Welcome to The Kushana Initiative, a play-by-council game. As I play, I'll be posting regular reports and leaving the direction of the game up to those who have chosen to join the council. The planning topic for all discussion leading up to this game and continuing out-of-character discussion can be found here: Play by committee? (Kushana Initiative Planning and Discussion)
Of particular interest is the post detailing the back story for the whole game: Back Story
A summary of gameplay:
- Regular council sessions to take place every game quarter. I'll be posting each quarterly report and any pertinent information, including the UP vote every year, at which time the council will decide the course of action. Essentially, I'll be playing in 12 turn blocks and coming back for direction.
- Between sessions councilors are free to request additional info and entertain any discussion. This includes calling votes and modifying directions.
- The council is comprised of those who took part in the planning discussion. Others may request to join the council, but please read the background material and post a request before joining in. Requests to join should be posted in the planning and discussion thread linked above.
- This topic is for quarterly reports and in-character discussion only. Off topic and out-of-character discussion should be posted in the planning and discussion thread.
The Current Council:
- qrtxian
- NikolaiOmega
- noctilucus
- Talonschild
Inactive Councilors
- LordCarlos
- TMS2224
- -__- (May be addressed as SarcFa)
- Mambaman
Rules of Voting:
1) The ballot should list the issues and have a place for councilors to sign either FOR or AGAINST a measure. (the council or balloteer can decide the exact terms)
2) Councilors should copy the ballot from the last person who voted and add their signatures. No need to rewrite the ballot and no chance for it to be changed in transcription.
3) Make your arguments in a separate space. Don't break up the ballot with comments after each item.
4) Once a vote is cast, it is cast. No changing votes or editing the ballot. Listen to arguments before voting and consider your decisions wisely.
5) To get an issue on the ballot, it should be proposed and seconded. The exact wording/nature of the issue should then be established.
6) Amendments/Addenda - I see these as separate sub-issues. Maybe list them under the main issue and vote separately?
Galaxy Conditions:
Our Competition:
A good mix of opponents. I purposely left out the Terrans and Altarians. Not only am I kinda sick of them, but they would mess up the story. I see the Tolmekians as more neutral, so theres 3 good, 3 evil, and 2 other neutrals. Also note the difficulty - the AI has a 20% economics bonus. Not only that, but I customized each opponent and made sensible ability and politics choices rather than let the computer randomize it. I expect some stiff competition.
Custom Race - The Kushana Initiative:
You'll see that I swapped the PQ bonus for 20% morale. Given the conditions, I want our people happy and making us money! I also did my best to spice up the ships, but that's pretty much it.
That should be it for the start. Now to get into it!
My thoughts on the issues at hand:
In regard to the various research plans, I would suggest that the councilors may all be overestimating the Silcoid - even by the standards of minor races, their military does not seem advanced. While researching further weapons and defenses is no doubt important, I doubt there is any need to do it before formally declaring war. In contrast, declaring ourselves Neutral would bring immediate and needed benefits. I therefore recommend that we make our first priority Xeno Ethics and Neutral Shipping, before researching any military technologies. When it does come time to do, I favor research hulls and logistics over weapons and defenses.
As far as the proposals regarding attempts to manipulate other races into war: I fully support the proposal to move the Thalans and Torians against each other, but I am concerned by the obscenely high price the Drath demand. Would it be possible to lower it by offering some relatively worthless technology instead?
I approve of sending ships to assist the Trilarian under Councilor Noctilicus's conditions. I would also suggest that we monitor what happens to these ships - this will effectively allow us to test our capabilities against those of the Korx without an actual conflict, something that may prove relevant in the future.
Finally, I'd like to make a request that we be given an overall map of the galactic situation, and an overview of the other powers' relations, with each other and ourselves, for future reference.
***RESUME TRANSMISSION - SECURITY LEVEL ALHPA***
Minister Sune:
I agree with our assessment of the Silicoid, Councilor qrtxian. They control only 4 planets. From what we can see, they have a total of 7 warships, each with a missile attack rating of 1. By comparison, we already have half a dozen frigates in the area, each with a beam attack rating of 8. Quite frankly, they have absolutely no chance of inflicting any casualties in space combat. Not so for ground invasion, but our trade with the Iconians ensures that our soldiers will be ready.
A detailed map of Silicoid space. Silicoid planets are marked with the red flags, while the grey flags are the Darlok worlds. As you can see, the vanguard of our fleet has already arrived. Our targets are the three worlds north of Korx space and near our two colonies. The fourth world is at the bottom of the map. Although it is home to an Orbital Command Center, its location in Korx space makes it far too sensitive a target - for the time being. For comparison, a typical Korx fleet is shown in the middle of the map. They have a number of frigates in their fleets, but they're poorly armed.
The real prize is the Silicoid homeworld, a high quality planet and home to both their economic and manufacturing capitals. Quick action should allow us to capture our targets with minimal casualties and leave the Silicoid permanently crippled. Very likely the Drath will move on their final planet.
On the higher end, the Thalan fleets are armed with similar weapons to our own ships, but they haven't yet developed medium hulls. The bulk of their forces are moving out against the Yor. You can see two different generations of warships - older ones coming from the east and newer, more powerful ones coming from their core systems.
The Vigilant class frigate is the top of our fleet. While it is technically superior to the Thalan ships, it can't be said to outclass them. We would be very hard pressed against the Thalans if it came to war, especially given their proximity. The good news is that our prime forge worlds - Fortuna, Exterra, Sauron, and a few others - can each launch a Vigilant every 2 to 3 weeks.
The galactic map and military rankings. Seeing actual fleets and warships may help put it into perspective.
Per Councilor qrtxian's request, our best knowledge of relations between the various major powers.
And finally, the Viceroy wanted me to mention that there apparently is another, much more desirable path for dealing with the Drath.
***END TRANSMISSION***
Esteemed Councillors,
Let me elaborate a little on the reason why I suggested we research bigger hulls and stronger weapons; my concern lies not in the feeble resistance the Silicoid could put up, but rather our overall military power and even more so how this is perceived by the other races. Many of them are known to take hostile action against any race they deem weaker than themselves.
I would like to congratulate the Viceroy on the brilliant negotiation proposal with the Drath!
Yours truly,
Councillor Noctilucus
Well. Minister Sune's report was quite enlightening, and relieving. Our frigates would do well against the Korx, should we gift any. The war should start in what - a month? I would like to congratulate Councilor qrtxian for spotting the error that would have led us to use an M-1 tank to swat a mosquito. Give Viceroy Gunray a shiny award or something for his excellent work, too.
So, to summarize my perception of our consensus:
Councilors, correct me if I err. Otherwise, summon G'Norlisk. He has work to do.
***RESUME TRANSMISSION - SECURITY LEVEL ALPHA***
G'Norlisk:
At your service, councilors. I have prepared the ballot. A reminder on voting: For research, number the technologies in the order you would like to see them researched, 1 being first, etc. For various proposals, vote + for support, - for opposition, and 0 for neutral or no-vote. Feel free to add comments with your votes.
Councilor Talonschild, the Commander replies that it will take most of the next quarter to move our transports into position before attacking. We want to ensure a swift resolution to our action.
Research
Xeno Ethics:
Neutral Shipping:
Weapons:
Defenses:
Hulls:
Logistics:
Foreign Relations
Provide material support to the Trilarian, as directed:
Set Thalans against Torians:
Set Drath against Iconians (laser trade):
Councilor Signature:
Xeno Ethics: 1
Neutral Shipping: 6
Weapons: 2
Defenses: 5
Hulls: 3
Logistics: 4
Provide material support to the Trilarian, as directed: +
Set Thalans against Torians: +
Set Drath against Iconians (laser trade): +
Councilor Signature: noctilucus
Xeno Ethics: 1, 1
Neutral Shipping: 6, 4
Weapons: 2, 3
Defenses: 5, 5
Hulls: 3, 2
Logistics: 4, 6
Provide material support to the Trilarian, as directed: +, +
Set Thalans against Torians: +, +
Set Drath against Iconians (laser trade): +, +
Councilor Signature: noctilucus, talonschild
Xeno Ethics: 1, 1, 1
Neutral Shipping: 6, 4, 3
Weapons: 2, 3, 5
Defenses: 5, 5, 6
Hulls: 3, 2, 4
Logistics: 4, 6, 2
Provide material support to the Trilarian, as directed: +, +, +
Set Thalans against Torians: +, +, +
Set Drath against Iconians (laser trade): +, +, +
Councilor Signature: noctilucus, talonschild, qrtxian
Additional comment: I would to take a moment here to support the Minister's recommendation that we not attempt to conquer the Silcoid colony in Korx space. In addition to the concerns about provoking the Korx, to completely eliminate a civilization would hurt our diplomatic standing, something I feel it isn't worth taking their last world for. Therefore, I suggest attempting to negotiate a peace treaty when our targets are taken.
Xeno Ethics: 1, 1, 1, 1
Neutral Shipping: 6, 4, 3, 4
Weapons: 2, 3, 5, 5
Defenses: 5, 5, 6, 2
Hulls: 3, 2, 4, 6
Logistics: 4, 6, 2, 3
Provide material support to the Trilarian, as directed: +, +, +, +
Set Thalans against Torians: +, +, +, +
Set Drath against Iconians (laser trade): +, +, +, +
Councilor Signature: noctilucus, talonschild, qrtxian, NikolaiOmega
Tallybot 5202:
Input data . . .
Analyzing . . .
Compiling results . . .
Councilors Responding: 4
Xeno Ethics: 1, 1, 1, 1 - 4
Weapons: 2, 3, 5, 5 - 15
Hulls: 3, 2, 4, 6 - 15
Logistics: 4, 6, 2, 3 - 15
Neutral Shipping: 6, 4, 3, 4 - 17
Defenses: 5, 5, 6, 2 - 18
Transmitting results to Exterra Command . . .
Transmission complete.
***INCOMING TRANSMISSION - SECURITY LEVEL ALPHA***
***FROM: COMMANDER MEKOIDES, EXTERRA COMMAND***
***TO: INITIATIVE COUNCILORS AND ROYALTY, TOLMEKIA PRIME***
***SUBJECT: QUARTERLY REPORT, JANUARY 01, 2231***
Prince Temeculus XIII
Wise councilors of the Initiative, I am here to thank you for your tireless dedication and masterful guidance. The Silicoid are utterly defeated. Their meager empire relegated to historical text; the majority of their worlds and remaining peoples absorbed by the Initiative.
Four years ago, our forces arrived in an uncharted and mysterious region with a single imperative: to claim this space, with its worlds and resources, for the Tolmekian Federation. Today we stand victorious, gloriously passing the first test of our will and ability to pursue our claim regardless of the obstacle. Do not misunderstand me, the Silicoid were never considered a real threat. Their conquest merely laid the groundwork for us to finally transition from preparation to execution of our plans. The speed and success of our operation has left us positioned to take our rivals by storm.
In recognition of your success, each councilor, along with the the commander, has been granted a planetary governorship within the Initiative, with all due rights, powers, incomes, and duties. The lord councilors are welcome to assume their positions at their governor's palaces, or may appoint a vice governor to rule in their stead. It is assumed that Lord Commander Mekoides will make an appointment and continue in his current role.
May your wisdom never fail, Lord Councilors. Let us seize this opportunity and sweep aside any who would seek to deny us our claim!
***TRANSMISSION INTERRUPT - STAND BY FOR RECONNECT***
Ld Cmdr Mekoides:
So there you have it, Councilors, ah . . . Lord Councilors. Our conflict with the Silicoid was brief and we sustained minimal losses. In fact, billions of them joined our forces to overthrow their own rulers. As the prince said, the Silicoid Empire is no more. During the lead-up to the war, we failed to notice that the Drath had taken the other Silicoid world. As the war itself lasted only two weeks, there was no chance to adjust our strategy before it was over.
It did take most of the quarter to move our forces into position, but by December we were ready to move. A formal declaration of war was announced and widely supported by the senate.
Two of our new worlds, and a minor technology stolen from the Silicoid. The Silicoid homeworld has been renamed Jubilee in honor both of our victory and its new planetary governor, Lord Councilor Talonschild. Jubilee is an obvious choice as our primary shipyard in the region, while the other two planets could be set up as economic engines.
There isn't much else to say about our conflict with the Silicoid, except perhaps to note that very few of our troop transports were lost. Of the great fleet sent to the region, twenty-three remain ready for service. This transmission from the faltering Yor Collective has been widely interpreted as a sign of weakness that we should exploit. The prince, and many others, want us to press our advantage in the area.
The region in question is home to our northwestern colonies, including all three former Silicoid worlds. At issue is a valuable military resource that the Yor snatched right before our eyes. Not only is the resource virtually undefended, but our great fleet of transports would be capable of conquering several Yor worlds in a very short time. The Yor homeworld is just out of view on the top of the map, and is a reasonable target. Shown on the bottom display are the relative military ratings. We remain in the middle of the pack, well outclassing the Yor, who are already at war with the Thalans and our friends the Gnolams.
Just in time to support any future military action is our Star Destroyer battleship. We already have four mark one ships, and by the end of next quarter we project completion of more than twenty of the new mark twos.
The galactic map and quarterly report may help to put things into perspective. A move against the Yor would further consolidate our position in the contested galactic center and provide a foothold in the northwest.
Given the scope of our current situation, we'll allow a full presentation for this session. I'll return with closing remarks after the staff have spoken.
I have quite a bit of material this time around. The Yor may not have recognized us as a threat, but others certainly have. We're dealing with a growing number of foreign agents attacking our interests, to the point that I have called on Dr Malar's team get our counter espionage network up and running immediately.
We've uncovered four agents in the recent weeks. The agent on Fondor has already been neutralized, but the other three remain at large. We should be able to start work on counter espionage centers within a week, and plan to use them to protect all our major assets.
Switching gears, we have received reports that the Torians are surging ahead in their capabilites.
We've done some surging of our own. These improved warfighting techniques proved their worth against the Silicoid.
A sampling of the fleets we've observed. Notice that the Korx have been supplying the Drengin with warships. It still seems that we have the premier warships in the galaxy, especially with our Star Destroyers. Our rivals simply have greater numbers on their side. You can see in the last image that we have discovered the last of the native races in this region. The Meklar are a unique biological-cybernetic hybrid race, tucked into the southwestern edge of Torian space.
Dr. Markus Malar
It's good to address the council again, especially under such auspicious circumstances. As Minister Sune said, we are currently working to get our Counter Espionage network deployed. Doing so requires only minimal diversion from our research plan. Our research capabilities have allowed us to complete all pending projects save defenses. We finished work on Advanced Navigation, Xeno Ethics, Neutral Shipping, Large Scale Building, Enhanced Logistics, and Laser IV, in that order. Establishing Neutral Shipping rights was a matter of merely one week, so we took care of it before moving on.
We still have a number of options, though I'm sure you'll notice that we are now capable of researching several technologies over the course of a quarter. I am particularly interested in the establishment of Neutrality Learning Centers. Otherwise, we have several planets that stand to benefit from advances in Terraforming. We could also further bolster our warships with continued research in Miniaturization and Defense.
Also of interest is a technology possessed by a number of the native races - Fleet Warp Bubbles. Their strong knowledge of local space has allowed them to perfect three successive version of these devices, which would allow our ships to reach even greater speeds. I suggest that we obtain these technologies and combine them with advances in miniaturization and defenses to allow the construction of support ships to speed deployment of our fleets to warzones.
Viceroy Gunray:
Greetings and congratulations, Lords Councilor. Our economic prospects are stronger than ever. Aggressive development of our economic zones along with a timely treaty with the Iconians has kept our economy growing at a pace equal to our expansion. The recently captured Silicoid worlds will further allow economic development.
Our economy continues to thrive, thanks in no small part to our extensive trade network. We can establish up to four more trade routes. One will go to the Torians in the near future, while Exterra is already preparing a new batch of freighters.
Our efforts have allowed us to capture the top economic position, which may be the cause of the recent covert attacks against us.
Our Iconian trade route and the arrival of another freighter from the Dominion of Korx.
That is all I have to present at this time. Thank you.
The UP took up a measure to limit trade by so-called evil races. We could find no benefit in limiting such trade. In fact, supporting such a measure could cost us our trade routes with the Dominion of Korx, damaging our economy. With our considerable influence, the measure was easily defeated.
Here is another suggestion that was put forth during our discussion: whether we should arm the Torians in their fight against the Thalans. If you look back at the military rankings provided in my earlier transmission, you'll see that the Thalans possess the most powerful military by far. Providing the Torians a fleet or two of a Star Destroyer supported by a couple Vigilants could be an effective way to check Thalan might without exposing ourselves to retaliation.
Finally, with all this talk of war we ought to begin considering our choice of allies. I mention this as we have cultivated close relations with the Krynn. A possible alliance bears serious consideration. They are currently at war with the Drath, but little has come of it so far. There is also the issue of the Trilarian homeworld residing in the space claimed by the Krynn. Any escalation of tensions between the Krynn and Trilarian would have us caught in between two longstanding friends.
Another point of consideration is what, if anything, to do with the Psilonics. You can see on the map I provided earlier that their four worlds are mostly in Yor space, and directly in the path of our proposed military actions. They are a peaceful people, but find themselves surrounded by galactic struggle.
The next step is yours to contemplate. We await your reply.
Points of consideration
Greetings, Lords Councilor, Commander. The way forward - in my eyes - is clear. Our military is virtually unscratched. While this is good for our Star Destroyers et al., I question the logic of having so many of our citizens sit idly in transports. With that in mind, I move for an opening of hostilities against the Yor and/or Psilonics, as they are the nearest obvious targets. With that in mind, I ask Minister Sune: Have either any powerful friends?
We mustn't forget our earlier intentions of - ah - appropriating all things Sakkra, either. Since they are so annoyingly far away from the current locus of action, though, we should look into new propulsion techniques. Fleet Warp Bubbles make excellent sense, especially (as I seem to gather from the wording of the reports) as we cannot research them ourselves.
Now, the Torians - we have no immediate designs on them, thus their downfall would mean someone else's rise. I therefore move that we give them ships. Ideally, enough so that they are briefly the more powerful party in their war, though I leave the exact specifics to the esteemed Commander's best judgment.
The Krynn/Trilarian dilemma seems problematic. If we ally with the Krynn, I would advocate also allying with the Trilarian. That way, they can sort out their differences without our needing to trouble ourselves overmuch.
Lastly, I would advocate that our research take us to Plasma Weapons II within this quarter or the next. While there is seldom a huge benefit in jumping from 3 to 4 in attack strength per component, from 1 to 2 is far more significant. That will enable us to sit pretty for a good while and focus on other matters.
Summary:
That is all.
C'mon guys, it's been up for five days.
Speaking only for myself, I've been extremely busy and am unlikely to put up an in-depth post before Thursday at the earliest.
I'm the same as qrtxian. Tomorrow I'll post my opinion.
Esteemed assembly,
First of all, I would like to thank the commander for sharing the excellent news on the war we waged against the Silicoid; the planets we conquered will make for an interesting addition to the empire.
While I agree that this is the right time to strike against the Yor and especially focus on claiming their homeworld, I am also concerned that the Thalan will strongly benefit from the Yor weakness: things must be going really badly if the Yor are desparate enough to come to us and plead for help.The same goes for the Torians whose recent construction of several capital buildings is certainly alarming. They are now combining their massive population growth with a stronger economy, a happier population and a higher technological output.
Regarding the Neutrality learning centers, aren't those rather expensive in maintenance compared to their output? I know that currently we are running at a surplus but let's not forget that seeing the current state of affairs, our military fleet will only grow in size and strenght, resulting in higher maintenance costs.
A question to the commander: wouldn't we be putting ourselves too much at risk by donating part of our fleet to the Thalans?
Councillor Talonschild, allying both with the Krynn and Trilarian might prove difficult if afterwards they decide to go to war with one another as this would mean that we would by default lose one of these alliances.I do however strongly agree on your proposal to develop stronger plasma weapons.Once more I agree to take down the Sakkra once we've dealt with the Yor.
Regarding the Psilonics I would only consider attacking them if there is a risk that another race would take over their homeworld... at least for now.
In summary:
Sincerely,Councilor Noctilucus
I do apologise - I failed to consider the likelihood of even more busy-ness on the parts of others. Thanks for posting, at least you're removed my gnawing "what if they're all gone?" worry.
I also seem to be missing one of the pieces - it's been a while since I've actually played. I seem to remember that if two allies went to war, you lost neither, being removed altogether from the conflict. Upon reflection, though, that does seem a bit too simple and nice.
Esteemed council, screw alliances.
I am in support of military action against the Yor and Sakkra. I believe we should leave the Psilonics alone for now, but if they possess valuable resources (high-quality planets, galactic resources, etc.) we should considers changing who controls them.
Giving ships to the Torians is risky, but worth it. I would like to see how our ships fare against the Thalans.
We should develop Plasma Weapons, as suggested.
Fleet Warp Bubbles are a must. Get them.
I fear that an alliance with the Krynn could draw us into wars that may not be in our favour, but if it makes us more secure if someone declares war on us, I will support it.
Thank you for your time.
I apologize for the delay, lord councilors - I have been kept busy by local concerns.
My instinctual reaction towards the diplomatic situation is that we should not attempt to fight too many wars at once, even against relatively weak opponents. As such, at this current point I would recommend taking action only against the Yor, who should be our first priority due to their state of collapse - bluntly, we need to carve off our share before they're completely gone. Furthermore, they lack any support among the other powers. Should the Psilonics react poorly to our presence in their space, action may be warranted (though with the caveat that we should avoid conquering them completely), but any action against the Sakkra is best postponed until the Yor's demise.
As far as the proposed alliance with the Krynn, I'd like a bit of clarification: is an alliance with the Trilarian even possible at this point? I also second the remarks of Noctilucus: what's in it for us?
I support providing some measure of military aid to the Torians, more for the purpose of measuring our capabilities against the Thalans then any real need to help the Torians. On a related note, I previously suggested that we monitor how any ships we gave to the Trilarian fared against the Korx - is there any information on this?
As far as research goes, I disagree that Plasma Weapons II are our highest priority. Instead, I suggest focusing on Advanced Miniaturization - allowing us to place more weapons on any given hull seems more useful then advancing those weapons.
I support trading with the local races for Fleet Warp Bubbles and any other useful technology they have to offer.
We seem to have reached a consensus of sorts.
Take as big a chunk off the Yor as possible. Then go after the Sakkra, after grabbing all but one of the Psilonic planets en route.
A bit of clarification necessay on Krynn and Trilarian relations.
Research on beam weapons and miniaturization, not necessarily in that order. Some discussion/balloting required.
Provide some aid to the Torians - how much exactly to be decided by discussion and consultation with the Commander.
Get Fleet Warp Bubbles. Also other useful niceties.
That seem about right?
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