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Who Needs Harmony?: An MLP Empire Quest

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Personally, I think our first target should be the pirates. That'll prevent Maretonia from getting more of our citizens as slaves, and if we curbstomp them might frighten the Maretonian nobles into rethinking their position. Other than that, fortify the Crystal Protectorate, support abolitionist groups in Maretonia, and keep up-teching our army. Might be nice to get an option to fund the creation of a Crystal Pony self defense force, to take some of the strain of protecting them off us.
 
With the Maretonians so dependent on slaves for labor, I bet they'll be pretty jealous of our steam engines when they find out about them. Maybe we could find some way to use that to help the abolitionists? Tell them we'll give them the secrets of the steam engine if they ban all slavery. They'll lose a lot of menial labor from not having slaves, but they'll get tons of labor from trains and stuff.
 
Gaius Tyrannus said:
@Questor, quick question. Have our spies got a general ideas of Maretonias military capabilities compared to ours? Like, how loyal are they, what are their standards, how do they fight?
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A vague idea yes. Their military is a mix of different units organized along feudal lines, ranging from elite battle mages and the personal guards of various nobles to groups of mercenaries, conscript soldiers and the occasional band of slaves used as cannon fodder.
 
Raptor580 said:
So in that case. Round 3 here we come.
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Question is, how much can we afford to fund the groups? I'd honestly say a few hundred to start off with, maybe increas that if they give good dividends.
Plausitivity said:
From our first encounter:

So a few slave soldiers, but also mercs and knights, with unicorn/pegasi support.
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So a group that relies on magic and weather manipulation, plus a small core of actual troops, while relying on numbers from mercs or conscripts slaves?

Diamond dog Saboteurs come from below them covered in anti magic armor, cut them off from magic, trap them in a cave or mountain pass, aim for their wings.
 
Sentient Tree said:
With the Maretonians so dependent on slaves for labor, I bet they'll be pretty jealous of our steam engines when they find out about them. Maybe we could find some way to use that to help the abolitionists? Tell them we'll give them the secrets of the steam engine if they ban all slavery. They'll lose a lot of menial labor from not having slaves, but they'll get tons of labor from trains and stuff.
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See, economic warfare. Granted it'll be a tough sell as all expertise will be coming from out of state and, well, skilled labor like that will be a rather enticing target...

Gaius Tyrannus said:
Diamond dog Saboteurs come from below them covered in anti magic armor,
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Don't have nearly enough Dark Steel and some Earth ponies certainly feel them coming.
 
Sentient Tree said:
With the Maretonians so dependent on slaves for labor, I bet they'll be pretty jealous of our steam engines when they find out about them. Maybe we could find some way to use that to help the abolitionists? Tell them we'll give them the secrets of the steam engine if they ban all slavery. They'll lose a lot of menial labor from not having slaves, but they'll get tons of labor from trains and stuff.
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Depends on what they are using slaves for. If it's mining, then steam engines could actually increase demand for slaves, since it means you can more easily pump water out of deeper mines, opening up new shafts. Or improvements in steam powered textile production could increase the demand for more cotton or flax, which still have to be picked by hand (presumably by slaves). While in the long term industrialization reduces the value of unskilled labor and requires more trained workers, relying on steam engines to rapidly change the profitability of slavery seems impractical to me. Besides, the abolitionists are A. already prepared to ban slavery on moral grounds and B. lacking the power to affect that change. We could try convincing the nobility, but they seem pretty entrenched in their position, and the status quo already favors them enough I doubt they would risk changing it.
 
jjffjhjf said:
Definitely want to look into our spies, who are apparently all just 007 clones, rescuing our captured peoples. Preferably including the Neighponese, that political capital we'd get from it would be quite nice. Though it might be prudent to work with Neighponese illusionists to make it as effective a rescue as possible, while also making it ever more common for our peoples to work together, something definitely worth doing.
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I think recapturing them directly would be too difficult. Instead let's get tons of blackmail on the nobles, and make them "willingly" give back our people.
 
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Questor said:
A vague idea yes. Their military is a mix of different units organized along feudal lines, ranging from elite battle mages and the personal guards of various nobles to groups of mercenaries, conscript soldiers and the occasional band of slaves used as cannon fodder.
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my thanks.
So no standardization, no real discipline except for the elites, and an entire population that's hates them for being enslaved?
Why do they think they can take us again?
Nervos Belli said:
Personally, I think our first target should be the pirates. That'll prevent Maretonia from getting more of our citizens as slaves, and if we curbstomp them might frighten the Maretonian nobles into rethinking their position. Other than that, fortify the Crystal Protectorate, support abolitionist groups in Maretonia, and keep up-teching our army. Might be nice to get an option to fund the creation of a Crystal Pony self defense force, to take some of the strain of protecting them off us.
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Agreed, cut them off from their supply of slaves, and they will starve, plus it might just scare them into submission. Start make more ships, and make a concreted effort with the Neighponese in anti piracy policies.
 
DaLintyGuy said:
See, economic warfare. Granted it'll be a tough sell as all expertise will be coming from out of state and, well, skilled labor like that will be a rather enticing target...


Don't have nearly enough Dark Steel and some Earth ponies certainly feel them coming.
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One idea: Economically, what if we established companies and sold them finished products like steam engines, installed by us? They won't likely reverse engineer with their current tech level, and by gradually putting the machines in their industry, they'll start to question the usability of slaves. Also, we get to make them economically dependent on us for the machines since they can't make it themselves!
Only selling to nobles without slaves of course. The ones who do obviously don't need the 'leg up'.

We better get an International Superspy Organization option next turn!
 
Plausitivity said:
One idea: Economically, what if we established companies and sold them finished products like steam engines, installed by us? They won't likely reverse engineer with their current tech level, and by gradually putting the machines in their industry, they'll start to question the usability of slaves. Also, we get to make them economically dependent on us for the machines since they can't make it themselves!
Only selling to nobles without slaves of course. The ones who do obviously don't need the 'leg up'.

We better get an International Superspy Organization option next turn!
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There is the issue of Libertalia and the fact that they might start paying bandits, blackmail, or discredit in some way our technology. Like they could tax/tariff us, or make shoddy products of our engines. On the whole however, I do agree. This might economically cripple them in a way that we might not even have to fight.
Wait, hold on. You have given me an idea.

Is there a drug like opium that can affect Magic users?
 
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Gaius Tyrannus said:
my thanks.
So no standardization, no real discipline except for the elites, and an entire population that's hates them for being enslaved?
Why do they think they can take us again?

Agreed, cut them off from their supply of slaves, and they will starve, plus it might just scare them into submission. Start make more ships, and make a concreted effort with the Neighponese in anti piracy policies.
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Well, most of their slaves are either born in slavery or Maretonian citizens enslaved as punishment for a crime, so this won't seriously impact their slave system by itself. Cutting the Atlantic slave trade didn't end US slavery, after all, and this is even less effective since they can just enslave poor freeponies if they need to. What crushing the pirates will do is cut off their supply of foreign luxury slaves, which will piss off the nobles, and show off how strong our military is.
 
Nervos Belli said:
Well, most of their slaves are either born in slavery or Maretonian citizens enslaved as punishment for a crime, so this won't seriously impact their slave system by itself. Cutting the Atlantic slave trade didn't end US slavery, after all, and this is even less effective since they can just enslave poor freeponies if they need to. What crushing the pirates will do is cut off their supply of foreign luxury slaves, which will piss off the nobles, and show off how strong our military is.
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While I agree, there is an issue with proving our strength.
The issue is, that we will be fighting pirates, not them. They will probably expect that filthy, un cultured pirates would be beaten by us. What's more important, is the fact that we strike close to home. Not even their allies are safe from our wrath. And we ramp it up from their.
 
Gaius Tyrannus said:
There is the issue of Libertalia and the fact that they might start paying bandits, blackmail, or discredit in some way our technology. Like they could tax/tariff us, or make shoddy products of our engines. On the whole however, I do agree. This might economically cripple them in a way that we might not even have to fight.
Wait, hold on. You have given me an idea.

Is there a drug like opium that can affect Magic users?
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You wouldn't be thinking of a War... related to Opium?
 
We need more Intrigue action soon with so many thing we need to do example prevent a Coup for the Yaks, spy on pirate inland, and many thing for the new country we met from freeing the slaves to talking Ambrosia.
 
I be interesting in getting more carracks to pad our navy before we assault the pirates although of course we get more info first.
 
YCG said:
We need more Intrigue action soon with so many thing we need to do example prevent a Coup for the Yaks, spy on pirate inland, and many thing for the new country we met from freeing the slaves to talking Ambrosia.
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i'm actually a bit surprised we haven't gotten another intrigue action by now since we have a lot of veteran spy's who know what they're doing.
 
Ok... so clearly there are options and we are in a diplomatic standoff with Maretonia. There are a few things we need to do.

  • Infiltrate Maretonia - We need to know how their economy works, who has the money, who are the power brokers and companies. We then do several things, have Diamond Dogs dig tunnels and be our infiltrators into Maretonia, send money and material support to abolitionists, liberate our people via espionage and Griffon Team Six. Imagine the cockiness of Maretonian nobles thinking they showed the savages up North by keeping their slaves, and then all of a sudden they turn around and find Griffon Team 6 liberating griffons and Qilin and then setting fire to their manor once all the slaves are out. It's a catastrophe... nope definitely didn't have my super expensive Maretonian Manor burn down with most of my wealth and assets whether running or going up in smoke. We know nothing of course. Also we need to be clear to attack the Maretonian nobility and leave the Pegasi legions out of it. They might be our only alternative in case we wind up accidentally collapsing maretonia into Civil War, and they will be vital to secure the post war peace. Ideally a griffon soldier will never have to officially enter Maretonia to free our people. Imagine the fun of us turning the tables of Olive Branch "Where are Golden Chariot's workers. Did your soldiers steal them" "Oh you might very well think that. I couldn't possibly comment"
  • Explore Libertalia - With that Neighponese Naval Base on the shore of the... Selenic Sea? (Dang it we need names), and our own fleet we can force the pirates out of the North... However attacking Libertalia itself is not the approach to take. They are pirates... We have a lot of money... How much money would it take for them to turn on Maretonia? All of this is about amping up pressure on the Maretonian nobility after all. It would irritate the hell out of Maretonia (We aren't willing to pay Maretonia for slaves, but we are perfectly willing to outpay the pirates to make maretonia lives hell) We would also stem the tide of future Griffon, Qilin, Crystal Pony slaves. The pirates would just return them to us automatically
  • Yakyakistan - I know it's not popular but we should leave them be and if we do anything JUST have it be diplomatic outreach, no spies. Ideally 4 Yak Kingdoms, or one Yak Empire is fine, and hey maybe one of those kingdoms will want to join the Empire.
  • SCIENCE! - This now the Age Of Steampunk, we better act like it, and develop new infrastructure. Railroads, Subways, Zeppelins,
  • Military - I think we should build up a Knight Order in Crystals first, and fortify the Amethyst River or whatever that river name is. Make it look like a peaceful border, not Sombra defense levels. Clear the roads so that when Maretonian go north into Crystal Protectorate there is a procedure to follow. You know... for asylum seekers. Also make this not a griffon only operation, make it clear we are assisting Crystal Protectorate defending their southern border. Can't have the Crystal Nationalists getting a rallying cry of "griffon invasion". Make it a policy of flatout refusing Slave catchers to cross the border, and don't be quiet about it. Make the Amethyst river our Ohio River. We made our navy a lot better so hopefully a Naval expansion isn't necessary
  • World's Fair - As a foremost center of Science, technology and Innovation it would behoove us to create a World's fair to showcase the accomplishments of the Empire and it's allies. Invite Maretonia to it as well... they are a nation

@Questor do you have an opinion on players naming various pieces of geography on the map? It's kinda difficult to call things just "South Border River" or "That Sea to the East"
 
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Plausitivity said:
One idea: Economically, what if we established companies and sold them finished products like steam engines, installed by us? They won't likely reverse engineer with their current tech level, and by gradually putting the machines in their industry, they'll start to question the usability of slaves. Also, we get to make them economically dependent on us for the machines since they can't make it themselves!
Only selling to nobles without slaves of course. The ones who do obviously don't need the 'leg up'.

We better get an International Superspy Organization option next turn!
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That probably wont work, since that would require an ideal scenario. For one, itd require we actually trade with them. Yeah, sure, we could, but given relation, I'd rather embargo the hell out of em. Second, even giving them an engine would allow them to try and duplicate it. Even if they dont have the processes down in terms of metallurgy, they could make a bootleg or magic to dupe it. Or, some smart pony could try their hands at reverse engineering it. It's not like it couldnt happen.
And third, theres no guarantee it wouldnt go to slavers. Important items tend to find themselves in the hands on those with money, so I have little doubt even if we want them to only go to the non-slave owning nobles, the slave owning nobles will get them anyway.

Firebringer2077 said:
  • World's Fair - As a foremost center of Science, technology and Innovation it would behoove us to create a World's fair to showcase the accomplishments of the Empire and it's allies. Invite Maretonia to it as well... they are a nation
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I'd actually thought of the idea of a worlds fair earlier to get our allies in on steam tech and promote innovation. Dont recall if I'd actually written it down. Wouldnt invite maretonia tho, since I dont want them anywhere in our boarders, officially or not. They burned their bridge.
 
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