Castles of Steel - Lesbians Good, Imperialism Bad

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Lieutenant Arisukawa Haruna

Balance Stats
❁ • ❁ Work / Life ❁ • ❁
❁ • ❁ Warrior / Princess ❁ • ❁
❁ • ❁ Radical / Respectable ❁ • ❁

Tactical Stats
Gunnery 0, Navigation +2, Command +2, Technology -4, Personal -2, Strategy +3

Stress: 3​


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PLEASE READ THE QUEST RULES BELOW

You collectively vote on the actions of Arisukawa Haruna, the first woman to serve openly in the Imperial Akitsukuni Navy.

This quest is set in a universe which is much like our own circa 1910, but with different politics, cultural norms, and ideas about gender and sexuality, as well as some unusual and advanced technology in places.

We are using this quest to explore themes like breaking the glass ceiling, divergent outlooks on gender and sexuality, colonialism and imperialism, and the place of royalty.

Content Warning
This quest goes some dark places.

There is violence, often explicit, often unfair, often against undeserving targets.

There are not always good options forward. The protagonist is not necessarily a good person.

There is implied content and discussion of sexual harassment and assault.

This is a world where people are often racist, sexist, queerphobic bigots. Sometimes, even the PC and the people they are friends with.

Voting Rules

We will tell you if write-in votes are allowed. If we do not say that write-ins are allowed, they are not. This is to prevent people from unrealistically hedging their bets.

You may proposal other options in a non-vote format, subject to approval, on non write-in votes.

We will tell you when a vote allows approved voting. If we don't say the answer is no, pick an option. We like making people commit.

Discussions makes the GM feel fuzzy.

Game Rules
When we ask you for a roll, roll 3d6. You are aiming to roll equal or under the value of your stat. If you succeed, Haruna gets through the situation with no real difficulties. If you roll above the target value, Haruna will still succeed, but this success will cost her something or add a complication.

Whenever Haruna loses something or faces hardship from a botched roll, she takes Stress. The more Stress Haruna has, the more the job and the circumstances she's in will get to her, and it'll be reflected in the narrative. Haruna must be kept under 10 Stress: if she reaches 10 Stress, she will suffer a breakdown and the results will not be great for her.

Haruna loses stress by taking time for herself, by making meaningful progress on her dreams, and by kissing tall, beautiful women.

Meta Rules
Author commentary is in italics so you know it's not story stuff.

Please don't complain about the system or the fact we have to roll dice. We've heard it before, we've heard it a thousand times across multiple quests. We're not going to change it, and it wears at our fucking souls.

Just going "oh noooo" or "Fish RNGesus Why!" is fun and fine. Complaining at length because you didn't get what you want less so.

If you have a question, tag both @open_sketchbook and @Artificial Girl. If you only tag one of us, you will be ignored. Seriously, we both write this quest.

And yes this is an alt-history type setting with openly gay and trans people, ahistoric medicine, and weird politics. Just... deal, please?

This quest employs a special system called Snippet Votes. Please read this post for more information.
 
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Artificial Girl said:
There was a lot of problems with it, not the least of which was that there would probably be riots both here and there if we handed a precious jewel of Akitsukuni femininity off to some white barbarian."
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And probably riots for a different reason if some Akitsukini prince married a Europan noblewoman.
Your Akitsukuni servants usually came from families with long lines of ancestry that had served Imperial households for centuries. There was a certain pride in the position that most transplanted Joseon girls just didn't have-- come to think of it, you didn't know how they got here. You never thought about it. Like, ever. They were just… servants. Blending into the background like the furniture, like wallpaper. Like things, not like people.
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Reminder for those who don't follow ADQ that the Yakuza dude casually offered Asuka a Joseon girl (or boy) or three as an apology. In the same sense that one would offer furniture.

[X] Magnetic Detector: The submarine has a special piece of equipment on the nose called a Magnetometer, and changes in the dials measure the presence of steel objects. I-02 is now the most effective machine in the world for finding mines, submarines, and other hidden things. (Hot sub on sub action)
 
open_sketchbook said:
It's not that crazy if you realize that the Empress is closer to pope than president.
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But of course, yet the Pope is still an intensely political position in addition to a spiritual one. Less so in modern times then used to be, but still. As I observed, even a spiritual figurehead is gonna have to navigate the political currents.

The Laurent said:
Empresses are semi-divine. This overrides the weakness of their female form. Or something bullshit like that.

(It's like how in medieval Europe, women wielded power surprisingly often, but were often characterized as having in some way taken on some degree of masculinity that made them an exception to the sexist rules. Even if it's, like, the tenth exception of the generation, because (elite) women wielded power all the time, against our popular culture conception of things.
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Mmm, that seems like a in-character rationalization.
 
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obssesednuker said:
The contortions they put themselves through explaining simultaneously that women aren't fit for politics while simultaneously explaining why the Empress is head of state must be hilarious to see.
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What @open_sketchbook said. Even with the reforms and removal of the shogunate, the Empress' actual temporal power is fairly limited. She blesses/approves each government and technically approves the cabinet but no Empress has blocked a government or cabinet appointee yet, so that hasn't been tested. She is the spiritual leader and moral nuturer of the people of Akitsukuni.

She has a lot of soft power and influence. So she can lean on the Navy to let Haruna into the Academy or say "Women should have the franchise because otherwise you're saying that I, the Empress, cannot vote" which is how you get women and their half-ballots (though the Empress, of course, gets a full ballot because she's the Empress).
 
[X] Wire Guided Torpedo: They've made a new version of the manually guided torpedo you'd experimented with on the Minisub, and its much superior now. It uses two different wires inside a single insulated case for increased control, you have a pair of buttons at the station and knobs that determine the projected turning angle by regulating the length of the signal for you. (Good old fashion convoy raiding.)

Honestly, I just want to sink more ships.
 
Wait a second, Haruna is probably on the short list for possible heirs to the Empress at the moment isn't she? She's close to the Empress personally and the Empress is still either childless or the children are still rather young. Like, in twenty years Haruna probably won't be on the list any more, but if the Empress were to come down with some fatal illness tomorrow and need to choose a successor immediately, I could see it going to Haruna.

Haruna, of course, has no interest in this because it means her good friend would be dead.
 
I think a better focus is on Haruna's position as "Imperial Family representative in the navy." It sounds like a very high percentage of them got wiped out in that big brouhaha, add in the cousin getting shunted off due to his purity party plot, and Haruna has to be one of the most prominent remaining, even if there might be a dozen her senior, only one or two are probably more notable than her at this point.
 
Hopefully the Akitsukuni women get full sufferage soon, getting shafted in the work place and the ballot box would create a ton of simmering anger.
 
Diomedon said:
I think a better focus is on Haruna's position as "Imperial Family representative in the navy." It sounds like a very high percentage of them got wiped out in that big brouhaha, add in the cousin getting shunted off due to his purity party plot, and Haruna has to be one of the most prominent remaining, even if there might be a dozen her senior, only one or two are probably more notable than her at this point.
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It's actually a bit surprising that steps weren't taken to secure te safety of remaining royal family naval officers following the Mochizuki.
 
[X] Wire Guided Torpedo: They've made a new version of the manually guided torpedo you'd experimented with on the Minisub, and its much superior now. It uses two different wires inside a single insulated case for increased control, you have a pair of buttons at the station and knobs that determine the projected turning angle by regulating the length of the signal for you. (Good old fashion convoy raiding.)
 
[X] Wire Guided Torpedo: They've made a new version of the manually guided torpedo you'd experimented with on the Minisub, and its much superior now. It uses two different wires inside a single insulated case for increased control, you have a pair of buttons at the station and knobs that determine the projected turning angle by regulating the length of the signal for you. (Good old fashion convoy raiding.)

as much as i like playing to our strength i think this would help the war a lot more then anything else at this point or later in time.
 
[X] Magnetic Detector: The submarine has a special piece of equipment on the nose called a Magnetometer, and changes in the dials measure the presence of steel objects. I-02 is now the most effective machine in the world for finding mines, submarines, and other hidden things. (Hot sub on sub action)
 
[X] Interceptor Antenna: An extra tall radio mast that can be extended while surfaced to pick up distant radio traffic. Perfect for intercepting and listening in on enemy radio signals, which is why the new station seats the crew's decrypting specialist. (Sneaky spy shit)

The detector is also nice, but I think this one plays to Haruna's skills at politics. I don't think being detected is a significant problem at that point at time - it's not like we have to do it while in the heat of battle. There again, counter-sub...

Artificial Girl said:
Finally, though, it was over. You spent your last day, the day before New Years Eve (New Years Eve Eve?) with Aiko
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Relevant xkcd.
 
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[X] Interceptor Antenna: An extra tall radio mast that can be extended while surfaced to pick up distant radio traffic. Perfect for intercepting and listening in on enemy radio signals, which is why the new station seats the crew's decrypting specialist. (Sneaky spy shit)
 
[X] Magnetic Detector: The submarine has a special piece of equipment on the nose called a Magnetometer, and changes in the dials measure the presence of steel objects. I-02 is now the most effective machine in the world for finding mines, submarines, and other hidden things. (Hot sub on sub action)

I like the feel of this one the most, with how much we've been pushing for minelaying surely minesweeping is gonna be useful as well even if its not exactly glamorous. Though if/when we are involved in another big battle the guided torpedoes would surely be the best.

@Artificial Girl @open_sketchbook
Out of curiosity is this another deal like when we pick which ship to be on that the others exist and are sent to other subs or has only one been developed here and sent to us cause we're the most advanced sub?

Also good stuff with recognising our privilege being a princess and further how bad Joseon has it this will be good when we get more influence to have another goal to push for with it
 
Badwolfwho said:
[X] Magnetic Detector: The submarine has a special piece of equipment on the nose called a Magnetometer, and changes in the dials measure the presence of steel objects. I-02 is now the most effective machine in the world for finding mines, submarines, and other hidden things. (Hot sub on sub action)

I like the feel of this one the most, with how much we've been pushing for minelaying surely minesweeping is gonna be useful as well even if its not exactly glamorous. Though if/when we are involved in another big battle the guided torpedoes would surely be the best.

@Artificial Girl @open_sketchbook
Out of curiosity is this another deal like when we pick which ship to be on that the others exist and are sent to other subs or has only one been developed here and sent to us cause we're the most advanced sub?

Also good stuff with recognising our privilege being a princess and further how bad Joseon has it this will be good when we get more influence to have another goal to push for with it
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That's a state secret.

Though most likely I-02 is getting the new toys and is being used as a testbed of sorts. The yards have been tooling up to produce homegrown versions which may well be a bit more reliable.
 
[X] Interceptor Antenna: An extra tall radio mast that can be extended while surfaced to pick up distant radio traffic. Perfect for intercepting and listening in on enemy radio signals, which is why the new station seats the crew's decrypting specialist. (Sneaky spy shit)
 
New Dice & Stress Mechanics
  • Informational
    • Hi all! We're going to be revising the rules a bit to better serve our narrative purposes and to make things a little simpler. As part of this, we're going to adjusting Haruna's stats slightly to better match the new dice system, so don't worry too much if the numbers look a little different.

    Dice Rules
    When we ask you for a roll, roll 3d6. You are aiming to roll equal or under the value of your stat. If you succeed, Haruna gets through the situation with no real difficulties. If you roll above the target value, Haruna will still succeed, but this success will cost her something or add a complication.

    Whenever Haruna loses something or faces hardship from a botched roll, she takes Stress. The more Stress Haruna has, the more the job and the circumstances she's in will get to her, and it'll be reflected in the narrative. Haruna must be kept under 10 Stress: if she reaches 10 Stress, she will suffer a breakdown and the results will not be great for her.

    Haruna loses stress by taking time for herself, by making meaningful progress on her dreams, and by kissing tall, beautiful women.

    As of this post, her stress has been reset to 3 by her time at home.
     
  • Informational
    • Artificial Girl said:
    When we ask you for a roll, roll 3d6. You are aiming to roll equal or under the value of your stat. If you succeed, Haruna gets through the situation with no real difficulties. If you roll above the target value, Haruna will still succeed, but this success will cost her something or add a complication.
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    open_sketchbook said:
    Diplomacy 11, Strategy 10, Tactics 10, Prowess 9, Subterfuge 13, Technical 8
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    So with this in mind, that gives us success odds of:
    Technical (8): 25.93%
    Prowess (9): 37.50%
    Strategy or Tactics (10): 50.00%
    Diplomacy (11): 62.50%
    - (12): 74.07%
    Subterfuge (13): 83.80%

    Given that there's no real 'full fail' option anymore, just "Full Success vs Complication", looking at my anydice for the old system, looks like success odds are about what they were for a skill a point higher; i.e. subterfuge at 13 in new system has 83.80% success, just like the old subterfuge at 14 did, with the difference being the removal of the (in that case very very tiny) odds of full failure.
     
    [X] Interceptor Antenna: An extra tall radio mast that can be extended while surfaced to pick up distant radio traffic. Perfect for intercepting and listening in on enemy radio signals, which is why the new station seats the crew's decrypting specialist. (Sneaky spy shit)​
     
    [X] Wire Guided Torpedo: They've made a new version of the manually guided torpedo you'd experimented with on the Minisub, and its much superior now. It uses two different wires inside a single insulated case for increased control, you have a pair of buttons at the station and knobs that determine the projected turning angle by regulating the length of the signal for you. (Good old fashion convoy raiding.)​
     
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