Middle Provincial Era GROGPUBLIC game thread

Started by JasonPratt, September 17, 2018, 05:04:17 PM

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JasonPratt

Donating to the Republic, aside from giving the Republic extra cash to pay bills with (and thus avoiding a game-loss condition), earns a senator Influence points (because the donations must come from personal treasuries at the time they receive their income distributions.)

Plutocrat senators have picked up several Influence points over the game so far, doing just this!

I.I. figured out that it was more cost-effective for him to use the Aristocrat special ability by having each of his senators Contribute 10 talents, even though a senator only needs to donate 25 to get 3 Influence points, because the Aristocrats farm influence gains.

For everyone else, to get 3 Influence by donation, a senator should donate 25 Talents, although if you want to spread the gain out you can still donate 10 talents per senator. (Similarly one senator donating 50 Talents can get 7 Influence, which would normally cost 70 talents spread out through multiple senators.)

The Aristocrats, however, generate one extra influence point each time one of their senators gains any amount of influence. So for I.I., 30 Talents spread out 10 each didn't only give him 3 Influence points (spread out 1 Inf each). It actually got him six Influence points for a cost of only 30 Talents!

Technically, Valerius scored 1 Inf, and earned another 1 Inf to give to another senator, which he gave to Cornelius. Quincy scored 1 Inf, and earned another 1 Inf to give to another senator, which he also gave to Cornelius. Then Cornelius scored an Inf point himself, earning another 1 to give to another senator, which he gave to Quinctius.

This Influence farming is only available to the Aristocrats, and it's connected to their knight-activist special ability, which only activates if the Aristocrats have the highest total Influence among the Factions. (The idea here is that Aristocrat knights convince other invisible senators to vote with the Aristocrats based on supporting the winners. ;) That's because Influence is the ultimate scoring factor for the game.)


Donating cash to the Republic's Treasury can only be done during the Revenue Phase, which has already passed for this Turn. But I always try to remind Players during the Faction Income segment what the standard Influence gains are for contributing cash to the Republic's Treasury.  O:-)
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Tripoli

#901
Quote from: JasonPratt on December 23, 2018, 02:10:48 PM


Tripoli didn't leave me any instructions, so I'll pause here.

Sorry.  Julius buys a knight with 5.   I had intended Aelius to selflessly donates 25 to Rome for the Fleets/war effort we will have to raise for Carthage. (and for the 3 influence he gets from it)  However, apparently that phase has passed, so Aelius will just sit here and be rich.
"Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?" -Abraham Lincoln

JasonPratt

Julius spends all 5 of his cash to automatically buy his 5th knight, increasing his Mil skill to freaking 9. :o Vote tally goes up to 17.

The Frog's Plutocrats roll a 2+4, which isn't 7 and so he draws a Scenario: a third Faction card face down to his hand. I've sent him a private chat about it.

I don't have instructions from him yet on what he wants to do, so I'll pause here. AzTank should also be thinking about his plans, since he'll be up next and last for this Turn.
ICEBREAKER THESIS CHRONOLOGY! -- Victor Suvorov's Stalin Grand Strategy theory, in lots and lots of chronological order...
Dawn of Armageddon -- narrative AAR for Dawn of War: Soulstorm: Ultimate Apocalypse
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PanzOrc Corpz Generals -- Fantasy Wars narrative AAR, half a combined campaign.
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Tripoli

Quote from: JasonPratt on December 23, 2018, 10:09:03 PM
Julius spends all 5 of his cash to automatically buy his 5th knight, increasing his Mil skill to freaking 9.

That nine military skill will come in very handy here shortly with the Punic wars.  IMHO, depending on the card pulls, we could find ourselves fighting several 8+ strength wars simultaneously.  My idea is that with the maximum number of legions available, Julius and Manlius and effectively prosecute possibly two strong wars simultaneously
"Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?" -Abraham Lincoln

JasonPratt

This is, indeed, the strength of the Militarists! -- and their political strength, too.

Which comes with political tensions naturally.  >:D Are the other Players so worried about losing that they'll elect the Militarists to Consuls (and/or appoint a Militarist as Dictator plus Master of Horse perhaps), over and over again?

Even if Tripoli binds himself with a Contract never to have any or some or all of his senators seek to be Emperor, he'll be vacuuming up Influence (and Popularity) that the other Players will be missing out on...
ICEBREAKER THESIS CHRONOLOGY! -- Victor Suvorov's Stalin Grand Strategy theory, in lots and lots of chronological order...
Dawn of Armageddon -- narrative AAR for Dawn of War: Soulstorm: Ultimate Apocalypse
Survive Harder! -- Two season narrative AAR, an Amazon Blood Bowl career.
PanzOrc Corpz Generals -- Fantasy Wars narrative AAR, half a combined campaign.
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JasonPratt

Meanwhile, Acilius of the Plutocrats sacrifices 5 of his 9 cash to automatically buy his 2nd minion. Faction vote tally goes up to 15.

I'm still on pause until the Frog clarifies another choice though (having to do with sponsoring games).
ICEBREAKER THESIS CHRONOLOGY! -- Victor Suvorov's Stalin Grand Strategy theory, in lots and lots of chronological order...
Dawn of Armageddon -- narrative AAR for Dawn of War: Soulstorm: Ultimate Apocalypse
Survive Harder! -- Two season narrative AAR, an Amazon Blood Bowl career.
PanzOrc Corpz Generals -- Fantasy Wars narrative AAR, half a combined campaign.
Khazâd du-bekâr! -- narrative dwarf AAR for LotR BfME2 RotWK campaign.
RobO Q Campaign Generator -- archived classic CMBB/CMAK tool!

JasonPratt

The Frog's choice on this matter can't affect going forward with AzTank's round, so...

AzTank's Conservatives, going last Round this Turn, roll 2+3, not 7, so draws the final Scenario for this Turn: the Enemy Leader Hamilcar! He immediately joins or activates the earliest available Punic War, i.e. the 1st Punic.



Merry Yule Tide.  >:D

Per prior instructions, Paulus will gamble 2 of his 4 cash on a knight. He'll thus need 4 or more (50/50 shot) on a 1d6... but he rolls a 1. My condolences.

This technically ends the Forum Phase, but I'll need that clarification from the Frog first about the Games before I continue into the Population Phase (and start the Senate), since the Pop Phase will be affected by his choice.
ICEBREAKER THESIS CHRONOLOGY! -- Victor Suvorov's Stalin Grand Strategy theory, in lots and lots of chronological order...
Dawn of Armageddon -- narrative AAR for Dawn of War: Soulstorm: Ultimate Apocalypse
Survive Harder! -- Two season narrative AAR, an Amazon Blood Bowl career.
PanzOrc Corpz Generals -- Fantasy Wars narrative AAR, half a combined campaign.
Khazâd du-bekâr! -- narrative dwarf AAR for LotR BfME2 RotWK campaign.
RobO Q Campaign Generator -- archived classic CMBB/CMAK tool!

Ethel the Frog

I will sponsor games, yes.  Fulvius to do the most expensive games he can afford. 

JasonPratt

That'll be Level 1 games for 7 cash. I'll process eventually, but expect some Christmas delays over the next few days...  :coolsmiley:
ICEBREAKER THESIS CHRONOLOGY! -- Victor Suvorov's Stalin Grand Strategy theory, in lots and lots of chronological order...
Dawn of Armageddon -- narrative AAR for Dawn of War: Soulstorm: Ultimate Apocalypse
Survive Harder! -- Two season narrative AAR, an Amazon Blood Bowl career.
PanzOrc Corpz Generals -- Fantasy Wars narrative AAR, half a combined campaign.
Khazâd du-bekâr! -- narrative dwarf AAR for LotR BfME2 RotWK campaign.
RobO Q Campaign Generator -- archived classic CMBB/CMAK tool!

Erax

And now we have two numbers for Disaster and three for Standoff.

JasonPratt

#910
Quote from: Erax on December 25, 2018, 06:02:04 AM
And now we have two numbers for Disaster and three for Standoff.

True, although if you send a Statesman who's good against the Punic Wars, you can at least nullify those D/S numbers. Enemy D/S cannot be nullified (as far as I know).

Edited to add: I might be able to process the most recent information, down through the Population Phase, into the start of the Senate Phase, this afternoon. If not, it will almost surely not be until tomorrow night, or even Thursday afternoon! -- so if there's a delay, don't worry, the delay is expected (Christmas holidays etc.)
ICEBREAKER THESIS CHRONOLOGY! -- Victor Suvorov's Stalin Grand Strategy theory, in lots and lots of chronological order...
Dawn of Armageddon -- narrative AAR for Dawn of War: Soulstorm: Ultimate Apocalypse
Survive Harder! -- Two season narrative AAR, an Amazon Blood Bowl career.
PanzOrc Corpz Generals -- Fantasy Wars narrative AAR, half a combined campaign.
Khazâd du-bekâr! -- narrative dwarf AAR for LotR BfME2 RotWK campaign.
RobO Q Campaign Generator -- archived classic CMBB/CMAK tool!

JasonPratt




Meanwhile, y'all can be making preliminary plans about the Consuls -- and about a couple of new offices which have always been potentially possible but which are now valid for the first time: the Dictator and his Master of Horse! That's because you have at least one War with a combined Land and Naval Strength of 20+. (The other condition is to have 3 or more Active Wars, edging up or over the threshold for losing the game!)

The Dic ;) is usually appointed by agreement of the Consuls (and cannot be one of them). Nor can their appointment be vetoed, since it isn't a vote. If they can't agree, then the Senate goes to the normal Proposal process for the Dictator.

Whoever gets elected Dictator will be HRAO, and PM, until and unless he closes the Senate or resigns as PM to leave for War. His Proposals still have to be voted on, but they cannot be vetoed. Like the Consuls he can be Deployed to a War, though strictly speaking he doesn't have to be. Like them if he's still at War at the end of the Combat Phase, he becomes a Proconsul. (There can be any number of Proconsuls out fighting Wars, but a hard limit on three senators going to War in any Turn: the Dictator and the two Consuls.)

The Dictator can (not sure if he must) appoint another senator (not necessarily voluntarily, I'll have to check!) as his Master of Horse, to add Mil skill buffs (but no special abilities) while following him to a War. The MoH can be killed (or captured) just like the Dictator, but doesn't gain any rewards for helping out. At the end of the Combat Phase he comes back to Rome regardless of the result (assuming he survives), since he can only serve a Dictator and the Dictator will either be coming home or staying as a Proconsul. In that sense you can have an absolute maximum of four senators Deploying for War on any Turn (though again, any number of senators can actually be at War as Proconsuls. Or sometimes as Province Governors: some Wars attack Provinces, although the current ones on the table don't.)

The Censor will have to be elected, too. Remember that senators can be immediately re-elected as Censor as often as they're able; the same is true for Dictator. (In fact, Censors can be elected as Dictator, though then they have to give up the Censor office. I think that's true for PontMax-es being elected or appointed as Dictator, too.)

So, y'all have a lot of choices to be pondering over the holidays! -- and two more Legions, if I recall correctly, in the Force Pool, which can be Raised to help with the problem. Plus 15 Fleets!

Keep in mind, that while the Punic War will cost 20 Talents per turn, it won't really hurt anything otherwise (aside from a point of unrest if it isn't prosecuted). In fact, YOU MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO ATTACK IT THIS TURN ANYWAY! -- you've got to punch through its Naval Strength of 10 first. With no navy, currently. Fleets, like Legions, cost 10 Talents each to Raise. (And yes, Enemy Leaders buff their basic Naval Strength, too.)

Whereas, if you diddle around on the Samnite War, you're going to be looking at the 3rd Samnite War joining it next Turn for sure! -- doubling each other's Land Strengths! But: the Samnite Wars will grant permanent boosts to Rome's economic income and logistic capabilities. Relatedly, you can keep in mind that the Immanent Samnite War can be attacked this Turn (if you're willing to deal with it automatically doubling its and the 2nd War's strengths!)
ICEBREAKER THESIS CHRONOLOGY! -- Victor Suvorov's Stalin Grand Strategy theory, in lots and lots of chronological order...
Dawn of Armageddon -- narrative AAR for Dawn of War: Soulstorm: Ultimate Apocalypse
Survive Harder! -- Two season narrative AAR, an Amazon Blood Bowl career.
PanzOrc Corpz Generals -- Fantasy Wars narrative AAR, half a combined campaign.
Khazâd du-bekâr! -- narrative dwarf AAR for LotR BfME2 RotWK campaign.
RobO Q Campaign Generator -- archived classic CMBB/CMAK tool!

malize

If a Dictator is also pontmax, it wouldn't make much sense for a pontmax who was elected dictator to give up the pontmax position...unless he plans on going to war with armies. 

malize

Side note:   If we raise 15 fleets is that gonna cost 150 talents?

JasonPratt

Yep, 15 Fleets x 10 Talents per Fleet = 150 Talents!

I think you've got two Legions in the Force Pool, too.

If you punch out the 2nd Samnite War this Turn, you'll upgrade your Force Pool again by... I'm not where I can check easily, it's on the card. Four units? More than usual for gaining logistic territory so far. It'll be both Legions and Fleets.

So, checking the Living Rules: Dictator candidates cannot hold any major office except the Censor, which he then must resign if becoming Dictator. So no, the PontMax cannot (as such) become Dictator, though he can participate in a vote to remove him from that office I suppose. However! -- Removing the PontMax from office (and then assigning a new one) falls under Other Business, and the Dictator appointment/election must precede Censor election. (I'll need to update the Sabrerule compilation flowchart to clarify PontMax cannot be Dictator.)

So, using Acilius as our current example, he can't be appointed or elected as PontMax this Turn, but if he was Removed from office he could be appointed or elected next Turn.
ICEBREAKER THESIS CHRONOLOGY! -- Victor Suvorov's Stalin Grand Strategy theory, in lots and lots of chronological order...
Dawn of Armageddon -- narrative AAR for Dawn of War: Soulstorm: Ultimate Apocalypse
Survive Harder! -- Two season narrative AAR, an Amazon Blood Bowl career.
PanzOrc Corpz Generals -- Fantasy Wars narrative AAR, half a combined campaign.
Khazâd du-bekâr! -- narrative dwarf AAR for LotR BfME2 RotWK campaign.
RobO Q Campaign Generator -- archived classic CMBB/CMAK tool!