High TL 9 vs TL2+RPM

[Gedrin]

Originally Posted by starslayer

Since they have interplanetary travel the 2 society is 2+something; just don't know what the + would ultimately be. As mentioned they do understand interstellar distances, and how to visit other worlds- and they have access to RPM scrying magic so they will know that the invaders are coming long before they arrive. The twoers will have a SIGNIFICANT element of suprise, and at least until the 9ers get some sort of magical protection from themselves they will be absolutely ravaged if something even as simple as a 'lesser destroy fate -5' gets targeted at them.

That will be even more critical if the 9ers are trying to struggle their tech along and its breaking down, that -5 to repair rolls will be devastation as supposedly minor repairs turn into destructive critical failures. That's just one spell of what will be dozens- with a cost only in line with 'create a magical portal to another world' to colonize it.

But at that point, we're not talking about TL2 with RPM vs TL9. We're talking about TL2+5 vs desperate and broken TL9 with finite resources. It's an entirely different argument. How does a TL9 space colony survive against weapons they can't detect or defend against. Simple, they don't.

TL2+5(RPM) vs. desperate and broken TL9 with finite resources, ends very quickly. Diviners receive and correctly interpret prophesy about the gen ships and the nukes, rocks and robots they carry. They locate the ships with relative ease. The local collection of wizards, cast "Break Fusion Bottle" and the problem is done.

Once the RPM society has sufficient knowledge to understand what's coming, they have sufficient weapons via RPM to destroy a space ship at TL9. The only conflict scenarios involve preventing both sides from using their "nuke from orbit" options. Both sides are essentially defenseless against each other's kill shots, even on the ground that winds up being the case. Artillery is long enough and plentiful enough that it far outnumbers RPM users capable of finishing it off (unless magery is a default talent...then you're just giving unlimited power to the Twoers). Of course, RPM users could just whip up a "Curse all My Enemies with Sterility" and wait a bit.