Roll to give Majterre more actions.
Invest $100,000 in the creation of the Trio de Dangers super soldier unit
start a Patreon supplying the furry fandom
3 (4): Not
enough that you're bloating the state's overhead, now you want to carry costs of
foreigners?! Between this and the Egyptian crisis, the libertarians are rapidly losing patience and have begun street campaigns in Bosaso and Kebri Dehar. The situation is still largely under control, but if action isn't taken soon the protests will likely intensify. Libertarians gain +5% support; -1 stability; -3% wealth taxable and +1 libertarian influence in Bosaso and Kebri Dehar from protests.
13: The
private "applied" science circuit is always eager for more grants into
furversion biogenetics research and quickly gets to work prototyping at the lab in Addis Abeba, ETA eight turns.
9: An interesting idea. Too bad there's no Internet to support this business system.
Travel back in time to remove the Bush family from history.
14 (16): In your immense cerebritude, you realize there's an even easier solution that bears
no risk of a catastrophic ripple-effect (not to mention won’t hang up this game with incidental NPCs): if Mathalamus is gonna wuss out anyway, you just need to keep him from triggering the resurgence in the
first place! Leaping back to Turn 0, you block him from forming the Sultanate, and thereby, all the blundering that started this whole mess. You
do, however, nudge the timeline to retain the militia raised last turn, because why waste a roll? (-15 Science; Islamic Jihal-QaISIS unpersoned; Sultanate of Istanbul retconned as NPC
City-State of Istanbul; Mehmet I retconned as Greek citizen
Andreas Laskaris and loses all modifiers.)
recruit
(from Epiltân Brooda of the dragon queen Odannante) a mighty dragon, known as Caron (who will be nicknamed the Brave, the Feared, the Kind, the Majestic, the Bane of Steel...) to serve the Majterren Empire. We will grant this dragon the offer to nest at Mount Ida in Crete, where it will be the symbol of our mobilisation against the Egyptian aggression.
1: See, the problem with trying to second arcane powers to mortal will is that immortals rarely adhere to your moral standard. If you're
lucky, you'll find someone like Lady Akane, who not only sympathizes with the human condition but will even invest time and resources on its behalf. At the
other end, you get Nietzschean overmen that write their own rules because everything lesser than them is standing-reserve, to be ground up into powder and huffed off the backs of the eldritch equivalent of pricey hookers. The point I'm trying to make is: dragons are
jerks. Caron is Brave, in the same way beating up a short-sighted asthmatic is a fair fight; Caron is Kind, in the sense that sparing a life one day gives the poor wretch another twenty-four hours to make peace with one's divine analogue; Caron is Majestic, just as Picasso could yet find aesthetic expression in the ruins of Guernica; Caron is indeed Feared by the helpless Cretans that have become his personal fast-food ranch; and Caron is the Bane of Steel, as Leon's legions learned all too well, and far too late.
1. The Democratic People's Republic of Norrland-Sápmi adopts Marxism-Leninism-Thorvaldism as the state's official ideology to guide all factions of society towards socialism in our next five-year plan, implementing a Roll to Dodge the Bourgeouisie policy with provisions strengthening the people's control over the economy.
2. Enlist a Norwegian celebrity GM* to star in a series of Marxist-Leninist-Thorvaldist propaganda movies for the Ministry of Unification to broadcast on the other side of the northern border to further the process of unification of the Northern Sami Federation with Norrland-Sápmi.
12 (11): Decentralizing the economic engine and encouraging local-level currency fosters increased wealth generation and circulation at the municipal level. +2% wealth taxable.
14 (13): For only $92 000 you are able to produce a series of low-budget but nonetheless artistic films to advance grassroots support for unification, including such hits as
Fox in the Attic,
DRAW Your Own Sámi, and
Stockholm Syndrome. +1 influence in the Northern Sámi Federation.
1)
Seven of Nine from Star Trek Voyager will construct a gigantic
temporal force-field, protecting us from unintended negative consequences of time travel. Make sure this happens
before Reus cooks time as well as he cooks everything else, 'mkay?
2) Get Darth Alexis to recruit as many Biker Gangs as darn possible. Remember, quantity > quality. If they can ride a motorcycle then they are in. Give them guns and then get them ready to perform street warfare against the bloody Psi Corps.
3) Recruit
Charles Xavier a.k.a Professor X (as portrayed by Patrick Stewart) to lead the defence of Canberra.
4) I, Prime Minister for Life NinjaCow64, will participate in the defence of Canberra by shooting my QBZ-95 at the first Saber-forsaken enemy that attacks Canberra.
19: It never hurts to be prepared, especially from the unknown unknowns. Shelling out $22 million, you erect a Time Shield that will insulate Canberra from any wacky hijinks that make it past Dr. Hax. As an added bonus, the forcefield can be manipulated to blunt the inertia of projectile weaponry such as missiles and bombs, thereby triggering mid-air detonation and granting the city +4 defence versus air bombardment.
14 (15): No-holds-barred, winner-take-all? Sign them the — up! Giving carte blanche to a bunch of rowdy thugs might not
seem like the most brilliant long-term plan, but the only thing they hate more than the pigs is bloody foreigners—hell, if they off themselves bringing down Yuri, it's a win-win, really. Sixteen (!!!) Biker Squads mustered in Canberra; -$19 200 in state funds.
12 (11): When I said 'Psych-Out', I didn't mean
literally—but hey, whatever works. Acting as a veritable one-man Mission Control, Professor X provides the Canberra garrison +1 combat and +1 mental defence.
7: Of course, all this planning and manoeuvring would be quite a waste if Yuri aimed to beat you
without fighting...
ROLL TO DODGE!
9 (10): As you prepare to board the helicopter, you notice something off to the side... the Psi Corps has already infiltrated the city! As you gaze deeply into the agent's eyes, you feel a strange compulsion to follow him back to Sydney... (-5% willpower.)
1. go ahead and give the Volksreich rights of passage for their expeditionary forces
2. we are going to make more F-22s, so that we may take the skies back from the American regime.
16 (20): You give 'em RoP and then some, gaining a +4 diplomacy bonus with your fellow, admittedly revisionist, femsoc state.
Volksreich der Frau gains right of passage with Namibia.
16 (15): You invest $80 mil's worth of IOUs for the emergency levy of a fighter squadron, ETA 4 turns.
Form the country of Cyprus, as a constitutional monarchy, uniting the turkish and greek halves in one nation.
10: You have no money, no influence, no credentials, and you aren't even on the island. Ya gotta walk before ya run, and at this stage you’re barely crawling.
That's why I'm gonna use magic to do it, as I originally intended.
7: 'Ey man, just 'cuz you've got the power to warp between lakes doesn't mean you can conjure matter at will. You're a sea dragon, not a wizard.
Order 1: Sign and ratify the Dublin Pact.
Order 2: Dispatch the fleet to blockade war material to and from the United States of America and bottle up the US Navy. Battlegroup to be centred on HMS Turner and consist of available ships in the western ports. Appoint Rear-Admiral Lazuli to command.
Order 3: Raise more regiments of foot. You can never have enough of the PBI.[/B]
9 (20): You enter into a mutual alliance the likes of which would make certain Frankish sorcerers hella jelly. +5 diplomacy, +5 trade, mutual right of passage with, -5
casus belli v. Ireland; +10
casus belli v. aggression on Ireland; Ireland gains +10
casus belli v. aggression on Britain; Prime Minister e350tb gains 3% approval.
12: Last anyone checked there
is no US Navy, but better safe than sorry. Lapis organizes the
Turner, 5th Frigate, 6th Destroyer and 8th Submarine Flotillas into
Task Group West and sets sail for America.
6: LONDON CALLS, AND THEY ANSWER. And by "they" we mean mostly history geeks that have almost no clue what real warfare entails. Green Infantry regiments mustered in London, Edinburgh and Plymouth; London, Edinburgh and Plymouth lose 900, 435 and 600 population respectively.
PROSELYTISM THE CROWD BEFORE ME, USING MY PREVIOUS ACTION AS A SMALL TASTE OF THE POWER OF MINIMALISM, PREACHING THAT IT CAN EVEN DO SUCH MIRACLES SUCH AS BYPASS DEATH AND MAKE YOUR WILDEST DREAMS BECOME REAL.
HE HAS EVEN MADE HIS ACTION SECRET! SO THAT ONLY THOR KNOWS WHAT HE IS DOING.
6 (+1 [Evangelical Imperative] +1 [Know the Mods, Know Thyself] +2 [The Prophet proselytism bonus] -5 [Platinum Horde influence resistance] =
5): The garrison, already suspicious of your motives, does not approve of your seditious activities and decides to step in.
Violently.
ROLL TO DODGE!
20 (+1 [Ascetic Virtues] +1 [Know the Mods, Know Thyself] -2 [MNG 17th Cavalry Regiment combat bonus] =
20): Using the power of DICEMANCY, you stun the unbelievers (and blind several of the onlookers), immobilizing the Dalandzadgad garrison and granting yourself a +3 escape bonus for the next three turns.
5 (+ [N/A GM OVERRIDE] =
5): Indeed, only I know... which is problematic, since the OP states all actions must be public. Tell you what, though: we'll draw a line through the mean and say every second action has a 10% chance of being twisted to the Masked Man's nefarious purposes.
Deploy a battalion of Dark Trooper battle droids to counter the threat of Yuri.
4: Dark Troopers? Droids? Yuri? Deploy?
Battle?? You don’t
have dedicated android factories, let alone schematics for robo-soldiers—and even if you
did,
you can’t deploy to counter if you're not at war! -1 SAN.
will myself to have extra actions
6: Try as you might, you cannot thwart the front page rule concerning repeating the same action. -1 SAN.
Action 1: We must restore Mexico to a new glory, where they, too, can join in transcending the unfortunate state of the world.
Action 2. Keep up the peaceful offensive. Remember, we're not bringing a sword; we're bringing love. And freedom.
14 (17): You've really gotta hand it to Mexico: despite being beaten bloody by the EKNC, it put up enough of a fight that the USA actually
lost most of Texas in an
offensive campaign! But, said USA excepted, it's probably in everybody's interests that you get this trauma stabilized ASAP, and the Californian model is looking pretty darn appealing right now. Sonora and Sinaloa states join California, as does southern Arizona; +$4000 wealth taxable and local militias are integrated into military command.
1: Well ain't
that just your luck. The northern push walks straight into the 8th Brigade's zone of control, while the 16th Mountain Battalion winds up on the retreat path of the rednecks from Hill. What's worse is that with Christos' control slipping, the Midwest is already succumbing to regional warlords—and if you thought the
government was racist, you haven't seen its base.
Use our navy to attack the US and loot us some ducats for some support staff.
11: As the main fleet sails on, ground forces organize for an expedition of your own to carve out a slice of this great American pie. This might've gone a bit smoother if the first transports hadn't left empty, but
c'est la vie.
Action: Resurrect the rest of the Beatles to aid in the coup.
9: You lack the required reagents for the ritual.
News on the March
Reus Does Time Travel, Doesn't Destroy the World
In what experts call "literally the last outcome we predicted", Neil DarthReus Tyson's radical stunt to remove Middle Eastern terrorism did not result in a horrible dystopic cascade, and in fact has "barely altered the timeline at all". Changing tack at the last minute, the Supreme Brain decided that rather than jeopardize over three decades of infinitely complex geopolitical networks, he would instead jump back to game's start to prevent the self-proclaimed Mehmet I, since revealed to be a Greek impostor named Andreas Laskaris, from triggering the Second Uprising by Islamic Jihal'QaISIS, explaining: "He was a wimp and about to quit for Cyprus anyway, so it's not like anything really changed for [Istanbul]." While the world has expressed gratitude for ending a dangerous terrorist organization, it nonetheless implores leaders to avoid such drastic measures in future.
Crete Terrorized by Dragon
In a bid to shore up Majterre's armed forces in an expected war with Egypt, Empress Esther summoned a dragon from the
Warp Worlds Beyond. Sadly for Majterre's imperial ambitions, dragons do not like being bossed around. Caron, nicknamed "The Terrible" by locals, has proceeded to ransack the island of Crete, destroying property, stealing livestock, and murdering anyone and anything that gets in his way. Following in the wake of the climate scandal and the controversial royal marriage, this latest crisis has further undermined confidence in Esther's leadership, with anonymous sources suggesting her state of mind may be in question. (-1 stability in Majterre; Esther Solomon loses 10% approval; 19th, 20th and 21st Battalions lose 15% strength in initial skirmishes; Leon II loses 3 loyalty.)
Stockholm decries Sámi "Imperialism"
South Sweden has denounced Kiruna's recent land claims as "shameful imperialism", stating it will "not abide [Norrland-Sápmi's] brazen contempt for state sovereignty". While spokespeople from Kiruna have dismissed Stockholm's statement as baseless propaganda, they expressed concerns that it may represent a coded message for retaliatory action.
Christos Under Fire as Losses Mount
The American war continues to favour the coalition, with California's "accidental" entry further jeopardizing the ill-defended western front. Rebel sources say Loyalist partisans are being repulsed "at every turn", with the ill-conceived attack on Albuquerque encircled and unlikely to last much longer. The east, despite a few setbacks, is also pushing strong against Trumpnik forces. Thunder Bay is back in Canadian hands, greeting the liberating Aboriginal guerrillas with much fanfare. While American armour continues to pound Namibian forces near Buffalo, the northern spear into Toronto reports it is maintaining initiative against the occupying army. Elsewhere, the Columbus garrison has driven off the Redcaps, but is unable to give pursuit due to a refugee convoy entering the area.
The assault on Washington has once more entered stalemate as American heavy bombers reach the front. While initial reports are of minimal casualties, until Namibia can regain air control the eastern seaboard will remain easy prey to further sorties. There is some good news, however: the Canadian air force has arrived over New York to engage hostile fighters, allowing the Bluecape squadron to RTB for resupply. Omega has also ordered the emergency rollout of a stealth fighter squadron before the rest of the USAF can mobilize.
With Washington apparently still unable to draft an actual war strategy, confidence in President Christos is rapidly deteriorating even amongst party hardliners. Worryingly, reports are filtring in from the midwest of disillusioned state governors levying their own militias in lieu of government support. While still nominally loyal to the Antonopoulos administration, there are fears that should Washington fall, these wannabe warlords will carve America up into their own extremist fiefdoms.
United States loses $800 wealth taxable; 600 population from Washington and 220 population from Detroit flee as refugees; President Christos loses 10% approval; Storm Battalions mustered across American Midwest.
Albanians Prepare for the Worst
Comrade Hoxha announced earlier today that Albania would not cut and run in the face of the Psi Corps, boasting the Bunker "will resist the revisionist crimes of Yuri to the last man, to the last woman, to the last child's dying breath". While a government spokesperson denied any knowledge of a "superweapons arms race", satellite imagery suggests construction of a "mind damper" device that would protect against entrancement by Yuri's psychics. Hoxha went on to lambaste the international community for failing to respond to the threat, stating: "Had you not resisted the inevitable triumph of Marxism–Leninism, these stupid squabbles wouldn't be distracting you in the first place!"
Whose Congo?
With no sign that the government will respond, let alone address, the border incursions, Congolese rebel groups have grown more bold, pressing further into the heartland and declaring
de facto control of occupied territory. While the encroachment has yet to seriously jeopardize the government's daily functions, the public is becoming increasingly agitated by continued inaction. President CivCube loses 4% approval.
Beijing Taxation Questions Empress Ren
Is the Empire of Ài a sovereign state? The answer would seem to be 'no', as Shen Yun soldiers, acting on behalf of Beijing, easily and effortlessly collected taxes from several Qingdao neighbourhoods in a tacit refutation of Kougyoku Ren's authority within the city. Even her most devoted supporters say action must be taken to assert the state's independence, lest its fragile international standing erode further. (-$1000 wealth taxable; Empress Ren loses 5% approval.)
Schulz Vows Renewed Campaign
Defying rumours that the SPD campaign was collapsing, Martin Schulz announced earlier today that he is very much alive and his commitment to Europe has never been stronger. "The world is in more danger than ever before," he stated in a televised speech from his London campaign headquarters, "Between the demons of France and the demons of the Twentieth Century, it is imperative that Europe provides a united front against the chaos and calamity that would usurp global peace and prosperity."
European Federation is now an NPC.
Notes from the GM
See what happens when you don't trigger NPCspam?
Something I started contemplating during update last turn is to give a lifeline to players in tough straits through Events, somewhat similar but nowhere near as drastic as Choices in IdIOT. The way it'd work is, from time to time an event would crop up in the news brief, usually related to an action the player has taken, or an ongoing situation. The player would have the option of choosing one of a number of free actions, with benefits and drawbacks for each. Specifically, I was inspired by the Egyptian crisis to give Tani the option of allying with one of Faxum's political factions to force through a policy on the border dispute that would sidestep the Libertarians' stonewalling. Players could opt to ignore these completely at no fault, but I figured it might be a way to liven up the action with slightly less chaos theory.
Next update begins Wednesday.
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