This neck to neck vote makes me wonder how the turmoil of shaping the current goverment went (in character)... A long power struggle between clerics and bueraucrats?
Unfortunately, each one excludes the other from happening (the Gaian Priesthood assumes an Earth where the conflict was kept relatively low-key, the Earth Administration Council assumes an Earth where the conflict was extraordinarily more devastating.)
Unfortunately, each one excludes the other from happening (the Gaian Priesthood assumes an Earth where the conflict was kept relatively low-key, the Earth Administration Council assumes an Earth where the conflict was extraordinarily more devastating.)
Unfortunately, each one excludes the other from happening (the Gaian Priesthood assumes an Earth where the conflict was kept relatively low-key, the Earth Administration Council assumes an Earth where the conflict was extraordinarily more devastating.)
A global uprising led by various religious leaders against the old governments after a series of events made nuclear warfare a far too likely prospect?
Could explain the lack of an Authoritarian party(as nobody particularly trusts those in power), the Xenophobia(warmongering state-led propaganda sowing distrust and division everywhere) and why the Pacifists outnumber the Militarists 3-1.
A global uprising led by various religious leaders against the old governments after a series of events made nuclear warfare a far too likely prospect?
Could explain the lack of an Authoritarian party(as nobody particularly trusts those in power), the Xenophobia(warmongering state-led propaganda sowing distrust and division everywhere) and why the Pacifists outnumber the Militarists 3-1.
The final death of monarchies and autocratic systems of rule could be found in the beginning stages of the Last World War. Much like the First World War, the conflict began as a series of smaller, regional conflicts which escalated rapidly to span the entirety of the planet's surface. Among these conflicts was the Middle Eastern Nuclear Exchange, where religious and political tensions resulted in the deployment of nuclear weapons across much of the region.
Two powers that received much of the blame were Saudi Arabia and Iran, long-time rivals who were involved in a series of proxy wars at the time. It remains unclear to this day which side fired first, and remaining records indicate that both sides believed to be only retaliating.
Following the end of the war, concentrated propaganda efforts were made to lay the blame for the war down at the feet of autocratic governments the world over. These efforts were wildly successful, culminating in hatred for not only autocracy but monarchies, even power-less ones the world over. Those with surviving ties to the nobility swiftly hid them, and those revealed to possess them were exiled, imprisoned, or killed.
Religious organizations such as the emergent Gaian Priesthood managed to avoid this by not exercising any governmental powers or controls over the people. With the establishment of the Paladins - a paramilitary force created to protect temples and worshippers - the leaders of the Priesthood moved swiftly to prevent unrest. The creation of secular and democratically-elected positions (not without power, but subordinate to the Priesthood,) mitigated this somewhat, but as the Exalt grew in power, tensions continued to mount.
Below the Exalt was a council of senior priests known as the Counsellors, who advised the Exalt and when needed, elected another. It would not do to have Exalt Roland, chosen from the ranks of the Counsellors, to be the leader of a united Gaia. At the same time, to forcibly remove him from power might stir a desire from the populace for them to elect a leader democratically - equally unthinkable to the Counsellors. In the end, Exalt Roland had been retired, the man citing his failing health as an explanation, and vanished from the public eye.
This left the Counsellors to elect the Exalt. Rather than elect another from their number, however, the Counsellors instead turned to younger, more popular priests. Of whom it was hoped that the populace would accept, even if they had no personal control over the selection in the end.
While the Counsellors had power over their pick as Exalt, and over the newly-created position of the Gaian Archpriest, there were other political appointments that would not be as ideologically aligned as they had wished. Due to the connections they forged, the popularity they held, or simply the talents they could not be dismissed easily and replaced with more agreeable leaders.
In the end, the Counsellors voted for and appointed...
Exalt: Pick One
[][Ruler] Vincent Dahlman
[][Ruler] Malai Mah
[][Ruler] Helle Dohman
Vincent Dahlman
Level: 8. Age: 64. Spiritualist.
Charismatic (Internal diplomatic actions are more common and easier.) "Today we stand on the verge of greatness! Who among you will cast the deciding vote and ensure mankind's place among the stars?"
Malai Mah
Level: 6. Age: 54. Spiritualist.
Explorer (All scientists exploring with this leader in office have reduced DC and are more likely to discover anomalies.) "The universe is full of mystery that Gaia has long taught us to love and to fear. In understanding it, we will appreciate our home better."
Helle Dohman
Level: 6. Age: 52. Spiritualist.
Industrialist (Actions for governors to improve industry are easier and more common.) "Gaia has been a source for our Industry for many generations. Let us let her rest, and sate our hunger for Industry on the stars."
Archpriest of Gaia: Pick One
[][Governor] Valerina Bover
[][Governor] Yared Ayodele
[][Governor] Boubacar Kariuki
Valeriana Bover
Level: 5. Age: 43. Spiritualist.
Agrarian Upbringing (Actions relating to food production are easier and more common.) "Gaia has given much to us and still has more to give. All we must do is return what is owed to Gaia."
Yared Ayodele
Level: 4. Age 35. Spiritualist.
Agrarian Upbringing (Actions relating to food production are easier and more common.) "As we speak of extrasolar travel and matters beyond our own system, I look back and still see those starving here on Gaia."
Boubacar Kariuki
Level: 3. Age 28. Spiritualist.
Resilient (+25 Years to Lifespan) "I can't say honestly that I am the most qualified candidate for this esteemed position. Look at my record, however, and see how far I've come in the ten years since I joined the Priesthood."
Natural Philosophy Heads: Pick Four
[][Scientist] Hilarion Solomon
[][Scientist] Harewoin Adebayo
[][Scientist] Enisa Acton
[][Scientist] Mpho Abidun
[][Scientist] Heimirch Abraham
Hilarion Solomon
Level: 3. Age: 45. Pacifist.
Archaeologist (Actions relating to ancient civilizations are more common and easier.) "Since Pluto, we've been paralyzed with fear over what remains out there. Finding evidence of alien downfalls will do much to assuage fears.)
Harewoin Adebayo
Level: 3. Age: 48. Pacifist.
Adaptable (Level-up DC is reduced per level. In addition, may never get the "Stubborn" or "Arrested Development" Traits.) "I am no expert, good Counsellors, but I have dabbled significantly in each subject of scientific inquiry known to man."
Enisa Acton
Level: 4. Age: 50. Xenophobe.
Resilient (+25 Years to Lifespan) "Whatever is out there in the universe, you're going to want a scientist with years of experience to take it apart and dissect it."
Mpho Abiodun
Level: 3. Age: 40. Xenophile.
Expertise: Industry (Industrial Technology is easier to research and faster to increase.) "While there is some fear over non-human life in the galaxy, different environmental conditions outside those of Earth could lead to some improvements in general industry."
Heimirch Abraham
Level: 3. Age: 43. Egalitarian.
Expertise: Materials (Materials Technology is easier to research and faster to increase.) "I have a long history of working together with others to produce benefits for all. I once collaborated on the design for the plating our ships use!"
Admiral of the Space Defense Force: Pick One
[][Admiral] Ji-Eun Cho
[][Admiral] Javed Hier
[][Admiral] Daiki Inoue
Ji-Eun Cho
Level: 2. Age: 33. Xenophobe.
Unyielding (Increased DC for disengaging or retreating, decreased DC for continuing to fight.) "No matter what is out there, I will not retreat."
Javed Hier
Level: 2. Age: 37. Militarist
Adaptable (Level-up DC is reduced per level. In addition, may never get the "Stubborn" or "Arrested Development" Traits.) "I will be direct - the purpose of a military is to destroy the enemies of the state and its people. That may not be popular, but that is true."
Daiki Inoue
Level: 3. Age: 42. Pacifist.
Gale Speed (Decreased DC for actions requiring swift movement or deployment.) "I will not leap at the chance to kill - I will not shy away from killing either."
General of the Planetary Defense Force: Pick One
[][General] Kahina Otieno
[][General] Kanya Yu
[][General] Mawar Pan
Kahina Otieno
Level: 3. Age: 43. Materialist.
Charismatic (Morale-Based DCs are lowered.) "I have perfected my techniques through experience and study of psychological techniques and past leaders - my men will fight through the Apocalypse if you need them to."
Kanya Yu
Level: 4. Age: 50. Materialist.
Army Logistician (Supply-Based DCs are lowered.) "An army marches on their stomach - and much, much more."
Mawar Pan
Level: 2. Age: 34. Xenophobe.
Glory Seeker (Combat-related DCs are lowered. Increased chances of being wounded or killed.) "I will die before I see an alien flag over this Green Earth."
"Stubborn" and "Arrested Development" have a chance to occur in characters here. The first will cause them to level up more slowly, while the second will stop all leveling entirely. Unless, of course, the character has adaptable.
As for traits, levels, and ages of the leaders you see, any bad selections are to be blamed on the dice.
All leaders have a chance to level up a turn. The formula for this is (D20 vs Level*2)
Names were randomized to an extent to represent the degree of immigration and cultural bleedthrough that had happened in the generations before the war. There was less after that.
Ah, spiritualists/environmentalists, always a great combo for galaxy domination, with it's little political drift due to brainwa- khm, spiritual enlightenment and a nice bonus with less resources spend on believers. Stacks pretty nicely with One Vision ascencion, too
Increased Lifespan means that your leader will stay around for longer, having more chances to level up and will go for longer without having to be replaced and retrained.
Granted, it's a double-edged sword: you could end up with a leader who is incompatible with the current political climate and refuses to die off.
@UltimatePaladin Is the level cap on Leaders a hard one or a soft cap?
Stellaris has a hard cap, with Leaders unable to improve past a certain point. I would prefer a soft cap, where Leaders can always gain levels but after the soft cap the experience requirements to improve drastically increases.
Anomaly bonus through Malai Mah as Ruler paired with Solomon the Archaeologist and Acton the Xenophobe researcher should give us good odds of reverse-engineering our way to parity with the rest of the galaxy.
Valeriana Bover is older yet higher level and the terms are for 5 years anyway. More food means more popgrowth and more popgrowth in Stellaris means more people working on industries(or researching) planetside.
It's good early but we probably want to switch later on, so the number of re-elections is less relevant.
Kanya's supply buff might be useful in peacetime and (s)he's also the highest level candidate.
Javed because all admiral candidates are fairly young and low-level and adaptability means faster growth. Being a Militarist also seems like a better fit than a Xenophobe or Pacifist.
Xenophobe: The thought of extraterrestrial life fills you with horror. Who knows what could be in the depths of the alien mind, what strange inhuman thoughts drive their actions? You can't take a risk, you can't. You are at an advantage when acting against aliens. (Xenophobe Scientists are able to reverse-engineer alien technology more easily.) You are at a disadvantage when interacting with aliens. (Xenophobe Generals find it difficult to keep the peace on conquered worlds.)
Important to note that those are just examples of how a political alignment could help or hurt any kind of leader.
Xenophobic Scientists can benefit from researching technology against alien foes. Xenophobic Scientists will suffer when developing technologies for alien benefit or when using data given in trade by alien nations out of fear of the Alien.
Important to note that those are just examples of how a political alignment could help or hurt any kind of leader.
Xenophobic Scientists can benefit from researching technology against alien foes. Xenophobic Scientists will suffer when developing technologies for alien benefit or when using data given in trade by alien nations out of fear of the Alien.
I'd think when a Xenophobic scientist was using data given by allied nations, they wouldn't have trouble out of fear of the Alien, so much as they'd want to go through all the data and test everything to make sure than the aliens hadn't slipped in a trap, missed something important or just gotten something wrong somewhere in a place that doesn't make the data useless but will cause problems trying to use it for anything other than what it was being used for originally. After all, they're aliens. Who knows what they might really be thinking, or even if they're actually as capable as humanity at this thing.
All of which takes time and money. So similar effect, different causes really.
I'd think when a Xenophobic scientist was using data given by allied nations, they wouldn't have trouble out of fear of the Alien, so much as they'd want to go through all the data and test everything to make sure than the aliens hadn't slipped in a trap, missed something important or just gotten something wrong somewhere in a place that doesn't make the data useless but will cause problems trying to use it for anything other than what it was being used for originally. After all, they're aliens. Who knows what they might really be thinking, or even if they're actually as capable as humanity at this thing.
All of which takes time and money. So similar effect, different causes really.
