The Codexian Saga LP

[madbringer]

Oh hey, we fucked up. Again.

But such is the Way of The Codex, i suppose. Through strife and the horrors of war, we shall emerge a new people, hardened in the fires of hell, more ready to face the future as one, proud, nation.

That is, unless some opportunistic aliens seize the moment and invade us at this very instance.

In any case, since we're already labeled as cynical by our Raumeni neighbours, let's embrace the title fully.

I vote C. Flipflopped to B. OR AM I? Back to C.

 

[treave]

Oh, it's the original intent of that Phyr campaign. You thought we took those bears in out of human kindness? Well, part of it, but part of it is to establish just cause to annex ex-Dominion worlds later on. Alas the Senate forgot that entirely so when the time came they look elswhere for amusement. Read the archives for a big laugh out of that. Do, please.

I'm sure some of the Council took the bears in wholly out of kindness and as a potential workforce, nothing more. That's the problem with us politicians, you can't rely on our underlying motives to coincide with yours, especially not all the time.

 

[The Barbarian]

Of these choices, which will be the most tyrannical?

Well, which of the above factions sounds as if it would be the most conducive to tyranny?

The extreme neo-liberals or the tradition moribund right wingers? The Barbarian believes he knows which way you'll vote.



(Or maybe you will make him eat his words. Luckily, they are delicious.)

 

[Nickless]

Oh, it's the original intent of that Phyr campaign. You thought we took those bears in out of human kindness? Well, part of it, but part of it is to establish just cause to annex ex-Dominion worlds later on. Alas the Senate forgot that entirely so when the time came they look elswhere for amusement. Read the archives for a big laugh out of that. Do, please.

I'm sure some of the Council took the bears in wholly out of kindness and as a potential workforce, nothing more. That's the problem with us politicians, you can't rely on our underlying motives to coincide with yours, especially not all the time.

This is why Codexia must commit to the grimdark. No kindness, no mercy, only ruthless, calculating practicality. The Raumen have proved their worthlessness, we would have more gain taking over their lands and forgetting these individualists ever existed. We might have a truce with the hin'in for a time, that is, until we have the resources and knowledge to strike against them.

 

[treave]

I find that it's a pity the Commonwealth has a more or less free hand to grow in power while Codexia is finding its way. Maybe we really should've purged them in holy flame, scorched their worlds, since we were going to tear ourselves apart anyway.

Ah well, hindsight.

 

[laclongquan]

Actually no. When we regain strength, Raumen is 1st target. Fuck dangerous telepathic toads, Fuck xenophobic lizards, Fuck mysterious crystals. Next time go to war, I vote on Raumen 1st. Either they give us extreme favourable trade terms, or we exterminate them. Then Tribute or Die. Then just Die.

The buggers have outlived my welcome.

 

[wjw]

B

Ugh.

 

[Azira]

Let's push this even further. :mrgreen:

I vote to back the Neo-liberals! Let the shackles of the Old Codexia shatter and fall away, a new type of government must be ushered in! Sitting on our hands, doing nothing at all would be unlike us though. I appreciate the mental image of vultures waiting for a chance at the carcass, but really. Let's see this ended rather quickly..

Option B

 

[Heechee]

B

Let the old regime burn.

And the usual warmongers should cool down. We won't be able to start another pointless war for a -long- time.

 

[Conkrete Knight]

Sooo, I was injured in one of those riots starting when the Raumenei cut their ties(slipped on a deviously placed banana), and have have been out of order for the last days.
So what is the development?
Are the Hi'in crushed allready?

reads...

*twitch*

continues reading...

*twitch*

*grabs Kalashnikow*

Damn hippies

A

 

[wjw]

Flipped to B. I support Councillor Root in this one.

 

[Maria]

A

I will not support councilor root in another daring dash around the galaxy, that man has done us enough harm!
Back to the old ways when things were glorious and prosperous, perhaps then we stand a chance when the Hin' gets bored with torturing the Raumen and decide to turn on us.

 

[Saemon]

Barbarian's narrative skills are impressing so I shall join this forum just to vote in these galactic decisions.

And my vote goes for A

 

[Heechee]

Back to the old ways when things were glorious and prosperous

Oh really? And I thought it was the old way that led to the original soviet-style collapse. Silly me

The fact that the new way failed to quickly improve the critical state of affairs caused by the old way does not make the latter any better. No turning back now. The banner of people's revolution for the better Neo Codexia shall be carried onward!

 

[laclongquan]

Dont get too much hope. The inheritors of that legacy have disgraced themselves thoroughly, that their names are liability. Take on their mantle and you inherit that filthy wreck.

Nothing prevent you follow the old ways without taking on the old name. Neo Codexia Republic got a nice ring to it, dont you agree?

 

[madbringer]

OK, fuck it. Flipflop! I supported the Five Point Plan, i can at least remain consistent.

I change my vote to B.

 

[TNO]

A. I hope the new order will show some measure of practicality. Or failing that saneness.

 

[Brotherman Bill]

WHAT the FUCK!?!?!

FIRST you goddamn traitors to the motherland try to push through some hippy bullshit about a multikult empire, and then, when Codexia crashes and burns and bleeds, you guys either a) support status quo, e. g. the destruction of the brave new world you race traitors have created , OR b) you vote for MORE liberalism and multi-kult? IS THIS NOT ABUNDANTLY CLEAR PEOPLE?!?! The ALIEN has consistently denied our friendship, our best intentions, and poured poison in our drink every time we have let down our guard. The liberal HERETIC was the reason we got weak enough to succumb to them in the first place. The bioengineered MUTANT now creates rioting and instability, and feasts on the corpse of the codexian people...

Is this what you WANT councillors? Truly?

You remember when the hin'in came to us, offering to share the Raumen space? There was one faction within this body of councillors that always saw the alien for what the is; that wanted to exploit the Alien by using his underhanded methods against him, instead of sacrificing Codexias lifeblood on helping the Alien. We saw how that went.

Then, when we were deep in war, what happened? What could have been a great victory, albeit at great price, was politically sabotaged by the same sons-of-mutants whoremongers, who brought us into the mess in the first place. They voted against supplying our fleet, in a time of war, and what for? Because we couldn't afford to cut their precious welfare, that's why. I'm sure the average Codexar and Codexine are absloutely overjoyed that, although their home is now burnt down and Codexine is currently being ravaged by a multi-tentacled biomutant, AT LEAST THEY GOT SOME FOOD VOUCHERS!

And now, what do these same people suggest? Do they suggest a radical departure from the current, apocalyptic path? Have they finally seen their error, and vote for the values that made this nation great in the first place? NO! They vote for MORE OF THE SAME!

Are they stupid? I don't think so. I think they know this game very well, and I think they knew better yet what the consequences of their actions would be. The fact of the matter is that those people hate Codexia, ever since they started associating with the ant-men, the furries and the four-eyed freaks, they have been so utterly corrupted by the alien presence that they seek to eradicate all that opposes it.

Luckily, however, the path is all the more clear for us right-thinking codexians. We need to realize the following:
The Alien, insofar as he cannot be enslaved or otherwise totally controlled, needs to be killed at sight.
The traitors, heretics and other backstabbing liberal filth needs to be burnt out of their nests.
The bio-mutant needs to be purged from society, as it was established in the early formation of codexia, and as it was during the golden age.

Were I to be given an opportunity, I would immediately propose a motion to give certain elite squads the full authority to seek out and shoot mutants at sight, but alas, I'm told this is currently not legal under the current Codexian regime, since the rights of alien carrion feeders and anarchists is more important to the liberals than the rights of the average man to be free from terror.


Oh, and if it has not been made abundantly clear, I support the conservatives, option A, the true codexers and our last hope.

 

[Maria]

Oh really? And I thought it was the old way that led to the original soviet-style collapse. Silly me

Silly you indeed.
We've lost connection with our past and our exploring spirit that once made us great. The economic collapse is a direct effect of our wars, nothing else.

 

[Vibalist]

Oh really? And I thought it was the old way that led to the original soviet-style collapse. Silly me

Silly you indeed.
We've lost connection with our past and our exploring spirit that once made us great. The economic collapse is a direct effect of our wars, nothing else.

tits or gtfo.

 

[Nickless]

Guys, C is the vote for change. B and A will be a return to the things that have failed us. C is something new entirely.

 

[The Barbarian]

You are correct, I seem to have misinterpreted that line. Nonetheless, the result would be roughly the same, in any case, since this was not the defining facet of the five-point plan. Many millions of Raumeni freebooters vs billions - the difference lies only in absolute numbers, not the way the idea and the offer (full citizenship for another set of aliens, when even the first, much more limited inclusion (of the Phyr) caused so much distress) would be seen in the public eye.

Furthermore, as the Barbarian said, none of the clans were/are 'loyal' or seriously 'sympathetic' to humanity, by this time. This was noted in a previous Q&A answer. The Barbarian was forced to interpret the instruction as the Council offering any willing (that would listen) clans the opportunity. This is much akin to the AI decision in the plan - either Conan interpreted it as best he could, or otherwise he would be forced to ignore it. After all, the AIs, for example, were never presented as a civic issue to be dealt with by the Council. In fact, the Barbarian had specifically stated that they do not see their social/political status as a 'problem', at this time.

***

Actually, the Barbarian will also take this opportunity to explain some of the process by which he arrived at the conclusions he did for this turn, so that, in future, players might understand that thought process better and thereby achieve more predictable results with their choices.

1) Everything that is pertinent is stated in the narrative. Therefore, when the Barbarian says that the economy is deeply damaged and the populace discontented (and why), these are Factors that should be considered when making any decision. Most of the narrative is a conscious construction, and should be the basis for your understanding of the game universe. We will eventually come to a mutual understanding, regarding the Barbarian's method.

2) The Barbarian is partial to the realist school of socio-economics and political economies. Wars are disruptive and destabilizing - even if they serve a very real purpose. Only ideological wars will be borne with a serious level of stoicism (and even then only by specific segments of society). Destructive wars tend to accelerate the process of destabilization. Go to war cognizant of your limitations, or be ready for regrettable consequences.

3) Conan understands the state to be an entity that faces constant internal centrifugal/centripetal stresses. The friction between the rich and the poor; the enfranchised and the disenfranchised; the liberals and the conservatives; the central authority and the local community etc. etc. Consider how decisions you make affect these forces and the stress they exert. Failure to do so can lead to unpredictable and undesirable results.

4) Codexia is a reflection of human community in much the same way that the modern human community is a reflection of its medieval counterpart. Unless specifically stated otherwise, you may assume that they operate under similar constraints and according to comparable norms. In short, people are still people. They react badly to failure, sudden change, shortage and everything else that affects them adversely. Consider the challenges faced by modern day societies and how they impact on state policy.

5) Conan develops this narrative by following the above guidelines (and more). There is no set 'storyline'. The Barbarian is here only to create the setting and extrapolate the consequences of your choices. There is an underlying logic to the constructed universe - and the consequences of your choices should certainly not be seen as a matter of Conan's whim. As of about twenty choices ago, the universe is actually fairly fleshed out. All the alien races that you know and will come to know (perhaps) already exist. That is to say, there is a system in place at the basis of all this, however invisible it may be.

If there are any questions regarding the above, don't hesitate.

EDIT:

In terms of this turn:

-> The state is fighting a terrible war that has demanded enormous human and material sacrifice.
-> The state is facing a separatist problem partly based on the above (and partly based on the natural divergence of interests between the central authority and its extensions).
-> The state's economy is in extreme difficulty, due to both of the above factors.

Decisions:

-> Restructure the political institutions of the state completely.
-> Reconfigure its socio-political complexion.
-> Commit to a diplomatic route requiring a position of strength, but doing so from a position of weakness.
-> Take no steps to halt the economic decline (and, in effect, by offering membership to the Cth and some of the Raumeni with extraordinary tax benefits, hasten that decline).

Consequences:

-> Revolution/civil war based on fundamental fractures in the community.
-> Diplomatic failure.
-> Increased socio-political stresses and tensions.
-> A continuing economic decline.
-> Interplay between all of the above magnifies the effects of each.

In other words, you tried pressing a reset button on a situation that did not allow a simple reset. You ignored one of the most important facets of the existing problem (the failing economy). You did not take the strong conservative streak in Codexian society into account when making decisions.

 

[treave]

I have always found the culmination of events to be entirely plausible and reasonable within the context of the choices given. The lack of information in certain quarters allows us to make our own (oft wildly wrong) extrapolations of the consequences of the choices. That's the fun part. I find at this point the game is plausible, not predictable - it should never be predictable.

Of course, it goes without saying that I am of the opinion that the logical choice is not necessarily the best choice in terms of dramatic storytelling. Passion and emotion must play a role or we risk ending up with a sterile thread where we're all larping AI.

This makes it all the better when councilors end up at each other's throats over the latest mishap to hit Codexia.

edit: As far as the current events go, I admit I underestimated the conservativeness of the average core worlder. I'll have to spend some time really getting into the world and trying to understand what makes Joe Codexian tick.

 

[The Barbarian]

regarding the AIs, I remember you saying they would argue among themselves if asked for a consensus on something, you phrased it in such a way that I misinterpreted the AIs as actual personality constructs:

To be exact: the Barbarian mentioned that six different AIs might give six different points of view.

I never imagined they would not fight back, or react with apathy.

The Barbarian sincerely believes he mentioned that they lack an 'ego' of the human variety, fairly recently (definitely before the last update) - and that there many failsafes protecting human beings from harm at the hands of AIs.

Many apologies for the misunderstandings - there is always potential for such in these sorts of exercises.

That's the fun part. I find at this point the game is plausible, not predictable - it should never be predictable.

Indeed.

 

[treave]

Current vote tally:

A 5
Conkrete Knight, Maria, Saemon, TNO, herostratus

B 5
wjw, Azira, heechee1, root, madbringer

C 5
Orgasm, treave, Nickless, laclongquan, Luan

Madbringer, remember to edit your first post since you flipped.