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Director-Heir Thomas Weiss posted:I leave it to my wife to make all final advisements on matters of security, given that it's her department, not mine, but we've paid a considerable sum of money at this point, both to acquire that secret and keep it quiet. That one person could put all that money to waste, well, let's just say the man was hired for a reason, and I'm not inclined to stand in his way in this matter.
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Apr 11, 2022 19:13
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Commissioner Oriole Weiss posted:Leaving aside the final judgement of the advisability of such a course of action, but, over the course of half a year... I'd estimate a one-in-four chance of Noelle succeeding in such a mission and a one-in-ten chance over the same period of his mission being compromised. There are definitely risks if we take such a course. And, should he be compromised, I have no doubt that Duchess Ruana would lose any reservations about revealing our secrets.
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Apr 11, 2022 19:23
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Director-Heir Thomas Weiss posted:I'm not saying we should do it, just that we shouldn't take the possibility off the table. Also, as my schedule lays out, we have other matters to attend to in the near term, anyway. But, let's not forget, it was Duchess Garrett who spied on us, first. Playing dirty isn't my go-to strategy, either, sister, but when someone draws a weapon on you, I see no dishonor in drawing that same weapon on them in return. I mean, could you imagine dying from some filthy, mustachioed coward's cheap shot just because you were too hung up on appearances to bring your own sidearm to council? Not that- well, I mean- just a random metaphor, there, of course.
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Apr 11, 2022 21:55
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I just noticed I was missing two images from the tournament in the feast this last episode. Now fixed.
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Apr 12, 2022 04:48
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Ilario Goodman posted:*slaps Thomas and Romeo on the back* Ilario Goodman posted:My esteemed councilmembers, I believe you are entitled to the full explanation of the asteroid orbiting Kapteyn's Star. I'm sure the more paranoid of you have put the pieces together and come to the correct conclusion. I was never privy to meetings on this topic, but it was a persistent rumor, and the sheer number of incidents were to great to be mere coincidence. My brother, the former king, had an "understanding" with some pirates. He ensured that the Royal Fleet avoided these pirates, and in return, they would be called upon to perform favors, targeting those that had drawn his ire, but he could not move against in a direct manner. Ilario Goodman in the archives posted:"Patton? I shouldn't be surprised. I heard Archon Yardley Patton has always had a sharp mind for technology, but he must have appointed a new doctor. I wish we had more information about him. These reports are stunning. I just wish the Wang collective didn't have to spin all this news as propaganda. It makes it a pain to figure out what's true and what's empty boasting. By looks of things, they seem to be running a tighter ship on the technology front. What is that noise?"
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Apr 12, 2022 07:07
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Thomas Weiss, temporary drunk tank operator posted:If you'll refer to the documents I've made available, you'll see that the hospital is the next facility slated for repairs in Vega, due to requests originally submitted by Prudence. And, after how well you cared for my daughter, I couldn't possibly see you in the same light as your brother, and have reevaluated my opinion of the Goodman name as a whole, said brother notwithstanding. As it happens, I've heard on the grapevine that, due to your arrival in Vega, an upcoming docu-drama series about the downfall of House Goodman has been significantly rewritten to include a prominent subplot about the kind-hearted, reasonable younger brother who tried to keep things from getting as bad as they did, and was ultimately exiled for his troubles. Hopefully, it'll help the common folk embrace you the way we on the council have.
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Apr 12, 2022 13:20
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Admiral Harold "pirate killer" Weiss posted:My reports tell me that there is significant unrest in the Patton Quadrant. Prudence Weiss, Ph.D posted:Oriole, I know that Mr. Barry is nominally under your authority, but I seek to borrow him on a, shall we say, joint Technology-Security assignment. Admiral Weiss, private journal posted:Log Entry 1, 2058
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Apr 13, 2022 12:14
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Director-General Jane Weiss posted:If Father is correct and we have such an ideal window for action coming up, then perhaps we should not squander it. I am naturally pleased with our progress within our own borders, but we could potentially forge a greater empire here. We'll need to deal with the diplomatic repercussions of setting out on such a war, but they may be... manageable. Thomas, after you complete the headquarters here in Vega, I believe I'll want you assisting with our taxation in Beta Eridani for the time that follows. And Prudence, if you insist on having me work on a new area of studies, I suppose I should attend to it. Commissioner Oriole Weiss posted:I think an alternative use for Noelle Barry would be to ensure either he's overseeing a protective detail for the Director-Heir or helping oversee investigative work here in Vega. Something to consider- ensuring we're not blindsided here in Vega might be valuable. Director-General Jane Weiss posted:We can reassess Noelle Barry's assignment shortly. For now, I'll be assigning her as Prudence requests. It seems we have a war in our future- I trust in Father to see it through.
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Apr 13, 2022 15:41
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Director-Heir Thomas Weiss posted:Hold on, before I approve such a significant expenditure for the purpose of warfare, I'd like some projections as to the potential tax value of Ross 128. If it doesn't pay for itself within a few years, then I think we can wait until our military can handle things on their own, without mercenaries. Between firmly establishing our rule and dealing with potential reprisals for our aggression, I imagine Ross 128 will prove quite expensive as it is, without throwing an entire hospital's worth of money at it. Claiming the sector could end up a Pyrrhic victory, if it costs us all the economic momentum we've built up over the last several years.
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Apr 13, 2022 21:04
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Admiral Harold Weiss posted:Thomas, an uncolonised system is a significant boon for the defender.
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Apr 13, 2022 21:31
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Romeo posted:I was just going through the archives when I stumbled upon something people from old earth called a "meme." I saved a copy to my local desk. I think I can edit it and post it somewhere that bastard Thomas can see it. A wall near the council chamber posted:Lady Jaybird fucked around with this message at 03:47 on Apr 14, 2022 |
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Apr 14, 2022 02:50
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Director-Heir Thomas Weiss posted:Before we end today's council session, seeing as we're committed to the endeavor, once we've taken Ross 128, my subordinate, Romeo, will be reassigned there to assist in tax collections, to get the region up to speed. Indefinitely.
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Apr 14, 2022 06:22
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Fire Support November, 2509- Haldus The troop transports glided in through the asteroids orbiting Haldus towards the colony built into one of the field's largest asteroids, radar catching returns off the glittering sprays of metallic debris and clouds of air boiled into the void from the breached and shattered wreckage of the fleet that the Patton League had mustered. The lone surviving frigate from Rotanev was falling back to attempt to flee the system, while the tattered remnants of the last bomber squadron based in Haldus had cut their drives in the face of imminent destruction by Admiral Harold Weiss's interceptors. In the transports, the peacekeepers and mercenaries that had been mustered for the battle made last minute checks to suit seals and readied rifles and explosives launchers to confront the peacekeepers loyal to Coordinator Metea Wang that held the colony. On the Weiss Guild flagship Orion, a frigate that had escaped the battle mostly unscathed save for some fragmentation damage from incoming missile fire, Harold was strapped into his acceleration seat while listening to the tinny chatter of peacekeepers advancing towards their objectives. Autocannon and laser fire from frigates and interceptors had swept clear an ill-advised attempt to prevent attacking peacekeepers from seizing control of the primary spaceport and gaining access to the colony, and the surviving defenders had fallen back to attempt to defend strongpoints from within the colony despite the numeric advantage the attackers held. "Major Philip Andersen requesting fire support mission, my Lord Admiral," a voice crackled over the comms. "We've got heavy resistance at the storage silos on the north edge of the colony. They're dug in with heavy weapons and we're taking losses." Harold glanced at the coordinates attached to the broadcast. "Major Andersen, I am authorising a fire support mission. Your men had best take cover." The primary turret of the Orion bucked with the recoil as it volleyed high-explosive shells towards the storage silos. As the shells impacted, pulverised rock and shattered plating spiraled up and away from the low gravity of the asteroid, mixed with the broken bodies of the defenders who had once held the position and uncountable grains of barley and beans blasted free from the silos, drifting clear and away from the scene of battle below. nweismuller fucked around with this message at 08:09 on Apr 16, 2022 |
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Apr 14, 2022 11:13
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The Fall of the Wang Collective  The latter half of 2508 was a landmark for House Weiss's Administration team, with Director-Heir Thomas Weiss completing the restoration of the old Orion Industries headquarters complex at Vega and with Romeo Weiss completing the restoration of a major waste processing facility in Kajam based on Galileo Institute designs. The Orion Industries headquarters had facilities and software to effectively oversee production, logistics, and finances for the Weiss Guild, allowing both process improvements in local industries at Vega and a more efficient taxation regime across the Guild. Meanwhile, the waste processing facility represented a significant step forward from normal life support recycling in the colonies, allowing very cost-effective reclamation of wastewater, production of fertilisers for crops from biological waste, and the production of of abundant, cheap crops of nutrient-rich algae. Although algae cakes were hardly popular, the yields from algae crops allowed for their use as a cheap supplement to the diets of the serfs, many of whom in any case would hardly turn their noses up at the ability to ensure more regular meals, however unappetising the extra meals might be. Cheap water reclamation and cheap algae food allowed Kajam to be a net exporter of water and low-end food, an important boost to its revenues while still maintaining much more comfortable safety margins in its life support. Given that the corporate tower improves wealth on its own colony as well as helping the taxation of the faction, I assume it's able to allow for efficiency improvements on its colony.  While Administration labored to help restore the prosperity of the Guild, Diplomacy had been steadily at work establishing a case for the Guild's rulership of Ross 128. Although not, on its own, sufficient to fully justify a war of expansion, nonetheless this pretext would make the Guild's growing plans to expand into the Wang Collective's territory at least more defensible. The replacement of Baroness Beatrice Travis, a very ill-reputed ruler, was at least grudgingly accepted as pretext with some merit.   Baron Neely Clay of Nusakan attempted, and failed, to recruit House Weiss's assistance in a raid against the colony of Omicron Piscium even as Administration and Diplomacy were reporting these successes. Squandering the Guild's military forces on an internal squabble of the Garret Confederation- and one where she was asked to support a dishonorable venture, to boot- seemed profitless to the Director-General. Despite House Weiss's refusal to assist, peacekeepers from Nusakan were able to seize control of the spaceport at Omicron Piscium and strip parts of the colony of portable wealth, returning home with their plunder. A successful raid automatically damages at least one installation in its target colony and provides the raiding baron with money.   Back on Vega, meanwhile, an incident occurred that proved to be formative for Jane's young ward, Mistress Ova Beck. Despite the Director-General's efforts to improve the climate in the Guild for independent traders and ensure that tariffs and fees did not choke off trade, she was approached by a merchant transporting specialty foods from the small soil gardens across the Guild, offering the Director-General a personal bribe to waive the import fees from across the Guild. Director-General Jane Weiss, normally sympathetic to the concerns of these traders, was furious at this blatant attempt at corruption, and ordered her Security detail to arrest the man. It had proved that Ova had observed the whole incident. When she asked Jane why she had ordered the man arrested, Jane expained, "Our civilisation rests upon a bedrock of honor and of law. Whenever honor is disregarded, it weakens the fabric that holds the colonies together, and brings us that much closer to the savagery of the Dark Ages after the fall of House Khalil. Not only that, but God watches and judges our deeds. A soul stained by lies and dishonor shall be punished by God when it is brought to judgement. Should this merchant have petitioned honestly, I would have considered his case, but the attempt to bribe me and betray my honor could not be tolerated." Ova was struck deeply by these words, and her next letter home to her family went at length about her admiration for Jane's sense of justice and how the lessons Jane had taught her had inspired her to try and be a better and more honest person. Accepting the bribe gives you money- which means I more or less have to assume that the fees you waive aren't all your own, given the union between personal and House finances for a House head in this sort of hereditary feudal systems.  The beginning of the following year, 2509, saw the eruption of a drunken brawl between several nobles and officers in a cantina catering to the upper crust of Vega's society. Both Ilario Goodman and Noelle Barry were present, with Ilario reporting after the fact that Noelle was one of the instigators of the fight. Ilario was badly hurt in the brawl, with an arm broken. Even after the arm itself healed, he suffered from lingering infections which left him miserable and inefficient at his duties. Although Noelle had attempted to defend the weaker Ilario in the fight, nonetheless Ilario blamed Noelle in part for his suffering.      Early 2509 also saw violence erupt beyond two borders of the Guild, with a failed raid launched from Algorab on Beta Librae and with a failed revolt against Coordinator Metea Wang of the Wang Collective. Although Coordinator Metea put down the revolt, the aftermath of the fighting left the forces at Haldus depleted, those forces that had joined in the rebellion destroyed and the loyalists having suffered a fair number of losses. With the Wang Collective weaker than it had been for years, a plan that had been developed by Admiral Harold Weiss and approved by Director-General Jane Weiss was put into action.    A courier was dispatched from Vega, formally conveying a demand to Archon Yardley Patton that he press the Weiss Guild's claim on Ross 128. The archon, as predicted, refused the demand in a rage, placing the Weiss Guild at war with the Wang Collective and the Patton Quadrant. Although the general community of nobility considered the demand dishonorable, nonetheless the pretext was solid enough to help preserve the Director-General's reputation from worse disaster. I issue the demand to Archon Patton rather than Coordinator Wang because the honor hit is a bit less. Without rock-solid claims and justifications, wars of expansion tend to be rough on your reputation and provide pretext for reprisals. That said, sometimes you just have to suck up the crimes and do what is necessary- although, in general, especially with an Honorable ruler, I do my best to mitigate the dishonor and save dishonorable actions for times where the gain far outweighs the crime. We've been largely stuck in our little five-system realm from the beginning, and so a chance to break the deadlock is important.    As soon as the response to the demand returned to Vega, Admiral Harold Weiss dispatched a pre-arranged signal to the forces of other colonies, mustering fleets in a vast logistical undertaking, stringing fleet tenders and troop transports from across the Guild to support an assault by every bomber, interceptor, and frigate the Guild could manage to get to the front. This force was supplemented by four squadrons each of mercenary bombers and interceptors, four mercenary frigates, and a collection of mercenary troopers to aid with the occupation, hired at the steep price of sixty thousand marks. Commodore Cullen Wang issued a request for the Weiss Guild to call off its attack, but Admiral Harold Wang's message in response was brief: "The die is cast. Look to your own fleet." Upon declaring an attack, the attacker can attempt to call vassals to arms, join with their own forces, make a request for somebody to join in the attack, or hire mercenaries, with each system or mercenary hire called in costing 1 AP beyond the 4 AP to launch an attack at all. Once the defender learns of the attack, they get to alternate turns calling in their own systems or mercenaries to defend. The overall commander of each side provides tactics that can be used in battle, and a bonus to the strength of all forces involved representing the quality of their leadership, while each system called in has their own leader assigned who provides a bonus to the strength of the forces they provide. For purposes of figuring mercenary numbers, I'm assuming mercenaries get a total 50% bonus to their raw number strength from the Military rating of 'being a merc' and the leader they provide, since the base mercenary strength values you get without factoring your leadership bonus in appears to be 3 strength value for each type of ship per 30 viridium spent and I'm assuming you're hiring mercenaries in full squadrons and frigates. I guess the alternative would be assuming that mercs are getting a total of +200% fleet strength from their virtual Military rating and leadership and you're hiring them in blocks of '1 squadron each of bombers and interceptors and 1 frigate', but that level of bonus is pretty unreasonably high in my opinion. Likewise, assuming they have no Military rating and no leadership seems rather unreasonable for professional mercs. With all the bonuses involved, the final strength numbers of 25 bomber, 26 interceptor, and 35 frigate are significantly higher than the raw numbers of ships provided by each system.   With those words, the battle was joined. Admiral Harold Weiss, as was his habit, fought relatively conservatively, reserving his interceptors for defensive maneuvers. This, as it proved, was a prudent measure, allowing his interceptors to engage with interceptors deployed by Commodore Cullen Wang to attempt to disrupt bomber missile launches at the Wang Collective's frigates and ensuring that Wang Collective frigates continued to be hammered. With over half of the Wang Collective forces destroyed or disabled, Admiral Harold Weiss pulled his bombers into strict formation with his frigates sacrificing ease of acquiring firing solutions in favor of heavy cover from the frigates' guns to keep the bombers safer from Wang Collective attack runs. Before long, it was over, with the Wang Collective space forces unable to continue the fight and with both Commodore Wang and Baroness Beatrice Travis injured in the fighting. Wang Collective fleet tenders limped off, towing what disabled craft they could tow and what crew they could rescue, while Weiss Guild troop transports continued uncontested to the colony. This victory was accomplished despite the powerful advantage the defenders had from the dense gas and dust disrupting sensor accuracy in Ross 128, which the defenders could overcome thanks to pre-placed navigation and sensor buoys. The battle for a colony takes place in up to three rounds of space combat. Before each round, the commander of each side selects a tactic from the tactics available to them, defaulting to the basic 'Attack' if there are no better tactics available from commanders. Some tactics can counter the bonuses of other tactics, with tactics being marked with symbols that I think of as 'defense', 'offense', and 'maneuver'. Cover Interceptors, for instance, gets a 'defense' bonus of -40% to damage taken by the interceptors on that side of the combat, an untyped and uncounterable penalty of -10% to damage dealt by those interceptors, and which counters 'defense' effects present on the opposite side of the board. Since the enemy used Cover Frigates, which gets a 'defense' bonus of -50% to damage taken by their frigates, we got to entirely counter the bonus of their tactics. Battles end either when one side has taken too much damage to resist anymore, when one side retreats, or after three rounds if the space battle is inconclusive, granting the victory to whoever had 'the advantage' at the end.   With the Wang Collective fleet unable to contest the advance of the troop transports, peacekeepers and mercenaries made a landing and began the effort to secure the colony. Sporadic fighting broke out as local peacekeepers contested the landing, with an important ship components factory suffering major damage from use of heavy weapons and armor-piercing ammunition to defeat power armor, but nonetheless surrendered as expected before major bombardment was required to end the battle. Seizing the colony gives Jane a major respect boost to her reputation, which helps mitigate the impact of what we'll have to do next.    With the colony in the hands of Weiss Guild forces, Baroness Beatrice Travis was ordered to step down as ruler, with Lady Devon Kelley- Romeo Weiss's older sister- raised to the position of Colonial Director in her place. Although the deposal of the baroness and the seizure of a colony that the Weiss Guild had only a weak claim on were considered breaches of honor, nonetheless they were relatively minor and counterbalanced by the glory of the victory in the eyes of most. Deposing the baroness is a minor crime- it would be more major if 'seizure of a colony in war' weren't considered a mitigating factor. Taking a colony in war we only have a weak claim on has an honor hit to our reputation on top of that, but isn't considered a 'crime' anybody has the right to claim vengeance for.    As 2509 progressed, Weiss Guild patrol forces detected a shuttle attempting to avoid notice while passing through Kajam. On stopping the shuttle, they discovered that it was piloted by nobody less than Duke-Consort Leonard Garret, husband of Duchess Ruana Garret, carrying a shipment of microchips recovered from a previously unknown Interstellar Authority facility in the uninhabited UV Ceti system. On questioning, Leonard Garret revealed that analysis of old documents recovered from the Interstellar Authority outpost in Gliese 687 had revealed the existence of the facility, which he had been dispatched to investigate, where he had found several cases of brain implants which House Weiss scientists recognised as drawing on the technology being developed in the old NovaCorp research facility House Weiss had discovered. On orders from the Director-General, Leonard was released following questioning, allowed to continue his errand for Duchess Ruana Garret unmolested. Duchess Ruana sent back a message of thanks for House Weiss's delicate handling of the situation, accompanied by one of the cases of microchips, which attached documentation described as 'memory storage devices' that would create memories that would be experienced as 'real' by a subject. Although most of the chips were blank, awaiting memories to be written onto them, one test chip was already written with the memories of a vacation on Earth experienced by an IA officer at the long-forgotten outpost.  On the far side of the Patton League, Governor Coligny White launched a revolt against the Patton Quadrant and its increasingly hated ruler, Yardley Patton, Duke of the Patton Quadrant and Archon of the Patton League, citing her duke's refusal to assist her in putting down a local rebellion, and styling herself Governor-General of the new White Federation. With this, the ability of the Patton League to bring force to bear to defend its frontiers was further shaken.      With the advantage firmly on the Weiss Guild's side, Admiral Harold Weiss continued to lead a force comprising loyal fleets from the portions of the Weiss Guild bordering on the Wang Collective and of the mercenaries previously hired at Ross 128, reinforced from their losses, to press on to Haldus, the seat of the Wang Collective's power. With the Wang Collective's very survival at stake, Coordinator Matea Wang stopped at nothing to gather outside support, trading away Nashira to Archon Patton for his support and paying a hefty sum to bring in a border baron from the Lamb Clan to assist in the defense. With Admiral Taifa Wang leading the defense, Coordinator Matea transmitted a request to the attackers to call off their attack. Once again, Admiral Harold Weiss refused to relent, determined to secure the Guild's future and his own glory.   The battle in space was brief, the motley collection of defenders blasted aside and Admiral Taifa Wang injured in battle. The Wang Collective peacekeepers at Haldus fought with stubborn tenacity as Weiss Guild troops landed, with Admiral Harold Weiss eventually being forced to resort to targeted bombardment at a concentration of defenders dug in at food storage facilities in the colony. These strikes broke the back of the Wang Collective resistance, and the shattered survivors of their peacekeeper forces soon surrendered.     With Haldus in the Weiss Guild's hands, Director-General Jane Weiss recognised a distant historical claim of Sir Bradford Eaton, head of the minor House Eaton at Vega, to the rulership of Haldus, elevating him to the position of Baron. Although raising somebody with an at least credible claim to Haldus' throne was not generally considered morally questionable, the seizure of Haldus in the first place brought many questions, given that the Weiss Guild had no claim at all to the colony. Still, thus far, victory in war at least muted criticism. With Coordinator Matea Wang ousted from power on her own colony, she no longer was in any position to lead the Wang Collective. The two remaining barons of the Collective, lacking any leadership, were absorbed into the Patton Quadrant, while the Patton League as a union of realms ceased to have any real existence. Since we lack any claim, the honor hit for illegal annexation is steeper, but having somebody with a claim we could install helps counterbalance that. Capturing a realm's capital will cause that realm to cease to exist. If the realm is a vassal realm of a league, its barons will be absorbed by the league's archon's realm, else each colony will become a tiny one-colony realm of its own.  It proved that when the colony was captured, Seth Patton, a young senior agent in the Patton Quadrant's security service, was present at the colony and brought into custody as a prisoner of war. He was transferred under guard from Haldus to Vega, there to be held in confinement until his fate could be resolved.      With Haldus in the Guild's hands and the Wang Collective destroyed, the immediate objectives of the war had been completed, and Director-Consort Mariko Weiss drafted a peace proposal to Duke Yardley Patton fixing both sides at their current borders. The Duke, whose military was badly depleted and who had concerns about internal stability, willingly accepted. The war had ended in complete victory, having started and ended in the same Terran year, and it was generally expected that House Weiss would celebrate the occasion with a great feast. Jane Weiss did not disappoint, setting Executive Director Thomas Weiss to organise the preparations for the feast, tournament, and entertainment, dispatching invitations to the minor Houses of Vega and the vassal barons of the Guild as expected. What went beyond expectation was her invitation of Duchess Ruana Garret, a gesture of goodwill taken with gratitude by the neighboring ruler. With the feast being hosted in Vega itself, the whole of House Weiss was able to attend and enjoy the festivities.    As was customary, the tournament was the first event of the gathering, with Commissioner Oriole Weiss trusted as House Weiss's champion. Despite expectations, she was defeated in her first match by Sir Sutton Oneal, whose daring and deceptive maneuvers threw off Oriole and allowed him to claim the victory. The honors of championship eventually went to Naeva Noble, Sir Virgil Noble's mother and a deeply experienced warrior.  Following the tournament, the feast proceeded, with the finest food and drink available to the Guild followed by an evening of music, dancing, and a fairly modest showing of 'Siegfried and the Dragon' presented by a local troupe of players. The guests left in high spirits after an enjoyable feast, praising the Director-General as the host and the Director-Heir as the organiser of the event. A bit of prestige for both our ruler and our head of Administration for a good feast.      Violence continued around and beyond the Guild's borders as 2510 began, with a failed rebellion erupting in Canopus, a failed raid by the newly-named Baron Bradford Eaton across the border to Rotanev, and Baroness Ruth Stuart of Alhena declaring independence from the Lindsey Coalition and naming herself Duchess of the Stuart Coalition. Where peace could not be ensured, violence continued to take a toll on populations and equipment.   More shocking to most of the Weiss Guild, however, was an outbreak of Rattle Lung on Kapteyn's Star in the early part of 2510. Director-General Jane Weiss swiftly ordered travel to and from Kapteyn's Star to full quarantine procedures, with ships and cargoes having to wait weeks under observation before being permitted to leave the colony. The suffering at the colony was immense, but, by swift action, the Director-General had greatly reduced the risk of this lethal epidemic spreading beyond Kapteyn's Star. Work at Kapteyn's Star ground nearly to a halt while deaths from the disease began to accumulate.    Duke Yardley Patton sent a request for the release of his young nephew Seth as relations began to normalise in early 2510. Director-General Jane Weiss agreed to the release in exchange for a ransom of twenty-five thousand marks, a sum which Duke Yardley readily agreed to. The exchange was completed without incident, Seth returned to Rotanev and the payment delivered to Vega.   About this time, scientists from the House Weiss Technology department had finished their study of the case of brain implants received from House Garret. Through study of the documentation and experimentation, they believed they had been able to determine how to write memories to the chips. With the proper staging and emotional preparation on the parts of actors, these memories could be invested with necessary emotional associations and details to be accepted as real, allowing the Director-General to falsify memories to allow targets to be manipulated by false gratitude or by the belief that they had been victimised by others. The Director-General rejected such a deceitful use of the chips out of hand, ultimately relegating them to recording memories of attendance at plays for the entertainment of House Weiss which could then be implanted as a modest reward for service to officers in the various departments under House Weiss. With the decision made, only the fate of the single chip with recorded memories of Earth remained to be decided.   As 2510 began, the rivalry between Thomas Weiss and Romeo Weiss was growing, to Jane's mind, entirely unacceptable, disrupting staff meetings and threatening the smooth operation of the Administration department. In her pleas to Thomas and Romeo to consider how their conduct reflected on them and the House, she eventually, somehow, managed to de-escalate the feud between the two. Although relations between both remained rather chilly, their tempers cooled and they were at least able to conduct themselves civilly with each other. Neither side likes the other now, but it's much better than it was. The Weiss Guild, early 2510   Ten years have passed since House Weiss has risen to power over the Weiss Guild. Its leadership has been tried and tested by experience, making every aspect of House operations improve in efficiency, while the recruitment of Ilario Goodman and Noelle Barry and the birth of new children has bolstered the numbers of the House. From the five systems of the Goodman Kingdom, the Guild has now expanded to seven systems, with a reasonably secure frontier with the Patton Quadrant, while reserves to the value of one hundred twenty thousand marks ensure that the House should have the resources to continue to restore its territories. On Vega, the streets are orderly and safe, open crime effectively stamped out by the peacekeeper deployment headed by Admiral Harold Weiss, although the situation is worse in plague-stricken Kapteyn's Star, while the state of order on Ross 128 is rather dubious. All five Weiss children who have reached the age of 6 are currently being mentored by one of the members of the House Weiss council- Rebecca by her father Thomas, Emily by her grandfather Harold, Malachi by his mother Prudence, Alice by her aunt Mariko, and Allen by his aunt Oriole. By the time Devon reaches age 6, Rebecca should have achieved her majority, ensuring somebody will be free to mentor her.  Although Director-General Jane Weiss remains rather mediocre in her abilities in Security operations, the worst of her deficiencies have been addressed. Few can remember such an adept administrator, while her scientific knowledge is rivaled by only a few amongst the nobility- notably including both Technology Director Prudence Weiss and Senior Scientist Ilario Goodman. Her reputation has suffered after the prosecution of her war against the Wang Collective, but not so severely, yet, as to greatly impact the stability of her realm. The expansion of the Guild has left her elated and energetic, confident of future success.  Director-Heir Thomas Weiss, for his part, is well-regarded and admired, a popular heir to the throne. His skill as an administrator has continued to grow with experience, helping ensure the Guild runs smoothly and profitably. On top of his oversight of the Administration department as a whole, he has been directing an effort to assist with the efficient collection of taxes from Beta Eridani, helping bolster the Guild's coffers. His happy family life and the relief from the end of his rivalry with Romeo has helped to ensure he is in very high spirits.  Where Thomas is popular, Admiral Harold Weiss is widely acclaimed as a hero. None of the stain on her reputation from her prosecution of the war has reached him, and his valor and skill has brought him wide acclaim. He has returned to full-time residence at Vega, for now overseeing the peacekeeper deployment at the colony, his spirits buoyed by the complete success of his war plan. He has seemed particularly interested in news of House Nichols, the ruling house of Miaplacidus, as of late.  Director-Consort Mariko Weiss is considered the unimpeachable face of House Weiss's diplomacy. She has been hard at work cementing Weiss legitimacy in Haldus in an attempt to de-escalate tensions with the local nobility and general population. She believes that all is well in her life, delighted with her life with Jane and with her responsibility for the education of Alice Weiss.  Commissioner Oriole Weiss is happy and industrious in her work as head of Security, although she has begun to issue complaints that Technology should not have been permitted to poach Noelle Barry's services from her. Her shared love with Thomas has helped ensure their mutual happiness, while her organisation of protective details for the Director-General should be enough to greatly reduce the odds that anybody could harm Jane by stealth.  Technology Director Prudence Weiss is a scientist of rare knowledge, whose diligence and focus on detail have allowed her an understanding of medicine, technology, and ancient scientific principles matched by very few. Although she has, thus far, been focusing on assisting the Director-General with her continuing education as an administrator, it is quite likely her assignment may change in the near future.  Romeo Weiss has been reassigned to Ross 128 under direct orders of the Director-General to serve as project manager for the restoration of another major waste processing plant much like the one he was responsible for the restoration of at Kajam. He has been contented enough in his work, although he has expressed a wish that he could be posted closer to home to spend more time around his family. Few believe that this desire is based on his wish to be closer to his wife.  Senior Scientist Ilario Goodman has continued in his efforts to advance the Director-General's scientific and technical education, although his efforts have been hampered by lingering infection following his injuries leaving him frequently bedridden. His poor health has left him decidedly unhappy, despite his growing inclusion as a friend and confidant in House Weiss and his satisfaction with his new friends in the House.  Chelsia Weiss has continued in her post as Colonel of peacekeepers at Miaplacidus, ensuring peace and order at that colony and the gratitude of Colonial Director Javan Nichols. She has slowly grown more integrated into House Weiss as she has spent longer as Harold's wife.  Noelle Barry has been little troubled by the Director-General's actions in war, and, in fact, has grown to admire her success, easing his earlier dislike of his new ruler. Commissioner Oriole Weiss has been protesting his assignment to Technology, where he has conveyed some small amount of knowledge about security operations to Jane, and has urging that he be reassigned to Security where he can develop the proper experience to take over Security if necessary.  With the fall of the Wang Collective, the Patton League is gone, leaving only the Patton Quadrant, which has been unable to reassert authority over the breakaway colony of Albireo. The Lindsey Coalition has seen a system splinter away, and has overseen the creation of the new realm of the Thornton Quadrant as a member of the Lindsey League from the colonies of Wei and Atlas. Jessica Roach, the Weiss sister married away to Atlas, has seen her first child born- a son, Julian Roach, now a year old. The war between the Garret Confederation and the Pruitt Systems has finally petered out, while war has recently erupted between the Herring Union and Werner Dominion. Although, in many places, borders have remained relatively stable, war and rebellion have shifted borders around the Patton League and Lindsey League and further shifts may be yet to come. With its new territorial gains, the Weiss Guild has helped cement its place and, in the process, overseen the end of a long-established league. Whether the Guild can keep its gains, or even build upon them further, remains to be seen, but it perhaps has the potential to be stronger than ever before if it can ensure it holds what it took.
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Apr 16, 2022 04:51
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I will get out the appropriate reports to people with responsibility for characters as soon as I can. On top of normal policy discussion, I invite suggestions or volunteers for who might wish to make use of the one memory implant we have with ancient Earth memories. Chelsia Weiss, Mariko Weiss, Oriole Weiss, Prudence Weiss, and Noelle Barry are open to be claimed.
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Apr 16, 2022 04:55
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Director-Consort Mariko Weiss posted:Before anything else is brought up in council, I want to emphasise one fact- Duke Yardley Patton is currently an exceptionally hated man, and we now have direct access to at least one of his barons. I know that I can get Baroness Tala Mendoza of Alsciaukat to pledge herself to us, and I have few doubts I'll find more opportunities once we control Alsiaukat. It's hard to tell exactly how far we can go, but we may well be able to effectively dismantle the Patton Quadrant, and in the process potentially convince the Stuart Quadrant and White Federation to pledge themselves to us in league. This is a huge diplomatic opportunity, but it's going to take time and effort. I hope everybody appreciates just what an opportunity our victory in the war has dropped in our laps- I'm looking forward to ensuring that it goes further to strengthen the Guild. Requesting allegiance of a baron or vassalage of an independent duke will cost 5 AP each, so it will rapidly chew up our AP and will probably be need to spread over multiple turns, but...
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Apr 16, 2022 06:30
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Ilario Goodman posted:Physician, heal thyself. Easier said than done. Come on you stupid arm. Heal properly.
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Apr 16, 2022 07:54
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Director-Heir Thomas Weiss posted:Before I address administrative business, I would like to take a moment to urge Prudence to take some time and attend to Lord Goodman's injuries until his health has improved. He was there for us when we needed him, when we never even knew he existed, and I believe we owe it to him to repay him in kind.
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Apr 16, 2022 08:30
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November, 2509- Haldus The fighting in space is won, and a decisive victory at that. All that remains is for ground forces to secure the colony itself. Boots on the ground, as the ancient idiom goes, holds as true today as it it did in ancient times. Outwardly Admiral Harold Weiss is the very image of calm professionalism. On the inside he's grinning ear to ear. He sits and listen to the sounds of a command frigate in combat reverberating through the ship's structure; The beeps of radar returns and target locks. The murmuring of comm chatter, and the warbling of encrypted channels. The whine and buzz of charging and discharging laser capacitors. The thumping beat of autocannon fire. The sounds all flow together to form a strange kind of symphony. An incoming command-level communication breaks his meditative reverie. He listens to the message and takes half a second to consider. He toggles a switch and sends his reply: "Major Andersen, I am authorising a fire support mission. Your men had best take cover." Admiral Weiss flips the switch back to "INTERCOM". "Gunnery, transfer control of the primary turret to my station." Guided by an expert hand the shells slam home with pinpoint accuracy. The ghost of a smile flickers on the Admiral's face. Once back on Vega the bridge crew tries to tell their comrades they saw the Admiral smile. None believes them. Groetgaffel fucked around with this message at 14:18 on Apr 28, 2022 |
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Apr 16, 2022 08:59
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Admiral Harold Weiss posted:Rotanev is currently vulnerable to a strike, but at the time I believe we must be careful not to over-extend. Doctor Prudence Weiss posted:Jane, I'm afraid our studies together need to be halted for the moment.
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Apr 16, 2022 10:11
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Director-General Jane Weiss posted:Given the desire to restore the hospital here to operation as soon as possible and Technology Director Prudence's willingness to let Mr. Barry go, I am hereby immediately approving reassignment of Mr. Barry to Security to manage a protective detail for the Director-Heir until we have the budget to reassess his deployment. Likewise, I absolutely agree that Ilario deserves all the support we as a House can give him, and hereby approve the Technology Director overseeing his treatment until he recovers. Let me also add my personal best wishes to Ilario, who has been a true friend to the House and a loyal servant.
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Apr 16, 2022 10:28
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War Hero Harold Weiss posted:Given the current situation, I would recommend my wife take charge of peacekeeping efforts on Ross 128. I will oversee our own backyard. There is still a somewhat worrying amount of unrest right here on Vega.
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Apr 16, 2022 11:01
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Director-Heir Thomas Weiss posted:Much as I'm loathe to pass up the extra tax revenue, I suppose I'm willing to loan Romeo out temporarily to aid in rebuilding the fleet, but then I want him back on tax duty. And hopefully the hospital we're fixing up will mollify our citizens somewhat. Comprehensive healthcare has a way of mitigating unrest.
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Apr 16, 2022 11:47
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Commissioner Oriole Weiss posted:As far as Noelle goes, I'd be happy enough to pass him up for another half-year if that's what we need for a proper budget for him. I certainly have personal reasons to favor a protective detail on Thomas, but I feel compelled to point out another alternative. Right now Security is handling general investigative work here at Vega as best as it can and coordinating with Military for the peacekeeping work, but we don't have a proper Senior Investigator with the budget to set up a better investigative team for Security's law enforcement functions. This might get us a chance to notice if other Houses are getting up to any spy work on the colony, and further could help us ensure that we dig up evidence of any crimes on the colony. Again, I can hardly object to a protective detail on the Director-Heir, but I think I'd be happier with our security situation if we put together such an investigative team. I think fifteen thousand would about cover what we'd need to get operations set up if we did so. What do you think, dear?
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Apr 16, 2022 12:35
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Director-Heir Thomas Weiss posted:At this point, fifteen-thousand is a trivial sum, so of course, it's approved.
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Apr 16, 2022 15:49
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"Romeo Weiss, Tax Man posted:
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Apr 16, 2022 16:17
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Director-General Jane Weiss posted:Under the circumstances, and in the interests of raising his spirits, I suppose I'll let Ilario try the chip if he wishes. Thomas, I'll put you immediately on the hospital restoration, then look into having you do repairs at Haldus next. Everything else is approved as discussed. Let's get to work, everyone.
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Apr 16, 2022 16:22
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I've played through the next update and got screenshots, but I don't think I'll finish uploading and writing before heading to catsit for my parents with a computer without my saves or screenshots, which means I'm likely to do necessary work after I get home on the 27th. However, I'm planning to work on some supplemental things to keep people's appetites whetted, and will do my best to answer questions about the game. I've been appreciating people's participation, and hope that the lag period will give people who haven't participated thus far a chance to catch up, claim somebody, and join in once the next update comes along. I still have a couple days left here at home, so I can check my saves/screenshots for information specific to this particular playthrough if people want it until I head off. Also, unrelated to anything, I so very much hate insomnia. *grumbles*
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Apr 16, 2022 17:23
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The whole Romeo/Thomas feud brought me joy, because I could meme. I'm not the best writer, but I can definitely shitpost given the opportunity!
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Apr 17, 2022 06:04
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Bloodlines Upgrade Paths As the game progresses, you can unlock perks on the ten different bloodlines upgrade paths, representing different House cultures developed over time with different advantages in how they handle challenges. I'd like to take a moment to go over every path and the perks along them, and let people consider how we'll develop in the future. I'll start with the three paths I view as most fitting for what I view the general culture of House Weiss being before moving on. Merchants and Administrators When we got our first pick, I chose the first perk from Merchants and Administrators, Merchant Bloodline, without discussion to reflect House Weiss's history and general culture as of game start. A Merchant Bloodline knows the value of commerce, money, and maintaining a good balance sheet, and gets a permanent +10 to their House Administration score. The next perk, Skilled Collectors, ensures that professional standards of accountancy and efficient administration of the taxing authorities grant a bonus of 20 to the effectiveness of all Assist Tax Collection assignments- which means even people with no appreciable skill can be of some use assisting taxation, and makes sure skilled collectors can get to maximum effectiveness faster. After that, Justified Taxation ensures that the tax code for vassals is codified, predictable, and framed as a legal obligation, reducing the hit to opinion for vassals from taxation. Even if you keep taxes generally low, it's necessary to progress deeper into the path, which I view as very worth it. This is followed by Blood and Gold, which reflects forging contacts amongst mercenaries, effective contract negotiations, and a good reputation amongst mercenaries, discounting mercenary hire cost by 20%. And, finally, the capstone is Renowned Markets, in which your establishment of a good environment for trade in your realm finally pays off in a very big way. On getting Renowned Markets, a 'Intergalactic Market' (not a fan of the 'Intergalactic' in the name, since it really, really isn't) is created as a functional installation on your home colony, and thereafter colonies in your domain slowly have a chance of getting their own Intergalactic Market. An Intergalactic Market is a hub for trade for a wide area around, increasing the wealth of every friendly colony in a whopping six-jump radius by 1. Which, if two such markets spawn close enough, can stack. Loremasters The first perk in Loremasters is Superior DNA, which allows your House's medical team to tweak genomes in utero to attempt to prevent congenital disease and select for valuable traits. Superior DNA reduces the chance of House members randomly falling ill by 25%, and increases the chance that children will be Intelligent. In my experience, a lot of Intelligent characters can add up to some nice efficiency improvements over time. Next comes Technologists Bloodline, which represents a House which has firmly recognised the importance of science and ancient technology. This grants a +10 to House Technology score. Next comes Skilled Educators, reflecting data-driven educational practises that allow wards in your House to gain more skill during their time as wards. This is followed by Natural Doctors, which brings access to more medical techniques recovered from ancient databases and a medical department focused on saving lives wherever possible. This increases heal chance while ill by 20% and reduces the chance of a bad childbirth by 50%. Finally, Loremasters is capped by Spreaders of Knowledge, which allows a new technology assignment to Survey Uncolonised System, which provides respect when it completes as you publish new scientific data. (Sure, basic survey data is pretty simple, but even so...) Popular Approval Popular Approval opens with Diligent Serfs, which gives your House a good reputation with its commoners and provides them the incentive to work well, granting a 15% income bonus to your home colony. After Diligent Serfs comes Beloved By The People, which further cements your reputation amongst the sub-noble classes of your colony, and reduces unrest gain by a whopping 2 on your home colony. Once you have that foundation, you move on to Restorers of the Cosmos, which gives you a public mission to 'restore the colonies to their former glory', and the ability to mobilise the common workforce behind that compelling vision. This grants a +20 bonus to Repair Installation assignment effectiveness, letting installations get returned to service faster. After the first three, Popular Approval starts to become somewhat more... aggressive. Its fourth perk is Master Instigators, which makes you an expert at stoking the resentment of the masses based on your good reputation overall with commoners, adding +20 to Spread Dissent assignment effectiveness. And, finally, Welcome Leaders allows your reputation amongst the masses to be used for political advantage, promising your House as the savior needed for local troubles. It permits a new assignment, Establish Pretender, which is similar to Acquire Claim, but can only be used on a colony with over 40 unrest... and which not only creates a claim for your faction to rule over the colony, but creates a claim for the assignee to rule as the local baron with the acclaim of the people. Moving on from Merchants and Administrators, Loremasters, and Popular Approval, there are a number of different bloodline upgrade paths of varying appropriateness. Internal Affairs Internal Affairs opens with System Leaders, which represents an effort by the House to establish more solid legitimacy as heads of their colony amongst the minor Houses, and which gives a +20 opinion from heads of minor Houses in the same system. Which is mostly good for making sure they don't try to murder you, accept offers of marriage, and don't occasionally try to press random claims against you, so you only have to deal with revolts from unrest capping out. It's important that minor Houses are there, but they still don't do much. This is followed up by Funeral Rites, which is a combination of mourning tradition and recognition of House strengths. On gaining the Funeral Rites perk, you choose one of the five skills, with your ruler immediately gaining +10 to their skill as they reflect on the importance of certain methods for their rule. On the death of each ruler, your next ruler gains +10 to that same skill, as they spend time in contemplation and study of the principles behind House rule. This is followed up by Stable House, reflecting a strong sense of loyalty within your House to the institution of the House and to the head of House as symbol of the institution. It grants +15 opinion to your ruler from all House members, which helps prevent murder plots as well as making everybody more effective in their assignments (since opinion of the ruler is a factor in assignment effectiveness and effectiveness as a department head). This is followed up by Home Surveillance, which means you've spent the time and effort to get effective security camera and bug coverage across your home colony, giving a massive +50 effectiveness to Run Spy Network on your home colony, nice for defending against others' espionage. Finally, with Dedicated Officers, you've worked hard to cultivate the loyalty and improve the training of the officer corps beneath the nobility that helps run the various departments, and gain a +15% effectiveness bonus in all assignments by your House members due to loyal and competent officers carrying out their orders. Engineers Engineers focuses on your House's expertise in designing, maintaining, and building military ships and message drones, and opens with Flexible Vessels, which represents a dedicated push by your engineers to develop interchangeable components so you can more easily shift force compositions, since at least some of the components you've been using for interceptors can be used somewhere in a frigate. This is followed up by Fast Builders, which involves streamlining and standardising ship production methods to gain a +20 to Rebuild Fleet assignment effectiveness. This is followed by Improved Communications, which improves your House's message drones to more easily manage the communications of a far-flung domain, adding +1 to vassal limit. Ship Donations comes next, giving your House the logistics needed to smoothly hand over ships from their own fleet to other colonies, giving a new House action to hand over up to two squadrons of bombers, two squadrons of interceptors, and two frigates to another colony in your domain. Finally, Supercharged Fleet reflects the development of an expert engineering corps capable of greatly accelerating ship production and repair as you build up local spaceports with the infrastructure to better support their naval forces. This is much like Renowned Markets, immediately spawning a new Specialised Hanger installation that boosts military replenish rate by 50% in your home colony and allowing these installations to appear elsewhere in your domain thereafter. Strength and Discipline Strength and Discipline focuses on development of the peacekeeper corps and inculcation of military discipline amongst your House members, opening with Disciplined House. Disciplined House reflects having instilled a habit of military obedience amongst House members, who recognise the need for obedience to the House head. +10 to House member opinion of the House head, simple enough. This is followed up by Renowned Peacekeepers, which reflects a focus on developing the training and dedication of your peacekeeper corps so they can better de-escalate unrest with less need to resort to open violence, adding +20 to Quell Unrest assignment effectiveness. Focused Dogfighters reflects training in advanced interceptor piloting by House members and your House military, boosting interceptor strength at your home colony by 25% and boosting tournament effectiveness by House members by 25%. Leading Through Peace is the next perk, which reflects a credible vow by your House that they will bring peace and order to their domain, bolstering the respect of your vassals. Any vassal ruler whose colony has 0 to 15 unrest gets a +15 opinion from Leading Through Peace. Finally, Strength and Discipline allows Martial Law, which allows you to effectively declare martial law on a colony in your domain. This is an expensive action, but, for the next three turns, reduces unrest gain by 5, increases defending fleet strength by 25%, and increases military replenish rate by 100% as peacekeepers, fleets, and shipbuilders are put to maximum readiness. Diplomats Diplomats opens with Diplomat Bloodline, reflecting a House that has become deft at the day-to-day diplomatic niceties and maneuvers to gracefully handle other nobility, granting +10 to House Diplomacy rating. It's honestly difficult to imagine House Weiss as it currently stands getting this, for me. This is followed up by Skilled Legalists, which ensures your Diplomacy department has an effective and formalised legal clerk contingent, which makes it so charging other rulers to deliver justice no longer requires action points- routine legal requests no longer really require the ruler's attention beyond telling Legal to 'pass this on'. After this is Natural Charm, which reflects a House that has developed its social graces to a fine point. This increases the chance that House members become Charming as children, and adds a +10 effectiveness to Improve Relations assignments. This is followed by Reputable House, in which steady public relations with other Houses and your own House's natural social abilities has firmly cemented their reputation, giving a +5 reputation bonus to every member of the House. Finally, Friendship Forgers gives you keen enough insight and good enough connections to figure out the perfect gift for anyone, allowing you to greatly strengthen bonds with others. This adds the Bestow Personalised Gift assignment, which delights the recipient and makes them very grateful to you. And which has unique gifts associated with every single personality trait in the game- I've dug through the events, it's honestly some great little bits of writing. Fleet and Conquest To emphasise conquest and the strength of one's fleet naturally starts with Warrior Bloodline, reflecting a House that has developed fairly widespread military abilities, adding +10 to House Military rating. Next comes Combat Preparation, which works on developing scanning, recon, and military staff so that, with time to plan and prepare, your House's military operations are more effective. This addes +10 to effectiveness for both Plan Attack and Improve Defenses assignments. With Ship Specialisation, your House has effectively developed tactics to best exploit a certain type of ship, granting a +15% to strength of the ship type they have chosen to focus on when leading a fleet. Conqueror's Legacy has your House work to develop systems to manage a sprawling domain built by conquest- fear will keep the local systems in line, fear of your battle fleet. This adds +1 to vassal limit. This is finally capped by Intimidation Tactics, which uses the reputation of your strength to attempt to cow rulers into not acting against you. This allows a new action to attempt to Intimidate Ruler, which, if successful, prevents a ruler from joining any combat against you unless they're called by their direct overlord. Spy Masters Spy Masters opens with the relatively innocuous Espionage Pairs, which formalises an operational support doctrine for House spies. This provides a +20 bonus to Run Spy Network assignment effectiveness. This is followed by Total Surveillance- your House has been working at ensuring it has a network of spies in every part of known space it can manage. You can now use the Order Report action on a colony without needing somebody doing the Spy Network assignment there, allowing you to get more detailed information on far colonies. Clearance Levels establishes firm procedures for information control, reducing the chances of leaks. This reduces the chance of secrets of the House head being discovered by 20%. With Professional Assassins, you have well and truly gone off the rails, providing assassination training to all House members and encouraging a mindset that views others outside the House as 'prey'. This both adds +25 to Assassinate assignment effectiveness and reduces the opinion of House members towards non-kin foreigners by a huge 30 (making them more willing to do murder on your behalf). With full mastery of espionage, you eventually get the Elite Agents perk, which makes it so ordering reports no longer costs action points and spy networks generate 'opportunities' more often, as your spies have become expert at gathering information and engaging in intrigue and sabotage. Pirates Because who doesn't want to focus on ties with the scum of the colonies? Pirates opens with Hired Protection, which has your House encourage vassals to pay an additional tax as 'insurance' against piracy- with your contacts amongst pirates doing their part to encourage the willingness of vassals to pay this tax. This makes the Assist Tax Collection assignment randomly and periodically provide additional money. This is followed up by History of Raiding, which lets you take advantage of pirate contacts while spreading dissent in other colonies. This both adds +5 to Spread Dissent assignment effectiveness and makes the assignment potentially randomly provide money. This is followed by Scrappy Fighters- experience with pirate tactics and combat allows your House members to get out of tight spots in tournaments more easily, reducing the chances of injury in tournaments by 50%. Pirate tactics also help with Sneak Attacks, which reduces the number of moves the defender has to call up forces after you launch an attack. Finally, with firm contacts amongst pirates, you can organise Smash and Grab raids, where you can order pirate attacks against a colony to damage its economy, fleet, or infrastructure. Perhaps with an outline of what bloodline upgrade paths offer, it might provide a clearer idea of what we might aim for. Gaining upgrades can be slow, so don't expect us to complete multiple paths in the course of a game, but we can at least complete one path and change, possible two and change. nweismuller fucked around with this message at 04:14 on Apr 18, 2022 |
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Apr 17, 2022 16:19
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Given how hard we've been snowballing due in no small part to establishing and maintaining a doctrine of generating and then spending as much money as possible, my suggestions would be to complete the entire Mechants/Admin tree, as well as Diligent Serfs and, just for funsies, Hired Protection. It's less that Thomas is employing pirates so much as that if a vassal so much as forgets a dime between the couch cushions, he'll audit them until they loving die, so sometimes they add a little extra to make double sure they're all paid up. Plus, as I said in an earlier post, generating more income will allow us to get more done, which will hopefully speed up our ability to install dynasty members in positions of leadership, thus speeding up our acquisition of new perks.
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Apr 17, 2022 22:26
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EclecticTastes posted:Given how hard we've been snowballing due in no small part to establishing and maintaining a doctrine of generating and then spending as much money as possible, my suggestions would be to complete the entire Mechants/Admin tree, as well as Diligent Serfs and, just for funsies, Hired Protection. It's less that Thomas is employing pirates so much as that if a vassal so much as forgets a dime between the couch cushions, he'll audit them until they loving die, so sometimes they add a little extra to make double sure they're all paid up. Plus, as I said in an earlier post, generating more income will allow us to get more done, which will hopefully speed up our ability to install dynasty members in positions of leadership, thus speeding up our acquisition of new perks. I'm going to veto that reflavoring of dipping into Pirates, but your priorities for Merchants and Administrators with a small dip in Popular Support are noted. 
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Apr 18, 2022 00:59
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I'd like to vote for all the M&A tree Superior DNA from Loremasters up to and including Restorers of the Cosmos in the Popular Support tree Internal Affairs tree if perks are left after that the M&A tree is self-explanatory - mo money mo money mo money. There's never going to be a time when more wealth isn't useful (even over military power, since you can always hire mercs with your megatons of spacebucks). The end perk looks to be really powerful as well! Superior DNA sounds like it's the best bang for the buck early, getting intelligent characters would be a nice snowball effect of early successes due to healthy, smart leaders leading to more successes, etc. Beyond that the rest of the tree seems sort of meh numbers-go-up perks. I like the Restorers of the Cosmos as a stopping point in Popular Support unless you really want to focus on rabble-rousing & overthrowing unhappy colonies - but by the time you get those perks will it really matter? I'm also generally in favor of getting the installations up and running as early as possible too, as their effects will probably matter more in the early game. As far as the Internal Affairs tree again the early perks seem worth it in general, the 4th perk is so-so and the 5th perk is okay but not anything to really get jazzed about imo This isn't necessarily in order either, it might be better to choose perks in different trees early (the aforementioned Superior DNA for example) vs getting a perk late and not having anything to do with it (no point in getting Restorer of the Cosmos if you've already repaired everything!).
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Apr 18, 2022 02:53
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Personally, I don't see Internal Affairs as having a particularly large impact, as our exact reputation with our vassals isn't especially important as long as it's above the threshold for betrayal, which seems easy enough to maintain without spending such a precious resource on it. Spending five picks to get a +15% bonus to assignment results is a bit of a hard sell for me. I'd rather have the Diplomacy line, so we can more easily soak reputation hits from illegal conquest and the like. On the other hand, if we had the picks for it, I'd take Loremasters up to Skilled Educators. Intelligent characters are good, but being able to boost those childhood skill gains will lead to our characters' stats ballooning over successive generations (especially if gains are influenced by the stats of their guardian, allowing the benefits to compound over time).
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Apr 18, 2022 03:22
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Fully complete the M&A line and the Loremasters. Rich and smart! Then dip into Diplomacy so we also always have good relations!
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Apr 18, 2022 17:10
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I'd go Merchant and Administrators, followed by Popular Approval. Then we can dip into Loremasters if we still haven't finished the game.
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Apr 18, 2022 17:53
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Well, I was planning to finish up A Defiant Hope while I was out, but my mind is currently blocking on how to handle some things that would see significant alteration into the new cultural context. Instead, anybody have any questions or requests for potential short fiction I could try to do while I'm catsitting? On the plus side, I'm getting plenty of cat cuddles so far. Jade curling up on my lap remains approximately the sweetest thing ever.
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Apr 21, 2022 12:52
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M&A, Loremasters, Popular in that order.
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Apr 21, 2022 18:57
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How are folks thinking they want to expand here? Go for military options as they're available or for more economic ones? Just trying to get a feel for how folks are thinking of long term plans.
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Apr 22, 2022 23:41
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wedgekree posted:How are folks thinking they want to expand here? Go for military options as they're available or for more economic ones? Just trying to get a feel for how folks are thinking of long term plans. Spoilers: after our next update, we'll see some significant expansion with an opportunity for even more, but we'll also have some internal issues beginning to rear their ugly heads. Turns out that the expansion of the Guild and the birth of the Weiss League isn't something that happens without its own issues- may well be we'll need to spend some amount of time digesting, stabilising, and developing our territory.
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Apr 23, 2022 03:45
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