Having thought on things there might be a reason to lean into an Elite quality force, that being to take advantage of the psionics tech tree which as of this moment is unique to the Rachni. Matching the Reapers technologically is likely not going to be feasible in the timeframe given and as the wars against the Protheans and the Citadel have shown the Rachni, despite their prodigious reproductive rates, are no Zerg or Tyrannids and they cannot bury their enemies in sheer weight of numbers alone.
Psionics can be insanely powerful force multipliers and while even a low end user can be deadly higher end ones are exponentially more powerful being able to do things like no-selling mind control, reflecting weapons fire, and launching devastating psionic attacks that can bypass armor and energy shields.
We can still pursue field deployment of psychic units as higher quality. We are even fielding some impressive abilities like rezzing enemy combatants as assets. Also tbf we were winning before the only reason we lost to the citadel races was them uplifting and weaponizing the most biologically overclocked race in the galaxy and giving them free reign to assault us. Thus why we are upgrading our navy as well. The endless swarms of more efficient fighters backed by carriers and geth high end ships makes us intimidating.
I understand that to mean that the implementation of psionic technology and techniques will always lag behind in the military. I imagine that will translate out to techs requiring twice the effort they would otherwise before being made available to the military. That is a dangerous disadvantage considering the scientific abilities of the rest of the galaxy be it other species such as the Salarians or the universal threat that are the Reapers.
There's something else I forgot to account for in my last post, that being that the Elders from XCOM are present in the setting. Psionics are as much a defense as they are another weapon and given the Elder's mastery of psionics making sure that frontline troops have the best in psionic technologies and techniques will be critical to keep them from being utterly crushed by the Elders.
I'm particularly concerned that with the way the Rachni hivemind works that the Elders will be able to take over entire fleets. The Elders made use of a similar psionic network to maintain control over their forces in XCOM 2 suggesting that it wouldn't beyond the realm of possibility for them to subvert the Rachni hivemind either.
Also tbf we were winning before the only reason we lost to the citadel races was them uplifting and weaponizing the most biologically overclocked race in the galaxy and giving them free reign to assault us. Thus why we are upgrading our navy as well. The endless swarms of more efficient fighters backed by carriers and geth high end ships makes us intimidating.
That's kind of my point though. Our enemies can and have devised of counters to cheaply equipped swarms of Rachni and in all likelihood would be able to counter it again. Sure they no longer have the Krogan but the Citadel has likely spent the centuries since the Rachni Wars planning contingencies of all kinds, if not for a resurgent Rachni, in case another similar threat is unleashed upon them through a newly unlocked relay.
Furthermore the Rachni that gave the Citadel hell had all the time since hiding away from the Protheans to grow a substantial population. That gave them the base population and industry to expand quickly enough to threaten a galaxy that was home to trillions. Not to mention what covert assistance they might have received from their Reaper overlords.
The Rachni that faced the Citadel had millennia to expand and grow. The Rachni as of right now have only had six Citadel months.
I agree - Swarm seems like a good idea because it was the strategy favoured by the rachni in the past, but there are a number of reasons why I view it as suboptimal at this point. At that point it was mainly the asari and salarians that were the opponents, both of whom favour an elite doctrine that was vulnerable to being overwhelmed by our raw numbers - numbers that we can't yet bring to bear yet anyway. And both were further at a disadvantage due to their preferred respective methods of negotiation and subversion being largely off-limits due to the rachni at the time being mind controlled. Without the rachni being mass indoctrinated, that's actually now on the table, with the possibility that they might actually be able to split off other queens.
And it's no longer just them that we face - the turians and the humans are much more committed soldiers, that don't specialise to the same extreme anyway.
The galaxy is not as it was, and neither are we - the rachni are not the Formics. We don't have disposable drones, that's just how the reapers and Protheans were happy to use us.
But most of all, it's too easy to see Swarm as our greatest strength potential, and thus one we should seek to maximise. We can excel just as much via specialised elites, since we can literally specifically conceive our young for the express purpose of thriving in any particular chosen niche.
Also tbf we were winning before the only reason we lost to the citadel races was them uplifting and weaponizing the most biologically overclocked race in the galaxy and giving them free reign to assault us.
It's not really cheating, though. Finding a clever trick like that is pretty much the salarians' hat, and exactly what you'd expect them to try to do. Maybe they'd set the yahg on us this time. Or if they were really scared, they're very much able to cure the genophage if they need to.
Without the rachni being mass indoctrinated, that's actually now on the table, with the possibility that they might actually be able to split off other queens.
Yea that is a problem, i hope we go hamm on Psionics and keep our unity.
Personally while it's to early to speak of it yet my real grand ambition is to form collective consciousness with Geth and become a singularity. But it's still to early for it in character as we knew them only couple of months and worries like survival and Yellow Note are main concern for us.
The Swarm/Carrier doctrine has the minor issue of being extremely demanding on the industrial end. And the Rachni simply doesn't have the numbers for that right now.
We don't. But if anyone can, we can. Your argument can be made for the other doctrines as well.
If we go Elite we basically are starting at a tech deficit, which is actually harder to make up. If we go any of the others we have all the problems of a tech deficit plus some of the problems of a manufacturing deficit. The only tactic that doesn't require us to massively revamp our tech base is swarm.
Not currently. Rachni industry is a mess as of this moment and it is effecting not only their efforts to expand said industry but also military preparedness.
If we go Elite we basically are starting at a tech deficit, which is actually harder to make up. If we go any of the others we have all the problems of a tech deficit plus some of the problems of a manufacturing deficit. The only tactic that doesn't require us to massively revamp our tech base is swarm.
Raptorus laid this out a positive of taking Elite rather than a negative after all. To me that sounds like the Rachni will be able to equip their forces with tech more advanced than what they would be able to otherwise without any additional negatives save the size limitation that accompanies Elite.
Meanwhile the Rachni currently suffer from this due to falling behind in military tech.
[2] Expansion of the fleet
[1] Expansion of military infrastructure
[4] Expansion of planetary defenses
[3] Expansion of ground forces
[X] Elite
[X] Carrier
Alright, vote is closed. In hindsight, I maybe should have broken this up and labelled the Quality Doctrine and Fleet Comp as well, but it's whatever. Ranked order is:
[1] Expansion of military infrastructure
[2] Expansion of the fleet
[3] Expansion of planetary defences
[4] Expansion of ground forces
the rest will be edited in for ease of access after the site tallys everything out and I muddle through the mess I've created lol.
Also, could I get several rolls of a d100, one each for
Martial
Intrigue
Stewardship
Learning
Thank u!
Edit: Jesus Christ that is even worse than I thought it would be. I think it was worth it for the discussion it sparked though.
Military Stuff:
Quality Doctrine: Balanced (No + or - to Numbers or Tech)
Initial Fleet Comp: Carrier (Initial fleet will have a fairly balanced 8-4-1 ratio of Frigates-Cruisers-Capitals, with 4/5 Capitals being Carriers and 1/5 Capitals being Dreadnoughts)
Rachni Culture (See plan Freedom of Song for details)
[] (Grand Ambition) "We the Ranchi had been slaves many times, slaves to the Protheans as War Thralls, Slaves to the Sour Note, and we were almost enslaved again by the Sour Note once more...no...we Ranchi wish for freedom, to not be slaves...and the Song may hold the key as the Singers reach deep with the power of the song (psionics)...perhaps one day we shall find the answer to ensure our freedom from Slavery."
[] (Feelings towards non-rachni) "We wish to be left in peace, many times we had fought and died against both organics and non-organics...while we tire of war others will be so, with the memories of past queen-mothers we know the galaxy will fight us on every turn should our existence be revealed...but we do wonder what the shepard has done with knowledge of our existence. Maybe...Maybe they could be the key for the Ranchi to finally be at peace and live and let live?"
[] (Unique Cultural Practices)
-[] The Echo:
-[] Sneak Sneak
-[] Preppers
[] (Beliefs and Philosophy) (Free will/Freedom)
Scheduled vote count started by RaptorusMaximus on Aug 29, 2021 at 10:21 PM, finished with 64 posts and 36 votes.
[X] Carrier - Carriers are a very new concept to naval warfare that you are amazed the Rachni never thought of before. Introduced by the System's Alliance, capital-class fighter-carriers are more flexible and less overtly threatening than conventional dreadnoughts and mesh exceptionally well with the (historically) highly effective Rachni strike craft. This entirely theoretical doctrine shares the balanced doctrine's numerical disposition ratios but would focus the Fleets on supporting and protecting Fleet and Patrol carriers, which would almost entirely replace Dreadnoughts within the line-of-battle as heavy damage dealers, with other vessels devoted to screening them from attack by enemy cruisers and dreadnoughts.
[X] Swarm: Military hardware is designed to be as cheap and reliable as possible to outfit massive numbers of troops and ships as quickly as possible. It doesn't matter if the enemy's Dreadnought can kill 4 of your cruisers before they get in range if it's fighting 12 of them at once.
[X] (Grand Ambition) "We the Ranchi had been slaves many times, slaves to the Protheans as War Thralls, Slaves to the Sour Note, and we were almost enslaved again by the Sour Note once more...no...we Ranchi wish for freedom, to not be slaves...and the Song may hold the key as the Singers reach deep with the power of the song (psionics)...perhaps one day we shall find the answer to ensure our freedom from Slavery."
[X] (Grand Ambition) To spread the song of peace and freedom across the galaxy. Never shall we be made slaves again, and never shall we tolerate those who would enslave others. The Rachni shall be the ally of the downtrodden and oppressed wherever they may be found.
[X] (Feelings towards non-rachni) The new Rachni desire peace and harmony as they have not had in the past. Always the weapon of another, for once let us have good relations with other species.
[X] Elite: Every piece of equipment is top-of-the-line, every ship is a masterwork of precision engineering, every soldier is a well-trained specialist. You hit like a dreadnought and take a hit like one too, but hopefully, you won't have to do so in too many places at once.
[X]Culture Plan: The Singers
-[X] (Grand Ambition) A Universe of Song
--[X] The Rachni deeply regret the horrifying silence they inflicted upon so many while in thrall to the sour yellow note. They wish to once again spread and thrive, but this time, they wish to help every voice in the universe raise in harmonious, variegated song, and to exterminate the sour yellow note wherever it is found.
-[X] (Feelings towards non-rachni) Sorrow and regret, for the silence inflicted. Some fear, for a price that may yet come due. Burning curiousity at the plethora of new and wondrous songs, and hope that the Rachni may one day harmonize.
-[X] (Unique Cultural Practices)
--[X] (Shamelessly stolen from divided loyalties) The Echo: Information, stories and memories are constantly sung back and forth between the Rachni, to preserve the Rachni's racial memory.
--[X] sneak sneak: The Brothers, two of the first Rachni born in this re-awakening, have a love of stealth games; frequently dimming their songs to the barest whisper before attempting to ambush each other, animals, and any Rachni hapless enough to be in their path. Many young soldier and worker Rachni have decided to emulate the Brothers in these games.
--[X] Preppers: The Rachni are well aware of how precarious their existence is. Being reduced to one queen has left the Rachni with a determination to never find themselves in such desperate straits again. Safety margins, diversification, redundancy - the Rachni always have a fall-back plan.
[X] (Feelings towards non-rachni) "We wish to be left in peace, many times we had fought and died against both organics and non-organics...while we tire of war others will be so, with the memories of past queen-mothers we know the galaxy will fight us on every turn should our existance be revealed...but we do wonder what the shepard has done with knowledge of our existence. Maybe...Maybe they could be the key for the Ranchi to finally be at peace and live and let live?"
[X] (Unique Cultural Practices)
-[X] (Shamelessly stolen from divided loyalties) The Echo: Information, stories and memories are constantly sung back and forth between the Rachni, to preserve the Rachni's racial memory.
-[X] sneak sneak: The Brothers, two of the first Rachni born in this re-awakening, have a love of stealth games; frequently dimming their songs to the barest whisper before attempting to ambush each other, animals, and any Rachni hapless enough to be in their path. Many young soldier and worker Rachni have decided to emulate the Brothers in these games.
-[X] Preppers: The Rachni are well aware of how precarious their existence is. Being reduced to one queen has left the Rachni with a determination to never find themselves in such desperate straits again. Safety margins, diversification, redundancy - the Rachni always have a fall-back plan.
[X] (Beliefs and Philosophy) Much to your own, Self Determination of the Ranchi is not to dis-similar to the Geth, only we wish for the choice of will. (Free will/Freedom)
[X] Balanced: Striking a midpoint between numbers and individual quality, vessels and troops are of acceptable ability while also being present in appreciable numbers.
[X] (Grand Ambition) To exist, to learn, and to develop the Chorus. Time and opportunity shall all the Chorus to develop into an ever greater vibrance, aided if possible by our allies' cooperation and contributions. Perfection is impossible, such is the nature of existence, but with time and the inclusion of new perspectives, we can continue to learn and improve.
I honestly don't know how I feel about us focusing on Carriers cause even with Thanix cannons fighters can't do shit against Reaper Destroyers or Reaper Capitals because of how good Reaper armor is, how much better their Kinetic barriers are, and the fact that we can't swarm them because they are also a swarm esc faction and are just better at it especially their fighters.
I honestly don't know how I feel about us focusing on Carriers cause even with Thanix cannons fighters can't do shit against Reaper Destroyers or Reaper Capitals because of how good Reaper armor is, how much better their Kinetic barriers are, and the fact that we can't swarm them because they are also a swarm esc faction and are just better at it especially their fighters.
Something I wanted to mention, it's said somewhere (probably in some codex entry) that Citadel disruptor torpedoes are just as effective against Reapers as they are against Citadel ships. The primary problem being that the Citadel factions had problems getting enough torpedoes concentrated on a single target to beat the Reaper point defense.
Something I wanted to mention, it's said somewhere (probably in some codex entry) that Citadel disruptor torpedoes are just as effective against Reapers as they are against Citadel ships. The primary problem being that the Citadel factions had problems getting enough torpedoes concentrated on a single target to beat the Reaper point defense.
Yeah if we can find a way to get disruptor torpedoes past Reaper PD efficiently our fighters won't be bad against them especially their destroyers but I still think the carrier doctrine would struggle against Reaper capitals because we have a lot less dreadnoughts which is why I would've voted to go balanced so we still have a good amount of dreadnoughts to combat Reaper capitals and still have enough carriers to swarm with our fighters.
Yeah if we can find a way to get disruptor torpedoes past Reaper PD efficiently our fighters won't be bad against them especially their destroyers but I still think the carrier doctrine would struggle against Reaper capitals because we have a lot less dreadnoughts which is why I would've voted to go balanced so we still have a good amount of dreadnoughts to combat Reaper capitals and still have enough carriers to swarm with our fighters.
If/when you build more fleets, you can build them with different compositions. This is just the comp for the first, free fleet you get as part of the timeskip. In the future, you could make every other fleet you construct a top-heavy or dreadnought fleet if you really want.
Also, I didn't mention it anywhere, but the Geth almost exclusively use the Hourglass Composition for their fleets, just to let the people's know.
An army cannot march on an empty stomach, and in the modern field of war much more than mere food is required, and in much greater capacities.
As such, a huge amount of the resources budgeted to military expenditure are funneled towards the expansion of the Rachni's military industry; factories, armories, training grounds, shipyards, warrens: dozens of buildings rise upon the surface of Hallownest, and thrice their number in chambers are carved out below. Meanwhile, in the orbit of Hallownest, shipyards dedicated to military production and upkeep are constructed alongside berths and docks for future fleets, with smaller maintenance and docking facilities are constructed over T1 and T2 as well.
Soon the yards begin pumping out hulls, and yet the expansion continues, until the estimated docking space for Rachni warships outnumbers the actual ships twice over.
Though, having more space than is needed has rarely been a bad thing.
(Encore's Military Infrastructure is at Tier 4)
(Fleet Capacity 0/6)
(Army Capacity 0/10)
[2] Expansion of the fleet
After considerable deliberation by the various Queens who have chosen to take up the mantle of war-leaders, it is decided that the first fleet of the new Rachni navy will be designed as something of an experiment; a testbed for the new Carriers that Humanity has brought to the galactic stage.
Based on the hull of the ancient Silence-Class Dreadnoughts utilized by the Old Empire, the new Choir-Class Carriers are 1.2 Kms in length and can be packed with 254 Rachni strike craft, the current standard loadout being 60% Bombers and 40% Interceptors. Armed with a modest Guardian Array and nothing else, the vessels will be all but helpless in the face of more conventional warships but hopefully, their still dreadnought-grade shields and armor will be able to keep them safe long enough to escape in the event their escorts cannot properly screen them.
Alongside three of the new carriers, one Silence-Class Dreadnought has been constructed for the new fleet, the serrated-dagger shape of the ancient ship class once one of the most feared sights in the galaxy, and now once more gracing the void with its presence.
The backbone of the fleet is made up of sixteen Note-Class Cruisers, solid line-vessels that are exactly what one would expect from a cruiser, though slightly more durable than citadel equivalents due to the typical Rachni space-saving techniques allowing for more armor plating to be used.
And last, but not least, are the eyes and ears of the fleet, thirty-two Tone-class Frigates, speedy little ships manned almost entirely by Workers and armed with a swath of disruptor torpedoes for launching hit-and-run attacks and extensive GUARDIAN arrays for anti-fighter duties.
A solid start to what will, hopefully, soon be a grand sword to protect the Chorus from all who would threaten them.
(Gain 1 Magnitude 2 Fleet with the Carrier composition. Upkeep 3 RP/turn)
(Fleet Capacity 2/6)
[3] Expansion of planetary defences
Though many Queens are of the opinion that, if Hallownest has come under direct assault, then the Chorus is already good as lost, more refuse to neglect one of the most fundamental precepts of the Rachni military doctrine: make your home as hellish to take as possible.
As such, a non-negligible amount of resources are committed to the construction of various defences across Hallownest and the two colonies in the Encore system. Bunkers rise along the perimeters of cities, tunnels are reinforced even further, and dedicated shelters deep underground are carved out for non-combat Rachni to shelter in. Every Rachni settlement above ground receives at least one GUARDIAN array, and in major cities on Hallownest alongside the capitals of T1 and T2 a single ground-to-orbit anti-ship Mass Accelerator is constructed.
All occupied planets within Encore now have at least basic defences, and the Queens feel ever so slightly less worried all the time.
(Planetary Defenses for Hallownest are now Medium. Planetary Defenses for T1 and T2 are now Light)
[4] Expansion of ground forces
Though the Rachni army is and was one of the Old Empire's great strengths, the lack of targets to use such armies against is deemed sufficient reason for the Queens to relegate the allocation of resources to simply preparing to raise future forces for expeditions beyond Rachni space, trusting that they will not be needed before the Singers require them.
(Reduce cost and DC the first 2 times you take Raise an Army action)
Six months.
Six months since the Rachni arrived in Geth Space, since they got their own world, since the Song began to truly expand for the first time in thousands of years.
They have industry, fleets, defences. A close ally for the first time in history, and an eye into the goings-on of their once and maybe future enemies in Citadel Space.
And it is those eyes that bring news that the Queens find both saddening and concerning, plastered across news sites throughout the galaxy.
Alliance Officials confirm that Commander Jane Shepard, Hero of the Citadel and the first human Spectre, has been killed in action with an unknown vessel after an encounter in the Terminus Systems.
Timeskip - End
No vote this week, I'm still nailing down the turn options and I didn't have as much time to work on this this week due to taking an overtime shift and getting lost in Hunt Showdown. I'll be working on Turn 1 as I can over the week, and we can get started on this quest propper next weekend. Looking forward to it guys.
Also, the Civilization sheet is up-to-date with everything except the First Mother's stats, so feel free to take a look there and ask me any questions you might have. I will answer all that I can (and answering questions makes it easier for my stupid brain to just do shit)
The game will go into normal turns now. Each turn is 1 Galactic Month, which is longer than a Terran month by about 60%. Turn will continue until the Rachni are no longer a viable civilization, or the Reapers are defeated.
The Normandy 2 will be a Rachni/Geth hybrid this time, eh?
Edit: Well, mostly Geth, the Rachni don't have a lot to contribute tech-wise at this point.
Either way, we should see about getting in contact with Liara - Venezia provides a convenient in with her, and it should get us access to Sheppard's body. Through it would be a neat divergence if Sheppard actually died this time and everyone else had to step up.
Either way, we should see about getting in contact with Liara - Venezia provides a convenient in with her, and it should get us access to Sheppard's body. Through it would be a neat divergence if Sheppard actually died this time and everyone else had to step up.
Nah, Legion and Rachni co will probably get the objective of securing Shepards body given geth know Rachni can resurrect the dead.. Be a little hilarity as everyone is confused and terrified of the bogeymen of the galaxy having apparently teamed up.
Personally, it seems karmic for the Queen to bring Shepherd back for her mercy. Also would be a fun conversation between the two explaining what happened.
I'm not sure the Rachni getting Shepard and then resurrecting her is as good an idea as everyone else seems to think. For one, there's a range limit between the resurrecter and the resurrectee.
For another, Shepard if I recall correctly was heavily burned and more or less unrecognizable from going through re-entry. As of this moment the Rachni cannot do more than resurrect the dead as is. Benezia for example still has the bullet holes from when she was shot. Project Lazarus didn't just bring Shepard back to life it also rebuilt her shattered body and that was done with prodigious use of experimental technologies.
Three, Shepard's greatest strength is her ability to communicate and earn the trust and respect of others. OTL Shepard was already under suspicion in canon for being resurrected by Cerberus. Being resurrected by the Rachni is hardly going to inspire confidence in others, especially when the Rachni responsible for bringing Shepard back to life has to stay with her at all times to keep her alive. That's bound to get more than a few people suspecting that Shepard is little more than a corpse being puppeted by a particularly crafty Rachni with access to her memories.
Finally, the Geth connection. We're used to the idea of there being two Geth factions but at this point in time in-universe the Geth are considered a singular block. To the greater galaxy the Geth are the ones most likely to have killed Shepard. Shepard was up until she was killed undertaking missions against them and given the technological prowess of the Geth one of their ships could have snuck up on the Normandy and shot it down. For a newly resurrected Shepard to start talking about how there's actually two different groups of Geth and that the ones that helped to bring her back were the good ones would come off to many people as overly convenient.
I'm not sure the Rachni getting Shepard and then resurrecting her is as good an idea as everyone else seems to think. For one, there's a range limit between the resurrecter and the resurrectee.
For another, Shepard if I recall correctly was heavily burned and more or less unrecognizable from going through re-entry. As of this moment the Rachni cannot do more than resurrect the dead as is. Benezia for example still has the bullet holes from when she was shot. Project Lazarus didn't just bring Shepard back to life it also rebuilt her shattered body and that was done with prodigious use of experimental technologies.
Three, Shepard's greatest strength is her ability to communicate and earn the trust and respect of others. OTL Shepard was already under suspicion in canon for being resurrected by Cerberus. Being resurrected by the Rachni is hardly going to inspire confidence in others, especially when the Rachni responsible for bringing Shepard back to life has to stay with her at all times to keep her alive. That's bound to get more than a few people suspecting that Shepard is little more than a corpse being puppeted by a particularly crafty Rachni with access to her memories.
Finally, the Geth connection. We're used to the idea of there being two Geth factions but at this point in time in-universe the Geth are considered a singular block. To the greater galaxy the Geth are the ones most likely to have killed Shepard. Shepard was up until she was killed undertaking missions against them and given the technological prowess of the Geth one of their ships could have snuck up on the Normandy and shot it down. For a newly resurrected Shepard to start talking about how there's actually two different groups of Geth and that the ones that helped to bring her back were the good ones would come off to many people as overly convenient.
Building a biological body for Shepard doesn't sound like it'd be outside the realm of possibility for the Rachni as long as her memories are preserved. If said body is built from scratch, a Rachni connection wouldn't be necessary though we'd probably need to research it. Project Lazarus took years to complete so we have at least that long to work out the kinks. As for the Geth connection, she isn't required to say anything regarding it unless the Geth wish otherwise and we can simply play the whole thing as repaying a favor if push comes to shove.
IIRC the Geth did try to retrieve Shepards body. On top of that the Rachni have no reason to think that anyone else can rez people while they have shown the ability to do so and can likely improve even further. Throw in the Rachni and Geth working together and I get the feeling they can pull it off or else I doubt the QM would have hinted that we could in fact do something there.
Also on principal I say that we shouldn't try to let certain plot points happen the same exact way since that's honestly really, really goddamn boring and a waste of potential. Like we have seen numerous times in fan works the whole Cerberus rezzes Shepard plot point numerous times. Rather we actually try something different.
Besides that the whole 'saved our entire species' thing would be a pretty understandable reason to have Shepard rezzed since it would be genuine gratitude on our part. We'd also have more time than in canon if we can rez Shepard earlier than the two years it took in canon.
