The Trial: Comments

[pappy_reen]

A lots of the best campaigns on here have comments threads for general discussions and ideas, so I’ve started one here. I’ll take this opportunity to also explore how my ideal version of this will go.

In a sentence, I think some of the best campaigns and let’s plays through the years work more like Dungeons and Dragons and less like a story told by one person. Collaboratively telling a story, through suggestions and ideas, through limitations and tensions, big and small, are what I think games, forums, and the internet are for!

So from now on, I’ll put voting, where relevant, at the end of every report. Many reports will have interludes / interstitial bits to flesh out what is going on in the empire, from a particular perspective.

I’d really like people to suggest whatever they feel, and for us to develop the story and trajectory together.

Thanks!

Campaign here

[S810_Jr]

How about an appendix?

Like listing a colony, its real life body name, main factions and characters based there etc.

Would help keep track of things we forget about down the road.

[pappy_reen]

Will do!

I think the format might be one reply per colony / person, but I worry that will get confusing.

If I have an index at the start, it should make it easier.

My fault for choosing strange names!

[Walter]

The society you describe has a very US-American Wild-West vibe to it:

allowing for financial speculation, investment and trading on an unprecedented scale.

Millionaires are made, fortunes are lost. Without the economic activity of this small elite, the budget would be in serious deficit - a truth they use to their political advantage.

Funded by the overflowing coffers of a consortium of billionaires,

Some of that description may be the old unreliable storyteller at work again.

Only time will tell if the growing unemployed population, comprising 50% of working age individuals, will endure the cost of these ideals.

Mandate: Halve proportional and absolute unemployment
Taboos: Construct no additional automation [auto mines] until full employment achieved.

I distinctly remember Steve writing that “available workers” does not equal “unemployed”.What it means is “available to be employed in ways that are meaningful to the empire”.
Of course that may have been on the old forum.
If somebody remembers where to find that article, a link would be much appreciated.

Taboo: Military ship count can never exceed civilian ship count

Cynics were quick to point out, that this says nothing about actual ship tonnage and it says nothing about what counts as a “ship” either.

Taboo: At least 50% of research output must be applied to military technologes

Has anyone ever violated that rule? My feeling is “no”

Mandate: Found new colony every 3 years.

Easy. Click “Create population” and ignore.

Taboo: No industrial capacity (e.g. construction facilities) can be outsourced to any collonies.

I don’t see how this is going to end well with the Morrigi or indeed any of the offworld populations. For inspiration read any of Cherryh’s “Company Wars” novels.

Mandate: Double racial wealth. Always use private sector capacity [freight, colony] over public sector
Taboos: Never raise shipping taxes above 0%, never run budget deficit, never tax civilian mining

Reaganomics has survived.

According to my reading the Future, Morrigi and (if you allow for “available” ≠ “unemployed”) Workers parties allow for the greatest amount of flexibility in steering the Starborn Empire to (duh) the Stars, so that is the coalition I will support.
The Astras can be tolerated in a pinch, the Abundancers have my personal loathing and the Firmas are actively destroying the nation.

[pappy_reen]

Thanks for this - and for casting the deciding vote on the election!

The society I was thinking of was actually based on the bankers of the modern City of London, but there’s a great deal of similarity there!

Also a really good reminder that I should be much more restrictive and clear when it comes to the regulations and rules I try and set up - e.g. I assumed available was unemployed.

I also worry for the future of the society that I haven’t devoted any research at all to any military tech…let’s hope this election doesn’t come too late!

[pappy_reen]

I jinxed it.

[pappy_reen]

So, having just played quite an intense wack-a-mole drag-and-nuke game, it seems like we’ve bagged some aliens (or at least, their corpses?)

Was I too hasty attacking them as hostile? How do you think this should change what I do, if anything, going foward?

[S810_Jr]

[S810_Jr]

The missing thing, was it the restricted military colonies? Would they also bypass the no automation thing too as civilians would not have jobs on them due to no clearance?

[pappy_reen]

Ohhh good try! Not the one I planned for but maybe I messed up

I thought restricted meant “no private” but I send my freighters to it to supply it. Is that wrong?

[S810_Jr]

You can send your commercial ships to them, they are government built and owned, so like the logistics part of the military. It just means the civilian shipping lines have no access. So no NPC trade goods, no NPC colony ships, no contracts (pick up or drop off).

[pappy_reen]

Great makes sense - the private sector are supporting their colonies, and the workers are trying to build up the other one faster right now!

Hint: the problem is in the screenshots