Imager's Plot Page

A list of military and dramatic concepts to help reference and create plots.

Strategy and Raids

 * Strategy
 * Attrition - A strategy that encompasses, essentially, grinding down the enemy through continuous losses of personnel and material.
 * Breakthrough - Based on larger troop movements. Troops aim to pierce the enemy's defenses, thereby exposing the vulnerable flanks which can be turned.
 * Encirclement - Based on larger troop movements. Troops surround the enemy in a pocket.
 * Envelopment - Based on larger troop movements. Troops attack on one or both flanks.
 * Deception - Misleading via information warfare or psychological warfare. Includes feigning retreat, fictional units (holograms, false flag operations), smoke screen, Trojan horses (gaining admittance under false pretenses), and distractions.
 * Feint Attacks - Attacking a target with the intent of distracting the opposition, and intent on striking another target after resources are committed.
 * Take and Hold - An operation to actually change the hands of an area. Restricted Access TP, requires TPstaff and FacHead approval.
 * Operational Warfare (Basic Raids)
 * Demoralize, Confuse, or Exhaust - Good ole' Decepticon razing!
 * Pillage Location - Decepticons overwhelm Protihex and make off with medical tech.
 * Destroy Target - Many skirmishes are in this blunt style, using the simple charge tactic. This is the most common operation on the MUSH.
 * Destroy Valuables - Item-focused razing, whether it be aggressive sabotage, or destruction of resources.
 * Capture Target - The actual kidnapping of a character for a varienty of intents. Restricted TP, as per Prisoner policies
 * Free Captured Allies - such as prisoner exchanges or jailbreaks. Restricted Access TP, requires TP Staff approval
 * Gather Intelligence - The investigation of the enemy via stealth, sensors, or hacking.
 * Prisoner Exchange - The factions broker a deal to exchange prisoners or assets, usually at a neutral location, sometimes involves ransom.
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Siege

 * Siege A physical blockade of a city-state, outpost or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition (wearing down) or assault. It usually occurs when a force overtakes a fortress that is not easily overtaken, and refuses to surrender. It is a constant, low intensity conflict that ends when the besiegers are defeated, have surrendered, or leave on their own accord.


 * Camouflet/Sapping - Using miners to help weaken enemy fortifications
 * Escalade - A primary counter to walled cities, an escalade involves moving large groups over the walls in rapid succession
 * Blockade - A vigilant crew targets any number of vehicles or personnel leaving an area, in order to deny it resources.
 * Artillery Barrage - A long range assault that does high damage, and is harder to defend against.
 * Physical Barrier Breach - The simple and effective tactic of simply destroying walls or barriers by sheer force of impact.
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Cyber Warfare

 * Cyber Warfare
 * Security Breach/Data Mining - Soundwave hacks into Teletraan, gleans tactical information and sabotages the database.
 * Disable Database/Denial of Service - Decepticon Intel brings brings down digital banking for three city-states. Shockwave jams the radio frequencies of everyone within range.
 * Sabotage/Disruption of Equipment - Autobots stage an attack on a Decepticon sensor outpost. Blaster and Cosmos take down a Decepticon satellite. Laserbeak steals Metroplex’s conversion cog. Piecemeal Armageddon
 * Power Grid - Brainstorm and Chromedome plant a virus within a Decepticon network, which causes a cascade power failure.
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Infiltration, Espionage and Clandestine Operations

 * Infiltration, Espionage and Clandestine Operations
 * Infiltration
 * Coersion/Treason - The everpresent danger of t
 * Double Agent (Intel Agent) - Counterpunch relays false information to the Decepticons, leading them into a trap. Dealer is entrusted with attack plans, which are promptly sent to Decepticon Intel.
 * Clandestine Operations
 * General Recon - Groove leads a recon unit to scout the site of a downed Decepticon shuttle.
 * Stealth Recon - Mirage evades surveillance within Trypticon to spy on strategic planning amongst officers. Bumblebee slips by Crystal City guards and gathers intel on captured allies.
 * Deep Cover - Deaddrop lurks in Polyhex for a vorn before requesting extraction. Deaddrop's Debriefing
 * Counter Intelligence
 * Code Scrambling - Blaster and Soundwave constantly battle for supremacy over the airwaves, to garner intel on each other’s faction.
 * Barium Drop - Fake intel is given to multiple sources. The one acted upon by the enemy proves who the leak is.
 * Agent Elimination - Soundwave and Counterpunch attempt to ferret out the Bot spy in their midst. '"Soundwave lures Autobot-sympathetic agents to the field to eliminate them. Crimson Dawn: Jailbreak of Day
 * Security Sweep - Autobot forces actively patrol Metroplex attempting to locate the nefarious Laserbeak. Plan C, Phase One
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Naval Warfare

 * Naval Warfare
 * Naval Blockade - Autobots create a naval blockade within the Mithril Sea to prevent Helex supply ships from reaching Castle Decepticon.
 * Maritime Interdiction - Dreadwind intercepts Depthcharge before he can deliver much-needed rations to an Autobot outpost.
 * Landing Operation - Broadside brings Autobot troops to a land engagement. Fairway is Captured in India
 * Hellburners - Neutral mariners send a hellburner vessel into a Decepticon blockade around the Mercury Isles. The hellburner (or fireship) is a hodge-podge craft pieced together from the shipyard and loaded with explosives. It ignites and scatters the Decepticon ships, allowing for breakthrough maneuvers.
 * Piracy - The Seacons raid and loot a neutral Altihex yacht. They probably had too much money anyway. :(
 * Commerce Raiding - Seaspray leads a full scale assault on Decepticon merchant ships.
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Aerial Warfare

 * Cover Warships - Jetfire and Sky Lynx protect Broadside from Seeker bombardment.
 * Air Interdiction - Seekers attack Autobot ground troops, aiding Decepticon ground operations. The intent is to assist, not necessarily to defeat.
 * Ground-controlled Interception - Blaster catches Thrust through sensors and directs Fireflight to intercept.
 * Head-on Engagement - Dirge, Ramjet and Thrust meet Blades and Whirl with, well, a head-on assault.
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Guerrilla Warfare

 * Guerrilla Warfare Armed civilians trained in military tactics involving ambushes, sabotage and raids. They are typically familiar with their city-state or surroundings and utilize the element of surprise. Units are more mobile than their enemy, often striking and withdrawing.


 * Sabotage - Crystal City resistance member plants explosives within frizz-rat corpses near Decepticon smelting rooms, where they are expected to be burned.
 * Tunnel Network - Yuss resistance members build underground tunnels assist in poisoning Fort Scyk's Energon supply.
 * Booby Traps - Crystal City trappers create trenches filled with Energon-freezing spires in the outskirts. Trapper rigs a crate of high-grade to explode if shifted.
 * Harrass Forces - The Crystal City resistance harry the Decepticons in-city with assaults only to fade away moments later. Sandstorm leads some Autobots to pin down a patrol to lure out the Combaticons into getting thrashed. Crumble In The Jungle
 * Assassination - The removal of a figure of power usually via explosives or sniping. Elita One comes to a hard realization that Shockwave must die to break the endless stalemate.
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Stand-alone Tactics and Warfare

 * Stand-alone Tactics and Warfare
 * Protect Target/Escort Precious Cargo - A specific team is recruited to bodyguard a target through hostile territory.
 * Rout - A side of combat flees the field, throwing down anything that can slow down their retreat.
 * Rally - The act of reinvigorating troops that are otherwise weary of conflict, or afraid to press forward.
 * Checkpoints - A security feature that focuses on examination of civilian/military figures passing through it, to ensure identity and to seek contraband.
 * Leave no trace/Scorched Battlefield - Razing an area to such a degree that nobody can use it.
 * Asset Denial - A defensive operation that involves either scuttling or otherwise destroying area critical items of importance so the enemy cannot use them. Data, artillery, supplies.
 * Harassing Fire - Continual harrying of enemy forces, forcing them to stay on the move and unable to recuperate.
 * Suppressive Fire -Firing sporadically at enemy troops to hamper their movements, more than attempting to outright kill them
 * Colony Drop - The act of dropping a large rock or moon onto a planet to deal horrendous damage
 * Super Weapon - Any sort of plot-demanded weapon that may be very hard to counteract or destroy
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Dilemmas

 * '"The False Dilemma"' - Framing a situation so a victim is considered responsible for a villain's heinous action.
 * '"Deal with the Devil"' - A crucial goal is achieved due to a secret agreement between the protagonist and a villain
 * '"Double Bind"' - A team is given conflicting information as to what the objective is, and must decide on their own what is the correct duty.
 * '"Villianous Escape"' - The classic choice of catching the villain or saving civilians about to be caught in the crossfire
 * '"Heroic Sacrifice"' - A hero must die to stop a catastrophe.
 * '"Ethical Values"' - When you must decide between two equally wanted situations, at the expense of losing the other forever.