Attempting to Fulfil The Plan: ISOT Edition

Vote called for Laying the Ground Work
Turn 1 (10AE First Third): Progress Is A Historical Inevitability
175 Resources Per Turn, 150 In Storage
50 Political Support

Mycenae, 10 AE

Your move into the new office is nearly complete. The most important rooms in the building have not only electric lighting but computers connected in a local area network - knowing that none of those can be replaced for centuries makes you feel guilty about using them, at the same time as the knowledge that you are powerful enough for these relics to be put at your disposal gives you a rush. As this is a new addition to the palace complex, the only mural in the room is of Lenin giving a speech to a crowd from atop an armored car.

You have never had so many responsibilities before in your life. In some ways, this is even more frightening than the night of the coup against the Wanax, when you and your allies came so close to failure and death. While you have been head of the Ministry for several months, this was mostly just keeping up on ongoing projects as the former Ministries of Infrastructure, Military Production, Education, and Agriculture were being subordinated to your command. Now, you have control over more resources than even the military, and it is up to you to use them optimally.

Free Dice to Allocate: 3 Dice
Infrastructure (4 Dice)

[]Derveni-Zapantis Canal: A navigable canal to connect the Gulf of Corinth to the city of Mycenae and the Aegean as a whole will massively decrease the difficulty of transporting goods to our capital. Work has begun on a series of locks, reservoirs, and pumps to enable the movement of small barges between the Derveni and Zapantis rivers, but this requires a vertical climb of close to a hundred meters. However, even with its massive cost, it must be worth it for the Cretans to have built a similar canal. (10 Resources per dice (255/1200), loss of political support if less than 50 progress/turn) (Makes most other projects cheaper) (+25 Political Support on completion)

[]Lock Systems (Stage 2): While carts are an option for transporting goods, river transport is an order of magnitude cheaper. This would build more locks, especially along the Peiros and Asopos rivers, to enable the cheap transport of bulk goods such as grain and timber. (5 resources per dice (0/250) (Stage 2 Dams required for next stage). (Makes many other projects cheaper, +5 Political Support on completion)

[]Port Facilities (Stage 1): While sporadic improvements to ports have been made since the establishment of the Republic, a nationwide effort is badly needed. This would expand and improve ports in all major cities, helping trade and fishing and potentially allowing for the creation of a real navy. (5 Resources per dice (0/150))

[]Mycenae Water and Sewage (Stage 1): The sanitation conditions in Mycenae are not great. While a lack of resources and disorganized city layout means that running water at every house will be decades away, we can at least make a basic network of water pipes and sewers going to the most important buildings, and set up public water pumps and toilets throughout the city. (10 resources per dice (0/80)) (+5 Political Support on completion)

Heavy Industry (3 Dice)

[]Coal Prospecting: While the largest lignite deposit in the Peloponnese is under Cretan control, a few peasants have reported finding small amounts of flammable rocks when asked. We should see if any of these deposits are large enough to exploit. (5 resources per dice (0/30)) (Unlocks many more projects if successful)

[]Iron Production Experiments: We have disappointingly little access to Tucson and its massive amounts of steel scrap, so the production of large quantities of iron and steel is a high priority for us. While we are a long way off from being able to make it on a truly industrial scale, we can at least try to set up something larger scale than the few blacksmiths we currently have. This would involve making a small blast furnace to make pig iron, as well as a puddling furnace to try and make some wrought iron. (10 Resources per dice (0/50))

[]Machine Tools: Our machining capability is massively limited, and will be for the foreseeable future. However, we can at least make more tools such as lathes and trip hammers, even if they need constant maintenance and have horrible precision. (15 Resources per dice (0/100)) (+5 Political Support on completion)

[]Experimental Glassworks: While we lack anyone truly skilled in glassworking, a few people did take glassblowing classes before the Event and claim to remember some of it. While we cannot expect any kind of quality, combined with books on glassmaking it may be possible to make some objects. (10 Resources per dice (0/50))

Light Industry (3 Dice)

[]Textile Industry (Stage 1): We have been able to come up with somewhat practical designs for spinning frames and power looms, mostly by stealing from other states. This will free up massive amounts of labor for other tasks, and make everything from clothing to sails far cheaper to produce. (5 Resources per dice (0/150)) (+5 Political Support on completion)

[]Farming Tool Production: Improved ploughs, reapers, and other farming equipment will allow for massive improvements in agriculture. While the limited supply of iron does cause some issues, setting up more workshops will still help a lot. (10 resources per dice (0/100))

[]Hand Tool Production: Setting up workshops additional to make hand tools will be a massive help to work in mining, construction, and many other industries. This includes not only tools such as hammers, picks, and saws, but also measuring instruments such as rulers and calipers. (10 resources per dice (0/50))

[]Mills (Stage 1): Anywhere with a decently sized stream can be home to mills for grinding grain, cutting wood, and more. This will decrease the cost and increase the quality of goods such as flour and lumber, and free up large amounts of labor. (5 resources per dice (0/100))

Chemical Industry (2 Dice)

[]Waste Collection Systems: The cities and towns of the Republic are very unsanitary. Setting up municipal garbage collection services will be a huge benefit to public health, as well as give us large amounts of feedstock for the production of saltpeter and fertilizer. (5 Resources per dice (0/100))

[]Ostwald Process Plant: The materials used in the catalytic converters of cars also happen to be essentially the same as those used to catalyze the oxidation of ammonia to nitric acid in the Ostwald process. This would enable the production of nitric acid, and therefore saltpeter, far more quickly and efficiently than the bacterial oxidation of nitrogen-containing wastes currently in use. (10 Resources per dice (0/50))

[]Small-Scale Electrolysis: While electricity production is currently massively limited, we do have the ability to make limited amounts of hydroelectricity using waterwheels and modified car alternators. This can be used to make sodium hypochlorite, and therefore chloroform, via the electrolysis of salt water, although this can only be done on a small scale due to electricity constraints. However, even small amounts of disinfectants and anesthetics would be very useful for medical procedures. (15 Resources per dice (0/50))

[]Sulfuric Acid Production: Pyrite will slowly be oxidized to ferrous sulfate in the presence of air and water, which in turn can be heated to decompose it to iron oxide and sulfuric acid. While this is extremely slow and inefficient, sulfuric acid is invaluable for essentially all chemical processes. (5 Resources per dice (0/50))

[]Alternative Feedstock Production Routes: While salt is the main solute in seawater, there are sizeable amounts of magnesium chloride and sodium sulfate present in the bitterns, or the solution left over after it has been evaporated down to produce salt. These can be used to make hydrochloric acid and sodium carbonate, which can be converted to a whole host of other chemicals. Most interesting of these is potassium chlorate, which can be used to make gunpowder and is not limited by the amount of nitrogenous waste we can procure like saltpeter is. However, this has never been done on a large scale before, so it may have unexpected problems. (10 Resources per dice (0/30)

Agriculture (3 Dice)

[]Dams (Stage 2): Many more dams can be built to allow for more irrigation of farmland and more consistent flow of rivers through the season. This will benefit not only agriculture, but also transportation and industry. However, despite being fairly simple to construct, they do require very large amounts of soil and rock to be moved. (5 Resources per dice (0/250))

[]Agricultural Education: Many farmers are still using downtime crops and livestock, and adoption of more modern farming techniques is even more slow. Sending out more education teams will likely help with this, although the purge of the priests has damaged our relationship with them. (5 Resources per dice (5 Resources per dice (0/150))

[]Livestock Breeding: Only a few uptime sheep, cows, pigs, and horses escaped Tucson, and we only have access to crossbreeds between them and downtime livestock. However, even crossbreeds are usually much more useful than downtime breeds, so breeding as many of them as possible is a high priority. Some effort will also be devoted towards selective breeding aimed at making breeds more similar to uptime ones. (5 Resources per dice (0/50))

[]Crop and Livestock Distribution: Uptime crops are far more productive than downtime ones, even accounting for the fact that hybrid and pesticide-resistant strains are no longer viable or useful. Chickens are also useful in converting scraps of food, insects, et cetera into protein- and vitamin-rich eggs. Distributing these will increase agricultural output, as well as population health and happiness. (5 Resources per dice (0/100))

Services (3 Dice)

[]Village Educational Cadre Instruction: Previous literacy programs have been focused almost exclusively in cities. This program would recruit volunteers from rural areas to learn how to read and write, and provide them with paper, writing materials, and a few books on subjects like agriculture and basic medicine before sending them back to their villages with an increased ration of food and clothes for them to teach others how to read and write on a part-time basis. This will come nowhere close to eliminating rural illiteracy, but making sure that at least one person in every village knows how to read is a first step. (5 Resources per dice (0/200)) (+5 Political Support on completion)

[]Primary Schools (Stage 1): While we have taught thousands of urban citizens how to read and write, we still lack a true education system. This would establish a series of schools in all of our cities, teaching a 4-year program to children whose parents decide to educate them, with free lunches being given to pupils to encourage this. They will graduate with knowledge of reading, writing, basic arithmetic, and some education on the basics of things like germ theory, geography, and how the Republic is surrounded on all sides by reactionary feudalist and capitalist states bent on enslaving us all. (5 Resources per dice (0/150)) (+10 Political Support on completion)

[]Adult Literacy Campaigns (Stage 2): Most adults in urban areas still do not know how to read, write, or use Arabic numerals. We must continue the struggle against ignorance in all of its forms, with even more classes on basic literacy being started, now with free meals provided at the end of lessons to encourage attendance. (5 Resources per dice (145/200)) (Stage 3 and Libraries unlocked and +5 Political Support upon completion)

[]Vocational Education: Several thousand workers already know how to read and write, but more education will increase their productivity further. This consists of both purely practical instruction in areas such as blacksmithing and pottery, as well as teaching more advanced mathematics to people such as carpenters and masons. (5 Resources per dice (0/100) (Stage 2 Locked until Stage 2 Adult Literacy Campaigns completed)

[]Civil Service Academy: With the priests finally out of the way, we can finally make progress on constructing a secular bureaucracy. A school will be set up in Mycenae to teach politically reliable, literate downtimers accounting and management techniques, allowing for us to replace many of the low-level bureaucrats which were swept away by the people's wrath. (5 Resources per dice (0/100)) (+5 Political Support on completion)

Military (4 Dice)

[]Fortification Improvements: While a complete restructuring of the walls of cities like Mycenae and Tiryns is far too expensive to consider right now, we can at least improve them somewhat. Gates will be strengthened, and angular bastions made of brick and rammed earth can reduce the number of dead zones by the walls. (5 Resources per dice (0/200))

[]Crossbow Production (Stage 2): Silent, accurate, and deadly, the crossbow is the ideal weapon for the guerillas that make up the bulk of the People's Army, even if it isn't as good against armor as muskets. They're also useful for protecting livestock and hunting. However, more are needed in order to ensure the defeat of any occupying army, necessitating the construction of more workshops and the training of more bowyers. (5 Resources per dice (0/150))

[]Arquebus Production (Stage 2): Made of iron pipes scavenged from Tucson, these are extremely inaccurate and unreliable. However, they are cheap to produce, and usually do shoot a lead ball very forcefully in roughly the direction they're pointed in, so are being issued in large amounts to city garrisons to prevent anyone from taking them by storm. (10 Resources per dice (0/50))

[]Cannon Production (Stage 2): While tin for making bronze is extremely expensive, cannons are still indispensable weapons. We need more foundries to produce them in even larger amounts to ensure the safety of the Republic. (15 Resources per dice (0/50))

[]Melee Weapon Production (Stage 2): With current ranged weapons being quite slow to fire, we need to ensure that our troops can fight at close ranges. Even if they aren't as flashy as guns, more pikes, shields, and swords are critical for our army. (5 Resources per dice (0/50)

[]Armor Production (Stage 1): While it may not stop bullets, all of our enemies rely on large amounts of bows and melee weapons in addition to muskets and remaining Uptime weapons. However, it is still very expensive to produce, at least while iron production is at such a small scale. (10 Resources per dice (0/80))

[]Incendiary Experiments: While perhaps not the most refined weapons, Molotov cocktails and other incendiary weapons have a long and storied history of use. We should see if we can make any similar devices which are practical to use in the battlefield. (5 Resources per dice (0/30))

[]Rifle Trials: Current guns are extremely inaccurate, however, it may be possible to produce better ones. We have succeeded in making rifled matchlocks firing Minie balls both far more accurately and more powerfully than the currently produced muskets, and it may even be possible to make flintlocks. Producing a few dozen of these would establish if larger-scale manufacture is practical at this time. While they probably cannot be issued to every single soldier, they would be invaluable in the hands of more professional units. (5 Resources per dice (0/30))

Bureaucracy (2 Dice)

[]Recruit Americans To Ministry: Almost every single American adult is far more educated than nearly any downtimer, and many have actual experience in areas such as management and accounting. Hundreds of thousands of these people live on the coasts of Anatolia, and many would be more than happy to leave behind a life of subsistence farming to do paperwork. While this will be extremely unpopular, having more educated people in the Ministry can only be a good thing. (5 Resources and -4 Political Support per dice) (Larger effect the more dice are spent) (Increases dice allocation)

[]Recruit Downtimers To Ministry: Even if they don't have much of a formal education, there are thousands of intelligent, motivated, and literate downtimers in the Republic. These people are capable of doing lower-level administrative work, and will learn more with time. Having more of them in our government will also bring us closer to a true people's democracy. However, recruiting them to our own ministry while basic administration and tax collection is still understaffed will be politically unpopular. (5 Resources and -2 Political Support per dice) (Larger effect the more dice are spent) (Increases dice allocation)

[]Recruit Americans To Bureaucracy: Almost every single American adult is far more educated than nearly any downtimer, and many have actual experience in areas such as management and accounting. Hundreds of thousands of these people live on the coasts of Anatolia, and many would be more than happy to leave behind a life of subsistence farming to do paperwork. However, few of these are likely to be politically reliable, and having even more Americans in government won't look great to our citizens. (5 Resources and -2 Political Support per dice) (Larger effect the more dice are spent) (Decreases malus from No Administration)

[]Recruit Downtimers To Bureaucracy: Even if they don't have much of a formal education, there are thousands of intelligent, motivated, and literate downtimers in the Republic. These people are capable of doing lower-level administrative work, and will learn more with time. Having more of them in our government will also bring us closer to a true people's democracy. (5 Resources per dice) (Larger effect the more dice are spent) (Decreases malus from No Administration)

[]Push For A Standing Army: While we can't hope to beat the armies of Crete or New Arizona in a straight up battle, simply sapping their strength and slowing them down with peasant guerillas and city garrisons won't win us a war. Creating a unit of a few hundred full-time soldiers will be invaluable in future conflicts, even if it takes resources away from economic growth. (DC 60, -15 Political Support to attempt, -15 Resources per turn if successful)

[]Diplomatic Efforts: We are currently a very isolated nation, with only limited trade with the Republic of Naxos and miscellaneous smugglers. However, it may be possible to work out trade and fishing agreements with some other states in the Aegean and on the coast of Anatolia, and maybe even the Dual Kingdom of Crete and Mycenae. (DC 20 for Lesbos, 40 for New Washington, 50 for Andros and American Republic of Turkey, 80 for Dual Kingdom, 100 for Emergency Government of New America) (-10 Political Support to attempt)

[]Special Services Division: We are currently almost completely blind to the affairs of other states, besides rumors from merchants. Creating a dedicated intelligence agency would allow for us to have a better idea of what our neighbors are planning to do, and maybe even give us the ability to hurt our enemies. (DC 50, -5 Political Support to attempt, -5 resources per turn if successful).

Current Economic Issues:
Transportation: Many bottlenecks
Fuel: Causing deforestation at an unsustainable pace, coal urgently needed
Iron: Production insufficient
Copper: Sufficient
Building materials: Sufficient timber, lime and bricks constrained by fuel availability
Food: Slight surplus
Rural labor (varies by season): Nearly limitless until April
Urban labor: Surplus

Eight Hour Moratorium