posted 06-06-99 11:25 PM ET     

;
; Copyright (c) 1997, 1998 by Firaxis Games, Inc.
;
; ALPHA CENTAURI reads the rules of the game from this file at
; startup. Feel free, at your own risk, to experiment with editing
; this file. We recommend you make a backup copy of the original.
;
; FACTION FILE: Ascetics
;
; To use this Faction file select load from the
; faction select menu and type "Ascetics"
;

#Ascetics
The Ascetic Seekers, The Perfectionist, Ascetics, M, 2, Seeker, F, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1,
TECH, Indust, IMMUNITY, EFFIC, IMPUNITY, Eudaimonic, POPULATION, 2, SOCIAL, --GROWTH, SOCIAL, +PLANET, SOCIAL, +PROBE, PSI, 50,
Future Society, Eudaimonic, GROWTH
Values, Wealth, nil
Values, Power, nil
Values, Knowledge, nil
Politics, Police State, nil
Economics, Planned, nil
Future Society, Thought Control, nil
Future Society, Cybernetic, nil
Ascetic, Perfectionist
Seeker, Yogi, Roof of the World
Master, enlightened, obsessive-compulsive, seeking, mindless,
Psycho-babbling Twit
attain enlightenment
to explore and claim the inherent potential of the individual
reducing humanity to a degenerate species of mindless chanters
reducing humanity to a degenerate species of stupefied "Dreamweavers"
reduce those foolhardy enough to listen to mindless chanting vessels of mediocrity
attempting to achieve the monstrosity of "Enlightenment"
extolling your contrived view of humanity and human "happiness"
spurious quest for self-perfection and eudaimonia
blowhard diatribes on the human condition, M1
exercises in self-perfection, M2
pagan rituals of cleansing and unbridled hedonism, M2
eudaimonic tithe, M1
achieving the unlimited potential of each individual
Guardians of Enlightenment
the Code of Principled Individualism

#BASES
Dreamweaver
Eudaimonia
The Seeker
The Mind Elevator
Holistic Singularity
Primacy of the One
Temple of Psi
Enchanted Fortress
Chanter's Hideaway
Descartes� Homage
The Philosopher
Enlightened Gardens
The Pleasuredome
Zen
Roof of the World
Quest
Eternal Desire
Carnal Pleasures
Purity of Mind
Transcendent Callings
#END

#WATERBASES
Deep Blue
Garden of Silence
The Wave
Springtide
West Wind
Tranquillity
#END

#BLURB
^ Before the abandonment of Earth, the last great power, the United States, self-combusted riding the twin declines of the culture of victimhood and the trap of politically correctness. After the abandonment, so too did the U.N mission founder on the supposed aptness for all of the humanitarian principles in the U.N Charter... Foolishness has a price, as there can be no single blueprint for humanity as a whole. But, rather, only a singularity of intent. The "intent" is the perfection of the individual and of the potential that lies therein. There is no other God and no other destination... There is but responsibility and capability of the one. There can be no talk of collective or unselfish expression... But the journey is arduous and long, fraught with difficulties and devoid of the clap-trap most of humankind feign to worship...
^
^ -- The Seekers, Collected Works, Selected Excepts
^ "Thoughts on the Evolution and Devolution of Humanity"
^
^

#DATALINKS1
^LEADER: {The Seeker}
^BACKGROUND: {Unity Engineer, Principal Statistician}
^AGENDA: {Primacy of the Individual, Quest for Enlightenment}
^TECH: {Industrial base}
^

#DATALINKS2
^-2 GROWTH: {Individual quest for Enlightenment}
^+1 PROBE: {Decentralized society, no central depository of knowledge or control}
^+1 PLANET: {Awareness of mind and body extends to Planet}
^+50 Psi: {Mechanics of psi as requisite for total self-perfection}
^Any social engineering choice that limits individual expression is taboo.
{May not use Police State, Planned Economics, Power, Knowledge, Wealth, Thought Control and Cybernetic}
^Needs HAB COMPLEX for bases to exceed size 5: {"Nirvana" not associated with crowded conditions}
^Immune to negative EFFICENCY modifiers {Nonexistence of bureaucracy, self-awareness that Enlightenment brings}
^Eudaimonia as the ultimate goal of humankind {Immune to negative effects of Eudaimonic, the self-perfected society as the source and destination of humankind}
^

#FACTIONTRUCE
#xs 440
#caption $CAPTION7
"This collectivist debauchery siphons the spirit and denudes the mind, $NAME1. In peace we shall achieve perfection, we pledge Blood Truce."

"By all means, an enlightened society is the oldest quest of humanity itself."
"Nonsense, $NAME3, those that "seek" shall find destruction, lest your babbling infect all of humanity!"

#FACTIONTREATY
#xs 440
#caption $CAPTION7
"The quest for human perfection and the realization of individual enlgihtenment can only benefit humanity as a whole. Let us sign a Treaty of Friendhsip to affirm our common vision."

"Agreed, $NAME3."
"I must decline, this talk of "individualism" and "perfection" is a shallow ruse to subvert humanity."

posted 06-07-99 08:12 AM ET            

You might want to rethink the ban on cybernetic society.

The description of Cybernetic for the purposes of the game is that machines take over the mundane tasks of society, freeing people up for more artistic and personal persuits.