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[LP CYOA] Epic
- Thread starter treave
- Start date
a cut of domestic sheep prime
Guest
A1C
Jester
Arbiter
- Joined
- Mar 24, 2013
- Messages
- 1,493
2 C would be nice if we would have some other candidate to pin this to, if im correct there are only two major people now and two assassinations in one campaign would look quite...suspicious. B would show us as bad guys not so different than opponent. So A or D both are solid still 7 % is kinda small when bribery is taken into consideration.
1-2 would be acceptable if he would not be only heir, but... so 1-1
1 A i believe could stop this occurrence in short term but make him sour toward us after he succeed the gang. Still I prefer to secure the long term goals, although maybe good beating would fix some personality problems poor sob hope that Senya can make him a true man. :D
vote B1A
PS. 1AB either can be good so use your instinct.
1-2 would be acceptable if he would not be only heir, but... so 1-1
1 A i believe could stop this occurrence in short term but make him sour toward us after he succeed the gang. Still I prefer to secure the long term goals, although maybe good beating would fix some personality problems poor sob hope that Senya can make him a true man. :D
vote B1A
PS. 1AB either can be good so use your instinct.
Tigranes
Arcane
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2009
- Messages
- 10,359
Syndicates won't matter too much after this election and we want nothing exploding, and the father is described as 'fiercely loyal' to us. The only issue is that if he does succeed in the fraud part, then A1A may not be enough to get us the election victory. Worst case scenario, the Red Octopus goes into infighting mode which gives us bad press, makes our denunciations hypocritical, then the governor frauds the results.
This is tricky. We can't combine anything other than A1 with A, because then the Red Octopus might do something stupid and make us look hypocritical; but A1A is a very moderate approach that arguably leaves our margin vulnerable. I just think C is pretty extreme given that we're already 7% ahead doing everything (seemingly) by the book. Seems a pity to risk it all.
A1A for now.
This is tricky. We can't combine anything other than A1 with A, because then the Red Octopus might do something stupid and make us look hypocritical; but A1A is a very moderate approach that arguably leaves our margin vulnerable. I just think C is pretty extreme given that we're already 7% ahead doing everything (seemingly) by the book. Seems a pity to risk it all.
A1A for now.
It probably would be pretty amusing for the Immortal to watch though. 
aleam iacis
Liturgist
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2012
- Messages
- 115
A1A
a cut of domestic sheep prime
Guest
Maybe it's just me, but A1A seems a recipe for failure. The father won't put the screws to his son and ONLY heir and if we fail to deliver on our public promise, we'll lose our thin lead.
I picked A1C because I don't think any of the other options will do enough against Frommen's tactics and cheating. (Granted Frommen might not cheat...just like he might play fair and not have his federation allies assassinate his oppo--oh, wait...)
A1 keeps the mob calm and C gives us an assured victory - provided we don't cock it up again. A1A is the one-two punch of weakness. IMHO.
I picked A1C because I don't think any of the other options will do enough against Frommen's tactics and cheating. (Granted Frommen might not cheat...just like he might play fair and not have his federation allies assassinate his oppo--oh, wait...)
A1 keeps the mob calm and C gives us an assured victory - provided we don't cock it up again. A1A is the one-two punch of weakness. IMHO.
Tigranes
Arcane
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2009
- Messages
- 10,359
Yeah, the more I think about it the more risky A1A gets - what it does is we expose ourselves to weakness in both decisions, and the weaknesses dovetail together with huge synergy potential.
I'm still uneasy about actually getting rid of Camna, but A1C for now.
I'm still uneasy about actually getting rid of Camna, but A1C for now.
- Joined
- Dec 29, 2011
- Messages
- 2,835
B2C, the only way to win against a cheater is to cheat ourselves.
I'm voting in favour of eliminating the son quietly. It shouldn't lead to us, and may stop in its tracks an annoying future thorn in our side.
I'm voting in favour of eliminating the son quietly. It shouldn't lead to us, and may stop in its tracks an annoying future thorn in our side.
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2008
- Messages
- 11,370
A1A wins.
***
Misjudgement
I messed up. In hindsight, I should have dealt with the Red Octopus affairs more decisively, or not at all. The boss of the Red Octopus, an experienced mobster by the name of Benjamin Tarcus, was angered by his son's misdeeds when I pointed it out to him. Young Dick Tarcus's punishment involved a rather severe beating at his father's hands, in front of all of the lieutenants. In his anger, Benjamin let slip that Dick had shamed the Red Octopus's name in my eyes. That was poor form, though I should probably have seen it coming. Regardless, he would have found out anyway. When I found out that a couple of the lieutenants closer to the son had escorted him to a meeting with Governor Camna, it was too late. As it turns out, it was businessmen related to that old snake that lured Dick into this, and I had just delivered the young scion of the Red Octopus into his arms.
Before I discovered that, however, I had already made another mistake by attempting to denounce the bribery. Many of the Ankidans who took the bribes were indirectly shamed by this approach - it ended up polarizing the voting bloc. There were those who felt I was being upright and just, and flocked to the banner of the Order. Then, there were those who felt that I was being self-righteous and judgmental; who was I to cast aspersions on their actions even before they voted? The Governor's spinmeisters had a field day; within hours, most of the media were telling the people that I cared nothing for easing the suffering of the middle-class, that I would begrudge the people handouts from a caring government, and that I cared only for the refugees, who were filthy outsiders that weren't even born here.
Of course, I said nothing of the sort - and in fact took great pains to separate the briber from the bribee when placing blame - but this did not stop the presses, eager to create a more balanced and exciting scenario instead of one where I would win on the backs of a united people. A scandal for the side that is predicted to win always sells. Thankfully, though I lost some fence-sitters, the predicted margin for our side dropped down to 5%.
Then, the Governor made his next move.
He paraded Dick Tarcus before the public, who eagerly shared his tales of how I encouraged him to corner and start the drug trade, in an attempt to split the Red Octopus and remove his father from power. I was made to look like a man who had tried to use the Red Octopus to take over the criminal underworld - well, that's not far from the truth, but he did paint me rather more negatively. Although Dick offered no real proof, he was well known as the heir to that particular group, and he had a full quarter of the gang's lieutenants behind him. A few hailed from the Red Octopus, but most of them were from the remnants of the syndicates I had dismantled, absorbed into the Red Octopus after their defeat. Allowing the Red Octopus to monopolize the aftermath of the crime war had seen them grow too big, too fast to monitor properly - they had been a small, tightly-knit group prior to this. I suppose some sort of split was always on the cards.
The polarization was complete. The citizens of Ankida were split. If the Order of Pithos is just as corrupt, better the devil they know than the devil they don't, say many of them. There are always those willing to believe rumour without evidence, and of course I've used it to my own advantage where I could. I can't complain when it's used against me. Now the election was in a dead heat... and there were those tales of the Governor's planned fraud on the day of the election itself. Many of the electoral officials are likely already under his thumb. Though I had my Order making moves to garner their support, I could not make much headway on that part. I had been counting on increasing our margin to such an extent that any subtle attempt at fraud would be futile - overt attempts I can expose easily and exploit to my gain - and I had estimated a 10% margin to be on the safe side.
The fraud attempts on the day of the election itself would revolve around the means of voting. The machines used for the voting were linked to the citizen registry. A voter would go into the booth, identify himself via thumbprint and retinal scan, and cast his vote. It is possible to spoil a vote by voting for multiple candidates - though in this case there are only two. The citizen registry was controlled by the electoral commission, and the machines manned by their officials. This gives them plenty of chances to tamper subtly should they want to. At the end of the day, the results would be tallied and announced. There would be no recounts - the electronic system is deemed failproof. In fact, the Governor himself had repealed the law allowing for recounts, so sure he was of the system's infallibility... or so he claims.
The odds will be stacked against me if I go into the election with my current support. Kawano's backers have withdrawn to a safe distance, preferring to watch rather than give me any aid. I have no doubt Mere Tarliss has something to do with this, though if she isn't actively sabotaging me I will be thankful. Iannes is doing a good job of managing the public side of his campaign, together with the Order of Pithos; he has made no mistakes in terms of improving his publicity and reputation - even the recent Red Octopus scandal has managed to leave him untouched. There is still one week to go. This will be the final stretch of my campaign - I will need to get the Order and Kawano to really kick their campaigning into gear. For my part, I should look into dealing with the shadowy side of this election...
***
I can possibly do something about the electoral fraud, if it is focused on the machines. Should I take the risk of tampering, however? I may be able to hack in, but I cannot guarantee that I won't get caught.
A. I'll take the risk. I need every advantage I can get - I make the necessary adjustments for the voting to favour me. With the predicted results too close to call, I cannot leave this to chance. Mere Tarliss is watching.
B. I hack in, but only neutralize whatever cheating the Governor has made. If I get caught, I can always give the excuse that I only wanted to eliminate cheating. I will take my chances with the voting public in a fair... well, slightly fairer competition.
C. I do not take the risk of hacking into the voting machines. I have confidence that our campaign machinery will be able to gain us victory without resorting to such underhanded methods.
***
The Red Octopus gang is now divided, but there are a few lieutenants ostensibly on Dick Tarcus's side that I have juicy information on. In my guise as an information broker I can arrange for 'someone' to blackmail them to...
A. Lure out Dick, who's currently enjoying life in the Governor's palace. I want him dead. To make the plan sweeter, he will die advancing my cause - I will set him up to take the blame for a rather horrible massacre in the refugee sector. It rids him and the Governor of their credibility, and also serves to end his Red Octopus faction before they can begin to move against mine.
B. Kidnap Dick, who I will send to his father. This time I have no doubt retribution will be exacted - the old stalwarts of the Red Octopus are already baying for the traitor's blood. I can have him recant in public; this probably won't sway many of the voters, but there will be an effect nonetheless. This should end the split before it breaks out into a gangland civil war.
C. Gather dirt on more of Dick's lieutenants. Having the Red Octopus split isn't harmful to me for now, so I should see if I can blackmail or buy the loyalties of as many of the traitor lieutenants as I can. The process will be slow and likely won't finish until the election ends. I should be planning for the long term.
D. Do nothing. Actually, I won't blackmail them at all. I need to stay as far away from gang business as possible, nothing good ever comes out of it.
***
And then, as my last resort...
A. I try to spread rumours about the cheating amongst the general public. Hopefully it will take, and allow me sufficient public support to protest any results that do not end up in my favour.
B. I attack the electoral officials. As persuasion hasn't worked, I will begin an extensive campaign of blackmailing and violent threats to cow them into seeing things my way. Unfortunately I don't have the cash to buy them outright, but I'm betting they find their lives more important to them than money.
C. The election is a farce at this stage. I don't see why I should bother finishing it when the Governor has no interest in a fair competition. I'll show him what I think of his election methods. Assassination is not off the table yet. I will have him suffer an accident...
D. I don't see why I shouldn't just start the revolution right here and now. With my gravity-manipulating suit I can probably take over the entire city by myself. My allies might be displeased, but my patience is at its limits. No more fucking around... time to have some fun.
***
Misjudgement
I messed up. In hindsight, I should have dealt with the Red Octopus affairs more decisively, or not at all. The boss of the Red Octopus, an experienced mobster by the name of Benjamin Tarcus, was angered by his son's misdeeds when I pointed it out to him. Young Dick Tarcus's punishment involved a rather severe beating at his father's hands, in front of all of the lieutenants. In his anger, Benjamin let slip that Dick had shamed the Red Octopus's name in my eyes. That was poor form, though I should probably have seen it coming. Regardless, he would have found out anyway. When I found out that a couple of the lieutenants closer to the son had escorted him to a meeting with Governor Camna, it was too late. As it turns out, it was businessmen related to that old snake that lured Dick into this, and I had just delivered the young scion of the Red Octopus into his arms.
Before I discovered that, however, I had already made another mistake by attempting to denounce the bribery. Many of the Ankidans who took the bribes were indirectly shamed by this approach - it ended up polarizing the voting bloc. There were those who felt I was being upright and just, and flocked to the banner of the Order. Then, there were those who felt that I was being self-righteous and judgmental; who was I to cast aspersions on their actions even before they voted? The Governor's spinmeisters had a field day; within hours, most of the media were telling the people that I cared nothing for easing the suffering of the middle-class, that I would begrudge the people handouts from a caring government, and that I cared only for the refugees, who were filthy outsiders that weren't even born here.
Of course, I said nothing of the sort - and in fact took great pains to separate the briber from the bribee when placing blame - but this did not stop the presses, eager to create a more balanced and exciting scenario instead of one where I would win on the backs of a united people. A scandal for the side that is predicted to win always sells. Thankfully, though I lost some fence-sitters, the predicted margin for our side dropped down to 5%.
Then, the Governor made his next move.
He paraded Dick Tarcus before the public, who eagerly shared his tales of how I encouraged him to corner and start the drug trade, in an attempt to split the Red Octopus and remove his father from power. I was made to look like a man who had tried to use the Red Octopus to take over the criminal underworld - well, that's not far from the truth, but he did paint me rather more negatively. Although Dick offered no real proof, he was well known as the heir to that particular group, and he had a full quarter of the gang's lieutenants behind him. A few hailed from the Red Octopus, but most of them were from the remnants of the syndicates I had dismantled, absorbed into the Red Octopus after their defeat. Allowing the Red Octopus to monopolize the aftermath of the crime war had seen them grow too big, too fast to monitor properly - they had been a small, tightly-knit group prior to this. I suppose some sort of split was always on the cards.
The polarization was complete. The citizens of Ankida were split. If the Order of Pithos is just as corrupt, better the devil they know than the devil they don't, say many of them. There are always those willing to believe rumour without evidence, and of course I've used it to my own advantage where I could. I can't complain when it's used against me. Now the election was in a dead heat... and there were those tales of the Governor's planned fraud on the day of the election itself. Many of the electoral officials are likely already under his thumb. Though I had my Order making moves to garner their support, I could not make much headway on that part. I had been counting on increasing our margin to such an extent that any subtle attempt at fraud would be futile - overt attempts I can expose easily and exploit to my gain - and I had estimated a 10% margin to be on the safe side.
The fraud attempts on the day of the election itself would revolve around the means of voting. The machines used for the voting were linked to the citizen registry. A voter would go into the booth, identify himself via thumbprint and retinal scan, and cast his vote. It is possible to spoil a vote by voting for multiple candidates - though in this case there are only two. The citizen registry was controlled by the electoral commission, and the machines manned by their officials. This gives them plenty of chances to tamper subtly should they want to. At the end of the day, the results would be tallied and announced. There would be no recounts - the electronic system is deemed failproof. In fact, the Governor himself had repealed the law allowing for recounts, so sure he was of the system's infallibility... or so he claims.
The odds will be stacked against me if I go into the election with my current support. Kawano's backers have withdrawn to a safe distance, preferring to watch rather than give me any aid. I have no doubt Mere Tarliss has something to do with this, though if she isn't actively sabotaging me I will be thankful. Iannes is doing a good job of managing the public side of his campaign, together with the Order of Pithos; he has made no mistakes in terms of improving his publicity and reputation - even the recent Red Octopus scandal has managed to leave him untouched. There is still one week to go. This will be the final stretch of my campaign - I will need to get the Order and Kawano to really kick their campaigning into gear. For my part, I should look into dealing with the shadowy side of this election...
***
I can possibly do something about the electoral fraud, if it is focused on the machines. Should I take the risk of tampering, however? I may be able to hack in, but I cannot guarantee that I won't get caught.
A. I'll take the risk. I need every advantage I can get - I make the necessary adjustments for the voting to favour me. With the predicted results too close to call, I cannot leave this to chance. Mere Tarliss is watching.
B. I hack in, but only neutralize whatever cheating the Governor has made. If I get caught, I can always give the excuse that I only wanted to eliminate cheating. I will take my chances with the voting public in a fair... well, slightly fairer competition.
C. I do not take the risk of hacking into the voting machines. I have confidence that our campaign machinery will be able to gain us victory without resorting to such underhanded methods.
***
The Red Octopus gang is now divided, but there are a few lieutenants ostensibly on Dick Tarcus's side that I have juicy information on. In my guise as an information broker I can arrange for 'someone' to blackmail them to...
A. Lure out Dick, who's currently enjoying life in the Governor's palace. I want him dead. To make the plan sweeter, he will die advancing my cause - I will set him up to take the blame for a rather horrible massacre in the refugee sector. It rids him and the Governor of their credibility, and also serves to end his Red Octopus faction before they can begin to move against mine.
B. Kidnap Dick, who I will send to his father. This time I have no doubt retribution will be exacted - the old stalwarts of the Red Octopus are already baying for the traitor's blood. I can have him recant in public; this probably won't sway many of the voters, but there will be an effect nonetheless. This should end the split before it breaks out into a gangland civil war.
C. Gather dirt on more of Dick's lieutenants. Having the Red Octopus split isn't harmful to me for now, so I should see if I can blackmail or buy the loyalties of as many of the traitor lieutenants as I can. The process will be slow and likely won't finish until the election ends. I should be planning for the long term.
D. Do nothing. Actually, I won't blackmail them at all. I need to stay as far away from gang business as possible, nothing good ever comes out of it.
***
And then, as my last resort...
A. I try to spread rumours about the cheating amongst the general public. Hopefully it will take, and allow me sufficient public support to protest any results that do not end up in my favour.
B. I attack the electoral officials. As persuasion hasn't worked, I will begin an extensive campaign of blackmailing and violent threats to cow them into seeing things my way. Unfortunately I don't have the cash to buy them outright, but I'm betting they find their lives more important to them than money.
C. The election is a farce at this stage. I don't see why I should bother finishing it when the Governor has no interest in a fair competition. I'll show him what I think of his election methods. Assassination is not off the table yet. I will have him suffer an accident...
D. I don't see why I shouldn't just start the revolution right here and now. With my gravity-manipulating suit I can probably take over the entire city by myself. My allies might be displeased, but my patience is at its limits. No more fucking around... time to have some fun.
Tigranes
Arcane
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2009
- Messages
- 10,359
Sigh. You bloody wishy-washy moderates.
Have to think about this, but appealing to the public for cheating doesn't seem a great move - when does that work out in real life unless you're just planning to follow that up with a violent revolution? We have to win, or kill.
Have to think about this, but appealing to the public for cheating doesn't seem a great move - when does that work out in real life unless you're just planning to follow that up with a violent revolution? We have to win, or kill.
BAB
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2008
- Messages
- 11,370
That's definitely not off the cards.
Kayerts
Arcane
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2011
- Messages
- 883
Regarding the first choice, why is no one voting A? Greatest hacker alive vs. the Freecell champs in municipal information security. I think we can handle this.
2B seems dangerous because Dick's dad won't thank us for forcing him to execute his son.
I like 3C on its own, but defeating a live opponent (which we can ensure with 1A) would give our victory greater legitimacy.
ACB
2B seems dangerous because Dick's dad won't thank us for forcing him to execute his son.
I like 3C on its own, but defeating a live opponent (which we can ensure with 1A) would give our victory greater legitimacy.
ACB
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2008
- Messages
- 11,370
Too many permutations, so I'm going to count each option separately.
Current tally is:
1. A - 1, B - 6
2. A - 2, B - 3, C - 2
3. A - 1, B - 4, C - 1, D - 1
This could be the last update where you can influence the election outcome, so I'd suggest asking if you're not certain how the choices play out. As for the third option, if you do C or D, what you pick for the first option won't matter, while the second option could have some effect.
Current tally is:
1. A - 1, B - 6
2. A - 2, B - 3, C - 2
3. A - 1, B - 4, C - 1, D - 1
This could be the last update where you can influence the election outcome, so I'd suggest asking if you're not certain how the choices play out. As for the third option, if you do C or D, what you pick for the first option won't matter, while the second option could have some effect.
TOME
Cuckmaster General
- Joined
- May 25, 2012
- Messages
- 1,820
How is the election going on from the common people's POV? Do we still have a solid lead? I don't think the Governor can suffer a fatal accident without us losing the people's support if we aren't winning the election at the moment. If we had a solid lead, the Governor could have an accident and the people wouldn't point fingers at us, because why would we do it when we were winning anyway.
And in 2A, would the father find out/guess it was us? Or would he even care since the son acted dishonorably? I think this is the option that gives us the most benefit in the election but could come back to haunt us later if the leader of the Red Octopus finds out what we did to his son.
And in 2A, would the father find out/guess it was us? Or would he even care since the son acted dishonorably? I think this is the option that gives us the most benefit in the election but could come back to haunt us later if the leader of the Red Octopus finds out what we did to his son.
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2008
- Messages
- 11,370
As mentioned in the update, the voters are split equally into two camps right now and you have no margin to speak of. There are hardly any fence-sitters left, and those remaining are keeping their preferences to themselves. No one knows how they will vote.
In 2A, if anyone traces the act back to your orders, you are in trouble. It'll involve some ruthless witness silencing to ensure the chances of that happening are kept to a minimum.
In 2A, if anyone traces the act back to your orders, you are in trouble. It'll involve some ruthless witness silencing to ensure the chances of that happening are kept to a minimum.
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