Thursday 18 June 2015

The Battle of Bastion

Bastion is the only city that matters, and it's so big and complicated that nobody can rule the whole thing.

So you wouldn't expect to see the sort of grand field battles associated with the modern age.


In actuality, the Battle of Bastion has lasted for decades, and spills out of the city into the rest of the world.


Of course there are Generals that let their rivalries froth over into battles, but they don't really hold out a hope of winning Bastion. Each of the Belligerents involved here actually want to rule over the city, ridiculous as that concept may seem.



d8 Battle of Bastion Belligerents
1: House Gargan (Green, Black, Green Fesses. White Fez)
Want to restore their family to a royal throne, ban astral cults, and rid the city of tax collectors.

2: The White Brigade (Black Saltire, White Fimbriation, on Black Field. White Top-Hat)
Want to broker a peaceful end to the Battle, ensure all belligerents are disarmed, and remove all record of the war.

3: Universal Republic (Red Star on Red, White, Red Pales. Red Tricorne.)
Want any member of an astral cult to be able to vote on city matters, a council of the largest cult heads, and a new Bastion to be colonised in the Polar Ocean.

4: New Industrial Methods (Blue and Red Quarterly with Silver Turtle. Blue Cap.)
Want to prolong the Battle to sell weapons, cut off trade to deep country, and gather Oddities for research.

5: Willing Servant's Front (White Cow on Blue Field. Two-Spiked Helm.)
Want to install a rigid caste system, encourage slavery, and make contact with cosmic beings.

6: Topper House (Black Dog Eating Red Cat on Blue and Gold Stripes. Bearskin)
Want to thin out the city's population, prolong the Battle, and give more power back to the inbred nobility of Deep Country,



Certain Rules of Engagement are followed:

  • Belligerents must display uniform, including a hat, and each detachment must carry a flag. 
  • Non-combatants are not valid targets.
  • Fighting and movement must cease at sunset.  
  • Troop movements, casualties, recruitment, and coalition agreements are to be sent to the Impartial War Monitoring Office by sunrise the next day. 
  • Coalitions must be dispersed after achieving the goal noted on their paperwork.
  • Soldiers wishing to leave the battle must be permitted to do so by sunset the following day.  
  • Any breach of these rules will be swiftly punished by the Impartial War Monitoring Office. 



The target of a coalition is usually one of the city's many palaces, which at some point in time housed a powerful individual. The idea is that holding the palace makes you the defacto ruler of Bastion, but really you just make yourself a target.


Barricade Warfare
Pushing towards the palace an inch at a time is the traditional form of warfare in the Battle of Bastion.
  • Attacks into a Barricade are Impaired, but you can't advance without leaving the Barricade. 
  • A Barricade can be assaulted with melee weapons, but the defenders get to fire on the chargers before they arrive, and get to make the first melee attacks. 
  • The Barricade can be attacked by cannons, explosives, fire, and huge creatures, having 10hp. 
  • It takes an hour to build enough Barricade to hold a single Detachment, and fill the width of a city street. 
  • An extra hour can be spent to add any of the following to your Barricade:
    • Grizzly Trophies - Attachments must pass a WIL Save to charge. Requires corpses. 
    • Glorious Enshrinement -  Defenders will fight to the death.
    • Deathtraps - Chargers take an additional d6 damage when they reach Melee range.
    • Powder Kegs - Light the fuse to blow the barricade and cause d12 damage to everyone nearby. Requires 1g worth of Gunpowder.
    • Secure Bunker - Enough room for four people to cower. The bunker has 10hp, Armour 3, and ignores anything smaller than a cannon. Requires 1g worth of metal.
    • Escape Tunnel - Fleeing defenders can get to safety without fear of being pursued.    
When palace sieges and barricade warfare take their toll on the belligerents, they'll use any excuse to march their forces out of the city for a change of pace. When one army leaves the city, the rest will eagerly pursue to engage them in the open.



As anyone with a brain can see the Battle is pointless. Doing your time in the Battle is seen as a rite of passage for young Bastionites, who rarely stick to their cause for more than a few months. In later years, veterans look back on the Battle with a mixture of fondness and embarrassment.




1 comment:

  1. Love the weird futility, waste of human life and energy :)

    ReplyDelete