The People's Front for the Liberation of Hell

[Simon_Jester]

I really don't want to prepare for that until our army is more organized, like anything with the Circle of Knives for me is a hard no this term. It's too soon.

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I'm a little anxious about not doing the preparations soon, because we don't know what's going on around there in enough detail.

Preparing an assault involves scouting and making plans, yes, but by the time we've finished all our preparations, the plans will need to be changed and modified to account for improvements to our military.

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Given that the same actual people who are making the improvements to our military are also the people doing the planning, it is reasonable to assume they'll be updating their plans on the fly.

Like, this isn't the Normandy Landings we're talking about here. This is a battalion-scale infantry assault on a single point target. The main reason there's active preparations involved is making sure the troops are well-rested, the weapons are in good repair, and that the location is well scouted when it's at least days away from here on foot. The "battle plans" in the sense of "you go here and do that, I go there and do this" aren't actually going to be that complex.

With the Hellfire Steam Engines, our Ichor production could potentially be boosted. The more Ichor we have, the better our turn results will be thanks to the +20, and that includes synthesizing more of the stuff and creating weapons.

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Steam engines are going to have to be made out of metal. We're pretty limited on our supply of metal. I think we should see getting a metal industry up and running as prerequisite to getting any significant scale of combustion engines.

By word of QM, we should only take Prepare to Assault if we're immediately attacking next turn.

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And we should. Because if the angelic and demonic hosts are gathering for a pitched battle now, then that battle will probably happen next turn. Which means next turn is the time when demons will be most busy and inclined not to react to us. Assuming the demonic hierarchy isn't completely overthrown, they'll be seeking to reassert their power and authority over territory in Hell, potentially as soon as Turn 4, and more realistically in Turns 5, 6, and so on.

We don't have a firm need to greatly upgrade our military to take this specific location; we've literally just been told that Martin thinks he can do it with prep time. It is much better to control this site now, or as soon as possible, and secure it against attempts by Hell to retake control, than to delay.

The perfect is the enemy of the good.

 

[Randino Treviani]

Steam engines are going to have to be made out of metal. We're pretty limited on our supply of metal. I think we should see getting a metal industry up and running as prerequisite to getting any significant scale of combustion engines.

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Indeed. We have the mines action in research. It would be best to put Leonardo on it so it get's two rolls and +10.

Marten thinks that he can take the Circle of Knives as things are now. It's just a matter of what you're willing to spend to do so. He also is... Not an idiot, and will use any improvements you manage to give him sensibly. But the action to 'prepare an assault' is specifically about positioning the Pikes to do the thing- And soon. He'd set up staging and scouting, make a plan, get everyone into place, and be ready to rock if you order it next turn. If you had a few more upgrades available 'assault the circle of knives immediately' would be an option, but Marten vetoed it because he is a sensible officer with a half decent grasp of how basic tactical maneuvers against demons will go.

Basically, don't take the 'Prepare to Assault the Circle of Knives' option unless you think you probably want to assault the circle NEXT TURN, when it'll probably go fine without too many issues even if you don't give him shinies thanks to the planning bonus, with or without whatever upgrades you have managed to complete.

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As we see here, even without upgrades of any kind, A planning bonus should be sufficient to succeed at taking the circle of knives turn 3. If we go a step further and provide Ichor to add the Narrative element of the Pikes being able to heal their members and an additional +20 to rolls, success becomes a certainty.

Rather than doing a long prep and possibly having our efforts come to nothing because of a returning archdemon turn 5, we can get it turn 3 and it's production can save us the trouble and scrap metal/wood involved in arming our militia's the hard way, and we can fortify it against inevitable demon attacks turn four.

 

[Simon_Jester]

I may have left some stuff out of the plan below because I didn't think of it. I invite comment, though I may not be in a position to READ comments for many hours.

Indeed. We have the mines action in research. It would be best to put Leonardo on it so it get's two rolls and +10.

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With us rolling 3d40's, a fifty-point action is highly likely to complete anyway. I would rather put Leonardo on the weapon action I have planned, because there is almost unlimited room for his genius to make the results better and because the kinds of weapons we are most likely to need and be able to build happen to align very closely with the kind of machinery he designed in life.

---

3/3 Free dice (Military, Infrastructure, Production)

[] Plan Attempting To Grasp The Swords

-[] Military (3/2 dice)
--[] Formalize the Bloody Pikes 0/100 (1 die) (2.77% chance completion this turn)
--[] Militia Recruiting (1 die) (Martin Cambrie assigned to this) (90.7% chance completion this turn)
--[] Prepare to Assault the Circle of Knives (1 die) (quality die)
---[] We need to get this ready now, before the demonic hosts have had their battle and been done with it. I want to hit the Circle on Turn 3. The Circle of Knives will be useful as a source of weapons and more generally metal, and we'll have an easier time equipping a strong military once we've taken the place. I am open to suggestions as to what the other actions are.

-[] Infrastructure (3/2 dice)
--[] Build a Church 0/50 (1 die) (72% chance of completion)
--[] Build a Clock and Calendar 0/50 (1 die) (Agra assigned to this) (72% chance of completion)
--[] Carve Roads 0/100 (1 die) (2.77% chance of completion this turn)
---[] I think that constructing a church while the angelic host is still present in Hell is probably a good move in terms of superpower politics. It is also going to be good for morale for at least a significant slice of our population. Since our people can't die, don't strictly need to eat or drink, and so on, morale is very important. Building the clock and roads are also important, especially since our settlement is likely to expand quickly and we need to make sure we have paths for moving heavy supplies and equipment around with reasonable speed and safety.

-[] Production (3/2 dice)
--[] Formalize and Expand Foraging 0/50 (1 die) (72% chance of completion)
--[] Establish Ichor Gathering 0/50 (1 die) (72% chance of completion)
--[] Create a Weaving Workshop 0/100 (1 die) (Katherine Rosa on this) (19% chance of completion)
---[] I want to prioritize general expansion of our ability to even have basic things like textiles. Textile manufacture and ropemaking are huge parts of any productive economy, and we're not going to be very effective at jumping to the Steam Age without them. We need that, and metal. We also need steady supplies of ichor even if our gathering methods are a little crude.

-[] Research (2/2 dice)
--[] Create Weapons (1 die) (Leonardo da Vinci on this, odds of success difficult to calculate due to his screwball bonuses)
--[] Search for Mine Sites 0/50 (1 die) (72% chance of completion)
---[] Leonardo is well experienced in designing stuff like ballistas and we could seriously use them. A lot of the other Research options are, in my opinion, a case of putting the cart before the horse. Especially since we have to be careful about using up our ichor until we know we have a supply chain. The militia may be able to help secure that supply chain even as the Bloody Pikes go elsewhere.

-[] Services (2/2 dice)
--[] Recruit Peacekeepers 0/100 (1 die) (Assign Whitey on this) (2.77% chance of completion this turn)
--[] Morale and Needs Survey 0/50 (1 die) (72% chance of completion this turn)
---[] The morale survey will help us prioritize projects that will actually improve morale and morale is going to be king in this game because our people don't have many physical needs.

-[] Central (1/1 dice)
--[] Code of Laws 0/100 (1 die) (assign Giles) (2.77% chance of completion this turn)

 

[Rockeye]

we've literally just been told that Martin thinks he can do it with prep time.

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Yes, correct.

 

[Randino Treviani]

With us rolling 3d40's, a fifty-point action is highly likely to complete anyway. I would rather put Leonardo on the weapon action I have planned, because there is almost unlimited room for his genius to make the results better and because the kinds of weapons we are most likely to need and be able to build happen to align very closely with the kind of machinery he designed in life.

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I think there is a point we need to clarify.

Action Style: Lock-In Dice. Many projects will require you to 'lock in' dice, making them continue until completed. Removing a locked-in die disables that die for a turn. However, locked in dice roll 3d40 instead of 1d100

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We only roll 3d40 on locked in actions.

[] Prepare to Assault the Circle of Knives: This does not actually launch an attack. Ordering the Bloody Pikes to prepare for a possible attack means that they will gather in the right area, scout the demons, make plans, heal and rest, and generally be ready to pull the trigger later on. Proper preparation should make the whole thing easier to pull off. (Quality Die) (Locks the Pikes)

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Like this one.

[] Search for Mine Sites: We know that Hell's rocks bear veins of ores and gemstones below the surface. It is only a matter of finding them. Instead of leaving it up to chance, we can attempt to make sense of Hell's geography to predict locations of ores, and use exploratory drills to hopefully find buried veins. (0/50??)

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It isn't specified that it locks, and the dc has question marks next to it. Better to play things safe than be sorry.

As for the rest, there are several actions we could take that would be better than a temple. In particular, recruiting more leaders to put on dice, specifically with Ichor to improve roll, would pay off well in increasing progress. Otherwise, a rumor mill to get more detailed info on our surroundings or more research being done seems more prudent.

 

[Rockeye]

Lucifer is the Prince of Hell and considered the first and most powerful within it. However, he is not unrivaled for ambition, hatred, or power. There are also many powerful beings known as Archdevils, the greatest of demon-kind, who are a force to be reckoned with and a potent enemy. Officially, one is an archdevil when the Conclave acknowledges one as such. Unofficially, to receive such an acknowledgment they must have a few things- A mighty fortress that is entirely their own, a completely local Legion capable of fighting some of Hell's stronger denizens, enough fame or infamy in devilish circles to make most at least somewhat wary, some sort of unique power or strength that is a step above most others, and, naturally, a generous bribe to the officials overseeing the decision. An archdevil can be considered a grave and potent threat, only one step below Lucifer himself in power. Known archdevils include Lilith, Beelzebub, Mammon, Belial, and Astaroth.

Fundamentally, Lucifer's Bureaucracy is a method to make conflicts between demons and devils less destructive. The Prince of Hell draws all his supporters and courtiers to one place and has them vie for his attention, affection, and whims. Open murder of one's opponents is frowned upon (usually), and instead, the ability to cite ancient laws and argue why they benefit yourself, to bribe the correct people and spy on one's opponents to determine their strategy, to win games of deception and intrigue, are what gains victories in the Bureaucracy. Those who please him earn useless luxuries, empty titles, or meaningless privilege. If they maintain favor for more than a whimsical moment, valuable slaves, precious resources, or rare artifacts are up for grabs. The actual content of the laws and rules is nearly incomprehensibly intricate and byzantine, with some or all being ignored or overruled at random times, by explicit design.

Those who lose the game of prestige are laughed and jeered at, made to parade their incompetence before others and booted from the inner circle for a time. The penalty for losing on the field of battle or in the gladiatorial arena is destruction, or at the very least banishment to the Abyss. In the courts of Pandemonium, the penalty for loss is, at least sometimes, shame and outrage. In this manner, the constant infighting of greater and lesser demons is turned away from a self-destructive spiral of constant war and murder from the muddiest slave pit to the heights of fortresses- And instead the Damocles Sword of Lucifer's personal wrath keeps all his subordinates in line, following the laws of the Bureaucracy, fighting for power more often within the system rather than outside it, and reducing (but not eliminating) Hell's tendency to turn on itself destructively. Of course, the protection of the laws applies mostly to important demons. Praetors, lieutenants, champions, archdevils, and the like. Random spies one discovers snooping through one's chambers may be summarily disposed of.

What is a Conclave, exactly, then? They are the religious authorities of Hell. Ultimately the eldest and greatest of demons were once angels, cast out by God. Is it so surprising that many retained their predilection towards scripture, theology and study, and the trappings of mortal religion? Yes, some demons hold the ranks of priest, lector, bishop, and archbishop. These tend to be academic and scholastic titles, granted to those who attend the Colleges and Monasteries of Pandemonium or Dis. Those who contribute much to the study of more effective torment and temptation of mortal souls, to analysis of the Hated Foe's motions and motives, to innovations within Hell itself, or to fine and clever service in the Bureaucracy and their role of keeping all the archdevils and praetors on the same power level, are granted such titles.

The Conclaves, then, are religious, academic, and bureaucratic gatherings of learned demons, typically including Bishops and greater, who are often called forth by Lucifer to decide on matters of great import that he cannot be bothered to resolve himself. They are a key component of Lucifer's Bureaucracy, a component with its own agenda. While no demon of such rank is truly defenseless, their power does tend to lie outside of realms like mastery of destructive magic or sheer brute force of arms. It is from the Conclaves from which many demonic artifacts, clever artifice of destruction, arguments to sway the masses of lower devils, and skilled spies emerge.

 

[Rockeye]

It isn't specified that it locks, and the dc has question marks next to it. Better to play things safe than be sorry.

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Uh.... You roll 3d40, and lock in the die, on anything that is NOT a quality die.

 

[Froggo Fantastic]

I think there is a point we need to clarify.

We only roll 3d40 on locked in actions.

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You're entirely correct, as listed at the top of the turn 2 post:

Each die results in rolling 3d40, which are added together for the result. Each project can only have 1 die applied to it unless otherwise specified. Dice are LOCKED IN once applied, until the project completes or the die is pulled off the project. If the project completes, you get the die back right away. However cancelling a project costs 1 turn.

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But uh-

Like this one.

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-this is quite the opposite. It's also listed in the turn 2 post, just under the military category

Some military actions have a Quality Die (d100) instead of the usual 3d40 for Projects. Quality Die actions do not get locked in.

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It isn't specified that it locks, and the dc has question marks next to it. Better to play things safe than be sorry.
Per the above, dice assigned to projects are locked-in as the default.


Now, to compare and contrast my own plan

[] To Set One's Stance
Military:
[] Prepare to Assault the Circle of Knives: (Quality Die) (Locks the Pikes) [1 Military Die]
--Marten Cambrie
[] Formalize the Bloody Pikes: (0/100??) [1 Military Die]
[] Militia Recruiting: (0/50??) [1 Free Die]

@Simon_Jester, looks like this is the same for us. Prepping to go on the attack, choosing an option that's listed as paying dividends later, and taking a short-term project.

Infrastructure:
[] Build a Church: (0/50??) [1 Infrastructure Die]
[] Build a Clock and Calendar: (0/50??) [1 Infrastructure Die]

We're the same here in understanding that these projects have already been signposted by our advisors as necessary, which I very much like.

Production:
[] Support Huical's Farm: (0/150??) (Costs 1 Ichor on completion) [1 Infrastructure Die]
[] Formalize and Expand Foraging: (0/50??) [1 Free Die]
[] Create a Weaving Workshop: (0/100??) [1 Infrastructure Die]
--Katherine Rosa

We've both pinged on the Weaving Workshop being the only option that can trigger Katherine's bonus, and how she previously mentioned lots of folk were already trying to do things. Just that the efforts were undirected.

Research:
[] Search for Mine Sites: (0/50??) [1 Free Die]
[] Build a Hot Farm: (0/100??) (Costs 1 Hellfire on starting) [1 Research Die]
[] Create Weapons: (0/???) [1 Research Die]
-Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci

Again, it's already been listed that people are just...*digging*. So finding good locations to direct their digging is essential, having Leonardo put to crafting weapons for us is also something I agree on. There is the argument that we don't "need" this since we're aiming to take the circle of thorns- which simply grows weapons there- but us having the ability to craft our own weapons is must.

Services:
[] Recruit Peacekeepers: (0/100??) [1 Services Die]
[] Organize Canteens: (0/50??) [1 Services Die]

-Again, Peacekeepers, as was mentioned in the updoot.

And now for me to address how my plan actually differs from your own: Food.

I realize how tempting it is to simply go for the default good option of Morale and Needs Survey, but it isn't the optimal choice. I might even go so far as to call it a trap option (for turn 2) depending on how punishingly Rockeye is setting the pace of the game. See, we've already seen the effects of low food mentioned in Turn 1 results at the end of the fluff.

...the constant hunger pains are starting to get to you again.

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The Canteens option also lists that food A) Will strengthen our people, B) Get our people's natural healing working properly, and per this narrative bit C) Rid the Hangry morale debuff while simultaneously letting them think more properly. We don't *need* to do the survey to know this, so why take it in order to be told it's a problem when we already know it is? Again, I only think taking the survey is non-optimal this turn. I expect to be taking it after Organize Canteens finishes.

The other big thing is the quiet synergy between Huical's Farm & Hot Farm. One has us lending manpower out to the person who knows how to farm in hell, while the other has us prepping the conditions to farm in hell. Having the canteens set up also means we've got a direct through-line to prepare and deliver the harvests of said combo. In true plate spinning sense, this sets the topic of food spinning such that we don't have to worry about it for a nice while afterwards- which will let us turn our focus to other things.

Central:
[] Code of Laws: (0/100??) Mini-Vote) [1 Central Die]

-Hard to have Peacekeepers/Law Enforcers if you don't have what they're supposed to enforce figured out.


[] To Set One's Stance
Military:
[] Prepare to Assault the Circle of Knives: (Quality Die) (Locks the Pikes) [1 Military Die]
--Marten Cambrie
[] Formalize the Bloody Pikes: (0/100??) [1 Military Die]
[] Militia Recruiting: (0/50??) [1 Free Die]
Infrastructure:
[] Build a Church: (0/50??) [1 Infrastructure Die]
[] Build a Clock and Calendar: (0/50??) [1 Infrastructure Die]
Production:
[] Support Huical's Farm: (0/150??) (Costs 1 Ichor on completion) [1 Infrastructure Die]
[] Formalize and Expand Foraging: (0/50??) [1 Free Die]
[] Create a Weaving Workshop: (0/100??) [1 Infrastructure Die]
--Katherine Rosa
Research:
[] Search for Mine Sites: (0/50??) [1 Free Die]
[] Build a Hot Farm: (0/100??) (Costs 1 Hellfire on starting) [1 Research Die]
[] Create Weapons: (0/???) [1 Research Die]
-Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci
Services:
[] Recruit Peacekeepers: (0/100??) [1 Services Die]
[] Organize Canteens: (0/50??) [1 Services Die]
Central:
[] Code of Laws: (0/100??) Mini-Vote) [1 Central Die]

The only thing I'd really be up for swapping is Create a Weaving Workshop for Establish Ichor Gathering since folks are really loving the possibility of that consumable +20. (Understandably so)

EDIT: Had a mix-up with QUOTEs, how embarrassing

 

[Simon_Jester]

Like this one.

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That action locks the Pikes, in the sense that the Pikes are committed while it's resolved. But it's a "Quality Die" action, which means that the action resolves in one turn with a 1d100 roll to see how well it went.

As for the rest, there are several actions we could take that would be better than a temple. In particular, recruiting more leaders to put on dice, specifically with Ichor to improve roll, would pay off well in increasing progress. Otherwise, a rumor mill to get more detailed info on our surroundings or more research being done seems more prudent.

Click to shrink...

I am not at all sure that this is correct. We have very little concept or context of what the benefits of building a church are, except that it is widely popular among a significant minority of our population AND ALSO popular with the angelic host that's currently smacking our long-term enemies. The church action will probably complete in one turn, effectively certainly in two. It is not at all obvious that our immediate reward from any of the other things you describe would assuredly pay off more than building the church.

If, say, building the church means we can get a supply of holy water that's a dangerous anti-demon weapon, or an "in case of emergency call some angels to defend the settlement" talisman, or something like that, it'd be really nice.

There's a tendency to mentally lowball the likely rewards of actions one isn't certain about, and assume that an action one feels one has a clear intuitive understanding of the benefits of is just plain better. I think that's a mistake in this case, or likely to be.

We're the same here in understanding that these projects have already been signposted by our advisors as necessary, which I very much like.

Click to shrink...

Well, we're not QUITE in the same position here, because you want to use the Free die to build a hot farm and I want to build roads.

We've both pinged on the Weaving Workshop being the only option that can trigger Katherine's bonus, and how she previously mentioned lots of folk were already trying to do things. Just that the efforts were undirected.

Click to shrink...

Hm. Well, I'm a little iffy on committing to Huical's farm before we have a sustained ichor collection process set up. I'd prioritize the (fast-finishing) ichor collection action first.

Personally, I'd rather do the ichor gathering before Huical's farm because the farm consumes ichor.

And now for me to address how my plan actually differs from your own: Food.

I realize how tempting it is to simply go for the default good option of Morale and Needs Survey, but it isn't the optimal choice.

Click to shrink...

I wouldn't be so sure, but there's good sense behind the Canteens option, so I'm not saying you're wrong. If no other commenters disagree, I may well write it into my own plan. THat's fair.

 

[Randino Treviani]

I am not at all sure that this is correct. We have very little concept or context of what the benefits of building a church are, except that it is widely popular among a significant minority of our population AND ALSO popular with the angelic host that's currently smacking our long-term enemies. The church action will probably complete in one turn, effectively certainly in two. It is not at all obvious that our immediate reward from any of the other things you describe would assuredly pay off more than building the church.

Click to shrink...

By a small minority we are talking a part of the 1% that aren't drifters(80%) Togethers(10%) revengers(5%) and liberators(4%) based on the second update of the quest. You know what would be wildly popular with all of our people? Building a wall to protect them or organizing Canteens so that the people who are working can eat and stay strong and in good shape for the hard work their doing.

Faithful- Those who still have some belief in their old religion. Mostly Christians, thinking that the great host of angels are here to relieve sinners, their punishments finally at an end. They're spending most of their time praying and singing, which creates some amount of resentment from most of the rest.

Click to shrink...

Rather than building a structure for a few hundred people at best to fight over who gets the spot in front of the cross while doing less work than ever. We don't want people rallying around a church and converting to the faithful, because just maybe some soon to be gone Angel approves. We certainly shouldn't make it a priority over more leaders to benefit roll results, food or water acquisition, building the wall, or half a dozen other projects.

Either when we do it isn't an issue because faith shown in times of hopelessness are worth more than ones shown in times of salvation, or it's plain not worth the effort.

 

[Rockeye]

Simon Jester, I remember from past threads that you have a tendency towards spaghetti posting (quoting and responding to dozens of individual bits of someone else's post). I happen to personally find that a bit hard to read if it goes too far, and sometimes annoying, so please be aware of this. And be nice, everyone.

 

[Lurking_Badger]

Known archdevils include Lilith, Beelzebub, Mammon, Belial, and Astaroth.

Click to shrink...

Where is my boy Asmodeus, King of Demons? I'd think that he would have made the list with how powerful he is.

I guess, he could be included under Lilith since some texts have them be married. That or his heart wasn't really in it to become an official archdevil, since he is sort of a jovial and good-natured as long as he isn't attracted to your spouse. (Get wrecked Solomon)

 

[Rockeye]

Include but are not limited to, I should say.

 

[Froggo Fantastic]

@Rockeye, could I get a yes, no, no comment on possible synergy between Hot Farm & Huical's farm being built at the same time?

@Simon_Jester, Huical's farm, as a project consumes 1 Ichor when it completes. Odds are favorable that it finishes on turn 3, which is when we'd be finishing our Ichor gathering project. So if there *is* an unlisted ichor upkeep, we'll still be steady on it- and if there isn't then there's no need to worry.

 

[Rockeye]

You don't really know if there's some sort of synergy, but at a guess, probably not really anything notable.

 

[Rockeye]

Vote Open

 

[LucidProp]

[] Plan: Laws and Logistics
-[] [Military] Formalize the Bloody Pikes (0/100??)
-[] [Military] Militia Recruiting (0/50??)
-[] [Military] [Free Dice] [1 Ichor] Prepare to Assault the Circle of Knives (Quality Die)
--[] [Military] Marten Cambrie
-[] [Infrastructure] [Free Dice] Build a Church (0/50??)
-[] [Infrastructure] Build a Clock and Calendar (0/50??)
-[] [Infrastructure] Carve Roads (0/100??)
--[] [Infrastructure] Agra
-[] [Production] Support Huical's Farm (0/150??)
--[] [Production] Katherine Rosa
-[] [Production] Establish Ichor Gathering (0/50??)
-[] [Research] Search for Mine Sites (0/50??)
-[] [Research] Hellfire Steam Engines (0/50??)
--[] [Research] Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci
-[] [Services] Recruit Peacekeepers (0/100??)
--[] [Service] Whitey
-[] [Services] Issue a Census (0/100??)
-[] [Central] Code of Laws (0/100??)
--[] [Central] Giles
-[] [Central] [Free Dice] [1 Ichor] Search for Capable Leaders (Quality Die)

Modified the plan. Rumor mill can wait. Instead, we can begin planning for a assault on the Circle of Knives to get our weapons up to date. In order to make sure it goes as well as it possibly can, I'm assigning Marten and 1 Ichor to it for a total of a +35. With luck, we'll have finished Militia this turn and formalization next turn, just in time for the assault.

Additionally, replaced Planning Apparatus for more leaders and also gave it 1 Ichor. That uses up all our Ichor, but with Steam Engines and Ichor Gathering, we ought to have more in the coming turns. Better we get as much as we can from the grace period the Heavenly Host gives us.

Summary for this plan is that it sets us up for further expansion of our industry and the all important Ichor and its dice bonus, gives us our laws and enforcers, ensures the government has a massive stake on the boons of the private farm since we invest on it early, makes potential contact with the Heavenly Host or at least helps with our people's very literal spiritual health, and positions our military in the most advantageous position it can be in while Hell is busy with the angels.

 

[Crazycryodude]

Swapped out steam engines for mines, because yeah it is premature to go around inventing steam engines before we have anything to actually build them out of. Otherwise same as my initial proposal, I think taking one more turn to get our military together before moving on the Circle of Knives is a worthwhile tradeoff to reduce casualties and maintain a functional military that can then hold the Circle long term instead of expending the Pikes on a tough fight and being defenseless while they all need to regrow their femurs for 6 months or whatever.

Re: the church discussion, I do think it's worth building, but I have it penciled in for after the clock instead of in parallel with the clock. I think walls are still a very important priority to work towards ASAP so getting the roads in place to support a big long term construction project like that has to be started now IMO, the church will have to wait until after the clock die is free.

[X]Plan Steal Shit
-[X]Military (2 dice + 2 Free)
--[X] Scavenging Run, 1 die
--[X] Formalize the Bloody Pikes, 1 die
---[X]Marten Cambrie (+15 progress)
--[X] Militia Recruiting, 1 die
--[X] Make Hellfire Grenades, 1 die
-[X]Infrastructure (2 dice)
--[X] Build a Clock and Calendar, 1 die
---[X]Agra (no bonus)
--[X] Carve Roads, 1 die
-[X]Production (2 dice)
--[X] Create a Weaving Workshop, 1 die
---[X]Katherine Rosa (+20 progress)
--[X] Establish Ichor Gathering, 1 die
-[X]Research (2 dice)
--[X] Search for Mine Sites, 1 die
--[X] Create Weapons, 1 die
---[X]Leonardo (Genius)
-[X]Services (2 dice)
--[X] Issue a Census, 1 die
--[X] Recruit Peacekeepers, 1 die
---[X]Whitey (Uncanny Caretaker)
-[X]Central (1 die + 1 Free)
--[X] Code of Laws, 2 dice
---[X]Giles (Incorruptible)

 

[Teen Spirit]

[X]Plan Steal Shit

 

[ErraticWizard]

[X]Plan Steal Shit

 

[LucidProp]

[X]Plan Steal Shit

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Why does your plan have 2 Dice into certain projects like Formalization and Code of Laws? According to the GM, we can only apply 1 Dice per project unless specified by the project description.

Each die results in rolling 3d40, which are added together for the result. Each project can only have 1 die applied to it unless otherwise specified.

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[Rockeye]

I will allow double dice on code of laws but not formalizing the pikes because they are busy

 

[Randino Treviani]

[X] Plan More Ichor and Leaders Needed.
-[X][Military][Free Dice] Militia Recruiting
-[X][Military] Formalize the Bloody Pikes
--[X] Martin Cambrie
-[X][Military] Prepare to Assault the Circle of Knives
-[X][Infrastructure] Build a Church
-[X][Infrastructure]Build a Clock and Calendar
-[X][Infrastructure][Free Dice] Carve Roads
--[X] Agra
-[X][Production] Establish Ichor Gathering
-[X][Production] Support Huical's Farm
--[X] Katherine Rosa
-[X][Research] Create Weapons
--[X] Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci
-[X][Research] Search for Mine Sites
-[X][Service] Recruit Peacekeepers
--[X] Whitey
-[X][Service] Organize Canteens
-[X][Central] Code of Laws
--[X] Giles
-[X][Central][Free Dice] Search for Capable Leaders
--[X] Ichor

Basically, don't take the 'Prepare to Assault the Circle of Knives' option unless you think you probably want to assault the circle NEXT TURN, when it'll probably go fine without too many issues even if you don't give him shinies thanks to the planning bonus, with or without whatever upgrades you have managed to complete.

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Military: QM confirmation that any upgrades will be factored in, but likely aren't necessary to win a battle for the Circle of Knives, even without the option of Ichor boost being used. The time in which an angelic horse is conveniently distracting the demons from us is begining to draw to a close. It would be best if we not only hold the Circle of Knives by the time it's over, but have had time to fortify it against reclamation by whatever demons come knocking. The time to strike is next turn, the time to prepare is now. That said, formalizing the Pikes and Militia Recruiting should at least be started.

Infrastructure: There is no natural way to track time in hell, and humans are fallible, inattentive creatures. There is likely a mix of people working much to long, to the point there performance suffers, as well as people thinking they've been doing tedious work for a long time, and stopping earlier. A clock would help avoid this. As I mentioned in a previous post, there is probably a lot of time being lost navigating the encampment, which carve roads will correct.

Production: We obviously need more Ichor, and the farm won't use resources until complete, so it's safe to start it now for a greater claim on it's produce.

Research: Mines for Ore collection is essential to stop relying on scrap metal, and We do need some manner of Ranged weapons for better defense. Meanwhile, I'd rather wait until Leonardo had his pick of harvested ore's before he designs his hellfire steam engine, rather than building it from scrap.

Service: I've been convinced of the Census's Value and Police is just good sense.

Central: Code of Laws is Essential, but we also need more leaders bringing us greater expertise and more diversified options in how we address problems, as well as rolls bonus. the +20 from Ichor will act as a decent boost to quality this time around. It would be good to have more detailed information on what's going on, but I'd be willing to shift this to a research action if given feedback.

 

[Crazycryodude]

Ah didn't realize the 1 die limit was a thing, shifted the second die on Formalize Pikes to making Hellfire Grenades instead. Making armor would likely take too long and also consume our only unit of Darkness, which I don't want to do yet. A second charge of grenades would let us freely use one on the Circle of Knives while still having another in our back pocket for emergencies, or even use two if it becomes necessary.

 

[Randino Treviani]

Ah didn't realize the 1 die limit was a thing, shifted the second die on Formalize Pikes to making Hellfire Grenades instead. Making armor would likely take too long and also consume our only unit of Darkness, which I don't want to do yet. A second charge of grenades would let us freely use one on the Circle of Knives while still having another in our back pocket for emergencies, or even use two if it becomes necessary.

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The thing about hellfire is, there are apparently no natural sources of it in our base area, so I'd hesitate on spending it their either. Attempt to synthesize hellish resources might be a better expenditure of dice, as might recruiting a second in command for Martin, and the other leaders, with the appropriate Central action.

Also, given Scavenging is a Quality dice, and thus doesn't use 3d40, it's probably wiser to put Martin on it given Formalize the Pikes low odds of success in a single turn and potential for low returns on scavenging as well as likelyhood of combat with minor demons.