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Xenocides
Jan 14, 2008

This world looks very scary....


Down with the Empire



Game Background

Down with the Empire is a board war game with roleplaying elements where a corrupt and evil empire ruled from earth is faced by a group of rebels operating out of a secret base fomenting dissent. Rebel heroes travel the stars rallying the people to rise up and be free while dodging Imperial troops. The Empire makes deals with bounty hunters, assassins, slavers, and corrupt corporations. The Rebels win favor with smugglers and privateers. An independent order of being from all species in the Empire with psychic powers and plasma swords is dedicated to the ideals of the Empire while the Empire collapses around them and the order is split within. The Empire has several secrets hidden that bring the Empire power but must be hidden. The rebels hunt for clues to these secrets to expose them and destroy them. It is even rumored that the Empire has a secret construction site for a planet-destroying superweapon. If built the best hope to stop it is to find some weakness and launch a starfighter assault to exploit it.

Yet it is not Star Wars.

So, background of the game. In 1977 Star Wars was released in theaters. Avalon Hill, then one of the leading wargame manufacturers, wanted to make something like Star Wars into a game. They realized there was no way they could get the license so they made a game called Freedom in the Galaxy which was loosely based on a Star Wars type galaxy followed both the proceedings of Rebel and Imperial characters against the backdrop of a more conventional wargame. The game was good in its way and I have played it a few times and enjoyed it but it has flaws. The rules have a lot of unclear areas and if played well the Empire won 80%+ of the games by preventing rebellions from ever breaking out and there is little the Rebels can do about it. I quit playing it.

Since then I have not found a satisfying space opera strategic level game that scratches that itch. Star Wars Rebellion was almost unplayable and while it had decent character mechanics that made it feel Star Warsy the space combat was uninspiring and it felt more like a 4x game with a star wars pastiche.

Star War: Empire at War was a little better and I enjoyed it but I found it hard to truly enjoy. The heroes on both sides just land alongside the regular troops and duke it out. The war is almost symmetrical and you do not have the feel of an outnumbered Rebellion in hiding blossoming into revolution. Instead you have a conventional war.

Then I found Down with the Empire which was published in 2007 by a dedicated creator with limited resources and, while not every game is great, it often tells great stories and feels epic.

How the Game Works

The game is fought on two connecting levels.

Characters: Both sides have characters that travel the galaxy working for their side's agenda, performing espionage, winning over leaders and populations, facing enemy troops and monsters, acquiring gear and allies, sneaking around in small spacecraft dodging enemy starfighters and breaking blockades.

Military: On this level each side collects taxes, builds ground troops and starships from lowly customs cutters to gigantic battlestars and, once rebellions start to crop up, fight battles over planets and star systems.

Tied into both levels are the Neutral Avsari order who favor justice but have ties to the Empire (the Emperor's own son is an Avsari Master). You have minor factions to sway to your side, random events, and more.

The game is a labor of love with a lot of backstory and character flavor. The rulebook is about 100 pages long and the game has lots of charts but I find they make sense for the most part.

Random Game Info and Images



Here is Mas Pantaleon, the son of the current Emperor of the Stellar Empire. His strength is one of the highest in the game and most of the rest of his stats are above average. He is one of the best characters in the game. When playing as the Empire I always want to start with him.

Str: Strength, modifies how much damage you do in personal combat
End: Endurance, basically hit points.
Int: Intelligence, used on many mission
Agi: Agility, if 4 or above a chance to dodge an attack that already hit. This gives him a 1 in 6 chance.
Cha: Charisma, used on many missions to sway people.
Cou: Courage, used on dangerous missions
Rnk: Rank, determines who is in charge of a team, his rank of 7 beats out just about everyone but the Emperor himself.
Com: Command, how effective the character is in commanding space and ground troops.
Nav: How skilled the character is at flying spaceships.

As an Avsari he can use his plasma sword to deflect and redirect laser fire so everyone attacking him gets a -1 to Str. He also gets a bonus to certain missions. The InS mission is used to influence a Sovereign character (special characters that enter the game via random events), P&D missions are propaganda. As crown prince it makes sense he would be good at winning planets over to the Empire. Finally his largest bonus is to PeF missions which is to persuade minor factions to your side.

On the back of the card he gets nobility bonuses on top of those which apply on certain planets and he has certain homeworlds. Occasionally characters may be called home for some reason.



Like all good quasi-RPG games you need items for your characters. We have a scanner that provides bonuses to all kinds of missions (Espionage, Hiding, Rescue, Sabotage, and Steal Resources). The knife gives a small bonus in combat and if you are gutsy enough to try a difficult Assassination mission may make the difference.



And what space opera would be complete without a fuzzy pet (like Chewbacca) and robots? Characters can find these minor characters and add them to parties. The Psycat is almost useless in battle. In desperation you could put it on the front line to take hits and hope its high agility can save it but it is more likely you will just keep it in the back. Its main use is providing bonuses to Propaganda and Diplomacy, Persuade Faction, and Influence Sovereign missions using its psychic powers. The assassin droid has a long shot of pulling off a kill but can also function as a light combat character if needed.



And ships to fly around in.

Str: Strength, weaponry of the ship
End: Endurance, hit points of ship
Cap: Capacity, how many people can ride in it
Mnv: How well it can evade the enemy
Cmp: how advanced the computer is, can provide a bonus or penalty to hyperspace calculations using pilots nav rating.

The ship on the left is Imperial. It is tougher and you will probably never have a mission team that cannot fit in it. It would have trouble fighting and escaping a fight but can take quite a few hits. The Viper III is a modified heavy fighter. It is heavily armed and highly maneuverable but can only hold a small mission team of 3.



Speaking of starships here is a battle that might pop up. Character starships are too small to matter in a battle this size. The number to the left of the slash is the Attack Strength and to the Right is the End or hit points. Each also carries some fighters and combined they form the squadrons shown. The Rebels will have a tough time with this engagement. They would probably be smart to do a fighting withdrawal and hope to knock out some small ships on the way out.



Here is part of the Main Board. Earth (yellow star on red) is the capitol of the Empire. The red lines show the districts the Empire is divided into. Each district outside the Central District also have a district capitol (yellow star on blue) from which an appointed Imperial Duke administers the area under the aegis of the Emperor. Each planet has a name, a list of the prominent species living there, and the government type (note that communism made a comeback on Zasperon). The first smaller number below is the resource value and the number below that is the size which matters for ground troop stacking limits and the larger the better if a character team is on a planet and needs to avoid being detected. Earth is the easiest planet to hide on by that measure but the Earth is probably crawling with Imperial troops too. The color in the background is an environmental factor. Troops can have trouble fighting in environments that are not accustomed to and characters can get bonuses for some environmental types (amphibious aliens love water worlds for instance).

The white lines separating star systems have numbers, this is the distance travelled. When you make a hyperspace jump you add up the total of all lines crossed to determine how difficult the jump is. Short jumps are easy. Longer ones not so much. In the bottom right is Aurora which has the Confed Building, home to the Commerce Federation. They represent the big corporate interests. They never support the Rebels but if the Empire can sway them over to their side they get some good kickback money and if they can be brought to fully support the Empire they will support it with their Android Legion and a small fleet of freighters converted into light warships. The Rebels can send missions to persuade them towards Neutrality.



Speaking of Minor Factions here are a few.

The Adim Agnot Society is a sect of religious assassins. They mostly support the Empire and the more they support the Empire the more contract killings the Imperials can fund. The odds of success are fairly low but over time a few kills can be made in a game. The Avsari Order are basically the Jedi of the game. They start with mild support for the Rebels but if brought fully in give their legion to them which is one of the two most powerful ground units in the game. The Barbarians are a race of rat-beings from beyond the Empire. They are generally hated. Either side can court them and if either side brings them in they bring in a large fleet of weak starships and several of their horde ground units. There are some negatives to allying with the Barbarians but their military may be worth trying to grab.

There are other factions like slavers, pirates, mercenaries, free traders, bounty hunters, etc. and I will go into all of them later.

How this Game is going to work

I am playing the game remotely with a friend. This means the game will go fairly slowly but I think quickly enough to keep an LP going.

We will be using Vassal (the game is sold both as a print and play and as a Vassal module).

I will be soliciting everyone's input on how to run our side of the game. My opponent has graciously offered me the choice of side. So who should we play as?

Stellar Empire

The Empire was originally a benevolent dictatorship created by a military coup to oust the ineffectual United Planets Council in 3072 AD. It was ruthless and cruel to its enemies and conquered and brought into the fold several alien species but was magnanimous in victory and gave them full citizenship. The Emperor held executive power counterbalanced by an elected Senate with a measure of legislative and political power. Planets were allowed to operate their own governments as they saw fit as long as they maintained fealty to the Emperor. In 3277 Emperor Pantaleon III the Great declared Pax Stellaris and as year 1 of a new calender. Two years later a quasi-religious order called the Avsari is founded on the planet Avsar. Initiates hone their mind, body, and spirit to serve justice and the Empire.

Four hundred years passed and the Empire began to change. First subtly and then more quickly and violently. Taxes were raised. The citizens who once felt pride in the Imperial Navy began to feel it as a controlling force. Corruption crept into all aspects of the Empire and soon virtually every institution was riddled with people on the take and inefficiency. Emperor Pantaleon IX is a cruel and degenerate man and lives in an obscenely luxurious style. His son is an Avasari Master and represents the corruption within the Avasari order. Planets able to meet their tax obligations are largely left to their own devices as long as the money keeps coming in. A few planets proved unable or unwilling to meet their quotas and their governments were toppled and replaced with Imperial Viceroys.

A few in the upper echelons of the Empire have heard rumors of rebellion. Their lifestyle and all that they desire is at risk. They must act to preserve the Empire. They must face the Empire's bureaucracy and the growing Rebel threat. They can search for the Rebel's secret base or focus on shoring up support. Do we build the Moloch superweapon or rely on conventional forces? In addition they must take action to neutralize rebel agents themselves and through use of Imperial troops. If and when the Rebellion begins in earnest the full might of the Empire must be turned loose on the enemy.

Pros:
- Control the stars (a goon ruling every planet)?
- Fun secret weapons including the Moloch (Death Star)
- Get to be evil
- Higher Taxes
- Have a military at start

Cons:
- Have to deal with bureaucratic nonsense limiting deployment until situation gets serious.
- Fewer characters at start
- Have to defend the whole map

Rebel Concordance

With the growing corruption of the Empire a group of idealists, criminals, Avsari Initiates, and revolutionaries disgusted with the Empire meet in secret and form a pact. The Rebel Concordance is born. A secret base is established beyond the borders of the Empire and shipyards and training grounds are built. The rebels begin plans to construct a military but it will not be enough. Agents are dispatched throughout the Empire to preach the word of freedom and stir up discontent. When the flame of freedom begins to burn the secret base will unleash its military in support and the war can begin in earnest.

First a few freedom fighters head throughout the Empire to begin their activities. A match is lit.

Pros:
-Goodness and Niceness
-Unfettered by bureaucracy
-Have (mostly) safe secret bases to hide in
-More characters at start

Cons:
-Have to tax fairly and have little in way of resources
-Always a risk your bases will be discovered and things fall apart
-Characters are always in danger when in the field and travelling to and from assignments

So we will put it to a vote:

Stellar Empire or Rebel Concordance

It will take a while to get the game started so I will let the voting start and throw in some gameplay updates until we get setup going.

Once we get that done we can name our troops and starships if we wish and get going.

Xenocides fucked around with this message at 03:04 on Jul 28, 2015

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Pladdicus
Aug 13, 2010
this is magical, this is the most NOTstarwars thing I have ever seen, durosteel? magical.

REBEL CONCORDANCE

Night10194
Feb 13, 2012

We'll start,
like many good things,
with a bear.

The Empire is on the verge of success.

Trollhawke
Jan 25, 2012

I'LL GET YOU THIS YEAR! EVEN IF I SAID THIS LAST YEAR TOOOOOO
God I love the smell of salty succubi in the morning
Huh, this looks like it'd be amazing with a modern remake.

In any case, I'm thinking we r[ebel. Because everyone wants to be on the historically right side.

Erwin the German
May 30, 2011

:3
Rebels, of course. This looks pretty cool, though I'll say that I really liked Rebellion when I was younger. Might not hold up nowadays.

nweismuller
Oct 11, 2012

They say that he who dies with the most Opil wins.

I am winning.
Rebels, naturally. For freedom!

Veloxyll
May 3, 2011

Fuck you say?!

TerroristsRebels

A vote for rebellion is a vote for freeedom

Space Bat
Apr 17, 2009

hold it now hold it now hold it right there
you wouldn't drop, couldn't drop diddy, you wouldn't dare
Rebellion. This game seems cool and non-copyright infringing.

Slaan
Mar 16, 2009



ASHERAH DEMANDS I FEAST, I VOTE FOR A FEAST OF FLESH
We will defend the Empire from these terrorist scum!

CommissarMega
Nov 18, 2008

THUNDERDOME LOSER
Only the Empire has the right to rule!

Seriously, we get a kickass anthem!

unwantedplatypus
Sep 6, 2012
The Empire brings order to the galaxy.

CoffeeQaddaffi
Mar 20, 2009
Empire

sheep-dodger
Feb 21, 2013

We should side with the plucky heroes of the Rebellion

VolticSurge
Jul 23, 2013

Just your friendly neighborhood photobomb raptor.



For the Empire!

Mzbundifund
Nov 5, 2011

I'm afraid so.
Rebels sounds like a great way to see some noble heroes heroically and tragically lost due to insane goon bumbling.

Space Bat
Apr 17, 2009

hold it now hold it now hold it right there
you wouldn't drop, couldn't drop diddy, you wouldn't dare
I wonder, if the emperor's heir apparent is Liam Neelson, is the emperor Yoda?

Oblivion4568238
Oct 10, 2012

The Inquisition.
What a show.
The Inquisition.
Here. We. Go.
College Slice
Let's be evil because that tends to be more fun than being good (in general, don't know about this game). Empire.

Xenocides
Jan 14, 2008

This world looks very scary....


Okay, I will count the votes tomorrow night when we start on set up.

If I counted correctly currently the Rebels are winning by one vote.

inflatablefish
Oct 24, 2010
I think we should be Rebels.

(Actually, that's not quite true. I think we should be Rebels first time around, and then I think it'd be awesome if you could persuade your friend to play another game with the sides switched so you can show us how the Empire plays.)

Z the IVth
Jan 28, 2009

The trouble with your "expendable machines"
Fun Shoe
Goons should always be the Evil Empire

Also rename the Emperor to Mittens.

Night10194
Feb 13, 2012

We'll start,
like many good things,
with a bear.

Yeah, I voted Empire because I'm curious to see how those kinds of mechanics would work. Hunting for the Rebels is not a normal gameplay style for strat games and it'd be interesting to see.

Mister Bates
Aug 4, 2010
You Rebel scum.

oystertoadfish
Jun 17, 2003

i choose the empire

MShadowy
Sep 30, 2013

dammit eyes don't work that way!



Fun Shoe
Sir, it's the Rebels... they're here.

Rockopolis
Dec 21, 2012

I MAKE FUN OF QUEER STORYGAMES BECAUSE I HAVE NOTHING BETTER TO DO WITH MY LIFE THAN MAKE OTHER PEOPLE CRY

I can't understand these kinds of games, and not getting it bugs me almost as much as me being weird
:monocle: "I saw we show them the benefits of Imperial civilization, wot wot?"

SpRahl
Apr 22, 2008
The Empire shall crush the rebel scum.

Xenocides
Jan 14, 2008

This world looks very scary....


Alright, I am about ready to start and the vote is tied.

Next post decides. You can vote again if you want. I will need a decision in the next 15-30 minutes or I will let my opponent decide.

Xenocides
Jan 14, 2008

This world looks very scary....


Z the IVth posted:

Also rename the Emperor to Mittens.

Oddly the Emperor does not show up as a character in most games. He is assumed to be there in the background but does not function as a character unless a random event brings him in.

Lord Koth
Jan 8, 2012

Imperial March is the best theme, so clearly we should be the Imperials.

Xenocides
Jan 14, 2008

This world looks very scary....


All right, we are the Empire.

Xenocides
Jan 14, 2008

This world looks very scary....


State of the Galaxy: Military Deployment

Welcome my friends and colleagues. We are gathered here to plan the future of our glorious empire. You are here because all of you benefit from the preservation of this glorious institution. Many of you profit financially and others enjoy positions of authority and respect. I come with a warning. Our way of life is in danger. The Emperor and much of the political and military establishment does not realize it but bottom-feeding elements within our body seek to depose the Emperor in the name of some idealistic concept of freedom and take from us what we deserve and what is rightfully ours.

As you know our Empire is divided into 7 districts, 1 encompassing Sol and our throneworld of Earth. 5 districts are ruled by Dukes administering each province from the district capitol. The final district houses the Avsari Order of which our Crown Prince is the most notable member of. That district is exempt from taxation by longstanding Imperial decree and the Avsari bring peace and order to the Empire.

Our Empire runs on a fair taxation scheme. Each district pays taxes once a year on a rotation at the same time military assignments take place.

The game runs for 5 years and each turn lasts 2 earth months so there is a total of 30 turns. We collect taxes from one district every turn except the first and they rotate through. If we lose the district capitol we cannot collect taxes from the district. Most units can only be constructed in the district currently being taxed (or at Earth).

There is also a shift in tension levels in the taxed district making it easier to deploy troops and characters to that district. At other times it is often difficult to redeploy troops in a district. You can always move troops and ships to the district capitol and from district capitols to and from Earth. It is more difficult to deploy from the district capitols to the outlying systems unless tension goes up.

This restriction is built in to represent bureaucratic inertia. The military commanders are very protective of their forces and their turf. Even if it is suspected that there are rebel insurgents operating on a planet in the district no military commander who wants to retain his position will order a fleet and an army to the planet at huge costs and massive disruptions to troop rotations without strong evidence. This is represented by the tension mechanic.

Here are the tension levels:



All planets start at 0 but use the following modifiers:



At it stands except for racial motherworlds, district capitol systems, minor faction locations, our secret locations, and the few planets leaning towards the Rebellion tension levels are at 0. Based on the tension levels it is clear that most of the time military forces can only deploy from the district capitol so there is a strong incentive to build a reserve group there. You can always pull troops within a district back to the capitol for redeployment but they cannot go straight from one assignment to another unless tension is very high. Earth functions a a reserve to the reserves as you can always move forces from earth to the other district capitols and vice versa.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Glorious Imperial Military

Our first task is to build military forces. This has to be done before we randomly draw our Main Characters. Each district gets 75 rp with which to build a military. So, first up a run through of what we can buy.



The number before the slash is their attack strength and the number below is how much damage they can take.

Ground Troops

Conscripts (1): 1/2 Pure infantry with no armor support, hand-held guns, little training. Basically reservists, police, and population levies. Their advantage is they are cheap and they are the only unit you can later build on any planet and the only unit you can build in a non-taxed district. Big downside is they can never leave the planet.

Line Units, Second line (4): 2/4 Regular forces on their two-year military service rotation. Standard training, armor support, the usual. Both kinds of line units take a -1 strength penalty of Atmospheric, Heat, Ice, Sea, Underground, and Noxious planetary environments. Basically any planet that does not have a purple or green background and the two space stations. Conscripts avoid the penalty because they live there and have adapted and elite units avoid it because they are elite.

Line Units, First line (6): 3/6 A better version of the above. Suffer same penalties as second line.

Stormtroopers (9) (Elite): 4/8 Veteran professionals serving for an extendable seven-year term. Good armor, support, armor, and excellent training. Maximum of 12 on the board.

Star Marines (12) (Elite): 5/10 The best of the best outside the Imperial Guard. Maximum of 6 on the board.

All ground units except conscripts can board a transport that is created on take off and is removed when they land again. Transports cannot attack. They can only be shot at.

Starships

Most starships have a CSP factor. For every 4 CSP factors at the start of a battle (rounded up) you get a fighter squadron. If you control the planet you can also choose to add 2 starfighter squadrons.



Light: Easier to move to low-tension areas and can land and take off from planets (helpful for escorting in transports if there is a GDN)

Sloop (2): 1/2 This is basically a customs ship which can join a fleet to help out. Redeeming quality is it is cheap. Cheapest way to blockade a planet is with 5 sloops. Sadly has no fighters.

Destroyer (5): 2/6 Our first real warship.

Light Cruiser (6): 3/6 Marginal upgrade from the destroyer, adds a little more firepower and another fighter CSP.

Capital Ships: Unable to deploy unless tension is high. Unable to land on planets.

Heavy Cruiser (9): 4/8 Lightest capital ship, inferior to Rebel version but also cheaper.

Starcruiser (15): 6/12 Ship of the line, big jump in fighter capacity.

Battlestar (22): 8/16 Biggest ship we can start with, carries two squadrons. Costs more then Rebel version but is also better. Battlestars and all bigger ships have light starships subtract 1 from their attack due to their strong hulls and shields. All bigger ships attack normally.

Dreadnought (30): 10/20 Prototype super-battlestars. Cannot be built at start. Maximum of 2 built. Cannot be rebuilt if destroyed.

Moloch (70): 16/40 The game's equivalent of the Death Star. Can be defeated in combat conventionally or Rebels can find a weakness and attempt a starfighter assault (down a trench perhaps?) if they can acquire the intel. Cannot be built for some time. Can destroy planets.

GDN

The GDN is the Global Defense Network. Planets start without one and it costs 1 RP to build a level 0 network and then 4 more for each level above that up to level 3. So it would cost 13 points to build a maxed out GDN. You cannot build a GDN higher then the starting tension level of the planet. You can always build a level 0.

GDNs fire at landing enemy starships and have to be taken before a planet falls. More importantly in the early game they also attempt to find Rebel scum launching from and landing on the planet (subject to tension levels).

Upkeep

Dreadnoughts, Elite Ground Units, level 3 GDN systems, Special Forces detachments, the Moloch, and alert statuses all require a 0.5 upkeep cost every turn. Only level 3 GDN builds and elite ground units are possible to build at start.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Military Plans (Goon Participation)
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

I am going to go over each district and give an accounting. If you want to submit a military deployment plan for a district you can. If your plan is selected you are the Duke (or Ducal Military Commander) reporting to the Emperor. Not sure what that means yet but sounds good and feel free to roleplay it to the hilt.

Each district gets 75 rp to buy forces (ground troops, starships, and GDNs) and must operate under the following restrictions.

- Each planet (and space station) must have at least one ground unit on it.
- Each district can only have up to 1 elite ground unit (not mandatory).
- Each system must have at least one starship in orbit around one of its planets.
- No planet may have a GDN with a higher level then its starting tension.
- No more then half of the district budget rounded down (37 max) may be spent on each type (ground, space, GDN)
- For planet stacking the bottom number on the display shows how many ground units can be on the planet except for conscripts who do not stack; for example Earth can hold 15 ground units and Ganymede can hold 3 not counting conscripts.
- You do not have to spend all the RP. Any excess goes into the Imperial treasury and will be appreciated. Most likely you will need most of it.

Except for the Central district this means lots of sloops and conscripts with a few heavier ships and better troops. Most of the good stuff should hang out at the capitol or other critical worlds.

If you want to submit a plan just copy the template I am putting up for that district and fill it with forces within these restrictions. I will include the tension right after the planet name in parentheses so you know what level of GDN you can put in. Leave GDN blank unless you upgrade it (to 0, 1, 2, or 3). I will also notate which planets give a penalty for line units. Note that they are still better then conscripts and are better at catching rebels so placing them in high-priority areas might still be worth it.

I will also put some notes in italics about things in the sector. They are presented in their order of taxation activation:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Central District



This is the Emperor's private duchy. It has a huge budget for its size as it has only 3 planets and 1 system.

Sol

Earth (8)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Mars (5)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Ganymede (4) Penalty to Line
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Earth has a red M making it the motherworld of Humanity. All alien species that have a presence on more then one planet have a motherworld. Planets with the same aliens on them tend to influence other planets with the same species. Motherworlds influence other planets more when they shift. The planet also has a -3. Negative numbers in terms of unrest and faction allegiance are good for us and positive are bad. Planet allegiance goes from -3 to +3. Once a planet is at +3 it can rebel. The color of the background for the text denotes the environment.

Mars has a secret counter on it. There are 8 secrets and 4 dummy secret counters. My opponent only knows there is a possible secret there. It might be worth beefing up Mars in terms of GDN and troops to try to catch any Rebel characters that come snooping. Then again Mars might be the last one he goes to due to the dangerous locale. On the other hand he might think we think that. If we put no real defenses that might entice him to waste time searching there early thinking we are bluffing.

Note that Ganymede is a difficult environment and gives a penalty to line troops there. Probably stick with conscripts there?

Remember Earth is the one system that can send troops directly to any district capitol without restriction. If we build any really big warships (or lots of small ships) in this district we should probably put them here, maybe with elite troops and some line troops to reinforce districts that are struggling.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sayakama District



Lalande

Lai (3)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Pindi (1)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Draconis

Draconis II (2)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Draconis III (3)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Wolf

Einstein (0)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Vega

Mir (1)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Canis

Vulcan (0)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Neogea (0)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Ercoth (1)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

We have Einstein at 0 unrest and Ercoth at +1. Ercoth is one of only 4 planets that starts out leaning towards the Rebels. Stupid treasonous cyborgs.

In addition to the Capitol to defend we have 3 secrets, one dummy and one minor faction HQ. Draconis II houses the Bounty Hunter's Guild. The Guild is ideal for us to put bounties on the Rebel's heads and hope for some captures. We have to feed money to them to keep the bounty hunters searching. Once the dice know whether it would be worth it. It is unlikely the Rebels will spend a lot of time here trying to influence them but I suppose it is possible. Might be worth keeping them away. Draconis III has the Rare Gem Mines secret that gives us 5 RP every turn regardless of what district is taxed and is also the motherworld of the Drak which are spread all over so losing the world might be bad. If the planet goes into rebellion the freed slaves give the Rebels 20 RP and if the Rebels take the planet they get 1 RP a turn. Up on the planet Mir where the humble theocratic Travisians live we hid our secret research base Area 551 which gives us 2 RP every turn. If the planet rebels we lose it and the Rebels get 10 RP from looting it.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Armes District



Cygni

Batres (3)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Lindeso (2)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Ross

Drasperon (0)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Zasperon (0)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Ophiucus

Aquaria (2)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Altair

Ragnar (3)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Intlig (0)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Ignis

Ignis II (2)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Ignis IV (0)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

36

Deepspace Station Hyper-Alpha (0)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

The Wormhole links to another sector on the far side of the Empire. The GDN at the space station has the ability to detect and shoot at Rebel ships passing through. The anomaly has a 33% chance of snagging any stack moving through it. Once inside you can continue to try to get out but it could take a while.

Busy district with 3 alien homeworlds and Ragnar has the rare metal mines which provide us with 5 RP a turn and the rebels get 20 RP if they can loot it and 1 RP a turn if they capture it. We also have a dummy on Lindeso that might draw in the Rebels. Resources will be tight here with a lot of ground to cover.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Karalamp District



Centauri

Chiron (3)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Nessus (3)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Lacaille

Aurora (2)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Vesperas (0)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Van Mannen

Halen (0)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Karibden (0)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Indi

Moronica (0)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Solaria (2)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Kecsal (1)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Pavonis

Cedbia (0)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

The Crystalloid Plague on Kecsal is a strange meteor that brought a strange green crystalline substance that reproduces itself. They are valuable but cause disease and mutations on the insectoid people that live here. We have largely sealed off the planet. We get 1 RP every turn. If the Rebels discover the secret the unrest level goes up by +2 and it may effect other planets as well. If the planet goes into rebellion our facility is destroyed and the Rebels will not exploit it and will try to cure and help the people (suckers). Ideally we want the Rebels to not find this.

Aurora has the home of both the Commerce Federation and the Slavers Cartel. Hmmmm.....connection? In either case both tend to favor us over the Rebels. It is unlikely the Rebels will spend a lot of time trying to turn them against us with the negatives they suffer when trying. Both give us resources when they support us and the Commerce Federation will even throw in military support. We will probably need to send some characters there to win them over but probably no need for an ultra-strong defense.

Our biggest problem is Project Moloch on Nessus. That is our Death Star project and we put it on a world already leaning towards the Rebellion. We either need to defend it and try to win it over to our side or write off building the superweapon.

Note the Avsar are their own district below this one. We cannot go there with military units unless they declare for the Rebels. We can send characters but only if an Avsari goes as part of the team.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Ellington District



Sirius

Cots (1)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Artford (3)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Lakandon (2)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Luyten

Travisond (0)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Kapteyn

Dobell (2)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Ceti

Chalchtek (0)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Gotica (1)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Eridani

Marlowe (1)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Lipe (0)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

This is probably the quietest district. We have the Graveyard on Marlowe. It is basically a repository of obsolete military equipment. If the situation becomes desperate enough we can reactivate it. If the Rebels capture it they can use it. The planet Gotica is the hiring ground for the Legions of Fortune, a mercenary group. We and the Rebels can hire troops here. The advantage is when they are hired by characters they appear where needed. We will have to see if we need them. We may at some point need to hire legions just so the Rebels cannot.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Marat Sector



Procyon

Oisad (3)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Elfond (1)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Aerolis

Umbra (0)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Rotina

Xibalba (3)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Deepspace Station Hyper-Omega (0)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Stein

Menzel (1)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Dayan (2)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Roca (0)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Groombridge

Morin (0)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Tolkin (0)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Raisa (0)
Ground:
Space:
GDN:

Okay, a number of secrets here. First off Xibalba has the Laboratory Planet meaning that we are experimenting on the Travisian homeworld. Basically we are doing evil Mengele level experiments on the space Amish. If the Rebels find out this is here and do a single successful propaganda mission the planet immediately goes into Rebellion when they realize where all those missing people are and why so many people die of mysterious diseases and disasters.

Menzel has the Imperial Security Archives. Being good recordkeepers we make a record of every horrible thing we do. If the Rebels discover the archive they can perform espionage missions here with good modifiers for them to discover where any other specific secret is. If the Rebels conquer the planet or spark a rebellion they have a 5 in 6 chance of finding every secret we have. If captured it also has potential to annoy other planets who discover what we are up to. This is a good planet for a decent GDN to try to keep characters off and maybe a decent ground unit to make missions more dangerous. If the Rebels ever discover most of our secrets then this planet will become less dangerous.

In the same system on Dayan is the Minoplision Minority. This is a small colony on the planet of barbarians beyond the Empire who operate as merchants. Here we and the Rebellion can try to win them over. Winning them over brings them and their military onto our side or the Rebel's side if they win them over. On the downside they are hated and unrest will rise on the planet if we bring them in and other planet may react badly as well. Probably no need for special defenses here. It will be some time before the Rebels have a military making it worth bringing in the Barbarians as support.

Finally we have Agnot Keep on Oisad. This is the headquarters of an Assassin's Guild. They favor us and we can go there to put out contracts on Rebel characters. If we win more support with them they will allow us more contracts. Worth considering. This is the district capitol so it should be difficult for Rebels to mess with it.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Whew, lots of game explanation. Once we get the military built we can draw characters. Not sure if anyone will take me up on building out a district but this serves as an intro to our Empire in any case and if no one bites I can take care of it.

Let me know if anything is especially confusing or unclear. I wrote this up after a 13 hour workday.

nweismuller
Oct 11, 2012

They say that he who dies with the most Opil wins.

I am winning.
What do the two numbers under the planetary government type on each planet space mean?

E: never mind, I see it's resource value above size.

On behalf of Imperial military planners for the Karalamp District, I propose the following deployment plan in the name of our glorious Empire:

Military Deployments for Karalamp District

Centauri

Chiron (3)
Ground: 2 conscripts, 1 stormtrooper
Space: 1 light cruiser
GDN: 1

Nessus (3)
Ground: 2 conscripts
Space:
GDN: 1

Lacaille

Aurora (2)
Ground: 2 conscripts, 1 2nd-line
Space: 1 sloop
GDN: 1

Vesperas (0)
Ground: 2 conscripts
Space:
GDN: 0

Van Mannen

Halen (0)
Ground: 1 conscript
Space:
GDN: 0

Karibden (0)
Ground: 2 conscripts
Space: 1 sloop
GDN: 0

Indi

Moronica (0)
Ground: 2 conscripts
Space:
GDN: 0

Solaria (2)
Ground: 2 conscripts, 1 2nd-line
Space: 1 sloop
GDN: 1

Kecsal (1)
Ground: 2 conscripts
Space:
GDN: 0

Pavonis

Cedbia (0)
Ground: 1 conscript
Space: 1 sloop
GDN: 0

26 RP are spent providing fixed defenses for every planet in the district, with the four most strategically-sensitive planets more heavily secured- the district capital, the Imperial center of trade, the Solarian motherworld, and the planet with the greatest extent of local unrest (as well as further, classified points of strategic sensitivity). 8 RP on sloops and 18 on conscripts provide basic order-keeping capability across the district. 8 more provide regular forces on the two most valuable worlds beyond the district capital. The remaining 15 RP are spent on providing a reserve on Chiron to respond to situations as needed. In the name of Pantaleon IX, Emperor of our great Empire, may the forces of the district provide diligent service.

nweismuller fucked around with this message at 09:27 on Jul 30, 2015

Slaan
Mar 16, 2009



ASHERAH DEMANDS I FEAST, I VOTE FOR A FEAST OF FLESH
Military Plan for Armes District:

Submitted for the Approval of his Majesty, the Great Emperor

Budget:

Ground Forces: 37 million credits
Spacecraft: 21 million credits
Planetary Defence Systems: 17 Million Credits

Cygni

Batres (3)
Ground: Storm Trooper (9)
Space: Light Cruiser (6)
GDN: 1 (5)

Lindeso (2)
Ground: 1st Line (6)
Space: Sloop (2)
GDN: 1 (5)

Ross

Drasperon (0)
Ground: Conscript (1)
Space: Sloop (2)
GDN:

Zasperon (0)
Ground: Conscript (1)
Space: 0
GDN:

Ophiucus

Aquaria (2)
Ground: 2nd line (4)
Space: Sloop (2)
GDN:

Altair

Ragnar (3)
Ground:First line (6)
Space: Corvette (3)
GDN: 1 (5)

Intlig (0)
Ground: Conscript (1)
Space:
GDN:

Ignis

Ignis II (2)
Ground: Second Line (4)
Space: Corvette (3)
GDN: 0 (1)

Ignis IV (0)
Ground: Conscript (1)
Space: 0
GDN:

36

Deepspace Station Hyper-Alpha (0)
Ground: Second line (4)
Space: Corvette (3)
GDN: 0 (1)



As this sector of space is well protected from any spacecraft-borne terrorist attacks (thanks to the Anomaly and Deepspace Station Hyper-Alpha), but maintains sizable populations of non-human races, I have chosen to align my budget with sizable forces of mainline troops in order to protect the populace from rabble rousers. The most elite units are stationed upon the District Capital, Lindeso and Ignis to maintain the Empire's important infrastructure.

Slaan fucked around with this message at 09:06 on Jul 30, 2015

nweismuller
Oct 11, 2012

They say that he who dies with the most Opil wins.

I am winning.
Slaan, I'm pretty sure you're underestimating GDN costs. Level 0 GDN costs 1 RP, level 1 5 total, level 2 9, and level 3 13. There's no way you're spending only 12 RP on GDNs when you have a level 3 GDN and multiple level 2 GDNs.

Slaan
Mar 16, 2009



ASHERAH DEMANDS I FEAST, I VOTE FOR A FEAST OF FLESH
Yeah, I just noticed that myself. I fixed it, I think. The costs should go

blank 0
0 1
1 5
2 9
3 13

Right?

nweismuller
Oct 11, 2012

They say that he who dies with the most Opil wins.

I am winning.

Slaan posted:

Yeah, I just noticed that myself. I fixed it, I think. The costs should go

blank 0
0 1
1 5
2 9
3 13

Right?

Right.

Space Bat
Apr 17, 2009

hold it now hold it now hold it right there
you wouldn't drop, couldn't drop diddy, you wouldn't dare
Is there any info one the different species that live on the planets? Like what an Ingnean is?

nweismuller
Oct 11, 2012

They say that he who dies with the most Opil wins.

I am winning.
Igneans are relatively primitive orange-colored humanoids adapted to immense heat. They've been encouraged under Imperial rule to settle worlds too hot for any other species to effectively exploit, but otherwise they'd essentially just be a minor afterthought in the Empire. Ignean worlds maintain local governments based on councils of elders, where elders drawn from their various clans meet together and come to make decisions for the world, which are submitted to with near-religious deference by the Ignean inhabitants.

Xenocides
Jan 14, 2008

This world looks very scary....


nweismuller posted:

Igneans are relatively primitive orange-colored humanoids adapted to immense heat. They've been encouraged under Imperial rule to settle worlds too hot for any other species to effectively exploit, but otherwise they'd essentially just be a minor afterthought in the Empire. Ignean worlds maintain local governments based on councils of elders, where elders drawn from their various clans meet together and come to make decisions for the world, which are submitted to with near-religious deference by the Ignean inhabitants.

Did someone download the manual? :)

Yeah, pretty much. I will do an update on species hopefully tonight. I was going to put it in the last update but ran out of time and it was too long anyways.

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oystertoadfish
Jun 17, 2003

The Marat Sector respectfully submits these draft proposals for the upcoming base realignment process.




the proposal is nearly evenly weighted between the different branches of Imperial defense. This should keep all the contractors happy.
GDN budget - 24 RPs. due to... political connections, several planets in this sector will see massive upgrades to their defense and surveillance systems. small grant packages are distributed across most of the other worlds.
Ground budget - 27 RPs. the elite unit is placed on xibalba, for... political reasons. darn those corrupt politicians! stacking up 2 conscripts on manzel, since line troops would get a negative there i think.
Space budget - 24 RPs. the wormhole system and the capital system receive the majority of these handouts, in the form of base facilities for three shiny new light cruisers. those corrupt politicians on xibalba keep sucking up military resources in no way warranted by anything going on there! gosh darn it!

cumulative prices are included for bookkeeping purposes after the individual unit's price, in parentheses.

Procyon

Oisad (3)
Ground:1st Line (5) 5
Space: Light Cruiser (6) 6
GDN: 1 (5) 5

Elfond (1)
Ground: Conscripts (1) 6
Space:
GDN:

Aerolis

Umbra (0)
Ground: Conscripts (1) 7
Space: Sloop (2) 8
GDN: 0 (1) 6

Rotina

Xibalba (3)
Ground: Stormtroopers (9) 16
Space: Light Cruiser (6) 14
GDN: 2 (9) 15

Deepspace Station Hyper-Omega (0)
Ground: 2nd Line (4) 20
Space: Light Cruiser (6) 20
GDN:

Stein

Menzel (1)
Ground: 2xConscripts (3) 22
Space:
GDN: 1 (5) 20

Dayan (2)
Ground: Conscripts (1) 23
Space: Sloop (2) 22
GDN: 0 (1) 21

Roca (0)
Ground: Conscripts (1) 24
Space:
GDN: 0 (1) 22

Groombridge

Morin (0)
Ground: Conscripts (1) 25
Space:
GDN: 0 (1) 23

Tolkin (0)
Ground: Conscripts (1) 26
Space: Sloop (2) 24
GDN: 0 (1) 24

Raisa (0)
Ground: Conscripts (1) 27
Space:
GDN:

How does that look? any mistakes i made? any trade-offs I should make? The space station's garrison sucked up points I would've loved to spend elsewhere - can you build conscripts on a space station? who even would be getting conscripted? I'd love to have more ground troops at the capital as a mobile reserve, but Xibalba and the space station seem to require more than just conscripts.

not to mention menzel, where there's kind of a lot of responsibility for two helpings of conscripts to handle, but on the other hand non-elite line troops would suffer a malus if i'm reading the colors behind the planets correctly. maybe the stormtroopers should go there?

also, will none of the higher-end ground troops even be built until Marat's tax round comes up? is that a reason to lean more heavily on conscripts?

oystertoadfish fucked around with this message at 22:03 on Jul 30, 2015

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