He's described as an insufferable, arrogant genius and very likely has had at least some (if not a lot more) experience with academic infighting. I can absolutely see him going on a rant and spouting lines like "I'll show them! I'll show them all!"
Attempting to Shatter the Skies: An Ace Combat Plan Quest
- Thread starter grimely
- Start date
- Sci-Fi Alt. History
-
- Tags
- ace combat
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
The thing is, being a successful survivor of academic infighting, he's already overcome his rivals and is now in line for one of the biggest scientific/technological projects of the century.
If we really want someone motivated to SHOW THEM ALL, we should be looking for the people Cherdenko triumphed over on his rise to tenure.
LucidProp
Pocky Eating MafiaDoka
Everyone has really good bonuses even if they don't become Director, but I'd argue that Ardern has the least important bonus since if we don't pick him, he only gives us +5 to Military Dice.
That's something of a problem, since we don't really have any military enemies at the moment. We're planning to solve the war to our east with diplomacy since the GDI is loved by both sides, the Useans are going to be too busy preparing for Ulysses to do much to us, and the Veruseans are several nations away on the opposite side of the world from us.
We lose the least by making Ardern our Director. The Bonus to starting relations with Aurelia, when we already made them love the GDI, is going to vastly accelerate the accomplishment of all 3 of our mandates (Expand GDI, World-class Research Institutions, Protect Aurelia from Ulysses), and also accelerate the creation of our superweapon since not only is Aurelia extremely rich, but their research on energy weapons would also help us out a lot. There's also the fact that bringing Aurelia into our sphere of influence also brings Leasath with it, further increasing our progress.
The opportunity cost of not picking the general is really too much.
That's something of a problem, since we don't really have any military enemies at the moment. We're planning to solve the war to our east with diplomacy since the GDI is loved by both sides, the Useans are going to be too busy preparing for Ulysses to do much to us, and the Veruseans are several nations away on the opposite side of the world from us.
We lose the least by making Ardern our Director. The Bonus to starting relations with Aurelia, when we already made them love the GDI, is going to vastly accelerate the accomplishment of all 3 of our mandates (Expand GDI, World-class Research Institutions, Protect Aurelia from Ulysses), and also accelerate the creation of our superweapon since not only is Aurelia extremely rich, but their research on energy weapons would also help us out a lot. There's also the fact that bringing Aurelia into our sphere of influence also brings Leasath with it, further increasing our progress.
The opportunity cost of not picking the general is really too much.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
If I recall what Grimely said, Ardern is a woman, but that's a detail.
Notably, maintaining site security is likely to involve some nontrivial Military projects. Random weird terrorist groups showing up with military-grade weapons and doing something crazy are not unheard of on Strangereal, so we'll have at least something for them to do.
Also, I think you may be misunderstanding the mechanics. each potential Director candidate gives us their "not-Director" bonus as a subset of their "Director" bonuses.
We are, in effect, given four 'hero units,' one of whom we can get an exaggerated 'super mode' set of traits from (including at least one additional bonus and in all cases except Ardern a penalty) by promoting them to Director. We don't lose anything by picking any of the candidates, except insofar as a Director with an attached negative will of course affect us as Director when they would not affect us as a project chief.
So there's no opportunity cost for any of the four, except, arguably, for Raskova. Because while Raskova provides objectively better bonuses as Director, she is also more likely to die sooner as a result, which would cause us to lose her +10 [LASER] bonus that we'd receive anyway even if she's not Director.
Since our project is very laser-centric, being able to keep her [LASER] bonus for, say, 2-3 turns longer theoretically turn out to be worth more than getting the [NUCLEAR/DEPLOYMENT] bonus from making her Director. So hypothetically, her more-premature death might constitute an opportunity cost of making her Director, if we can't get more traction out of the other bonuses in the time she has left to her.
Of course, Raskova also comes with the potentially significant cost of making us more unpopular on the international scene, but that's not an opportunity cost; that's just a straight-up downside.
LucidProp
Pocky Eating MafiaDoka
I probably used the word wrong, but from what I understand, if we don't pick Ardern, she won't provide us with the bonus relationship to Aurelia. According to this, the only thing she'll provide if she's not the Director is the +5 to military dice.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
Okay, so uh... I massively misunderstood you. It sounded like the cornerstone of your post was "we lose the least by making Ardern our Director."
My reply was to point out that we don't directly lose anything by making Ardern the director, but strictly speaking the same is just about true of the other candidates. All four candidates confer some kind of bonus to us if not selected, and this bonus is also conferred if they are selected.
But now it sounds like you're saying that Ardern's bonuses are the one most directly useful to our goals, which is... not necessarily wrong, but it's hard to be sure. I suspect the other candidates also have very meaningful benefits and are viable choices.
Raskova gives us huge bonuses to advance towards our core project completion goals (for as long as she lives). Cherdenko gives us dice bonuses in two significant fields that aren't as directly related to project completion but will probably be important to unlocking key parts of the project and to obtaining more dice. Gideon's Infrastructure bonus is likely to come in handy too, and his knowledge of Kane's general situation and aptitude for [ESPIONAGE] projects may well give us options we wouldn't otherwise have.
Ardern's Director advantages starting advantages are relatively easy to make good use of (whereas I think we start with 0 Military dice because of how overextended GDI is at game start). And the Aurelia diplomacy boost is useful. But it's not a case where "we have least to lose by NOT making her Director" is really true.
- Pronouns
- He
[X] Accept, this is precisely what we need
[X] Lieutenant-General Morgane Ardern
[X] Lieutenant-General Morgane Ardern
- Location
- Most likely California
[X] Accept, this is precisely what we need
[X] Lieutenant-General Morgane Ardern
[X] Lieutenant-General Morgane Ardern
- Location
- Somewhere in the area
- Pronouns
- He/She/They
[X] Accept, this is precisely what we need
[X] Gideon Raveshaw
[X] Gideon Raveshaw
Asmodemus
Subversive Element
[X] Accept, this is precisely what we need
[X] Lieutenant-General Morgane Ardern
Got a bit too muddled to focus too hard so didn't check update for a bit, not knowing we weren't doing number stuff yet.
Hell yeah, sacred volcano powered laser. This is the best thing, even if it means we're gonna get spies passing through as pilgrims for sure.
And frankly, I'm for Nod remaining just in the background but high up, with a non-Nod member leading GDI. Also bonuses to the people we want to woo over and whatnot.
[X] Lieutenant-General Morgane Ardern
Got a bit too muddled to focus too hard so didn't check update for a bit, not knowing we weren't doing number stuff yet.
Hell yeah, sacred volcano powered laser. This is the best thing, even if it means we're gonna get spies passing through as pilgrims for sure.
And frankly, I'm for Nod remaining just in the background but high up, with a non-Nod member leading GDI. Also bonuses to the people we want to woo over and whatnot.
Vote closed
A Blurry Photograph
grimely
Twink Death Sufferer
June 29th, 1996.
0223
"Chief, you're going to want to take a look at this."
"What, your girl sent you another care package? I told you I'm a married man, I can't keep gawking a-"
"I'm serious Chief."
"Alright, alright, no need to be snippy. Let's take a look at what you've... oh hell."
"Yeah."
"Run it up the flag pole. Now."
"Already on it."
0226
"Flash fresh in, sir. Sealed and flagged, your eyes only."
"Hand it over, then. This had better be good, half the office's going to be gossiping about... this..."
"Sir?"
"Call Top."
"Yes sir."
0741
"I thought we killed that son of a bitch last year."
"We did too, sir."
"You sure it's him?"
"As sure as we can be, sir."
"Well. Fuck. Alright. He's not the guy in charge though, right?"
"No, sir. That would be the general."
"That's something at least. Okay. Just observe and report for now, get a team together. A discrete one. I want to find out what that bastard's up to without another international incident."
"I think I know the sort, sir."
0904
"I skimmed the report over breakfast. What was that last item? The hand-written one."
"Ah, well, that's going to take a bit of explaining..."
0223
"Chief, you're going to want to take a look at this."
"What, your girl sent you another care package? I told you I'm a married man, I can't keep gawking a-"
"I'm serious Chief."
"Alright, alright, no need to be snippy. Let's take a look at what you've... oh hell."
"Yeah."
"Run it up the flag pole. Now."
"Already on it."
0226
"Flash fresh in, sir. Sealed and flagged, your eyes only."
"Hand it over, then. This had better be good, half the office's going to be gossiping about... this..."
"Sir?"
"Call Top."
"Yes sir."
0741
"I thought we killed that son of a bitch last year."
"We did too, sir."
"You sure it's him?"
"As sure as we can be, sir."
"Well. Fuck. Alright. He's not the guy in charge though, right?"
"No, sir. That would be the general."
"That's something at least. Okay. Just observe and report for now, get a team together. A discrete one. I want to find out what that bastard's up to without another international incident."
"I think I know the sort, sir."
0904
"I skimmed the report over breakfast. What was that last item? The hand-written one."
"Ah, well, that's going to take a bit of explaining..."
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
I think it's someone who thinks they killed Gideon, because they said "he's not the guy in charge." Kane's actually running the GDI organization of which Ardern's directorate is a subset, so it wouldn't make much sense to say that about Kane, as I understand it.
Asmodemus
Subversive Element
Grimely did say that:
Well at least I'll have an easy way to decide who the second-in-command should be
So it's possible he's noticeable in that position but not so much it causes diplomatic issue too much.
Diplomacy, Espionage, and Military Deployments
grimely
Twink Death Sufferer
While writing up the first turn's actions, I decided that I ought to make sure that the thread knows some special mechanics that may impact planning before you start theory crafting and I don't need to answer ten million questions that result in facets of the plan drafts changing at the last minute.
Most projects in this quest will be the simple d100 fill a progress bar. These won't have quality dice, when they're done, they're done and you unlock the benefit. There will be three exceptions at the start of the quest. This list may expand over time.
Diplomacy
Under Foreign Affairs, there will be a number of ordinary diplomacy related projects that simply require the progress bar to be filled. These are mostly going to simulate day to day affairs, keeping relationships open and ingratiating yourselves in passive ways with other powers, as well as work to improve your relevant infrastructure.
Occasionally however you'll have the option for something grander and more impactful, diplomatic conferences that have a significant effect upon the world. Inviting Aurelia to join GDI is going to almost certainly be the first of these that you interact with. These grand projects will have at least two phases, divided into [SETUP] and [INFLUENCE] projects. The smallest and simplest will have a single [SETUP] and a single [INFLUENCE] and larger ones increasing the number of either.
A [SETUP] project is a progress bar style project, as normal, with one catch. Completing a [SETUP] project will result in a quality die being rolled, representing the diplomatic Sherpa work to discover and align asks and compromises, with higher being better. Excess progress on a [SETUP] project is added to the quality die.
An [INFLUENCE] project is a pure DC check, with a limited number of dice that can be assigned to it. The die limit will be included in the project description. The result of the quality die from the [SETUP] project is added to this roll. However, the bonus will degrade every turn, meaning that you can't just complete [SETUP] and then wait forever, for the best odds you should do an [INFLUENCE] project as soon as it's available.
Espionage
Also under Foreign Affairs, these work almost identically to diplomacy, but with [TRADECRAFT] and [ESPIONAGE] taking the places of [SETUP] and [INFLUENCE] respectively. Unlike diplomacy, an [ESPIONAGE] project once begun goes into the background and may continue for multiple turns. Additionally, it is possible to repeat a [TRADECRAFT] project to provide ongoing support to an [ESPIONAGE] action in progress. An [ESPIONAGE] project in progress may be cancelled at any time, though not necessarily for free.
Military Deployments
Once again, these work almost the same as espionage, but with [LOGISTICS] and [DEPLOYMENT] taking the place of [SETUP] and [INFLUENCE] respectively. Unlike diplomacy, and like espionage, it is possible to repeat a previously completed [LOGISTICS] project to top off the bonus, as the deployment may extend for multiple turns, and a [DEPLOYMENT] action in progress may be cancelled.
I reserve the full right to modify these rules if I think something will work better, but I will lock in the rules before the first turn is posted.
Most projects in this quest will be the simple d100 fill a progress bar. These won't have quality dice, when they're done, they're done and you unlock the benefit. There will be three exceptions at the start of the quest. This list may expand over time.
Diplomacy
Under Foreign Affairs, there will be a number of ordinary diplomacy related projects that simply require the progress bar to be filled. These are mostly going to simulate day to day affairs, keeping relationships open and ingratiating yourselves in passive ways with other powers, as well as work to improve your relevant infrastructure.
Occasionally however you'll have the option for something grander and more impactful, diplomatic conferences that have a significant effect upon the world. Inviting Aurelia to join GDI is going to almost certainly be the first of these that you interact with. These grand projects will have at least two phases, divided into [SETUP] and [INFLUENCE] projects. The smallest and simplest will have a single [SETUP] and a single [INFLUENCE] and larger ones increasing the number of either.
A [SETUP] project is a progress bar style project, as normal, with one catch. Completing a [SETUP] project will result in a quality die being rolled, representing the diplomatic Sherpa work to discover and align asks and compromises, with higher being better. Excess progress on a [SETUP] project is added to the quality die.
An [INFLUENCE] project is a pure DC check, with a limited number of dice that can be assigned to it. The die limit will be included in the project description. The result of the quality die from the [SETUP] project is added to this roll. However, the bonus will degrade every turn, meaning that you can't just complete [SETUP] and then wait forever, for the best odds you should do an [INFLUENCE] project as soon as it's available.
Espionage
Also under Foreign Affairs, these work almost identically to diplomacy, but with [TRADECRAFT] and [ESPIONAGE] taking the places of [SETUP] and [INFLUENCE] respectively. Unlike diplomacy, an [ESPIONAGE] project once begun goes into the background and may continue for multiple turns. Additionally, it is possible to repeat a [TRADECRAFT] project to provide ongoing support to an [ESPIONAGE] action in progress. An [ESPIONAGE] project in progress may be cancelled at any time, though not necessarily for free.
Military Deployments
Once again, these work almost the same as espionage, but with [LOGISTICS] and [DEPLOYMENT] taking the place of [SETUP] and [INFLUENCE] respectively. Unlike diplomacy, and like espionage, it is possible to repeat a previously completed [LOGISTICS] project to top off the bonus, as the deployment may extend for multiple turns, and a [DEPLOYMENT] action in progress may be cancelled.
I reserve the full right to modify these rules if I think something will work better, but I will lock in the rules before the first turn is posted.
Finally a NOD quest that didnt die early unlike other NOD quests.
I'd like to ask whats the rules regarding omake?
1.Minimum word limit
2.Using omake to recruit or give the possibility of recruiting named pilots like Pixy(since he used to work for "A world with no boundaries" and some NOD personnel are from that org) or unlocking a new beneficial action/asset?
3.Is there a limit to a number of omake allowed to be submitted for each update(so theres no omake bloat, cause some quests have that)?
1.Minimum word limit
2.Using omake to recruit or give the possibility of recruiting named pilots like Pixy(since he used to work for "A world with no boundaries" and some NOD personnel are from that org) or unlocking a new beneficial action/asset?
3.Is there a limit to a number of omake allowed to be submitted for each update(so theres no omake bloat, cause some quests have that)?
grimely
Twink Death Sufferer
1. Vibes, basically
2. No promises but maybe
3. One per project and only if it can get the project over the finish line, same rules as GDI Quest