It produces 2/3ds of the food for 2/5ths of the price while also being enough to put us in the black, even without counting the magical improvements from the personal action. It is more resource efficient to make small farms while we have the room to put them.
We can and should do medium farms when we have more gold to spare and less land to build on in the future.
It produces 2/3ds of the food for 2/5ths of the price while also being enough to put us in the black, even without counting the magical improvements from the personal action. It is more resource efficient to make small farms while we have the room to put them.
We can and should do medium farms when we have more gold to spare and less land to build on in the future.
I will point out that medium farms also are more manpower efficient than small farms. Those 100 farms will take 200 farmers to staff, while 25 medium farms only take 125 farmers to staff.
Also, we have a food consumption at 991 at the moment, while we have a food production at 100 the start of this turn. We would then gain 250 food from fishing and 400 food from the 100 small farms, which would give us a food production of 750, which is still 241 below food consumption. We will of course still produce more food, than we consume, because we are using magic to help our farmers, but if we build medium farms, then our farms would produce enough food on their own.
[X] Plan Let Them Eat Cake, Gunpowder, Double East and Diplo Edition
[X] Plan Let Them Eat Cake, Gunpowder, No East and Double Diplo Edition
-[x] Send scouts to look for any sources of the ingredients in gunpowder
-[x] Join your Eagle Knights and hunt some monsters
-[x] Protect your fishing boats
-[x] Take the Bretonnian noblewoman home (LOCKED IN)
-[x] Investigate to the North
-[x] Investigate to the South
-[x] Begin expanding your farms by establishing 25 Medium Farms for 500 GC. Each employs 5 farmers but produces 25 -Food.
-[x] Search the humans for Chaos Cultists
-[x] Search for a Diplomat (x2)
-[x] Use Magic to Aid Your Farmers
Small farms allow ~20% of our population to feed ~40%; medium farms allow ~12.5% to feed ~63% (assuming no magic). That's a critical increase in efficiency and thus in the labor/troops available elsewhere, especially when the immediate fishing is only likely to feed another 1/4. So I'm absolutely against any plan that throws most of our remaining of our farmers into small farms.
I think it'll be better to explore South first rather than East, as a 'sorcerer' could be a lot of things and any of them significant; and the North is the other area where ripples of our arrival are likely to instantly spread to since it's along the coast. Since it'll be another turn before we have any ships or diplomats available - next month we'll presumably be fishing and starting anti-piracy patrols if there are no new pressing options - I think it'll also be less valuable to investigate what's over the ocean immediately. It's less important than approval voting for the medium farms plan though.
[X] Plan Let Them Eat Cake
[X] Plan Let Them Eat Cake, Gunpowder, Double East and Diplo Edition
I'd rather spend time with Eydis than studying magic or spending yet more time on a diplomat, but I really don't want to have to spend yet more actions on using magic to aid the farmers later on because our current efforts were insufficient.
Right now, it's better to search for ruins than begin setting up gunpowder production. Ruins could hold good stuff that's better the earlier we find it, or a danger we need to be aware of. In either case, best done sooner than later. This is why I think base Let Them Eat Cake is better.
I will point out that medium farms also are more manpower efficient than small farms. Those 100 farms will take 200 farmers to staff, while 25 medium farms only take 125 farmers to staff.
Also, we have a food consumption at 991 at the moment, while we have a food production at 100 the start of this turn. We would then gain 250 food from fishing and 400 food from the 100 small farms, which would give us a food production of 750, which is still 241 below food consumption. We will of course still produce more food, than we consume, because we are using magic to help our farmers, but if we build medium farms, then our farms would produce enough food on their own.
For what it's worth I really do think we should be talking to those norscans sooner rather than later and it would be nice to have at least one personal action be... personal, not just about ruling.
Adhoc vote count started by Tekomandor on May 9, 2024 at 1:12 PM, finished with 43 posts and 30 votes.
[X] Plan Basics First
-[X] Send scouts to look for any sources of the ingredients in gunpowder: Being able to locally produce some would cut the cost of your gunpowder-heavy mercenaries. Part of an action chain to enable a new building.
-[X] Join your Eagle Knights and hunt some monsters: As wild and untamed as these lands are, it is sure there are monsters of some kind lurking nearby. Slaying them would be welcomed by your farmers especially. Add your Prowess to this roll, as you have Battle-Scale Prowess.
-[X] Protect your fishing boats: If you want to get those fishing boats bringing in fish, they'll need protection in these pirate-ridden waters. Enables you to begin fishing, employing 50 sailors and bringing in 250 Food, but will require an action a turn until the local waters are somewhat safer.
-[x] Investigate to the West: You've heard rumours that there's a settlement of Norscans in this direction.
-[x] Investigate to the East: You've heard that the island a day's sailing to the east is inhabited - if you could ally or suborn whoever lives there, your anti-piracy efforts would be greatly bolstered.
-[x] Begin expanding your farms by establishing 25 Medium Farms
-[X] Search the humans for Chaos Cultists: The Ruinious powers present an ever-present danger, and humans are all the more vulnerable to them.
-[x] Search for a Diplomat: Surely, there must be someone among these humans who could act as an emissary for you?
-[x] Use Magic to Aid Your Farmers: Both you and Eydis are capable of using Life magic to greatly enhance the yield of farms, though obviously, it would take you especially from other duties. Doubles Farm Output.
-[x] Spend time with a notable NPC: Eydis
[X] Plan Let Them Eat Cake, Gunpowder, Double East and Diplo Edition
-[x] Join your Eagle Knights and hunt some monsters
-[x] Send scouts to look for any sources of the ingredients in gunpowder
-[x] Protect your fishing boats
-[x] Take the Bretonnian noblewoman home: LOCKED IN.
-[x] Investigate to the East (x2)
-[x] Begin expanding your farms by establishing 25 Medium Farms
-[x] Search the humans for Chaos Cultists
-[x] Search for a Diplomat (x2)
-[x] Use Magic to Aid Your Farmers
[X] Plan Let Them Eat Cake
-[x] Join your Eagle Knights and hunt some monsters
-[x] Send some scouts to look for any local ruins
-[x] Protect your fishing boats
-[x] Take the Bretonnian noblewoman home: LOCKED IN.
-[x] Investigate to the South
-[x] Investigate to the East
-[x] Begin expanding your farms by establishing 25 Medium Farms
-[x] Search the humans for Chaos Cultists
-[x] Study Magic
-[x] Search for a Diplomat
-[x] Use Magic to Aid Your Farmers
[X] Plan Let Them Eat Cake, Gunpowder, No East and Double Diplo Edition
-[x] Send scouts to look for any sources of the ingredients in gunpowder
-[x] Join your Eagle Knights and hunt some monsters
-[x] Protect your fishing boats
-[x] Take the Bretonnian noblewoman home: LOCKED IN.
-[x] Investigate to the North
-[x] Investigate to the South
-[x] Begin expanding your farms by establishing 25 Medium Farms for 500 GC. Each employs 5 farmers but produces 25 -Food.
-[x] Search the humans for Chaos Cultists
-[x] Search for a Diplomat (x2)
-[x] Use Magic to Aid Your Farmers
Galerion's cry echoes across the mountainside, and a moment later he is joined by the other eagles. They have spotted your prey. A band of trolls lumbers down the mountain, their greenish-grey skin decorated with looted armour and the skulls of their previous meals formed into macabre necklaces.
With a word of power, you weave atheric fire into the tips of your knight's arrows. They loose a volley from their elfbows, each arrow capable of punching through the weaker sections of full plate. The trolls snarl as the arrows strike at joints and weak points, but the only truly telling blow is the one that sinks into an eye.
That troll tetters backwards, unsteady on his feet. None of the wounds heal, however, and fire licks up their oily skin. Galerion cries again, a hunting call this time, and your knights dive out of the sky. You join them, your sword ablaze.
They angle their dives so they pass just above the trolls, out of their reach but within lance range. All three lances sink home into the brains of the trolls, the knights not trying to retain them in a situation like this. They follow the slope of the mountain downwards and then pull out of their dives.
Galerion does something else. He rolls in mid-air as you approach the trolls and you, secured into your saddle, stand upside down and cleanly behead the fourth troll with one swipe of your burning blade.
A minute later, you land and ensure the fire takes.
[x] Send scouts to look for any sources of the ingredients in gunpowder
Failed by 25, one degree of failure. Not enough degrees or a natural 1-5, so not a crit fail. The option is not locked out.
Vadac is not familiar with the ingredients for gunpowder, but it takes him only an afternoon with some of the handgunners who had been woodsmen before becoming soldiers to understand what to look for. He, and those handgunners, spend several weeks searching for any signs of them.
They do not locate a suitable source, and two handgunners are slain by a small band of beastmen, but Vadac does confirm that bats live in the area. The source may yet be out there.
The two converted merchant ships are crewed by some of the sailors and some of Captain Hochtrasse's troops. His engineers manage to get both cannons aboard, thanks to their relatively light weight, which should give the ships enough firepower to see off any of the common pirates in the area.
Most of the freed prisoners who your census classified as 'sailors' are former fishermen, and indeed some of them are returning to their own boats. They eagerly take the chance to return to their former profession with armed guards this time.
With your ships securing the immediate area near your settlement, the fishing boats are able to deliver the expected load of fish each day. As a bonus, your ships sink several pirate boats.
Critical Sucess! Exceeded DC by 150, six extra degrees of success.
Your hawkship returns triumphantly a month after it departed, sailing into a harbour that is already a hive of activity. Fishing boats sail out with the dawn, as do their guardships. Your trimaran's sail flutters in the early-morning wind, the symbol of the eagle rising above the mountain visible from quite some distance.
As it docks, you're surprised to see another group of humans disembark. There were around a dozen humans and three horses. Most of the humans were dressed in simple quilted armour with a little chainmail, or in the well-made but simple dresses of a noble's servants. For a moment you were gripped with the fear that the noblewoman ahd for some reason decided to return.
The last human to disembark was not, thankfully, the noblewoman. You squinted a little from your vantage point - you weren't sure if it was a young male or female. Fully grown in height, probably, but certainly very young. They were dressed in the primitive armour of Bretonnia, with a heraldic surcoat consisting of a white unicorn on a field of blue.
Intrigued by this strange arrival, you made your way down to the bay to meet the disembarking party, and to thank your crew. They would've picked up a number of items on the way back - chief amongst them more gunpowder in Estalia or Tilea.
The humans were busy disembarking their luggage, but they all came to a stop as you approached. Some seemed to whisper amongst themselves, but it was low enough that you couldn't make out what they were saying.
"Your Highness, please allow me to present myself. I am Sir Helene Carrard, and my noble father, Baron Cyricus Carrard has asked me to repay his debt to you by my service at arms, in addition to a gift I have brought you," the... woman says. You are still unsure. 'Sir' is a male title, and you were under the vague impression that Bretonnians were one of the bizarre human societies that insisted on a strict division of labour between the sexes.
"I am glad that Baron Carrard has sent me such a gift, though surely sending me one of his fine children is far too generous a gift" you say, thinking that if you do not gender the human before you have worked the situation out you may escape giving offence.
"I am afraid that I may be no gift at all, Your Highness, for I have been sent here on a quest of penance," she says.
"A quest of penance?" you ask. You are only more confused.
"I have perpetuated a lie most foul and must make my amends to the Lady by the completion of a quest! I deceived many and pretended to be a man, and in doing so attained the rank of Knight of the Realm. I had been preparing to rescue my... beloved mother when she arrived safe and sound aboard your ship. So, my noble and just father ordered me to instead aid you, Your Highness," Helene says.
You are very confused.
"Your punishment for pretending to be a knight... is to go on a quest?" you ask.
"No, Your Highness. My crime is that I pretended to be a man. I was made a knight of the realm entirely legitimately. None may doubt the deed that earned me that title," she says.
"Ah, I understand. Well, I am sure you will be able to find much to prove your valour against here in the Border Princes," you say. You still do not understand, but she seems capable enough to have demonstrated sufficient valour at such a young age.
Much more comfortably, Baron Carrad's gift turns out to be a chest full of gold, silks, and other easily portable wealth. Though some of that Cathayan silk looks like it would make excellent casual robes, a part of you wonders. You're not a bad seamstress, certainly better than any of your knights or any of these humans.
Gain Sir Helene Carrad and +200GC.
[x] Investigate to the West
DC 50: 1d100 + 20 (Diplomacy) = 31 +20 = 51
Bare success.
For an introduction, it would make sense to take a suitable honour guard and perhaps some supplies to trade, but for investigation, you take only Vadac. Galerion is capable of bearing the both of you at a far faster pace - turning a week's march into a day's journey.
You get a good look at the nearby countryside as you fly over it. It is hard, perhaps, but there are fertile places here, forests that grow old and strong and verdant meadows. Certainly, it could support far more people than currently inhabit it.
Smoke on the horizon is your first clue as to the Norscan settlement. Galerion dives low and finds a thick bit of woodland to hide in as Vadac dismounts. You and your faithful eagle settle in to rest for a few hours whilst Vadac conducts reconnaissance on foot.
He returns and reports on a large settlement - certainly several thousand inhabitants, and docks capable of supporting a number of longships. He could not see any open signs of Chaos worship - only the more obfuscated Norscan religion.
You take to the air, and pull of the Wind of Shadows to render yourself and Galerion invisible as you overfly the settlement. You draw upon your witchsight, and you can see no pools of Dhar in the settlement.
It is quite sizeable, and you see a well-made wooden palisade on the outer walls and a stone keep at the centre of the settlement, which does not look like Norscan construction. Imperial, perhaps. More importantly, you see non-Norscan ships entering and leaving their docks under their own power.
Perhaps these northmen so far from home would be open to peaceful trade?
[x] Investigate to the East
DC 50: 1d100 + 20 (Diplomacy) = 100!+61+20 = 181
Critical Success! Exceeded DC by 125, 5 extra degrees of success.
You stand at the bow of your Hawkship as it sails out to the east. You fishermen have reported some kind of activity out here, but something about their words sets you on edge - thus, you sail out in your hawkship, bolt-throwers loaded and ready.
It is a good thing you did because your sluggish merchant ships would've been sunk by the 'warning' barrage of cannonballs the inhabitants of the island to the east fired off. Your nimble hawkship was able to dodge the fire until it became clear to those firing at you that you were no orcish raider.
There is a large fortified settlement on the island, with well-made walls and a number of cannon - though curiously no warships, only a few merchant ships at their docks. Judging by the architecture and the overabundance of decorative skulls, these people are Sigmarites. Even worse, there seems to be a substantial Dwarf quarter.
After a tense exchange of words at their docks, you learn that the island is ruled by "Baron" Aglim von Wurtmoot, who - reading between the lines - seems to be a fifth or sixth son off to make his fortune in the Border Princes.
With a few quick words and a silk scarf for the Baron's wife, you are able to arrange for a more hospitable visit in the future. Aglim apologies to you for the misunderstanding, and has the gunnery officer who panicked and ordered the attack flogged. Were your ship a part of Ulthuan's official navy, you would've demanded the man's head - and that of his gunnery crew. As it was just your personal ship, you will accept the flogging.
+1 Diplomacy! Gain the trait Signature Look of Superiority: You are skilled at using your status, reputation, and image to impress or convince others. +5 to Diplomacy against your social inferiors.
[x] Begin expanding your farms by establishing 25 Medium Farms
You have more farmers than farms by quite some margin, and so it is a relief that you are able to arrange for enough seeds, tools, and draught animals to begin to establish some more efficient farms. New World crops like corn and potatoes, though long introduced to cosmopolitan places like the Empire, are uncommon in the Border Princes.
Thus, with the seeds and supplies purchased on your way here, you are able to establish far superior farms to the existing ones established by the pirates.
Eydis is quick and efficient in her work to root out worshipers of the Ruinous Powers. Her witchsight allows her to spot Dhar, of course, and she uses spells of shadow to gather information without being seen.
She finds only one cultist, tracking the Dhar pooling around his small home shrine. He is dumped into the bay, his body unrecognisable, by the next dawn.
[x] Search for a Diplomat
DC 50: 1d100 + 21 (Diplomacy) = 8+21 = 29
Bare Failure. Action is not locked out.
You spend some time searching for an emissary or diplomat, but the social customs of the various human groups in your settlement are so complex that you end up needing months to simply map them out, let alone choose one to represent you.
[x] Use Magic to Aid Your Farmers
DC 50: 1d100 + 25 (Magic) = 100!+93+25 = 218
Critical Success! Exceeded DC by 175, seven extra degrees of success.
You walk down the fields of grain, your hand brushing against the stalks. You wear robes of white silk, without so much as a dagger to arm yourself with. You sing a prayer to Isha, and in that song, you weave threads of life magic.
A human priest would use themselves as a conduit for their god's power, denying their own abilities. You forge that connection with Isha, but you use it to strengthen your own power. It is what gives you the strength to walk from dawn to dusk, casting again and again without failure or danger.
You cast spells of life-giving and nurturing, infusing each plant with energy beyond what mere sunlight could give them. As you walk across your settlement's farms, you infuse Isha's love into the very ground.
This may not be the paradise the Old Ones made for the Elves, but you will give these people the barest glimpse of Ulthuan's bounty.
+1 Magic! Gain the trait Blessing of Isha: +5 to Magic when casting Life spells, +10 when casting Light spells against Daemons or other servants of Chaos.
[x] Spend time with a notable NPC: Eydis
You sit atop a cliff some distance from the lighthouse, resting against a lonely tree. Your fine robes and ithilmar armour have been left behind. You wear simple clothing and only a small dagger. The wind blows through your hair, looking as though a fire burns atop your head.
Eydis rests her head against your shoulder. Her eyes are closed, though you know she is awake. It is a warm day, but not too warm. A basket of food sits next to the two of you, mostly eaten.
"It is not so bad, this place," you say.
You try not to think about your home. Your real home, burning with pink and purple fire as you became a kinslayer.
"You've really taken to being in charge of these humans. Some of them even seem to have taken to you," Eydis says.
"They... they are crude, but only in manner. They are worthy of our aid," you say.
"I did not doubt that, my friend. Just that I did not think you would accept so many accidental slights," Eydis says, her mouth twitching into a grin.
"I did think about telling that awful noblewoman to swim home for quite some time," you say.
The bad rolls were not so bad and ho boy the good rolls were very good
Too bad we did not get a diplomat, but we can retry so that is fine. Actually wait a sec @Tekomandor is Sir Helene any good as a diplomat? I mean she is a Bretonian noble, they do tend to teach their kids to lead and inspire.
