Lex Sedet In Vertice: A Supervillain in the DCU CK2 quest
- Thread starter King crimson
- Start date
- Superhero
Torgamous
Aspiring Gynoid
- Pronouns
- She/Her
There's also the Teach Your Valuable Employees action, which is about directly raising their stats.
Actually the more I think about it the less I like the idea of having Eiling make Pamela the head of the EPA
While it would be useful I doubt that it would be useful enough to justify losing one of our best hero units at least 25% of the time and not pushing for that would probably make it more likely that EIling would accept letting us pick the Secretary of Commerce as well as get more out of him if he actually becomes president
While it would be useful I doubt that it would be useful enough to justify losing one of our best hero units at least 25% of the time and not pushing for that would probably make it more likely that EIling would accept letting us pick the Secretary of Commerce as well as get more out of him if he actually becomes president
- Location
- Singapore
No. It's actually good. If the Justice League gets uppity, We slash their funding by having Pamela abuse her authority to slap Wayne Enterprises & Queen Industries with penalties. Kord Communications is harder due to LexCorp ISP being in the same industry.
Though I would recommend Veronica Cale becoming Secretary of Commerce.
The issue with that is that Pamela would need proof that they were violating EPA guidelines and those companies are the ones least likely to do so
If our greatest enemies were Stagg Enterprises then we'd be able to fine them all we want but unfortunately Wayne Enterprises and Queen Industries tend to be as environmentally friendly as they can
Torgamous
Aspiring Gynoid
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I doubt she'd want the job any more than Lex does.
- Location
- United States
we could put pam in charge of the department of agriculture or interior too. either one would make her happy and would at the very least put a feather in our cap when she comes back. not to mention she stands to do more good for America which can get us a lot of public support. maybe even helping out a family of farmers who's last name is kent. just a thought people tend to want to believe the best of people that have helped them before
That would be useful if we decided to expand into agriculture, whic we have plenty of options for though again it's debatable if it'd be worth losing Pamela's for at least 25% of turns
[x] Plan Keep Pamela
-[X] Encourage Eiling to run for president
--[X] Let Eiling run ads for his campaign on the Oz channel free of charge
--[X] Publicly endorse his campaign and provide it with money, in exchange for:
---[X] Write-in: You're not asking to pick the Secretary of Energy yourself, but they need to be amenable to kryptonite energy production.
-[X] [CT] Better computer coolant (1 point)
-[X] [CT] Better engine coolant (2 points)
-[X] [CT] Cold insulating fabric (1 point)
-[X] [CT] Improve freeze grenades (5 points)
The exact same as Plan Chill the Planet, Eiling Style but without having Pamela become the head of the EPA since I don't think it's worth losing her
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Gumiho
Reach heaven through violence!
I feel we should be helping her with her dream more though, we went green as soon as we could, but we could certainly be doing more. Shes helped us out alot, so i feel we can afford to lose her for 25% of the turn to work on her agenda.
Torgamous
Aspiring Gynoid
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Superman: "Do you feel in charge?"
Lex: "I've paid you a small fortune."
Superman: "And this gives you power over me?"
There's a lot to be said for the Secretary of Agriculture if we want to mess with farmers, but I doubt influencing Superman will be as straightforward as being nice to the elder Kents.
It's about how often we should be having her work on green stuff anyway, it's just not being able to choose which 25% we lose her for that's inconvenient.
That's fair but also something that we can do without losing her, we can push more Green initiatives, we can use the rapid growth serum to help the environment, etc and those things have the advantage of letting Pamela achieve her goal while also being good for our image and potentially giving us some benefits on a good roll but if she become she head of the EPA she'll have to deal with far more government bureaucracy, probably actually get less done in the long term and we won't get any of the credit for what she does do
Plus keep in mind that we'd lose her at minimum 25% of the time, if something happens that needs her attention we'd lose her for longer than that
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Serpentine
Dark Arts Enthusiast
- Location
- The Tower of Ghenjei
[X] Plan Chill the Planet, Eiling Style
[X] Plan Chill the Planet, Garner Style
Edit: I'm indifferent to whether Eiling becomes president or a cabinet member, but both these options net us the most influence so far. Cold treatment for metal would be nice to have too, but I'm happy with these.
[X] Plan Chill the Planet, Garner Style
Edit: I'm indifferent to whether Eiling becomes president or a cabinet member, but both these options net us the most influence so far. Cold treatment for metal would be nice to have too, but I'm happy with these.
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- Location
- United States
less "power over superman" and more "we're not a mustache-twirling villain" keep in mind even if we're never gonna be friends with sups we can at least make him respect us. lex wants to drag humanity into a golden age brought on by him. expanding America's agricultural capacity to feed everyone is something that superman can respect at least. and it would show that lex's way of doing things has more merit than sup's granted I'm basing this off of "peace on earth" (comic featuring superman trying and failing to end world hunger) but the point still stands lex is a better ally than an enemy. TLDR: we can make sups see us as a misguided but ultimately well-meaning man. rather than an enemy that he has to defeat.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
Ooh, good point. Amending muh plans accordingly, because frankly we need a specific favor from the Department of Energy soon (legalization of kryptonite power for mass production and civilian use), but only generic 'pro-business' favors from the Department of Commerce.
Here are two plans that put Pamela in the EPA, give us what I consider to be the most critical low-cost Cool Tech options, and give us a veto over the Secretary of
[] Plan Chill the Planet, Eiling Style
-[] Encourage Eiling to run for president
--[] Let Eiling run ads for his campaign on the Oz channel free of charge
--[] Publicly endorse his campaign and provide it with money, in exchange for:
---[] Offer Pamela Isley as a candidate for Administrator of the EPA
---[] Write-in: You're not asking to pick the Secretary of Energy yourself, but they need to be amenable to kryptonite energy production.
-[] [CT] Better computer coolant (1 point)
-[] [CT] Better engine coolant (2 points)
-[] [CT] Cold insulating fabric (1 point)
-[] [CT] Improve freeze grenades (5 points)
[x] Plan Chill the Planet, Garner Style
-[X] Tell Eiling to have an actual politician run for president
--[X] Encourage him to pick Fred Garner as the candidate he supports
--[X] Publicly endorse this campaign and provide it with money, in exchange for:
---[X] Pamela Isley as Administrator of the EPA
---[X] Write-in: You're not asking to pick the Secretary of Energy yourself, but they need to be amenable to kryptonite energy production.
--[X] Let the Garner campaign run ads on the Oz channel free of charge
-[X] [CT] Better computer coolant (1 point)
-[X] [CT] Better engine coolant (2 points)
-[X] [CT] Cold insulating fabric (1 point)
-[X] [CT] Improve freeze grenades (5 points)
Fred Garner was the president on the TV show Lois & Clark, in the late '90s no less, so I figure he has what it takes to win.
I mean. Financing a politically motivated news network that happens to also contain a bunch of good entertainment producers works great for Fox. I think it can work for us.
I'd rather leave some points unclaimed to lower the DC of the Cold Engine. That shit is dangerous to work with.
I agree with @Torgamous . That's a project that we want to sell to the president later, because it's not directly relevant to the president's election campaign, but rather something they do once in office and in command of the "bully pulpit."
The Secretary of State is America's chief diplomat. By your argument Eiling is about as unsuited for that position as he is for the presidency.
That is a fair point. On the other hand, she'll be able to use Diplomacy and Learning to compensate to some extent, inspiring others with charisma and having a good understanding of what needs to be done while letting others work on the details.
I'd like to recommend that we concentrate on the Secretary of Energy.
Our normal corporate activities (which fall under Commerce's supervision) just need a normal level of pro-business attitude. LOTS of people will be lobbying Eiling to appoint a pro-business Secretary of Commerce.
As I mention above, what we really need a favor from is the Secretary of Energy because we're planning to roll out a radical new potentially radioactive green glowing power source and use it extensively worldwide.
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Torgamous
Aspiring Gynoid
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[x] Plan Chill the Planet, Garner Style
[] Plan Chill the Planet, Eiling Style
[X] Plan Play it Cool, No Obvious Bias
I'm just gonna be a single issue voter here.
[] Plan Chill the Planet, Eiling Style
[X] Plan Play it Cool, No Obvious Bias
I'm just gonna be a single issue voter here.
No expansion required there. America's agricultural capacity is fully capable of feeding everyone and then some, it's the economic system in which that food exists that's the problem. The Department of Agriculture does help to compensate for the existence of capitalism with food stamps and such, but as far as I'm aware none of that is especially visible on the farmer's end.
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- Location
- Singapore
Maybe the United States need someone who cares to be in charge of feeding everyone.
- Location
- United States
just a thought. also secretary of interior would probably also make pam happy too though less thoughts on how that might help in any other way
- Location
- California
My high school US Gov teacher would smack me over the head for mixing up secretary of state and secretary of defense.
I don't think he'll go full MacArthur, just that he'll be very aggressive in negotiations to get the US the best deal possible.
ebolasos
Hiiii please be my friend!
- Location
- Down under
[x] Plan Chill the Planet, Eiling Style
-[X] Encourage Eiling to run for president
--[X] Let Eiling run ads for his campaign on the Oz channel free of charge
--[X] Publicly endorse his campaign and provide it with money, in exchange for:
---[X] Offer Pamela Isley as a candidate for Administrator of the EPA
---[X] Write-in: You're not asking to pick the Secretary of Energy yourself, but they need to be amenable to kryptonite energy production.
-[X] [CT] Better computer coolant (1 point)
-[X] [CT] Better engine coolant (2 points)
-[X] [CT] Cold insulating fabric (1 point)
-[X] [CT] Improve freeze grenades (5 points)
-[X] Encourage Eiling to run for president
--[X] Let Eiling run ads for his campaign on the Oz channel free of charge
--[X] Publicly endorse his campaign and provide it with money, in exchange for:
---[X] Offer Pamela Isley as a candidate for Administrator of the EPA
---[X] Write-in: You're not asking to pick the Secretary of Energy yourself, but they need to be amenable to kryptonite energy production.
-[X] [CT] Better computer coolant (1 point)
-[X] [CT] Better engine coolant (2 points)
-[X] [CT] Cold insulating fabric (1 point)
-[X] [CT] Improve freeze grenades (5 points)
- Location
- Singapore
Personally, I'm not a fan of Eiling running for president. He is way too useful as the Inside Man with his many fingers on Covert Research Projects.
A malleable President like Garner would be easier to use as a Cat's Paw and a political meatshield.
Speaking of which other than General Eiling & General Lane, another General worth having contact with would be General Hardcastle.
A malleable President like Garner would be easier to use as a Cat's Paw and a political meatshield.
Speaking of which other than General Eiling & General Lane, another General worth having contact with would be General Hardcastle.
The Grand Tour Ch.4
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
The Grand Tour, Ch. 4
Hotel Adriatic
Terenverti, Vlatava
Late July, 1938
You lay down the formally printed document brought to your by a hotel bellhop. "It's official. A royal dinner by Zog I, formerly Prime Minister of Vlatava, formerly President of Vlatava, now…"
Mildred smirks. "Now the grand high panjandrum of Vlatava?"
"Technically, only the king. He's from some old Ottoman family of beys or deys or what have you, and he was the one paying the mercenaries, so when he said "a king am I," most of the country bowed before Almighty Zog." You smirk back. "But he sounds like a fun type. He's even saved the seat of honor for me! Being the-" you pause, feeling like the cat that got the canary, an apt analogy given how much clawing it took to get to where you are- "brains of Luthor Industries hath its privileges." At the look on her face, you smile. "And yes, you're invited too."
She doesn't look very pleased at that. "Let me guess. They'll be plunking some unshaven walrus who stinks of overpriced brandy and old-man smell between us, to keep up boy-girl-boy-girl-boy alternation. Just like Milan. Or Charleston." She snorts, a sour look in her eyes. "Or worse. Foot of the table? Fifty feet away across the room?"
You smile more pertly and raise a fingertip to bop her on the nose. Raise quite a bit; she overtops you by three inches. "Now, now, Millie, you know I'm not one to let some strange man get between us. Unless-" You let the arch of your eyebrow carry the punch line to the joke, and she laughs.
You wait for her to calm down, and carry on. "Seriously, I wrote ahead to ask. I will be 'trapped' between you and the king, opposite his new queen, and you will be trapped between me and Count… Walrus." You wink. "Does his real name matter to you?"
"Not really- and thanks." She grins, properly mollified. "At least I'll have someone to talk to in something besides my half-baked, school-days French."
"I really ought to teach you some more languages."
Millie groans. "What, are you going to try to start me on ancient Greek again?"
"Hm, no." You can feel the wicked light dance in your eye as you grin, thoughtfully. "We'll start you with Latin. Something you should remember; you did take that one semester."
"Latin!?" She looks at you, starkly unbelieving.
"Relax!" You laugh. "We shall-" and with as little warning as you can manage, you lunge forward. You push her back a step, and she makes a sudden, positively hammy production of flailing in the air and falling back onto the bed on her side of the room. "You wait for the laughter to stop. "As I was saying, we shall begin with elementary regular verb conjugations." You take a half step closer, grinning wider. "Now, repeat after me: amo, amas, amamus…"
Royal Residence
Several Hours Later
The packet you picked up from a Luthor Industries commercial agent while staying with Madame Barney remained in your luggage for a long time, but it had more than a few interesting little details. Your man in Paris says that King Zog I of Vlatava is the heaviest smoker in Europe. You believe him. Zog's been chain-smoking ever since he entered the ballroom, spread with tables for his many guests. And it seems as if every man and most women in Vlatava is trying to catch up to their king. A faint haze fills the ballroom, and it's growing thicker.
Then again, you're a Maryland girl, and used to it. The Turkish tobacco favored by the Vlatavans makes milder smoke than you'd expect at home, and you could… really… use… a smoke of your own…
Normally the faint waft of smoke would soothe your nerves, but this evening it only seems to be sharpening the itch in your fingers and the press at your temples. Absently you fish out your cigarette holder and fit it with a neat little custom-rolled cigarette from a farm and tobacconist on the Eastern Shore, whose produce has suited the Luthors' needs quite well since the seventeenth century.
With a raised eyebrow and a practiced smile, you turn from a plate awaiting the next course to face the king, letting the jewels on your cigarette holder catch the light of the chandelier above. You're not interested in really turning on the charm, especially given the rest of your table company, but it gets King Zog's attention when the light flicking across his eyes draws his gaze. He settles his eyes on the young, gorgeous vision in white- if you do say so yourself- who sits at his right hand.
He turns to you, as the man across from Mildred trails off into silence, and you speak- in French, of course. Your Arabic is poor, your Turkish nonexistent, and you get the feeling the king doesn't want to hear any more Italian than he has to at the moment.
"Your Majesty, could you spare a light?"
He smiles and produces a filigreed gold lighter. You angle your holder, and soon have a smoke going. That should take care of the headache. Good medicine, you think to yourself, as you thank Zog.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. By the by, may I ask a question?"
"Of course, Miss Luthor." He nods- quite regally, all things considered.
"Your guards are very fine- and quite a few of them, I see. Has there been trouble lately?"
"Always. Since before the Ottomans, perhaps even before the Romans, Vlatava has been the land of the blood feud. Fools and malcontents have declared nearly six hundred blood feuds against me! A man cannot be too careful." King Zog says it with an easy smile- and yet he does have quite a number of bodyguards, though you can't help but wonder if some of them are more parade-ground troops than real soldiers.
"Six hundred? That must make life interesting. However do you keep track?"
"With difficulty, of course. Men have tried to assassinate me nearly fifty times! But I- I am still here!" Zog gestures, taking the Turkish cigar out of his mouth and waving it grandly in a mighty display of bravado.
You lean over to translate for Millie, admiring the man's nerve. You lean closer than is required but only a little more than is decorous, to whisper the translation in her ear. She raises an eyebrow and looks around thoughtfully.
"Your friend does not speak French?" Zog inquires, noticing the byplay.
You shrug, smiling fondly. "Mildred is a woman of many gifts. She doesn't translate, but then, I don't try to keep a horse under control or put a bullet through a bullseye at half a kilometer."
"I see. And what brings the two of you to my little Ruritania?" The king's expression is just slightly self-mocking, characterizing his relative backwater of a nation thusly. "If madame-" he tilts his head at Mildred- "is such a markswoman and equestrienne, is this perhaps a hunting trip?"
"Perhaps- but mostly we're here just to tour the mountains. I've heard fine things about the scenery in Vlatava, while I was in Italy."
"Vlatava is beautiful in the summertime. The mountains are very picturesque." Zog's face shows a genuine pride, now. And he says more, in a different tone, one you've heard from many men. Or rather almost in that tone- in a deliberate attempt to fake it.
"Perhaps you would like to stay at one of my hunting estates…"
There is a trapped, brittle expression in the man's eyes as he leans closer and takes your hand, slipping a note into your palm- which covers it entirely. The note is in English- a language rare here compared to French, Italian, and German. So far as you know, the king does not speak English. The handwriting is tiny and crabbed, and, appropriately, has the look of something laboriously prepared out of a dictionary.
I expect the Italian army to move to Vlatava at any time. I must take care of the safety and comfort of my family. Certain assets are liquidated to guarantee this. The help of your offices, especially in Italy, will be appreciated.
You glance at the note, smile, and nod, replying in French and feigning an expansive cheerfulness. "Why, of course, Your Majesty!" you exclaim, feigning a laugh easily. "I'd be delighted!"
Queen Geraldine eyes you suspiciously, for all that she's about your age and no frump herself. Such a pity, to be misunderstood, but in its way, it's a good cover for an the king's obvious desire to be discreet about selling off national assets to have a nest egg he can escape the country with, in case of foreign invasion.
Zog nods, solemnly enough to detract a bit from the flirtatious picture the two of you are trying to present. His smile is appreciative, though, if not in quite that way. Especially as you raise your glass of thick, sweet Venetian wine, palm the note and drop it in, soaking it quite thoroughly.
You make bright chatter about your recent trip to Paris, making sure to reach out to the queen and indirectly reassure the poor girl that you're not planning to enthrall her husband. You can only approve of the girl keeping a jealous watch on Zog, under the circumstances. The Treaty of Trianon hasn't been kind to the nobility of the Balkans. A daughter of Hungarian counts, reduced to working as a typist and a gift store clerk after the family fortune ran out, has all the more reason to keep her eye on the main chance. And when all's said and done, you'll be in the country for at least a week or two and avoiding trouble can only help.
The gentle music in the background plays on, course after course of banquet is served- seemingly all of them with onions; you have come to believe that the onion is the Vlatavan national vegetable…
And then Millie leans over with her left arm and practically drags you to the floor by the scruff of your neck, shouting "DOWN!" as she reaches down with her right hand to flip the table. The king acts likewise, lunging to grab his wife's leg and drag her down as he himself falls to the floor on seeming instinct. The table thumps over, but the squawking protests of the Italian couple across from you are drowned out by gunfire.
- Location
- New Jersey
I like the idea of us running for a high governmental position one day (Another achievement to mark Lex in the history books) but I do believe it too early to attempt such positions so I'm gonna go with:
[X] Plan Play it Cool, No Obvious Bias
[X] Plan Play it Cool, No Obvious Bias
- Location
- California
But how much influence does it have over those who don't support the same politics? Fox News has great influence over Republican Party but less so amongst the Democratic Party. Indeed, people will disregard information based solely on the fact that Fox News reported it. We don't want to be in that position with Oz Entertainment. Rather, wouldn't it be better to be seen as a reliable source of news that is impartial (and then use that in order to subtly influence the world)?
We potentially are losing that huge resource to...what? Try and support the candidacy of an individual that may or may not be good for the job- and thus linking our fledgling network with the political party?
I mean no ones saying that we can't run adverts for his opponents as well, just that Eiling's will be for free
The channel itself would remain politically neutral it's just that Lex himself is supporting a specific candidate, as is his right as a private citizen
Is that something we could do @King crimson?