[x] Cognatic - Males and females are on equal footing
[X] Head of government - The Prime Minister may write laws, although the Baroness retains a veto. Effect: May not change laws directly, but can use personal diplomacy to influence direction of vote or veto a disliked change
[X] Financial advisor - The Prime Minister may only advise the Baroness on the wishes of the people. Effect: Highlights publicly preferred economic actions
[X] Parliamentary - The Prime Minister is the leader of a ruling faction in a deliberative body
[x] Non-consecutive limit - The Prime Minister may have an unlimited number of terms, but they cannot serve more than two consecutive terms without having to step down and then run again later
I don't see the point in direct elections, all it does is encourage people to vote according to personality rather than policy and party, having a Parliamentary system will also help prevent politics being dominated by people with the most money as becoming leader will rely on being able to convince other politicians to follow you rather than media blitzing the general public.
It also prevents fickle public opinion from voting in a charismatic jackass rather than the shrewd guy who wrangle ministers.
As for term limits, what's the point? The head of state is already for life and if the Prime Minister fucks up his own party will depose him or just straight up not support him.
What's the logic on term limits? In the long run most leaders will only have one or two terms anyway, so long as we prevent cults of personality from taking root.
So, what the logic on direct elections and limited term times?
EDIT: Changed to non-consecutive because it's got a better chance than my first choice.
[x] Cognatic - Males and females are on equal footing
[x] Head of government - The Prime Minister may write laws, although the Baroness retains a veto. Effect: May not change laws directly, but can use personal diplomacy to influence direction of vote or veto a disliked change
[x] Financial advisor - The Prime Minister may only advise the Baroness on the wishes of the people. Effect: Highlights publicly preferred economic actions
[X] Parliamentary - The Prime Minister is the leader of a ruling faction in a deliberative body
[x] Non-consecutive limit - The Prime Minister may have an unlimited number of terms, but they cannot serve more than two consecutive terms without having to step down and then run again later
[x] Cognatic - Males and females are on equal footing
[x] Head of government - The Prime Minister may write laws, although the Baroness retains a veto. Effect: May not change laws directly, but can use personal diplomacy to influence direction of vote or veto a disliked change
[x] Financial advisor - The Prime Minister may only advise the Baroness on the wishes of the people. Effect: Highlights publicly preferred economic actions
[x] Direct - The Prime Minister is elected by direct vote of all citizens
[x] Non-consecutive limit - The Prime Minister may have an unlimited number of terms, but they cannot serve more than two consecutive terms without having to step down and then run again later
[x] Cognatic - Males and females are on equal footing
[x] Head of government - The Prime Minister may write laws, although the Baroness retains a veto. Effect: May not change laws directly, but can use personal diplomacy to influence direction of vote or veto a disliked change
[x] Financial advisor - The Prime Minister may only advise the Baroness on the wishes of the people. Effect: Highlights publicly preferred economic actions
[X] Parliamentary - The Prime Minister is the leader of a ruling faction in a deliberative body
[x] Non-consecutive limit - The Prime Minister may have an unlimited number of terms, but they cannot serve more than two consecutive terms without having to step down and then run again later
It's really not so much that it'll get us an honest guy as that it will get us someone who is interested in portraying themselves as having a particular agenda popular with the folks at home. A diplomat, as opposed to a head of state, really has to be able to work under any agenda that the Administrator sets forth for them. Peace, appeasement, trade, provocation, etc.
Consider the issues if we have a 'diplomat' who campaigns under the issue of restricting imports in order to bring jobs and money to the people of the country. This is potentially a very popular platform to run under even if WE prefer free trade in order to facilitate peace with other countries and focus our own economy on particular areas. -Now our elected diplomat comes in. He's not really in a place to make those decisions as our chief diplomat, but what he CAN do is sabotage any trade deals we send him out to negotiate. And if he doesn't do that, he's likely not going to be re-elected after showing his 'hypocrisy' by following our orders.
It doesn't really matter if he's dishonest or honest. The issue is that he'd have his own agenda as an elected official, and while we can probably afford that in areas like Stewardship where we can react to our advisor's actions in time, diplomacy is a game where things that have been said cannot be unsaid.
You present this as a pure flaw. With our hands tied as far as ensuring administrative merit, forcing the administrator to acknowledge and at least somewhat compromise with the desires of the population at large has its virtues. In effect, it gives the population a veto threat over foreign policy without giving them direct control of it. Likewise, an administrator can ensure that a diplomat fails to satisfy their electorate and is replaced in the next election, so there is an incentive for compromise and cooperation in both directions.
@Academia Nut: could the PM be elected by preference Condorcet voting by the proportionally-elected parliament to ensure a middle-of-the-road PM representing the whole parliament instead of a "winner-takes-all" PM only beholden to the majority party?
[X] Cognatic - Males and females are on equal footing
[X] Head of government - The Prime Minister may write laws, although the Baroness retains a veto. Effect: May not change laws directly, but can use personal diplomacy to influence direction of vote or veto a disliked change
[X] Power of the purse - The Prime Minister controls the ability to fund the activities of the state. Effect: May not directly choose governmental economic actions, but can use personal diplomacy to influence decision or veto a disliked usage, +1 personal action
[X] Parliamentary - The Prime Minister is the leader of a ruling faction in a deliberative body
[X] Non-consecutive limit - The Prime Minister may have an unlimited number of terms, but they cannot serve more than two consecutive terms without having to step down and then run again later
The issue is more the Condorcet method of selecting a PM. If it is just a simple vote the PM is going to be the selection of the majority part or coalition and everybody else will have effectively no influence. If it is preferential voting all of the parliament gets to influence the result and the result is a compromise middle-of-the-road candidate leaning towards the factions with the most votes but still responsive to the others.
[x] Cognatic - Males and females are on equal footing
[x] Head of government - The Prime Minister may write laws, although the Baroness retains a veto. Effect: May not change laws directly, but can use personal diplomacy to influence direction of vote or veto a disliked change
[x] Financial advisor - The Prime Minister may only advise the Baroness on the wishes of the people. Effect: Highlights publicly preferred economic actions
[X] Parliamentary - The Prime Minister is the leader of a ruling faction in a deliberative body
[x] Non-consecutive limit - The Prime Minister may have an unlimited number of terms, but they cannot serve more than two consecutive terms without having to step down and then run again later
@Academia Nut: could the PM be elected by preference Condorcet voting by the proportionally-elected parliament to ensure a middle-of-the-road PM representing the whole parliament instead of a "winner-takes-all" PM only beholden to the majority party?
[x] Cognatic - Males and females are on equal footing
There is no reason to not allow both genders. (And our husband is right, we need more kids.)
[x] Legal advisor - The Prime Minister may only advise the Baroness on the wishes of the people. Effect: Highlights publicly preferred options on changes to laws
No need to make him that powerful.
[x] Power of the purse - The Prime Minister controls the ability to fund the activities of the state. Effect: May not directly choose governmental economic actions, but can use personal diplomacy to influence decision or veto a disliked usage, +1 personal action
Extra actions are a great thing, also he needs one of these to not be toothless.
[x] Parliamentary - The Prime Minister is the leader of a ruling faction in a deliberative body
This is the only way I've yet seen to make sure we even have a deliberative body.
[x] Unlimited - As long as the Prime Minister keeps getting selected, they can maintain their office
I personally hate term limits. All they are going to do is kick people out once they become competent. I guess that's one way to limit the office's power?
[x] Legal advisor - The Prime Minister may only advise the Baroness on the wishes of the people. Effect: Highlights publicly preferred options on changes to laws
[x] Power of the purse - The Prime Minister controls the ability to fund the activities of the state. Effect: May not directly choose governmental economic actions, but can use personal diplomacy to influence decision or veto a disliked usage, +1 personal action
[x] Parliamentary - The Prime Minister is the leader of a ruling faction in a deliberative body
[x] Unlimited - As long as the Prime Minister keeps getting selected, they can maintain their office
[x] Cognatic - Males and females are on equal footing
[x] Head of government - The Prime Minister may write laws, although the Baroness retains a veto. Effect: May not change laws directly, but can use personal diplomacy to influence direction of vote or veto a disliked change
[x] Financial advisor - The Prime Minister may only advise the Baroness on the wishes of the people. Effect: Highlights publicly preferred economic actions
[X] Parliamentary - The Prime Minister is the leader of a ruling faction in a deliberative body
[x] Non-consecutive limit - The Prime Minister may have an unlimited number of terms, but they cannot serve more than two consecutive terms without having to step down and then run again later
[X] Cognatic - Males and females are on equal footing
[X] Legal advisor - The Prime Minister may only advise the Baroness on the wishes of the people. Effect: Highlights publicly preferred options on changes to laws
[X] Financial advisor - The Prime Minister may only advise the Baroness on the wishes of the people. Effect: Highlights publicly preferred economic actions
[X] Direct - The Prime Minister is elected by direct vote of all citizens
[X] Limited - There is a strict number of terms the Prime Minister can serve
[X] Cognatic - Males and females are on equal footing
[X] Head of government - The Prime Minister may write laws, although the Baroness retains a veto. Effect: May not change laws directly, but can use personal diplomacy to influence direction of vote or veto a disliked change
[X] Financial advisor - The Prime Minister may only advise the Baroness on the wishes of the people. Effect: Highlights publicly preferred economic actions
[X] Parliamentary - The Prime Minister is the leader of a ruling faction in a deliberative body
[X] Non-consecutive limit - The Prime Minister may have an unlimited number of terms, but they cannot serve more than two consecutive terms without having to step down and then run again later
[X] Cognatic - Males and females are on equal footing
[X] Legal advisor - The Prime Ministermay only advise the Baroness on thewishes of the people. Effect: Highlights publicly preferred options on changesto laws
[X] Financial advisor - The Prime Minister may only advise the Baroness on the wishes of the people. Effect: Highlights publicly preferred economic actions
[X] Parliamentary - The Prime Minister is the leader of a ruling faction in a deliberative body
[x] Non-consecutive limit - The Prime Minister may have an unlimited number of terms, but they cannot serve more than two consecutive terms without having to step down and then run again later
[X] Cognatic - Males and females are on equal footing
[X] Head of government - The Prime Minister may write laws, although the Baroness retains a veto. Effect: May not change laws directly, but can use personal diplomacy to influence direction of vote or veto a disliked change
[X] Financial advisor - The Prime Minister may only advise the Baroness on the wishes of the people. Effect: Highlights publicly preferred economic actions
[X] Parliamentary - The Prime Minister is the leader of a ruling faction in a deliberative body
[X] Non-consecutive limit - The Prime Minister may have an unlimited number of terms, but they cannot serve more than two consecutive terms without having to step down and then run again later
[X] Cognatic - Males and females are on equal footing
[X] Head of government - The Prime Minister may write laws, although the Baroness retains a veto. Effect: May not change laws directly, but can use personal diplomacy to influence direction of vote or veto a disliked change
[X] Power of the purse - The Prime Minister controls the ability to fund the activities of the state. Effect: May not directly choose governmental economic actions, but can use personal diplomacy to influence decision or veto a disliked usage, +1 personal action
[X] Parliamentary - The Prime Minister is the leader of a ruling faction in a deliberative body
[X] Non-consecutive limit - The Prime Minister may have an unlimited number of terms, but they cannot serve more than two consecutive terms without having to step down and then run again later
[X] Cognatic - Males and females are on equal footing
[X] Head of government - The Prime Minister may write laws, although the Baroness retains a veto. Effect: May not change laws directly, but can use personal diplomacy to influence direction of vote or veto a disliked change
[X] Financial advisor - The Prime Minister may only advise the Baroness on the wishes of the people. Effect: Highlights publicly preferred economic actions
[X] Direct - The Prime Minister is elected by direct vote of all citizens
[X] Limited - There is a strict number of terms the Prime Minister can serve
-if the vote is non-consecutive (like here in my country) the president does nothing on his first term but politicking so that he can be elected for a second term!
[X] Cognatic - Males and females are on equal footing
[X] Legal advisor - The Prime Minister may only advise the Baroness on the wishes of the people. Effect: Highlights publicly preferred options on changes to laws
[X] Financial advisor - The Prime Minister may only advise the Baroness on the wishes of the people. Effect: Highlights publicly preferred economic actions
[X] Direct - The Prime Minister is elected by direct vote of all citizens
[X] Non-consecutive limit - The Prime Minister may have an unlimited number of terms, but they cannot serve more than two consecutive terms without having to step down and then run again later
[x] Cognatic - Males and females are on equal footing
[x] Head of government - The Prime Minister may write laws, although the Baroness retains a veto. Effect: May not change laws directly, but can use personal diplomacy to influence direction of vote or veto a disliked change
[x] Financial advisor - The Prime Minister may only advise the Baroness on the wishes of the people. Effect: Highlights publicly preferred economic actions
[X] Parliamentary - The Prime Minister is the leader of a ruling faction in a deliberative body
[x] Non-consecutive limit - The Prime Minister may have an unlimited number of terms, but they cannot serve more than two consecutive terms without having to step down and then run again later
[X] Cognatic
[X] Head of government
[X] Financial advisor
[X] Parliamentary
[X] Non-consecutive limit
You consider giving over control of funding to Parliament, but then you realized that would mean that they could potentially defund the armed forces on you, which is probably asking for a fight. You will just have to let it be for now. The laws regarding representation are also kind of funny, in that they specify how the body is supposed to grow and change with changing population, with a minimum number of Members of Parliament being five. In any case, the whole issue is quickly enough dealt with, with elections scheduled to start shortly after you get back from heading out on the Subjugation mission.
Speaking of which, you're just about ready! The 504s have committed 300 of their warriors to the project, exactly the same as the the Dragonflies, and while each force has its own assigned commander you have been made overall head of the force, ostensibly because it is in your backyard but mostly because the Dragonflies and 504s would never permit the other to have any sort of authority over them. With the conference finishing up you send out the messages requesting that the promised allied forces be sent out. You should get a response by radio within an hour or two, with the actual troops arriving within a week or two, and then its the months of marching and campaigning and all that fun stuff.
You will be marching with the troops for the most part, but with the vans you will be able to remain in contact with Maxwell and the children without issues all the way up to Glenshade Manor. Doing that is somewhat a comfort issue and somewhat a way of showing off. Oh, look at me, I have a vehicle, and despite contributing only a fifth of the fighting force I've got more firepower than the rest of you with two SAWs. To a certain extent such games irritate you, but it does feel good to be able to show off just a little bit.
The first part goes off more or less without a hitch, although it is mildly amusing and mildly irritating to watch the 504s and Dragonflies be incredibly passive-aggressive towards each other during the whole march. Both sides have "No fraternizing" rules in place, but when marching down the same enclosed rail line it is remarkably difficult to actually pull something like that off. You do try to form your 140 soldiers up as a buffer... but sometimes you try to let the two forces mingle out of pure spite for their childish behaviour. Besides, if you end up fighting together this sort of disunity could prove fatal. The raiders should be fairly easy to deal with, but it always pays to go into a situation as prepared as possible.
You take a brief rest at Glenshade Manor, no more than an evening for everyone to rest after the long march. You meet with the community leaders, but your planned trip to the temple is going to be on the way back. You're not quite sure what you are going to do, other than talk and listen, but you would prefer to keep your mind free from distractions until after everything is dealt with, especially if you have to have political arguments in the aftermath. Also, if you have any casualties it would be a good idea to stop in to appear politic anyway.
Rolled 60
After a quick rest, you are off again and out towards Amethyst Gardens. The trip does not take longer than expected, and you find the Gardens are in much the same condition as you left them. Evidently their population was so low now that abducting people was counter-productive in terms of obtaining "tribute", so to some extent your taking away much of the population was seen as a good thing, even if each individual person now had to work harder to make quota. They are of course quite frightened by the fact that just your forces outnumber them, to say nothing of the 300 Janissaries and 300 assault troops allied with you.
Diplomacy
Rolled 79 + 28 = 107
Good success
Intrigue
Rolled 81 + 22 = 103
Good success
As your men are moving along, you do receive some somewhat worrying news. Apparently the Imperators and Recyclers have entered into some sort of alliance, although its unclear if they are merely in a state of non-aggression or if they are actually confederating or something in between those two extremes. In either case it sounds like they are becoming more coordinated. You also find out that the Imperators at least are likely ensconced within their home settlement of Librarian's Nook, so you decide that that should be your first stop.
The next week is quietly tense, with the bickering of the Dragonflies and 504s quieting down quickly as you impress upon them the importance of not slacking off when you are this close to contact with the enemy. They both eventually acquiesce, and the no fraternization rule clearly starts to slip with the troops trying to actually cover each other, which is perfectly fine by you.
Rolled 92 + 18 = 110
Good success
Four days out from Amethyst Gardens you make contact with the Imperators, and immediately note that something looks off, especially when viewing the troops through your survey monocle. Flipping through the displays, you soon enough figure it out. The heavy shields the front rank are carrying are giving returns that indicate that beneath a layer of paint they are most likely tree bark from the local species rather than the scrap metal and plastic from the last time you saw them. While the damn things would have to be enormously heavy, they might very well be resistant to your chemical slugthrowers and even your EM rifles would be less reliable in killing if they had to punch through something like that first, although the SAWs are unlikely to be troubled much. Still, it means that the Imperators very well might be able to hold up to more than a single volley.
Troubling. You will have to bring the issue up with Vultin. Everything you know suggests the material should be nearly impossible to work with without modern tools, although you suppose that they might just be ripping the bark off the tree and gluing the carry straps and handles to the back before throwing on a layer of paint.
Still, you raise a flag of parlay before walking out towards their lines, a megaphone in hand, a few hundred guns covering you. Reaching a distance about a quarter of the way towards their lines, you announce, "Imperators! You stand accused of crimes against humanity, in the wilful raiding of your neighbours for slaves and food. You are to return your forces to your homes and permit inspection or we will use force to obtain compliance. What say you?"
Effect on you
Rolled 51
Standard
7 militia casualties
6 militia fatalities
6 soldier casualties
0 soldier fatalities
Effect on 504s
Rolled 61
Standard
25 assault trooper casualties
21 assault trooper fatalities
Their response is grenades.
WHERE THE FUCK DID THEY GET GRENADES?!
Your front ranks are decimated by dozens of grey spheres tumbling in across the distance between your two forces, arcing over the heads of the front ranks and you. Considering that even the Dragonflies had basically been using fertilizer bombs and these people didn't have enough of a chemical industry to reliably supply themselves with guns, everyone had had to take a few moments to actually process what they might be looking at. And then the spheres landed among your front ranks and exploded into a storm of flying metal that caused complete and total havoc among the troops there.
The response from each force is telling. Your own troops move to cover the fallen and lay down covering fire while the SAWs move from the ready position to opening fire. The Dragonflies respond with moving forward in despite of their losses and laying down a storm of fire from their battle rifles.
The 504s charge of all things, screaming bloody murder all the way, which unfortunately also interferes with the ability of the people with the guns to effectively do their jobs.
Imperators (defensive) vs. Greengraft
Rolled 96 + 32 + 20 Shields = 128
vs.
Rolled 70 + 44 + 20 Discipline + 20 SAWs = 154
Good success
Imperators (defensive) vs. Dragonflies
Rolled 36 + 32 + 20 Shields = 88
vs.
Rolled 60 + 37 + 25 Morale = 122
Good success
Imperators Morale
Rolled 44 + 32 = 76
Barely successful
Despite the fire pouring into them, the Imperators do not fall, their shield wall remaining firm even as bullets smack into it and men die. The spearmen behind the front lines even grab the tower shields from their fallen comrades to keep it steady. And then just as the 504s are just about to crash into that line, the second volley goes off.
Rolled 3 + 20 Close range = 23
Minimal effect
10 assault trooper casualties
4 assault trooper fatalities
The grenades however fall short, possibly because several of the maniacs rushing towards the front lines are carrying plasma cutters and using them on wide beam catches and cooks off the explosives, minimizing their effect. And then the front lines of the 504s and the Imperators collide.
Oh, and the 504s preferred weapon when they can't get enough guns are woodworking tools.
Plasma cutters, rotary saws, chainsaws, and shattersaws - all tools adapted to working the metallized trees of Dandriss - are wielded by men strong enough to not just carry the things but run with the fuckers and while wearing improvised armour. That the Imperators didn't disintegrate right then and there is a testament to the fact that they too are very good at war. From the sprays of blood and screams from up ahead, you guess that the Imperators are losing, but they also aren't moving backwards very fast. You can also smell a strong sulphur stench and some of the gunshots sound a little odd, so perhaps the Imperators have some black powder weapons.
Looking at the damage the grenades inflicted, you note that they cannot possibly be black powder bombs. That was high-ex of some sort at work.
Unfortunately, with the 504s having decided that they want to engage in melee combat, you no longer have clear shots at the enemy, which is bad because you can't see whatever is throwing the grenades as far as they are so you can't take them out. You need to give the men fresh orders or they're just going to stand around. Possibly still in range of the grenade launchers.
Your orders
[] Charge! - You need to break those lines and eliminate their launchers
[] Hold the line - You're not going to abandon the 504s but you're not an assault force
[] Fall back - You need to get your men out of range of those launchers so if the 504s break you can use your superior weapons to tear the Imperators to pieces
There were more votes cast while I was working on the update, but from what I saw none of them altered the positions. I will recount things though, not like those votes are going to affect what's going on at the end.
