What's new
Frozen in Carbonite

Welcome to FiC! Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Growing Horizons: Inner Sphere - Quest

I suck at math and can only hope we can get a roll that high.
A good way to quickly approximate how good the odds for an ongoing action are is to take the success percentage (like 35%), subtract that from the 100% total chance (here that's 65%) and use the percentage number as one multiplicator and the number of turns as the other (for instance 4 turns). That nets us 65 x 4 = 260. That means we need to roll at least 260 over the course of four turns. Then subtract all points we already got for that action, and also subtract all the bonuses that applied, but only after you multiplied them with the number of turns left till completion.

Rule of thumb, the more turns an action will take, the more likely it is that the average roll (sans bonuses) will approach 50.5, but that's the outside view on it. Every single roll is distinct by itself. In other words, before rolling the dice, getting two 100s (or 1s) in a row has a chance of 1 in 10,000, but the chance of getting a 100 (or 1) after already rolling once is still 1 in 100.

Sorry if this came across as snobby. I suspect I somehow ate a teacher or two at some point and they have yet to fully pass.
 
I think it is implied at least they are being starved out. They have little to no access to advanced tech and are mostly cut of from trade. Every time interaction with the outside happens it is generally us in charge and watching them so they cant cause trouble. Well Russia back when it was a outsider did for fuck if i know reasons but in the end that became a pr disaster when the comstar agent got drunk and start mouthing off how all aliens should die and we should be brought under their control iirc. Once Russian joined that was all major players with the outsiders mostly small nations with no interest or compatibility to join us. They could try to fuck us but we control the narrative and outside interaction has consistently been hang together or be murdered separately. The nation need each other or the hyper states that are the houses and rogue terrroists that are the blakists will try to conquer or murder us. Still a lot of resources are probable spent keeping a eye on them.
Are they really stuck on some planet without any ships to leave?
 
No but they would only have access to older tech not our compact warships and probable a hard time getting KF jumpships either. Probable heavily watched and hamstring by neighbors as well depending on particulars. @Warringer?
Of course they are kept under watch, but they are not prevented from making any deals with the outside. They just have currently no wish to do so. The nations that are not in the OCP right now are largely isolationist and the like.
 
Furthermore, barring export restrictions, which I expect apply only to the worst offenders (like space north korea), residential non-OCP members can simply buy FTL ships off the free market. Maybe not KF ships, but very probably HFEG ships. Heck, the OCP has much more historical experience with HFE style FTL, so despite everything they can probably build those ships themselves.
 
Furthermore, barring export restrictions, which I expect apply only to the worst offenders (like space north korea), residential non-OCP members can simply buy FTL ships off the free market. Maybe not KF ships, but very probably HFEG ships. Heck, the OCP has much more historical experience with HFE style FTL, so despite everything they can probably build those ships themselves.
They can indeed. Its not exactly hard to do so, considereing the existence of Fabricators and the fact that they make the nearly post-scarcity economy of the OCP possible.
 
So yeah the 8 remaining are either utterly incompatible with us and/or so isolationist they dont care to participate with a understanding if they rock the boat or cause trouble it will end only badly for them. Most probable only have token fleets or merchantmen i guess. It would be nice if they joined but at this point if they have not by now they probable wont unless at helical point and we dont want to go that route. Though the north korea analogue probable make noises and saber rattling to be annoying and puff itself up for domestic consumption.
 
Actually here is a question if the marians do try something will we need a military action to kick them off or would our current patrols be able to stop them? The marians do not have that much in the way of space combat ability. They try to invade a patrol could snipe at them the whole way in or seize their jumpships.
 
Actually here is a question if the marians do try something will we need a military action to kick them off or would our current patrols be able to stop them? The marians do not have that much in the way of space combat ability. They try to invade a patrol could snipe at them the whole way in or seize their jumpships.

We dont actually have patrols that far out?
 
Was unsure thought pirate patrols did but that would probable be the extended we have not got around to doing. Eh oh well just amusing thought the marians try to invade somewhere just for our anti pirate patrols to sweep them up like police swatting purse snatchers.

Just have to settle for hilarity of throwing cruisers at them or a few hundred compact warships escorting in a several divisions who would like a word with them.
 
Last edited:
No but they would only have access to older tech not our compact warships and probable a hard time getting KF jumpships either. Probable heavily watched and hamstring by neighbors as well depending on particulars. @Warringer?
They don't need to build an actual army to pose a threat to us, that's the point, one ship is enough, legally obtained, or purchased through the black market, then passed to anyone in IS, even unintentionally. On our technological level, someone like a drug cartel can purchase a spaceship.
 
They don't need to build an actual army to pose a threat to us, that's the point, one ship is enough, legally obtained, or purchased through the black market, then passed to anyone in IS, even unintentionally. On our technological level, someone like a drug cartel can purchase a spaceship.
Our stuff per warringer is naturally black boxed by nature of manufacturing. Even if they got a full tech readout/guide to our native drive it would take a century or more of work to be reliable be able to make more because our tech bases are just different enough they have to go up our tree to reach our stuff. Just a ship they could tear it apart but they would not be able to make more.
 
They don't need to build an actual army to pose a threat to us, that's the point, one ship is enough, legally obtained, or purchased through the black market, then passed to anyone in IS, even unintentionally. On our technological level, someone like a drug cartel can purchase a spaceship.
They have to have molecular engineering to the same degree the OCP must produce even a small HFEG system, because while those superconducting rings used for the HFEG are on the surface simple, they need to be produced to an extreme high accuracy to largely procedural meta-material levels. Even a single misaligned atom in a trillion means the ring does not work as expected and you are liable to lose your HFEG spacecraft to a parallel dimension or one of the entities in the Everchanging Black that is very sensitive to attempts to travel along one of the temporal axis of that dimension. Heck, even the open source versions of the drives in the public domain are useless without a special Fabricator. And the designs for those are trade secrets of the companies buildings HFEG drive rings.

Aside from that, our fusion reactors and drive systems are bulkier than the IS equivalent and use different fuels that aren't used by the IS at all and need a completely new infrastructure. But we get away with it thanks to fabricators being able to 'grow' the structural elements of a spacecraft in a single piece without any weak points, as well as electronics that are small, easily replaceable and monolithic in their design. And its likely that our life support systems are more efficient that that of the IS, as they are used to going from planet to planet, where we stent months and years even on interplanetary travel until recently and still know how to build those small and efficient systems.
 
Would not be suprised our life support is vastly better given some of the races that make up us have been starfaring and living in habitats for thousands of years iirc. The IS is scared to go to any system without a half way habitable planet while we can and will settle stuff they would not touch with a 10 foot pole. For everything else they are at least a century and change trying cribbing what they can off us and hard work to reach our level and the rate we are going we might be able to keep a pretty large lead on them. Actually @Warringer if we can lose ships to parallel dimensions can we use that to reach said dimensions? Or is that a one way suicide venture as far as can be tell?
 
Would not be suprised our life support is vastly better given some of the races that make up us have been starfaring and living in habitats for thousands of years iirc. The IS is scared to go to any system without a half way habitable planet while we can and will settle stuff they would not touch with a 10 foot pole.
Hell, three of the newly settled systems do not have any habitable planets.
For everything else they are at least a century and change trying cribbing what they can off us and hard work to reach our level and the rate we are going we might be able to keep a pretty large lead on them.
Well, we didn't have our intelligence and economy crippled by centuries of unrestricted warfare and ass holes trying to make us weaker so they can move in to govern us.
Actually @Warringer if we can lose ships to parallel dimensions can we use that to reach said dimensions? Or is that a one way suicide venture as far as can be tell?
We cannot use that to get into parallel universes, because we cannot control it and will never be able to.
 
Hell, three of the newly settled systems do not have any habitable planets.
Which would genuinely disturb the houses and probable never know the colonies are there unless told. More progressive might be interested in such but succession war bias probable would prevent it for fear of the colony getting cut off and dying on the vine without outside support. Now i want to do another colony rush action...
Well, we didn't have our intelligence and economy crippled by centuries of unrestricted warfare and ass holes trying to make us weaker so they can move in to govern us.
Yeah they will be digging themselves out decades at least just from that.
We cannot use that to get into parallel universes, because we cannot control it and will never be able to.
Always a successor game...
 
Which would genuinely disturb the houses and probable never know the colonies are there unless told. More progressive might be interested in such but succession war bias probable would prevent it for fear of the colony getting cut off and dying on the vine without outside support. Now i want to do another colony rush action...
Only that we always make sure that every settlement, no matter what, is self sufficient in every way...
Always a successor game...
Already have something in mind...
 
Which would genuinely disturb the houses and probable never know the colonies are there unless told. More progressive might be interested in such but succession war bias probable would prevent it for fear of the colony getting cut off and dying on the vine without outside support. Now i want to do another colony rush action...
Well, there're 24 entries in the known worlds file, half of which are in the 90 ly bubble, and we're still missing a good quarter of that. So good chance there'll just shy of thirty previously settled systems overall in our proximity. Add to that that Warringer basically said that for every settled one we discovered we found at least one unsettled, but potentially habitable system, and we're looking at a good thirty unclaimed systems ripe for our picking. They may not be that hospitable, at least by IS standards of more or less earthlike planets, but we're not particularly hamstrung by that limitation.

Also, I'm all for spamming settlement actions.
Well… do our Von Neumanns need to prepare systems for settlement, or is this basically bundled in the settlement action?

Also, I'm kind of curious what kind of conditions settlements need to meet to apply for sovereignty/independence from its founding nation. I assume decent self-sufficiency and autonomy, certain population size, and of course signing/accepting basic human rights and laws, or whatever the equivalents are called with multiple different species, and initially mandatory membership of the OCP.

You know, from a game mechanics and also societal standpoint there's a low but non-zero chance a settlement declaring independence would also want to leave OCP overall, because of religious or ideological differences. Maybe implemented as a crit fail or something. Hm… you could tie the actual percentage to the number of nations that're OCP members compared to not, like 4/255 right now. Though this might be overcomplicating things as well.
 
Only that we always make sure that every settlement, no matter what, is self sufficient in every way...
Again IS mindset which seems inherently self defeating with its entrenched asshole nobles and limiting tech and industry growth to control worlds and populations. Perhaps one off our greatest advantages is that we dont proscribe to such bucket of crab bullshit and build free and prosperous societies allowed to grow.

Well, there're 24 entries in the known worlds file, half of which are in the 90 ly bubble, and we're still missing a good quarter of that. So good chance there'll just shy of thirty previously settled systems overall in our proximity. Add to that that Warringer basically said that for every settled one we discovered we found at least one unsettled, but potentially habitable system, and we're looking at a good thirty unclaimed systems ripe for our picking. They may not be that hospitable, at least by IS standards of more or less earthlike planets, but we're not particularly hamstrung by that limitation.

Also, I'm all for spamming settlement actions.
Well… do our Von Neumanns need to prepare systems for settlement, or is this basically bundled in the settlement action?
Colony spamming would basically be Von Neumann on a large scale really and we look to be entering a econ golden age once comstar bites it so best to spam them now. Get at least starter colonies on those worlds and let them grow and as they do their industry adds up making our already near post scarcity even stronger.
Also, I'm kind of curious what kind of conditions settlements need to meet to apply for sovereignty/independence from its founding nation. I assume decent self-sufficiency and autonomy, certain population size, and of course signing/accepting basic human rights and laws, or whatever the equivalents are called with multiple different species, and initially mandatory membership of the OCP.
I would ball park it around 10 million people minimum and at least one full generation grown up on it. Demonstrable economic/political independence aka if cut off they might have a bit of depression but can bounce back and still take care of citizen basic needs and the local government can simple take over all governmental functions without upheaval or mad max shenanigans. From there petition their home government for free status also notifying OCP for membership and signing requisite treaties. Make it a point of pride for both sides as a daughter colony grown up like a mother daughter situation. Do not need corporate interests and otherwise keeping colonies chain up for leeching even after reached point they are independent. That will breed rebellion.
You know, from a game mechanics and also societal standpoint there's a low but non-zero chance a settlement declaring independence would also want to leave OCP overall, because of religious or ideological differences. Maybe implemented as a crit fail or something. Hm… you could tie the actual percentage to the number of nations that're OCP members compared to not, like 4/255 right now. Though this might be overcomplicating things as well.
Technically yes but in practice it should be something we are very much not allowing. Even if we dont look at internal history of what happens we just need to look at the shit show that is the IS. That is literally what happens when you just dump separatists and splinter factions off world then ignore or cut them off. Colonies should be keeping a eye out for radicals trying to take over or stir trouble and if they try it probable becomes a de facto rebellion which leads to at best a failed state as we quarantine them. If they try to go independent what are they going to do? They cut themselves of from us and those around them either dont dare dick with us or will just happily eat them. People who just want to go isolationist sure as long as they dont rock the boat. Active rebellion to make independent states just fuck themselves.
 
Concerning colonies... There is a lot og PR made to get people to settle other worlds, but also to keep excellent relations with the colony. Especially with giving easy them access totechnologies and industries to allow the settlers to keep their accustomed level of technology and comfort, even though most wish to 'rough it' during the establishment of the colony. So its unlikely that we see any leaving the OCP, even if they get independence from their home country. Though some colonies might not wish that form of independence. Just look at Vesta. They could be their own nations out in Sol's asteroid belt, but they choose to remain the 523rd state of the Union.

Should any of the IS diplomats get wind of that, they'd blow a fuse or something.
 
Colony spamming would basically be Von Neumann on a large scale really and we look to be entering a econ golden age once comstar bites it so best to spam them now. Get at least starter colonies on those worlds and let them grow and as they do their industry adds up making our already near post scarcity even stronger.
I worry though. From a meta perspective spamming colonies and/or settlements might leave their inhabitants unprepared for whatever crisis we're heading for, compared to them living in the heavily industrialised and defended systems.
Furthermore spamming colonies is unlike us, in a way, since the common belief is that the Onouch'l automatons are the hereditary threat and enemy we need to be able to defend against. They're also the reason why our society is so heavily militarised (hundreds of defense installations in the original Three Systems) and such a focus is placed on the bleeding edge of technological development, because we know we have to catch up to the 3,000 years of headstart the Onouch'l or their makers have on us.
At least one approach to deal with that is to keep our footprint as small as possible, by being isolationist for instance, and spamming colonies is kind of the opposite of that. By necessity our society will become louder, so to speak, if only because there'll be many more drive plumes visible from light years away and radio chatter and backscatter will fill the ether as we expand.

I don't see us avoiding this trap unless we somehow manage to outpace the light cone of our expansion. Add to that the Onouch'l may very well sit between systems instead of in one and the may already know of us and prepare.

The counterargument to that is of course that whatever transported the Three Systems into the IS setting may have also transported the Onouch'l. From an intelligence standpoint at least the first couple decades that would be the base assumption. I know you can never prove a negative, since you can never be sure to have checked every location, but not checking to the best of their knowledge would be criminally negligent. Heck, that might be the ordinarily primary mission of survey squadron, checking if there are any Onouch'l around, and the whole surveying surrounding space is subordinated to that. Practice looks different, of course, but still.
I really can't wait to see survey spun off intelligence. It being passive I'd still like to have the option to have its focus directed, though, like…
Where should the Survey Office focus their attentions for the time being?
This action will be locked in for a minimum of 4 turns and will continue even after unless actively changed.​
[] Coreward (along and into Lupus Cloud)​
[] Spinward (towards Inner Sphere and Periphery states)​
[] Rimward (toward Periphery states and out)​
[] Antispinward (away from Inner Sphere, totally uncharted)​
[] All equally (gradual survey in all directions equally)​
 
Back
Top Bottom