[A] Campaign: Stromgarde Reclamation [28/1/13 - 31/1/13]

Hello!

As some of you may know we've had this campaign on the cards for quite some time now. While the guild has appreciated the temporary home in Stormwind and been treated pretty well in the south, the decision was made to return to Stromgarde in the hopes that the guild would become what it once was. Hopefully this post will detail all the relevant information regarding the campaign, if it's found to be lacking I'm sure the other officers will be quick to inform me!

Alliance guilds (so far)
- Kingdom of Stromgarde
- The Three Hammers
- Wild Tempest
- Blackblood Marauders
- The Freelancers

Horde guilds (so far)
- Orcs of the Red Blade
- Kingdom of Lordaeron
- Shatterskull Marauders
- Sin Belore
- Crimson Emperium
- College of Revenants
- Vile Thorn

(Disclaimer - We are seeking more horde guilds to be involved in this - we'll be sending out more messages to see about potential involvement, and we hope you'll join us!)

The general plan is to have an event that brings together a good portion of Alliance and Horde guilds to enjoy what this server ended up being pretty famous for. RP-PVP events is what I'm getting at, of course. So, below will be a general step-by-step walkthrough of what we're planning (and hoping) will be the order of events. (Please bear in mind I've no real control over what the horde guilds want to do, or how they wish to organise themselves. If you're participating and want to discuss horde movements, do feel free to PM me, or send a PM with your skype and I'll add you)

Day 1

Alliance forces gather

Spoiler:

The Alliance forces will gather at Dun Modr. Here each unit leader will organise their troops, prepare them and discuss whatever might need discussing with the other unit leaders.

Crossing the span

Spoiler:

Thandol Span is our point of entry into the highlands. This is the first point of opposition that we're hoping for. The Red Blades are based in Hammerfall at the moment, so perhaps they would be the most likely opposition. However, judging by (at the moment) the difference in number of Alliance to horde guilds - a more united front for those horde guilds may be a better option. Battles across the span have always been fantastic (*tips hat to the dwarves*) and we're really hoping something akin to the former battles can take place here.

Hammerfall

Spoiler:

Hammerfall poses a threat that cannot be ignored. Even if at the end of the campaign, the alliance is successful in it's reclamation of Stromgarde. During the campaign itself, Hammerfall will be a constant source of further horde troops - which will make lives more difficult. If/when we have pushed the horde forces back and crossed the span, the plan is to have a smaller force split away from the bulk of the unit. Sending in a unit to act as a distraction to keep Hammerfall occupied until the Alliance have made their way to Refuge Point. The exact details of this movement will be discussed IC at an upcoming gathering arranged by Kingdom of Stromgarde to discuss all the relevant tactics.

Day 2

Refuge Point

Spoiler:

The second day of the campaign will begin where the first day ended. Once the Alliance force has made their way to Refuge Point on day one, the team sent to Hammerfall will (hopefully) return soon after. It would be assumed that from there, both sides are working towards settling themselves again and dealing with any wounded soldiers. Of course, the horde are welcome to send small amounts of forces, but they might want to leave that for the second day.

At the beginning of the second day, the Alliance forces will be focusing on scouting all directions from Refuge Point. The RP-PVP aims of the day are for the Horde to mount an assault on Refuge Point. We thought a push back and forth between there and Hammerfall would be a great battle for everyone involved. If the battles die down, the evening will end in much the same way as the first, with both sides returning to their base of operations to lick their wounds.

Day 3

The fateful day! (with any luck!)

The third day of the campaign will be the push to re-take Stromgarde. The Alliance will be in a difficult position if they've been unable to quell all the forces of Hammerfall into submission. They will march from Refuge Point and likely split to enter the fortress via the few ways to enter. However, the split will have to be quick and decisive, as theres every chance they'll be walking into a situation where there are Horde forces in front of them, and Horde forces snapping at their heels!

Spoiler:

We're hoping for a large scale battle within Stromgarde itself. There have been quite a few battles waged within it's walls over the years on DB, and they've always been brilliant fun. If we can push all the participating forces inside it's walls for a crazy battle then that would just be brilliant.

Day 4

The fourth day of this campaign will be the winding down day. The Alliance forces will be focused on removing the dead from Stromgarde, beginning the rebuilding process and patrolling the highlands. It's important that we're certain the horde forces have removed themselves from the land.


--
Breakdown of events:

Day 1
- Alliance gather at Dun Modr (20:00)
- Battle across the span (20:30)
- Distraction Division assault Hammerfall (??)
- Alliance settle themselves in Refuge Point
- Horde settle themselves in Hammerfall/Stromgarde
- Camp RP

Day 2
- Alliance begin scouting all directions from Refuge Point (20:00)
- Horde forces begin assault of Refuge Point (20:30)
- Battle rages on (21:00 - ??)
- Both sides return to lick their wounds
- Camp RP

Day 3
- Alliance forces ready themselves in Refuge Point (20:00)
- Horde forces prepare themselves in respective locations (20:00)
- Alliance forces march from Refuge Point in the direction of Stromgarde (20:30)
- Battle on the road (20:40 - ??)
- Alliance split forces to enter Stromgarde (assuming the battle on the roads went well enough) (??)
- Both forces press inside Stromgarde for one final massive confrontation


--

The rules of engagement

There are a few rules to be mindful of during the WPVP - These were suggestions that I was asked to place into this post.

1. No corpse camping.
2. During battles, no ressing or corpse running. (When the two sides back off for the next fight, you ress/run then)
3. No flying mounts
4. Your most powerful gear may be used. This includes PVP gear.

Please respect these - it's for the sake of realism/fairness during each wave of battle.

--

So! As you can see, we've got a general idea of what we're hoping to get from this campaign. In all honesty we wanted to bring as many people along for the ride as possible. This why I really must stress that if you want to be involved, please do say something in this thread so you can be added to the list and jump right in on the day. We're hoping to get a lot of fun out of this and the majority of that relies on the PVP aspect of the campaign. So, any horde guilds that think they could involve themselves, please do say something here or send a PM my way so we can discuss it.

We have had some discussions regarding whether the outcome of this campaign is already pre-determined. One member of the horde in particular felt it would be strange IC to call off his troops if the horde are winning a particular skirmish. The only answer I can personally give is that while we would not want to walk into this campaign with the ending pre-determined... returning to Stromgarde is something the guild must do, or it will simply fade. Hopefully if there are any issues on the day, we can all work them out so everything is sensible on the IC front. It may even lead to more events of this kind, which is never a bad thing.

As for the events of the campaign itself, obviously none of what is written above is an absolute set in stone dictation of how the event is going to roll out. This is simply from the perspective of the Alliance side of planning. Things may take longer, things may change on the battlefield depending on which side is winning.

There will always be contact between the Alliance and Horde forces so both sides are aware of any changes depending on the outcome of battles. I'm hoping it doesn't follow what I've written above to the letter, because that means we'll get more RP and PVP out of it, I'm sure!

This campaign is as much about having a great time as it is about Kingdom of Stromgarde, so, I want to thank those that have already involved themselves. Hopefully we're all going to be entertained!

Thank you for reading! We hope you'll join us

Ah-hoom!

---

Horde Activity

Forsaken activity update;

• Forsaken armed defense forces have been deployed to the city of Stromgarde, fortifying it somewhat.

• Deathstalkers roam the entire Arathorian Highlands, keeping an eye on every nook and cranny. Special attention is on the wetlands, and the Thandol span.

• Frequent clashes between Forsaken skirmishes and Bloodfang worgen are taking place by the Gilneas-Forsaken border.

---

Aftermath

Thandol Span:

Spoiler:

The Alliance and Horde forces clashed over the span as the Arathorians and their allies began the campaign to reclaim their lands. The fighting over the span was intense, with the Alliance forces eventually succeeding in pressing the Horde forces back into Arathi.

Pushing into the Highlands (Apologies for a lack of screenshots for the battles here - there is a video, however!):

Spoiler:

The Alliance forces pushed into the Highlands and regrouped. The forces of Wild Tempest joined up with the other allied organisations moments before a surprise attack from the Horde. Another bloody battle ensued, with the Alliance managing, once again, to overcome their enemies. With these battles fought, the Alliance troops made their way to Refuge Point - as they had planned. Having taking a firm foothold in the Highlands, the Alliance forces would take the time to get some much needed rest, with each organisation taking turns to scout and defend the location if and when required.




Credit to Sharyssa/Adenah for the above video. Day 1 complete!


Hammerfall:

Spoiler:

On the second day the Alliance forces stood and discussed their battleplan in Refuge Point before setting out to remove Hammerfall from the battlefield. Their forces charged and smashed through the Orcish guards of the settlement and roared with victory, despite the Orcs of Red Blade dashing in behind them with a sneak attack. Hammerfall was left in a poor state as the Alliance forces left, the only noise filling the air was the cracking of the flames they had left behind.

The red blades they had pushed out of Hammerfall prior to leaving dashed towards them once again, and a second skirmish began. The Alliance quickly sent them into retreat, as the sheer number difference was enough even for the bravest of Orcs to understand. The Alliance forces then gathered so the leaders of each regiment could divide their troops and spread across the Highlands. The aim was to take control of as much of the land as possible - something the Alliance eventually managed.

The red blades returned one more time to battle with the Arathorian regiment outside the burning Hammerfall. The night ended in Refuge Point once again, where the Alliance forces licked their wounds to prepare for the fateful day.




Credit to Sharyssa/Adenah for the above video. Day 2 complete!


Stromgarde:

Spoiler:

The horde forces set themselves up within the walls of Strom as the Alliance forces split into three separate platoons to enter in three ways. When the horn boomed through the air, the forces charged into Stromgarde and fighting erupted. The Alliance forces greatly outnumbered those of the Horde and sent their opponents retreating into the keep in the back. The Alliance forces re-gathered and charged into the keep as one bulk force.

This left the Horde with very little to be done, though they fought with everything they had, the Alliance secured a second victory of the day. After securing the keep, the Alliance forces made their way out, only to be confronted by the Horde forces once again. Their last stand was valiant, though in the end it was futile as the Alliance forces pushed them out of Stromgarde to chase them across the hills of Arathi.

Believing Stromgarde was won, the Arathorians made their way to what was left of the chapel. There they found one member of the Forsaken, who made his escape, leaving a large quantity of blight bombs behind him. Stromgarde was evacuated as the bombs went off, covering the home of the Arathorians in a thick green mist. Rescue attempts were made for the few that remained within the walls of Strom, one surviving and unfortunately, one Arathorian life was lost.

The cleansing of Stromgarde was performed by a team of mages, paladins, shamans and druids. The city now stands as a scorched sign of the devious nature of the Forsaken. Though the battle was won, the Alliance forces will now have to work towards securing Stromgarde and re-building it to the best of their ability.



Credit to Sharyssa/Adenah for the above video. Day 3 complete!

--

With the battles concluded, Kingdom of Stromgarde would like to extend it's thanks to everyone that took part in this campaign. We understand that the final day of fighting caused some issues on the Horde side, for which we apologise. There are always kinks in something with so many people involved and it is something to be worked on in the future. Even if the horde didn't find the third day particularly fun, we hope that fun was had by all on the other days and at other times.

For now, the Arathorians will be working on re-building their home and hopefully we can arrange more events of this size in the future!

Congratulations, forces of the Alliance! In the end, the Horde forces were sent out of Arathi!

Spoiler:

Ah-hoom!

((Cool, mind if we talk in-game? Possibly the Freelancers can join in a way if enough intrest will spark. I'm on atm on Siegmund.))

After discussion, The Freelancers are joining the campaign. I'm online at the moment, so, don't hesitate to contact me about the event/joining in. (You can find me on Taoven)

Due to some complications with schedules, this event has been moved forward to Monday 28th of January. We've extended the campaign by one day, so it will end on Thursday the 31st of January.

The edited post includes changes to the rules of engagement, as apparently I was a little too relaxed there. It also gives the minor details of the happenings of the final day.

I apologise if this has conflicted with any events. We had to pull it forward due to conflict if we pushed it backwards. It's our hope people are still able to attend.

Kingdom of Stromgarde officers involved in organisation:

Aetherel
Taoven
Dellore (Also often on Jarren)

Contact one of the three if you have any questions.

Not that I'm trying to bash this event down in any way, shape or form but...


Isn't this the third time you try to recapture Stromgarde?

I might dust off Helrog's old ass for this.

Azmariel wrote:Not that I'm trying to bash this event down in any way, shape or form but...


Isn't this the third time you try to recapture Stromgarde?

No?

Stromgarde used to have events and war campaigns centered around it. That was always people attacking Stromgarde, not KoS trying to re-take it.

It has been retaken once before to my knowledge, during a campaign (early wotlk) Horde managed to claim it (for the duration of the campaign), the end of it the combined Alliance forces reclaimed it.


Any other times are usually arathorians returning home (on more peaceful terms).

Nothin' quite like a good ol' northern rp-pvp campaign <3

Count The Travelling Thespians in on this.

Don't question why. Just do. And die.

Ah Hoom brotha

Grand! I shall extend you a calendar invite, then.

Expect nothing but death, pain and tormenting agony as our apothecary's bombs hail down upon you, Arathorian brutes!

We Og'tal apothecaries for breakfast.

We Marauders would like to join in but it may require some IC jiggery pokery to find reasons for being there.

Grim wrote:We Marauders would like to join in but it may require some IC jiggery pokery to find reasons for being there.

In that case you'll have to bonk Sakarah, she told me to report us declining the invitation.

We may have a means of getting involved without having to get involved with the smelly Forsaken

To clarify the people believing Stromgarde is being retaken so often. I'll just push forward the fact it is the most forward keep to the horde lines on the Eastern Kingdoms. Which means it is strategic and under continuous fire. Which in turn means it is very logical and immersing to keep into account it needing to be reinforced/retaken on several occasions.

Huzzah for dynamic roleplay!

I love RP-PvP campaigns, always good fun.

Grim wrote:We may have a means of getting involved without having to get involved with the smelly Forsaken

Hope you guys can work something out It'd be great to have you!

Yeah, we're working on how can be there.

But, we're refusing to work with / for the Forsaken due to their habit of throwing plague bombs at people.

You refuse to work with / for the Forsaken, at the Forsaken frontier?
Perhaps we could work something out though, keep the bombing to a minimum or something along those lines!

I shall have my people contact your people at least one more time, if any; for the Horde?

We can always have the Kor'kron plothole us towards the campaign.

Thats the intention Erw.

And Vasilije, the Marauders refused to work directly alongside the Forsaken after an event a while back where plague bombs were used as an offensive weapon. It'd take some serious butt-kissing to change that.

But, I'm forseeing the Marauders show up for their own reasons anyway.

Who are invited to this?