Year 1, 2105 AD
With your cabinet chosen, it takes little more than a week for the sprawling mass of officials and experts that make up the majority of EarthGov to relocate to their new home. Settling in takes another week, with more than a few clashes on who gets which buildings, but it's simple enough to settle those issues. As the bureaucracy gets set, you decide to use the relative peace to hold an initial meeting with your cabinet. The view is beautiful, stretching from your viewpoint on the hills all the way to the coast, shining towers of metal and glass sparkling in the sunlight.
It's a nice distraction if nothing else, as the spectre of approaching war weighs heavily on your mind. You aren't a warrior, you never were, and now you must prepare the entire world for something you have only a historical understanding of. Yet you fought for this post, so there must be some spark of fight in you. You can only hope that you can bring it out.
You have Eleven (11) dice to spend. Unless an option states otherwise, there is no limit to the number of dice you may spend on one option.
Military
Marshal the Troops: The SDC has come a long way since its inception, the only organisation that you could truly call a professional fighting force. It's not the only one however, and though EarthGov has kept meticulous records on expenditures, the actual breakdown of forces available to you is…less than satisfactory.
[] The Solarian Defence Corps: Grown from humble origins, the SDC is the most well-known of all humanity's creations that will oppose the Shiplords. Numbering in the tens of thousands, a full accounting of their strength could not go amiss. [60%, 1 year]
[] Potentials: The products of the Awakenings are without question the most powerful weapon in the arsenal of mankind. Devices and weaponry without peer, skill applicable to the battlefield that goes beyond superhuman, and in the case of the First Awoken a promise of fire and will that the Week of Sorrows will never again touch humanity. [50%, 1 year]
[] Experimental/Auxiliary formations: There are over a score of these projects, some having apparently been steadily working away since before you left your Institute. At least you hope they've been working for all that time. Some of what's talked about in the records sounds completely insane, but fifty years ago the same was said of the theory that underlies your power. [???]
Full Inventory: There was never much order to the work of the First Awoken to begin with, and much of it was secretive at first. There are many weapons and other Practiced devices scattered across the globe known only to few. Old as they may be they are still creations of Practice, and that makes them valuable.
[] Search for weapons: The weapons of the First remain without peer, and the stories of some of the power of some of the lost devices are both chilling and incredible. With war looming, you need every piece of that power that you can find. [60%, 2 years]
[] Search for devices: Weapons were most of what the First Awoken created, but it was not all. The Elder First are said to have built many things in the first years after the awakening, all of which vanished five years later. What did they create, and why did they choose to lose it? [25%, 2 years]
Forging the Sword: The only blows humanity successfully struck against the Shiplords were made in space, but although you have reyeared to the stars little of what plies the dark is military. There was little need for it, but that's all changed now. All you have to do is work out which of the proposals you want your Minister to push.
[] The Haft: The proposal from the SDC is well made, a new line of warships reinforced by Practice to expand their limited space presence. Individually they'll still be much weaker than Shiplord vessels, but quantity has a quality of its own. And from the looks of their plan, they've been working on the tactics and logistics involved for the last three decades. [70%, 2 years]
[] The Hilt: You really didn't expect that Restorers like yourself would have an idea for the fleet, but it years out that you'd be wrong. The weapons of the Shiplords were unlike anything humanity had ever encountered, but Practice could even that playing field. Using some of the results gleaned from Project Insight, they've designed a vessel that should be able to shield others from Shiplord fire. Each one requires fine Practice, limiting their numbers, but as a shield they will be without peer. [50%, 2 years]
[] The Blade: The plan created by the First is unsurprising, but exceptionally detailed in terms of costs and time required. They also seem to have known about the other proposals before you did, which raises some interesting questions. When the Shiplords came, they came in small numbers, and the workings of Project Insight lead the First to believe that they may be able to build ships capable of matching them. Not many, but if the Week of Sorrows was anything to go by you won't need many if they can match Shiplord technology. [55%, 2 years]
Humanity's Shield: Weapons are well and good, but a solar system makes for a vast fortress given time. Here you have something to work with as well, as all of humanity's orbitals are equipped with some weaponry. There's always room for improvement however, and a new need for it too.
[] Eyes to See: You can't hit an enemy you can't see coming, so a network of sensor platforms at the edge of the heliosphere has been proposed. These should give you some early warning of the Shiplords' arrival and help you secure the system. [65%, 1 year]
[] Walls of Steel: The new orbitals across the solar system are all armed, but their construction was never designed to hold up to Shiplord firepower; only Prometheus Station coming close. That can be fixed, but it will take time. [70%, 3 years]
[] The Maw: The Shiplords came with only eight ships before, surely it would be possible to overwhelm them with firepower, and the orbitals provide far larger platforms for weaponry. It's possible that you could up-gun them further and then direct all of that firepower at the Shiplords. [50%, 2 years]
[] The Aegis: Orbitals are well and good, but Project Insight has shown that the Shiplords can be a truly spiteful people. You have some planetary defences, but nothing unified, and the planetary shield network has been stalled in the construction phase for years. If humanity is to live, you must be able to protect Earth. [50%, 3 years]
Potential Combat Doctrine: The First are an eclectic bunch, all with different styles of participating in combat, and this has only become worse as the Second and Third have come into their own. Lina has been trying to put together a common doctrine for Potentials for a while, and she's made progress. The problem is that no one has been willing to put it to the test, but it's easy enough to change that.
[] Slow and Steady Wins the Race: Take the time to formalise the doctrines that Lina has been putting together, bring in Potentials from all of the Awakenings to provide their own insights and make damned sure that everything is ready before you start working with them. [80%, 4 years]
[] Swift Caution: You'd love to take more time to make sure all of this will work, but there's a war on the horizon. Formalise the package, run it through a quick editing, then distribute and begin training rotations. [50%, 2 years]
[] Damn the Torpedoes: There is a war coming, it'll be here soon, and you need to give all of your Potentials as much time to absorb this new doctrine as you can. Lina's spent years on this, that should be enough. [30%. 1 year]
Diplomacy
[] Presidential Address: It is a tradition older than democracy itself that a new leader speaks to their people on taking the reins of power and lays out plans for the future. In turbulent times, it gives people something to hold on to, and you know the importance of the mind and soul far better than most. [Automatic success, roll made to determine effectiveness. Write in how you want to address humanity, and what issues you want to talk to them about. If you write me a good speech, you'll get a nice bonus on the check. Time Limit: 2 years]
Those Behind the Curtain: The government is not just you and your cabinet. There are hundreds, thousands in fact, of others who take part in the process of keeping humanity stable. Recently they have been extremely overworked, and it wouldn't be hard to arrange some social occasions to meet them and get to know the people who will be implementing your plans.
[] The World Congress: Although they've stepped down from their voting duties, the Congress is still the elected voice of the world that you now lead. With the voluntary suspension of debating policy, they now have far more time to dedicate to their constituencies then you do and are a potential gold mine of information and experience, if you can win their confidence. [40%, 1 year]
[] The Bureaucracy: The thousands who will be responsible for putting your decisions into action, it's actually surprisingly small when compared to the governments of the old world. These are the people who have been most stressed by the sudden changes that came with the Pattern's discovery, but also the most experienced in navigating EGOV 's complex web. [60%, 1 year]
Reach to the World: You've spent years trying to put the world back together, but even a Potential has limits. The Circles helped, but there's more that can be done. A world united is a powerful thing, but you've already done most of the easy work. Now you have to work out the hard parts.
[] Those of Earth: You know your homeworld far better than most in your position, but you still don't know everything. Poll the masses, survey medical and social centres, and ask question to see what can be made better. [70%, 1 year]
[] Those of the Sky: The population currently living in the orbitals is still small, but also vitally important. Their needs are quite different to the rest of humanity however, and knowing what they need will let you take that into account in future. [60%, 1 year]
[] (Special: Heart of Circles unlock) Those of the Circles: The Circles are present across all of human society, and you know that many of them see things as you do. They could give you a complete picture, although putting it all together could be difficult. [40%, 1 year]
One World, One Heart: Kazuki has been far more personally exposed to the needs and desires of the people, and he has some suggestions for how to bring all closer together. He's quite adamant about the need for them, and although you agree you can't quite see how some of it is meant to work.
[] The People Sing: You know the power of music; it's been a way of finding peace ever since you were a teenager. Kazuki knows it even better, and has prepared a series of events that will use it to bring the world together. The plan has you speaking at several, but apparently you're singing at a few as well. You're not sure how you feel about that, to be honest. [70%, 1 year]
[] The Heart Remembers: Billions were taken in the Week of Sorrows, and although they are remembered it has been too long since a proper ceremony. The Third were but children at the last one, and perhaps it might help them understand the depth of loss inflicted by your enemy. [60%, 1 year]
Stewardship
The Forge: Although the Shiplords did not burn the Earth, they did destroy the vast majority of its orbital infrastructure and it took time to rebuild that without the ease of the First Secret. Much has been remade, but the humanity of the Second Secret had no great need for shipyards or war factories. If you are to create a force that can face the Shiplords, however, Earth must have them.
[] Steel Wombs: Most of humanity's ships have been built on Earth, or in the few small berths that have been constructed since you reyeared to the stars. But for the war, you will need vessels far larger and more complex than anything humans have ever built. For that you'll need a proper shipyard complex. [50%, 2 years]
[] The Lifeblood of War: The sort of militarisation you're going to need will require vast amounts of resources, and Earth is nearing the end of her vast supply. Fortunately, there are other places you can go in the solar system. [50%, 2 years]
[] The Old World's Bounty: That is not say that the world of your birth is without use, however. You know yourself that there are scores of old factories that could be brought back online to help support the war effort. [40%. 2 years]
[] Girded in Miracle: The Potentials are capable of truly incredible works, and you know from the reports of Project Insight that these miracles will be needed. Perhaps you could organise them into a more effective construction force? [30%, 2 years]
[] Reaching Heaven: Currently your entire ground-to-orbit setup is something of a mess, even with Potentials having replaced crude chemical rockets with much more efficient flight mechanisms. An old plan from before the Week of Sorrows might help fix that, although the costs make your head spin. It's called a Space Elevator. [40%, 3 years]
Amateurs study Tactics…: You spent ten years of your youth rebuilding parts of the old world, and that included the meticulous infrastructure that has been badly damaged by a severe lack of proper maintenance. Surely you can do more to repair it now.
[] What's the Damage?: Although you'd love to jump straight into the work at hand, a full survey of the global network is probably a better idea to let you know where needs the most work. [50%, 1 year]
[] Stress Relief: It might be safer to put some patches in place before you start powering down sections of the network to do survey work. Who knows if you'd be able to get it back online again. [40%, 1 year]
[] Just Fix It: You don't have time to worry about potential problems, you have a war coming and you need Earth's infrastructure net restored now. [20%, 1 year]
[] (Special: Restorer of the Old World unlock) Full Rebuild: You've worked with the network on many occasions, and you know it rather well. Bringing some of your expertise to bear on this problem should allow you to do everything you need to at once. [30%, 1 years]
Red Ashes: When Mars burned, you lost more than lives. On that world lay some of the most advanced facilities ever built, and everything they had worked on was lost. You're not sure how Mary is likely to feel about trying to reclaim the world her family died on, but it's worth trying.
[] Survey Work: Before you can even try to start putting things back together, you're going to need to resurvey the planet and make sure everything is still where it should be. [50%, 1 year]
[] Base of Operations: Establish a small base on the burned planet. It'll let you do some of the survey with boots on the ground, and should speed up the entire process. [30%, 1 year]
Thera's Mystery: You know that Adriana is working on something on the side, she's told you as much, but even now all she will tell you about it is what she'd need to make whatever it is useable. Something that should revolutionise the design process, if she's to be believed. The fact that she's been talking with Mary about it as well is something you are glad for and at the same time slightly terrified by. What to do… (Choose one if this action is taken)
[] Minimal Support: Adriana has been working on this for a while, she can work on it by herself for a bit longer. You have more important projects.
[] Full Support: You'll give her what she needs, but nothing more until you can actually see some results. You have to be pragmatic about this, it's part of the job.
[] Overwhelming support: If Mary has continued talking to her after she explained the idea, then it has to have merit. Throw every resource you can at the project. If she needs access to the entire distributed network, she'll have it and more besides.
Intrigue
Limited Bandwidth: Cannot select more than two actions.
The Spider's Web: EarthGov is a finely balanced web of competing interests, one that has been flung vastly out of balance by the discovery of the Pattern and your election as President. Your understanding of that web is rather lacking, however, and it's been strongly suggested that you fix that.
[] The World Congress: The single most powerful check to Presidential power, they've ceded effectively complete power to you. Who pushed for that? Why? And what do they think of you? [40%, 1 year]
[] The Administration: They've been thrown for a loop by your appointment far more than Congress, so it might be expected that they'd hold a few grudges. They also are the ones responsible for actually implementing policy, which makes their happiness with you much more important than you thought. [50%, 1 year]
[] The Cabinet: You almost had a screaming argument with Marcus when you saw this suggestion. Almost. He knows the ins and outs of politics far better than you, and although the entire idea makes you feel a bit dirty inside…he might have a point. Maybe. [40%, 1 year]
Know thy Enemy: The Shiplords are coming, you know that now, and if you are to be prepared you must know what they are truly capable of.
[] Visions of the Lost: There are, now that you think of it, records of the Shiplords during the battles that began the Week of Sorrows. Recorded across every spectrum that humanity knew of at that time, they could be a valuable resource that none have thought to tap. [50%, 2 years]
[] Insight requires…Insight: Most of Project Insight is only slowly becoming accessible to you, and the charitable part of you can understand why. Unfortunately, you need access to the resources of that project now. [35%, 1 year]
[] Corpses Leave Clues: The Shiplords did good work cleaning up the mess that their two ships made when they were destroyed, but several pieces evaded their clean-up. Most have settled into stable orbits now, and each is a potential gold mine of Shiplord technology. [???, 2 years]
[] Watching the Stars: When the Shiplords handed down the Directives, they said that any violation would be swiftly punished. To the suspicious minded, that would suggest that they left eyes behind. How about you go looking for them…so you can poke them out. [20% chance of more information every year]
Learning
Daughter of Secrets: you have One (1) free dice for Learning actions.
Practiced Power: The Potentials are the most powerful weapon humanity has, but it's a weapon that you still know frighteningly little about. Mary now has access to far more resources than she did before, maybe you can help her along.
[] A Gift of Blood and Soul: It's a matter of record that the Potentials came from a sacrifice of the Great Dragons humanity built to protect itself, but what does that mean? Few records of the Dragons remain, and were before out of reach even to Mary. It's quite different now. [40%, 1 year]
[] The Making of Miracles: Practice can bring forth the untapped potential of any object, limited as it is by a Potential's Focus. A lot of Practice is personal, but some is similar, and a formal foundation to work from could help many of the Third. [50%, 1 year]
[] (Special: Touching the Void Unlock) Echoes of Power: Your work with Mary in more recent years opened your eyes to the stranger sides of what Practice was capable of. With more time, and some work finding more like you, Mary thinks she can bring her theory into concrete reality. [25%, 2 years]
The Neverending Journey: The pursuit of knowledge is an endless path, with no set beginning or end. Mary has been walking it since she was small, and has found only a few like her in that time. You count yourself lucky to be among them, even if you've fallen a little behind. Now she wants to do something with what they know.
[] Bring it Together: Expand the Ministry of Science to include these dedicated followers of knowing, allowing them to put all of their knowledge directly to work. [50%. 1 year]
[] Look to the Future: Knowledge in your hands is useful, but knowledge in the hands of all is priceless. Found a specialist Institute, staffed with those like Mary, and have them start teaching. [40%, 4 years]
[] Records and Archives: Much of what you know is a result of the meticulous records kept by the old world, where all you have are the individual records of your scientists. Expand the allocation to archive and sorting infostructure, and begin collating everything. [70%, 2 years]
[] Void Secrets: The Directives forbade use of the First and Second Secrets on pain of extinction, but they never said anything about learning more of the Secrets of the Void. Mary is daughter to the man who discovered the First Secret, heir to the legacy of the Void in more ways than one. None have wished to delve into this field for fear of drawing attention to Earth, but now that you know of the Pattern there is little need for caution. [40%, 2 years]
[] Conceptual Chaos: For as long as you've known her Mary's mind has burst with possibilities, more than she could ever focus on by herself. These ideas have never really been limited by field, although many focus around reality physics. Now that she's a Minister, you can actually detail enough people to keep up with her endless ingenuity. [60%, 2 years]
[] Unravelling the Impossible: Trying to understand, let alone replicate, the creations of Practice would to most be a truly impossible task verging on insane. Unfortunately, someone said that in Mary's hearing. She took it as a challenge. [30%, 4 years]
[] Writing on the Soul: It's easy to say that Potentials are a result of power in an imprint on their soul. It's a lot harder to explain. There have been great strides in the theory, but it needs the distributed network to finish the final calculations in less than centuries. [40%, 2 years]
Practice Actions
Mechanics: Practice actions are generally taken in support of other actions you've picked. Certain actions are not viable for the application of Practice, but most are. Each Practice dice will roll against the difficulty of the action, and on a success will create something. This can range from a computer system that will grant a bonus, to speeding up the action, to Practiced Miracles. Practiced Miracles have a chance to occur whenever your margin of success breaches a hundred and automatically on a natural 100. A margin of success of 100+ means that a Practice Trance has taken place, which can lead to a Practiced Miracle, but will usually need a little more work to bring to fruition.
You have Four (4) Practice Dice to assign to actions. Unless explicitly stated, you may not assign Practice Dice to Practice Actions.
[] Soul Over Body: The example of Marcus Romero shows the power of a Potential's gift when yeared inwards, something only a few of the First have done to a similar degree. You've seen one side of a Potential's power. This is another, and it bears exploring. [50%, 2 years, will unlock further actions]
Project Harmony: Practiced Miracles are the result of joint Trances, a process that you believe allows a group of Potentials to widen the lens through which they project their power to include all of their Focuses. Vega has an understanding of this process far more advanced than she should, which is one of the reasons you believed her. Now you're going to give her the chance to build on it.
[] Be Harmonious: Vega has an instinctive awareness of how to bring many together in a Trance, and she believes she could teach some of those with similar Focuses to sense the same things. [50%, 2 years]
[] Practical Proofs: One of the reasons that she's been having so much trouble is that she's not been able to actually show her work. Bring in some Potentials and get them to Practice with her, that should get some results. [60%, 2 years]
[] Hey, Listen!: Lab work and teaching are good ideas, but they're not thinking big enough. Assign Vega to lead the Potential involvement with one of your new projects, and then just let what happens happen. [40%, 1 year]
Personal Actions
Personal actions represent character building opportunities as well as a way for Amanda to grow mechanically. Certain choices will have the potential to open up into mini-turn Events, which I'll try to use to let you get into her head and directly affect how she sees and interacts with the world. These actions are rolled, but require no dice, the number available will depend on political choices and other events.
Busy as you are, may only select One (1) Personal action this year.
Brushing Up: You used to be able to keep up with Mary most of the time, and she's teased you on occasion about how just a little focus could help you there. On the other hand, your new State Minister has been making quiet inquiries about your singing voice, and it pays to be at your best.
[] Work with Mary: Get back into the saddle as a scientist and finally take the time to work through the theories that Mary has been trying to get you to give a proper read for the last few years.
[] Singing Heart: Music, particularly song, has always been an escape for you, a way to reconnect with yourself. You've also found it an excellent way to connect with a large number of people, but you're not really sure about the concerts Kazuki seems to want you to be part of. Taking some time to practice properly should help.
[] Make Something: You're a Potential, capable of working items into artefacts so far removed from their original form and function that they might as well be considered magic. It will take time, but the results will be worth it. [Start Practicing an object, write-in a general idea of what you want to make.]
[] Work with a Minister: Your Ministers are all experts in their fields, excellent on the job teachers for matters that you have little experience with. [Write-in for Minister. Chance to raise stats and/or gain Traits related to the stat.]
[] Powerful Echoes: You've become steadily more convinced over the years that there is something deeper hiding in what Potentials can do, some ability to touch concepts and influence metaphysics in a way that is terribly hard to understand. You've reached for it before, see if you can find it again, and hold onto it this time.
[] Write-in
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