The Human Ascendancy is a Probe-era faction dedicated to eugenics and the forced evolution of homo superior, their answer to mankind's expulsion from his primordial home. They propose to accomplish this goal through superior understanding of both the human genome and the human brain. Their preference is knowledge, their aversion faith. Their government is a geniocracy. The Ascendancy typically operates a planned economy favoring education and research applications but is indifferent to the economic modalities of its neighbors. They tend toward opportunism and instrumentality in their thinking. This faction opposes restoration of contact with Earth on grounds that refugees can only speed consumption of Planet's limited resources. The Ascendancy's affinity is Purity: their image of human evolution focuses on "cracking" and suborning the genetic code. They reject images of evolution that involve the integration of human and machine consciousness even as they promote the aggressive use of highly invasive mnemonic techniques to speed the education and acculturation of fast-growing clones. The Ascendancy's leader is molecular biologist and Nobel laureate Dr. Tahmineh Pahlvai, a female from Iran. She was previously the expedition’s chief geneticist. Noted for her work on autoimmune disorders, Pahlavi was recruited to explore the military applications of gene therapy for the American Reclamation Corporation (ARC) on behalf of the U.S. Department of Defense. At the ARC’s recommendation, Pahlavi was appointed to the CIP with the task of initiating a long-term study of Chiron’s effects on the human genome. She soon clashed with mission leadership for her outspoken endorsement of geniocratic politics. This faction is primarily comprised of biologists and so-called “specials,” expedition members with genetic mutations classified “beneficial” by the ARC.
Concerns: I struggle with how this faction is much more than a spin-off of one aspect of the University of Planet.
tl;dr: Khaaaaaaaan!
The Hunters of Chiron are a loose affiliation of game managers, wildland firefighters, mining technicians, and long-range terraforming crews caught outside the main CIP settlement after a quarantine was imposed to limit the spread of plague. This motley collection was eventually consolidated under the charismatic leadership of the expedition’s chief game warden, former SAS captain and big game hunter, “J.T.” Marsh. A largely silent observer to the Probe expedition’s breakdown of leadership, Marsh wisely commandeered a significant quantity of survival equipment to sustain emergency operations after his men were refused re-entry into the colony. Their spoils included four of the expedition’s experimental repulsorcraft, which they continued to leverage as hunting and reconnaissance platforms. Marsh traded on his expertise in dealing with dangerous mega-fauna and successfully managing the growth cycles of xenofungal blooms to sustain good relations with most of the other small bands of colonists that survived the plague and obtain necessary supplies. The faction’s preference is liberty, its aversion luxury, reflecting its leader’s disdain for “soft living.” Marsh is a male from Kenya’s Rift Valley.
Concerns: Is Marsh too like Santiago?
tl;dr: Clever girl.
The Estado Novo is a corporatist faction that combines elements of hierarchy and traditionalism in an essential medieval timocracy. In short, a fascist government that has implemented a rigid caste system spanning four estates: drones, colonists, Talents, and knights. There are generally gradations within each estate, usually by profession. Each estate is apportioned certain privileges and corresponding obligations. Thus, for example, talents are exempt from conscription while drones and colonists have the greatest amount of unstructured leisure time and the fewest stipulations regarding their rights to procreate. Knights may participate in the business of government but must provide military service. Priests are considered Talents. The Estado Novo's appeal arises from its guarantee of social and spiritual order in the face of potentially hostile outsiders. The faction's preference is order, its aversion liberty. Consistent with their religious values, they believe that Planet exists to be shaped for human requirements, and that cybernetic and scientific approaches to "solving" the human condition are fundamentally wrong. The Estado Novo tends to be more forgiving of ecumenical disagreement, however, and tolerates "deviance" so long as it does not stray into dissent. The Estado Novo is indifferent to contact with Earth. Their preferred economic model is the planned economy. Although economic mobility is extremely low in the Estado Novo, and hereditary distinctions are vastly important, they reject the command economy as deleterious to the soul and struggle to encourage private enterprise while defraying associated socio-political disruption. The Estado Novo is led by Dom Francisco d'Almeida, formerly Unity's Executive Officer, a male from Overseas Portugal. This faction explores the applications of divine right monarchy and feudalism in the post-apocalyptic environment.
tl;dr: Lords of the manor for a new Dark Age.
The Dreamers of Chiron is an alliance between Roshann Cobb, a corporate raider with a long history of espionage and Aleigha Cohen, a Harvard-educated neuroscientist responsible for critical advances in both brain-computer interface and “neural re-socialization,” a behavioral correction technique combining aggressive gene therapies and psychopharmacological interventions, considered unethical in many Western nations. The pair struck up an unlikely association during the final days of the CIP expedition when Cobb’s retainers provided critical muscle to assist Cohen in salvaging much of her record of rare mutations among the CIP crew; her recent work on shared, lucid dreaming; and the lion’s share of the colony’s dwindling medical research supplies). Cobb then established himself as a broker of drugs and “nerve” staple treatments – the latter in high demand by newly-established faction leaders who found that their new followers were not always in ideological lock-step – while Cohen redoubled her efforts to unlock the link between extrasensory perception in humans and mindworm phases on Chiron. Cobb is the Anglo-Chinese [progeny of unmarried parents] son of the tai-pan of a major trading company, is from Hong Kong. Cohen, born in Myanmar to a Baghdadi Jewish couple, was appointed the CIP’s Chief of Neuroscience through the good offices of the Russian and Chinese delegations to the expedition Steering Committee. This faction prioritizes returning to Earth.
tl;dr: Inception.
“The Children of the Atom,” a faction led by physicist Johann Anhaldt, chief of the CIP’s Atomic Energy Laboratory. A faction focusing on the practical uses of fusion power, chiefly interested in salvage from the original CIP settlement (as well as the Probe, which would have seeded the planet with supply pods). This faction is rumored to have recovered a functional supercomputer originally designed to help direct colonization. (Too much like the University?)
“The Beneath,” a faction dedicated to establishing hegemony over Chiron’s deep seas, led by an aristocratic naval officer-turned-naturalist. (Too much like a sea-going Novo Estado?)
“The New Two Thousand” are a group of pilgrims under the chartered leadership of former ARC head Oscar van de Graaf, a billionaire megalomaniac who spent $230 billion of his personal fortune to obtain billets for an expedition-within-an-expedition. He focuses obsessively on the fate of his “investments” and was a major thorn in the side of the original colonial leadership.
;yang; was always the least-coherent faction. It was only many years after Alpha Centauri that I heard anybody talk about his association with the Chinese philosophy of Legalism. I always got the sense that he was the closest thing to Alpha Centauri's take on a latter-day monarchist. I guess I'm saying that I've never been able to define him to the extent that I have others. What is his governing style? Does he rely on advisers? Does he engage lieutenants? Is he simply Big Brother?
The Hunters of Chiron can be seen as partial Luddites. I think that they would be disposed to a non-hierarchical society characterized by equality to a much greater extent than Santiago. They would not be opposed to private property. Certainly they would not wish to raise children in common. Marsh's belief is that humans are increasingly lazy because of their dependence upon labor-saving devices. I think he is also prone to regarding humanity as the putative master of the physical worlds on which he lands, but in a sense beyond the mere exploitation of resources. I originally envisioned him as a piratical sort, preying upon "weaker" factions, but now I see him as something of a service provider. Presumably they would practice a kind of imprudent popular democracy, prone to impulsiveness and demagoguery. Almost to the extent that they would be constantly in political turmoil, a la the pirate crews depicted in Black Sails. A minor faction.
I've always thought The Estado Novo was the nearest thing to a traditional faction. The focus is on monarchy. Miriam's faction is about fundamentalist kritarky and what happens when men surrender to priests for fear of damnation tomorrow. The Estado Novo is more about what happens when men surrender to other men for fear of starvation or depredation today. The idea is almost Communistic: some get more because they (ostensibly) give more. But there are some who can be allowed more freedoms because their duty is less. Talents eat better, but Civilians can marry whomever they choose. The Knight is an officer by virtue of birth and upbringing, but he is only as successful as the milites he commands. The player can go about deciding how to further legitimate their monarchy.
The Dreamers of Chiron are interested in exploring the depths of the human mind. I think their proposition is that the next stage of human development will be in terms of the evolution of the brain. I agree that they get uncomfortably close to ;yang; in their exploration of the human psyche. Probably this faction will be a minor.
;santi; will be somewhat altered. I expect her to discover that the egalitarian and libertarian impulses of the Holnist crowd is simply incompatible with her much more disciplined plan for organized settlement.
The Beneath are intended to totally replace the Nautlius Pirates.
The Children of the Atom are designed to focus on salvage, hence the emphasis on the Fusion Age. Their main gimmick is their relationship to the salvaged computer core and what it represents in terms of AI. They need more fleshing out.
The New Two Thousand explore what it means to build something on the frontier. I know that distinguishing them from ;morgan; is problematic. My best argument is that Morgan is more representative of, say, a trading company while the New Two Thousand are a direct proprietorship. Morgan is about oligarchy and monopolization of trade flows across Chiron. The New Two Thousand is about one man and his desire to suborn weaker men to his own will.[/list]
I get the idea that he would use any advisers who meet his standards, but I don't know if any do, and he's certainly willing to do it all himself if he has to.
He's not really a monarchist, more of an elitist.
I think it is helpful to conceptualize all of the original and potential factions as trains at the marshaling yard. The original factions are all more-or-less of equal length. Miriam's, Zakharov's, and Deirdre's are probably the trains in which all the cars are full and balanced. Morgan's is right behind. Then one has Santiago's, and, more distantly and with many fewer cars, Yang's and Lal's.
The Believers are a fundamentalist kritarky with a violently evangelical agenda.
Zakharov is simply interested in learning for its own sake, almost indifferent to exile among the stars.
Deirdre hopes to lose herself in the fungus, both literally and figuratively.
Morgan aims at monopoly.
I assume that Yang is about forms of despotism.
Lal's vision is apparently a technocracy, although in implementation he fails to avoid bureaucratic gridlock and the worst aspects of populism.
Regarding the new factions, it is helpful to imagine that I've swapped or added a few cars on the original factions' trains and then put them on specific tracks heading in specific directions. That is, I've sharpened their focus by deciding whether they are "played straight" or subverted. For example, if the University focuses primarily on materials science and organizes along a collegiate model, that opens up space for a faction like the Ascendancy, with its focus on evolutionary biology and geniocratic governing structure.
I made virtually no change to ;miriam; other than to revert to the original faction name (the Conclave) and specify a government type (kritarky, or rule by religious judges). They are aggressive, violently evangelistic,
and opposed to restoration of contact with Earth, interpreting Unity's launch as the dawning of the Apocalypse. According to Miriam's teachings, the Unity crew are all members of the elect, conditional upon their acceptance of Miriam's teachings before the Judgment Day. Salvation depends upon a combination of works and grace: faith and acceptance of the One True God, manifest in specific actions designed to hasten the End Times.
The particulars of Conclave philosophy, including its critical document, the Orange-Catholic Bible (an homage to Dune)
are relatively obscure to outsiders, but, as in Dune, "the faith’s supreme commandment is considered to be, 'Thou shalt not disfigure the soul.'" Master theologian Allophilus Zeander, an early leader in the Evangelical Fire, provided the landmark exposition on the subject, contending that attempts to modify man’s mortality or to imitate too closely the Almighty's singular mastery of the Universe through science – that is, to employ genetic engineering or to develop “thinking machines” to alter the nature of the human condition – constituted explicit rejection of God’s Word.
The big question for ;miriam; is this: how does somebody associated with a religious cult get assigned to a mission like this one?
The problem in explaining the Gaians is how Deirdre manages to develop industry when it is obvious that her ideological preferences would effectively doom her economy from the outset.
I've done a lot of work with ;santi;. By contrast with the hyper-survivalist militias commonly associated with the Holnist movement decades before, the Spartans are, in fact, a very different phenomenon. The Holnist movement was described by a constellation of local "prepper" militias, allegedly libertarian, that metastasized out of the anti-tax, religious freedom, and states' rights or "patriot" movements that first appeared in the 1990s. In practice, these were racist chauvinists with no more practical a program than running off the local assessor while stockpiling food, water, and, above all, ammunition. Certainly there was no framework for participatory politics: the militiamen lynched their own would-be political leadership as enthusiastically as they did any representative of legitimate government. Rather than aid their neighbors, they enslaved them. Holnism emerged as a coherent force just long enough to temporarily shepherd the American West out of the Union, only to collapse under the weight of its own internal contradictions. In the end, the hyper-survivalists were their own worst enemy. Many an early sympathizer who tolerated destruction of Red Cross shelters and National Guard depots later joined the Home Guard units that eventually assisted Federal troops in routing out the last stockades of die-hard secessionists just under two years later. Santiago was a later disciple of a more disciplined generation of rugged individualists emerging in the aftermath of limited nuclear war. Far from overthrowing an existing society, they in fact replace one, later warring with the much stronger remnants of the pre-war government until themselves exhausted. The Spartan creed, like the hyper-survivalist, favored the strong. It also called for martial organization and constant vigilance in the form of relentless military training. Yet whereas the Holnist was often content to squat in his own tailings and at least spoke paeans to private property -- when it could be kept from the hands of stronger rivals -- the Spartan creed demands far more comprehensive sacrifices in the interest of producing a society dominated by a warrior caste. The Holnists might indulge in slavery and concubinage, might play at the business of modern war, but few indeed would have surrendered their children to the common creche or opted into a society disclaiming all personal wealth for common property. ;santi;'s challenge will be to sort the Spartans from the Holnists -- the what from the chaff -- in what remains of her strike force after Planetfall.
I have absolutely no idea, still, what to do with ;yang;. My impulse is to maintain his commitment to Legalism. I suppose he was supposed to explore issues pertaining to consciousness and control. He was to be Big Brother, as it were. I think we can afford to be sharper indeed. I know this: Yang propounds a philosophy emphasizing three pillars: 法 (Fa), or law, meaning that the law is known, and obeyed because systematically enforced; 術 (Shu), or method, whereby the ruler holds himself apart from society and "special tactics and secrets" to obscure his motivations, reducing the opportunity for confidants to influence him except through their obeisance of the law; and 勢 (Shi), or legitimacy, which focuses on drawing distinctions between the ruler and the man. Of course, Yang is an enthusiastic student of surveillance methods and compliance enforcement technologies. I could nevertheless see him pursuing obedience through a combination of the lash and good, old Bradbury-style book burning than using drugs or other techniques to insert his consciousness directly into a shared reality.
In terms of the Hunters, it's less that Marsh is a Luddite than that he is determined to remain the master of the technology at his disposal. Unlike ;deidre;, Marsh is able to conceive of Chiron as a worthy opponent even as he understands that it is vulnerable to total destruction.
My sense for The Estado Novo was that it explores what some men are willing to give up for safety and security. It is a meditation on collective security. What does one do when there is no law? They submit to a stronger power. The priesthood, in this case, is a tool. Indeed, we might think of them as other than priests. Their role is to pacify downward and legitimate upward.
The Dreamers open the possibility, I'd think, of gameplay in a second, virtual realm. Again, however, I could see them as a minor faction existing to provide mercenaries and items to the player factions unless and until destroyed.
The Children of the Atom are really the "E.T. phone home" faction, combined with a leadership that apparently takes their orders from a supercomputer. Yea or nay?
The New Two Thousand. Van de Graaf is an instrumentalist, but whereas Morgan has abundant emotional intelligence, van de Graaf applies brute force. Both are great capitalists, but van de Graaf is concerned primarily to convert his wealth to power over other men because he wishes to dictate their fate in a historical endeavor. Morgan is more traditional in his ambitions, preferring luxury. Presumably the Morganites are run by a merchant oligarchy, their society is over-weened, and their military comprised almost exclusively of mercenaries. Van de Graaf hearkens back to one of those Old West cattle barons trying to use the power of the law to compel other men to give up what their own sweat has earned them. He does this with the help of a retinue of private "colonial marshals" -- private security men hired for that purpose back on Earth. I imagine that there would be a lot of tension between the "old line" settlers who paid van de Graaf up front and have something to offer his colony in terms of valuable skills, and newcomers who will be expected to earn their way out of indentured servitude or some similar wretchedness. Does that help any?
What does this correspond to? If it's game balance, everybody seems to have a different take on which factions are stronger and weaker...
Not exactly; at the beginning of the game, I don't think she really knows what she wants, other than to avoid the ecological harm done to Earth. Later on, she becomes Planet's advocate in council, and then helps it achieve its potential.
Not really. As I see it, Yang uses harsh despotism (associated with the legalism that was apparently a major focus of the design idea behind him) as a means to an end, because he's been stuck with a population of which the vast majority are (by his standards) shallow, self-centered, unmotivated losers (basically, normal people). In principle, he would have nothing against a democracy, if all the people were the sort of disciplined, enlightened individuals that he himself is.
I don't think Lal wants a technocracy. Zakharov wants a technocracy, Lal wants a liberal democracy.
This does not fit. Anyone who was that focused on the End Times probably wouldn't have gone on the Unity mission in the first place and risked missing the action (which, given the state of things, was clearly coming any day now, and probably already started).
The homage is nice, but the Conclave Bible is mentioned too often in the blurbs to be worth removing.
That's far more anti-science than even ;miriam; is shown to be...and doesn't fit well with how I read the ending quotes and statements. The Conclave is suspicious of science, no question, but isn't going to say "no, absolutely not"...
Quote from: YitziWhat does this correspond to? If it's game balance, everybody seems to have a different take on which factions are stronger and weaker...
The trains correspond not to relative power, but to the extent to which I think each faction has a thorough identity.
We're still dealing, for the most part, with an individual who arrogates all decisions to himself and essentially inculcates blind loyalty on the part of his followers using various forms of social control, aren't we?
I thought Lal had a bit of social engineering in him. I could be incorrect. It makes no matter to me. I am happy for him to be the generic democrat.
I'm not absolutely wedded to the concept, but I still think it plausible. I'm not sure how profitable it is to debate the interior theology of a cultist.
I'd totally forgotten that fictional document until reading your post. Nice catch! I can live with the Conclave Bible. Perhaps the Orange-Catholic faith competes?
I don't think that the original Alpha Centauri dealt very well with the question of artificial intelligence and the extent to which sentient machines may inspire hesitation or misgiving in their human creators.
I think the Conclave would be more or less at ease with contemporary medicine but less comfortable with the harvesting and use of embryonic stem cells, certain types of genetic engineering, and the creation of autonomous thinking machines. That doesn't preclude the use of computers altogether.
Ask Marsh, and he'll say, "Because I understand the philosophy of survival on the knife's edge. My philosophy will teach you to be master of this, or any, domain by combining keen understanding of yourself with deep knowledge and respect for your environment."
Ask van de Graff, and he'll say, "Because I have hand-picked an expedition most likely to be able to endure." (He actually recruited out from under the multinational expedition proper.)
Ask the Dreamers, and their leadership would tell you, "Because we have realized that Chiron is wrecking changes to the human psyche heretofore unsuspected, and we are working to unravel that mystery."
Ask the Beneath, and they'd say, "Because survival is only probable beneath Chiron's seas."
Ask the Children of the Atom and they'd say, "Because we have retained the only thinking machine, and can plan better than any other faction."
Ask the Estado Novo, and they would say, "Because we have perfected a society uniquely suited to the requirements of life on Chiron, shielding our weak and reinforcing our strong."
I see all of the original 7 as having thorough identities.
Definitely, but (as Journey to Centauri indicates), he does seem to want an "elite" alongside him, who would presumably have freedoms in proportion to their enlightenment. The police state is for control of the masses.
His approach to social engineering is just "more freedoms". Look at his quotes, especially the faction blurb.
I think it can definitely be discussed, but I don't think the concept is particularly plausible. Someone who's expecting God to save them isn't going to go to another planet when things get bad.
Perhaps...maybe the Orange-Catholic is a more liberal/laid-back approach, popular among religious members of the Peacekeepers, Morganites, and Gaians.
I think it did discuss it somewhat...and while ;miriam; definitely fits "hesitation or misgiving" with regard to such matters (just read her quotes, and it jumps out), she doesn't seem to go as far as the outright ban that you described.
So a more "outdoorsy" take on ;santi;? That might work...
So now it sounds like his ideal is "a small, select elite". But wouldn't that necessarily mean that he'll have a much smaller group, in order to only take the best?
Ah...so similar to ;zak; but focused on psychology. Interesting, and could work...
That's not really ideological enough to fit with the original 7.
Ok, so now it sounds like a "role for everyone" sort of ideology, which actually could work quite well.
Still, I think that a blurb and diplomacy lines for all of them will help give them more character.
Quote from: YitziDefinitely, but (as Journey to Centauri indicates), he does seem to want an "elite" alongside him, who would presumably have freedoms in proportion to their enlightenment. The police state is for control of the masses.
Geniocratic, then? A divided focus on what it takes to "build" the ideal ruler and the various compliance techniques required to suppress the huddled masses?
I've never really known what to make of his faction. He talks about the importance of transparency, and yet the whole bureaucratic element can be construed (in some renditions) to partially cut against that. It depends on one's point of view, I suppose, whether or not grand mal concessions to cultural taboos (say, against vaccination) are a "liberal" value.
I figured she'd interpret the Unity mission as the device designed to ferry her people to Salvation. Hence why every colonist is technically a member of the Elect.
That's certainly a possibility. I figured that the Novo Estado would be the most-religious, after the Believers, but I agree with your general sense of religiosity overall.
I've always felt that human alienation from "true" thinking machines was one of the more plausible aspects of the Dune story, if rejection of all computers entirely seemed stupid.
Less inclined toward instilling discipline and values according to one particular methodology (i.e., military drill). Taking care, like the Gaians, to manage their settlements in symptico with Chiron's "moods," although inclined to fight back when the opportunity presents itself (e.g., by clear-cutting xenofungus).
The idea is that he took a few hundred family groups and some number of single contractors and put together what he felt was the ideal colony in terms of knowledge, skills, and abilities.
I might need to look more closely at the history of early settlements in the U.S. and craft him more closely into a Cotton Mather type.
Precisely. That, and dream-walking.
A faction committed to a revival of Greek concepts of civic virtue, arete, worship of a pantheon of gods according to the dictates of one's conscience, and cultural heterogeneity?
The Children of the Atom would not have a very coherent ideology, no. Still, they'd have a unique identity. Is that worth keeping them in the rotation?
I'm game. Is there somewhere I can go for their blurbs and diplomacy lines?
Similar to geniocratic, but he seems more concerned with discipline and hard work and self-denial than with simple creative intelligence.
I think he certainly does have some internal contradictions...that may be a direct result of his general "try to please everybody/try to get everybody to work together" approach.
Except her tendency toward preaching doesn't seem to really fit that...
I think it is definitely a plausible approach that society might take, but it is emphatically not the approach taken in SMAC.
So a sort of Harmony-focused ? Could be interesting...
Such a small group would necessarily be a minor faction...but yes, that sort of "planned society" probably would fit well with the flavor of SMAC.
But dream-walking is the method, not the ideology.
I'd say ditch the religious and cultural heterogeneity aspects, and just have the focus on arete.
Each faction file has all that material. The context of most of the diplomacy lines can be found (with the Gaians as a sample) in alphax.txt.
I presume that his emphasis on these traits applies to all his subjects but that he would expect his Talents to apply themselves to the close study of a certain set of arts and disciplines, mastery of which would be considered the prerequisite for receiving prefectural authority.
I think, if Lal is the simple democrat, I might add Archimedes' Exiles, a faction led by an engineer and former designer of prisons. The Exiles believe that all aspects of society should be planned by qualified professionals.
Why not? It would still be obvious that some of the putative Elect have wayward tendencies.
Sure, but this is one area in which I think deviation is warranted.
There’s no ideology per se.
I think the religious and cultural precepts would be useful here. It leads to a highly tolerant society with a great many cross-cutting influences.
The Hunters of Chiron
#HUNTER
The Hunters of Chiron, The Hunters, Hunters, H, 1, Marsh, H, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1,
Politics, Democratic, MORALE
Politics, Police State, nil
Hunter, Patrol,
J.T., Marsh, High Hide
Warden, keen, bloodthirsty, vigilant, savage,
Useless Squatter
adopt the attitude of the knife
to strive, to seek, to find, and to yield
engaging in all manner of uncivilized behaviors, to include rustling, poaching, smuggling, and piracy
engaging in all manner of uncivilized behaviors, to include rustling, poaching, smuggling, and piracy
piss down my back and tell me it rains
sharpening his knife and licking his chops
sharpening your knife and licking your chops
provoking Planet against us all
blatant piracy, M1
wildlands management, M1
piratical behaviors, M2
subscription, M1
daring to excel
the Main Force Patrol
the Law of the Jungle
“Architects tell us that form follows function, but the man in the bush knows that function must needs follow form. We are now, through a combination of indolence and indulgence, abandoning mastery of our form. Motion and excellence -- progress -- have somehow become inconveniences, better left to machines."
-- J.T. Marsh, “The Hunters of Chiron”
#DATALINKS1
^LEADER: {Jeremy Tanner (“J.T.”) Courtenay Marsh}
^BACKGROUND: Kenya, CIP Game Warden
^AGENDA: {Pursuit of physical and mental excellence through adversarial relationship with Chiron}
^
#DATALINKS2
^+1 PLANET: {Conditioned to study the natural environment}
#FACTIONTRUCE
“If it’s all the same to you, $NAME1, I’d just as soon not die for no very good reason. Don’t let’s go to the dogs tonight. Only buggers what profit are the worms.”
“Sense in those words, I admit.”
“In for a penny…”
#FACTIONTREATY
“‘Never run the war path alone,’ that’s what I always say. Been cutting the same trail a long time, your mates an’ mine. Figure it’s time we made it official.”
“All right. Let’s do that.”
“I hear that it is customary to hang a poacher. Call me a traditionalist.”
#BREAKTREATY
“Say, #NAME1? No slander to say there’s many a clever trick done by an overlander.”
#DREAMER
The Dreamers of Chiron, The Dreamers, Sonambulist, H, 1, Cobb and Cohen, H, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1,
Values, Knowledge, PROBE
?, ?, nil
Hunter, Hunter,
Roshann and Aleigha, Cobb and Cohen, The Fountainhead
Tai-Pan, Director, imponderable, genius, vacant, visionary, effortless, skillful, bloodless, boot-licking,
Addict, Lackey
to plot the turbulent tributaries of the fully awakened mind
to plumb fully the mysteries we are only now beginning to perceive
measuring your scientific progress in the shattered minds of those unlucky enough to fall into your clutches
measuring their scientific progress in the shattered minds of those unlucky enough to fall into their clutches
obliterate our identities by coming and going and taking and leaving as you please
even now, devising all manner of reprehensible tests, and us the unsuspecting subjects
planning a little visit to extract what is not your own
proliferating a knowledge that must be suppressed
idea theft, M1
identifying the first of us born with new sensitivities to our fellow men, M1
endless nightmare, M2
toll, M1
falling toward apotheosis
the Asset Control Division
the Rules of Extraction
"Name the most resilient parasite. A bacterium? A virus? An intestinal worm? No. The most resilient parasite is an idea. Explosive. Highly contagious. Once formed in the brain, an idea is impossible to erradicate. My scientists tell me that even what is allegedly forgetten is still in there... somewhere. I haven't got a map. That, I admit freely. But I do have a lovely box of dynamite."
-- Roshann Cobb, “The Art of Extraction”
#DATALINKS1
^LEADER: {Roshann Cobb and Aleigha Cohen}
^BACKGROUND: Hong Kong, Proprietor; Myanmar, Chief of Neurosurgery
^AGENDA: {Understand significant neurological mutations among the CIP crew}
^
#DATALINKS2
?
#FACTIONTRUCE
“By day, you make war, but by night, you dream of peace.”
“I guess that makes you my personal genie.”
“‘Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon.’”
#FACTIONTREATY
“As we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know that there are known unknowns; that is to say, we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns – the ones we don't know we don't know. And finally, there are the unknown knowns; things we used to know but no longer remember. I can help with that.”
“Total recall? Works for me.”
“You have the look of an addict, and are no more convincing.”
#BREAKTREATY
“It was all a dream.”
Sounds right.
So somewhere in between ;yang; and ;zak;...could be interesting.
But the absence of cross-cutting influences is a large part of what characterizes the original SMAC factions.
So he'd tend to run Democratic? Interesting...
Was there supposed to be a "not" in there?
Looks good, although they still are fairly similar to ;zak;.
That said, I would change the bonuses they would get. I'd say give them significant fungus bonuses (but no PLANET bonus), a SUPPORT bonus, and RESEARCH and EFFICIENCY penalties.
Faction leader is Sardul Singh, a supervising engineer aboard the Unity. Singh is from Jodhpur, India, son of a provincial inspector of prisons. He studied engineering and civic planning at the Indian Institutes of Technology. A former member of the Indian Parliament, he is notable for designing several maximum security prisons and planned nuclear cities in India, Russia, and China.
His psych profile is that of the planner. His file refers to a strong belief in the power of planned communities to complement social and criminal rehabilitation and promote physical and mental well-being, spurring productivity. He has a near-pathological commitment to order and economization, leaning heavily on operant conditioning as a tool of governance.
As a faction, they would presumably be characterized by increased efficiency, strong policing, reduced morale, and a planned economy. Probably their advantage has to do with drones.
Can you tell that I am indebted to Sigma for much of the text below? Cheers! Happy to remove it if he objects.
The Archimedes Group
#ARCHIMEDES
The Archimedes Group, Communitarians, Communitarians, H, 1, Singh, H, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1,
Economics, Planned, EFFICIENCY
I mean to say, I think they'd be one of the more tolerant factions.
No. He's supposed to be successful. :)
One of the significant problems I'd like you to help me consider is that virtually every scientist of note -- Zakharov, Cohen, and Pahlavi -- is an ethical deviant of the highest caliber.
That sounds about right. Why a SUPPORT bonus?
Let's try The New Two Thousand...
#TWOTHOUSAND
The New Two Thousand, The Empresario, Two Thousand, M, 2, Van de Graaf, M, 1, 1, 0, 1, 0
TECH, Command
Economics, Free Market, SUPPORT
Politics, Democracy, nil
Oscar, van de Graaf, Nova Terra
Captain-General, daring, egotistical, visionary, double-dealing,
Rampant Egotist
demonstrate the viability of the planned colony on Chiron
to build a meritocratic society of the Chosen, founded on the right to enjoyment of private property
seizing what is rightfully yours and calling it his own
seizing what is rightfully mine and calling it your own
empowering his tin-star marshals to impound whatever goods -- or people -- they happen to run across
carping on about the litany wrongs done to him
carping on about the litany of wrongs done to you
committing the latter-day equivalent of cattle-rustling
absconding with things not your own
absconding with things not your own, M2
taming bravely this strange new world, M1
colonial expansion, M2
stake, M1
securing a claim in the greatest enterprise of the present age
the Colonial Marshals
The Settlement Charter
#BLURB
^"The cornerstone of the American dream is each man's inalienable right to the enjoyment of his own property. This notion is enshrined in the law. It was sanctified by the blood of our ancestors. A man's land, it is his patrimony. A man's possessions, they are a part of his legacy. In right society, my property cannot be taxed but I am given a say in how those proceeds are spent. My property cannot be seized but I am given fair value in return.
We had a written agreement, Quoyle and myself. My property -- my people -- were subject to his writ for two years, reverting to my sole possession, free and clear, at the conclusion of that period. The purpose of that agreement was to secure the future of a unified colony. Well now Quoyle and that colony are dead. The contract is broken, my property scattered. I mean to recover that property by any and all means available to me."
-- Oscar van de Graaf, "Notes on Arrival"
#DATALINKS1
^LEADER: {Oscar van de Graaf}
^AGENDA: {to build a meritocratic society of the Chosen, founded on the right to enjoyment of private property}
^TECH: {Doctrine: Command}
#DATALINKS2
^+1 SUPPORT: {Contingency planning for virtually any eventuality}
^+X WEALTH: {Hand-picked settlers pooled collective wealth}
^+25% defensive combat bonus: {Armed retainers}
#FACTIONTRUCE
"You know what's going to happen in the morning? The whole lot of my boys'll be out, occupy the high ground, move through that pretty valley there, and have at your town. You will fight valiantly, and be butchered valiantly! And afterwards, men will thump their chests and say what a brave cause it was, too! But you'll be dead and gone. Figured I'd give you a chance to reason. You sure you're shooting at the right people?"
"As you say, this whole series of events has been an unfortunate mistake."
"I have some bad news for you: the cavalry aren't coming."
#FACTIONTREATY
"$TITLE0 $NAME1, I'd sooner have a good neighbor than a good fence."
"You've got one. Where do I sign?"
"I know what happens to those who make their mark on the dotted line. You better just light a shuck for home."
#BREAKTRUCE
"Bad news, bucko: You're bought out."
So their favored setting decreases their favored value? That's extremely unusual...
That would probably result from a focus on arete anyway...no need to make it part of their core ideology.
The phrase is "and not to yield", meaning to be successful.
You're missing one very important exception: ;deidre; is a scientist.
Every faction leader who thinks science will solve all problems is an ethical deviant of the highest caliber...and the reason for that should be obvious.
Living off the land, and minimal advanced/needs-to-be-replaced-often equipment.
Sounds like he's unethical in his pursuit of wealth, knows it, and really doesn't care, but keeps up the pretense of "for the good of the mission" in the same way that people like Capone would take on the trappings of culture...could be interesting, though a sincerely villainous faction is definitely not in the flavor of the original factions.
Would you believe that I've always interpreted the use of "yield" in that sentence to mean "produce," not "refuse surrender"?
Touché, although I think it possible to have a scientist who acknowledges the legitimacy of the popular will, even if he or she disagrees with it.
I just worry that the science-focused factions suffer from (A) seeming artificially linear in their focus on particular disciplines (e.g., materials science, genetics, fusion, neuropsych, xenobiology)
and (B) too much similarity in their mad rush to break all known ethical safeguards.
I've always thought that Zakharov would have been more interesting as a distinctly "New Soviet man" type, but building the alternate history to favor a longer-lasting USSR, or placing his birth as far back as the 1970s, was just too hard or too implausible, respectively.
I figured that stood for efficiency more than support, but I see that you're talking about support from a base.
The issue here is that I think Marsh's faction would be numerically very small.
Originally, I figured that there would be some good in him. He does have values other than wealth and the enjoyment of luxury, which I think sets him apart from Morgan. The issue is that van de Graaf was a patriot, and nationalism doesn't really have a place in Alpha Centauri. For the same reasons, I've been struggling with the idea of a faction of genocide survivors who were put aboard as a kind of collective apology, led by an Erik Lensherr/Magneto madman type determined to take vengeance on the other factions and to prevent re-contact with Earth.
Van de Graaf is a meditation on the good and evil of the early rancher. Themes hinted at in the work of Louis L'Amour. What does it take to tame a wilderness? L'Amour, who otherwise always wrote about morally upright men, occasionally seemed to suggest that civilized society had been made possible only because hard men had jealously defended their initially precarious (and often legally dubious) positions years (sometimes decades) before. There was this idea that it was OK to ride into strange country and disposes other big men, and the justification was in the poetry of having the grit and wit to do so -- either implication or actual evidence of being the superior steward from a civilization standpoint. Might made right as often as right made might.
Van de Graaf feels used by the mission leadership. He feels that they abused the terms of a contract that he signed so that the colony could benefit at his (van de Graaf's) personal expense.
As for evil, I think Yang is/was always palpably evil. So too Miriam. Lal was the only truly "good guy" that I remember encountering after Garland's death. The rest were implied to be quite insane. Morgan was perhaps neutral.
Which is an incorrect usage; to produce is to be yielded to (by the land or whatever), not to yield oneself.As I mentioned, I read it in the context of the Scott expedition and his death.
Definitely, but such would simply be a -type who happens to be a scientist; someone who holds science above all else will not accept the legitimacy of the will of non-scientists.How many faction leaders do we really need who hold scientists above all else? Are we nearing overkill?
doesn't really have any particular focus; he may speak somewhat more about physics and materials science, but I think he really respects all science equally.In the original game, yes. If we are adding Pahlavi and Cohen, the one focused on biological science, the other on neuropsych, then perhaps it makes sense to posit that Zakharov is a materials scientist primarily? Pahlavi and Cohen are otherwise nothing more than a female takes on one potential road that could be taken with Zakharov.
It's not an alternate history. It's a future history that's become dated. At the time SMAC was produced, all the relevant events were still in the future. (For that matter, the Unity launch still isn't until next year.)Right, but in order to make Zakharov a product of the Soviet educational system, I’d need to create a corresponding alternative history. Writing a detailed “future history” was difficult enough.
That would just mean they'd have less forces period; what they have would still be easier to support.Ah! I see now.
None of that is universal enough to be its SMAC-style ideology, though.It’s not an ideology, but it is a governing style and a set of ethics, which comes very close. Van de Graaf is the “big man” of Western lore; the rancher, the jefe, the plantation owner. He is at once entrepreneur and king, but his aspirations are uniquely local. He is given license to set the rules and to break them, but he is expected to be the bulwark against the storm.
Not really; each faction leader (at least among the original 7, and of the SMAX factions at least the aliens) can be seen both positively and negatively:That’s certainly true, but as I’ve said before, I’m not sure whether it was the game that defined Yang well or simply players who later imposed a bit of sense on what was previously nonsensical.
So, with the proviso that JarlWolf is going to offer new food for thought on this subject of factions, have we reached a critical mass from which we can proceed?
One open question that I still have is whether folks think that associating particular ideologies with distinctive (but not exclusive) national and religious identities would be useful. For example, stipulating that Yang especially well among East and Southeast Asian colonists, as well as the apparatchiks of Communist countries, while Deirdre tended to pick up the same people who vote green in Western Europe today?
The next step, after that, is to settle on whether the game would benefit from any alternate history (e.g., Russia stays Communist after 1991) or if we should restrict efforts to "future history" only. I then intend to start posting segments of my proposed future history for critique.
I think a weak association would work very well, but a solid "nationality X is always of faction Y" would not work at all.
We have to change astronomical fact (IIRC, we now know that Alpha Centauri A has no habitable planets), so alternate history isn't such a big deal.
Hunters of Chiron should be more focused on survival as a whole, while Santiago was more focused on military dominance. Hunters of Chiron should be fairly safeguarded, vigilant communities that are wary and distrustful of the local wildlife, and perhaps want to terraform fairly fast.I just want to make sure that we are all on the same page regarding the distinctions between survival, survivalism, and the kind of society envisioned by Santiago. Survival is the literal act of successfully eeking out a living on Chiron. That is, not succumbing to the hostile natural environment. Every faction leader has a specific opinion about what is required to do that. I think we agree that Marsh believes that every faction member needs to cultivate a certain amount of savvy with respect to negotiating Chiron’s harshness – and unlike Lady Deirdre, he doesn’t expect that harmony will always prevail.
Bonuses would be increased terraforming speed, 1+ support due to communal supports and adaptive citizens, 20% defence bonus. Free perimeter defence.
Disadvantages would include, -2 Planet due to their destructive attitude to the local wildlife, -1 police due to rather independent communities and the need for people's security, as they will demand protection.I can’t honestly see a malus to Planet. Perhaps structures and units would be more costly? I could certainly see negative modifiers to Industry and Growth, reflecting the Hunters’ semi-nomadic lifestyle.
I imagine this faction as frontier survivors who are concerned with survival, building community. They would likely have aversion to green as its prohibitive of their expansion. They would would have no real preferences of what they like as they are willing to adopt any system, maybe power if you wish to choose.
As for how aggressive they are, normal. They aren't overly aggressive, aggression is tool to be used wisely.
Human Ascendancy is more focused on genetics, it is very much like Sigmas Genearch faction. Faction seems fairly fine as it stands, it varies from the blind pursuit of knowledge and instead focuses on human physiological perfection. Should not grow heavy in population, should be very controlling of population growth and taking great care for developing human fetus and growth of population and traits found. Very rigorous observation, may even be police state. Maybe not as authoritarian in other matters, however and quite liberal. Brave new world inference.I completely agree. Your proposed bonuses and maluses look good, too. I’d say, however, that the preference is Power, not Eudaimonic.
If anything, it is much like Yang's hive, except instead of social engineering experimentation, it is defining the best physiological development for humans.
Estado Novo should use terms carefully more. Fascism is not intentionally made in mind with caste system, as fascism is to promote a group identity and conformity to serve a leadership, exclusive to others outside their own group. Society is fine, but should go into detail why they cling to tradition so much and revert to feudalistic castes. What is reason they did this? What prompted this on Chiron?I think the idea is that settlement is being equate with a new Dark Age. The original storyline was that the Unity XO, a Portuguese named Francisco D’Almeida, theorized that there should be a direct correlation between an individual’s potential contribution to a future colony and his enjoyment of its fruits. (This idea is further reflected in the idea that the upper castes are also subject to various social controls that help sustain the born aristocracy, whereas those with less significant duties are allowed to run amok as they will.
Issues with the Dreamers of Chiron is you seem to have many authoritarian factions.
I was indeed thinking that the Hunters would be on the smaller side. I'd guess that the largest factions might be the Conclave (religious emphasis on procreation), the Estado Novo (in order to ensure an adequate labor supply, peons are encouraged to have large families), and the Labyrinth (cast-offs from forced breeding programs are destined either for the drone bays or the killing fields, so he isn't worried about having too many mouths to feed). I'd say that factions on the smaller side would include the Hunters, the Ascendancy, and the Dreamers. The Spartans, too, although largely because Santiago would have landed with a relatively small force of stowaways relative to the number of expedition survivors overall.
I do think it would be fun to have a Soviet-style faction, and in fact my alternate history does provide for the resurgence of exactly the kind of ultra-nationalist Communism in Russia that you describe (following a period of prolonged authoritarianism under Putin and like-minded successors). I suppose I could go in a very different direction and instead go with a monarchy as the logical pinnacle of hypernationalistic "thug-o-cracy." I'm amenable to that.
Sure, there's room for a communist faction. Am I correct to understand that your version of communism isn't actually based on the philosophies of Karl Marx? Let's assume for a moment that the liberation of workers elsewhere means nothing to this proposed faction (which is, I think, what you have tried to say) -- that it's essentially an insular kibbutz. I think, at some point, that faction would be struggling to figure out how to overcome the inherent limitations on risk-taking that exist in a society where all property is communal.
I'd guess that the Chiron Probe crews would have acclimated to Chiron's nitrogen-rich atmosphere by the time the Unity arrives so many years later.
I wouldn't think that most factions would feature arcologies, although I could be underestimating the hostility of Chiron's natural environment.
A genetic modification ought to be possible
Where did you get off to, Yitzi? I could use another few rounds of that first-class analysis!
I'm also thinking to do a faction based on a Kurtz-like character, as well as something rooted in fascism, unless you figure that the Estado Novo is already fascist enough.
I'm trying to think of what distinctive ideology a Kurtz-type figure might have that would distinguish them from either Santiago or Marsh.
The horror; the horror!
Well Kurtz is a religious movement, for one thing. Everybody's seen the movie, if not read their Conrad. Make it something like God's Honored Dead among themselves, and you've got something - it sure ain't the God Miriam is after, it's Kurtz, or at least Kurtz is the prophet. A mad, mad, barking mad warrior religion, barking mad being key.
Probably elements of Mithraic thinking only with lots more blood sacrifice - of the human kind. They just eat the bulls. Maybe even some cultic ritual cannibalism, eating the enemies' hearts to take their strength. Betcha they may have been doing it in the movie offscreen.
This is going very dark, which isn't my customary style.
quasi-religious group warrior ethos rather than culticThe special forces unit, again - those guys can and do go way beyond the customary infantry band of brothers stuff.
I don't see them being especially nature-savvy. That's Marsh's territory, isn't it?Not savvy - just fighters capturing and using basic Pavlov. Doing it the hard way is part of the point...
Yes. Warriors who have forgotten how to stop fighting is precisely what we're going for here.
So, +1 square of sight or movement over rough terrain? I wanted to give them a starting rover to reflect the tools they had on-hand at the time of the exodus from the main settlement.
++morale and COMBAT 125 combined makes this a too strong faction offensively. An offensive player might use this faction this way to gain an edge by perpetual conquest of bases to get population. I'd change the COMBAT with a free Empath Song ability. If the 'hunter' succesfully stalks native life, victory is theirs. if vice-versa, see you in hell. :hunter:
To 'force' bases to be kept small (outpost sized), the hab complex limiter could be used.
I see 10 modifiers there. Have you checked if all 10 of them are enabled ingame? I thought there was a hard limit of 8 modifiers (excluding certain modifiers which I don't know out of my head) in the faction.txt file.
The creative element is pretty excellent. It's got a thematic hook, and is well-expressed.
Of course. That's a moby dick issue. I was just talking about the creative end which is my focus. The original seven did a pretty good job of hogging the most evocative universal themes and ruining it for every faction that followed
++morale and COMBAT 125 combined makes this a too strong faction offensively. An offensive player might use this faction this way to gain an edge by perpetual conquest of bases to get population. I'd change the COMBAT with a free Empath Song ability.
There is such a limit, and none of those are the excluded modifiers. Also, ++PROBE would have to be SOCIAL, ++PROBE and similarly for the others, and COMBAT is not a valid modifier (you'd have to do OFFENSE and DEFENSE separately, raising it to 11.)
The creative element is pretty excellent. It's got a thematic hook, and is well-expressed.
Okay, so we swap out the broken COMBAT 125 bonus for a free Empath Song ability. Do you by chance know how that's coded? ;)
You never checked the smacwiki? :o
Read the attached guides.
As for giving a faction a free ability, the Pirates can be used as an example with their Marine Detachment ability.
But it should be FREEABIL, 11 - the 12th ability in the #ABILITIES section of alphax.txt.
Quote from: GeoYou never checked the smacwiki? :o
Read the attached guides.
As for giving a faction a free ability, the Pirates can be used as an example with their Marine Detachment ability.
But it should be FREEABIL, 11 - the 12th ability in the #ABILITIES section of alphax.txt.
I did read them, but I'm afraid I wasn't always able to make sense of the directions.
So, we're swapping out COMBAT 125 for FREEABIL, 11. ++PROBE becomes SOCIAL, ++PROBE, correct? What else do we need to do?
TECH, Doctrine: Mobility, ++PROBE, --GROWTH, +PLANET, +EFFIC, --POLICE, ++MORALE, -ECONOMY, -RESEARCH, COMBAT 125TECH, Doctrine: Mobility, SOCIAL, ++PROBE, SOCIAL, --GROWTH, SOCIAL, +PLANET, SOCIAL, +EFFIC,
SOCIAL, --POLICE, SOCIAL, ++ MORALE, SOCIAL, -ECONOMY, SOCIAL, -RESEARCH, OFFENSE, 125, DEFENSE, 125TECH, Doctrine: Mobility, SOCIAL, ++PROBE, SOCIAL, --GROWTH, SOCIAL, +PLANET, SOCIAL,
+EFFIC, SOCIAL, --POLICE, SOCIAL, ++ MORALE, SOCIAL, -ECONOMY, SOCIAL, -RESEARCH, PSI, 25Since you always ask, edited to not make the page display extra-wide... ;)
To clarify, I am looking for members of the development team at this time.
I am especially interested in graphic designers who can help with maps, icons, and graphics for a planned wiki. I am also open to expressions of interest and faction ideas from players but cannot accept firm claims at this time.
Cheers!
Welcome, Eadee! We're more than happy to have you join the discussion. Always looking for folks to add to the development crew -- especially if they've got the ability to contribute special items like maps and icons!Thank you, I'm quite excited to help with this. A to-do list concerning the materials we need would be great. I work best on request (ok not best, but I work much faster that way).
In terms of faction claims, I'm willing to recognize them now. Any particular faction you have in mind to play?Honestly since I didn't know until now that I can sign up as a player the factions fell under "tl;dr". So now that I know there is a chance to get involved as a player I'm gonna have a look at them closely. :)
In terms of the tech tree, can we schedule a time to chat? Have you got Skype?I do. Check your PM inbox for the account name.
Eadee, with respect to the Novo Estado, they focus on the idea that some men are born to serve, and others to rule. They are based on the examples of Italian and Portuguese fascism, which were steeped in social conservatism. I also took inspiration for the example of feudalism: some men are born to rule, others to serve; each caste is characterized by its own obligations and privileges. The faction is partly a meditation on what is owed by the strong to the weak, and on what terms. I envision the leader, Dom Francisco d'Almeida, as a rather cynical individual who believes that his personal dynamism makes him naturally fit to lead others -- and to receive their obedience in return. Are you comfortable with that?
#ROY
Royal Realm of the Rising, The Royal, Royals, F, Pahalē, F, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0,
TECH, Brain, SOCIAL, -PLANET, SOCIAL, +MORALE, SOCIAL, -ECONOMY, SOCIAL, -EFFIC, SOCIAL, ++SUPPORT, IMPUNITY, FUNDAMENTAL,
VOTES, 0.5 FREEFAC, 22
Politics, Fundamental, RESEARCH
Politics, Democratic, nil
Royal, Roy.,
Charon, Gallahan, Arc of Charon
Highness, merciful, snotty, exalted, childish
[Together we shall both] lead our people [and]
[My intent is] lead my people through the stages of Ascension
[She is bent on] imposing her ridiculous believes on all of us
[You seem bent on] imposing your ridiculous believes on all of us
[I shall not stand here while you] brainwash every single person on Planet
[She spends her time] drinking tea and combing her hair
[You spend your time] drinking tea and combing your hair
[I have been accused of] oppressing my own people
[Your] lofty manner [does not impress me]
[Think how this could benefit your] glorious lineage and its memorial
[I trust your] adulations [are proceeding to your satisfaction]
[It is customary to remit me a small] tithe [...]
[...for the services my forces provide in] leading humanity through the stages of Ascension
[I shall instruct] the Knights [to see that no such]
[You are in contravention of] the instruction to the Ascension of the human race
#BASES
The Prophets Crib
Royal Palace
The Round Table
Wallfahrtsort
Castle [...]
[...]keep
#WATERBASES
Moated Castle
Depths of Thought
Though I shall fall twice while you fall once, my soul shall return to you. As the first child sired on Planet I shall be
the first in our ranks and lead humankind on its way through ascension.
^
^ -Prophet Kirshan Divari
^ "The Prophecy of Planetfall"
#DATALINKS1
^LEADER: {Pahalē}
^BACKGROUND: {Born on Planet, Reincarnation of the Prophet Kirshan Divari}
^AGENDA: {Ascension, of the individual through reincarnation and of humankind as a whole through evolution and research.}
^TECH: {Secrets of the Human Brain}
^
#DATALINKS2
^-1 PLANET {ruthless exploitation of Planets ressources}
^+1 MORALE {strong believe in the royal caste}
^-1 ECONOMY {a big part of the wealth is spent on temples}
^-1 EFFICENCY {energy wasted on rivalries between fiefdoms}
^+2 SUPPORT {military supplied by the fiefdoms}
^Impunity to Fundamentalism {the nobility leads the way through Ascension}
^-50% Votes for Planetary Governour and Supreme Leader {lower castes lack suffrage}
^Free GENEJACK FACTORY at every Base when discovered {lower castes are enhanced by force}
#FACTIONTRUCE
"Humankind suffered too long because of our differences $NAME1, let us end this bloodshed before we fall to far.”
[Acceptance dialogue] “Well spoken, let us end this bloodshed here and now.”
[Rejection dialogue] "Too late $NAME3. Now you will pay for your hubris."
#FACTIONTREATY
“$TITLE0 $NAME1, your achievements prove the nobility of your blood. Would you be inclined to sign a Treaty of Friendship?
You might even be able to marry-in into one of our noble houses.”
[Acceptance dialogue] “I feel flattered, your Highness. It will be a pleasure to sign this treaty."
[Rejection dialogue] "You will have to coninue your inbreeding, I'm not interested."
;
; Faction draft
;
; FACTION FILE: The Crystal Ladder
;
;
;
;
;
;
;
#LADDER
The Crystal Ladder, The Sociologist, Ladder, M, 2, ???, M, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0,
TECH, Psych, SOCIAL, -GROWTH, SOCIAL, -INDUSTRY, SOCIAL, -PLANET, SOCIAL, ++EFFIC, NODRONES, 1, FREEFAC, 8, COMMERCE, -2,
Economy, Simple, TALENT
Politics, Fundamentalist, nil
Ladder, Ladder
Namesh, Amit-Singh, Amit-Singh Emergency Broadcast Tower
Chairman, diligent, bookish, nurturing, facetious
rhetorical devil
foster the acculturation of modern Man
to liberate awareness of the intentful life
turning every demon of the individual loose on civilization
turning every demon of the individual loose on civilization
whitewash the social fabric itself
planning more impressive ways to seem important
planning more impressive ways to seem important
condescending to teach hollow truisms
crypto-theocratic grandeur
educational objectives
librarial studies
fiscal credit donation
mediating industrial expansion and social change
the Ladder constabularies
social teleology mandates
#BASES
Common Core
Learning Milestone
Lesson Materials
Reference Library
Advance Placement
Hyperlink Gallery
Critical Period
Museum of Yesterday
Centre for Urban Centre Research
Formative Assessment
Psych Auditorium
Practical Exam
Social Network Hub
Integrity Journal
Avicenna Academy
Podium of History
Commencement Address
Stadium for the Countercultural Arts
World Generator
Political Cafe
Summative Assessment
Genie's Lamp
Final Evaluation
#END
#WATERBASES
Tapwater Post
Thales' Redoubt
Speech Bubble
Fluid Intelligence
Continental Relay
Dragon Isle
Dialectic Distortion
Revolutionary Wave
Surface Complex
Depth Psychology
Pure Potential
#END
#BLURB
"??"
^
^ -- ???
^ "Formation of a People"
#DATALINKS1
^LEADER: {???}
^BACKGROUND: {Director of Education, Unity mission}
^AGENDA: {Educate and vocalize citizenry}
^TECH: {Social Psychology}
^
#DATALINKS2
^-1 INDUSTRY {Social emphasis subordinates industry and engineering}
^-1 GROWTH {Educational standard reduces birth rates}
^-1 PLANET
^+2 EFFIC
^Free NETWORK NODE with discovery of Information Networks: {Data connectivity highest priority}
^Fewer DRONES (1) at every base
^Commerce penalty: {Impediments to opportunism and market mobility}
#FACTIONTRUCE
#xs 440
#caption $CAPTION7
"War has nothing to teach. We know how it ends.
Declare Blood Truce with us so we may ponder in peace."
"It is agreed. This conflict is no more cause for violence."
"You talk too much."
#FACTIONTREATY
#xs 440
#caption $CAPTION7
"Your social project has merit, $TITLE0 $NAME1.
The Crystal Ladder would sign a Treaty of Friendship to show our trust."
"I had the same idea. Let us keep the dialogue open."
"Good fences make good neighbours, $NAME3. Perhaps another time."
# ; This line must remain at end of file
Looks good, Eadee. A combination of mysticism and feudalism. Can you tell me more about what it means to ascend? It sounds to me as if your faction is a bunch of people who are basically being gulled into contributing toward Pahalē’s personal vision of the future. Feel free to tell me that I’ve got it wrong, of course.I'm already working on a proper writeup, but since its taking more time than expected I'll answer your questions in adance:
Hermi, I think your faction idea is sound. I like the fact that you’ve linked them to a part of the crew that is not yet represented. I think that your faction will clash well with the others, which is the point.
1. Why should somebody in desperate circumstances join that faction? What's the "pitch"?Simplify. Ain't nothin' so hard out there to worry about.
....