Vox Vitae: Warhammer AI quest

Voting will open in 5 hours, 55 minutes and close in 1 day, 2 hours
Reader mode
Well last crit subversion was a mixture of CIA Glowies AIC Glow-Worms and AdMech 4chan, what's this crit subversion gonna be?

Dashcon and the dreaded Robo-Ball-Pit filled with even more of our favourite glowbugs waiting to drag unwitting Tech-Priests into the cheap plastic balls to steal their secrets?
 
Last edited:
Let's tell Aevon we're ready for the hard shutdown and what the admech subversion status is and our estimate chances for a more classical coup.

After, let's spend a few dedicated research turns to knock out the essentials and give both us and our frens a good foundation for spreading out across the stars. With our new space infrastructure cooking in the background, ofc. (Space elevator included.)
 
Last edited:
Insult Everyone! said:
Let's tell Aevon we're ready for the hard shutdown and what the admech subversion status is and our estimate chances for a more classical coup.

After, let's spend a few dedicated research turns to knock out the essentials and give both us and our frens a good foundation for spreading out across the stars. With our new space infrastructure cooking in the background, ofc. (Space elevator included.)
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Before telling them that, I think we need to expand our Ground Forces.

Out of curiosity, can we build some military vehicles other than tanks?
 
zack omega24 said:
Before telling them that, I think we need to expand our Ground Forces.

Out of curiosity, can we build some military vehicles other than tanks?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
It's been said the locals could do it without us, if it wasn't for the WMD's. We could just provide logistical support and it'd be plenty.

Random thought: think our untraceable comms are quantum entanglement based? We'd honestly just need to have a host server if we did. I can also see that trick being reserved for an ansible. But I don't think QM want to take that direction.
 
Insult Everyone! said:
It's been said the locals could do it without us, if it wasn't for the WMD's. We could just provide logistical support and it'd be plenty.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
For winning, yeah. For making them surrender immediately? Some extra shock value in the form of robotic and heavy weapons support could take the edge off that dice roll. The alternative - Throwing Aevon into a war of attrition that we ourselves chose to trigger - would strain our goodwill with them on account of the massive casualties they'd take along the way.

So whether via a soft coup, a violent insurrection staged from within the enclaves, or military force from outside of it demanding surrender, we want to be sure that when we start go time we finish it quickly.

Luckily it's not actually hard to make sure the moment of truth goes quick, whatever the method.
 
Last edited:
Turn 11 vote closed New
  • Voting
    • Writing starting ~ soon

    Scheduled vote count started by Neablis on Dec 4, 2024 at 5:30 AM, finished with 122 posts and 21 votes.
    • [X] Plan: The Robot-Satan-Snake In The Garden
      -[X] [Free] Poke around some more in the databases, looking for anything in particular.
      --[X] Look up House Klyssar, and ask the same of Victan's contacts in Aevon. They're one of your main leads to figure out not just what's up with the Mechanicus' station, but also what made them leave a presence on the planet in the first place.
      -[X] Diplomacy/Subversion (AdMech):
      --[X] Visit Thalya's Enclave in person this time. Give a report with only a small amount of progress, if still with some "potentially related" physical samples. Affect a carefully concealed frustrated disposition in the noosphere, and "reveal" that you have a need for more assistants than just Anexa at this point to "accelerate the search". Deny taking them just yet, because "you want to ensure they are capable enough" in a way that will hopefully make Thalya think of you being paranoid of her infiltrators and spies. Instead, say that you will take them under your wing in the next five years after making sure that your facilities are ready. Bribe Thalya if needed, as is usual in the Mechanicus. Use the cover of scouting new talent in different Enclaves to get in contact with Cogitare Exploraratum, and with Victan assisting remotely, starts fully subverting those that you can, while at least getting your hooks into those you can't. Offer various high-technology goods, from your civilian cybernetic augments to advanced weaponry, through the latter mostly just to those you intend to fully subvert. See also about probing for vulnerabilities and installing backdoors to systems of Enclaves with their help, hopefully with improved understanding about emotionally manipulating the machine spirits. (Dedicated subversion effort. Find both true believers and opportunists, as well as those whose loyalties can at least be compromised. Probe for and introduce weaknesses in the systems of the Enclaves if feasible safely.)
      -[X] Construction x2 (5300 BP = 2650 BP + 2650 BP)
      --[X] Construction slot, 1st (2650 GBP)
      ---[X] Underground Medium Void Shield installation (2650/3000 BP, 50 CP)
      --[X] Construction slot, 2nd (2650 GBP)
      ---[X] Underground Medium Void Shield installation (3000/3000 BP, 50 CP) (350 BP)
      ---[X] Underground Spaceport (300 BP, 25 CP)
      ---[X] 22x Basic Stealth Fighters (25 BP, 5 CP) (550 BP, 210 CP) 30 fighters total over 3 spaceports
      ---[X] 1x Underground Machine-spirit Jammer (300 BP, 10 CP)
      ---[X] 2x Underground Anti-Orbital Defenses (300 BP, 5 CP) (600 BP, 10 CP)
      ---[X] 100x Basic Stealth Missiles (5 VBP, 1 CP) (500 VBP, 100 CP) - Launch them using the catapult, not to engage until things get spicy.
      ---[X] Trade Goods, Aevon (5 BP) (20 -> 25)
      ---[X] Trade Goods, Mechanicus subversion (45 BP) (used at the discretion of Vita and Victan where needed and sensible, otherwise stored)
      -[X] Research x1 (200 + 25 RP)
      --[X] Blueprint: 50 RP - Basic space stealth missile (5 Void BP, 1 CP)
      --[X] Blueprint: 25 RP - Machine-spirit Jammer (100 BP, 10 CP)
      --[X] Machine Spirit Emotional Hacking (150/150 RP)
      ---[X] Anexa assists (+25 RP)
      -[X] Pay rent (Trade Goods, Aevon 25 -> 0)
      -[X] Anexa active Action: Research (Machine Spirit Emotional Hacking)
      -[X] Victan active action: Subversion (AdMech)
      [X]Plan Oi,Let Her Cook
      -[X]Diplomacy(To Thalya,tell her everyhting we've been constructing and researching over the years)
      -[X]Research × 3
      --[X] The Basics of Psytech (200 RP)
      --[X] The workings of a Void Abacus (200 RP)
      --[X] Secrets of the Machine Spirits (200 RP)
      -[X] Anexa passive action:
      -[X] Victan passive action: Counterespionage & communication - Defends against covert action, as well as gathering information on your foes and keeping communication channels open with any allies present. Will only level if something interesting happens.
      [X] Plan: Taking the Skies!
      -[X] [Free] Poke around some more in the databases, looking for anything in particular.
      --[X] Look up the ginormous Space Station that's orbiting the planet. Something that big definitely has to be in the records so let's see if we can find whatever the Magi know about this.
      -[X] Diplomacy/Subversion: Leveraging our Position
      --[X] Pay a visit to Thalya in person, don't be afraid to come off as a little smug, give the report and all of that business, and give the implications that while you may not have found the grand prize, you've found enough little bits and bobs so far to help refine your own understanding of some of the fundaments, and there's still plenty left to look into. Afterwards, go spend some time canvassing the Cogitae (While also making sure you clean up Thalya's latest attempt to track you down), and drop a few insights of your studies in too--such as the designs for your civilian augments, which if Anexa's response was any indication, should be a major carrot and a sign that what you're doing is a worthy task. While this is going on, touch base with some of the more... Committed acolytes, and make sure they get any tools they'll need for the plan of defanging the current regime. (Thalya Report mixed with further supporting and tossing incentives in to the Cogitae Exploratrum, with little carrots here and there to help encourage them, like our studies on optimized civilian augmetics and--perhaps our neural augments, presuming this doesn't get vetoed by one of our advisors, maybe the odd bit of useful gear too, we do have an extra budget for this now).
      -[X] Construction x2 (5300 BP = 2650 BP + 2650 BP)
      --[X] Construction slot, 1st (2650 GBP)
      ---[X] Underground Medium Void Shield installation (2650/3000 BP, 50 CP)
      --[X] Construction slot, 2nd (2650 GBP)
      ---[X] Underground Medium Void Shield installation (3000/3000 BP, 50 CP) (350 BP)
      ---[X] 2x Underground Spaceports (600 BP, 50 CP)
      ---[X] 46x Basic Stealth Fighters (25 BP, 5 CP) (1,150 BP, 230 CP) 46 fighters total over 4 spaceports
      ---[X] 100x Basic Stealth Missiles (5 VBP, 1 CP) (500 VBP, 100 CP) - Launch them using the catapult, not to engage until things get spicy.
      ---[X] Assorted Goods as required by Plans and The Rent (50 BP)
      -[X] Research x1 (200 + 25 RP)
      --[X] Blueprint: Basic Stealth Missiles (50 RP)
      --[X] Machine Spirit Emotional Hacking (150/150 RP)
      ---[X] Anexa assists (+25 RP)
      --[X] Blueprint: Machine Spirit Jammer (25 RP)
      -[X] Pay rent (Trade Goods, Aevon 20 -> 70 -> 45)
      -[X][ANEXA] Research
      -[X][VICTAN] Subversion
      --[X] Assist with the Mechanicus Diplomacy action
      [X] Plan: Gaslight, Gatekeep, Girlboss
    Click to expand...
     
    Last edited:
  • New
  • Voting
    • Prime 2.0 said:
    For winning, yeah. For making them surrender immediately? Some extra shock value in the form of robotic and heavy weapons support could take the edge off that dice roll. The alternative - Throwing Aevon into a war of attrition that we ourselves chose to trigger would strain our goodwill with them.

    So whether via a soft coup, a violent insurrection staged from within the enclaves, or military force from outside of it demanding surrender, we want to be sure that when we start go time we finish it quickly.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Well yeah. I'm not saying we throw them into the deep end. I'm saying that we're plenty ready and shouldn't overprepare. Frankly, I think we've been overprepared for a while already.

    That said, we can spit out enough bullshit in a turn that we'll easily be able to bury the local admech so long as we have some warning. And we have enough feelers and resilience that we'll definitely have some warning.
     
    Insult Everyone! said:
    Well yeah. I'm not saying we throw them into the deep end. I'm saying that we're plenty ready and shouldn't overprepare. Frankly, I think we've been overprepared for a while already.

    That said, we can spit out enough bullshit in a turn that we'll easily be able to bury the local admech so long as we have some warning. And we have enough feelers and resilience that we'll definitely have some warning.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Heh, fair enough.

    All that said - I can't wait to see what nonsense the Cogitare Exploraratum gets up to now that we're just flat out giving them toys to play with.
     
    Honestly i'm just wondering what they would look like if fully subverted. Maybe they just be ome higher places of learning. Otherwise all i can think of is just the same but not repressing the others.
     
    That's honestly an interesting idea, like would they simply seperate into enclaves for different nations on the current planet we are on. We are told there are opportunists that would want to be in the higher ranks so it would either be like what you said, or that they all split into different factions of the machinus on the planet, with different philosophies.
     
    Neablis said:
    This will show up in the writing, and you will get a +10 to diplomacy & exploration actions. This is pretty much the only source of such a bonus, and means you effectively cannot crit-fail on these rolls.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Neablis said:
    But this was by far the best action of the turn to roll a nat 1 on.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    I'm not challenging that it would have been worse, losing research is always better than failing high level diplo/intrigue, but wouldn't a nat 1 on diplomacy here have been a 'mere' regular failure as opposed to a crit?

    Edit: Also I hope the crit fail doesn't backlash on Anexa too much.
     
    Last edited:
    Ok, writing actually starting. Probably no update tonight, but we'll see. In the meantime -
    Insult Everyone! said:
    Once we've deposed the admech I'd like to build a space elevator. Just cuz awesome.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Very possible. I've added a research to the tree:
    -[] Advanced Materials (300 RP) You know there are exotic elements with absurd physical properties. But it's also possible to build absurdly strong materials with common elements. How does that work? Time to dust off some ancient research projects and figure this stuff out. (Unlocks improved armor, as well as research to unlock megastructures. Also required for battleships and larger walkers)

    You'll have to design megastructures individually, but a space elevator is going to be something like (50,000 ground BP, 25,000 void BP, 500 CP) and be able to convert 50,000 ground BP to void BP. Or something. I need to game the numbers a bit.

    Insult Everyone! said:
    Random thought: think our untraceable comms are quantum entanglement based? We'd honestly just need to have a host server if we did. I can also see that trick being reserved for an ansible. But I don't think QM want to take that direction.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Nope. No ansibles in this setting. Everything FTL is warp-based in some way. There's warp-communication circuits that send signals through the warp but they're down the warp research tree.
     
    Oh I always forget about the Necrons. They break the rules of the setting in so many dumb ways. Yeah, if you get necron tech and reverse-engineer it (which you can, with the physics module taken during character creation) then maybe you'll get non-warp FTL.

    Technically Tyranids too, but it's probably something similar.

    Good luck with that.
     
    Last edited:
    Neablis said:
    Oh I always forget about the Necrons. They break the rules of the setting in so many dumb ways. Yeah, if you get necron tech and reverse-engineer it (which you can, with the physics module taken during character creation) then maybe you'll get non-warp FTL.

    Good luck with that.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Oh, I'm sure it will be easy to get this:

    Inertialess Drive - Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum

    wh40k.lexicanum.com wh40k.lexicanum.com
    We will just poke around one of their sleeping Tomb Worlds and find a ship, or some form of database even! I mean, how hard could it be? (Extremely hard. And perilous. And I bet physics-breaking-enough that even Vita's core might catch fire trying to compute the math.) Also, they might have some form of quantum entanglement communication to go along with their realspace FTL, though I can't find any solid references to this.

    Btw, they also know how to breach the Webway, though this is dangerous even to them:

    Dolmen Gate - Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum

    wh40k.lexicanum.com wh40k.lexicanum.com

    Also, @Neablis? A reminder that besides the Necrons, The Nids also have realspace FTL with Narvhals creating "a corridor of compressed-space": EDIT: and I didn't notice you mentioning the Tyranids, maybe due to it being possibly an edit? Idk, but yeah, the Nids also use realspace FTL with Narvhals creating "a corridor of compressed-space":

    Narvhal - Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum

    wh40k.lexicanum.com wh40k.lexicanum.com
    Though the side-effects to the system where you are traveling towards to are bad enough that Vita probably wouldn't want to use it, unless those side-effects can be removed.
     
    Last edited:
    Hey don't the tau have a slow but safe non-warp FTL?
    Lexicanum said:
    By carefully angling their descent toward the Warp and extending the field generated by the gravitic drive into a wing, shaped to hold the vessel down, a Tau vessel could extend the duration of the "dive" considerably. The speeds achieved in the ascent back to real space were staggering and this, coupled with the effect of the Warp on time and space, ensured that the real distance covered by the dive was immense.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Oh right, its the pseudo warp drive that works like a skipping stone.
    Lexicanum said:
    Compared to typical Imperial Warp speeds the Tau drive was slower by a factor of five. The speed was consistent though, did not expose the Tau to the perils of the Warp and enabled the Tau to expand beyond their home star for the first time
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Still, might be worth looking into if you're worried about Geller failure.
     
    Last edited:
    Frankly, the lack of non-Warp FTL seems to be primarily a result of Humanity discovering Warp first and a lock-in effect from parties with vested interest in preventing the proliferation of any other form of FTL, rather than it being anything intrinsic to the physics of the setting. After all, if it was intrinsic, then there'd be no actual point to the Navigators' paranoia about it, because even the best Warp Abacus is only good for shorter hops, rather than the deep navigation they can manage.
     
    Neablis said:
    Oh I always forget about the Necrons. They break the rules of the setting in so many dumb ways. Yeah, if you get necron tech and reverse-engineer it (which you can, with the physics module taken during character creation) then maybe you'll get non-warp FTL.

    Technically Tyranids too, but it's probably something similar.

    Good luck with that.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Necrons have to be non-warp based due to their history since they fought and arguably won the War in Heaven against the Old Ones who were masters of the Imaterium. If they had to used the Warp they would not have had working logistics, not to mention their own warp suppression tech would get in the way of their drives.
     
    Neablis said:
    You'll have to design megastructures individually, but a space elevator is going to be something like (50,000 ground BP, 25,000 void BP, 500 CP) and be able to convert 50,000 ground BP to void BP. Or something. I need to game the numbers a bit.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Why not just let it convert freely? It seems like the kind of thing that would, given how you have the tunnels and maglev work.
     
    Godwinson said:
    Frankly, the lack of non-Warp FTL seems to be primarily a result of Humanity discovering Warp first and a lock-in effect from parties with vested interest in preventing the proliferation of any other form of FTL, rather than it being anything intrinsic to the physics of the setting.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    To be fair, using the Warp seems to be technologically much easier than materium FTL, so I'd probably say the lack of Warp alternatives is more down to even humanity at the height of the DAoT being much less advanced than the Necrons (as well as not having the help of the Star Gods [C'Tan] who have mastery of the materium as Neverborn have over the Warp).
     
    Reader mode
    You must login or register to reply here.
    Voting will open in 5 hours, 55 minutes and close in 1 day, 2 hours
    Back
    Top