GODSTAR - a Science Fantasy Civilization Quest
- Thread starter ScottishMongol
- Start date
-
- Tags
- civ quest
- Location
- an unseen void
- Pronouns
- Any
cold war vibes only intensifying between the jockeying for client states on our west flank and the space race on our east flank and the proxies proliferating everywhere
always_confused
Perpetually unwanted
- Location
- SEA
Perfidious Albion! 
Any one of the Isekai Goddesses that keep chucking weabs into fantasy worlds is fair game really.
But given our society's tendency to eventually form up a god with enough faith-rituals and the relative disposition we have towards conquest...
Guide our ships far and beyond to bounty and booty!
No dakka shall bar our way, no xenos too hostile for friendship!
All shall be made equal through her shining majesthiccness piercing the fog of space unknown!
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ThatGazzer
Minds Eye Bind
- Location
- PNW
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Let me state more clearly for the group. This whole thing you're doing is certainly off topic, if just barely. So, What does this have to do with things currently happening in fiction? This, to the best I can understand it, appears is a wildly divergent fanfic of GODSTAR that you're writing in your head? I'm genuinely confused on how this relates at all to anything we're doing or planning on doing.
Are you having a goof, is it a bit? Cool! Are you just having fun thinking about it? That's fine, and I love that you're enthusiastic! I too was a teenage once! (granted, I'm making a wild assumption of your age based on writing style, if I've fucked up, I apologize) Are you watching nothing but isekai anime and it renders you incapable of literary analysis outside that pangram? I can't tell!
More seriously, I have no idea what's going on, why it matters or relates to any topic at hand, and every answer you give drives us further away from any actual point rather than clarifying things.
I understand you think it's a neat idea, and I love that energy, but I'll note that it feels to me that you're the only one quite as enthused about it.
If you want to write about it, open up a doc and start plotting it out, or do an omake! maybe it'll go somewhere? maybe you'll be embarrassed at it in a decade, but that's the lifecycle of fanfic, so that's okay. I think you'll have fun writing it regardless!
To sum up, your whatever-it-is you're doing is veering off topic and it is acting as a distraction in thread, please dial it down by like one or two steps and try to keep all limbs inside the metaphorical ride?
Turn 9
- Location
- Great Khanate of Scotland
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Turn 9
The New Great League
Federal representative consensus democracy
The New Great League
Federal representative consensus democracy
Classes
Merchants – the men and women who make deals and move goods in the trade that is the League's lifeblood
Intellectuals – the Historians, magicians, alchemists, and academics who provide mental labor for the League, who experiment and develop new magic and technology, and who are bound together by their education.
Holy Men – the religious leaders of the League who mediate between them and the spirits
Mechanicals – skilled professional craftsmen who produce the everyday things and trade goods the League needs
Workers – the laboring classes of the League, comprised of great masses of urban workers as well as miners and foresters, bound together by folkways which revolve around their labor practices
Intellectuals – the Historians, magicians, alchemists, and academics who provide mental labor for the League, who experiment and develop new magic and technology, and who are bound together by their education.
Holy Men – the religious leaders of the League who mediate between them and the spirits
Mechanicals – skilled professional craftsmen who produce the everyday things and trade goods the League needs
Workers – the laboring classes of the League, comprised of great masses of urban workers as well as miners and foresters, bound together by folkways which revolve around their labor practices
The League is a fully industrialized society, heavily urbanized and with mechanization integrated at every level. Its populace is educated, skilled in magic, and with a strong and dynamic culture. It is also a society with divisions.
The traditional family structure of the League is being undermined by new ways of living, and new methods of social organizing are arising to replace it. Government-directed welfare programs, guilds and labor councils, and the army are becoming more important than familial ties for many. Mass political movements are coalescing, different groups are pushing to implement their vision of the future. Even as they enter a Cold War with the Machine Army of All-Under-Heaven and push for the unification of the True People under a single banner, it may be that there are threats emerging from within.
Diplomacy Actions
You may take one Diplomatic action per turn.
[] Establish relations with the Islander Folk.
As it turns out, the Islander Folk come to Sanctuary so frequently to trade they have established permanent embassies, allowing you to potentially walk right in and request an audience with their diplomats. Convenient!
[] Establish relations with the Machine Army of Living Metal.
You may have a treaty of mutual defense inherited from the League of Five Shields, but you are unfamiliar with their ways or their political system. Some believe that their new society can be molded and guided in the proper direction, and you may even be able to integrate them as well.
[] Unite the True People
Despite recent changes in political thought, you are still the political, economic, and cultural center of gravity of True People society. You could easily contact the remaining tribes of True People including the League of the North and bring them into your federation.
[] Establish Relations with the Tech Barons
The Tech Barons may be imperialist, xenophobic, and authoritarian, but perhaps peace and diplomacy are higher ideals we can aspire to.
[] Invade the Tech Barons
Or, you know, don't bother. The Machine Army of Living Metal has been drawing up plans to liberate the remaining serfs and end the threat of the Tech Barons for good, and the Machine Army of All-Under-Heaven has signaled they wouldn't intervene if you did invade them. The Tech Barons really don't have any friends.
Material Science
You have 6 Research Points to spend.
[] Food Trucks (0/2)
Among the captured devices are great vats of cultured meat and tanks of algae, which the Machine Armies used to feed their troops on the go. Your culture already has rich foodways, but perhaps you can exploit these food sources as well, once they are properly understood and the infrastructure is expanded for widespread use.
[] Deep-Water Vessels (0/2)
Sanctuary lacks a strong blue-water navy, and you have never had a coastline. Now, with the Islander Folk coming to your very doorstep and new continents waiting to be explored beyond the horizon, it may be time to establish a naval tradition.
[] Printing Press (0/1)
You have developed your own writing system, but the time-consuming effort of writing means its use is still limited. With electricity, you can print written works many times over for almost no cost, making the written word freely available to everyone.
[] Radios (0/1)
The Machine Army uses devices called radios to communicate, a technology you have ignored due to your magical communications filling the same niche. However, with your expanding technological base there has been a renewed interest in studying radio communications technology, at least in order to understand it and potentially unlock new applications.
[] Film (0/1)
As with radio, applications of illusory magic greatly outperform this technology. And yet, recent studies into the properties of light have raised the possibility of a technology which allows one to capture images on light-sensitive substances. This would allow for the preservation and copying of real images, perhaps even their transmission!
[] Life Support (0/2)
Living in space for extended periods of time would require extensive life support systems. Systems could be developed to recycle air and water, regulate temperature, and deal with waste.
[] Bioweapons (0/1)
Your newfound knowledge of germ theory and genetics means you could develop more destructive and contagious forms of ordinary illnesses, ones that could be weaponized on a large scale. A terrible choice, to be sure.
Among the captured devices are great vats of cultured meat and tanks of algae, which the Machine Armies used to feed their troops on the go. Your culture already has rich foodways, but perhaps you can exploit these food sources as well, once they are properly understood and the infrastructure is expanded for widespread use.
[] Deep-Water Vessels (0/2)
Sanctuary lacks a strong blue-water navy, and you have never had a coastline. Now, with the Islander Folk coming to your very doorstep and new continents waiting to be explored beyond the horizon, it may be time to establish a naval tradition.
[] Printing Press (0/1)
You have developed your own writing system, but the time-consuming effort of writing means its use is still limited. With electricity, you can print written works many times over for almost no cost, making the written word freely available to everyone.
[] Radios (0/1)
The Machine Army uses devices called radios to communicate, a technology you have ignored due to your magical communications filling the same niche. However, with your expanding technological base there has been a renewed interest in studying radio communications technology, at least in order to understand it and potentially unlock new applications.
[] Film (0/1)
As with radio, applications of illusory magic greatly outperform this technology. And yet, recent studies into the properties of light have raised the possibility of a technology which allows one to capture images on light-sensitive substances. This would allow for the preservation and copying of real images, perhaps even their transmission!
[] Life Support (0/2)
Living in space for extended periods of time would require extensive life support systems. Systems could be developed to recycle air and water, regulate temperature, and deal with waste.
[] Bioweapons (0/1)
Your newfound knowledge of germ theory and genetics means you could develop more destructive and contagious forms of ordinary illnesses, ones that could be weaponized on a large scale. A terrible choice, to be sure.
Social Science
You have 6 Research Points to spend
[] Currency (0/1)
At the moment, barter is the only method of trade there is. However, your merchants would have a much easier time if there were, say, a system of tokens that could easily be exchanged for goods and services. Maybe we could use some of the more useless metals, or some similarly difficult to find material.
[] Labor Corps (0/2)
You have a professional standing army of soldiers, why not a professional standing army of labor? You can organize the usual labor gangs recruited to work on public works and infrastructure projects and reform them into a vast organization maintained and supplied by the Councils, one which can be deployed anywhere and which will provide employment for thousands.
[] Scribes (0/2)
Your economy and government are largely handled by your Historians, who effectively plan the production, collection, and distribution of goods. However, the rise of writing has led to a proliferation of written works. It has become necessary for a special class of scribes to copy and store written materials into easily-accessible archives, and to promulgate them where they can be seen by others.
[] Officer Academy (0/2)
Some within the military are concerned that the upper ranks of the military. Creating a specialized school to send prospective officers to where they can learn war magics, strategy, and military theory could be a solution to this.
[] Archaeology (0/1)
Paradisea has many secrets buried beneath her surface. By developing a systematic approach to uncovering them, and using cross-disciplinary studies to analyze what you find, perhaps you could build a more complete picture of your origins and the time before the League.
[] Ethics (0/1)
Part of the field philosophy involves questions of ethics. What is the correct behavior, how do we achieve it? This is not a simple theoretical question, as the League is grappling with the specter of several technological shifts that have immense moral consequences. A grasp of ethics may be just the thing needed to decide this once and for all.
[] Propaganda (0/1)
Entertainment is a vehicle for ideas. By specifically crafting media that promotes a certain idea, you can influence minds and shape narratives. A coordinated campaign to tilt perception and create an image of the world that fits your views. Who controls this narrative is of course the real question, as inevitably those who hold power hold the ideological high ground.
[] Vaccination (0/2)
Now that you can manufacture vaccines for various diseases, you can embark on a League-wide program to vaccinate your people; total coverage could be achieved, your Historians calculate, in a single generation, permanently eliminating several virulent diseases which your healers struggle against periodically.
At the moment, barter is the only method of trade there is. However, your merchants would have a much easier time if there were, say, a system of tokens that could easily be exchanged for goods and services. Maybe we could use some of the more useless metals, or some similarly difficult to find material.
[] Labor Corps (0/2)
You have a professional standing army of soldiers, why not a professional standing army of labor? You can organize the usual labor gangs recruited to work on public works and infrastructure projects and reform them into a vast organization maintained and supplied by the Councils, one which can be deployed anywhere and which will provide employment for thousands.
[] Scribes (0/2)
Your economy and government are largely handled by your Historians, who effectively plan the production, collection, and distribution of goods. However, the rise of writing has led to a proliferation of written works. It has become necessary for a special class of scribes to copy and store written materials into easily-accessible archives, and to promulgate them where they can be seen by others.
[] Officer Academy (0/2)
Some within the military are concerned that the upper ranks of the military. Creating a specialized school to send prospective officers to where they can learn war magics, strategy, and military theory could be a solution to this.
[] Archaeology (0/1)
Paradisea has many secrets buried beneath her surface. By developing a systematic approach to uncovering them, and using cross-disciplinary studies to analyze what you find, perhaps you could build a more complete picture of your origins and the time before the League.
[] Ethics (0/1)
Part of the field philosophy involves questions of ethics. What is the correct behavior, how do we achieve it? This is not a simple theoretical question, as the League is grappling with the specter of several technological shifts that have immense moral consequences. A grasp of ethics may be just the thing needed to decide this once and for all.
[] Propaganda (0/1)
Entertainment is a vehicle for ideas. By specifically crafting media that promotes a certain idea, you can influence minds and shape narratives. A coordinated campaign to tilt perception and create an image of the world that fits your views. Who controls this narrative is of course the real question, as inevitably those who hold power hold the ideological high ground.
[] Vaccination (0/2)
Now that you can manufacture vaccines for various diseases, you can embark on a League-wide program to vaccinate your people; total coverage could be achieved, your Historians calculate, in a single generation, permanently eliminating several virulent diseases which your healers struggle against periodically.
Exotic Science
You have 8 Research Points to spend
[] Afterlife (0/3)
While working on venerating and communing with the spirits of the dead is a viable path, your holy men also believe they could construct a resting place to house these spirits, one that could act as another plane of existence entirely. This would require great amounts of magical energy and vast rituals to accomplish, but it would ease the passage of souls into the afterlife.
[] Study Homunculi (0/4)
The artificial humans produced by your alchemists are fascinating. The process creates a physically diminutive and stunted version of a human, but one possessed of a spirit and intellect on par with that of a baseline human, if not greater. If these beings and the process of their creation are sufficiently studied, analyzed, and refined, then perhaps it may revolutionize the very basis of society.
[] Salnitre Emitter (0/3)
From the notes of the eccentric alchemist known as Ishak is the design for a device known as the salnitre emitter. This device uses an alchemical forge to produce what the inventor claims is an anti-gravity field, and from initial tests his claims seem to be accurate.
[] Suspended Mercury Engine (0/3)
Another intriguing device from the notes of Ishak the Inventor is the Suspended Mercury Engine. Another alchemical power generator, this one utilizes the inherent magical potential of mercury to produce energy. Suspended within a gyroscope, the mercury is converted into a propulsion thrust.
[] Spiritual Empowerment (0/1)
The performance of Sanctuary's dervishes in the War Between the Leagues has impressed you, and you eagerly seek to learn more about their abilities. The techniques for spiritual empowerment build on your prior knowledge of astral projection, strengthening your presence in the spirit world and what you can do there.
[] Spirits of the Hunt (0/1)
One of the techniques recently learned from the defeated League of Strength is the summoning and binding of spirits of the hunt. Terrible, unnatural things they may be, but perhaps they could be controlled and turned to more productive purposes.
[] Spirit Warriors (0/1)
Another spiritual technique is the use of certain rituals to allow warriors to linger as spirits, lending their strength to your soldiers and even returning to fight for the living.
[] Mass Immortality (0/4)
With advances in alchemy and chemical synthesis, it is theoretically possible to expand production of philosopher's stones to the point that they could be available on large scales. This would allow large numbers of people to have access to panaceas and elixirs of immortality. However, there are lingering concerns about the unequal distribution of immortality. Will we be able to provide everyone with them, or only a select few?
[] Mass War Magics (0/1)
With the spread of basic magical knowledge in the League, it has become possible to make war magics part of basic training for all soldiers in the Grand Army of the League. Now even your basic infantry can claim boosts to strength, stamina, and morale, the ability to deflect bullets, and integration into a magical communications network that allows them to receive orders in real time.
While working on venerating and communing with the spirits of the dead is a viable path, your holy men also believe they could construct a resting place to house these spirits, one that could act as another plane of existence entirely. This would require great amounts of magical energy and vast rituals to accomplish, but it would ease the passage of souls into the afterlife.
[] Study Homunculi (0/4)
The artificial humans produced by your alchemists are fascinating. The process creates a physically diminutive and stunted version of a human, but one possessed of a spirit and intellect on par with that of a baseline human, if not greater. If these beings and the process of their creation are sufficiently studied, analyzed, and refined, then perhaps it may revolutionize the very basis of society.
[] Salnitre Emitter (0/3)
From the notes of the eccentric alchemist known as Ishak is the design for a device known as the salnitre emitter. This device uses an alchemical forge to produce what the inventor claims is an anti-gravity field, and from initial tests his claims seem to be accurate.
[] Suspended Mercury Engine (0/3)
Another intriguing device from the notes of Ishak the Inventor is the Suspended Mercury Engine. Another alchemical power generator, this one utilizes the inherent magical potential of mercury to produce energy. Suspended within a gyroscope, the mercury is converted into a propulsion thrust.
[] Spiritual Empowerment (0/1)
The performance of Sanctuary's dervishes in the War Between the Leagues has impressed you, and you eagerly seek to learn more about their abilities. The techniques for spiritual empowerment build on your prior knowledge of astral projection, strengthening your presence in the spirit world and what you can do there.
[] Spirits of the Hunt (0/1)
One of the techniques recently learned from the defeated League of Strength is the summoning and binding of spirits of the hunt. Terrible, unnatural things they may be, but perhaps they could be controlled and turned to more productive purposes.
[] Spirit Warriors (0/1)
Another spiritual technique is the use of certain rituals to allow warriors to linger as spirits, lending their strength to your soldiers and even returning to fight for the living.
[] Mass Immortality (0/4)
With advances in alchemy and chemical synthesis, it is theoretically possible to expand production of philosopher's stones to the point that they could be available on large scales. This would allow large numbers of people to have access to panaceas and elixirs of immortality. However, there are lingering concerns about the unequal distribution of immortality. Will we be able to provide everyone with them, or only a select few?
[] Mass War Magics (0/1)
With the spread of basic magical knowledge in the League, it has become possible to make war magics part of basic training for all soldiers in the Grand Army of the League. Now even your basic infantry can claim boosts to strength, stamina, and morale, the ability to deflect bullets, and integration into a magical communications network that allows them to receive orders in real time.
Cold War Actions
You have one point of influence to spend.
[] Trade
The Machine Army operates on a command economy, but they could produce a surplus in exchange for luxury goods, and both of your nations produce specialized goods and materials that it may be necessary to trade for. Open Action.
[] Cultural Exchange
You and the Machine Army both have rich cultural traditions. Oral storytelling, song and dance, visual arts, and the written word could all be exchanged to enrich your respect cultures. Of course, this would not be for pure entertainment, as media also serves as vehicles for ideas; you could end up subtly influencing the Machine Army, and acquire a deeper understanding of their society in turn. Open Action.
[] Research Collaboration
The educational systems of the Machine Army fall under their Research and Development division. You could allow prospective researchers from the Machine Army to come and study in League universities, allow them access to your research, and send your own scientists to study under them. Open Action.
[] Ideological Debate
The Machine Army justifies their socioeconomic system with a well-developed ideology. Your philosophical development has given you the tools to defend your own system and criticize theirs, opening an ideological front to the Cold War. You could craft narratives, hone your debate skills, and analyze their system to take the argument to them. Open Action.
[] Support Reformists
There are those within the Machine Army who question the system as it exists. Some radical groups seek to demilitarize their society and usher in democratic ideas, and with your help they could grow more powerful. Advisors, training, and better equipment could strengthen their influence in the Machine Army. Hostile Action.
[] Steal Technology
While the Machine Army has made some of their unique technological package available to you through research, there is certainly more they are hiding from you. You have an effective espionage network that could discover this technology, allowing you to copy it for yourself. Hostile Action.
The Machine Army operates on a command economy, but they could produce a surplus in exchange for luxury goods, and both of your nations produce specialized goods and materials that it may be necessary to trade for. Open Action.
[] Cultural Exchange
You and the Machine Army both have rich cultural traditions. Oral storytelling, song and dance, visual arts, and the written word could all be exchanged to enrich your respect cultures. Of course, this would not be for pure entertainment, as media also serves as vehicles for ideas; you could end up subtly influencing the Machine Army, and acquire a deeper understanding of their society in turn. Open Action.
[] Research Collaboration
The educational systems of the Machine Army fall under their Research and Development division. You could allow prospective researchers from the Machine Army to come and study in League universities, allow them access to your research, and send your own scientists to study under them. Open Action.
[] Ideological Debate
The Machine Army justifies their socioeconomic system with a well-developed ideology. Your philosophical development has given you the tools to defend your own system and criticize theirs, opening an ideological front to the Cold War. You could craft narratives, hone your debate skills, and analyze their system to take the argument to them. Open Action.
[] Support Reformists
There are those within the Machine Army who question the system as it exists. Some radical groups seek to demilitarize their society and usher in democratic ideas, and with your help they could grow more powerful. Advisors, training, and better equipment could strengthen their influence in the Machine Army. Hostile Action.
[] Steal Technology
While the Machine Army has made some of their unique technological package available to you through research, there is certainly more they are hiding from you. You have an effective espionage network that could discover this technology, allowing you to copy it for yourself. Hostile Action.
Voting will open in 24 hours. Vote by plan.
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- Pronouns
- He/Him
Well, I think we should definitely aim for a lot of those one point projects in all categories, particularly Printing Presses, Archaeology, Ethics, and Mass War Magics, but really every single 1 point project in both Social and Exotic would only be 4 each, and that definitely seems worth it (plus one 2 point Social Project and probably Study Homonculi). Biological Weapons are probably a bad idea, though, let's avoid those (which sadly means we only get two of the three in terms of Printing Press, Radio, and Film).
In terms of Diplomacy, I think Unite the True People is probably correct at this point...talking with the Islanders is also defensible, but I think unification is probably preferable.
In terms of Cold War stuff...Support Reformists seems good, and Ideological Debate also seems valid if we grab Propaganda as one of our Social Sciences research options.
In terms of Diplomacy, I think Unite the True People is probably correct at this point...talking with the Islanders is also defensible, but I think unification is probably preferable.
In terms of Cold War stuff...Support Reformists seems good, and Ideological Debate also seems valid if we grab Propaganda as one of our Social Sciences research options.
[]Plan: cultural victory
-[ ] Unite the True People
-[ ] Printing Press (0/1)
-[ ] Radios (0/1)
-[ ] Film (0/1)
-[ ] Deep-Water Vessels (0/2)
-[ ] Life Support (0/2) halfway
-[ ] Officer Academy (0/2)
-[ ] Propaganda (0/1)
-[ ] Ethics (0/1)
-[ ] Vaccination (0/2)
-[ ] Salnitre Emitter (0/3)
-[ ] Suspended Mercury Engine (0/3)
-[ ] Mass War Magics (0/1)
-[ ] Spiritual Empowerment (0/1)
-[ ] Cultural Exchange
We have a lot of options to boost our cultural Influence this turn and grabbing all of them plus propaganda and Cultural Exchange sounds like a pretty good synergy
-[ ] Unite the True People
-[ ] Printing Press (0/1)
-[ ] Radios (0/1)
-[ ] Film (0/1)
-[ ] Deep-Water Vessels (0/2)
-[ ] Life Support (0/2) halfway
-[ ] Officer Academy (0/2)
-[ ] Propaganda (0/1)
-[ ] Ethics (0/1)
-[ ] Vaccination (0/2)
-[ ] Salnitre Emitter (0/3)
-[ ] Suspended Mercury Engine (0/3)
-[ ] Mass War Magics (0/1)
-[ ] Spiritual Empowerment (0/1)
-[ ] Cultural Exchange
We have a lot of options to boost our cultural Influence this turn and grabbing all of them plus propaganda and Cultural Exchange sounds like a pretty good synergy
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I read fast, and I write fast!
[] Plan: Readying for Conflicts Hot and Cold
-[] Diplo: Unite the True People
-[] MatSci: Food Trucks (1/2)
-[] MatSci: Deep-Water Vessels (2/2)
-[] MatSci: Printing Press (1/1)
-[] MatSci: Radios (1/1)
-[] MatSci: Films (1/1)
-[] SocSci: Officer Academy (2/2)
-[] SocSci: Ethics (1/1)
-[] SocSci: Propaganda (1/1)
-[] SociSci: Vaccination (2/2)
-[] ExoSci: Salnitre Emitter (3/3)
-[] ExoSci: Suspended Mercury Engine (3/3)
-[] ExoSci: Spirit Warriors (1/1)
-[] ExoSci: Mass War Magics (1/1)
-[] Cold War: Cultural Exchange
MatSci gives us our navy and mass media to prep for dealing with the Islanders and MAAUH. SocSci builds the ideological and support tools we need to wage this conflict. ExoSci will give us some all new tech and other means of strengthening our armed forces. Finally, I say Cultural Exchange first, because this gives us our opening foothold before we escalate with Ideological Debate.
[] Plan: Readying for Conflicts Hot and Cold
-[] Diplo: Unite the True People
-[] MatSci: Food Trucks (1/2)
-[] MatSci: Deep-Water Vessels (2/2)
-[] MatSci: Printing Press (1/1)
-[] MatSci: Radios (1/1)
-[] MatSci: Films (1/1)
-[] SocSci: Officer Academy (2/2)
-[] SocSci: Ethics (1/1)
-[] SocSci: Propaganda (1/1)
-[] SociSci: Vaccination (2/2)
-[] ExoSci: Salnitre Emitter (3/3)
-[] ExoSci: Suspended Mercury Engine (3/3)
-[] ExoSci: Spirit Warriors (1/1)
-[] ExoSci: Mass War Magics (1/1)
-[] Cold War: Cultural Exchange
MatSci gives us our navy and mass media to prep for dealing with the Islanders and MAAUH. SocSci builds the ideological and support tools we need to wage this conflict. ExoSci will give us some all new tech and other means of strengthening our armed forces. Finally, I say Cultural Exchange first, because this gives us our opening foothold before we escalate with Ideological Debate.
[] Plan: A Cultural Golden Age ready for anything
-[] Diplo: Unite the True People
-[] MatSci: Food Trucks (1/2)
-[] MatSci: Deep-Water Vessels (2/2)
-[] MatSci: Printing Press (1/1)
-[] MatSci: Radios (1/1)
-[] MatSci: Films (1/1)
-[] SocSci: Officer Academy (2/2)
-[] SocSci: Archaeology (0/1)
-[] SocSci: Propaganda (1/1)
-[] SociSci: Vaccination (2/2)
-[] ExoSci: Salnitre Emitter (3/3)
-[] ExoSci: Suspended Mercury Engine (3/3)
-[] ExoSci: Spirit Warriors (1/1)
-[] ExoSci: Mass War Magics (1/1)
-[] Cold War: Cultural Exchange
-[] Diplo: Unite the True People
-[] MatSci: Food Trucks (1/2)
-[] MatSci: Deep-Water Vessels (2/2)
-[] MatSci: Printing Press (1/1)
-[] MatSci: Radios (1/1)
-[] MatSci: Films (1/1)
-[] SocSci: Officer Academy (2/2)
-[] SocSci: Archaeology (0/1)
-[] SocSci: Propaganda (1/1)
-[] SociSci: Vaccination (2/2)
-[] ExoSci: Salnitre Emitter (3/3)
-[] ExoSci: Suspended Mercury Engine (3/3)
-[] ExoSci: Spirit Warriors (1/1)
-[] ExoSci: Mass War Magics (1/1)
-[] Cold War: Cultural Exchange
Anchises
Leader of the Coconut Tree Fremen
- Location
- Germany
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Plan: The War of Unification
[] Unite the True People
Material Science
[] Deep-Water Vessels (2/2)
[] Printing Press (1/1)
[] Film (1/1)
[] Radios (1/1)
[] Life Support (1/2)
Social Science
[] Officer Academy (2/2)
[] Vaccination (2/2)
[] Archaeology (1/1)
[] Ethics (1/1)
Exotic Science
[] Mass War Magics (1/1)
[] Spirit Warriors (1/1)
[] Spirits of the Hunt (1/1)
[] Spiritual Empowerment (1/1)
[] Afterlife (3/3)
[] Study Homunculi (1/4)
Cold War Actions
[] Research Collaboration
Flexible on replacing Afterlife with another 3 point technology in exo-science.
I would like to delay researching propaganda because it also strenghtens our ruling class so ethics & archeology feel way more healthy to me for developing our society right now.
For Cold War actions I want either research or trade. Something mutually beneficial to stabilize a fledgling relationship. I lean more towards research because I'm always thirsty for more points and new technologies.
[] Unite the True People
Material Science
[] Deep-Water Vessels (2/2)
[] Printing Press (1/1)
[] Film (1/1)
[] Radios (1/1)
[] Life Support (1/2)
Social Science
[] Officer Academy (2/2)
[] Vaccination (2/2)
[] Archaeology (1/1)
[] Ethics (1/1)
Exotic Science
[] Mass War Magics (1/1)
[] Spirit Warriors (1/1)
[] Spirits of the Hunt (1/1)
[] Spiritual Empowerment (1/1)
[] Afterlife (3/3)
[] Study Homunculi (1/4)
Cold War Actions
[] Research Collaboration
Flexible on replacing Afterlife with another 3 point technology in exo-science.
I would like to delay researching propaganda because it also strenghtens our ruling class so ethics & archeology feel way more healthy to me for developing our society right now.
For Cold War actions I want either research or trade. Something mutually beneficial to stabilize a fledgling relationship. I lean more towards research because I'm always thirsty for more points and new technologies.
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- Pronouns
- He/Him
Er...I think something got cut off here, that's 3/8 points and has no Cold War action.
EDIT: Ah, fixed.
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- Location
- New York
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[] Plan: Artificial Men in an Artificial Afterlife
-[] Unite the True People
-[] Deep-Water Vessels (2/2)
-[] Printing Press (1/1)
-[] Radios (1/1)
-[] Life Support (2/2)
-[] Propaganda (1/1)
-[] Vaccination (2/2)
-[] Currency (1/1)
-[] Archaeology (1/1)
-[] Ethics (1/1)
-[] Study Homunculi (4/4)
-[] Afterlife (3/3)
-[] ExoSci: Mass War Magics (1/1)
-[] Ideological Debate
Just wanted something more exotic.
-[] Unite the True People
-[] Deep-Water Vessels (2/2)
-[] Printing Press (1/1)
-[] Radios (1/1)
-[] Life Support (2/2)
-[] Propaganda (1/1)
-[] Vaccination (2/2)
-[] Currency (1/1)
-[] Archaeology (1/1)
-[] Ethics (1/1)
-[] Study Homunculi (4/4)
-[] Afterlife (3/3)
-[] ExoSci: Mass War Magics (1/1)
-[] Ideological Debate
Just wanted something more exotic.
Cassiemouse
Market Atheist
Diplomacy
[] Unite the True People
MatSci
[] Deep-Water Vessels (2/2)
[] Printing Press (1/1)
[] Radios (1/1)
[] Film (1/1)
[] Life Support (1/2)
SocSci
[] Officer Academy (2/2)
[] Ethics (1/1)
[] Propaganda (1/1)
[] Vaccination (2/2)
ExoSci
[] Study Homunculi (4/4)
[] Spiritual Empowerment (1/1)
[] Mass Immortality (2/4)
[] Mass War Magics (1/1)
Cold War
[] Trade
These are the picks I think are best for us right now myself.
[] Unite the True People
MatSci
[] Deep-Water Vessels (2/2)
[] Printing Press (1/1)
[] Radios (1/1)
[] Film (1/1)
[] Life Support (1/2)
SocSci
[] Officer Academy (2/2)
[] Ethics (1/1)
[] Propaganda (1/1)
[] Vaccination (2/2)
ExoSci
[] Study Homunculi (4/4)
[] Spiritual Empowerment (1/1)
[] Mass Immortality (2/4)
[] Mass War Magics (1/1)
Cold War
[] Trade
These are the picks I think are best for us right now myself.
- Location
- US
You know, mass immortality might pair REALLY well with an ideological/propaganda focus ... Don't have time to draft up a plan, but If nothing else it could force the Machine Army to research immortality and other quality/duration of life technologies.
- Location
- Great Khanate of Scotland
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Inb4 [] the Broadcast (0/3)
Fun fact, the CIA actually helped support the modern art movement to do exactly this in real life. It was a huge PR coup. In fact, I believe that a CIA bigwig actually called it the most successful operation he had ever authorized.
- Location
- an unseen void
- Pronouns
- Any
[] Plan: Build the Peace
-[] Unite the True People.
-[] Matsci: Deep-Water Vessels (2/2)
-[] Matsci: Printing Press (1/1)
-[] Matsci: Radios (1/1)
-[] Matsci: Film (1/1)
-[] Matsci: Life Support (1/2)
-[] Socsci: Labor Corps (2/2)
-[] Socsci: Archaeology (1/1)
-[] Socsci: Currency (1/1)
-[] Socsci: Ethics (1/1)
-[] Socsci: Propaganda (1/1)
-[] Exosci: Afterlife (3/3)
-[] Exosci: Spiritual Empowerment (1/1)
-[] Exosci: Spirits of the Hunt (1/1)
-[] Exosci: Spirit Warriors (1/1)
-[] Exosci: Mass War Magics (1/1)
-[] Exosci: Study Homunculi (1/4)
-[] Cold War: Cultural Exchange
I don't think the Matsci here is controversial and the Exosci isn't very crunched. A lot of people seem okay not rushing space techs this turn. Let's talk about the cold war action and about social techs.
1. We've put off currency for a long time because people are concerned about what it will do to our society. Now we're faced with a cold war where one of our two rivals is a hypercapitalist thalassocracy who are trying to suborn our people with elaborate trade deals and economic dependency, and we've developed ample social and political protections against excessive accumulation. Meanwhile, integrating Sanctuary has left us with both a financialized tradition of redistribution we can borrow from and extensive foreign currency reserves.
I want to build the people's finance. I want to have the concepts and tools to untangle our people and allies from Islander manipulations and to handle our investments in a rapidly expanding league with finesse. I think that with all the social techs we've built up to date - and taking things like ethics - we can keep it from becoming the problem people fear.
2. I decided to put off Officer Academy for a turn to build the Labor Corps finally, for three reasons. One, with an eye on ongoing class balance, I think the Labor Corps is an important institution for empowering workers and giving them national-scale social structures - don't want them left behind as merchants and historians argue over influence and economic planning. Two, if we're uniting the true people this turn, there's massive infrastructure expansions in our future, and that's what Labor Corps is great for. Finally, three...I think we probably won't go to war this turn! This is the most I've believed that in ages! There's still cool military exosci in this plan as insurance (a lot of which I'm hoping for some dual use Deepening Spirit World Expertise from), but I'm willing to put off Officer Academy (which might actually slightly weaken the Historians?) in order to get in the good worker/building stuff tech I've wanted forever.
3. Vaccination has obvious quality of life benefits but it is less immediately relevant to either flank of the cold war, and we just spent gobs of points on health last turn, so I would like to put it off for a turn or two. I think the benefits of Propaganda in influencing our rivals outweigh the potential risks at home, and that both sides of our current internal split will get their chunks of that pie. Ethics is essential for giving us better control of the good function of all of this. Archaeology is less urgent than any of these other things, but there's one point left over after all this and I think it's really cool, and could have unexpected benefits.
4. There's obvious reasons that Cultural Exchange has value, and it synergizes with all the media/propaganda tech we can pick up now, but the reason I really want to lean into it is the mention of learning more about them. Getting additional context information sooner rather than later in this competition seems very good!
changelog: reduced Homunculus research to 1 to add Spirit Warriors. Swapped Officer Academy for Labor Corps.
-[] Unite the True People.
-[] Matsci: Deep-Water Vessels (2/2)
-[] Matsci: Printing Press (1/1)
-[] Matsci: Radios (1/1)
-[] Matsci: Film (1/1)
-[] Matsci: Life Support (1/2)
-[] Socsci: Labor Corps (2/2)
-[] Socsci: Archaeology (1/1)
-[] Socsci: Currency (1/1)
-[] Socsci: Ethics (1/1)
-[] Socsci: Propaganda (1/1)
-[] Exosci: Afterlife (3/3)
-[] Exosci: Spiritual Empowerment (1/1)
-[] Exosci: Spirits of the Hunt (1/1)
-[] Exosci: Spirit Warriors (1/1)
-[] Exosci: Mass War Magics (1/1)
-[] Exosci: Study Homunculi (1/4)
-[] Cold War: Cultural Exchange
I don't think the Matsci here is controversial and the Exosci isn't very crunched. A lot of people seem okay not rushing space techs this turn. Let's talk about the cold war action and about social techs.
1. We've put off currency for a long time because people are concerned about what it will do to our society. Now we're faced with a cold war where one of our two rivals is a hypercapitalist thalassocracy who are trying to suborn our people with elaborate trade deals and economic dependency, and we've developed ample social and political protections against excessive accumulation. Meanwhile, integrating Sanctuary has left us with both a financialized tradition of redistribution we can borrow from and extensive foreign currency reserves.
I want to build the people's finance. I want to have the concepts and tools to untangle our people and allies from Islander manipulations and to handle our investments in a rapidly expanding league with finesse. I think that with all the social techs we've built up to date - and taking things like ethics - we can keep it from becoming the problem people fear.
2. I decided to put off Officer Academy for a turn to build the Labor Corps finally, for three reasons. One, with an eye on ongoing class balance, I think the Labor Corps is an important institution for empowering workers and giving them national-scale social structures - don't want them left behind as merchants and historians argue over influence and economic planning. Two, if we're uniting the true people this turn, there's massive infrastructure expansions in our future, and that's what Labor Corps is great for. Finally, three...I think we probably won't go to war this turn! This is the most I've believed that in ages! There's still cool military exosci in this plan as insurance (a lot of which I'm hoping for some dual use Deepening Spirit World Expertise from), but I'm willing to put off Officer Academy (which might actually slightly weaken the Historians?) in order to get in the good worker/building stuff tech I've wanted forever.
3. Vaccination has obvious quality of life benefits but it is less immediately relevant to either flank of the cold war, and we just spent gobs of points on health last turn, so I would like to put it off for a turn or two. I think the benefits of Propaganda in influencing our rivals outweigh the potential risks at home, and that both sides of our current internal split will get their chunks of that pie. Ethics is essential for giving us better control of the good function of all of this. Archaeology is less urgent than any of these other things, but there's one point left over after all this and I think it's really cool, and could have unexpected benefits.
4. There's obvious reasons that Cultural Exchange has value, and it synergizes with all the media/propaganda tech we can pick up now, but the reason I really want to lean into it is the mention of learning more about them. Getting additional context information sooner rather than later in this competition seems very good!
changelog: reduced Homunculus research to 1 to add Spirit Warriors. Swapped Officer Academy for Labor Corps.
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Anchises
Leader of the Coconut Tree Fremen
- Location
- Germany
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Plan: The War of Unification (compromise edition)
[] Unite the True People
Material Science
[] Deep-Water Vessels (2/2)
[] Printing Press (1/1)
[] Film (1/1)
[] Radios (1/1)
[] Life Support (1/2)
Social Science
[] Officer Academy (2/2)
[] Vaccination (2/2)
[] Archaeology (1/1)
[] Ethics (1/1)
Exotic Science
[] Mass War Magics (1/1)
[] Spirit Warriors (1/1)
[] Spirits of the Hunt (1/1)
[] Spiritual Empowerment (1/1)
[] Study Homunculi (4/4)
Cold War Actions
[] Research Collaboration
[] Unite the True People
Material Science
[] Deep-Water Vessels (2/2)
[] Printing Press (1/1)
[] Film (1/1)
[] Radios (1/1)
[] Life Support (1/2)
Social Science
[] Officer Academy (2/2)
[] Vaccination (2/2)
[] Archaeology (1/1)
[] Ethics (1/1)
Exotic Science
[] Mass War Magics (1/1)
[] Spirit Warriors (1/1)
[] Spirits of the Hunt (1/1)
[] Spiritual Empowerment (1/1)
[] Study Homunculi (4/4)
Cold War Actions
[] Research Collaboration
The Bird
tEM IS GUD...RITER!
- Location
- In that den of villains and scum, OKLAHOMA
This plan is Bird Approved.
Cassiemouse
Market Atheist
Indeed, I approve of this plan as well.
- Location
- an unseen void
- Pronouns
- Any
Made two changes to my plan: dropped one point from homonculus research for Spirit Warriors, and swapped Officer Academy for Labor Corps. I also picked a better name.
I decided to put off Officer Academy for a turn to build the Labor Corps finally for three reasons. One, with an eye on ongoing class balance, I think the Labor Corps is an important institution for empowering workers and giving them national-scale social structures - don't want them left behind as merchants and historians argue over influence and economic planning. Two, if we're uniting the true people this turn, there's massive infrastructure expansions in our future, and that's what Labor Corps is great for. Finally, three...I think we probably won't go to war this turn! This is the most I've believed that in ages! There's still cool military exosci in this plan as insurance (I added Spirit Warriors for this purpose, and a lot of this I'm hoping for some dual use Deepening Spirit World Expertise from), but I'm willing to put off Officer Academy (which might actually slightly weaken the Historians?) in order to get in the good worker/building stuff tech I've wanted forever.
I decided to put off Officer Academy for a turn to build the Labor Corps finally for three reasons. One, with an eye on ongoing class balance, I think the Labor Corps is an important institution for empowering workers and giving them national-scale social structures - don't want them left behind as merchants and historians argue over influence and economic planning. Two, if we're uniting the true people this turn, there's massive infrastructure expansions in our future, and that's what Labor Corps is great for. Finally, three...I think we probably won't go to war this turn! This is the most I've believed that in ages! There's still cool military exosci in this plan as insurance (I added Spirit Warriors for this purpose, and a lot of this I'm hoping for some dual use Deepening Spirit World Expertise from), but I'm willing to put off Officer Academy (which might actually slightly weaken the Historians?) in order to get in the good worker/building stuff tech I've wanted forever.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
With those changes I'm definitely in for Build The Peace. The War of Unification (compromise edition) also isn't bad, but I much prefer Build The Peace's social science stuff and I'd rather do Cultural Exchange than Research Collaboration.
The issue with this plan is that we are absolutely on the edge of provoking a great power war this turn. Uniting the True People is extremely likely to provoke the Islanders, especially if their client states flip.
- Pronouns
- He/She/They
I'm sorry for doing "negative campaigning" but a few things about Build the Peace are really putting me off (in order of importance to my perception):
1. Dropping Officer Academy for Labor Corps:
We've been warned about "an imbalanced officer corps, with junior officers those with military experience and the senior officers composed of Historians", and about the immediate risk of war with the Islanders, a Great Power, this very turn (if we choose to unite the True People, which everyone seems to agree on). This is IMO the most militarily vulnerable we've been in a long time, and having competent officers is the best remedy for our problems, with a much greater impact than any particular military exosci tech.
I'm not against taking Labor Corps to empower the workers, but in that case I think we should be dropping something less crucial than Officer Academy for it.
2. Passing on Vaccination for Propaganda and Currency:
The benefits of vaccination are obviously immense, not what I would call just a QoL benefit. Propaganda is powerful, but so are its drawbacks - "inevitably those who hold power hold the ideological high ground", a serious problem while we're trying to work out how to prevent the Merchants and/or Historians from staying in power forever. Currency's benefits are even sketchier, with the downside of clearly benefiting the Merchants, who are still the most powerful class (I'd be a lot more willing to consider taking it if the Historians surpass them).
(Also this is not to say we should never take Propaganda or Currency, just that Vaccination seems like a better choice right now.)
3. Cultural Exchange:
A much weaker point than the others, but I think starting off with Trade or Research Collaboration is a better idea than Cultural Exchange, as a set of tangible commitments when we and the MAAUH really don't trust each other. It's not as bad as Ideological Debate, but Cultural Exchange still seems to me like it has an edge of trying to defeat or convert the other side, and I'd rather we not start there.
1. Dropping Officer Academy for Labor Corps:
We've been warned about "an imbalanced officer corps, with junior officers those with military experience and the senior officers composed of Historians", and about the immediate risk of war with the Islanders, a Great Power, this very turn (if we choose to unite the True People, which everyone seems to agree on). This is IMO the most militarily vulnerable we've been in a long time, and having competent officers is the best remedy for our problems, with a much greater impact than any particular military exosci tech.
I'm not against taking Labor Corps to empower the workers, but in that case I think we should be dropping something less crucial than Officer Academy for it.
2. Passing on Vaccination for Propaganda and Currency:
The benefits of vaccination are obviously immense, not what I would call just a QoL benefit. Propaganda is powerful, but so are its drawbacks - "inevitably those who hold power hold the ideological high ground", a serious problem while we're trying to work out how to prevent the Merchants and/or Historians from staying in power forever. Currency's benefits are even sketchier, with the downside of clearly benefiting the Merchants, who are still the most powerful class (I'd be a lot more willing to consider taking it if the Historians surpass them).
(Also this is not to say we should never take Propaganda or Currency, just that Vaccination seems like a better choice right now.)
3. Cultural Exchange:
A much weaker point than the others, but I think starting off with Trade or Research Collaboration is a better idea than Cultural Exchange, as a set of tangible commitments when we and the MAAUH really don't trust each other. It's not as bad as Ideological Debate, but Cultural Exchange still seems to me like it has an edge of trying to defeat or convert the other side, and I'd rather we not start there.
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