BMD: Characters and Forces
(Thank you, readers. I can feel your colossal mental acumen across cyberspace supporting and inspiring these ideas.
My sincerest thanks and praise to the powerful, handsome, and generous patrons who have decided to support BMD by becoming paid subscribers. Your backing is much appreciated—not only by me but by everyone interested in the game.
Thank you! Another development blog is coming soon, by the way.)
In BMD, players control more than just an army of one—they create a Troop Leader (TL) who commands a Force of fighting men. The successful management of this Force is the key to achieving goals in the gameworld.
TLs advance in power through Infamy—like Character Level in other TTRPGs. The more a TL draws the ire of the enemy, the higher level of respect he will command from fellow Terrans. Infamy is a mark of that TL’s wisdom, shrewdness, and leadership skill. It’s a promise that he’s a valuable ally and a vicious enemy.
But not all TLs will advance in the same way. BMD currently has three character classes that define the different role, gameplay, and feel of their respective TLs. Two more classes are somewhere between experimental and theoretical; those may or may not be part of the completed game.
Let’s take a closer look at the character classes, how they harmonize with their followers, and how multiple players controlling multiple TLs can assemble units to create powerful and capable Forces.
(As a warning to readers from the future, designs of an in-development game are subject to change. I am always seeking smarter and faster ways of accomplishing outcomes.)
I. The Hierophant
The Hierophant is a beacon of fanatical energy and power. In the darkness of a defeated human race driven to mass slavery by trust misplaced in aliens, the Hierophant’s spiritual radiance catches the eye of men looking for something more. Under the Hierophant’s guidance, these men seek peace with the vast universe through righteous war against the profane alien.
The nature and personality of the Hierophant varies from one to the next. He may be a mysterious cloaked wanderer or a beaming display of optimistic opulence—or any number of other aspects. But all Hierophants share important things in common.
Servants of the Power
Every Hierophant serves Divinity—GOD, the All-Might, the Power. Their every breath is an act of worship. They see the Terran as the rightful beneficiary of Divine grace—as stewards of the sacred spark of life and vitality which fills the universe.
Alien sentients are a twisted, warped mockery of life. Their evils have not overcome them but are their defining essence. Any alien presence is a demonic wound, a blemish on reality’s intrinsic beauty.
And the Hierophant intends to heal it by amassing an army to carry out Holy War. When Mustering, he has a distinct advantage in gathering followers. As a result, his flock is extensive. Men seek his empowering words, and his vision of an ascendant Terran empire imbues them with hope and a sense of responsibility to future generations.
The Purifiers, his most loyal followers, are holy warriors charged with fire and zeal. On the battlefield, they are immovable and unbreakable—and they are prepared to fight to the last man.
Called by the Prophet
The leader of the Sol Crusaders, the Prophet, is named not for any religious role he’s undertaken but for his unique psionic ability to obtain glimpses of the future. Nevertheless, every Hierophant is hand-picked by him and given a special banner with his seal as proof.
This banner, an Atlantean device that protects those near it from harm, signifies the Prophet’s absolute trust. When a Hierophant receives this rare prize, he also receives his mission: to maintain and exemplify the righteous character of the Sol Crusaders, to uplift the worthy, to judge criminals, and to enforce Terran order.
It is the Hierophant alone in the Sol Crusaders who has the authority to prosecute criminals, duty shirkers, and antisocials. Punishments may range from public humiliation to punitive duty to summary execution—the fate of the unworthy rests entirely in the Hierophant’s hands.
II. The Warthane
The effect of expert fighting-men on a battle historically outweighs that of the inexperienced by an order of magnitude. The Warthane is a born fighter and a proven killer. Most of all, he is one who is capable of seeing and developing the killer instinct in his followers.
The origins of such men are colorful—whether they are grizzled resistance veterans, former private security, or just naturally talented and ruthless masters of violence. But they have a distinctive shared purpose and dedication to victory.
First to Strike
BMD works on the basis of initiative-by-side. An Encounter between 7 Sol Crusaders units and 5 Dhross units has only two initiatives to roll. But winning the initiative isn’t the whole story.
When a side wins initiative, their units act in command order—leaders with the highest command act first. This keeps things moving—order of action is not a tactical decision.
After a unit acts, its leader performs a command check. If he succeeds, the next unit gets to act. But if he fails, the next side takes the initiative and their units get to act. In this way, initiative is simple and well-ordered but the back-and-forth details may vary.
The Warthane provides his side with an initiative bonus, making them significantly more likely to obtain that crucial first strike. Additionally, his Force is primed for speed and aggression and automatically pass command checks.
Lords of Destruction
Any man could become a fighter, but the Warthane has a keen eye for those with a raw talent for violent action. When Mustering, he is more likely to gather followers with advanced soldiering traits, allowing him to organize a more dangerous and elite Force.
Because of the Warthane’s superior grasp of small-unit tactics and organization, he is able to assemble his elite fighting force into more effective units. His units can more readily accommodate Specialists—soldiers with a unique task and/or loadout who replace a regular spot in the unit. A well-equipped unit with the right Specialist will demolish an enemy weak to their tactics.
The mission a Warthane is given by the Prophet is simple—take objectives and win battles with overwhelming losses for the enemy. An extensive array of Atlantean tech, guarded in the Prophet’s vault on the Thanatos, is made available for this precise purpose.
The higher a Warthane’s Infamy, the deeper his access to the Prophet’s tech. This includes overpowered infantry weapons, beyond-advanced targeting systems, psionic comms equipment, ultra-lethal heavy weapons, and more!
III. Armacogitar
Psionics is a power unique to Terrans. Proximity to Atlantean psicrystals leads to awakening of psionic abilities for about one in a hundred Terrans. These men find themselves with capabilities, limited by mental fatigue, that range from mysterious to frightening.
Some psions can read minds, “hearing” the intentions and secrets of those around them—a strategist’s nightmare. Others can wield mental energy in combination with physical to perform superhuman feats of strength and violence. And a few can enact instant death, “mindcrushing” their foes through pure willpower.
But the most astonishing psion is the Armacogitar—one who can channel the psionic abilities of others and amplify them to become a battlefield terror.
Children of Atlantis
Since only Terrans can gain psionic abilities—and only from exposure to Precursor technology—many have theorized that the Precursors are ancient ancestors of Terrans. Precursors quickly became associated with the mysteriously disappearing Atlanteans from Terra’s ancient history.
The Armacogitar seeks followers who are psions, and he has a substantially better chance of gathering them when Mustering. With each psion in his Force, he has another resource—another talent, another weapon—to draw upon to impose his will on the battlefield.
Every psion on a battlefield represents another talent the Armacogitar can wield—including those led by other TLs and even those present in enemy forces!
Information Warfare
As a psion himself, the Prophet’s successes originate from capitalizing on war gains made in the enemy’s blind spot. The Armacogitar is charged to wage war in the same way: to scout, spy, infiltrate, steal, and assassinate—all where the enemy cannot respond.
Intel is a currency that players will encounter in multiple forms. Satellites or orbital support can provide advantages in ambushing or avoiding enemies. Facility databases can contain sensitive information on items of interest or targets. Intercepted communications can make or break strategic actions.
Because his psionic sense is uniquely empowered by his followers, the Armacogitar is a veritable intel magnet. He will frequently achieve insights that effectively negate enemy actions during Encounters. Even when Encounters have ended, he may still gain intel from the exhausted whisper of the dead. Infiltrating a high-sec facility will typically net a trove of intel he can use to further his war efforts, suggesting soft targets or easing an existing strategic plan.
Combined Arms: Forces
The relation between a TL and their Force is informed strongly by their class. Let’s see a few numbers to center our understanding of the different Forces these TLs will be bringing.
Force Size
Terran units consist of 9-10 soldiers + a leader. A smaller, more specialized unit called a team is 4-5 soldiers + a leader. Other organizations and exceptions exist, but these are the default.
On Mustering, which first occurs at character creation, every TL is granted a guaranteed number and variety of followers (their Honor Guard). Other followers can be gained as well, depending on class attributes and their Mustering roll.
Followers can die or otherwise be lost. The TL must resort to further attempts at Mustering to recover his Force’s strength, gaining new followers with new traits in the process.
I. The Hierophant
At Infamy level 1 (Infamy canonically extends to a maximum of 9), the Hierophant has a maximum Force size of 20, counting himself. Including 10 Honor Guard (Purifiers), this leaves room for a possible 9 additional followers.
At Infamy level 5, the maximum Force size is 100. This is a full 10 units of fighting men, 30 of which are the powerful Honor Guard. This gives the Hierophant a lot of presence in Encounters and a lot of options with respect to engagement strategy and variety of arms. Such a large force, however, is difficult to move in stealth. Supporting this Force takes more significant funds (some provided by the Prophet) and logistical care.
II. The Warthane
At Infamy level 1, the Warthane has a maximum Force size of 10. Including 5 Honor Guard, this leaves room for a possible 5 additional followers. The Warthane is much more able to form capable teams instead of full units. A team is a smaller force that can move faster and coordinate better but is more fragile to pressure under fire.
At Infamy level 5, the maximum Force size is 40. This includes 15 Honor Guard. Force management for the Warthane is largely about maximizing the specializations followers can achieve. Many might be Assault or Heavy Weaponry experts, or he might end up with a team full of Marksmen supported by elite troops—taking advantage of the possibilities offered by Mustering is the key.
III. The Armacogitar
At Infamy level 1, the Armacogitar has a maximum Force size of 5—only 2 Honor Guard and 2 additional possible followers. Despite this, the Armacogitar’s Force has the potential to be the most versatile and deadly. With each additional psion, one more psionic ability—or an enhanced version of a single ability—becomes available for the TL’s use.
Foregoing larger units, small teams of psions achieve unmatched levels of coordination, speed, and lethality. Their capability for stealth actions, even without focused equipment or particular psionic abilities in play, greatly enhances their tactical and strategic value.
At Infamy level 5, the maximum Force size is 20. This includes 7 Honor Guard.
Macro Factors
The class designs are put together in a way to imply and encourage teamplay strategy and opportunities to brainstorm combining Forces for specific operations.
For example, consider a set of 4 players all of the Armacogitar class. Their combined Force is small enough to both move stealthily (transit-level bonuses) and act stealthily (Encounter-level benefits). At Infamy level 1, they will have 20 psions for each Armacogitar to draw abilities from!
On the other hand, what of 4 Hierophants? Even at Infamy level 1, they will have 80 fighting men (8 full units) that can potentially stand up to some otherwise very challenging Encounters—and they’ll need to because their combined Force is large enough to draw attention.
Hierophant Purifier squads can provide great cover, soaking damage for a Warthane’s elite Assault teams. The Hierophant’s morale bonuses protect the teams if they take too much fire—while the Warthane’s initiative bonus lets their combined Force reliably land the first strike.
Especially when equipment, vehicles, terrain, and more specific class abilities are taken into account, there is a rich array of such considerations. I hope you find them as exciting as I do.
The next such BMD piece will be about the basic outline of play—how do we start, what do we do, and how does it all work? Until then, thank you for subscribing and for sharing these pieces as I continue revealing more about the game.