SparkNES: A Tale of Mad Scientists and Power!

Nintz · Sep 2, 2012

OOC: Am I the only one that just thought of the "secret cow level"

Seon · Sep 2, 2012

Yeah.

hbar · Sep 3, 2012

"Father, did you order the fugal hedges around the river?"

"Yes! My glorious spore towers will keep the river safe and the trade flowing. Already, I hear the clamoring of the people outside the royal chamber, no doubt lining up to express their thanks."

"Um, father, the towers, they're attacking everyone. They've killed a dozen fishermen this week."

"What? Bah, the fishermen are weak and foolish. Were they ... dressed as bandits perhaps? Waving swords around?" Mikhail scrunched his brow in concentration. "Actually, did I give orders for the spore towers to be trained to recognize non-combatants? I guess I thought it would have been assumed. How the hell did the workers even plant them if they were hostile?"

"Er, about that. We lost a lot of the workers. About a hundred." Karl looked around, not sure if he should continue. "Father, those people..."

"Prisoners!"

"Right, prisoners, they had lives and families. What right do we have..."

"Blast and damn, boy, this again? How many times must I tell you, we have the right because we rule. Those rabble gave up their lives when they threatened my daughter, your sister, and the press gang is the extent of my mercy. Unfortunate about the mess, though, that was unintended. Still, you must not let your fondness for the rabble show - it clouds your judgment and makes you appear weak. I want you to think hard about some people you want killed this year, and we'll do it together, father and son. It's about time you toughened up and became fit to rule."

LDiCesare · Sep 4, 2012

Igor had called for an Igor meeting.
Everyone present was an Igor, except for Igorina of course, but the men still held some hopes that she would one day see the light of body modifications. No doubt when she got a bit older she'd love to get bigger... well... Igor decided to start the meeting. He knew how women were and no doubt his daughter would behave in ways no man can understand, so he'd better forget it for the moment.

"Ve need more metal.
You know the Transportation Device doesn't need it for advancing, Vhat with Igor's rabbits (nod). But. They bring some nice sparks and electrical effects Vhich are mighty nice and useful for frightening vild animals an' bandits avay from the road. I have computed that, vith the current army consumption, ve vill need three years to get enough metal to complete the project. Yes, Igor?
- But, father, the metal is totally useless for the advancement of the vehicle. Ve don't need...
- Thank you Igor. Anyvone else? No? Perfect. So, considering the army reqvires most metal, I vould gladly get rid of some of dem, but it appears dere's a loony spark out there in Cluj vho's bent on destroying us. I'm afraid ve vill therefore have to deal vith him before ve can finish the project.
- But, ve have enough stone to finish the roads and the rabbits are already vell-trained and bred, ve don't need...
- Thank. You. Igor. Any remark?"

A bat flew silently through the castle room.

"Great. It is settled then. Ve can get rid of that annoying neighbour and then ve get more metal to finish the project."

Milarqui · Sep 6, 2012

Great! Keep up with the stories, guys!

I have updated the first post so that you can see how much time you have to send the orders. The timer function is great!

Seon · Sep 6, 2012

Could I have a potential stat for the cow?

Milarqui · Sep 6, 2012

Seon said:
Could I have a potential stat for the cow?

*sigh* Please, make sure you READ THE RULES before making easily answerable questions.

hbar · Sep 6, 2012

I'll just chime in here and say, the cost Milarqui gives you depends on the stats. So, you can't get a cost until you specify what stats you want. So instead of "What do my robocows cost?", you should ask "What would robocows with stats of 3/2/1 + anti-air cost?"

FYI Milarqui, it wasn't clear to me that defining the stats first was required. It might be helpful to call it out specifically in the Military section of the first post.

Also, you never posted the cost of my Fungicide Militia unit. Stats were in my orders (Fungicide militia - 3/1/1, flamethrowers, filtration masks)

Nintz · Sep 6, 2012

They're in the stat sheet. but not the front page. I found my units there anyway.

Nintz · Sep 8, 2012

"People of Skaneland! Hear my plea!"

Svend stood in the market square in Skane, and his voice cut through the air.

"We need to change. Our nation is not progressing. We are still stuck in a primitive economy, one that cannot afford to enter the future."

The entire city had turned out. It was rare for Svend to make public speeches of any sort.

"The future is not men. It is not food, and wood, and simple structures built in snow. What people are we, to believe such things? No, we must progress."

The people were muttering among themselves. Where was Svend going with this?

"Listen to my words, friends. I know that you are as concerned as I here. Ask yourself, does anybody here believe that our militia is not needed? Perhaps we should disband them? What of the raiders though? I am certain you remember them, and we could not have defeated them without our brave soldiers."

The people knew of this quite well. They had begun to believe in Svend, listening for his next words.

"I do not deal in hearsay. I do not believe in legends. I trust in fact. And the fact of the matter is, we cannot afford them. Our men will not have enough weapons to keep the fight going for even one more year."

There was shock echoing through the crowd. They had known that the economy had problems, but this was not good.

"So I come to you. My good people. I need your help. If anyone here has metal of sorts, be it old weapons or simply scrap metal from miscellaneous projects, we need it. The community needs it. I do not wish to take anything from you however. I ask you, and I tell you that you will be recompensed for it."

A handful of men from the edges of the crowd ran off. Presumably to get some scrap metal.

"There is one more thing however. We cannot do this forever. We need self sufficiency. I know all of you are good men and women, who have lives established and goods jobs you work at. I thank you. But something has to change. I say we need more mines. More quarries. More factories. Our industry has to begin. We must carry our nation into the future. So, I am issuing a new decree. The government is going to pay for all who move to heavy industry, what this nation needs. Food will be provided, as will gold for any changes that need to be made to your lifestyle. If you are interested, seek out a local official and they will help you with the paperwork. That is all. "

Though he was done with his speech, Svend looked very... disconnected. The crowd knew it too. Their enthusiasm was less than could have been desired. Still, they would remember. When Svend af Vornholm spoke, you simply listened.

Grandkhan · Sep 13, 2012

Um... where are the unit costs? I can't find them anywhere, and I kinda need that to send orders.

Nintz · Sep 14, 2012

In the stat sheet GK. Under "Armed Forces" or something.

Grandkhan · Sep 14, 2012

Ah. Cheers. Will send orders tonight, though they might be a little late. Apologies.

Milarqui · Sep 17, 2012

So, I am now starting to write the next update (BTW, the Geneva Commonwealth is dying this turn, since Terrance has been unable to continue; Venice, Nowograde and Budapest are getting hard-hitted for not sending order for 2 turns, and Bolshevheim gets to strike 1), and I had the idea to share an idea with you: I managed to make up an easy to play RPG, and I thought that maybe some of you might be interested in playing it if (or, more likely, when) this NES sinks. Questions?

Nintz · Sep 17, 2012

What is the basic premise of the RPG you made?

Milarqui · Sep 17, 2012

Nintz said:
What is the basic premise of the RPG you made?

Traveling around the Multiverse with people from any universe, be it books, comics, or even NESes (as long as they are not uber-powered) to do things such as stopping a war, finding someone... and, if things get well enough, the players get access to a spaceship able to travel through the Multiverse at will.

Stats: SPECIAL (from Fallout), plus extras for special things, such as being a Medic, a Sniper or a Spy.

People would start with one long range weapon, ammo, a melée weapon, armor and some extra objects.

The way to play would be quite similar to the Roll to Dodge games, but with success or failure being determined on the difference between the stat used to make the throw and the result obtained in the die.

Seon · Sep 26, 2012

I FREAKING CALLED IT

Milarqui · Sep 26, 2012

Seon said:
I FREAKING CALLED IT

???

Different problems in RL (mostly work-related) have prevented me on working on the update. Hope to have it by tomorrow.

Sorry for the wait.

Milarqui · Sep 27, 2012

1953 CE – 106 ABM
Bolshevheim
It is something that may have actually not happened if the Polifaze's were actually paying attention to what was happening, instead of remaining enclosed in their castle with their experiments. The experiments with mind-controlling fungi had been left to their own devices, and an accidental explosion scattered many spores around. Several people become infected with the spores, and soon set out to attack others in order to infect them. Fortunately, militia and clanks manage to act fast and kill all the infected people, but it is still a bad situation, as many people died in the chaos and parasitism. People have complained mightily about this, and expect the Polifaze to act soon, or else.

Spoiler :

Principality of Buda-Pest
Riots hit the Principality as the Hunyadi remain enclosed in the castle and do not meet anyone. At least, that's the story the castle guards tell, as many believe the Hunyadi are actually dead and the guards are just covering that to hoard resources. While Eastern Pest and Bicske suffer small riots that kill several hundreds of people, Buda-Pest sees an outright assault of the Hunyadi Castle by the boldest people, one that the guards can hardly contain due to its brutality. Only the presence of the Hunyadi Airship stops the attack, but the guards fear that the next riot might be worse. Already, many people have left the cities or stay in the cities' outskirts to ensure their not getting caught in the riots. With few people knowing, Megara goes on a huge rampage after being unable to build her dreamed contraption, and kills Gâscan before László stops her. Both are buried in one of the castle's catacombs with only the rest of the family, as well as a few guards, attending the funeral.

Spoiler :

Dardanic Order
Finally, the plan for the electric cows is shown: Philippe had planned to use the cows to transport merchandise and other supplies between the different cities (protecting themselves and the supplies with their electrical shield), while other cows can later be sent into battle, but had never told this to other people. In order to improve the communications between the cities, Philippe also orders the construction of a new road network, so that carriages can travel easier between cities. Soon, attempts by bandits to attack caravans are defeated by the cows, thus helping with the establishment of this new system and the fortification of trade within the territories controlled by the order. This peacefulness is soon broken by the attack of a powerful Spark called Sancho Marcos, who derides the von Welf for their foreign origin and lack of knowledge over the realities of Iberia, and decided to attack them in order to break them down. The first battle happens twelve kilometres north-east of Dragon's Keep, and the bloody fight lasts for three days before Sancho is forced to retire his army towards the north in order to reform it, although the Order's Army did not end up unscathed, and will probably have to work in order to recover from the losses.

Spoiler :

Free Floating City of Drulshal
After she recovers, Rul starts to work around the fact that she seems to be restricted to the city of Drulshal due to the shock collar her mother has put on her neck, and she tries to get rid of it as soon as she can. She acquires a new minion, a girl called Ohki, whom she modifies to get her to become the best airship pilot in the world, and then she somehow manages to disable her shock collar. She then escapes Drulshal with Ohki after stealing a merchant airship. A chance encounter with Elmiro ends up with both girls being caught by the Sardinian pirate, as the firepower of Elmiro's airship is very much superior to that of Rul's. All of this happens without her mother knowing, since she is busy trying to further expand Drulshal and to create a Giant Crab bot that can help in the defense of the city, although, unfortunately, the lack of metal means that the steamship has to be put on the dock to reduce consumption. Under her orders, Toulon and Solliès are offered a chance to become part of the Drulshal-dominated region, and, with little to do to oppose the forces sent after them, they accept.

Spoiler :

Geneva Commonwealth
After several years of great and proud story, Giovanni Helvetii dies. This is but the prelude to the fall of the Commonwealth, as an attempt by Boccaccio (designed heir by his grandfather) to take the role of leader is subverted by his brother Borgia, who claims that position as the eldest brother. This soon derives in a civil war that divides Geneva and Lausanne, and ends up with thousands of deaths from both war, illness and pirate assaults, who come in time to peck on the nation's eyes as if they were vultures, thus killing the Commonwealth forever.

Spoiler :

Neo Serena Repubblica
Venice itself becomes attacked by the pirates of days past, who strike at all cities with impunity to steal as many supplies as possible. The militias are barely able to hold back the pirates, and in many cases they are run over. Hundreds of people die in the attacks, and many stores are sacked by the boldened pirates. Maria di Barone, Doge of the Neo Serena Repubblica, has been warned that the next slip up will end up in her being voted down by the Casa dei Nobili, and perhaps the di Barone might even end up being expelled from Venice. However, the Doge has personal problems that may have clouded her mind, as little Gaia has disappeared without leaving a trace of where she went, a clear consequence of her not acting when Gaia entered THE MADNESS PLACE. Many say already that such a careless woman should not be controlling the government of Venice, and are already planning to do anything to ensure she is ridden of her position.

Spoiler :

Grand Republic of Nowograde
Marista becomes assaulted by revenants. However, any news from this are brought by the few survivors of the attack, who state that Marista has been completely destroyed by the revenants. As the Maristan people try to settle somewhere else, fear hits Nowograde. Fear and anger, for the Swjatoslawic continue with their experimenting as they ignore the real world out of their laboratories. As it is, it takes them two weeks to notice that the family matriarch, Ksenija Olegowna, has died, and two more to even organise the private funeral for the family. With Wlodimire Wasilejewic now in charge of both family and nation (not that he is doing a good job on either), many wonder whether the Grand Republic will survive for another year.

Spoiler :

Pirate Kingdom of Sardinia
The construction of the first Kraken's Revenge ship, Alzaro's brainchild, is celebrated as the first step in the return to the times of the Krakenclank, when all of the Mediterranean shook at the idea of the Togliacci ships being near their towns and cities. The festivities related to the Kraken's Revenge are expanded as Alzaro Togliacci reforms Sardinia, turning it into a true Kingdom, with the town mayors becoming Pirate Lord, and the towns themselves becoming semi-autonomous, being allowed to prey through the Mediterranean without impositions from the Fortress of Togliacci as long as they tribute resources to the Grand King of the Pirates, who protects the Lords from other pirates and each other. San Gavino and Teulada choose to submit and gain protection from pirate raids after the threat of being attacked, but fortunately for them Elmiro is not the one in charge of the diplomatic fleet: the boy has been sent to raid the Western Mediterranean in order to keep his rage concentrated away from Sardinia. However, his travels find an unexpected present: Rul Hibule, the heir to Wasul Hibule of Drulshal, who was found in the company of a strange girl (clearly a construct) while riding a merchant airship. Rul and the strange girl have been taken on board of Elmiro's airship, where apparently the two youngsters are able to enjoy their friendship after several years without seeing each other. This might be perhaps the solution to one of Alzaro's headaches, finding a bride for his heir, but finding a bride for Aliara is still complicated because of the bad position female homosexuality has in many points in Europa. In other news, Arcano is awaiting for the chance that someone may attack Togliacci, so that his magnificent giant mirror may be put to good use.

Spoiler :

Skaneland
As Skaneland expands their control along the coast, the af Vornholm publically declare their alliance to their southern neighbors, Zwerg Metalworks Inc., which is welcomed by the people of Skaneland as the people from Hamburg have been trading with them for several years now and providing them with metal in exchange for food. In an attempt to be able to increase Skaneland's manufacturing capabilities, the af Vornholm order a Heavy Industry Expansion, which is expected to be able to help with the development of the nation, an action that, coupled with the institution of a program that allows peasants to give metal to the government in exchange of money, may be what Skaneland needs to start pushing out towards greatness. Skane also sees the construction of the Wooden Lodgings, a set of wooden buildings that are able to host more people than normal houses, and, although they are not as good as normal houses, they are open to the poorest people, thus helping with providing housing for them and many more people. In the background, an attempt is made by the af Vornholm to convince the people of Ronne to become part of Skaneland. However, this fails when Ronne just accepts the presents given to them, and show just the willingness to become allies to Skane.

Spoiler :

Transylvania
The threats towards the Igors must be taken care of as soon as possible, that's what Igor said. Thus, it fell on Igor, Igor and Igor the task to defeat the Cluj Spark as fast as possible, gathering the Transylvanian forces and taking them into battle. The Spark does, however, not come out of Cluj, planning to use his extensive supplies to wait until the besiegers are tired, and then attack in a blast of glory. Of course, he does not take into account the inventiveness of the Igors, who are able to use their airships and Igor's bats to spy on Cluj's moves. The Igors also deploy a powerful catapult that launches burning coal into the city, causing great damage on the city, which is compounded by Igor and Igor throwing tetrominos into the city (somehow, a catchy music starts to sound while this is happening) in order to smash enemy clanks. This, is, however, not enough to force the Cluj Spark to surrender, who also manages to destroy one airship with a lucky shot. Meanwhile, Igor and Igorina remain in Mures, keeping up with the giant rabbit training, as well as trying to find ways to increase metal production. Experiments to melt stone into metal are a failure, so the Igors are forced to just move people away from the quarries and into the mines, so as to obtain more metal, while trade is done with many surrounding small towns, which buy stone and sorely needed fuel for metal and gold, heaps of gold.

Spoiler :

Zwerg Metalworks Inc.
As food stops being in such tight situation, with farms producing now more than what is consumed, the affairs of the people ruled by the Zwerg family turn to other important matters, one of them being the expansion of the number of cities and towns under Zwerg control. Clara manages to convince the people of Freiburg to be protected by, and form part of, the Zwerg, but her twin Max is not as successful in Seevetal, as most of them are now anti-Spark and are thus unwilling to lose their freedom and become “servants of the Destroyers”, as they call Sparks now. Back at home, Wilhelm orders the construction of a trade school where people displaced in the farm acquisition of the previous year, as well as those that aim to gain other jobs, may be trained in their desired jobs. A fund is also set so that those that need it and demonstrate their knowledge and ability may join the school regardless of their economic situation. The first building is easily built thanks to the efforts of the architects and several construction Clanks, with the school being inaugurated on Wilhelm's birthday on September 23rd. The courses soon prove to be a success, with many more people desiring to join the school. As all of this happens, the trade relationship with the people of Skaneland turns into an alliance, bringing both nations together against potential foreign enemies that may desire their destruction...

Spoiler :

OOC: The current standings of how near some nations are to dying.
Strike 1: Bolshevheim
Strike 2: Principality of Buda-Pest, Neo Serena Repubblica, Grand Republic of Nowograde
Strike 3: Geneva Commonwealth
So, Terrance is out of the game, theDright, Omega124 and Krzowwh are but one missing order from being kicked out, and hbar will follow them if he doesn't write orders in two turns.

I'll try to have the stats and the map updated before the end of the day.

Keep also an eye on the New NESes thread, I'll be writing more about the RPG that I have mentioned before.

LDiCesare · Sep 29, 2012

The map doesn't seem to be updated yet?

Do I have intelligence about the strength of the remaining Cluj troops?

Oh, and by the way.
Igor will be going to perform some surgery on Igor in order to have him look like someone else. Just anyone not noticeably hunchback and scarred all over the face. Obviously, it's sad to have to sacrifice such beautiful scars in order to disguise as a Cluj inhabitant, but spying missions require dire sacrifices.
This spying, following the bats' investigations, should help us locate anyone inside the city who's unhappy with the ruling spark. If I can get some information about whether people in Cluj back their leader or if I can get insider help, this would help me plan the assault.

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