Attempting to Fulfill the Plan MNKh Edition
- Thread starter Blackstar
- Start date
- Alt. History Users' Choice!
Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
Night_stalker
Slava Ukraini!
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Plan: Never Let A Crisis Go To Waste
- Location
- UTC+0
- Pronouns
- He/Him/They
[X] Plan Nuclear Assembly
Honestly not sure on what to do on the oil, but I do feel like a CI plan is necessary, and the RLA-3 stack seems like the most reliable way to beat the Americans without wasting too much money on bespoke designs in my inexpert opinion.
Honestly not sure on what to do on the oil, but I do feel like a CI plan is necessary, and the RLA-3 stack seems like the most reliable way to beat the Americans without wasting too much money on bespoke designs in my inexpert opinion.
Edit:
[X] Plan Knifing Zimyanin
Last edited:
[X] Plan I like big roads
[X] Plan Knifing Zimyanin
-[X] RLA-3 Minimal Stack: (-40 RpY)
-[X]Modify Recoverability Information
-[X]Prioritize Internal Unity
-[X] Long Term Growth Emphasis (+4 Infrastructure Dice +2 Heavy Industry Dice)
I don't know much about rocketry, but when it comes to politics, I think we need to take a step back and evaluate what's best for the union in the long term, as well as Bala's role in it. Personally, I believe Bala's sentiments and policies aren't aligned with our long-term goals. Additionally, allowing Zimyanin to remain in charge of a subsection of the faction is dangerous. If we don't remove him now, he'll continue to ride on our coattails, and Bala will only help boost his profile.
I also think taking a bit of a hit to expectations of oil is worth it because in my mind Bala is going to die on the cross that is oil shock so burning political power on making sure that it hurts less is worth it.
My biggest concern is that Bala will end up significantly boosting the Stalinists, only to have his political career destroyed by an oil shock. This would leave Zimyanin in a prime position to take over the faction Bala has helped build, potentially revitalizing the Stalinists as a serious threat. Another issue is that if Bala doesn't push Zimyanin out now, Zimyanin will continue to advocate for increasingly extreme policies. Bala will feel compelled to comply or at least support these policies to maintain his base, which is something we absolutely want to avoid.
Even if we manage to remove Zimyanin, some Stalinist influence will likely remain. However, it will be far less pronounced than if Zimyanin stays, constantly pressuring Bala to cater to his base with more extreme positions.
Edit: i choose the Long Term Growth Emphasis as dice option as we need more HI dice to make up for the massive investment into power stations that is going to happen next plan and because i hope we can get enough dice to not have to do an infrastructure focus next plan.
[X] Plan Knifing Zimyanin
-[X] RLA-3 Minimal Stack: (-40 RpY)
-[X]Modify Recoverability Information
-[X]Prioritize Internal Unity
-[X] Long Term Growth Emphasis (+4 Infrastructure Dice +2 Heavy Industry Dice)
I don't know much about rocketry, but when it comes to politics, I think we need to take a step back and evaluate what's best for the union in the long term, as well as Bala's role in it. Personally, I believe Bala's sentiments and policies aren't aligned with our long-term goals. Additionally, allowing Zimyanin to remain in charge of a subsection of the faction is dangerous. If we don't remove him now, he'll continue to ride on our coattails, and Bala will only help boost his profile.
I also think taking a bit of a hit to expectations of oil is worth it because in my mind Bala is going to die on the cross that is oil shock so burning political power on making sure that it hurts less is worth it.
My biggest concern is that Bala will end up significantly boosting the Stalinists, only to have his political career destroyed by an oil shock. This would leave Zimyanin in a prime position to take over the faction Bala has helped build, potentially revitalizing the Stalinists as a serious threat. Another issue is that if Bala doesn't push Zimyanin out now, Zimyanin will continue to advocate for increasingly extreme policies. Bala will feel compelled to comply or at least support these policies to maintain his base, which is something we absolutely want to avoid.
Even if we manage to remove Zimyanin, some Stalinist influence will likely remain. However, it will be far less pronounced than if Zimyanin stays, constantly pressuring Bala to cater to his base with more extreme positions.
Edit: i choose the Long Term Growth Emphasis as dice option as we need more HI dice to make up for the massive investment into power stations that is going to happen next plan and because i hope we can get enough dice to not have to do an infrastructure focus next plan.
Last edited:
We can backstab Zim in every year that isn't an election year, there's a reason the option is called "Pause Internal Conflicts" and not "call them off". Moreover, by performing well during the elections and actually securing a base of delegates that aren't as radical as Zim's wing of the faction, Bala will have more space to maneuver and isolate the radicals, making the backstab more effective and not less.
Tell that to the city planners in my city, since the answer to that question is what I want to know.
Can you switch from minimal stack to separated lander? We have been hoping for our space program to get over their fear of orbital rendezvous for decades now and this seems like the best opportunity to do so.
[X] Plan Nuclear Assembly
[X] Plan Knifing Zimyanin
[X] Plan Knifing Zimyanin
I don't like the separated lander plan. It's putting a lot of pressure on the craft in order to fit into the constrained mass budget, and the operational risk of forcing a mission scrub due to a launch failure or delay is real. Also it's not really aligned with the orbital tug program, which has been fairly successful unlike our lunar program. Both plans require some level of rendezvous operations, but the non-nuclear one adds on risk that I don't think is merited.
- Location
- Poland
[X] Plan Knifing Zimyanin
Meanwhile I don't really like the nuclear engine one because it's described as
'Adjustments to internal cooling and a slight compromise of fuel efficiency was the only cost for the program, achieving a somewhat stable nuclear stage that can be used for nearly any mission.'
Which implies the engine is not actually fully stable currently and it could actually fail on you. This wouldn't matter that much for unmanned missions, but if it did on a manned mission then you'd probably have to hope it didn't fail in a bad way and that there is still an abort option possible.
Personally I also think the orbital rendezvous setup is more aligned with the tug approach, as it is about docking with other systems in space to achieve more, just like how docking up with the tug would be. The direct nuclear system meanwhile would not be, right down to it just throwing away the nuclear engine for a crash course with the Moon rather then it being a thing that would be reused.
Admittedly maybe in the next 3 years they'll have further fixed the nuclear engine up in the next 3 years and it will be fine by then. But it sets me just a bit on edge that the first thing one does with it is a manned mission. There's definitely a bit of a risk being taken there as well.
[X] Plan Knifing Zimyanin
Despite the name I'm actually voting for the Caspian oil reserves option, covering it up will be catastrophic for the USSR while also not actually helping us the players or even Balakirev the MNKh head that much. It's gambling on him being able to get himself promoted to Chairman before the bill comes due and leaving it to be his successor's problem, which I don't think we the players actually want - either being stuck with the bill OR Chairman Balakirev.
Better to temper expectations wherever possible, even if it's politically inconvenient for Balakirev, because Balakirev's political ambitions getting squashed this election cycle is actually what we the players really need to happen if the plan of using him as our sacrificial oil crisis solver is still going to work. Not much help if he takes his huge +65 bonus to focused oil projects and gets himself promoted out of the reach of the brainworms, we need him to stay where he is so we can apply that expertise to all the crisis projects that pop up.
Despite the name I'm actually voting for the Caspian oil reserves option, covering it up will be catastrophic for the USSR while also not actually helping us the players or even Balakirev the MNKh head that much. It's gambling on him being able to get himself promoted to Chairman before the bill comes due and leaving it to be his successor's problem, which I don't think we the players actually want - either being stuck with the bill OR Chairman Balakirev.
Better to temper expectations wherever possible, even if it's politically inconvenient for Balakirev, because Balakirev's political ambitions getting squashed this election cycle is actually what we the players really need to happen if the plan of using him as our sacrificial oil crisis solver is still going to work. Not much help if he takes his huge +65 bonus to focused oil projects and gets himself promoted out of the reach of the brainworms, we need him to stay where he is so we can apply that expertise to all the crisis projects that pop up.
Last edited:
He isn't going to get out of the MNKh chair this election cycle anyway, and if the oil crisis doesn't hit in the next six years, then it doesn't really matter where he is, the crisis will be too significant for bonuses to matter. In fact, Chairman Bala that really understands the danger of the situation might be better for MNKh in that situation anyway, since it will be a part of his political base and he'll want to support it and throw the resource of the state as the whole to solve the problem.
[X] Plan Nuclear Assembly
[X] Plan Knifing Zimyanin
[X] Plan I like big roads
[X] Plan I like big roads
Last edited:
That's literally his goal for this election cycle, get enough delegates under his bloc that he can make himself Chairman of the Presidium of the Council of Ministers of the Supreme Soviet (what a mouthful...). The man currently in that seat is Ryzhkov, and Balakirev is talking about the upcoming election being his window to outmaneuver Ryzhkov and take his place, not waiting 6 years to maybe think about it later. This is the downside of the ambitious and decisive political traits, he decided he wants to be CotPotCoM while he's still young and he really means it.
I disagree, +15 progress is always better than +0 progress no matter how desperate things are. I can't think of a single situation in the past 50 game years where we wanted LESS roll bonus, except maybe like one or two Stalin-era politics actions that had to thread the needle where the good outcome was landing between the low and high DCs.
I also mostly disagree with this, he can see the scale of the problem clearly enough to know that it's absolute political suicide for anyone who's name is attached to it and doesn't want his name to be attached to it. He won't suddenly become helpful once he gets his scapegoat and makes his escape, while he's cornered here in the hot seat is when he's most forced by circumstances to actually work the problem. He will absolutely crucify his MNKh successor to keep his own new position, and while he might be more effective at leaning on bodies like the Foreign Ministry from a higher post I don't think it will be enough to make up for how much harder our the players' lives will get when he scapegoats us.
No, that's his goal for the next election cycle. He just got a faction, he knows that he isn't going to immediately catapult it into the largest one, that's why consolidating it is even an option, as it would tank the size of it this election. He can only hope the oil crisis is not going to hit until 1985, but, well, there isn't anything else for him to do, politically.
At that point, completing oil projects is just not super relevant compared to politicking and reducing the hit on the rest of the economy and population. Yes, it will be helpful, but not significantly so.
Yeah, but every Chairman in 1985 would do very much to scapegoat the minister. Bala would at least care more than usual to keep the ministry itself intact, and will actually do stuff to help the economy weather the blow.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Plan Knifing Zimyanin
plotvitalnpc
Once more walking the path of the catgirl.
[X] Plan Nuclear Assembly
[X] Plan Orbital Rendezvous
[X] Plan Landing Zimyanin
[X] Plan Orbital Rendezvous
[X] Plan Landing Zimyanin
Last edited:
Idk how to read this besides making an imminent attempt on Ryzhkov, nothing in this says he's going to wait 6 years, he's talking about a good election guaranteeing the supplantment of Ryzhkov in the imminent future and then forming a duopoly with Vorotnikov. He's even thinking about how to backstab Vorotnikov next and crowd him out of the Party-side powerbase after securing the state-side for ourselves, which again does not strike me as a "maybe in 10 years" kinda speculative plan but the kind of thing you think about when you're actually planning to do it.
Edit:
Although reading more closely I think the plan is actually to graduate to General Secretary rather than skipping straight to Chairman of the Presidium. So we'd work with Vorotnikov to stab Ryzhkov, with our reward for that assistance being getting Vorotnikov's current job as General Secretary while Voro moves himself up to replace the ousted Ryzhkov as Chairman. Then Bala is planning to continue his schemes from the position of General Secretary and build up a Party base for further advancement to Chairman once he can find an angle on Vorotnikov. But the general point of him wanting to get out of the MNKh seat in like the next couple years rather than 5+ stands I think.
Last edited:
Imminent attempt on Ryzhkov, replacing him with Vorotnikov. Literally "while Vorotnikov becomes Chairman" right there in text. He wants to be a part of the winning coalition, but he understand that he isn't a significant enough player yet to be the leader of said coalition.