To Boldly Go... (a Starfleet quest)

Forgothrax · Apr 14, 2018

SynchronizedWritersBlock said:
You're thinking of someone else. Ashtarr is +2 to a Gorn diplo roll each quarter. I would agree (@Briefvoice) that Ashtarr isn't quite worth 10pp when we might have to shave 1-2 pushes this year if we're not lucky, in a year where we desperately need all five pushes.

Ugh, I must be. Yeah, that's not a great bonus this year.

Simon_Jester · Apr 14, 2018

Glassware said:
[] Briefvoice

That doesn't answer my question of why you're giving them the dregs of our explorer corps, or why you're keeping Opportunity in the EC even though rising event difficulties will likely see to it she doesn't survive her next five-year mission. Aren't we supposed to begin rotating out the Excelsior-A's barring Veteran and Elite ships?

Because I am a rotten louse, that's why. Please do continue throwing asperity at me, I simply love it.

Nervos Belli said:
I'd be in favor of moving Mbeki. Diplomacy is only a secondary priority for his task force, and we're nearly through with the Aloof tag anyways. To be honest, I suspect that when we finish the deter attacks tag we'll get a relations boost like with the Goo TF that will push the Trill to affiliate anyways. And if I'm wrong, they are still only one push away.

That makes a lot of sense. I'm for it.

brmj · Apr 14, 2018

065tdsa said:
Even if manage to cover everything, I'd still rather have an Ittick-ka task force than this task force.

Not that the Trill are important, because to me they clearly aren't, but I don't see why you would possibly want an Ittick-ka task force. The slavery tags and such aren't time sensitive, they are too weak to start serious trouble, and if they go to war with the Gorn, the Gorn will free the slaves after they win, so I'm not even sure it isn't a good thing compared to preventing the war and us maybe eventually chipping away at those tags for years and years.

Simon_Jester said:
Forward is a task force that has almost exclusively science-related missions. It is by far the best place we can put an S6P4D4 ship if we want to make useful progress.

That's Boldly you're thinking of, but point taken. The Breen TF wouldn't be a bad spot for such a ship either, but I think we've got enough there so objection withdrawn if we can't use it to free up a more useful ship from somewhere else. I still think we should pull both the attachments from Forward, though. Is there a reason no one is talking about moving the FDS team as well as Mbeki? Is it somehow tied to that TF in a way I forgot about?

Anyway, I am liking how this plan is shaping up. It doesn't prune from the areas I consider unimportant to the extent I would like, puts more forces than are strictly necessary on the Breen TF, and I would love to find the resources for a Dreamer TF, but it looks like a reasonably solid proposal. This is reassuring me that we may just get through this without any really major long-term strategic defeats.

Nervos Belli said:
If I can make a small suggestion, both the RBZ and KBZ seem overstuffed with ships to me. An explorer, two modern cruisers and a frigate made perfect sense during the war, but now that it's over, I think we could safely remove a Rennie from at least the KBZ, though with the Breen war it might be safer to keep the RBZ strong. I know they aren't the best ships for passing events but it could provide some extra firepower for Chekov or help Unity if things go pear-shaped. Not a major change, but it might help out.

I had thought so too, but it was pointed out that they are also useful for responses in nearby sectors. I think we can still take the frigates since they aren't fast enough for that to be a big factor, but unfortunately the rest really ought to stay.

Redhead222 · Apr 14, 2018

[x][EC] Assign a vessel to support attempts to stop the Coreward Border War between the Licori, Laio, and OSA.
vostok has my vote
[x][OPPO] Continue as Explorer Corps Ship
[x] [FLEET] Retain 16 points of ships and two cargo ships (20 pp)

i`ll leave who goes where to others because they have a far better understanding of that then i do at this point but this is kind of what i would want.
secure our own shit first i say. that could be done with just frigate`s i think.
then send someone to set up a scouting force.
i do not might a slowed push in the south as long as it going.

but lets not let things go one fire in the north for many reasons

Briefvoice · Apr 14, 2018

If it's what people really want... but I personally think it leaves some of these Task Forces dangerously understaffed....

[ ] [FLEET] Retain 16 points of ships and two cargo ships (20 pp)

- Explorers: 1 Caitian Excelsior-A [Hrvass]
- Cruisers: 3 Apiata Little Queenship, 1 Rigellian Turtleship, 1 Orion Nelhiar Savings & Loan Enforcer Cruisers, 1 Gaeni Tech-Cruiser-A
- Frigates: 4 Apiata Stingers, 1 United Earth Centaur-B, 5 Betazoid Centaur-B, 2 Tellarite Centaur-B, (Leaniss adds +1 Amarkian Centaur-B for free), 1 Caldonian Centaur-B, 1 Andorian Centaur-B, 1 Orion Molhane Patrol Escorts, 1 Vulcan Centaur-B

[ ] [TASK] Task Force: Beyond for 16pts of ships
Mission: Mission: Remove Horizon Influence from Licori, Felis, and from OSA.
Commander: Rear Admiral Tomas Meyer - +1H on flagships, reroll first failed diplomacy roll each year
Attachments:
Free FDS Diplomatic Team attachment
Starfleet Tactical Brass: 0pp per year. Enables coordination events with other powers
Molchenek-Danashad: 3 pp per year. Effect: +1 to the first diplomatic roll involving a capitalist society each quarter
Sam Jones: 10 br on purchase, 10 br per year. Effect: Gain both sr & relations on trade summit missions for this task force.
NEW Harbind-Attu Institute Research Team: 40 rp on purchase, 20 rp per year. Effect: Receive a bonus to a technology related to the Task Force's activities each year.

Ships 2323.Q1:

Explorers: 2 Starfleet Excelsior-A [Salnas (B)], Endurance (B)], 1 Caitian Excelsior-A [Hrvass], 1 Starfleet Constitution-A [Cheron (V)]
Cruisers: 2 Apiata Little Queenship, 1 Orion Nelhiar Savings & Loan Enforcer Cruisers [OUS Nelhiar's Pride]
Frigates: 1 Starfleet Centaur-B [Chinook], 1 Betazoid Centaur-Bs, 2 Apiata Stingers, 1 United Earth Centaur-B
Notes: Drop to 12 ships. Several of the cruisers have been switched out for Centaur-Bs.

[ ] [TASK] Task Force: Boldly for 16pts of ships
-Mission [Explore the Adazzi Gulf]
-Straak - +15 BR/SR on the first resource gain of each quarter
-Attachments:
All Pyllix Geological Institute Team. Cost: Free.
Lt. Sadd-Har's Cadet Field Training Team: 3 pp per year. Effect: Increased experience gain for missions involving S rolls.
Tellar Prime Academy of Mineral Science Team: 10 rp per year. Effect: +5BR or +5SR on the first resource gain each quarter
Henn-Makad Mineral Engineering Institute Team: 10 rp per year. Effect: +2 on the first mapping roll each quarter.
Igata Nikelda: 10 rp per year. Effect: Increased chance of finding resource colony sites.Vulcan Science Academy Science Team. Cost: 10 rp on Purchase, 5 rp per year. Effect: Reroll first failed Science test involving an anomaly per quarter. [BOLDLY]
NEW Vulcan Science Academy Science Team. Cost: 10 rp on Purchase, 5 rp per year. Effect: Reroll first failed Science test involving an anomaly per quarter.

Ships 2323.Q1:

Explorers: 1 Excelsior-A [Excalibur]
Cruisers: none
Frigates: 1 Kepler [Kepler], 1 Miranda-A [Dryad (B)], 1 Oberth [Hawking (B)], 1 Forager (free with mission
Notes: No reinforcements.

[ ] [TASK] Task Force: Forward for 16pts of ships
-Mission: [Discourage attacks on the Trill]
-Pavel Chekov - Nullifies the first 2pts of crew casualties per year, reroll the first failed Away Team Combat each year
-Attachments:
FDS Diplomatic Team. Cost: 5pp on Purchase, 5pp per year. Effect: Reroll first failed Diplomatic Roll each quarter;
NEW Yoyodyne Research Team: 10 rp per year. Enables reroll on first failed D-Test each quarter.
NEW Pallas-Abat Institute Ship Design Team: 20 rp on purchase, 10 rp per year. Effect: Ships in this task force get +1 to shield and hull checks to resist damage. [FORWARD]
NEW Kedaia Naar Institute Doctrine Team: 20 rp on purchase, 10 rp per year. Effect: +1 to the first space combat roll each quarter. [FORWARD]
REMOVED Starfleet Intelligence field team.

-2323.Q1 Ships:

Explorers: 1 Excelsior-A (6) [Thirishar (B)]
Cruisers: STO Audacious [Serene], 2 STO Constrictors, NEW 1 Renaissance [Torch (pa)]
Frigates: 2 STO Arquilla
Notes: TF is 7 ships strong.

[ ] [TASK] Task Force: Royal (the Gorn Task Force) for 16pts of ships
-Mission: Resolve [Great Power Ambitions: 75/300] and [Distant Stars: 0/100] tags on Gorn. If a [Cardassian Influence: 0/100] tag emerges, resolve that tag as well.
-Commander: Leaniss Larai - May add one additional member fleet frigate to this task force, separate from other ships called up [adds Amarkian Centaur-B]
-Attachments:

Free FDS Diplomatic Team attachment. Effect: Reroll first failed Diplomatic Roll each quarter;

-2323.Q1 Ships:

Explorers: 1 Starfleet Excelsior-A [Avandar (B)]
Cruisers: 1 Rigellian Turtleships, 2 Starfleet Renaissances (new construction in Q2)
Frigates: 1 Amarkian Centaur-B, 2 Tellarite Centaur-B
Notes: TF is 5 ships strong, growing to 7 with the arrival of reinforcements in Q2

[ ] [TASK] Task Force: Unity (Stop coreward war.) for 16pts of ships
-Mission: Mission: Resolve [Corps are Lying to Us 0/100] tag on OSA, [On the Brink of War N/A] tags on OSA, Licori and Laio.
-Commander: Rear Admiral Michel Thuir - Reroll first event failure each quarter
-Attachments:

Free FDS Diplomatic Team attachment. Effect: Reroll first failed Diplomatic Roll each quarter;
Ambassador Sarek: 5 pp per year. Effect: Reroll the first failed diplomatic roll each quarter; add +1 to the reroll. - 5pp [PEACE]
Ambassador Nikael Dalera: 8 pp on purchase, 5 pp per year. Effect: Double progress on the first passed Diplomatic event each quarter. = 8pp [PEACE]
Langa Mbeki: 5 pp on purchase, 5 pp per year. Effect: +2 to the lowest diplomatic roll each quarter

2323.Q1 Ships:
Explorers: 3 or 4 Starfleet Excelsior-As: [Rru'adorr (B), Pleezirra (B), Lakota] + Opportunity if if is out of the EC
Cruisers: None.
Frigates: 1 Vulcan Centaur-B, 4 Betazoid Centaur-B, 1 Caldonian Centaur-B, 1 Andorian Centaur-B, 2 Starfleet Centaur-B [Zephyr (B), Yukikaze (B)], 1 Molhane Patrol Escorts (in Q2 add 1 Centaur-A [Gale (B))
Notes: 13 (or 14) Ships, then +1 in Q2.

[ ][BREEN] Breen Task Force for 16pts of ships
Mission: To carry out the opening stages of the reconnaissance response to the Breen, including monitoring the movements of their warfleet, reinforcements from the Breen core worlds, and communications surveillance, a separate task force is required.
Commander: Diego Zaardmani - +1S on Flagship, Re-roll first failed Science check each year
Attachments: Hallad-Wel Institute Computing Team: 10 rp on purchase, 8 rp per year. Effect: Reroll the first failed Science test of this task force each quarter, but at -1 to the roll. [BREEN]
2323.Q1 Ships:
Cruisers: 1 Starfleet Constellation-A [Stalwart (B)], 1 Gaeni Tech-Cruiser-A
Frigates: 2 Starfleet Oberths [Inspire, T'Mir (V)]
SFI Ships: SS Rocinante, SFI Ship, Capable of Signal Intercepts, SS Winter, SFI Ship, Capable of Signal Intercepts

Simon_Jester · Apr 14, 2018

@Briefvoice

My biggest concern is, how do people vote for things? Does this plan have a name that clearly differentiates it from other ways we could vote on TASK?

My second biggest concern is, what do you think about the idea to send Mbeki with TF Royal, while leaving Ashtarr behind this year?

Nervos Belli · Apr 14, 2018

[X] Briefvoice

Overall looks good to me. It's going to be a tight year both in terms of events and pp, but hopefully we can achieve our top priorities and not lose too much progress on the secondary ones so that we're in good shape for when Federalization kicks in and we can drown our enemies in Mirandas.

Briefvoice · Apr 14, 2018

brmj said:
That's Boldly you're thinking of, but point taken. The Breen TF wouldn't be a bad spot for such a ship either, but I think we've got enough there so objection withdrawn if we can't use it to free up a more useful ship from somewhere else. I still think we should pull both the attachments from Forward, though. Is there a reason no one is talking about moving the FDS team as well as Mbeki? Is it somehow tied to that TF in a way I forgot about?

Well it's just that all the other Diplomatic Tasks forces already have an FDS team. I'm not sure where you would want to send it.

I am swilling to move Mbeki, but where should he go? Royal, Unity, or Beyond?

chriswriter90 · Apr 14, 2018

Simon_Jester said:
The problem is that, as you quoted, the SBZ reinforces like five sectors and is in some cases their only source of outside support. Any ship removed from the SBZ is almost certainly going to cost us later on in terms of events not responded to in, oh, say, Tellar Sector.

As if that would stop us from considering it...

Briefvoice said:
If it's what people really want... but I personally think it leaves some of these Task Forces dangerously understaffed....

That sounds like a bad deal. If you think it's a bad idea, don't do it. Make people come up with their own plan.

Nervos Belli · Apr 14, 2018

Briefvoice said:
Well it's just that all the other Diplomatic Tasks forces already have an FDS team. I'm not sure where you would want to send it.

I am swilling to move Mbeki, but where should he go? Royal, Unity, or Beyond?

I'd say Unity. Mbeki's bonus is good at avoiding or mitigating failures, and that's the one where I think a single failure could be most dangerous.

Briefvoice · Apr 14, 2018

Simon_Jester said:
@Briefvoice

My biggest concern is, how do people vote for things? Does this plan have a name that clearly differentiates it from other ways we could vote on TASK?

I am not the GMs, but my understanding is that for each Task Force you want, you vote for it as:

[] [TASK] Name of Task Force

You have to do a separate TASK vote for every task force you want.

Also, there must be a Breen Task Force, so that is voted for as:

[] [BREEN] Name marking out composition of Breen Task Force you want.

My second biggest concern is, what do you think about the idea to send Mbeki with TF Royal, while leaving Ashtarr behind this year?

I mean, the main thing is that Ashtarr would have narrative effects, being a Gorn on our side. Are those narrative effects worth 10pp? I dunno.

Simon_Jester · Apr 14, 2018

Briefvoice said:
Well it's just that all the other Diplomatic Tasks forces already have an FDS team. I'm not sure where you would want to send it.

I am swilling to move Mbeki, but where should he go? Royal, Unity, or Beyond?

My vote's for Royal, because he in effect duplicates Ashtarr's bonus, except that his +2 bonus always applies to the lowest (that is, most likely to have failed) roll instead of to the first roll. If we expect to pass more than 50% of our Presence checks, this may even be to our advantage, though Ashtarr's bonus is still powerful.

I'd love to send Ashtarr, but he's so expensive that in this specific year when we're spending so much to expand our task forces, I don't think we can justify the price. I very much want to send him to Task Force Royal in 2324 if he isn't sent in 2323.

Raw90 · Apr 14, 2018

[X] Briefvoice

The cost is pretty painful, but there really do seem to be a lot of fires to put out.

Also, have I done the formatting here correctly?

Goat · Apr 14, 2018

Only have time for a quick browse of all the fires.

I suspect that we will have the choice of either (possibly and) blowing all our pp on hiring member ships to try to be somewhere, or just accept that we cannot do everything, and give up on something.

GMs, after the current set of fires die down, could we have a quarter or two of quiet times, please?

Tolack · Apr 14, 2018

[X] Briefvoice

I am in support of more ships and task forces. They are needed after all.

Simon_Jester · Apr 14, 2018

Goat said:
Only have time for a quick browse of all the fires.

I suspect that we will have the choice of either (possibly and) blowing all our pp on hiring member ships to try to be somewhere, or just accept that we cannot do everything, and give up on something.

GMs, after the current set of fires die down, could we have a quarter or two of quiet times, please?

Quarters don't help much; years would be needed.

brmj · Apr 14, 2018

Briefvoice said:
Well it's just that all the other Diplomatic Tasks forces already have an FDS team. I'm not sure where you would want to send it.

I am swilling to move Mbeki, but where should he go? Royal, Unity, or Beyond?

Okay, maybe just not renew it to save the 5 PP? For Mbeki, I would say Unity since avoiding failures is most immediately crucial there.

Simon_Jester · Apr 14, 2018

Now, if the FDS teams were like most teams and cost more to start up than they do in upkeep, that wouldn't be very advantageous, since we'd pay a premium to get the FDS team running again if we wanted them in operation later.

But that's not the case; an FDS team costs no more in the first year of operation than in the second or third. So you make a good point, brmj.

Shard · Apr 14, 2018

My opinion is that we should call up 32 points of ships. We're spread thinly otherwise.

We'll have just 115 PP for Snakepit (Essentially 0 given we'll take 5 diplopushes), but it's worthwhile given the threats we face.

Briefvoice · Apr 14, 2018

I think you all are underplaying the necessity of diplomatic checks in Forward.

Remember, getting the aggressors to sign a treaty saying that they won't attack is the ultimate end goal. That can be accomplished by successive combat checks, but it's just as likely that there are plenty of Diplomatic checks on the Event table for the TF.

Steven Kodaly · Apr 14, 2018

[X][EC] Assign a vessel to support attempts to stop the Coreward Border War between the Licori, Laio, and OSA. - Assign the Sarek

[X][OPPO] Withdraw from Explorer Corps

anon_user said:
Gorn Hegemony: 66/100
-[Distant Stars: 0/100]
-[The Ancient Enemy (Orions): 0/100]
-[Secret Police: 0/100]
-[Great Power Ambitions: 75/300]
-[Dickensian Nightmare: 0/300]
-[Autocratic Monarchy: 0/500]

Are these new? Cause they're great.

*looks back*

anon_user said:
Gorn Hegemony: 25/100
-[Distant Stars: 0/100]
-[The Ancient Enemy (Orions): 0/100]
-[Great Power Ambitions 75/300]
-[Autocratic Monarchy 0/500]

Yep, they're new!

Forgothrax · Apr 14, 2018

Ahh for fuck's sake Gorn...

Simon_Jester · Apr 14, 2018

I suspect those 'new' tags were discovered rather than created suddenly.

Shard said:
My opinion is that we should call up 32 points of ships. We're spread thinly otherwise.

I don't know. It looks like the 24-point distribution Briefvoice has suggested is big enough to put sizeable forces on everything critical.

Briefvoice · Apr 14, 2018

Shard said:
We'll have just 115 PP for Snakepit (Essentially 0 given we'll take 5 diplopushes), but it's worthwhile given the threats we face.

I think diplomatic pushes would have to be a secondary priority to claiming some mints in the Gulf and the absolute necessity that is making Shipyard Operations an Admrial position in light of upcoming Federalization.

But if you want to draw up a plan, feel free. Here:

Boldly Go-Member and Affiliate Fleets

Save and make your own copy.

That tells you what member ships are available. You'll notice that on each member tab, there is a row labeled "Starfleet Drafted". Put the number of ships of that type you are drafting in there. If it exceeds 25%, a cell on the Member Worlds tab will trun red to alert you that you have over-drafted.

Vehrec · Apr 14, 2018

Forgothrax said:
Ahh for fuck's sake Gorn...

Is this the dark side of writing bad things about the Gorn in Omake? Maybe we shouldn't have done that...

To Boldly Go... (a Starfleet quest)

Not Going Gently

Don't think this means you've won!

Don't think this means you've won!

One and Many

Not Going Gently