>>945333
>>Go on the offensive.

>>945333
>Go on the offensive.

>>945333
>Go on the offensive.

Our morale is high and we have the initiative, let's not waste it.

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>>945333
"Defense isn't a long-term solution," you say. "We need to go on the offensive."

"In that case, I'd recommend we march out tomorrow," Delyth says. "We can attack in a wedge formation, split Olstren's forces at their camp, and possibly even destroy their supplies."

That's a standard strategy, but there are some flaws with it that make you uncomfortable.

"You're sure we'd have to march tomorrow? We can't begin today?"

"It would take too long for us to organize our forces," Delyth says, shaking her head. "We will be done before nightfall, but if we were to march as well…"

Night would fall before the attack could begin. That's not always a problem, but you don't have enough information on the enemy's current strength to make it work with certainty. The gains wouldn't be significant, and if things go wrong, the army might scatter and get lost. That would be entirely unacceptable.

"We could launch an attack sooner if we send a smaller force of soldiers," Sir Connor says. "We've done it before. Just send some scouts with archers and musketeers to harass the enemy's camp throughout the night and keep their nerves up."

You have employed a similar strategy before, and since you have more soldiers at your disposal, you wouldn't need to rely on wolves or other small tricks. It would put more strain on them, and it wouldn't give them more time to consolidate their forces.

>[Military/1d12] "Prepare our army. We march tomorrow."
>[Military/1d12] "Prepare a few small units. We'll harass the enemy over the night."

>>945490
>>[Military/1d12] "Prepare our army. We march tomorrow."

Rolled 7 (1d12)

>>945490
>[Military/1d12] "Prepare a few small units. We'll harass the enemy over the night."

>>945490
>[Military/1d12] "Prepare a few small units. We'll harass the enemy over the night."

>>945490
>[Military/1d12] "Prepare a few small units. We'll harass the enemy over the night."
Don't make them think we're preparing a large force.

>>945490
>[Military/1d12] "Prepare a few small units. We'll harass the enemy over the night."

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>>945490
"Prepare a few small units," you say. "Make sure they have scouts experienced with the surrounding area. We'll harass the enemy over the night."

"That shouldn't be too difficult," Delyth says. "I already had night parties, so we just need to spread them out a little more and supplement them with some of your troops, your highness."

It's time for the soldiers here to feel the Hell you put their comrades through. If you have things your way, they won't sleep a wink.

>Roll 1d12, best of three.

Rolled 3 (1d12)

>>945618
Here we go.

Rolled 12 (1d12)

>>945618

Rolled 17 (1d20)

>>945618
Rolling.
>>945625
Nice.

Rolled 3 (1d12)

>>945618

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>>945618
"Who do you want to put in charge of the raid?" Sir Connor asks. "I can do it if you'd rather stay here and prepare for the main attack."

Right, night raids won't be enough to clinch this victory; you'll need to launch a main assault as well.

"I can finish the preparations myself if you want to personally join the raids, your highness," Delyth says. "I've gotten quite used to this sort of work."

Your subordinates are competent enough that you don't need to worry about them making any mistakes, but they're not as a good as you are. If you personally join the night raids or prepare for tomorrow's battle, it'll maximize the benefit of either operation.

>Join the night raid. It's also important preparation for tomorrow.
>Stay and prepare for the main attack. It's the most crucial part of the plan.

>>945661
>Stay and prepare for the main attack. It's the most crucial part of the plan.

>>945661
>>Stay and prepare for the main attack. It's the most crucial part of the plan.

>>945661
>Stay and prepare for the main attack. It's the most crucial part of the plan.

>>945661
>>Join the night raid. It's also important preparation for tomorrow.

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>>945661
"Sir Connor, I believe I'll entrust the raids to you," you say. "I'll remain here and prepare for the tomorrow's attack. Do as you think best, but don't take any unnecessary risk. This is still only part of the preparations."

"As you wish, your highness."

The rest of the meeting goes by quickly. You give Sir Connor his soldiers, and Delyth goes over the terrain so he doesn't get lost. After he leaves to carry out his orders, you stay behind and move on to planning the main attack. Eleri takes the now empty chair so she can have a closer look at your deliberations.

"The first thing we need to do is decide what kind of attack to carry out," you say. "A fast attack won't do much damage, but it'll be easiest. A more prolonged attack will hurt Duke Ferrid's forces more, but we'll have to manage our own troops more carefully."

"A siege of sorts is also a possibility," Delyth says. "They don't have full fortifications, but they do have some defenses. If we set up supply lines, we'll be able to maintain a prolonged attack. If they're already tired on top of everything, we should be able to wear them down considerably by the time Olwen arrives."

Of course, setting up a supply line means you won't be able to devote all your troops to the offensive. You can manage, but you'll have to be very careful about how you deploy them.

>[Military/1d10] "We'll prepare for a flash attack."
>[Military/1d8] "We'll go for a lengthier attack."
>[Military/1d6] "We'll prepare a siege."

>You have an automatic success on this roll.

>>945815
>>[Military/1d6] "We'll prepare a siege."

>>945815
>[Military/1d6] "We'll prepare a siege."

>>945815
>[Military/1d6] "We'll prepare a siege."

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>>945815
"We'll prepare a siege," you say. "You're sure we can pull it off?"

"Absolutely certain, your highness," Delyth says. "As long as we maintain the attack, the enemy won't be able to intercept our supply lines. I trust Olwen can handle things on her hand and join us soon."

The next thing is to decide when to attack. You'd like to carry the attack out as soon as possible, but while a morning attack wouldn't be a problem, it would be a little more difficult to get your men up and ready at the very crack of dawn. It would certainly demoralize the enemy even more than all the other bullshit you've dumped on top of them so far.

>[Military/Autosuccess] Attack in the morning.
>[Military/1d12] Attack at daybreak.

>>945962
>>[Military/1d12] Attack at daybreak.

>>945962
>>[Military/1d12] Attack at daybreak.

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>>945962
"We'll attack at daybreak," you say. "I want everyone awake, fed and armed by then. Can you do it?"

"I'll do my best, your highness," Delyth says.

>Roll 1d12, best of three.

Rolled 10 (1d12)

>>946048

Rolled 7 (1d12)

>>946048

Rolled 6 (1d12)

>>946048

dice+1d12

>>946061
SHIET

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>>946048
Delyth sends a messenger out to inform the troops that they'll need to rest early so that they can wake up on time tomorrow. Afterwards, you pack up your notes and maps.

"So." Eleri props her chin on her hand and looks at the two of you. "Is it time for an orgy yet?"

Delyth turns bright red, while you only raise an eyebrow.

"I didn't think strategic planning would get you in the mood," you say.

"In case you hadn't noticed yet," Eleri says, "you're very attractive when you're competent."

"That's certainly something worth knowing."

>[Dilettante/1d12] Since Eleri asked…
>Pass. You need to be up early as well.

>>946105
>>[Dilettante/1d12] Since Eleri asked…

>>946105
>[Dilettante/1d12] Since Eleri asked…

>>946105
>Pass. You need to be up early as well.

Is this really the time or the place?

>>946105
>[Dilettante/1d12] Since Eleri asked…

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>>946105
"Since you asked…"

You slip one arm around Delyth's waist. Then you lower your hand.

Delyth makes a small noise and rubs her thighs together, while Eleri smiles and starts unbuttoning her shirt.

>Roll 1d12, best of three.

Rolled 5 (1d12)

>>946203
rolling for lewds

Rolled 6 (1d12)

>>946203

>>946203

Rolled 9 (1d12)

>>946203
This must be for the number of hours we sleep after.

>>946225
Because we're gonna be remembered as the Prince of Conquests, both on the field and in bed, worshiped for our sexual prowess and combat ability?

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>>946203
You wake up early the next day with Delyth sandwiched between you and Eleri. You're going to have to burn the towel you used to clean up afterwards - the gossip would never end if anyone so much as caught a glimpse of it - but it was worth it to make the stress of the last few days go away. Going into a battle like this high-strung wouldn't do you any good.

So you get up, put on your uniform and strap your sword to your belt. The ladies wake up soon after you and get dressed as well, although only Delyth will be accompanying you. Eleri kisses you both goodbye before you leave.

"I'll keep the bed warm for Olwen if you're not back by the time she arrives," Eleri says with a smirk.

The men line up in formation. They're drowsy, but if the cool morning air doesn't wake them up, the officers' orders sure do.

The march begins, pikes at the front, muskets interspersed, and arrows at the back to take advantage of their range.

Three quarters of the way to the attack point, you find Sir Connor and his troops.

"There were no problems with the raids," he says, yawning, "but I'm afraid we won't be much use for the rest of the day."

"You can rest back at camp and cover the supply lines," you say. "I'll rotate your men into the formation as they recover."

"Yes, your highness," Sir Connor says. "How do you want to carry out the attack?"

>[Military/1d8] Surround them before they notice you're there.
>[Military/1d10] Charge the enemy with the infantry.
>[Military/1d12] Attack from long range with your archers.

>You have an active crit included in this roll.

>>946286
>>[Military/1d8] Surround them before they notice you're there.

>>946286
>[Military/1d12] Attack from long range with your archers.
I'd rather cut the enemy a bit of slack, actually. SOMEONE needs to man those farms over there, give them more incentive to desert.

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>946320
1

>>946341
2

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>>946286
"We'll start off with the archers," you say. "I don't want to press too hard until reinforcements arrive."

"Good luck with that, your highness," Sir Connor says. "I'll join you when I can."

The enemy set its camp right in the middle of a road in an open plain. Strategically, it makes sense, as it cuts off your movement to and from Olstren, and the forest makes it difficult to mount an attack. Fortunately, you have just enough space to work with, and the forest also masks your approach. Scouts and watchmen might have spotted you, but you're not sure Olstren even has men to spare on such basic measures anymore and even if they did, they'd be too tired to do anything at this point.

>Roll 1d12, best of three.

Rolled 12 (1d12)

>>946404

Rolled 11 (1d12)

>>946404

Rolled 1 (1d12)

>>946404

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>>946404
Arrows fly between the branches and land in the enemy camp. You can count the accurate shots by the screams.

The enemy camp is large enough for a few thousand soldiers, and there are some basic wooden barricades here and there to prevent a straight charge, but there isn't much they can do about arrows. So long as your angles are right, it's possible for you to reach the far back of the camp.

"What do you think, Delyth?"

"I don't think we have quite enough soldiers for an overwhelming victory," she says, "but driving them off might be possible. Since our current strategy is to just wear them down, I'd focus on that though."

It's a reasonable suggestion and in any case, you should probe their defenses properly before launching a dedicated attack. Adding muskets to the arrows should increase the enemy's casualties by a noticeable margin, but if you want to push them in further, you can launch rotating attacks against the camp with your musketeers and pikemen. If the enemy's really tired and the attacks are random, it'll be extremely difficult for them to cope. So long as you coordinate the archers and the infantry, there shouldn't be any problems.

>[Military/1d12] Continue with the arrows.
>[Military/1d10] Add muskets to the arrows.
>[Military/1d6] Send in the infantry at random spots.

>>946475
>>[Military/1d10] Add muskets to the arrows.

>>946475
>>[Military/1d6] Send in the infantry at random spots.

>>946475
Derp, forgot to mention you have an automatic success on this roll.

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>946475
>[Military/1d6] Send in the infantry at random spots.
Just make sure we don't accidently kill the noble.

>>946475
>[Military/1d6] Send in the infantry at random spots.
autosuccess a go

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>>946475
On your orders, the army is divided into eight radians. You send in on radian at a time to attack the Olstren troops at random, coordinating with the archers so that arrows don't rain down on your open men.

Faced by infantry, the Olstren soldiers have no choice but to send in infantry of their own to fend off the attack. You allow each melee to last a few minutes before pulling your troops back and sending another radian in. Your soldiers have time to rest between attacks, but the Olstren side has no such luxury. They have to keep their soldiers at attention at all times in order to defend themselves properly.

This lasts for the whole day.

Crates of biscuits and barrels of water arrive to sustain your men. You make sure the enemy has to eat standing at the barricades. It doesn’t do much for them. By this point, you can see them teetering on their feet, struggling to stay awake.

"Things are proceeding well," Delyth says, "but I'm not sure how long we can keep this pace up."

"Probably no more than a day," you say. "We'll have to resort to a more normal siege strategy tomorrow. It should be fine though. They are suffering losses, and their morale keeps getting worse and worse."

"As you say, your highness. Where do you want to settle the army?"

>[Military/1d12] "We'll pull back to a safe distance."
>[Military/1d8] "We'll stay right on their doorstep."

>>946631
>>[Military/1d8] "We'll stay right on their doorstep."

>>946631
>>[Military/1d8] "We'll stay right on their doorstep.

>>946631
>[Military/1d8] "We'll stay right on their doorstep."

>>946631
>[Military/1d8] "We'll stay right on their doorstep."

>>946238
Delayed, but I was more thinking our debauchery would compromise our ability to lead.

>>946631
>[Military/1d8] "We'll stay right on their doorstep."

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>>946631
"We'll stay right on their doorstep," you say. "Just so I have the option of keeping them up awake all night."

"It'll put us at risk as well, your highness," Delyth says, "but I'm not sure if they still have the courage to pick a fight with us. I'll speak with the officers and make the necessary arrangements."

In the meantime, you launch more attacks.

>Roll 1d8, best of three.

Rolled 5 (1d8)

>>946698

Rolled 7 (1d8)

>>946698

Rolled 1 (1d8)

>>946698

Rolled 2 (1d8)

>>946698

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>>946698
Delyth finds a few spots in the forest that can be used as a forward camp. You request some tarps and a few other things to make the area more comfortable for your soldiers.

Then you divide your soldiers in shifts so you can keep one quarter of your soldiers on the attack day and night while the others rest. Technically, they'll only attack for a few minutes before pulling back and just standing in front of the Olstren camp to intimidate them, but that's all you need at the moment.

You lean against a tree alongside Connor and Delyth and relax a bit.

"I have to say, your highness," Sir Connor says, "you're a lot more ruthless than I'd heard. How long are you going to keep those poor bastards awake?"

"Until they leave, hopefully," you say. "They can return to Olstren whenever they want."

"This is best for everyone involved, really," Delyth says. "As miserable as those soldiers are, at least they're not dead."

Not yet, anyway. A peaceful resolution to this conflict would benefit your men, but if Duke Ferrid wants to drag this war out to the bitter end, you don't mind showing him the way.

Rolled 4, 1, 8, 1 = 14 (4d10)

>>946763
And that's all for today. Time for bonus XP.

Rolled 10 (1d12)

>>946768

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>946771

Rolled 7 (1d8)

>>946780
So that's all for today.

With the Holidays, I'm actually not sure when Beleaguered Prince Quest will return. I might skip a week or two until everything blows over. In any case, you can follow me on Twitter @BeleagueredQM for updates and announcements.

>>946792
Cheers, QM.

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>>946792
cheers, boss