- Location
- United States
Why?
It seems like being a low magic setting would make the quest more interesting, if only because it might stop the inevitable advance of our civilization into a secular democracy like everyone wants to make it.
Paths of Civilization
- Thread starter Academia Nut
- Start date
- Original
It seems like being a low magic setting would make the quest more interesting, if only because it might stop the inevitable advance of our civilization into a secular democracy like everyone wants to make it.
pblur
Reminiscing over the halcyon days of Ymaryn
- Location
- Lawrence's Wagon
Well, it would certainly provide a post-modern transition nicely.
Alectai
Speaks Words of Wisdom... On occasion
I agree. Some low magic very much can improve a setting if it remains mysterious. Present, but never something you can truly quantify.
On another note, I cannot imagine how much synergy we would have had if we picked the Khemetri trait instead of Highlands. Hindsight is 20/20, but damn.
They did, kinda? Remember what killed the lowlands?
HINT: It was weather. Which the Spirit Talkers were responsible for, maybe.
BungieONI
Seven gremlins in a trench coat
- Location
- Lickwidget
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Or rely on.
This is certainly going to be an amusing story to put into our Epic Cycle.
- Location
- I think somewhere. I might be nowhere though
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I read this quest as an incredibly interesting attempt to make a society survive through all of the ages' natural, societal, cultural, martial , and more challenges. I don't want it to turn into a magic-fest, even on a lower scale.
Side-note: I am really not all that interested in turning us into a democracy. That is the only reason why I didn't join the Democratic Socialists. I agree with every other plank except the part of democracy on all levels.
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- Location
- United States
Yeah, and even if magic becomes slightly more understood, it can only be done by geniuses, the spirit-touched, which means that magic is something that only a few possess.
It also seems to come with drawbacks that make the user unable to live a normal life in society, in return for their gifts, so it's not just a "make everything better" button.
Alectai
Speaks Words of Wisdom... On occasion
I agree.
Magic is fine as long as it doesn't dominate the narrative, but remains a mysterious background detail that may or may not just be unusual outlier situations.
Because the moment you quantify Magic--the moment that it stops being a mystery and becomes a science, is the moment where it stops being something that allows for really fucking cool setpiece moments and turns into just another tool. And that cheapens it.
Like, would this have been nearly as epic if we seriously believed it was going to happen?
No, Magic can exist, as long as it remains mysterious and inscrutable.
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- Location
- United States
They were able to do it once, but they weren't able to replicate it, which is important if they want to actually be able to use magic as a threat against other civilizations.
Even if we can't currently harness magic, we still have powerful armies to protect our nation.
BungieONI
Seven gremlins in a trench coat
- Location
- Lickwidget
- Pronouns
- She/Her
And just wait till someone else comes up with something like a Genius.
Then Crow shall laugh.
Anyway all that aside my position on this is that something weird as hell is going on and I am mightily curious. Is it magic? No clue!
But it is something.
eternal-potato
He who vegetates
- Location
- Moscow
[X] [Conq] Just the western parts (Thunder Speakers become vassal, Txolla annex additional territory, rest of the Thunder Horse fragment into desperate city states)
[X] [Refugee] Use the military to evacutate as many as possible (8 temporary Econ damage, -9-11 Econ Expansion, -2 Stability, chance of further loss, +9-11 Econ next turn, incompatible with most ambitious conquest option)
[X] [PttS] Horse Valley
[X] [PttS] 0 Stability
[X] [Diplo] Send out reassurances (Sec Trade Mission to Khemetri, Trelli, and Harmurri)
[X] [PSN] Keep it under control (Do not activate this turn)
[X] [Refugee] Use the military to evacutate as many as possible (8 temporary Econ damage, -9-11 Econ Expansion, -2 Stability, chance of further loss, +9-11 Econ next turn, incompatible with most ambitious conquest option)
[X] [PttS] Horse Valley
[X] [PttS] 0 Stability
[X] [Diplo] Send out reassurances (Sec Trade Mission to Khemetri, Trelli, and Harmurri)
[X] [PSN] Keep it under control (Do not activate this turn)
- Location
- madison
something else to keep in mind, our general saw the crows she sees on dead people before she could possibly have reason to believe something was about to happen. This could have been legit magic rather than a superhuman act of astronavigation and or a lucky guess.
keenscythe
No longer NEET
- Location
- WA, USA
Clearly they are some type of Exalted suffering from the great curse
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I love me some Brandon Sanderson for Magic as Technology goodness, but when the plumbing runs on Magic, it ceases to be magical.
I could get behind some low magic eldritch shenanigans here. Would certainly make the sheer absurdity of some events more plausible.
Well the Khem upgraded their godking to genius level... He's probably in his 60s I'd guess if he's still alive, probably end up this settings equivalent of Ramesses II.
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After reading the arguments and thinking some more, I agree with the medium refugee wave since that way we have a good chance of getting the Golden Age. If we don't get the Golden Age, we're in a bad position due to everything overflowing into Martial.
I've been convinced that sending out reassurances is probably a good idea. We don't want them getting nervous about us, we need to digest all the land we just conquered. And it's 3 secondaries, quite worthwhile.
Also we just got WoAN that Centralization resistance rounds up, so any loss in Centralization leads to a corresponding -1 to our Temp Econ Damage Resistance. Seeings as we need at least a Sec Black Soil, going to a [Main] has a lot of potential good. It'll also hopefully tell us what the "Other Effects" are.
Black Soil:
*S: +2-3 Econ Expansion
*M: -2 Econ, 1 Forest Slot Consumed, +6 Econ Expansion, other effects [King]
* used 3 times
The first is +2 EE, the second is +8. It guarantees that we don't run out of room next turn, whereas the former is a little risky.
Econ loss: 4 temp [Conq], 6 temp [Refugee], 2 PttS, 2 BS, -1 from resistance = 13 Econ loss, we're still safe. (We're at -1 total modifier to temp damage if we take any Centralization hit)
[X] [Conq] Take the northern lowlands (Thunder Speakers become vassal, Txolla annex additional territory, gain Ruined Thunder Horse as vassal, remainder fragment, -4 Econ and 4 temporary Econ damage from supporting wrecked vassal)
[X] [Refugee] Send out runners that you have food and intact farmland (6 temporary Econ damage, -6-8 Econ Expansion, -1 Stability, chance of further loss, +6-8 Econ next turn)
[X] [PttS] Horse Valley
[X] [PttS] 0 Stability
[X] [Diplo] Send out reassurances (Sec Trade Mission to Khemetri, Trelli, and Harmurri)
[X] [PSN] Lots more black soil (Main Black Soil, -2 Centralization)
I've been convinced that sending out reassurances is probably a good idea. We don't want them getting nervous about us, we need to digest all the land we just conquered. And it's 3 secondaries, quite worthwhile.
Also we just got WoAN that Centralization resistance rounds up, so any loss in Centralization leads to a corresponding -1 to our Temp Econ Damage Resistance. Seeings as we need at least a Sec Black Soil, going to a [Main] has a lot of potential good. It'll also hopefully tell us what the "Other Effects" are.
Black Soil:
*S: +2-3 Econ Expansion
*M: -2 Econ, 1 Forest Slot Consumed, +6 Econ Expansion, other effects [King]
* used 3 times
The first is +2 EE, the second is +8. It guarantees that we don't run out of room next turn, whereas the former is a little risky.
Econ loss: 4 temp [Conq], 6 temp [Refugee], 2 PttS, 2 BS, -1 from resistance = 13 Econ loss, we're still safe. (We're at -1 total modifier to temp damage if we take any Centralization hit)
[X] [Conq] Take the northern lowlands (Thunder Speakers become vassal, Txolla annex additional territory, gain Ruined Thunder Horse as vassal, remainder fragment, -4 Econ and 4 temporary Econ damage from supporting wrecked vassal)
[X] [Refugee] Send out runners that you have food and intact farmland (6 temporary Econ damage, -6-8 Econ Expansion, -1 Stability, chance of further loss, +6-8 Econ next turn)
[X] [PttS] Horse Valley
[X] [PttS] 0 Stability
[X] [Diplo] Send out reassurances (Sec Trade Mission to Khemetri, Trelli, and Harmurri)
[X] [PSN] Lots more black soil (Main Black Soil, -2 Centralization)
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Mystic power is science.
Figuring out how to manipulate ecosystems was mystical power.
Selective breeding was mystical power.
Iron was mystical power.
Mortar was mystical power.
Figuring out case hardening was mystical power.
Predicting Meteoric Strike was mystical power.
I'll leave figuring out of "better view" or "better mystic power" is going to be more important to the function of a mystical site to basic logic here. It's not just showmanship and stage magic here.
A better view is a better view. But if we're building it to advance the sciences, then Black Mirror is straight out better by Word of Spirit Chief. We already have a site with a great view built by the Khemetri that we took techs from, so it'd be treading similar grounds.
And if magic exists...well, we have a few cases of should not be possible to predict by even a genius events here.
Might want to cap the mystic site properly eh?
Quest
The Great One
- Location
- Everywhere
Maybe they didn't have enough DE?
- Location
- United States
I think the Thunder Speakers rediscovered it and used it as the basis of their Theocracy, which is how they've been so influential in pilgrimage while also being small and getting beat up all of the time.
10ebbor10
DON'T PANIC
- Location
- Present
Okay, that settles it.
Magic is real.
Quite simply, there is no other way to predict this impact. You simply can not do it. Astrology (and primitive astronomy) rely on the observation of patterns to do stuff like this. Ie, every X years this happens, every Y years that happens. But there's no pattern to an impact. An impact happens once, then never again.
In order to predict this impact, we'd need telescopes to see the object; a correct heliocentric model of the solar, the theory of gravity, and probably the theory of relativity as well. This stuff is so far out of our reach that it's not even funny.
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Provinces are likely to take Influence/Support Subordinate actions to eat up our overflow, especially with a Heroic Admin King leading the way. Also, we do get 8 econ from baby boom absorbed by subordinates, so it isn't that much of an issue.
Last but not least. Unless we get MASSIVE overflow into Martial, I'd count it as still a good thing. If nothing else, I'm pretty sure having everything maxed would give us a Legacy...
[X] [Refugee] Send out runners that you have food and intact farmland (6 temporary Econ damage, -6-8 Econ Expansion, -1 Stability, chance of further loss, +6-8 Econ next turn)
[X] [PttS] Horse Valley
[X] [PttS] 0 Stability
[X] [Diplo] Send out reassurances (Sec Trade Mission to Khemetri, Trelli, and Harmurri)
[X] [PSN] Lots more black soil (Main Black Soil, -2 Centralization)
[X] [PttS] Horse Valley
[X] [PttS] 0 Stability
[X] [Diplo] Send out reassurances (Sec Trade Mission to Khemetri, Trelli, and Harmurri)
[X] [PSN] Lots more black soil (Main Black Soil, -2 Centralization)
Alectai
Speaks Words of Wisdom... On occasion
Well, Doom Comet's been around before, it's not entirely outside of the realm of possibility she realized from looking at our records and Khemetri records that it was getting closer, and predicted it was going to hit in this area, and then from there plotted it's usual course compared to where the world is and figured it'd land in X area.
But yeah, Fucking Magic is honestly more believable. Because you're looking at a supercomputer level of computational power to pull that shit off on your own.
It's not impossible, and I wouldn't, you know, blindly follow this kind of thing anyway, because it's too hard to predict--but yeah, if you have an oracle and they give you a warning--you'd best consider very carefully whether to ignore it.