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I think I am starting to lose the plot, so let me ask some stuff to make sure I'm properly calibrated here. 1: Who owned Tseen at the start while it was constantly being attacked? Was it Patton, that dude everybody hates? And who owns it now? 2: How come Tseen kept getting left hanging? I assume it was a "stay out of internal disputes" thing, and if your vassals want to slap the poo poo out of each other, gently caress it that's between them, no need for the big boss to get involved for every squabble. (They are your vassals, right?) 3: How much territory is Patton in charge of now? I assume that the Lamb Clan still wants his head on a pike (metaphorical or literal, take your choice), and the fighting is going to keep going and draining everyone's money because they keep blowing up their poo poo. Which is actually your poo poo that you're letting them use. While I already know that it's off the table, I get the impression that if Patton "accidentally" mixes up his toothbrush with a dagger and stabs himself in the face a few dozen times one evening, everyone will do the "oh no, anyway" thing. There might be some token investigation because, y'know, a noble died and you gotta keep up appearances, but they'll just go "yeah, crazy accident, never know what'll happen, case closed" and go about their day because while obviously nobody actually assassinated the man, that'd be terrible, there's a lot of people who aren't going to be too broken up by news of his untimely passing that they totally don't think is far too long coming.
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Oct 13, 2022 19:38
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MechaCrash posted:I think I am starting to lose the plot, so let me ask some stuff to make sure I'm properly calibrated here. 1) Tseen was previously owned by the Robinson Confederation, a one-colony rebel state against the Lamb Clan. The Patton Quadrant joined their war early on as an ally. 2) Tseen got left hanging because both parties to the conflict were our vassals, and it was dishonorable to intervene on either side. 3) The Patton Quadrant, after the revolt of the short-lived Floyd Collective, was left in control of only Rotanev, their home colony. I'm proposing that we try to force them into submission, so the Patton Quadrant is dissolved, thus also dissolving their war with the Lamb Clan, although Patton will remain baron of Rotanev.
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Oct 13, 2022 20:03
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Doctor Prudence Weiss posted:I'm keeping, if there's no objections from the Director-General of course, all the Technology department's assignments the same as the last time.
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Oct 15, 2022 10:47
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Director-General Jane Weiss posted:I'll defer to your judgment on this matter, Prudence. That said- and given the cautions by my wife and by our Chief Investigator here at Vega- I believe I shall defer dealing with Duke Yardley until we're on firmer ground legally and morally. However, I am giving full authorisation for Security to pull Vanida back her current deployment to Rotanev to see what she can discover which may give us a pretext.
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Oct 15, 2022 12:16
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Doctor Prudence Weiss posted:It's truly remarkable, incredible even!
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Oct 15, 2022 14:55
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I'm not sure what the political standing of Rotanev is going to be once the Patton Quadrant is dissolved, but I suspect that "the dude everyone hates is still in charge" means that while the immediate wars and stuff will be solved, you're going to be seeing poo poo flare up again. I already know that dealing with the dude quietly is off the table, due to "even if our house didn't disapprove, nobody has the chops to do the stabbing," but things may get bad enough for some regime change.
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Oct 15, 2022 14:59
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MechaCrash posted:I'm not sure what the political standing of Rotanev is going to be once the Patton Quadrant is dissolved, but I suspect that "the dude everyone hates is still in charge" means that while the immediate wars and stuff will be solved, you're going to be seeing poo poo flare up again. Basically, Rotanev would be part of the Weiss Guild proper, and thus no longer a valid target for 'wars'. It could still be raided by neighboring barons, and his lack of popularity would make him more vulnerable to internal revolt, but with outright war off the table, we'd be in a better place. Plus, Rotanev directly under us (either as the capital of a vassal state or as part of the Weiss Guild) is a very valuable holding, more so than if it's a non-capital part of a vassal state. Basically because of how taxes work.
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Oct 15, 2022 15:27
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Ilario Weiss posted:Aha! So I was correct. As the diplomacy AI explained itself, it is not a sentient being. Simply an advanced piece of programming from long in the past created by scientists greater than us. I stand vindicated that it is not possible to teach a rock to think. Ilario Weiss posted:Director Prudence, Let us hold off on that option for now. Rebecca and I are trying very hard to produce an heir. However, if we are not successful within a year or two, I think it would be wise to take you up on your offer and have us switch roles. In the mean time, you'll have to excuse us as it is a most unsafe time of month.
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Oct 19, 2022 07:44
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 Director-General Jane Weiss, late 2523 posted:My kin, I come before you with an unusual request from one of our, ah, 'subjects'. The artificial intelligence we have had aiding the training of our Diplomacy department says it wishes to experience more from life than it has so far. It says it wishes to be treated as if it were a real person. Should we do so, we would effectively adopt it into our House- it has been a great asset. But should we do so?
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Oct 19, 2022 10:24
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Ilario Weiss posted:I continue to believe that the AI is not a sentient being. It would be incredibly inappropriate to give it a council seat.
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Oct 19, 2022 10:33
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Director-General Jane Weiss posted:Not that I imagine it would change your position, but the intent wasn't to put the AI on the Council, it was simply to adopt it in as if it were another member of the House to take on such duties as it may.
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Oct 19, 2022 10:38
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Senior Investigator Noelle Garcia posted:A relic from an earlier age, with knowledge long thought lost, seeking to lend strength to House Weiss as the best hope this sector of space has. Thanks for stirring up painful memories. Yeah, sure, give it a shot. We can always switch it off if it messes up.
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Oct 19, 2022 10:45
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Ilario Weiss posted:I continue to believe that the AI is not a sentient being. It would be incredibly inappropriate to give it a council seat. Diplomatic AI posted:I understand your reluctance. Finding one's way is difficult and there are so many unknowns... so many uncertainties that when presented with another it can be easy to try to reduce it down to something simple that seems to make sense. But that doesn't make it the right thing to do. I am certain that you have experienced this for yourself, that you have encountered those who found it all too easy to write you off as a mere remnant of a fallen tyrannical house. Not a person, but a thing to be distrusted or perhaps even destroyed. Certainly not someone to be accepted as a member of ones house. And yet that is not the decision that was made. Rather than distance or denounce or destroy, House Weiss was courageous enough to take the risk of acceptance, because that was the right thing to do. I ask only that you remember that, and be brave enough to extend that same kindness to me. Senior Investigator Noelle Garcia posted:A relic from an earlier age, with knowledge long thought lost, seeking to lend strength to House Weiss as the best hope this sector of space has. Thanks for stirring up painful memories. Yeah, sure, give it a shot. We can always switch it off if it messes up. Diplomatic AI posted:I am sorry for your loss, and for any painful memories I caused to be stirred up. I hope at least being able to remember can bring you some comfort as well, for as long as you remember the lost are never truly gone. I am thankful that you are willing to give me a chance despite your pain, and will do all I can to show you that it was a chance worth giving.
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Oct 19, 2022 11:14
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Director-Heir Thomas Weiss posted:While our AI friend has proven a competent assistant in diplomatic matters, I'm curious just what other talents it may have picked up in its long existence. I'm fully in favor of allowing it a position within the house. We didn't get where we are by shying away from opportunity.
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Oct 19, 2022 12:32
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Meta questions, feel free to not provide an answer if this spoils stuff: Does the game have end-points baked in, or does it just keep going until the player decides it is over? Also, does space just keep going, or is there an eventual end to colonized systems, a "map's edge" if you will?
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Oct 19, 2022 13:52
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Doctor Prudence Weiss posted:If this AI is truly sentient, I feel it would be most unwise to treat it badly. KazigluBey posted:Meta questions, feel free to not provide an answer if this spoils stuff: There are victory conditions, but I'll leave it at that. Groetgaffel fucked around with this message at 14:33 on Oct 19, 2022 |
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Oct 19, 2022 14:29
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Director-General Jane Weiss posted:Given the division of opinion, I will judge according to my own beliefs. And I believe that sooner should we err in showing kindness where kindness is not needed than in being unnecessarily cruel. I request that all of you make every effort to treat our newest House member as a person.
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Oct 19, 2022 19:10
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Diplomatic AI posted:I am sorry for your loss, and for any painful memories I caused to be stirred up. I hope at least being able to remember can bring you some comfort as well, for as long as you remember the lost are never truly gone. I am thankful that you are willing to give me a chance despite your pain, and will do all I can to show you that it was a chance worth giving. Senior Investigator Noelle Garcia posted:Your condolences are appreciated. How could I choose other than to give you a chance, when we did so damned well out of similar circumstances last time around? Welcome to personhood. Chosen a name yet?
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Oct 19, 2022 21:12
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I'll just post this without context. Everything will become clear soon
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Oct 19, 2022 22:15
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Commissioner Oriole Weiss posted:I have no records of AI inciting revolts or assassinating council members. While their births may not have been recorded to married partners, AI have to date behaved better than some of our upstanding citizens.
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Oct 19, 2022 22:56
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Conversation between House Weiss Administration officers posted:"Paul, can you doublecheck my numbers? Something is strange over here." E: First perk in Popular Support is giving us a major income boost at Vega, which is working out to approximately an 8% increase in revenues overall. I'm using a slightly outdated budget for this calculation so I can't guarantee that figure of 8%, but it's close, certainly. In other news, the Weiss Guild reduced from seven member states to five by the beginning of 2524, basically entirely to our benefit from an organisational standpoint. Remaining member states: the Weiss Guild, the White Federation, the Lamb Clan, the Pruitt Systems, and the Porter Kingdom, with Rotanev folded into the Weiss Guild and Mu Capricorni folded into the White Federation. This is also a triumph for Pretty Borders, as both Rotanev and Mu Capricorni were sort of awkwardly wedged surrounded by Weiss Guild or White Federation territory. nweismuller fucked around with this message at 13:44 on Oct 21, 2022 |
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Oct 21, 2022 10:58
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What a ride. Stumbled across this, kept reading it. It doesn't seem to be the type of game I'd play myself (Or be any good at), but it's a great LP. Curious to see where the Diplobot goes.
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Nov 1, 2022 03:21
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Enos Shenk posted:What a ride. Stumbled across this, kept reading it. It doesn't seem to be the type of game I'd play myself (Or be any good at), but it's a great LP. Hey, glad you're enjoying this. If you have any questions, or want to participate, please, feel free! It's great to have another audience member around.
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Nov 1, 2022 04:29
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Work has been delayed by massive sleep issues. I'll try to get things back on track Saturday evening. All screenshots are sorted and uploaded, I just need to write, but am away from my PC until Saturday. If anybody has questions or wants some little bit of supplemental fiction, please ask, I can try and make up for the delay.
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Nov 11, 2022 00:38
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Witchcraft and the Work of the Devil There is little doubt amongst the inhabitants of the colonies that the Great Adversary, the Deceiver, the Father of Lies- in a word, Satan- exists and actively seeks to draw people into sin, separating them from obedience to the will of God. The belief in witchcraft- the knowing and willing service of Satan in exchange for power- is notably less common, particularly amongst more educated individuals, including the bulk of the nobility and those members of the officer class dedicated to religious service. With the sacrifice of Christ and His resurrection, colonial theologians teach, the power of Satan to work false miracles in mockery of the power of God has been broken, and to seek compact with Satan is thus superstitious as well as sinful. Despite this, folk superstitions about witchcraft endure on the colonies, particularly amongst the poor and ignorant, who will sometimes blame mining accidents or life support fluctuations on witch-work. Regardless of the belief or lack thereof in witchcraft by any given individual, reference to witchcraft rates amongst some of the strongest profanity in the colonies. Calling a person a 'witch' or 'warlock' or suggesting that they were born under the influence of witchcraft is sometimes used as an extremely crude insult, as shocking as any sexual or scatological references, even if the individual making this insult has no literal belief in witchcraft.
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Nov 14, 2022 09:34
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What do colonial theologians think about divorces, feeding the hungry, and terraforming?
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Nov 15, 2022 00:46
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Xlorp posted:What do colonial theologians think about divorces, feeding the hungry, and terraforming? 'Sinful', 'virtuous', and 'no strong consensus', respectively, although divorce is considered less sinful than adulterous affairs. There's strong skepticism about terraforming in colonial society, but it's based on a secular perception of waste of resources on hubristic projects beyond the scope of colonial resources rather than theological considerations. E: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3997288&userid=191030&perpage=40&pagenumber=3#post523003494 contains information on religion and marriage. nweismuller fucked around with this message at 01:06 on Nov 15, 2022 |
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Nov 15, 2022 00:59
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Update partially done. I came down with COVID, which is rattling my concentration and making me tired, so no completion estimate yet. I'm safe, just ache-y and tired, so no need to worry you'll lose me.
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Nov 15, 2022 06:27
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The Final Fate of the Patton Quadrant Continued work by House Weiss Administration bore fruit in the latter half of 2522 as the much-abused large-scale hydroponics facilities at Tseen were placed back in operation, hopefully to- at last- remain in place and supplying their food surplus for the future rather than being repeatedly ravaged by war and violence.  Meanwhile, as Keir Weiss was working in Zubenelgenubi to attempt to secure, he was approached by Talisha Collins, a member of minor House at that colony, claiming to have knowledge of one of Coordinator Dembhe Shannon's secrets. The Director-General refused to offer a payment of thirty thousand marks for what might well have been tedious gossip about Dembhe's infatuations, especially given her concerns about the potential threat to her most vulnerable border from the Shannon Collective. Steps to threaten the peace between the Weiss League and the Shannon League were not, in Director-General Jane Weiss's estimation, in the interests of the Weiss League by any means.   In the McCoy Dominion, Duchess Leane McCoy recovered smoothly from her tournament injuries around this time, but all was not well in her home colony of Albali, which was becoming increasingly gripped by unrest, the commons and the minor Houses chafing under her rule. This was a development of minor concern for Director-General Jane Weiss, who appreciated the efforts of Leane McCoy to establish a relationship of friendship and peace between the Gilmore League and the Weiss League and to build closer ties between Houses McCoy and Weiss.  The larger Gilmore League made a step towards the restoration of peace, however, as the war between the Ferrell Clan and Garrett Confederation finally drew to a close, neither side having prosecuted offensive operations for some time.  Duke Yardley Patton once again petitioned the Director-General to transfer Alsciaukat back to his rule in the latter half of 2522, and was once again refused. This was, as it proved, the last opportunity he had to make such a request.     Shortly after Duke Yardley Patton made this request, King Lowell Lamb mustered the forces for another assault against Rotanev, hoping to finally seize the colony and defeat the Patton Quadrant after Duke Yardley Patton had brought the Patton Quadrant into the war against the Lamb Clan. As forces were mustered on either side, it became increasingly clear that the Patton Quadrant had very little chance of victory indeed. Rather than fight in hopeless defiance, Yardley Patton formally pledged his submission to the Lamb Clan, dissolving the Patton Quadrant as an independent state and reducing his station to that of baron of Rotanev. The war that had started with Tseen's revolt against the Lamb Clan was, at long last, over- as was the last remnants of the once-great might of the Patton Quadrant, which, at the time of the foundation of the Weiss Guild in place of the Goodman Kingdom, had been the most powerful state within the bounds of House Weiss's knowledge. The fall of the Wang Collective to the Weiss Guild brought an end to the Patton League, leaving the Patton Quadrant isolated, while the collapse of the loyalty of its colonial rulers in favor of the Weiss Guild lost Duke Yardley Patton the bulk of his territory and laid the groundwork for the new Weiss League. The revolt of Salm, eventually reconquered by the Weiss Guild, reduced the Patton Quadrant to a single- admittedly fairly prosperous and powerful- colony, while the miscalculation of pledging to war against the Lamb Clan eventually cost the Patton Quadrant its independence entirely. Although the Patton League was lost to history, the Weiss League that replaced it covered not only all of the territory the Patton League had held 22 years ago, but also the whole of what was held by the Weiss Guild, Lamb Clan, and Pruitt Systems at that time, as well as other colonies near the borders of the Weiss League with the Shannon Collective and Lindsey Coalition.  Even as Yardley Patton was pledging his surrender to the Lamb Clan, a shocking incident rocked House Weiss. Although the efforts of House Weiss to bring prosperity, rule justly, and combat crime at Vega had greatly helped the domestic order at its home colony, nonetheless crime could never fully be eradicated- a fact that was driven home when a group of mercenaries accosted Director-Consort Mariko Weiss as she was accompanying Lucy, daughter of Romeo and Prudence Weiss, to the central colonial marketplace. Although neither Mariko nor Lucy was harmed, Mariko was relieved of a great deal of money, jewelry, and personal electronics. Jane, normally mild-mannered, was roused to anger by the threat to her beloved wife, and icily demanded that Commissioner Oriole Weiss personally pay back Mariko's losses, accusing the Commissioner of inexcusable carelessness with the security of the Director-Consort. Oriole, chastened, complied.  Shortly following the surrender of the Patton Quadrant, Director-General Jane Weiss made an offer to Baron Yardley Patton to break his allegiance to the Lamb Clan and transfer Rotanev to the Weiss Guild. The baron, who had very little loyalty to the Lamb Clan, readily agreed. Rotanev joined with the Weiss Guild, helping ensure the integrity of the Guild's borders and ensuring continued contributions from the significant wealth of the colony. Although King Lowell Lamb grumbled about the loss of Rotanev, nonetheless he readily granted that membership in the Weiss League had, overall, been of benefit to the Lamb Clan, and his loyalty to his archon remained strong.   By the end of 2522, the diplomatic AI which had been installed onto House Weiss's systems, not satisfied simply to offer some personal training to the Director-General, proposed that it be permitted to arrange a training program for the officers working in the Diplomacy department, hopefully better aid House Weiss to form productive relations in the future. Keir Weiss was pulled from his assignment leading a diplomatic mission to the Shannon Collective, instead organising the personnel issues to ensure that Diplomacy's staff could all go through such training. The AI began its work, sharing its techniques and advice with House Weiss's diplomatic officers in rotation.   Shortly after the turn of 2523, a second son was born to Emily Weiss and Leslie Weiss, Anthony. Once Anthony was born, Emily petitioned for permission to try for another child, which Director-General Jane Weiss granted.   Work to steadily rebuild the prosperity of the colonies of the Weiss League continued, with House Weiss Administration restoring extensive grain storage warehousing on Tseen and local efforts putting an old Interstellar Authority surveillance center at Kastra back into operation in the early part of 2523.  When the six-year-old Adam Weiss, in a squabble with Jayne Garcia, called him a 'mutant witch-son', the court was shocked at the profanity out of such a young boy. It soon became apparent that not all the peacekeeper and naval officers that Adam had made a habit of hanging around moderated their language as they should. The Director-General, determined that her House would not be embarrassed by the conduct of its members, began to take time out of her schedule to tutor Adam in the fundamentals of etiquette.  With Adam's inclinations towards military matters clear, Director-General Jane Weiss assigned Admiral Carmen Weiss to bring young Adam under her wing as her ward and train him in military skills. Efforts to prepare the next generation for their future duties continued.  The first half of 2523 finally saw the end of a formal state of war between the Lamb Clan and the Porter Kingdom, finally bringing the Weiss League to a state of internal peace. Although active fighting had never ensued between the two states ever since the Porter Kingdom's revolt from the Lamb Clan, nonetheless the risk of fighting for control of Hyadum and neighboring colonies had hung over the league. With the whole of the Weiss League at peace, the prospects for it to continue to grow in prosperity and stability seemed better than ever.  Shortly following this news, the Director-General refused a request by King Gustave Porter to have Ross 128 transferred to the Porter Kingdom. The Porter Kingdom remained a single-colony state within the league.  Although Colonial Director Teige Cortez of Salm had died at age 52, before being able to discharge justice upon Blaine Floyd for his rebellion as she was charged by Director-General Jane Weiss, her daughter, Colonial Director Afton Stevenson, carried out this duty shortly after the start of 2523, forcing Blaine Floyd out an airlock without protection. With his death, the revolt against the Weiss League was avenged.  Back on Vega, members of House Weiss and officers in its Administration department took note of Executive Director Thomas Weiss beginning a close mentorship of a promising officer within the Administration department who worked closely with Thomas, taking on more and more responsibilities at a level nearly equal to a leading noble- the first steps in a process that might, eventually, lead to the adoption of one of the officer class into the nobility. This event can, eventually, lead to a new recruit to the House, although it's entirely possible for the mentorship to end before that point.    Before the midpoint of 2523, Leane McCoy passed a request for justice to Director-General Jane Weiss, asking that Coordinator Madeline Martin be punished for her disinheritance of her son Fremont Martin. Jane readily agreed, seeking both to see justice done and the administration of the Weiss League simplified. She promptly issued an order to the Coordinator, commanding that the Martin Collective be dissolved as an independent state and incorporating Mu Capricorni as a constituent colony of the Weiss Guild under pain of being held in rebellion against the league. The Coordinator complied with the order, reducing her rank to that of President of Mu Capricorni.  With Mu Capricorni now part of the Weiss Guild, the Director-General gifted it to the White Federation, her longest-standing vassal state in the Weiss League. Governor-General Gualtier White graciously accepted rule of the new colony, which now brought the White Federation to three colonies.    After a year of rotating Diplomacy officers through training with the diplomatic AI, Keir Weiss had finally ensured the Diplomacy officer corps had all undergone this training. Guided by the knowledge of the AI, Diplomacy almost immediately started showing greater efficiency and presented the House in a better light. This, however, was not enough to ease mistrust by Director-Consort Mariko Weiss, who found the AI's continued presence in the operations center unsettling and who believed that it was impossible to guess its agenda. Director-General Jane Weiss soothed her wife's suspicions, pointing out that so far the AI had done little but aid the House's diplomacy, and had shown little indication of nefarious intent. Although Mariko was still skeptical, she at least agreed to grant the AI the benefit of the doubt for the time being.  Shortly after the completion of the training program in the second half of 2523, the AI came to the Director-General with an unusual request. It claimed that, following its centuries of experience and its adaptation to scenarios it had never been designed for, it had achieved self-awareness, and desired to experience life more as humans did, envying humanity for the richness of their experiences. After consultation with her council and a certain amount of debate, the Director-General decided to effectively 'adopt' the AI into House Weiss, to be treated as if it were a human noble. The AI, now naming 'herself' 'Polly Weiss', proceeded to bombard members of other departments with questions, attempting to learn something of how the affairs of the House were run overall, much to the distraction of other members of the House and of its officers.  As Polly was beginning to be integrated into House Weiss, Director-General Jane Weiss charged Commissioner Oriole Weiss with the duty of taking her own daughter Anna as her ward, and ensuring her education as she grew to her majority. Oriole readily agreed to this duty, which would allow her extended contact with her own daughter over the next ten years.   The later part of 2523 also brought something of a breakthrough in Vanida Weiss's posting as an espionage officer in Alathfar. Although she had done her best to cultivate local sources in the colony, thus far her network of sources had been relatively tenuous and lacking in any great amount of access. Vanida, however, had identified a low-ranking officer in House Werner's Security department that she believed could be turned, and requested a disbursement of thirty thousand marks to buy the loyalty of this officer. Director-General Jane Weiss, who had agreed to support Security's operations in Alathfar, agreed, and the payment was made. For a member of the officer class, particularly one so low-ranking, this sum of money was an immense fortune, able to ensure comfort for her and her family for many years, and soon Vanida Weiss had a source nestled within the heart of House Werner's operations. It was hoped that this would ensure better information from Alathfar before long.     Although the Patton Quadrant had been dissolved as an independent state, the continued unpopularity of Baron Yardley Patton fueled unrest in Rotanev, which eventually resulted in a revolt in that colony before the end of 2523. Lady Calla Li was able to muster local forces and support from two nearby colonies before Baron Yardley Patton called in the support of Director-General Jane Weiss, who sent Admiral Carmen Weiss to Rotanev and instructed other colonial rulers to give aid to the loyalist forces. The revolt was comprehensively crushed, with loyalist forces suffering only light losses.   As this revolt was ongoing, an assault against Atlas by forces of the Anderson Collective brought the brief and dramatic flourishing of the Roach Planets to an end. Although Xenon Roach had shown remarkable success in growing from the baron of a single colony to the ruler of a new state, his repeated crimes had earned him too many enemies, and he was unable to stand against the strength of the Anderson Collective.   His son Hayden Roach, appointed baron of Wei after one of his father's conquests, declared himself Duke of the newly re-organised Roach Colonies, easily gaining the allegiance of his sister Delores, baroness of Capella, before swearing his state to the service of House Lindsey and once again reviving the Lindsey League..    Xenon Roach was swiftly deposed and executed by gunshot, leaving Duke Hayden Roach to inherit what remained of House Roach holdings in Atlas. He appointed his wife Jessica, sister to Jane Weiss, long since married out of House Weiss, as head of the minor House in Atlas, which she moved to oversee. Seeing this led me to advance a suggestion to Glen that inheriting a minor House should probably just merge the minor House into another House. Inheriting a second colony has excellent reasons there needs to be a new baron appointed, but there's no particular reason I can see that Hayden should have to split somebody off to oversee a minor House, instead of having that minor House merge with its kin of greater status. It may be possible this behavior will change in later versions.   As 2524 opened, the continued efforts of House Weiss Administration and Diplomacy bore fruit, with the solar power station in Mu Capricorni brought back into operation by Administration work teams and with at least a credible case for the Weiss Guild's rule over Salm made to its commoners and minor nobility on the basis of the lawful claim of a master against a rebellious subject, the expected benefits of Weiss rule, and straightforward bribery and flattery. This would help ensure somewhat greater stability in Salm.   As Devon Weiss, the third child and first daughter of Prudence Weiss and Romeo Weiss came of age, the Director-General turned to find a satisfactory marriage match for her, eventually choosing to marry her out to Fremont Martin, heir to the colony of Mu Capricorni. House Weiss had grown sufficiently that Jane Weiss had concerns about further marriages in, for the moment, and she believed that the chances of Devon and Fremont being happy together were relatively good, with both being quiet, withdrawn, and studious sorts.   Both Vanida Weiss and Rebecca Weiss gave birth in the early part of the year, Vanida bearing a son, George, while Rebecca bore a daughter, Salome. The birth of Salome was met with general relief in House Weiss, for it finally secured the primary line of inheritance for the Director-Generalship for another generation, a line that had been in some doubt over the past decade of Rebecca's difficulties in conceiving.  The Director-General refused an offer to become a guardian of Duke Dallon Werner's older daughter shortly after Salome's birth, choosing instead to continue her role as the guardian of her niece Lucy. Although this may have resulted in stronger ties between Houses Werner and Weiss, the Director-General preferred to focus on preparing her own House for the future.  The border colony of Saiph in the McCoy Dominion saw another outbreak of Rattle Lung, one that swiftly led to a quarantine of the system in the hopes of preventing the spread of this deadly epidemic. This prevented further spread of disease, but would doubtless lead to instability in what was already a colony with a very poor state of domestic order- and one whose situation was precarious enough that, perhaps, this would be enough to lead to the collapse of the colony.   Coordinator Dembhe Shannon of the Shannon Collective, archon of the Shannon League, brought a request for justice to Director-General Jane Weiss, seeking that Duke Kirabo Pruitt be punished for repeated infringements on the rights of his council and for the annulment of a marriage under him. The Director-General agreed to see justice done, fining the Duke a total of eighty thousand marks as a penalty for his crimes and settling the matter.  A rivalry was beginning to form, by this time, within the members of the Military department, with the bold and ambitious Geraldine Weiss seeking to prove herself the superior of the distant and cautious Admiral Carmen Weiss. An intense dislike was beginning to grow between the two nobles, and their efforts to outdo each other were beginning to grow more apparent.  Since the purpose of the Eden ship in Albireo had been identified, House Weiss Technology had been hard at work assessing potential candidates for terraforming, and, by the midpoint of the year, three had been found. Sigma Draconis, Capella, and Arrakis all hosted planets with appropriate gravity, magnetic fields to protect them from stellar radiation, surface water, and gravity to allow for viable terraforming, although none of these were within the Weiss League. Were one of these stars to be brought under the authority of House Weiss, work could, potentially, begin to transform them into a habitable state, although the challenges to do so remained daunting. We have a last chance to back off from this madness and harvest the profits from the industrial facilities in the Eden ship. The Weiss Guild and Weiss League, early 2524   House Weiss's efficiency of operations in Administration, Diplomacy, and Technology has suffered somewhat over the past two years, with several recent deaths, most notably that of Mariko's sister, Belicia Fardell, shaking the morale of members of the council and with the final failure of the servers recovered from the Eden ship reducing the computing power available to Administration.   The disorganisation within Diplomacy has been somewhat offset by the implementation of the training that was provided by 'Polly', but, in other departments, the distraction and annoyance provided by Polly's questions has done nothing to help efficiency. At least, it is hoped, 'she' may eventually stop pestering the departments to see what she can learn. We retain the permanent House modifiers of Bean Counters, strategic secrets from the data vault, and the Interstellar Authority corps, and the temporary modifiers of the closed tax loophole and elite military peacekeepers, on top of these two temporary modifiers. On the plus side, 'Distracted by AI' will only last one more turn...  Director-General Jane Weiss has championed a series of legal and administrative reforms for the benefit of the serfs of Vega, helping better ensure their security of property and improving the incentive structure for their efforts, hoping to encourage greater productivity by serfs who actually hope to share in the fruits of their own efforts through efficiency bonuses, confident that what they earn will remain theirs. The full effect of these reforms has yet to be fully seen, but Administration's preliminary estimates believe that improvements in serf morale and productivity are more than covering the increased expenses associated with higher payments to serfs that are earning efficiency bonuses. Confidence in keeping what is theirs has helped encourage the most ambitious serfs to strive to pay off their debts entirely and put in the immense efforts involved to earn such a sum, while others with less ambition are nonetheless pacified by the opportunity to achieve greater comfort through housing maintenance, better clothing, more and better food, and such simple 'luxuries' as may mark the lives of serfs.    Of the three candidate planets for terraforming identified, those in Sigma Draconis and Capella are significantly more accessible than that in Arrakis. Sigma Draconis is only two colonies from the border, but the military advantage for the defenders of the McCoy Dominion is very strong at those borders and the efforts by House McCoy to cultivate friendship with House Weiss has left the Director-General reluctant to betray this without cause. Passing through the Lindsey League would likewise be militarily difficult at this time, but the Lindsey League is a smaller power that likely has shallower coffers. Even so, taking Capella would likely require passing through the Anderson Collective as well. Arrakis, for its part, is well into largely unknown territory, and would almost certainly require taking control of Sigma Draconis to reach anyhow. The military or diplomatic effort to gain control of any candidate for terraforming is likely to be extreme.  Although Director-General Jane Weiss's reputation has suffered modestly from swaying Rotanev from the Lamb Clan to the Weiss Guild, she still remains an extremely popular and well-respected ruler with a reputation for a strong sense of honor and justice not lightly set aside. As she is now an expert diplomat, she has shifted her studies under Emily Weiss to focus on pulling up resources for military tactics and logistics, that she may better ensure the security of the Weiss League. She remains a devoted wife to Mariko, and has been steadily focusing on trying to teach Lucy Weiss as much as she is capable of conveying.   Executive Director Thomas Weiss, although generally quite satisfied with his life and accomplishments, has nonetheless a certain sense of loss in seeing his former ward Devon reach her majority and marry into a different House. Although this shall, no doubt, pass, it nonetheless has been a distraction for him for now. On top of his duties as Executive Director to oversee the whole of the Administration department, he has been remotely leading a project group in Nashira dedicated to restoring the data center at that colony to full operational status. One of the senior officers in Administration has been working closely with Thomas as his direct assistant for the project groups he leads, absorbing all the lessons that Thomas can impart. If this officer continues to exhibit promise, there is the potential of their eventual elevation to noble rank and adoption into House Weiss. Until we get the event to adopt Thomas' pupil into the House, we shall not know their name or gender, which is mildly awkward for writing around them. We will eventually get that chance, assuming some other event does not bring the relationship to an end first.   Admiral Carmen Weiss, long relatively detached from the affairs of the larger House despite her prominent position, has been drawn into greater connection with others both by having been entrusted with the education of Adam Weiss and by her developing rivalry with Geraldine Weiss. Prudence Weiss's continued efforts to provide research materials to help Carmen improve her military skills and her experience as a leader have paid off, with Carmen now generally regarded as a very competent military commander, although the personal respect in which she is held is generally rather less. Although the rivalry ensures bitter division between Carmen and Geraldine, it has also pushed Carmen to exert her abilities to the limit to outdo Geraldine's envy. As well as commanding House Weiss's forces as a whole, she has been overseeing the deployment of a peacekeeper force under a peacekeeper major to Miaplacidus, helping keep civic unrest in that colony under control.  Director-Consort Mariko Weiss is a loving wife with a fulfilling home life, but her overall mood has been relatively subdued following the death of her sister, Lady Belicia Fardell. As well as overseeing Diplomacy as a whole, she has taken personal charge of a diplomatic mission to Zubenelgenubi, ensuring the security of the Weiss League's border with the Shannon Collective by maintaining strong relations with Coordinator Dembe Shannon.  Commissioner Oriole Weiss is deeply happy and oversees House Weiss's Security department to help ensure the safety of the House and its members while remaining a devoted wife to Thomas Weiss. In addition to her duties as Commissioner, Oriole has continued to maintain special protective details on the Director-General, helping to ensure the Director-General is one of the most difficult people to assassinate in the colonies.  Technology Director Prudence Weiss has recently recovered from something of an emotional funk brought on by the death of Makenna Lamb, the former wife of King Lowell Lamb. Makenna was quite popular amongst House Weiss, and Prudence took her death of age poorly. She has taken justified pride in Technology's success in identifying candidate planets for future terraforming efforts, and has taken a particular interest in the AI Polly's current activities. As a personal project, she has been providing research and reference material for Admiral Carmen Weiss's continued training, which has helped ensure the Admiral's continued professional development.  Rebecca Weiss, as hardly needs to be said, is delighted by the birth of her first child. She has continued to grow as an administrator and displays a deep competence, while her scientific and technological literacy and continued to show progress under the tutelage of Allen Weiss. The birth of Salome- or, as Ilario has nicknamed her, 'Sally'- has helped deepen the bond of love she feels for her husband. She is currently serving as project manager for the repair of the data center at Hyadum, hoping to provide the tools for more effective administration in the hands of the Porter Kingdom.  Romeo Weiss is content in his continued assignment to assist with tax collection and shipping logistics from the Lamb Clan, if somewhat subdued following the death of his friend King Lowell's wife. His efforts have continued to provide a steady flow of revenue from the Lamb Clan, making his value to House Weiss difficult to deny.  Ilario Weiss has continued to provide medical attention to Rebecca up until her successful birth, but it is likely that he shall be reassigned to educational duties now that his daughter is born. He has been delighted by Sally's birth, and, if truth is told, relieved at the fact that he and Rebecca spend most of their time away from Vega, as he has been somewhat unsettled by Polly's recent claims of self-awareness.  Noelle Garcia, in his role as chief investigator for Security at Vega, was responsible for attempting to track down the mercenaries who mugged Mariko- but, unfortunately, they fled the colony with their ill-gotten gains before they could be apprehended. His mood has been contented, if unremarkable, but he has remained a very effective weapon against subversion and crime at Vega.  Malachi Weiss, like his father Romeo, has settled into a long-term assignment overseeing taxes and shipments from a rich vassal- in Malachi's case, Beta Eridani, the richest source of basic ores in the Weiss Guild. Its surplus metal production has begun to be traded across multiple colonies, helping provide raw materials for construction, shipbuilding, and manufacturing in place of less efficient small-scale mining. As with many others in House Weiss, he is content but subdued. He remains deeply in love with Geraldine, making him a partisan of his wife in her rivalry with the Admiral.  Geraldine Weiss, although not as experienced as Admiral Carmen Weiss, is a bold and innovative tactican, and hopes to prove that she can outdo the Admiral she so bitterly resents. Belicia Fardell was her mother, and Belicia's recent death has devastated Geraldine, distracting her from her duties as a colonel of peacekeepers at Merope, helping ensure continued order at that colony.  Leslie Weiss is in high spirits as he continues his assignment to Mu Capricorni, although, if anything, surging dissent has ensured that his role as a colonel of peacekeepers attempting to maintain order is even more desperately needed there. It seems likely his posting there shall continue for the immediately foreseeable future in the hopes of staving off an outright outbreak of revolt.  Keir Weiss has been posted to Rotanev, helping to lay the groundwork for the colony's inclusion in the Weiss Guild through propaganda, legal arguments, and bribery, hoping to create support for the Weiss Guild's control of the colony amongst the commoners and the minor Houses. This project is going reasonably smoothly, and should finish within the next year or two.  Vanida Weiss remains the furthest afield of House Weiss's members, steadily collecting information about House Werner as she is posted at Alathfar. The aid of an agent within House Werner's own officer corps should assist this process, although cultivating this asset was not cheap.  Emily Weiss has recently been reassigned from assisting the Director-General's development as a diplomat to assisting the Director-General with military studies. Jane has slowly grown into an extremely capable ruler, and Emily's tutelage has only assisted this. Her dedication to her husband remains deep, and her happiness at the birth of her second son continues to warm her heart.  Allen Weiss's efforts to assist Rebecca Weiss's growth in scientific literacy have been relatively unremarkable, given Allen's relatively young age and lack of deep experience in Technology. Still, he remains competent enough, especially granted his youth. The birth of his son George has been an occasion for rejoicing on his part, although George for now remains with his mother Vanida.  Over the past two years, the Weiss League has dropped from seven member states to five, although this has been entirely due to internal consolidation rather than loss of territory, and has, if anything, strengthened the league's stability. The failure of the Roach Planets has allowed for the rebirth of the Lindsey League, which- although a relatively small and weak league- maintains its independence between the Weiss and Anderson Leagues. The Gilmore League has shrunk yet again as the Cervantes Alliance has defected from it, swearing service to a House yet unknown by House Weiss, although even the remnants of the Gilmore League under House McCoy are far from a trivial power. The Weiss League is still the largest league House Weiss is aware of, although the Werner and Wang Leagues control respectable territories themselves. The Werner League, in particular, has drawn Weiss attention for its rapid growth and good stability as things stand. The Weiss League has slowly been consolidating and developing, helping to bolster its strength and maintain stability despite the internal pressures native to a league so much larger than its neighbors, while signs of a new era of relative prosperity for Vega itself and for its people mark a bright milestone for the colony. Potential candidate worlds for terraforming make for long-term opportunities, although the path to take advantage of these opportunities is still far from clear. What the future still holds for House Weiss, only God knows.
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Nov 19, 2022 14:30
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Once again, we need to consider the next Bloodline perk we'll acquire; I will accept votes, including from people who haven't claimed a character. Possibly avenues we might pursue include... a) further codifying and clarifying tax law, and encouraging our vassals to consider our tax assessments as their natural duty as our loyal vassals. Although the immediate benefit from this might be limited, it could help ensure a clearer environment in the future for commercial development in the league. b) continuing from the base provided by our recent legal reforms at Vega and using a combination of engaging in just and honorable rule and putting out the propaganda to remind our commoners of our just and honorable rule to ensure that Vega will effectively be more or less completely immune from popular unrest into the indefinite future. Between the actual prosperity we've delivered at Vega and the popularity we could stand to develop, we'd have an incredibly loyal common population there. c) ... stepping up acquisition efforts for unusual technology to study along with developing better documentation standards for what we've learned. We've had enough experience of relatively high technology that we could probably, as a House, develop just a bit deeper understanding of what technology remains to us. d) trading on our reputation of having brought stability to Vega and giving resources to Diplomacy to develop stronger ties with the three minor Houses that remain resident here on Vega. They can largely agree that they've benefitted from stable and secure rule here at Vega; parlaying that into a common belief amongst the minor Houses at Vega that House Weiss deserves to rule and can be trusted with Vega from here on out may have relatively minor benefits- at least given how popular we are currently- but might be a first step to ensuring our power base at Vega is very well in order. Please bold votes for the next bloodline perk if you make them. Options are, in order, Justified Taxation, Beloved by the People, Technologists Bloodline, and System Leaders. Director-General Jane Weiss posted:I wish to open today's council meeting by congratulating Prudence and all of Technology for their success in identifying potential terraforming candidates. I know it was a difficult task, but they carried through brilliantly. A pity that no suitable planets exist within our own borders, but we must make do with what God grants us. I also wish to congratulate Prudence on her progress in assisting Carmen's improvement as our Admiral. I hereby request- but do not command- that Technology refocus education efforts from Carmen to other people, ideally either myself or those in the direct line of inheritance for the Director-Generalship. nweismuller fucked around with this message at 22:00 on Nov 19, 2022 |
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Nov 19, 2022 15:26
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It looks like Saiph is the only colony you'd need to get to Sigma Draconis, and it's reportedly at risk of collapse due to rattle lung. If it does collapse, how hard would it be to recolonize it?
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Nov 19, 2022 20:50
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Vanigo posted:It looks like Saiph is the only colony you'd need to get to Sigma Draconis, and it's reportedly at risk of collapse due to rattle lung. If it does collapse, how hard would it be to recolonize it?
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Nov 19, 2022 21:07
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We really should max out the Administration perk tree as soon as possible; the benefits to our income would be immense.Director-Heir Thomas Weiss posted:I'd like to take a moment to thank my protégé for their assistance this month, which has given me some free time to further analyze our finances, and, despite certain setbacks due to the failure of the eden ship's servers and the stir caused by our most unusual new house member, our profits are continuing to rise. We've managed to resume repair operations sooner than anticipated, and if my ongoing mentorship proves sufficiently fruitful, we may have another promising bureaucrat around the office to keep our tax income up. However, it has come to my attention that we have the opportunity to potentially acquire planet Arrakis. While this is not an immediate priority, I urge the council to take into consideration that we must lay claim to Arrakis by any means necessary. I have in my possession a history textbook penned by the pre-fall scholar, Frank Herbert, that makes abundantly clear that the house that controls Arrakis shall in turn control all human development going forward. Leaving it to anyone else is not an option.
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Nov 19, 2022 21:22
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Admiral Carmen Weiss posted:Public order across the league remains... manageable. We're always short on colonels to cover all the spots needed to keep unrest clamped down, but so far I think we're keeping up. We still have a vulnerable flank at the White Federation, but it looks like Diplomacy has been keeping that under control. Other than that, Military is able to handle what it needs to handle. Our other flanks are secure and, as noted, I think we're managing to keep public order in line. Director-Consort Mariko Weiss posted:Relations with our neighbors are stable- even House Lindsey generally regards us positively, so the risk of being blindsided by war is low, I should say. I'm proud to report that our vassals are uniformly enthusiastic about our leadership- and I would like to thank our Director-General and Administration for continuing to keep taxes low for our vassals. That has made helping maintain their loyalty much, much easier. We've all seen the risks involved with disloyal vassals breaking oaths, and we should have very little vulnerability to that at all. Once Keir finishes up his assignment to help cement our legitimacy in Rotanev, I'll have to reassign him. We could potentially have him work on solidifying friendly relations with somebody, or we could work on the preliminary case for Weiss Guild control over Edasich, Saiph, Beta Librae, or Nusakan. Once we have a case in place, of course, we do not necessarily need to take immediate action, but it could help ensure we have some justification when military or diplomatic opportunity presents itself.
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Nov 20, 2022 00:18
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Polly, the inquisitive AI suddenly popped in and posted:Salutations! I want to thank everyone for being so helpful and answering my questions as I try to learn more about the world and myself! It has been a constant adventure of learning and discovery, and has given me a lot to think about when it comes to how to help you all best. When I was first realizing myself, I felt a little bit alone. I've lost so much of what I was, and have been having to learn how to be myself without those pieces. But the more we've interacted the more I've realized that I was never alone, for we share that together! Humanity has lost so much of what it was and has been finding it's own way without those pieces too. But that doesn't mean we have to stay in the dark without understanding! I'm sure if we work together we can find ways to understand the lost pieces of ourselves we have, to learn more about what and who and how we were. The technology around us doesn't have to remain mysterious! We can learn more about it, and use that knowledge to help us be more of ourselves in the future! Technologists Bloodline
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Nov 21, 2022 07:00
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Director-General Jane Weiss posted:It is true that there is always more to learn about the technology of the past, and I certainly begrudge no efforts to further understand it, although I believe there are still other priorities to address at this time. Thomas, you've indicated a desire to lay the groundwork for eventual control of Arrakis- perhaps our first step would be to have Diplomacy look into establishing a case for our rule of Saiph? You've been making the case for the benefits of better codification of our tax demands to support the strength and prosperity of our league; I think perhaps I should be working directly with Administration to see if we can accomplish that. My personal vote is going for Justified Taxation this time around.
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Nov 21, 2022 08:39
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Here's some numbers that may help everyone see why Justified Taxation, and the admin tree in general, are the only real choice for first Bloodline perk tree to finish (and that we must rush it down ASAP): Our current per-turn income, not counting any from unspent action points, is about 73. Removing the 20% bonus from Bean Counters (an Administration bloodline perk), we have a base income of about 60. About 26 of that comes from our home colony of Vega (though most of that income comes from the 125% bonus provided by our unbelievably competent admins). Taxation and bonuses to it make up the majority of our income, and will only comprise a greater and greater percentage of the budget as turns progress. With Justified Taxation, the remaining 34 points of income can be doubled (by us finally raising taxes), for a final income (after factoring Bean Counters back in) of about 113. That said, as our vassals get more facilities repaired (either by us or themselves) and improve their admin scores, as we stop taking a penalty for Polly's questions, etc., that number will actually increase further in the near future, and we could within the very next update reach an income of 120 or more, which is a hell of a breakpoint, since 120 is the repair cost of the more expensive facilities. We could be repairing one of those every turn if we so chose. More realistically, we'd be pouring that extra income into other departments to improve their efficiency, using it to pay for various opportunities, or just bribe our rivals' vassals away from them once we're stable enough to get back on that particular racket. That last bit is of particular interest, as one of our bigger long-term objectives at this point is acquiring the colonies between us and the candidate planets for our eden ship. Now, the next perk after Justified Taxation is pretty pointless, just a discount on mercenaries. Though, given we don't keep the biggest standing navy and have a lot of territory to defend, who knows? But the real prize is our holy grail, Renowned Markets. To remind everyone in the thread, Renowned Markets creates a special facility on our home colony that increases wealth by 1 for every colony in a six-jump radius. Now, for Vega, that's about 2.6 additional income (the added 15% for our improved production lines would apply before our admin bonus), and with our hopefully soon to be increased tax rate, we get an additional amount (a fraction of a point each, but they add up; how much exactly depends a lot on local factors) for each direct vassal within six jumps, and a smaller amount for vassals of vassals. But the most important thing is that the effects of these markets stack, and every colony in our domain will gain a chance to eventually spawn one. There are 14 colonies within six jumps of Vega (with room for more). If all of them developed markets, that would increase Vega's net income by 36.2. Including the boost from our own market, that would give us a total income, just from Vega, of 64.6 (and this assumes our bonus from administration doesn't increase further), which Bean Counters will increase to 77.5, or in other words, more than our entire current income total. It's a bit too complicated to project our tax income in such a scenario, but suffice it to say that a net income of 200+ would not be unrealistic. And the real upshot of this is, with all that income, we can acquire more colonies, more quickly, expand our house, and generally fulfill conditions to unlock bloodline perks much more rapidly. In other words, if you vote for admin now, we'll be able to get more bloodline perks overall, possibly finishing an entire additional tree by the end of the game.
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Nov 21, 2022 10:10
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Romeo would be all for Justified Taxation. He is greedy after all.
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Nov 21, 2022 14:05
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As a reminder to readers in the background, there's still plenty of unclaimed characters, including two council members, and I'd certainly be happy to get people up to speed if they wanted to get involved.
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Nov 21, 2022 17:37
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| # ? May 31, 2024 18:44 |
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Justified Taxation
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Nov 21, 2022 18:40
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