[ ] Plan: YO HO BITCH

It has everything I want except Brissette so there is my vote.


Also, I think I'd prefer if the socialization action was a separate vote on their own, given that it won't affect any plan a lot.
 
Why does some people think the heist is a good idea? The stakes are much higher on this. If we fail, not only would we be pissing off Marethon, we would also be pissing off an another nation. Congrats, now you pushed a nation in their corner and the plan of strangling them economy is either down the drain or got exponentially harder. And some people, though not the same ones, think it's a bloody great idea to ignore the wall to get dog knights because it leaves a bad taste in their mouths that the ponies got them first. Now if we're unlucky, Marethon will invade while we're still building it and now we just handed a half finished wall to them. Yes, there's of that still happening even if we start now. However, the earlier we start, the less of a window they have to capture it.
 
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@Questor
hmm, I have a question concerning "Hoofbeard's Heist:" would it be possible to covertly follow these ships and find this tradeing partner, instead of attacking the fleet? this is possibly more valuable to us then pulling the heist off.

If we can hijack the trade route from them, by offering more gold for the goods then maretonia just days before the arrive. then sell it at a slight lost to those we know to be absolutionist. the power/wealth/inlfuince of this trade route gets shifted to those who we want to have it. Or just keep the goods for ourselves and make a profit selling it to our own people.
 
I mean, there are a great deal of Omake Bonuses available afaik? Like, at worst even just one +15 or +20 or even a couple of +10s would shore up the odds for the Heist (which has a base 53% of success without bonuses, including Garricks Intrigue stat) not going south. So I think it'd be okay afaik? Or just take the nearly 50/50 odds, our spy dice have been good to us throughout this quest after all lol.
 
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Yeah but that border should be secured like, yesterday so that the Maretonian Nobles don't get any... Bright ideas, anytime soon (hopefully). Plus if worse comes to worse we can toss an Imperial Order at it to finish it and then we can finally have a little breathing room in order to spend some time with our littlest kiddo.

The main reason I'm not voting for your plan is, that while yes, we could toss an Imperial order to finish it next turn, that assumes that Hoofbeard's Hiest doesn't crash and burn and get Maretonia to declare war on us on spot. Plus, we haven't sown chaos via Stirring Trouble amoung the nobles yet. We would be facing a fairly unified Maretonia, while if we sow troubles first, their government will be more shaky, which may in turn make it less appealing to go to war, as they'll be too busy squabbling to coordinate a war. This may make Hoofbeard's Hiest easier in the process due to Maretonia being focused on their own government.

If we play our cards right, we should be able to delay them long enough for us to next turn start the wall and using Imperial Priority right away. Building a wall signals that we have reason to prepare for war. So I'd like to avoid such an hint until we've sown chaos among thier nobles, as us starting to build a wall may go more easily unnoticed if they are preoccupied with their own national politics.

On the note of war, I want to have done the following before we risk something like Hoofbeard's Hiest, which could set off the war if we screw up.

I want us to have given time for the Crystal and Dog Knights to integrate, gotten better relationships with Libertalia, and perhaps wrangled their assistance in the war, given time for the Abolitionist movement to really start to gain power, indentified who these mysterious allies are and if we can sway them to our side, and if not, if we need to worry about them aiding Maretonia. It'd be no good for this mystery ally to utterly blindside us in the war with Maretonia.

Speaking of which, Maretonia is the reason I think Gawain bonding with Isabelle is prudent. Her family is mentioned to be isolated and scorned now. While I doubt Isabelle would go for it, I have no idea if the rest of her family would listen to an offer by Maretonia for the throne of Griffonia or something. The isolation of Brochard's kin is a weak point in the political structure of our empire.

However, as long as we don't do Hoofbeard's Hiest, I am willing to compromise by delaying Pearl until next turn, using Overtime for the Dogs, and using the main military action on the Hardbeak Line.


Would everyone find that a more enjoyable compromise?

That would make the main differences between Enjoy Peace and Yo Ho Stirring Trouble/Hoofbeard's Hiest and Isabelle/Ki respectively.
 
[ ] Elder Statesgryph:
[ ] A Question of Faith
[ ] Flying without Wings

We really need these three as Eva needs to retire at this point otherwise she may just drop dead and leave any successor without her expert training. I'm would not be surprised if one of the ends of turn random rolls is to see if she passes away..

Flying without wings needs to be done before our genius researcher also retires not to mention we got this due to a crit roll on the library so I kind of don't want to waste it.

The faith I think is needed to help ensure that there are not any crazy cults/ religious wars brewing in the background

Also Yay our popularity with the commoners and crystal ponies has increased by .5
 
As much as I would like to support @Lisain in his choice, unless the plan involves my people becoming Knights, then I cannot accept it.

[ ] Plan Enjoy The Peace While We Can

We must prepare. Also, son must gain Waifu. It's the law of Stronk. And Tall-Winged-Bird-Lions
 
Also like, I know I know, some logical part of my brain is going, yeah more prep would be really good and nice. BUT! On the other hand, we missed out on our Expendables-expies (not that I'm dissing "Operation: Winged Freedom" but... Expendabllllllessss) earlier, so let's collectively refuse to be denied our obligatory future heist movie-&-book-adaptation-fodder this go 'round!
 
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Also like, I know I know, my sense of caution and logical brain is going, yeah we should do more prep that would be really good and great. But on the other hand, we missed out on our Expendables-expies (not that I'm dissing "Operation: Winged Freedom" but... Expendabllllllessss) so let's collectively refuse to be denied our obligatory future heist movie-&-book-adaptation-fodder! (lol)

I mean, does it mention it's a time sensitive option? If not, then should we not take more time to stack the deck in our favor? It doubt that even if we do succeed in the heist, that there would not be an investigation of sorts. By doing Stirring Trouble first, we may cripple any such investigation before it starts, due to infighting and distrust.

Hell.

If Hoofbeard is willing to part with some of he loot, maybe we could frame an important Maretonian noble for collaborating with Pirates and taking some of what was on ship by having some of the loot show up on their property.

If we're going to do a Heist, we shouldn't do it halfbaked and with no backup plan.
 
Also like, I know I know, some logical part of my brain is going, yeah more prep would be really good and nice. BUT! On the other hand, we missed out on our Expendables-expies (not that I'm dissing "Operation: Winged Freedom" but... Expendabllllllessss) earlier, so let's collectively refuse to be denied our obligatory future heist movie-&-book-adaptation-fodder this go 'round!
I suppose we'll wait on questor, see what he think, cause followin em back sounds pretty solid over planning a massive heist. Heist would be really fun too (oceans 11, let's goooo!) But ya also gotta be practical sonetinesn.. but if he says otherwise, I wouldnt mind contributing to it.
 
[ ] Plan Preparing and Delaying the War
-[ ] Dog Knights: Cost: 600. Time: One Year. Reward: Diamond Dog Knights.
-[ ] Elder Statesgryph: Cost: 100. Time: One Year. Reward: Elva Retires, New Diplomacy Advisor, New Actions Unlocked.
-[ ] Ahoy me Buckos!: Cost: 300. Time: One Year. Reward: Diplomatic Relations with Libertalia, Peace Agreement, Further Actions Unlocked. Chance of Success: 70%.
-[ ] Rail Network: Cost: 1500. Time: Four Years. Reward: National Freight Railway Network Constructed. Increased Tax Income. New Options Unlocked.
-[ ] Sea Mines: Cost: 500. Time: One Year. Reward: Naval Mines Developed.
-[ ] Crystal Heart Studies: Cost: 300. Time: One Year. Reward: Information on the Crystal Heart, Additional Actions Unlocked.
-[ ] Arming the Abolitionists: Cost: 700. Time: One Year. Reward: Abolitionists gain access to quality weapons and armor. Chance of Success: 60%
-[ ] Stirring up Trouble: You've gotten your people back, but you're not quite finished with Maretonia. You and your people aren't comfortable sharing a border with a kingdom of slavers, and the abolitionists, riding high on their success, are jonesing to take further action against the Maretonian nobility, with or without your support. Ravenburg and Ambrosia have been sending a flurry of secret missives back and forth, exchanging ideas and opinions, and have come up with a complicated series of interlocking plans meant to spread disorder and discord throughout Maretonia by spreading misinformation and sowing strife between the rival noble houses of the realm. If the plan works, Queen Mareia and her vassals will be too busy searching for traitors and schemers amongst themselves to worry about you and their escaped property. You might even be able to leverage the situation to get some of the Abolitionists into greater positions of power and usurp some of the biggest slaveowners in Maretonia. It's worth a shot at least. Cost: 600. Time: Two Years. Reward: Maretonian nobility discredited/at each other's throats, Abolitionists gain more power and influence, Maretonia becomes less concerned about Gryphus. Chance of Success: 55%
-[ ] Overtime: Your advisors can only do so much, and sometimes that's just not enough. If it's truly necessary, you can sacrifice some of your otherwise free time to carry out an additional action from another category, provided said action has a duration of only one year. The costs and chances of success for that action remain the same.
--[ ] Flying without Wings: The fragment of the ancient design you found, while sparse on details due to its decay, has given both of your scientific advisors ideas. Big, big ideas. Of course, in order to make those ideas reality they'll need equally big amounts of funding and time. Just for starters they're going to have to figure out whether they can even build such a contraption with the materials they have available, and what other steps will need to be accomplished before they can even start to build this "flying machine". Cost: 200. Time: One Year. Reward: Viability of Airships explored, additional Learning Actions Unlocked.
-[ ] A Question of Faith: Cost: 300. Time: One Year. Reward: Council of Faiths Interlude. Chance to unlock Piety Category.
-[ ] Overtime: Your advisors can only do so much, and sometimes that's just not enough. If it's truly necessary, you can sacrifice some of your otherwise free time to carry out an additional action from another category, provided said action has a duration of only one year. The costs and chances of success for that action remain the same.
--[ ] A Different Kind of Mortar: The prospect of war with Maretonia has raised numerous concerns amongst the military. Your cannons, while effective at targeting enemies and destroying unreinforced architecture, may not be as effective against the enchanted walls and fortifications of Maretonia. Archimedes has proposed a potential solution: a weapon similar to a cannon, designed to lob projectiles over walls and other obstructions. While these weapons are unlikely to be as useful against mobile targets, they may prove a decisive advantage in siege warfare. Give Archimedes the go-ahead to try and build a few of these new weapons. Cost: 600. Time: One Year. Reward: Mortar Artillery Developed.
 
Here's a suggested compromise plan. It has the wall and Dog Knights as overtime, meaning no Pearl, and Isabelle because I want to learn more about the state of the Brochard family and determine if they are a backstabbing risk Maretonia may take advantage of, and Stireing Up Trouble instead of Hoofbeard's Heist, because I don't want to risk a war until the wall is done at minimum, and the Heist will be easier with a more divided Maretonia, and a Maretonia that is preoccupied with backstabbing itself will be too busy to see if the Brochards would want to backstab us. Plus, it means more Abolitionist Influence, which of we play our cards right and raise it enough while causing enough chaos in Maretonia society with Stirring Up Trouble, we could very well nurture a civil war and make Maretonia take care of itself for us.

[] Plan: YO HO, A Peaceful Compromise!
-[ ] The Hardbeak Line: Cost: 2500. Time: Three Years. Reward: Hardbeak Line Constructed using new fortification techniques. Southern Border Secured.
-[ ] Elder Statesgryph: Cost: 100. Time: One Year. Reward: Elva Retires, New Diplomacy Advisor, New Actions Unlocked.
-[ ] Ahoy me Buckos!: Cost: 300. Time: One Year. Reward: Diplomatic Relations with Libertalia, Peace Agreement, Further Actions Unlocked. Chance of Success: 70%.
-[ ] Rail Network: Cost: 1500. Time: Four Years. Reward: National Freight Railway Network Constructed. Increased Tax Income. New Options Unlocked.
-[ ] Sea Mines: Cost: 500. Time: One Year. Reward: Naval Mines Developed.
-[ ] Crystal Heart Studies: Cost: 300. Time: One Year. Reward: Information on the Crystal Heart, Additional Actions Unlocked.
-[ ] Arming the Abolitionists: Cost: 700. Time: One Year. Reward: Abolitionists gain access to quality weapons and armor. Chance of Success: 60%
-[ ] Stirring up Trouble: You've gotten your people back, but you're not quite finished with Maretonia. You and your people aren't comfortable sharing a border with a kingdom of slavers, and the abolitionists, riding high on their success, are jonesing to take further action against the Maretonian nobility, with or without your support. Ravenburg and Ambrosia have been sending a flurry of secret missives back and forth, exchanging ideas and opinions, and have come up with a complicated series of interlocking plans meant to spread disorder and discord throughout Maretonia by spreading misinformation and sowing strife between the rival noble houses of the realm. If the plan works, Queen Mareia and her vassals will be too busy searching for traitors and schemers amongst themselves to worry about you and their escaped property. You might even be able to leverage the situation to get some of the Abolitionists into greater positions of power and usurp some of the biggest slaveowners in Maretonia. It's worth a shot at least. Cost: 600. Time: Two Years. Reward: Maretonian nobility discredited/at each other's throats, Abolitionists gain more power and influence, Maretonia becomes less concerned about Gryphus. Chance of Success: 55%
-[ ] Overtime: Dog Knights: Cost: 600. Time: One Year. Reward: Diamond Dog Knights.
-[ ] A Question of Faith: Cost: 300. Time: One Year. Reward: Council of Faiths Interlude. Chance to unlock Piety Category.
-[ ] Getting to Know You: Cost: 0. Time: One Year. Reward: Gawain Improves Relationship with a Friend, May Lead to Further Developments and Benefits Down the Road. (Does not cost an Action. May only develop one relationship per Turn)
—[ ] Isabelle Brissette: Brochard's Niece is not what you'd expected...then again you're not really sure what you'd have expected her to be like. You're proud of your son for looking beyond her family's past. Hopefully he can help her come out of her shell a bit
 
[ ] Elder Statesgryph: Though Elva denies it, she's rapidly reaching a point where she's no longer capable of doing her job due to her advanced age. As much as you'd prefer to not think of it, you're concerned that one day she'll drop dead at her desk, leaving your foreign ministry leaderless. Though the stubborn old hen may not like it, she needs to be replaced, both for her sake and the Empire's. Cost: 100. Time: One Year. Reward: Elva Retires, New Diplomacy Advisor, New Actions Unlocked.

It's a shame there isn't a kinder way to do this since I get the impression somehow that she doesn't want to retire and doesn't have much else.
Wouldn't it be better for her to take on a protogé who can step up when the time really comes and with a few years as second in command under their beak?
 
@Questor I'd like to throw my bonus for my omake, The Consequences of Worship: +10, onto the Question of Faith action for this turn since all the plans have it.
 
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