BZPRPG News and Discussion

[NorikSigma]

So is the Matoran Freedom Front.

 

Address,

33 East Kaukau Road, Ga-Koro, PO Box 227134

[25K Now!]

Speaking of PO Boxes ... do we have some sort of delivery service on Mata Nui?

[They]

Kakama messengers seem all the rage.

Edited May 20, 2014 by Kughii

[Voxumo]

I believe i have also seen matoran riding gukko birds in the past as messengers

[NorikSigma]

But apart from Kakama users I think there is a courier service run by villages.q.

 

Or maybe a privatised service?

[25K Now!]

MataExpress.

 

All your postal needs.

[NorikSigma]

KoroMail

 

"The best there is"

 

KakaMail

 

"The Speedy Service"

Edited May 20, 2014 by Just Norik

[25K Now!]

I actually feel like making a team of deliverymen/women now.

[Geardirector]

Would you need help with that?

[Voxumo]

If you did I am certain i would likely be a part of it.. could be fun

[25K Now!]

I'll probably end up using one of my unused Jaliax Sisters to run such a thing.

 

Need to actually make them relevant again.

[NorikSigma]

Then sat up Kakamail

 

I can help

[Ghosthands]

I believe trained birds were quite popular for sending messages at one point.

[Voxumo]

You mean like messenger pigeons right? doesn't kentoku use them?

[NorikSigma]

Ya but that's the imperials.

 

We're the villagers.

 

And we use masks of speed and lots of legwork.

[Wazdakka]

What on earth happened to the subterranean brawl in the Dark Walk?

[Voxumo]

What on earth happened to the subterranean brawl in the Dark Walk?

Death is what happened.. unbridled and uncontrollable death... Or something like that

[Geardirector]

Tyler's busy is all, he'll get to it when he has time.

[Pohatu: Uniter of Stone]

Do people still think the Dasaka have a chance of winning if they arrive on Mata Nui and there's a war? If they do land on Mata Nui and there is a war, they will lose.

[a goose]

Do people still think the Dasaka have a chance of winning if they arrive on Mata Nui and there's a war? If they do land on Mata Nui and there is a war, they will lose.

they would kinda have various psychic powers and actual knowledge of the impending war in their favour

 

- Indigo Individual

[AuRon the champion]

Doubt there would ever be a war between the two for now...

 

But I do think you have it wrong. Due to their telepathic nature, the Dasaka are masters of a whole 'nother plane of combat that almost every being on Mata Nui is unprepared for. That, and there are Six Toa Maru. Already powerful in their own regards...

 

... But the comments made by the guy who's behind the Dasaka imply that those who know four Disciples are borderline demigods. Much less the host of characters that know three disciples, or the one single character that happens to know all five.

 

And then of course, like all meetings between cultures, the Dasaka are going to have some "natural afflictions" that are going to be transferred over, that only the Dasaka know how to deal with.

[sunflower]

Do people still think the Dasaka have a chance of winning if they arrive on Mata Nui and there's a war? If they do land on Mata Nui and there is a war, they will lose.

 

Is this still a question?

 

It's been discussed in great length before, soooooo.

 

Yeah, Mata Nui's pretty much set.

[Constructelf]

Doubt there would ever be a war between the two for now...

 

But I do think you have it wrong. Due to their telepathic nature, the Dasaka are masters of a whole 'nother plane of combat that almost every being on Mata Nui is unprepared for. That, and there are Six Toa Maru. Already powerful in their own regards...

 

... But the comments made by the guy who's behind the Dasaka imply that those who know four Disciples are borderline demigods. Much less the host of characters that know three disciples, or the one single character that happens to know all five.

 

And then of course, like all meetings between cultures, the Dasaka are going to have some "natural afflictions" that are going to be transferred over, that only the Dasaka know how to deal with.

The standard four plus Twin Souls? Who knows that?

 

Also, Rahkshi-welcome, by the way, if you aren't already playing-why do you think that Mata Nuians will win?

 

Personally I see it (in RPG terms) as a bunch of nelee fighters fighting a bunch of mages. Both aren't good at resisting the other's type of attack, so both will take a lot of hits

Edited May 20, 2014 by Last Son Amakusa

[AuRon the champion]

Wait there isn't five?

 

Whuuups.

[sunflower]

The biggest challenge that the Dasaka face is that their powers are inherently non-corporeal in nature, versus Mata Nuian's more physical-forcused abilities. And while they do have telekinesis, it's generally assumed that "outside" telekinesis is weaker at controlling specific materials than "elemental telekinesis".

 

Don't get me wrong, it'd be one heck of a battle for both sides, just one I don't see the Dasaka winning, in the end.

[a goose]

The biggest challenge that the Dasaka face is that their powers are inherently non-corporeal in nature, versus Mata Nuian's more physical-forcused abilities. And while they do have telekinesis, it's generally assumed that "outside" telekinesis is weaker at controlling specific materials than "elemental telekinesis".

 

Don't get me wrong, it'd be one heck of a battle for both sides, just one I don't see the Dasaka winning, in the end.

I reckon the Dasaka could well win via well-played strategy. If they were to decide to go to war and came in to hit fast and hit hard, Mata Nui is having too many unity difficulties to hold anyone off, nevermind an attacking force that can read minds and perform various other psychic feats.

 

In a fair fight, the Mata Nuians would win, don't get me wrong. I'm just saying that the Dasaka could take them if they attacked fast and played their cards right from there on in.

 

- Indigo Individual

[Constructelf]

Two questions

 

How does the Kentokuan judicial system account for the Sighteyes and Willhammer disciplines? If a Menti using these disciplines is suspected of a crime, how do they prove that they actually used their discipline to maliciously manipulate someone else?

 

Also, what exactly is Soulsword energy? Does it behave more like matter or like energy? (If I was to throw some, would it arc like a physical object or travel in a straight line like an energy blast?) Can it be affected by Mindarm?

[Razgriz]

Think about it like this.

They'd want to invade the villages, take over the major population centers and quickly get control of the region, like any good invader does, right?

So, they're trying to invade Onu-Koro (Think the mountains and tunnels of Afghanistan and how well that went for Russia, and then the USA in recent years)
Ko-Koro (History's classic blunders, trying to invade Russia during the winter, etc.)

Le-Koro (Think the jungles of 'nam , except probably even more dangerous and annoying to move troops through.)
Po-Koro (A desert. Have fun.)
Ga-Koro (Arguably the easiest fight logistically and terrain-wise, and that still leaves the powerful navies and the ever-present Ga-Koro marines to deal with.)
And finally, Ta-Koro (A fortress atop Mount Doom.)

And that's not even getting into the fact that these are the home turf of the defenders, the sheer variety of elements and tactics all the adventurers and such bring onto the table, and the comparative edge in experience of being besieged that goes Mata-Nui's way. Thanks, Makuta.

This only scratching the surface as to why Mata-Nui is a nightmare to invade, these are all basically off the top of my head.

TL;DR: We got this.

Edited May 20, 2014 by The Doc

[EmperorWhenua]

Despite how much I love war games and couting war assets for opposing sides I'm not going to enter in this discussion because, well, that wouldn't be fair. However, you guys are forgetting some key aspects, the greater numbers and discipline of the imperial forces among them.

 

Anyway,

 

How does the Kentokuan judicial system account for the Sighteyes and Willhammer disciplines? If a Menti using these disciplines is suspected of a crime, how do they prove that they actually used their discipline to maliciously manipulate someone else?

They could have handle this in a couple ways: Judges who have powers on par with the defendant (or are resistant to them) or use the discipline's weaknesses against the defendant (Sighteyes can't move when using their powers, Willhammers can only affect one mind at a time, etc.) to nullify the usage of those powers. I'm sure the courts would also have Datsue who's sole job is to detect unlawful usage of Menti powers in court, and I'm doubly sure that such unlawful usage, if caught, would only hasten the defendant's conviction, so it's better off if she just didn't use them.

 

Also, what exactly is Soulsword energy? Does it behave more like matter or like energy? (If I was to throw some, would it arc like a physical object or travel in a straight line like an energy blast?) Can it be affected by Mindarm?

It's basically pure psionic energy being compacted into a physical form. It's like a lightsaber's blade, really, in that it's energy and weightless but is subject to physical laws like centrifugal force and such. If thrown it wouldn't be affected by gravity but wind would buffet it and a Mindarm could theoretically move it (though it would take a lot of skill) if it wasn't under the direct control of the Soulsword. Most Soulsword weapons are blades and such so they'd be treated like you would a normal sword, except this one's more deadly and can come and go instantly and are effectively extensions of that person's will.

 

Keep on asking these questions, though—it's good to think about what the limits of the Menti powers are.

[Razgriz]

Like I said, have fun moving them through the terrain of like

5/6ths of the island.

[shadow pridak money gang]

Despite how much I love war games and couting war assets for opposing sides I'm not going to enter in this discussion because, well, that wouldn't be fair. However, you guys are forgetting some key aspects, the greater numbers and discipline of the imperial forces among them.

 

You know I love you, mang, but looking at two sides and thinking 'bigger army is set' is generally the way that people who either don't know tactics or deliberately ignore the nuances of those tactics look at war.

 

Numbers don't always win wars.

 

And, for the reasons Raz listed up above, discipline doesn't mean that much either - if anything, the generally one-note atmosphere of Kentoku fighting and the discipline they earned there would only serve them worse in a place like Mata Nui, where the very land and terrain can be used against them. And you run yourself the serious, consistent risk of outdistancing your supply lines. Folks at home are going to get tired quick. And all six Koro will be united as one again.

 

Looking at it as a game of numbers is pretty inelegant, and very chancy.

 

-Tyler

[Krayzikk]

Respectfully, EW, I have to disagree with you on Kentoku's chances.

 

First of all, it should be noted that in such occasions as this, the defender usually has the advantage. As Raz helpfully pointed out, this is even more true in the case of Mata Nui. Five sixths of the Wahis are all incredibly inhospitable for those not used to them, and very easily defensible. Attacking Onu-Koro requires trekking through countless tunnels, while you can be ambushed from countless others, and then getting through defenses far exceeding the capabilities of Kentoku's inhabitants. Le-Koro is a mess to get through, just see how much trouble jungles have given American forces in the past, attacking Ko-Wahi is tantamount to invading Russia in the winter (Especially for people from a climate like Kentoku's), attacking Po-Koro requires going through a desert while their outriders harass you, Ga-Koro requires taking on the strongest navy in the setting, and attacking Ta-Koro requires storming an actual fortress in the center of lava.

 

None of these are things that the Dasaka have any idea how to handle; They don't have jungles, so they don't know how to fight in them. They don't have deserts, so they can't properly understand how to resupply in them. They don't have massive underground complexes, so they can't predict where attacks will come from. They don't have frozen wastes, and they certainly don't have anything like the village of fire.

 

In these circumstances, their discipline means little, as well. Especially when you consider that while they have had their own conflicts of succession, Mata Nui has been under assault from the forces of darkness for well over a century. The denizens of Mata Nui are the most hard-as-nails citizens in the entire in-game universe, hands down. Their Matoran are trained to be able to take down beings far stronger than them. Their numbers don't mean much, either. Not when the very land itself is so inhospitable to them, and the local tactics can easily rip them apart.

 

But Tyler handled that fairly well above, so I'll just add my own point;

 

Elemental powers. The Dasaka have mental ones, yes. Mata Nui has never seen them, yes. But the Dasaka don't know elementals, either. The Toa can literally turn the very forces of nature against them, and that's not something they can handle. Take half a dozen Ga-Toa, which is probably a tenth of the population of Ga-Koro, and a good portion of the Dasaka fleet will be wrecked the instant they're in sight of the shore. Take a few Onu-Toa and they'll be wrecked the instant they land. De-Toa can get through their illusions through use of sound waves.

 

In an invasion, the Kentokans are more screwed than any invasion force ever has been. They'll die before they hit the beach, and they'll die by the masses when they do hit the beach. And even if they survive that, they're stuck on an island that has weathered Makuta, and every single bit of the terrain is against them.

[Geardirector]

Another thing to note is that, yes, the Dasaka have powers that the Mata Nuians have never even seen before, but that goes the other route as well, elemental powers and such are in large part still unknown to the Dasaka.

 

However, Mata Nui also has species and technology and weapons that the Dasaka have never seen before.

 

So, odds 3/1, Mata Nui's favor?

[Razgriz]

I have them at a -350 dog, at least.

While it may not be an easy out, this still stacks up to being Mata Nui's fight to lose.

[Padishah Mehmet II]

I'm going to go further than any of you. Given the distance, and the slowarse supply speeds that come from that, the success rate for any potential Dasaka invasion of Mata Nui approximates 0.0002%. With a lot of godmodding and abuse of power, it could perhaps reach as high a level as 2%. But not more. Not even RAINING METEORS would help you. We have hiding in the Onu-Koro tunnels for that.

 

My claim to professionalism in estimating these odds is that my cousin is a bookie.

 

(And yes, I'm still watching all of you. From the shadows.)

-Dovydas

Edited May 20, 2014 by @Maidan

[EmperorWhenua]

I never said I think the Dasaka would win in a conflict—because I honestly don't know—I just mentioned a couple factors. Every prediction is conjecture because, when it comes down to it, the outcome would be decided by the roleplayers themselves. I generalized because, simply put, that's pretty much all I want and feel I am able to do.

 

What i can guarantee, and do look forward to, is an interesting scenario.

[Razgriz]

And, generally, the odds are stacked against the invaders. Heavily.

I look forward to it too, man.

I look forward to it too.

Edited May 20, 2014 by The Doc

[They]

I personally find the time we spend debating we could use for actually doing. Of course I love a good discussion as much as the next player, but eventually discussion leads to stagnation and nothing gets off the ground. If you want to prove your points, make them valid in the game itself instead of just discussing them. No one would be at a loss for inactivity while they're writing about tromping though the Fau Swamp with enemies closing in from all sides, or desperately seeking water in a wasteland of sand and rock, or the horde of elementalists descending from the glacier peak on the unsuspecting regiment below. What about about the anguish of starvation, the need to steal from the locals just to survive? If we're gonna debate it why don't we write it?

[Krayzikk]

Simple; Because the war is pointless, honestly isn't a very good movement of the plot, and it hasn't happened yet. If at such a time it occurs, there'll be plenty of that. Until then, we'll discuss what will, more than likely, occur.

[Razgriz]

Because it hasn't happened yet kughi u moran

:3