Terminus Quest: A CKII Mass Effect Quest

pbluekan · May 7, 2018

PoptartProdigy said:
[ ][BILL] Fetch me my rubber stamp! Assembly implements an army expansion option, raising the size of the standing army to a full one billion individuals in combat roles (from its current four hundred million). Takes up significant unemployed slack and lessens strain on civilian economy by way of removing huge swathe of population from civilian economy. Not actually a long-term fix and may actually lead to worse problems eventually by way of all of those individuals eventually going back onto the civilian market, all at once, but gives way more time to prepare for them and implement solutions. Also: gigantic army. Some would say the benefits are self-evident. -50,000 yearly income.

So, combined with our success in stalling the crash, this is actually a fairly good idea. It would further stall things allowing us to implement a more measured response. Yes, when these people come out of the army they will need jobs, but it at least won't be them and every other virmirean.

Also, we vetoed the last bill. We have to give them the bone.

PoptartProdigy said:
[ ][NAME] Assilia Prime. Utilitarian and easily-scaled.
[ ][NAME] Industry. Evocative and descriptive of purpose.
[ ][NAME] Rebirth. Descriptive of attitude upon settling.
~~[ ][NAME] Something in pseudo-asari, -salarian, -whathaveyou~~ I AM TIRED OF HAVING TO DO THIS FOR EVERY BLOODY STELLAR BODY IN THE CLUSTER.
[ ][NAME] Write-in.

I don't really care. Howbout just Assilia?

PoptartProdigy said:
[ ][COLONIES] Yes, Virani makes an excellent argument. You need people in jobs and more production, and a faster, cheaper, and easier start to a second colony world is one of the best possible ways to ensure that.
[ ][COLONIES] No, this sets a poor precedent. The FDO will retain a limited remit of space-based development, and you will develop Nimal Pak at your leisure.
[ ][COLONIES] No, and fire Virani. She has been pushing to expand the bounds of her authority constantly ever since assuming office. This is a step too far; you do not trust her.
[ ][COLONIES] Yes, but the price is Virani's job. She makes a good argument; she always does. But you do not trust her ambition. Her idea flies, but somebody more dependable will see it through.

I've mentioned this multiple times before, but I don't trust her. I don't think we should fire her, but we need to draw the line in the fucking sand. "Unofficial" colonies is just itching for under the table deals.

PoptartProdigy said:
[ ][POLICY] Yes, to [write-in; default policies and the rules for write-ins may be found on the Status Screen, under, "Stewardship"].
[ ][POLICY] No, a focus on a well-connected and -developed mining network can only be to your benefit at the moment.

PoptartProdigy said:
[ ][PM] Campaign as normal. Ti'ord has gathered substantial support, but not nearly enough to threaten you as things stand.
[ ][PM] Retaliate by adopting a Mandate of your own to rally or solidify support.
-[ ][PM] Write in your Mandate. I will not moderate these write-ins, but if you choose unwisely, I will not softball the results.

This is basically the consequence of not taking the "unemployment benefits" option. I didn't really have any strong feelings for either, but this is pretty plain.

We have to campaign on a policy of public good and improvement. We are the Shield of Virmire seems like a good tagline to steal from our opponents push for only defense.

PoptartProdigy said:
Your ludicrous success on these two measures has seen the crash halt entirely, if only for a limited period of time. You have yet more time to respond, and the corporations' uncharacteristically far-sighted actions with your money have helped the civilian economy expand -- not a lot, but a little, and so soon after the start of the crash, that is incredible. This crash will begin again if you don't act, immediately and decisively, to capitalize on these successes, but you have the room to do it. At...quite the cost, though.

Oh thank god. Essentially, if we don't act on this, we will see an even harder crash as the old and new crash.

To act on it we need to basically push more heavy investment and spending by the consumer sector. The best way to do that is ensure they don't have to worry about putting food on the table. Unemployment benefits would help out quite a lot with this. So would that military bill.

Alliterate · May 7, 2018

Timewinders said:
Eh, what government doesn't operate on a deficit during economic crisis? Surplus is for good times.

Unfortunately we've not got a China to buy T-bonds.

Simon_Jester · May 7, 2018

Hm. If we inflate the army to absurd proportions, then deploy unemployment benefits (which will cost a LOT less since we're drafting about half the unemployed people on the planet and launching about a fifth of what remains into space)... I thiiink we've got the non-human-itarian side of the recession covered. But we really, REALLY can't afford to take any more income-cutting options after that, our income is worn down to a nubbin.

Timewinders said:
Eh, what government doesn't operate on a deficit during economic crisis? Surplus is for good times.

The thing is, our action economy is totally unsuited to systematic deficit spending, because we need a discretionary budget to spend on things or it all falls apart. If we're actively losing money because of all the income-reducing options we've taken over the years, we can't DO anything.

Kinruush said:
Pfft. Half the players have been talking about instituting that anyway this coming turn.

Yeah, Kinruush, but the general public doesn't know that. They saw Mira urge them to spend, spend, spend, and patch up the corporations' wounds. She hasn't done much for private citizens.

Kinruush · May 7, 2018

Simon_Jester said:
Yeah, Kinruush, but the general public doesn't know that.

Sure, I'm just enjoying it. She's campaigning for something, and in the middle of the campaign we just pass it. We might get some shit for "stealing her idea" or something, but it'll be drowned out by just doing what she was campaigning to accomplish, and at worst we could say, "Yeah, that was a good idea she had, of course we passed it as soon as it was feasible."

pbluekan · May 7, 2018

uju32 said:
Anybody else wanna say I was too paranoid for insisting on spending 100,000 credits on putting sensor platforms throughout Lystheni space to track any ship movements?
Do those destroyed maps still look innocent?

ExNihilo · May 7, 2018

Kinruush said:
Sure, I'm just enjoying it. She's campaigning for something, and in the middle of the campaign we just pass it. We might get some shit for "stealing her idea" or something, but it'll be drowned out by just doing what she was campaigning to accomplish, and at worst we could say, "Yeah, that was a good idea she had, of course we passed it as soon as it was feasible."

It's either going to kill her campaign (good) or drive her more radical (bad). She's already the de facto independence candidate, she could possibly swing full nationalist.

Still the right choice imo, just something to think about.

Timewinders · May 7, 2018

Alliterate said:
Unfortunately we've not got a China to buy T-bonds.

Most U.S. bonds are publicly owned. Perhaps we should do a write-in to start a war bonds program. Poptart might prefer avoiding interest calculations though.

uju32 · May 7, 2018

FINANCES
@PoptartProdigy

PoptartProdigy said:
Credit Reserves: 241,000 credits.
Yearly Income: 222,000 credits.

Did the economy shrink already? And by how much?
Because I'm looking at the numbers, and I'm not seeing where some of the deductions came from.

Turn Beginning

Credit Reserves: 299,000 credits.
Yearly Income: 319,000 credits.

Budget

280k spending
-82,000 Income.

Turn End
Our yearly income should be down to (319,000 - 82000) = 237,000 credits/ year. BEFORE whatever income increases from the FDO come into play.
Our reserves should actually go up. 319,000 - 280,000 = 39,000. Added to 299,000, thats equal to 338,000 credits reserves.

Or am I missing something?

Kinruush · May 7, 2018

PoptartProdigy said:
[ ][BILL] Fetch me my rubber stamp! Assembly implements an army expansion option, raising the size of the standing army to a full one billion individuals in combat roles (from its current four hundred million). Takes up significant unemployed slack and lessens strain on civilian economy by way of removing huge swathe of population from civilian economy. Not actually a long-term fix and may actually lead to worse problems eventually by way of all of those individuals eventually going back onto the civilian market, all at once, but gives way more time to prepare for them and implement solutions. Also: gigantic army. Some would say the benefits are self-evident. -50,000 yearly income.

My concern with this is that it is a short term solution that may cause long term problems, and an expensive one. Still, though, if we do this, then next turn we throw on Public Works and Unemployment Benefits (which should be even cheaper with so many people working), we may well turn back the tide.

Kinruush · May 7, 2018

ExNihilo said:
It's either going to kill her campaign (good) or drive her more radical (bad). She's already the de facto independence candidate, she could possibly swing full nationalist.

Still the right choice imo, just something to think about.

It's certainly not going to make it harder to run against her. She can't run against something that she'd just been in the middle of running for, and, after we pass it, every question she gets is going to be, "Well, you got what you wanted, so why are you still running?" and the coalition she built to support her will have to be heavily rebuilt regardless of what she decides to run on.

Manget · May 7, 2018

we should pick a Mandate that undermines Ti'ord.

"she advocates for a halt to offensive operations against the Rachni and other polities -- in a thinly-veiled reference to the Two Day War -- in favor of an absolutely defensive stance."

"Public Benefits," committing to the establishment of comprehensive welfare programs for unemployed and low-income citizens by the end of her term, if elected.

if you look at this we should call "Public Benefits," a free lunch for the Rachni

maybe something like a Federal Jobs Guarantee Mandate?

ExNihilo · May 7, 2018

Manget said:
we should pick a Mandate that undermines Ti'ord.

"she advocates for a halt to offensive operations against the Rachni and other polities -- in a thinly-veiled reference to the Two Day War -- in favor of an absolutely defensive stance."

"Public Benefits," committing to the establishment of comprehensive welfare programs for unemployed and low-income citizens by the end of her term, if elected.

if you look at this we should call "Public Benefits," a free lunch for the Rachni

maybe something like a Federal Jobs Guarantee Mandate?

To fit with our Martial outlook, Guns and Butter? Seems thematic.

Alliterate · May 7, 2018

Timewinders said:
Most U.S. bonds are publicly owned. Perhaps we should do a write-in to start a war bonds program. Poptart might prefer avoiding interest calculations though.

Wouldn't hat just take capital we injected right back out of the private sector again?

Manget · May 7, 2018

ExNihilo said:
To fit with our Martial outlook, Guns and Butter? Seems thematic.

maybe just go full house of cards and call it Virmire Works

PoptartProdigy · May 7, 2018

uju32 said:
FINANCES
@PoptartProdigy

Did the economy shrink already? And by how much?
Because I'm looking at the numbers, and I'm not seeing where some of the deductions came from.

Turn Beginning

Budget

Turn End
Our yearly income should be down to (319,000 - 82000) = 237,000 credits/ year. BEFORE whatever income increases from the FDO come into play.
Our reserves should actually go up. 319,000 - 280,000 = 39,000. Added to 299,000, thats equal to 338,000 credits reserves.

Or am I missing something?

You're missing something, although I don't know where it is.

...well, actually, now that I look at your math again: you appear to have subtracted your lump sum payments from your starting income rather than your starting reserves, which were at 299,000 credits at the start of the year. That naturally would yield a different result, as I do this math entirely differently.

To remind you all of my order of operations on the financial calculations, I start with the reserves as of the start of the year (a) and factor in all lump sum changes (b). I then save the resulting value (c). Separately, I take the income as of the start of the year (x) and factor in all income changes over the course of the year (y), thus deriving the end-of-year income (z). Income changes being effective as of the year they are applied, I then add (z) to (c) in order to derive (n), the end-of-year reserve. In pure math form, with the specified variables:

a+b=c
x+y=z
c+z=n
(a+b)+(x+y)=n

With reserves, using a+b=c issues a provisional reserve of c=19,000 credits by subtracting 280,000 from 299,000.

Now, I'm not sure what's going wrong on income, but my calculation brings it down to 222,000. That plus the 19,000 would yield 241,000 as n, the end-of-year reserve.

Timewinders · May 7, 2018

Alliterate said:
Wouldn't hat just take capital we injected right back out of the private sector again?

The people making big investments would presumably be those who have enough money to afford to buy bonds but too much to spend a big chunk of their earnings on regular purchases.

veekie · May 7, 2018

Kinruush said:
My concern with this is that it is a short term solution that may cause long term problems, and an expensive one. Still, though, if we do this, then next turn we throw on Public Works and Unemployment Benefits (which should be even cheaper with so many people working), we may well turn back the tide.

Well, we need that short term...

Valkur · May 7, 2018

@PoptartProdigy

Some questions if you will?

1. What does Kirai have to say about our options with the FDO and it' ambitious director?

2. Her thoughts on the political competition?

3. Where does she stand with this whole massive spending on the economy?

4. Finally unrelated to Kirai, can I make an attack add on whoever this new opponent is?

5. Not a question but high five pop! I graduated yesterday with a 3.15 to a and my associates. I'm a very happy hated right now

PoptartProdigy · May 7, 2018

Timewinders said:
The people making big investments would presumably be those who have enough money to afford to buy bonds but too much to spend a big chunk of their earnings on regular purchases.

That is a very, very small demographic, at the moment.

Kinruush · May 7, 2018

veekie said:
Well, we need that short term...

Indeedy. Hence:

Still, though, if we do this, then next turn we throw on Public Works and Unemployment Benefits (which should be even cheaper with so many people working), we may well turn back the tide.

As it stands, I'm in favor of the rubber stamp.

Stormseed · May 7, 2018

PoptartProdigy said:
Diplomacy: Urgent Report

Yular Ti'ord, a batarian born and raised on Virmire, has announced her candidacy for the office of Prime Minister. Taking as her platform a commitment to the establishment of comprehensive public benefits in response to the economic crisis, Ti'ord preaches socialist values regarding an eventual total welfare state. Furthermore, she advocates for a halt to offensive operations against the Rachni and other polities -- in a thinly-veiled reference to the Two Day War -- in favor of an absolutely defensive stance. Virmire, she claims, can stand on its own. This has allowed her to vacuum up the remains of the Secessionist party, who like that opinion and have regained political motivation because of it. Ti'ord, however, has not officially chosen to stand as a Secessionist Party candidate, content to take their support without reciprocating. Instead, she has selected the mandate, "Public Benefits," committing to the establishment of comprehensive welfare programs for unemployed and low-income citizens by the end of her term, if elected. This is the source of much of her current support, thus allowing her to command, at present, 21% in the polls.

Votes for response at the bottom.

I can tell I'm a veteran CK2 player, because my first thought was 'have her shot'.

uju32 · May 7, 2018

pbluekan said:
I don't really care. Howbout just Assilia?

Assilia Prime works just fine IMO.

pbluekan said:
I've mentioned this multiple times before, but I don't trust her. I don't think we should fire her, but we need to draw the line in the fucking sand. "Unofficial" colonies is just itching for under the table deals.

Eh. Ambition is not a crime. And not liking a person isn't sufficient reason to fire them.
Unofficial colonies have to be reported anyway, so I don't really see where under the table deals can worm in.
OTOH, we do want coordination with the rest of the economy on where we site things, and not just allow the lady to do as she wants.

Assuming we are allowed writeins, I'm inclined to simply allow them on a case-by-case basis.
In this case, Nimal Pak only.

pbluekan said:
This is basically the consequence of not taking the "unemployment benefits" option. I didn't really have any strong feelings for either, but this is pretty plain.

I'm inclined to campaign as normal. No new Mandate or anything.

pbluekan said:
Oh thank god. Essentially, if we don't act on this, we will see an even harder crash as the old and new crash.

Invest, not spend.
Grab the military bill and one of the public works programs at a minimum; they should even synergize.
Add the unemployment benefits, depending on cost. We might be able to afford it from our savings long enough for cash to free up in Turn 21.

pbluekan said:

Oops. Sorry. In hindsight, I can see how that might be a little inflammatory.
But I was .......well not pleased, but gratified to have my distrust of the convenient loss of lystheni star records confirmed so soon.

Timewinders · May 7, 2018

PoptartProdigy said:
That is a very, very small demographic, at the moment.

If Virmire is anything like the U.S. that small demographic would hold a good chunk of total wealth.

Valkur · May 7, 2018

Stormseed said:
I can tell I'm a veteran CK2 player, because my first thought was 'have her shot'.

I thought of using the console to kill her

Also I'm in favor of inflating the army. If only then to fit it so that it can fight a large multi planet campaign and get those people killed. Dead people don't need food...

Also I got that idea from a kids show. I swear I am not crazy.

The show was Attack on Titan btw.

Alliterate · May 7, 2018

Stormseed said:
I can tell I'm a veteran CK2 player, because my first thought was 'have her shot'.

The Commander option- Put her on an EC ship sent to explore Rachni space.

Terminus Quest: A CKII Mass Effect Quest

Somethin's Fucky ...

Who?

Somethin's Fucky ...

SPACE!

Who?

Who?

SPACE!

Lawful Evil

The True Valkyria, Valkur!

Lawful Evil

Who?

The True Valkyria, Valkur!