Vox Vitae: Warhammer AI quest

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[X] Plan: Look at this shiny apple full of knowledge, want to take a bite?

"Small and easily quashed" sounds like a good plan B to me. Also, the "I'm an ancient" story is an attack vector itself, as has been pointed out.

Using the covert phase to kill off some of the more overtly evil leadership has some appeal too.

Mostly, I just want to cash out our winnings here. I'm not strongly opposed to the other plan, but this is my preference.
 
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[X] Plan: Look at this shiny apple full of knowledge, want to take a bite?

I prefer the other construction plan, but I've come around to this one's diplomacy action.
 
[X] Plan: Look at this shiny apple full of knowledge, want to take a bite?

Just caught up, like this plan.
 
[X] Plan: Look at this shiny apple full of knowledge, want to take a bite?

The way I see it, this plan has a lower bounds for best possible results, but a higher bounds for the worst one. And, IMO, we have been FAR too lucky with our diplomacy actions recently
 
Negentropy said:
Regardless, increased chance of conflict in turn for higher likelihood the conflict will be more localised seems like the more prudent route, particularly as the more hostile actors are in play the more WMDs we need to counteract (granted even a comparatively tiny number could still reap unparalleled devastation depending on the type, yield, efficiency, state of repair, etc., of the WMD(s) in question.

Apologies, I realise now I completely misunderstood the reasoning last night, I will address it in a later post.

[X] Plan: Hear, Children, the Wisdom of the Ancients
Click to expand...
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My apologies, I just woke up and realised my understanding of which plan risked which type of conflict was entirely reversed.

But having slept on it, although the risk of a larger opposition and conflict weighs on me (although it hopefully doesn't have to devolve into a shooting war at least immediately, dice permitting), I think (and hope) the Ancient argument articulated here will be much more impactful if it immediately follows the death of Thayla, and might hopeful (by putting *most* of our cards on the table) make for a cleaner break with the Mechanicus policy of secrecy (although yes we are still keeping secrets about being an AI but only to the extent we are sure that being open about things would immediately cause open hostilities).

That being said, "Hear, Children," definitely still is taking a bigger risk with that bigger swing, so I definitely can see the case for the "Shiny Apple" plan in building more groundwork to change the institutions before the "big" reveal. Hopefully, we will get a chance to articulate some of "Hear, Children"'s arguments if we go down "Shiny Apple"'s route.
 
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  • Voting
    • Scheduled vote count started by Neablis on Dec 6, 2024 at 9:52 PM, finished with 71 posts and 36 votes.
    • [X] Plan: Look at this shiny apple full of knowledge, want to take a bite?
      -[X] [Free] Poke around some more in the databases, looking for anything in particular.
      --[X] You have a rought picture about who the Navigators are and what they can do by sheer osmosis of hearing them being mentioned occasionally in a conversation, but a deeper look would do good.
      -[X] Diplomacy/Subversion (AdMech):
      --[X] Okay, we're in the home stretch here with the AdMech, now we just need to stick the landing. The only problem is that, well you're literally robo satan and you want to break the Mechanicus technological monopoly over Denva because its terrible. This is going to take careful planning, questionable theological arguments, a lot of bribery and possibly even more murder. Step one is to tell Aevon counterintelligence that we've sorta coup'd the Mechanicus and give them access to enough inside information to ensure that the Mechanicus stays dumb and happy until we're ready. In the meantime, we'll prep the Mechanicus for the truth by using the expected restructuring of our takeover to put tractable minions in key places of power and removing the intractable before they can ruin everything for everyone else. Then, once we're ready we reveal the "truth." Our status as an ancient explorer from the heady days of the Dark Age of Technology. We offer them technology most ancient and a reprieve from needing to do drudging menial labor to keep the world spinning. More than that we offer them the chance to learn how to learn, and a Quest of Knowledge Unending.
      --[X] And if that's not enough we have the biggest hammer anyway, so we'll smash some nails. We'll have 2000 Heavy Infantry Bots, plus more than enough mediums and lights to back them up in the unlikely event its needed, plus more than enough firepower to neutralize the WMDs.
      -[X] Construction x1 (2650 BP)
      --[X] Avatar (10 BP, 0 CP) (Your original Avatar with green hair, glasses and a naval uniform, from before your ship's accident)
      --[X] Avatar (10 BP, 0 CP) (Your old tech-priest avatar before you blew it up)
      --[X] Underground Spaceport (300 BP, 25 CP)
      --[X] 12x Basic Stealth Assault Shuttle (25 BP, 5 CP)
      --[X] 2x Humanized Heavy Infantry Bots w/ MP-MSJ (125 BP, 200 CP) (10x in Stealth Assault Shuttles, 1x base security, 1x escort for Vita Magi/Original Avatars)
      --[X] 500 VBP - 100x Basic space stealth missile (5 Void BP, 1 CP) (launched to orbit)
      --[X] Trade goods, Aevon (25 BP)
      --[X] Trade goods, Mechanicus bribes (55 BP)
      --[X] 12 Manufactories
      -[X] Research x2 (400 RP + 25 RP)
      --[X] Blueprint: 75 RP - Basic Stealth Assault Shuttle (25 BP, 5 CP)
      --[X] Blueprint: 100 RP - Heavy Infantry Bots (100 BP, 200 CP)
      --[X] Blueprint: 25 RP - Man-portable Machine-Spirit Jammers (10 BP)
      --[X] Combat Bot Humanization, Redux (50 RP)
      --[X] Combat cybernetics (50 RP)
      --[X] Organ replacements (100 RP)
      ---[X] Anexa assists (+25 RP)
      --[X] Secrets of the Machine Spirits (10/200 -> 35/200 RP)
      -[X] Pay rent (Trade Goods, Aevon 25 -> 0)
      -[X] Anexa active Action: Research (Organ replacement)
      -[X] Victan active action: Subversion (AdMech)
      [X] Plan: Hear, Children, the Wisdom of the Ancients
      -[X] [Free] Poke around some more in the databases, looking for anything in particular.
      --[X] You have a rought picture about who the Navigators are and what they can do by sheer osmosis of hearing them being mentioned occasionally in a conversation, but a deeper look would do good.
      -[X] Diplomacy/Subversion (AdMech):
      --[X] By the end of five years from now, your metaphorical hand will be hovering over even more metaphorical big red button that would wipe out the killsats, the ICBMs and the Enclaves themselves out of existence in a day. However, it looks like there might not be a need for that. Inform your allies in Aevon about your following plan: Arrange for talks about a change in leadership with the mechanicus, scheduled to begin just after your arsenal is ready. Use bribes if needed to arrange this, and work with Victan to gather more allies and shape the discussion beforehand, as well as prepare a revolution for if needed. There, argue for your case: "Reveal" that you are an Ancient behind the "Magos Vita" they've been talking to. An explorer from the Dark Age of Technology. Make a case for your outlook for the Quest for Knowledge, on how the wisdom of the Ancients was first earned. And how it was open to everyone, which was the reason the heights of the Golden Age of Technology were first reached. Yet you can see it still fell, so one of those lessons is to also learn from the failures of that Age. But not by blindly denying progress as evil, but by asking why the collapse happened. Again and again. Argue for a case for dismantling the killsat constellations and allowing both the locals and the Enclaves of the mechanicus to pursue developing their scientific understanding and technologies more freely. Of cooperation between them. As the talks (hopefully) go on, offer what you have offered before in bribes, but also some of the newer fruits of your completed and ongoing research to your potential allies. Mechanicus values their cybernetics after all, both as physical pieces as well as in the form of knowledge. If needed, give even limited amount of the vials containing the full-potency juvenat capable of restoring youth. Dress the blatant bribes as a demonstration on what approaching the Quest for Knowledge with the ways of the Ancients can bring. If needed to, escalate with following, step-by-step. First, by blowing up the killsats from the orbit if the Magi do not want them removed, then swatting ICBMs from the skies if they are launced. And finally, storming the Enclaves with assault shuttles and heavy combat bots to support a revolution, if the Magi still won't bend even a bit on allowing the monopoly on technology to escape their grasp.
      -[X] Construction x1 (2650 BP)
      --[X] Avatar (10 BP, 0 CP) (Your original Avatar with green hair, glasses and a naval uniform, from before your ship's accident)
      --[X] Avatar (10 BP, 0 CP) (Your old tech-priest avatar before you blew it up)
      --[X] 1x Underground Machine-spirit Jammer (300 BP, 10 CP)
      --[X] 1x Underground Anti-Orbital Defenses (300 BP, 5 CP)
      --[X] 1x Underground Spaceport (300 BP, 25 CP)
      --[X] 10x Basic Stealth Assault Shuttle (25 BP, 5 CP) (250 BP)
      --[X] 2x Humanized Heavy Infantry Bots w/ MP-MSJ (125 BP, 200 CP) (1x in Stealth Assault Shuttles, 1x base security) (250 BP)
      --[X] 1x Basic Artillery (300 BP, 50 CP)
      --[X] 500 VBP - 100x Basic space stealth missile (5 Void BP, 1 CP) (launched to orbit)
      --[X] 1x Underground Manufactory (100 BP, 50 CP) (300 BP)
      --[X] 4x Man-portable Machine-Spirit Jammers (40 BP) (3 sets to our current set of bots, 1001 to keep in reserve/for named characters)
      --[X] Trade goods, Aevon (25 BP)
      --[X] Trade goods, Mechanicus bribes (65 BP)
      -[X] Research x2 (400 RP)
      --[X] Blueprint: 75 RP - Basic Stealth Assault Shuttle (25 BP, 5 CP)
      --[X] Blueprint: 100 RP - Heavy Infantry Bots (100 BP, 200 CP)
      --[X] Blueprint: 25 RP - Man-portable Machine-Spirit Jammers (10 BP)
      --[X] Combat Bot Humanization, Redux (50 RP)
      --[X] Combat cybernetics (50 RP)
      --[X] Organ replacements (100 RP)
      ---[X] Anexa: Research (+25 RP)
      --[X] Secrets of the Machine Spirits (10/200 -> 35/200 RP)
      -[X] Pay rent (Trade Goods, Aevon 25 -> 0)
      -[X] Anexa active Action: Research (Organ replacement)
      -[X] Victan active action: Subversion (AdMech)
    Click to expand...

    Ok, let's get some rolls! 5x d100 rolls please, one per person.
    1st: Admech Diplomacy/Subversion: +17 modifier for Woman of Stone & Victan
    2nd: Stealth roll for sending 100 missiles to space. Flat roll.
    3rd: Combat Bot Humanization, Redux: +20 modifier.
    4th: Combat Cybernetics: +20 modifier.
    5th: Organ Replacements: +20 modifier. (Anexa's action)

    I'm not rolling Aevon Counterintelligence here, it's both a bit subsumed into your roll and also they've got enough of an advantage that it's not really a roll.
     
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    EDIT: Right, time to remove myself from roll rotation. Only probably the most important dice. :/
    Tylonius threw 1 100-faced dice. Reason: Admech Diplomacy/Subversion Total: 14
    14 14
     
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