorcerers, are fair game!). [118.2] THE REVENGE OF DES Des forever remembered her shame, and for many years disappeared from Bannorkhemea. When she returned, it was with a rejuvenated and very beautiful body, and a lesbian lover/sorcerer, called Nbar. Together they waged occasional war against neighboring realms with more conventional male sorcerers, generally with great success. However, the love affair eventually failed, leaving Des as unhappy as ever. [118.21] STARTING FORCES First Player (Des & Nbar) One Red-Blue Sorcerer (Des) One Red-Yellow Sorcerer (Nbar) One Yellow sorcerer One Red sorcerer One Blue sorcerer Six human infantry One Red (8) fortress One Yellow (4) fortress One Blue (4) fortress One Red demonic infantry One Yellow demonic infantry One Blue demonic infantry Deployment: Fortresses must be placed anywhere within five hexes (inclusive) of the 0100 column of hexes. Fortresses may be any distance apart (including adjacent, if desired). Demonic infantry are fortress garrisons. Human infantry may be within three hexes of Kel-Fannyan (0416), Bannorka (0507), and/or one or more of the fortresses. Second Player (Alliance of Males) One Orange-Green Sorcerer (Kirt) One Orange- Purple Sorcerer (Hara) One Green Sorcerer One Purple Sorcerer Seven human infantry One Orange (4) fortress One Green (4) fortress One Purple (4) fortress One Orange demonic infantry One Green demonic infantry One Purple demonic infantry Deployment: Fortresses must be placed anywhere within five hexes (inclusive) of the 2300 column of hexes. Fortresses must be placed over three hexes apart. Demonic infantry are fortress garrisons. Human infantry may be within three hexes of Selvass (1905), Cessa-Abirran (2017), Triann-Afretta (1722) and/or one or more of the fortresses. [118.22] VICTORY CONDITIONS Game ends either after the Tenth Turn. or whenever either Des or Nbar is killed, regardless of which is the chief sorcerer. Second Player side is only declared a loser if both two-color sorcerers are killed. Standard Victory Point system is used, save that "homeland" cities count 6 each to the controlling Player. These include all the above named cities (Kel-Fannyan, Bannorka, Selvass. Cessa-Abirran and Triann-Afretta). SPECIAL RULES: [118.23] Optionally, for a three-Player game. Shir may be used (see 21.0). His presence, as spawn of Gorm. will be inspirational to Nbar and Des in a fashion. When stacked together, the two first Player sorcerers combine their Combat Strengths, a direct exception to rule 12.11. [118.3] INVASION OF THE UNHOLY BAND In the early cycles of the Third Age, the examples of Gorm's wantonness, and Des' response to his trickery, not only had effects on the nature of Fane's madness, and general level of decadence, but also inspired the creation of the Unholy Band. This was the trio of Cire, Hara and Evik, who, among other things, shared the same bed. The good city folk had no tolerance for homosexuality, and ostracized the trio. They, in turn, raised a mercenary army at great trouble and expense, and returned to take vengeance. The terrified citylords retained Avil (popularly known as "the Anvil") to assist in their defense, and he, in turn, brought his sorcerer wife Lume. In the ensuing war, which was extremely violent and bloody (nothing worse than a spurned 'twag,' as the city folk called their enemies), Avil succeeded in permanently dispatching Evik to another dimension, only to find the remaining pair fighting all the harder, taking more and more amazing reprisals against captured cities, so much so that even their demon armies trembled at their orders. When Avil's wife, Lume, narrowly missed a horrible death, being rescued from a flaming city by Avil, who had to cut his way through and out again with thunderbolts, he decided it was time to retire. Holed up in his impregnable fortress, he left the cities to their fate, muttering that the bigots were only getting their just rewards. [118.31] STARTING FORCE First Player (The Unholy Band) One Blue-Orange Sorcerer (Cire) One Orange-Purple Sorcerer (Hara) One Blue-Purple Sorcerer (Evik) One Blue Sorcerer One Orange Sorcerer One Purple Sorcerer Eight human (mercenary) infantry Two Blue (2) fortresses Two Orange (2) fortresses Two Purple (2) fortresses Deployment: See Special Rules. Second Player (Avil) One Green-Yellow Sorcerer (Avil) One Green-Red Sorcerer (Lume) One Yellow Sorcerer One Red Sorcerer Fourteen human infantry Three Green demonic infantry Three Yellow demonic infantry Three Red demonic infantry Two Red (2) fortresses One Red (8) fortress Two Green (2) fortresses One Green (4) fortress Two Yellow (2) fortresses One Yellow (4) fortress Deployment: Fortresses may be deployed anywhere on the map, except map edge hexes, not adjacent to a gray city hex. Sorcerers and demonic infantry must be deployed in a fortress, demonic infantry as garrison units. At least one human infantry unit must be in each gray city hex, remainder may be anywhere on the map. [118.32] ENDING SCENARIO AND VICTORY CONDITIONS Game ends at the end of a Turn, when either Avil is killed, any two-color sorcerers are killed (including one of each side), or if five consecutive Turns pass without any First Player fortresses on the map. Game also ends in automatic First Player victory if all gray city hexes are ravaged. Victory Points for elimination of a fortress are changed to twice the original Combat Strength of the fortress. Thus, a fortress originally of (2) value would be worth four Victory Points if destroyed. No Points are awarded for control and/or conversion of any White hexes. SPECIAL RULES: [118.33] One-color sorcerers may only teleport between fortresses of their color. They may never teleport into or out of a hex lacking a fortress of their color. [118.34] White hexes may be converted, but no Victory Points are awarded for this. [118.351 The First Player does not deploy any units on the map initially. Instead, he moves them on during normal movement of any Phase. Only starting forces may be moved on, all other First Player forces must be created once the sorcerers are on the map. [118.36] Two-color sorcerers may teleport from off-map onto the map at the cost of one extra (+1) MP. One-color sorcerers may only teleport onto a fortress of their color on the map at the same extra cost. (One-color sorcerers teleporting in this fashion are presumed to be leaving a fortress of their color.) Any First Player units may move from off-map onto the map at the cost one one extra (+1) MP, and arrive in any hex in the 'top' row, that is, any hex ending in "01," from 0101 through 2301, inclusive. Human infantry may be moved on this way, or may be teleported in with a sorcerer (with the same +1 MP charge, for a total of 6 MP). [118.37] Once on the map, no First Player unit may again leave. [118.38] The First Player begins with no fortress on the map. However, he may "conjure" fortresses from the stock initially available, at a cost of 15 MP. Destroyed fortresses may not be reconjured. Conjured fortresses must be of the sorcerer's color, and conjured in a hex of the same color, as with all magical units. [118.39] The First Player may ravage a gray city hex with a sorcerer unit. Ravaging is only allowed if no opposing units are in the hex. To ravage, the sorcerer expends 10 MP, and a vortex marker is placed in the city to signify the ravaged state. All units except the conjuring sorcerer are instantly destroyed, and no units may enter the city for the remainder of the game. Ravaged cities count as being controlled by the First Player, even though he may not physically occupy them. [118.4] THE WAR OF POSITION Rival sorcerers Tyrni and Ques were very well matched, and undertook many long and inconclusive campaigns against each other. They were so involved in these magical conflicts that humans hardly even noticed all the magical blood being spilled about them. [118.41] STARTING FORCES First Player (Ques) One Blue-Green-Orange Sorcerer (Ques) One Blue Sorcerer One Red Sorcerer One Orange Sorcerer Two human infantry Two demonic infantry (Player may select color or colors desired) One Blue (8) fortress One Green (4) fortress One Orange (4) fortress Deployment: See Special Rules. Second Player (Tyrni) One Yellow-Red-Purple Sorcerer (Tyrni) One Yellow Sorcerer One Red Sorcerer One Purple Sorcerer Two human infantry Two demonic infantry (Player may select color or colors desired) One Red (8) fortress One Yellow (4) fortress One Purple (4) fortress Deployment: See Special Rules. [118.42] VICTORY CONDITIONS Game always ends after the Tenth Turn. Control of gray city hexes is only worth one Victory Point. Control of a white city hex, including conversion to the Player's color, is worth 6 Victory Points, but white city is only controlled if both converted an occupied by a Friendly unit at the end of the game. SPECIAL RULES: [118.43] A special deployment procedure for the fortresses is used in this Scenario. Players alternately deploy their fortresses, starting with the First Player, one at a time, until all are deployed. Then the First Player deploys the remainder of his units on any Friendly fortress hex, then the Second Player does the same. When deploying fortresses, any hex may be used, provided it fits the following conditions: It is more than 3 hexes away from all-White hexes, more than 3 hexes away from all existing fortresses, and is not adjacent to any gray city hex. [18.44] Demonic infantry units are deployed as fortress garrisons. [118.5] THE DEATH OF ISYA, OR THE FAMILY FEUD [Part 1] In the 28th Cycle of the Third Age, the Bannorka/Riddella League employed the services of the well-respected sorcerer Isya and his son Inoc to help them against their trading rivals. After some economic disasters, these cities promptly formed the Taidkf Coalition, and hired the best sorcerers available, including the aging Pairn and young Balt, heir of the ancient Bait of the First Age, not to mention a local dabbler from Lyann-Dritta. The forces were very evenly matched, and, after the loss of much magical blood among conjured creatures, and an even greater disruption of trade, Bait killed Isya by a thunderbolt, as Isya and Pairn grappled together. The death of his father forced Inoc to flee, although he swore revenge against Balt, for his unfair blast-in-the-back. Bait took a more philosophical attitude, best expressed as "all is fair in magic. [118.51] STARTING FORCES First Player (Isya & Inoc) One Purple-Red-Orange Sorcerer (Isya) One Purple-Red Sorcerer (Inoc) Five human infantry One Purple (8) fortress One Red (4) fortress One Purple demonic infantry One Red demonic infantry Deployment: Human infantry must be within three hexes of Riddella-Bes (1710) and/or Bannorka (0501), fortress must be within four hexes of the same. Demonic infantry are fortress garrisons, sorcerers may be on fortress and/or in the above named gray cities. Second Player (Pairn and Taldkf Coalition) One Yellow-Green-Blue Sorcerer (Pairn) One Yellow-Blue Sorcerer (young Bait) One Green Sorcerer Six human infantry One Yellow (4) fortress One Green (4) fortress One Blue (4) fortress Two demonic infantry (any one of Pairn's colors. as desired) Deployment: Human infantry must be within three hexes of either Kel-Fannyan (0416), Triann-Afretta (1722), or Lyann-Dritta (1205); one fortress must be within three hexes of each of these cities; demonic infantry must garrison fortresses. Multi-color sorcerers must start in a fortress, Green Sorcerer must start in Lyann-Dritta. [118.52] VICTORY CONDITION Game ends with the death of any multi-colored sorcerer, when one of the five named cities is captured by the opposition, or when Players mutually agree. Five named cities are Ridella-Bes, Bannorka, KelFannyan, Triann-Afreua, Lyann-Dritta. Victory Points for controlled gray city hexes are changed, First Player receives eight Points for every controlled gray city, Second Player receives six Points for each controlled gray city. SPECIAL RULES: [118.53] White hexes may not be converted to Purple or Yellow in this Scenario. They may be converted to any one of the other four colors. [118.54] Optionally, Shir (21.0) may be used. Shir may only end the game by capturing one of the five named cities after the Tenth Game-Turn. If he captures a named city earlier and still holds it on the Eleventh Turn, that Turn is the last. Shir should always be the Third Player. [118.6] THE REVENGE OF INOC, OR THE FAMILY FEUD [Part 2] In the 40th Cycle of the Third Age, the youthful Foel was taken with Inoc's cause, and Foci happened to have a modest fortress in the general region of Bait's realm. Together they plotted his downfall, but, unfortunately, the initial attacks failed, and Bait rallied his realm. The war ended with the successful storming of Foel's fortress, with the youth dying a thousand deaths while Inoc sulked. [118.61] STARTING FORCES First Player (Bait) One Yellow-Blue Sorcerer (Bait) One Blue Sorcerer One Yellow Sorcerer Four human infantry One Yellow (4) fortress One Blue (8) fortress Deployment: Human infantry must start in any gray city. Fortresses must be placed within three hexes of an occupied city. Sorcerers may then be placed in either fortress, and BaIt may be placed in a city instead, if desired. Second Player (Inoc) - moves first One Purple-Red Sorcerer (Inoc) One Green Sorcerer (Foci) Three human infantry One Green (2) fortress Deployment: Human infantry must begin in any unoccupied Gray hexes, maximum of one per hex. Green sorcerer and fortress may be deployed anywhere, but must be in the same hex. Inoc may start on any unoccupied hex, or in a Gray city with Friendly human infantry. [118.62] VICTORY CONDITIONS Game ends if either all First Player fortresses are destroyed, the Green fortresses and the sorcerer destroyed, if either of the two-color sorcerers is killed (immediate victory for the other side), or when no White hexes remain. SPECIAL RULES: [118.63] One-color sorcerers may not teleport. [118.64] Inoc, the Second Player. moves first each Turn, even though he deploys second. [118.65] On the First Turn, all Purple and Red magical units in a Yellow or Blue hex automatically suffer attrition on Inoc's Attrition Phase, as Inoc is a little rusty with his spells. Actually, when Foel dies his thousand deaths, Inoc could have gone "underground" and continued his conflict. This is represented by a new Scenario. All above conditions and rules are used, except that Inoc has no Green fortress or sorcerer. In addition: Inoc may use the Cloak of Invisibility (20.0). Bait and other sorcerers may not. Inoc's three human infantry may be initially deployed as hidden assassins (23.0), if desired, but once revealed, they may not be rehidden (this is judged on a unit by unit basis). No other Optional Rules should be used.