Historical precedent

[ShotCaller]

I've always been into military history, and lately I've taken an interest in comparing combat mechanics in DDO and their real-life application in some of the world's most renowned battles. One that stands out in particular is Alexander the Great's victory in the Battle of Arbela. So here's what happened:

1. Alexander's forces were divided into four groups, layered for maximum effect:

Group A were airborne shock troops that floated above the battlefield and dropped en masse on Alexander's command. They were noted and feared for their ability to drop at full speed from great heights and land perfectly upright without so much as an ankle sprain.

Group B were a legion of sappers buried underground for long periods of time without food, water, or breathable air. When summoned by Alexander, they would arise from the earth (even breaking through solid stone) to do battle.

Group C was a contingent of infantry that would appear out of thin air once the Persians crossed an undetectable physical line in the ground.

Group D was a formation of cavalry that waited in the rear and monitored the battle until a chance to exploit a breakthrough presented itself.

2. Alexander made a pact with one of them Macedonian gods to give his forces super speed, unlimited ammo, blind fire, extended throwing range, and partial invisibility cheats, the last of which could not be counteracted by any Persian vision-enhancing sorcery.

3. Soldiers of both sides were completely fanatical and would not retreat or surrender under any circumstances, even if an ML 20 Macedonian soldier single-handedly beat the living **** out of a hundred ML 4 Persian troops.

4. Despite being vastly outnumbered, Alexander was able to utilize the special attributes of his warriors to the fullest. The decisive moment of the battle was when his cavalry was able to ride right through the Persian formations without any Persian paying attention, at which point Alexander was able to execute a withering attack on the Persian rear flank. This was in contrast to the traditional cavalry charge used to break the enemy's front ranks. Darius was also dismayed about reports he received about Persian soldiers being killed by Macedonians appearing in areas they had just cleared.

The Battle of Arbela was a triumph for Alexander that would forever seal his name in the annals of military history. Thank you, DDO, for paying him lasting tribute.

[KoobTheProud]

You should see the landscape battles in the mythical land of Middle-Earth per LotRO.

Vast legions of orcs run up to the player combatants, trip and fall on their swords.

[spifflove]

Although I’m a bit confused by the op which seems to be a bit of a parody of ddo game mechanics I would like to clarify some things about Alexander.

Alexander believed that a small highly mobile highly disciplined army could defeat any army of any size.
His fast hoplites would pin the center of the opposing army.
His Calvary would protect the flanks and engage the enemy Calvary.
When a gap opened up between the infantry and Calvary he and his hero companions would swoop in and kill the enemy commander with no opposition possible and cause a rout.

Then he would strike the rear of any troops disciplined enough not to run.

Back to the op.

[ShotCaller]

the op which seems to be a bit of a parody of ddo game mechanics

Yep.

And the game mechanics in question are itself a parody of D&D. I would challenge any DMs to try springing this stuff on your next pen-and-paper group, and don't say I didn't warn you when you get laughed out of the room.

[Andu_Indorin]

As long as the topic is history and precedence, I believe I can definitively say that if English Longbowmen followed the DDO precedent of running and shooting with their bows outstretched at a 42-degree angle, they most certainly would have lost the Battle of Agincourt. With over 50% of the archers wallowing in the mud, having tripped over one anothers bows while advancing to engage French; the remaining bowmen would be suffering from damaged eyesight, having been poked in the eye by their compatriots bows.

Parle vous Francaise?

[Malveaux]

So does that mean that the mechanics in The Same Old Song are close to that of the Battle of the Bulge?

[ShotCaller]

So does that mean that the mechanics in The Same Old Song are close to that of the Battle of the Bulge?

Up to and including the part where the invaders tell you the capital of Texas is Houston.

[Fauxknight]

...land perfectly upright without so much as an ankle sprain.

I mean that's how it worked in Baahubali 2...

[Malveaux]

Up to and including the part where the invaders tell you the capital of Texas is Houston.

As you know you can't go back to the Talenta Plains.

[ShotCaller]

As you know you can't go back to the Talenta Plains.

But I can still cast a charm spell on Satine's ha-ha-heart, so there's that.

[Peter_Principle]

Fantasy elements? In a fantasy role playing game? Preposterous.

[Drunkendex]

Fantasy elements? In a fantasy role playing game? Preposterous.

I'm always amused when people complain of realism in games where you have people shooting energy out of their finger, but divines help me if I play bowman that can shoot ghost's butt with an arrow from 1km away, that's soooo unrealistic...

Look, DDO used to be tabletop faithful, it's not anymore, don't get butthurt over it.

[ShotCaller]

Fantasy elements? In a fantasy role playing game? Preposterous.

I'm not against fantasy elements in a fantasy game, but rather fantasy elements that are dumb.

But as long as we're casting the net wide, I want low-yield nuclear-tipped arrows for my ranged build. I figure I could step into Wiz King, launch an arrow, and take the entire adventure down in one shot. No pug necessary. And I would be protected from the blast because.

Or is that preposterous? It does sound pretty dumb to me, but letting this game get away with anything it wants under the cloak of "it's fantasy" is even dumber.

[ShotCaller]

I'm always amused when people complain of realism in games where you have people shooting energy out of their finger, but divines help me if I play bowman that can shoot ghost's butt with an arrow from 1km away, that's soooo unrealistic...

Look, DDO used to be tabletop faithful, it's not anymore, don't get butthurt over it.

The only problem is that I have to run up to the ghost after I've spotted him a kilometer away, let him know I'm there and about to attack him, hope he stays put while I run the kilometer back, and THEN shoot him in the butt.

I guess I'm wrong in expecting a game called "Dungeons and Dragons Online" to somehow emulate Dungeons and Dragons.

In closing, let me fix your last comment so that it gets your point across without the added hostility: "Look, DDO used to be tabletop faithful, it's not anymore." And don't get butthurt over it.

[Drunkendex]

I guess I'm wrong in expecting a game called "Dungeons and Dragons Online" to somehow emulate Dungeons and Dragons.

You probably never heard about Neverwinter Online then, I assume...

While we were on "emulating" tabletop...

[Peter_Principle]

I'm not against fantasy elements in a fantasy game,

Perhaps reread your OP, then. It seems very much like you wish DDO toons couldn't do things like featherfall, superjump and be blurry.

[ShotCaller]

You probably never heard about Neverwinter Online then, I assume...

While we were on "emulating" tabletop...

I've heard of it but never played it. So I have no dog in that fight.

[Xgya]

I always counted DDO as its own version of D&D.
It's closer to 3.5 than 5e is, but not by that much.

I don't expect 5e to be exactly like 3.5, because they're wholly different editions of the game.

Did you know there's actual magic in most D&D settings? Most military tactics are outright FARCES compared to the magical equivalent, at least where effort is concerned.
Paratroopers? Launching soldiers into the air is so sluggish when you can just Teleport them in!
Want pawns to sacrifice with no remorse? Summoning spells to the rescue!
Bazookas? Meh, those are heavy, have some powerful kickback and need to reload; the Fireball spell can be put into a wand and shot willy-nilly.
Armored tanks? Those can't properly tank a single well-placed rocket. That magically enhanced human Fighter over there does it on the daily.
Stealth? Ever heard of the Invisibility spell? There's even equivalents to make it immune to True Sight to boot!

There's magical equivalent of nukes, but without the radiation that ruins the land you were trying to conquer (if you actually WANT to ruin the land, there's magic for that TOO).

[Malveaux]

Perhaps reread your OP, then. It seems very much like you wish DDO toons couldn't do things like featherfall, superjump and be blurry.

Are your reading tea leaves in the original post? Because that is a lot of what's not actually in the op.

[Oliphant]

I probably missed it but did not see anything here about the war oliphants