(Reposted because, like an idiot, I forgot to put in the number of units involved)

You are the leader of a large mercenary band known as The Ghost Division. Well armed and experienced fighters, you and your men are among the deadliest and most successful mercenaries in the land. Only the super-rich can afford to hire the services of your entire band. Whilst the Captains under you and their individual units are free to take on smaller, separate contracts, you are still the overall leader of the entire group.

Your most recent contract is a fairly modest one. You will take your best men to the specified location, and lay in wait for the target. In return, you will receive payment, in the form of 10 tons of solid gold bars.

Sounds easy, but it's more complicated than that, as is the norm for these kinds of missions.

Your target is one Princess Twilight Sparkle. Her recent coronation has apparently ruffled some feathers in the Gryphon Kingdoms. They've apparently decided that she has to be dealt with. Permanently.

The terms of the contract are simple: Half the gold now, and the other half when the upstart's head is delivered to the Gryphon Court.

However, you have just received word that you have gotten a counter-offer from a second interested party.

The Changeling Hive has offered a similar contract, but with one major difference: Instead of being killed, the Princess must be captured, and handed over to the Changelings. They have even gone so far as to gift you with the necessary equipment for capturing and subduing such a powerful creature.

The reasons for their request are not specified, but you can assume that they mean to replace her with one of their own, probably for some nefarious scheme.

The terms of payment are similar to that of the initial contract, so you must make a decision on which contract to carry out... Unless you can find a way to satisfy both parties.

The player: Human mercenaries (Ghost Division)

Units:

Human Mercenaries: [Units: 6]
Human Mercenaries make excellent front-line infantry. Armed with breach-loading, single-shot flintlock rifles and bayonets, they fire in large volleys for maximum effect, although a single rifleman can maintain a fairly decent rate of fire on his own. They are lightly armoured, with only a steel hemet and back-and-breast plate.

Special units:

Ghosts: [Units: 2]
Human mercenaries specializing in special and maneuver warfare. Armed with modified breach-loading rifles designed for longer ranges, they will travel for days undetected and engage at relatively extreme ranges and disengage once the enemy is able to fight back. They are unarmored; according to their combat doctrine, if they are in a situation where they need armor, they are dead anyway. Expelled from their homeland for reasons unknown, these woodsmen-turned-soldiers must utilize their skills to buy new plots of land. Due to this, they are extremely expensive and work only for the highest bidder.

The enemy: The United Equestrian Empire

Units: N/A

Special units:

Royal Guard Unicorns: [Units: 10]
Their training in close combat allows them to hold their own, and in some cases overpower Earth pony and other infantry units. Secondly, their experience in magic also allows them to be used more effectively in an anti-air role.

Royal Guard Pegasi: [Units: 10]
Pegasi Royal Guard units are trained in close-combat, alowing them to hold their own against Earth pony and other infantry units. This means that, as well as attacking from the air, they can also land and seize strategic positions behind enemy lines.

Solar Knights: [Units: 5]
The elite soilders of the Royal Guard, they use their magic to dual wield deadly type of short sword known as the Gladius. On the battlefield, the Solar Knights serve as the personal bodyguards of the Equestrian Royalty.

Heroes:

Twilight Sparkle (Alicorn):
Previously a unicorn, she has recently been transformed into an alicorn. She retains much of her past self, really, with the only differences being the added physical strength and more magic reserves and higher possible output of said magic with less physical exhaustion. Along with her coronation, Twilight was given by Celestia a new set of armor and a sword, to coincide with the battle-leading duties a princess might have to take up. Her ability to multi-task makes her very deadly, sword and magic combined. Notably, she has the least fighting experience compared to Celestia, Luna, and Cadance. Not to say that she isn't skilled, as her brother in the Guard surely trained her. Celestia, her mentor, also decided that periodical training sessions would be good even before coronation. After her coronation, improving her combat abilities were one of the things emphasized.

Shining Armour:
The current Captain of the Royal Guard, Shining Armour will do anything for his troops, making him a likeable and charismatic leader. He can also cast advanced magical shields to protect a large area from projectile attack. Aside from his magic he also uses a short-sword in battle.

Objectives:

• You must choose whether to kill or capture Twilight Sparkle.

• In either case, there can be no survivors.

The Battlefield:

The Princess is traveling throughout Equestria on her first official tour of the country.

You have set up your ambush in a steep valley. The Princess and her guards will have to pass through the valley to reach the southern cities of Equestria.

The sides of the valley are, as previously mentioned, quite steep, but they are not unclimbable. The ground here is rocky and barren, and as such there are very few trees. The majority of vegetation in the area consists of small shrubs and bushes.

The lack of deep-rooting plants has made the area notorious for landslides, particularly in the spring and autumn months. However, there has been little rain in the past few weeks, so a natural landslide is unlikely. With enough explosives, a landslide could probably be triggered, but you didn't bring anywhere near as much.

There is an abundance of rocks and stones in the area, more than enough to build a fairly sturdy roadblock, but, if what you have heard about these "Alicorns" is true, it could easily be blasted out of the way, as long as it isn't defended.

As you are in enemy territory, you cannot afford to take many prisoners. Your Lieutenant has advised you to kill any and all potential prisoners, excluding, of course, any persons vital to the success of the mission. If you do decide to capture the Princess, the lack of any living survivors will make it easier to avoid further engagements. If all goes well, you'll be more than halfway home before the truth is discovered.

>someone using my mercs

1) Set up normal mercenaries as roadblock to stop the caravan. Not anything violent, just something like a checkpoint.
2) Ghosts are up top of valley aiming at caravan. They cause avalanche with explosives (which should take out a good amount of grounded units), then aim towards pegasi.
3) Regular mercs bunker down and fire at pegasi and Solar Knights (SKs should be disoriented by avalanche). Once/if they get close, they bayonet their shit.
4) After the pegasi are down, the Ghosts fire at the unicorns.
5) Hopefully the regular mercs are done with the SKs and they apprehend Twilight if she's still alive. If not, well...

Well, that's the plan, of course.

Question: with the human mercs, are those squads/fireteams? Or individuals?

751304 Fire teams. Wouldn't make much sense otherwise.

751379
Alright then. My plan goes even better than I predicted!
*rubs hands together*

As a merc, I choose
---

"Well now. Who's payin' more? Or benefits?"

---
Unless you're leading me to believe that the Changelings either:
A. Don't know about the Griffon deal.
B. Are just terrible at making deals.
-----

Battles list updated.

751304
The Ghosts are your mercs? I used them in #27. Kinda.

... Do I get nukes with them?

7512668

Step 1: Create a roadblock to confuse the enemy.

Step 2: Place two groups of mercs on either hill. (Three Mercs and one Ghost per group.)

Step 3: Ambush the enemy. Ghosts focus on taking out Shining Armor, then the Pegasi while the mercs take out the rest. The Ghosts then refocus their fire on the rest.

Step 4: Capture Twilight.

Step 5: Bring Twilight alive to the Gryphons, but refuse to kill her or turn her over unless they tell me what's going on.

Now, can you dig that, SUCKA!!!!!!!!?????

My results?

756395

Wouldn't that get you killed, unemployed, possibly lynched by your own men, and without payment? Mercs are not meant to know why they kill, shoot, kidnap, or destroy. They do it and get money. Business. Trying to get to the bottom of the barrel never ends well for a merc.

756478 IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOU THINK!!!

I'm joking, I'm joking!

751266
1. Create a natural-looking roadblock.
2. Place explosives around the roadblock (hidden from view, of course).
3. Split up the mercs so that each side of the canyon has one Ghost (stationed high up) and three Mercs (stationed closer to ground level).
4. When the convoy arrives, the roadblock should cause them to stop.
5. Once the Guards start clearing the roadblock, detonate explosives. The Guards dealing with the roadblock will either be killed if physically dismantling it or disoriented if using magic on it (likely the latter).
6. In the confusion, Ghosts take out Twilight and Shining, thereby neutralizing the two biggest threats.
7. All units fire upon the rest of the Guards. The Mercs focus on the Knights and unicorns while the Ghosts take out the pegasi.
8. Mission accomplished (hopefully).

751266 my turn.
commqnds:set roadblock,set ambush,pincer attack,hostage holding.
SET ROADBLOCK:make a roadblock at one end and position rocks with hidden explosives at the enterence when they reach the first blocade detonate the second trapping them inside.
SET AMBUSH:set my forces hidden on either side left is to target unicorns right is to target pegasi.
PENSER ATTACK:immediately after the detonation my squads open fire on the startled group with luck they will be disoreanted from the explosion and sudden attack.
HOSTAGE HOLD:We capture twilight then tell shining to stand down or we kill her.

If all goes well i not only have made my gold with the changlings but i can ransom shining back to the crystal empire or his parents and can sell twilights wearabouts for a tidy profit in short I'm rolling in gold.

-----END TURN-----

751266
I choose to capture her. But I'm going to try collecting both payments because I'm a greedy bastard.
I would set up a barricade just after the cliffs are at their steepest point. In front of the barrier I would place some explosives, dug into the ground a little to hide them. One unit of mercenaries would man the barricade with one placed behind it ready to reinforce it. Two would be placed on the left hand side of the canyon and two on the right. I would place decently sized boulders in front of each unit no the cliff side, just out of sight if looking from below. The Ghosts would start stationed near the entrance to the valley and wait for the ponies enter, when they have moved far enough in the ghosts will re-position themselves at the mouth of the valley and wait until the fighting has started before engaging.

When the ponies reach the makeshift minefield the groups manning the barricade will open fire (aiming for the pegasi), all at once to begin with, then forming small groups of two, they will take turns reloading and shooting, maintaining a decent rate of fire. Occasionally causing explosions as bullets hit the buried explosives.

The Ghosts will all target Shining Armour as soon as they can get a shot at him, attempting to take him out or render him incapable before he can raise a defensive shield, they will then start to pick off as many pegasi as possible, after that they will aim for the unicorns.

The four units on the cliffside will wait for a bit until either someone shouts out that Shining Armour is dealt with or the pegasi take off. In the case of the first being true they will each push their rocks off of the cliff and then begin to unload their weapons on the units below. If the pegasi take off however, they will focus on aiming for them taking out as many as possible.

The unit lying in wait behind the barrier will keep their weapons loaded in case the pegasi try to get behind or onto the barrier and will keep spotters on the look out read to call "open fire".

When the equestrian's numbers have been severely reduced, the units in the barricade will stop firing. the units on the cliff side will move toward the Ghosts, armed with the capturing device. The Equestrians will hopefully take this time to withdraw. When they reach the entrance the units will leap out and subdue Twilight Sparkle.

After the battle is done I would have my units pick through the corpses looking for anyone who hasn't died and kill them, Unless they look like Twilight at which point I would keep them alive and take it with me to Chrysalis. When I arrived there I would ask her to use her magic to transform make the lookalike unicorn as close to Twilight as possible, with magic that could never be reverted even in death, using an excuse to the likes of "A buyer was interested in us capturing Twilight for their own personal collection."

If she agrees I would then take the unicorn and kill her taking my mercenaries and the fake head in a box to the Gryphon who hired me as well as the gold they payed me to begin with. If the head fools them I would then take the money and leave. If it doesn't I would tell them that although Twilight is alive, I can tell you where she is being kept, trying to keep the money I had been given. If they still wanted their money back I would comply as I hadn't done the job they requested.

If Chrysalis doesn't agree I would just kill the unicorn and be on my way with the payment I received.

3062148 Interesting idea, trying to claim both bounties at once.

However, I would think that, if anyone was going to see through a magical disguise/illusion, it would be the Changelings... Seeing as they're the masters of illusion magic and disguises. Would it not be more sensible to sent the "Fake" Twilight to the Gryphons instead? They'd probably be much easier to fool.

3062506
I did. I only took the fake to the changelings to see if they could make the fake into a more believable Twilight.

3062506 did mine go well?