Regime Quest 24

Results from Previous round votes:

2 Vote plan Talon

1 Vote plan CCC

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Winning Plan:

[X] Plan Destroy Another Building

-[X] Assign Assassination mission : Guinevere [Timeslot cost 1, AP cost 3, returns 1 on success, can only be done in the morning, uncertain Snitcher risk]

-[X] Contact Knights (Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 2, returns 1 on success) : why does it look like enemies are using their weapons? We don’t want an alliance, but we do want an few enhanced Scythes of our own (I want to see if Builder can reshape them). Best case we could get some weapons useful for someone with Ultra Strength 1 or 2 (warband members).

-[X] Builder Action : Work on making our vehicles bulletproof, and on making it possible to sleep inside. Try adding spikes and whatnot. This may require she create another to fit everyone, but it’s meant to be easier and quicker now.

-[X] Owner Action : Try to buy Merlin’s house (“with the yellow paint on the roof in the middle of the city”), or at worst surrounding ones. If possible, don’t actually sign the contract yet yet (negotiate, but keep them waiting for the final signature) so that the house isn’t magically refurbished just yet.

-[X] Smasher Action : Train the warband in anti-firearm maneuvers

Day 21 Log :

7AP at start of day (6 at end of last day +1 for half night’s sleep)

-3 for assign KEM assassination mission (4 AP)

Roll 2, +0 for failure (4 AP)

-2 for Contact Knights (2 AP)

Roll 10, +1 for success (3 AP)

Builder: Armor vehicle pattern

Roll 9, success

Owner: Almost buy Merlin’s house

Roll 5, unknown

Builder: Smasher, Train recruits

Roll 5, success

End of day, 3 AP

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Put out KEM hit

I sat by the street side, drumming my fingers against the edge of the chair, irritated and perplexed.

I’d done this dozens of times, back before I’d become the Warlord.  A simple signal, the drape of the Packer House’s window folded just so.  A counter signal, the old man who worked for Slaughterer across the street leaving both shoes outside.  Sign and countersign.

I must have done it a dozen times, and it had gone off without a hitch this time too.  So where the hell was my KEM contact?

I wasn’t going to meet him, of course.  Nothing so gauche.  She was going to overhear me going on a super villain monolog about how I was going to destroy these idiots in the Round Table gang, how they’d rue the day they defied Her.  The last person I cursed, at the end of my diatribe, was the target.

After they’d been set on Merlin’s trail the things that followed were equally simple.  The old man’s sister would come by to talk with the Packers, and the notes that I’d taken on Merlin would have vanished away during that visit.  They’d find their way into the hands of the actual killers, and a few days later my adversary would get heavier by a bullet’s weight, and a lot less active.

I sat there for maybe a half hour, did some halfhearted ranting so it wouldn’t seem suspicious.  Finally I just left.  The Lair is a hazardous place for ordinary humans.  It wasn’t beyond the bounds of possibility that some Ultra had killed my contact and they simply hadn’t been able to replace her yet.

Whatever had happened, the timing couldn’t have been worse.  I was days away from the most dangerous situation in my life, and the people who’d pledged to have my back didn’t know that I wanted them to do anything.  I could have fucking screamed.

*************************************************************************************

Talk with Knights

“He’ll see you now,” said the Knight Commander.

He.  Not they.  They didn’t even bother to pretend that the rest of Second Fist might matter.  I could see why.

I didn’t swallow nervously as I stepped through the door, didn’t clench my fists or betray my nervousness in any other way.  This was no big deal to me, I told myself.  I spoke with morally repugnant beings who could end me all the time.  Heck, one of them was my sponsor.

But it didn’t take.  Refiner was different.  Joe Ludd was ‘real’ to me in a way that none of the rest of the freakshow really were.  Picker and the other Ultras who had challenged me, they were ultimately victims, if looked at in a certain way.  Just the detritus of a savage age.  Somehow, no matter how long I lived, it all never felt real.  I could cling to my memories of the past, of a time when things had been sane.

But Refiner had been a monster then, too.

He loomed before me, his minions clustered around the courtyard.  It was like a day hadn’t past.  More, it was like his day never would.  He stood tall, taller than he deserved to, a beast of the past still taking prey long after the rest of his vile kind had slunk off to irrelevancy and decrepitude.

Second Gettysburg had been foundational for me, and even then he’d seemed antique.  How could we live in a world where the Knights of Purity existed, spread their terror?  How could Ultra science coexist with people whose moral foundations were centered on skin color?

His voice rolled over me.  I focused on the tone, letting the words slip by.  I knew the gist.  Barrels of wine, drops of sewage.  The need to punish his enemies and the skin traitors who empowered them.  Someone in my high school had done a scathing takedown of the Knights’ creed for a junior high project.  They’d made no updates since then.

I focused, instead, on the steps that had gotten me this appointment.  On the inroads that I’d made previously, when I’d declined to punish his servants for Picker’s offenses.  On the way I’d pressed the similarity between King Arthur’s weapons and their own, bullying the woman I’d dealt with last time into sending me up to the top of their hierarchy.  It had all gone perfectly.

His offer, when it came, was about what I would expect.  I could have robes.  I could have scythes.  50 of each, enough for my whole posse, at his first level of blessing.  That was, I supposed, about equivalent to Ultra toughness and strength one, with the caveat that it would only work when your skin was lighter than your victims.

In exchange he wanted an atrocity.  After we won in Ar Harbor, I should have my gals stand aside and let his people work over the new citizens of the Regime, make sure they fit with his image of what we were all about.  They had a color table, like you’d use on picking out shades of furniture back in the day.

It took all my willpower to thank them for their time and tell them that I’d think about it.  On that, at least, I wasn’t being deceptive.  It would be very hard NOT to think about it.

*************************************************************************************

Debrief Posse:

“Owner, how’d it go?”  I asked.

She could tell I wasn’t in the mood for any real socializing today, that I was still digesting my unsatisfying encounters.

“I’m sorry, Blender, I really am.”

I shook my head.

There wasn’t a way to say it and not sound like a jerk, but I didn’t need her apologies.  I needed to know what had happened.

“I can’t tell!” she blurted out.

“Can’t tell?” I asked.

“If it worked.  They money is gone, but its such a small amount that it might have been spent as part of a failure.  I might be getting ready to buy the house, or I might have lost out to another bidder or whatever.  I can’t tell you, my gift just didn’t give me any real feedback.”

I reached up to massage my temples.

“Ok,” I said, trying very hard not to think about how it would go if we had to fight invisible Ultras.  “I guess at least it didn’t say ‘No’.  Maybe we’ll have time to have you try again.”

I checked myself for a moment when I saw that she was visibly relieved.  Had I ever been short with her?  Ever given her any reason to fear giving me bad news?

Bah.

“Builder?” I asked.

She looked up from where she’d been waiting her turn.  I had noticed that she hadn’t chimed in during Owner’s part, but I didn’t really have time to look into it.

“Car armor.  Carmor.  Check.”

“It works?” I pressed.

“Yeah, no sweat.  There was an old wrecked thing that I took some material from, switched it into my main workings and, Blam, carmor.”

“They are trucks.” I pointed out.

“Yeah, so?” she asked.

“Wouldn’t that make it, Truckmer?”

They both looked at me like I was a nut.

“That doesn’t make ANY sense,” said Owner.

“Words don’t just combine like that,” said Builder.

That got a chuckle out of me.

“Alright, you wordsmiths, did you by any chance happen to get the latest from Smasher?  As far as how this morning’s training went?”

“Fine,” said Builder.

I gestured at her to elaborate, doing the little wrist roll motion.

“That’s what she said.  It went fine.”

“I don’t expect she’s in any condition to go into details?” I pressed.

They shook their heads.

“Got to catch her in the morning,” said Owner.  “She’s not herself by now.”

“Fine,” I said.

Fine.

*************************************************************************************

The Plan:

  • On the 30th day we set out, the Warband and my Posse traveling in the trucks that Builder creates. We drive to within a few miles of Ar Harbor, then take up a position.
  • We attack the following day, a frontal assault led by Smasher and myself. Our Ultras against their forces (both their Round Table leadership and the various minions they have) in a pitched battle in broad daylight, with Her watching through my form using Snitcher’s gift.
  • Ideally they make their stand outside of the restored downtown that I am supposed to preserve in the strike. If not we go in after them, wreck the place up in the fighting, and have Builder restore things afterwards.

Plan Assessment:

  • Lancelot should lose to Smasher and myself, if not some of the more energetic Warband members. She is a benefit to me, someone to use for the highlight reel, make sure Prevailer is entertained.
  • King Arthur is necessary so that they have enough soldiers to give us a good fight. She is also the ‘final boss’, and will hopefully command from their Union tank.  Another excellent drama point for Her.
  • Merlin, if uncountered, will cause the enemy to win the battle. I must come up with a plan to deal with her.
  • Guinevere will be another very large problem, though not quite so big as Merlin. I believe Smasher can defeat her, but there are a lot of variables in that plan.  Ideally I need to come up with a way to handle her other than hoping she dies in the fighting.
  • In general my Yard Ultras should be man for man superior to King Arthur’s gifted troops and whatever Ultars their side can scrounge up. I am confident in the outcome of the Ultra scrum provided no other factors infringe upon it.
  • As far as hardware goes, our side has bolt action rifles with a few training sessions, their side may well have Union guns with months of training. They will have superior guns if nothing is done, which may help them to suppress our force advantage.  Builder’s efforts have gone a long way towards mitigating this, but the gap lingers.
  • I need an answer from Her on what it entails to take the place intact. I’m putting a lot of hope on it being ok to have Builder fix damage afterwards.  If that isn’t acceptable, then I need to start planning right now for how to avoid damaging this place while I have an Ultra war there.

*************************************************************************************

 

Day 22:

Days remaining: 9

AP available: (3 at end of day + 1 for 6 hours sleep) = 4/10

Non AP Action: Swap in a new plan.  You write in a new plan, I’ll give you Mia’s assessment of it.  If you don’t do this then the existing one will be executed.  The plan that is in force when its execution date arrives will be used for the actual battle, though there may be mid battle votes that could alter it in process.

Walter Note: I am removing the faction rankings going forward, I never actually used them the way I thought I would, also Spoiler-ing Ultras for readability on SV.

Prestige: 3

Timeslots available: 2, morning and afternoon

Builder Timeslot Available: afternoon

Owner Timeslot Available: afternoon

Smasher : Timeslot Available: morning

Posse: 3 or 3 out of 3 slots filled

Force size: 46

Condition: Healthy

[spoiler=Ultras]

 

(Ultra format: Role, Ultra Strength/Speed/Toughness, other gift description)

Posse:

Builder — 0/0/0, a woman who can alter objects for miles around into other things, blessed with a ‘Bulletproof’ blend

Owner – housemate, 0/0/1 operates an imaginary firm, with real effects on the world,

Smasher — 3/0/1, a woman who is billed as the strongest Ultra fighter of all time

Ultra Allies:

Maker- Friend, and protégé of Snitcher, 0/0/1, can summon the spirit of things

Clawer – Ultra fighter 2/0/1, melee combatant, deadly hooks for hands

Stopper – partner of Clawer, 0/0/0, steals form’s velocity by looking at them

Sticker – Did dentistry for her brother, 0/0/2, Creates slime, can choose its stickiness

Grower – 0/*0/1, an outside Ultra I sponsored into the Lair, has a bullet blend from me, can rapidly increase the size and mass of objects

Joker — 0/2/0, a woman who can change what other people/herself look like

Replayer — 1/2/0, she can ‘step back in time’ to undo damage that she takes

Ultra Enemies:

Masher- Enemy, and fellow protégé of Subtracter, 3*/0/3*, trades off strength and durability as she moves or stays still

Picker – First Fist protégé, 0/1/0, ‘selects the outcome of things’

Ultra Acquaintances:

Tracker – Running buddy, 1/0/1, Creates tracks, and can move things on them

Shower – Adder’s protégé, 1*/0/1*, gains strength and durability from witnesses

Echoer – Singer I am a fan of, 1/1/1, can duplicate any action that she sees

Bubbler – Operates Ultra clinic 0/0/?, traps things in bubbles that heal and move them

Sucker — Ultra entertainer, ?/?/?, pulls objects/people towards her at incredible rate

Gunner — 0/0/1, she shoots tracking Ultra Blasts at roughly Ultra Strength One

Chiller — 1/0/1, can freeze any object she touches, leaving them brittle and easily broken

Cutter — 1/1/1, she is a brutal front line combatant

Swimmer — 1/0/1, she can ‘swim’ through solid surfaces

Burner — 0/0/1, she can summon Ultra fire from anywhere that she can see

Maxxer — 0/0/0, she can augment the gifts of other Ultras, pushing their gifts

Puncher — 1/0/1, her strength and speed both go up when she repeats her movements

[/spoiler]

 

[spoiler=Actions]

Actions:

[ ] Accept Refiner’s Bargain (Timeslot cost: 0, AP cost 4, auto succeed)

Motive: His blessed weapons and armor would be a massive force multiplier for our group.  He might also send along Knight backup.  He would be a powerful additional patron.

Concerns: I would be responsible for a massacre in the immediate aftermath, or be killed by Second Fist if I backed out.  Subtracter would also likely perceive this alliance as an attempt at weaseling out from under her command, so I’d have to tread very carefully to avoid offending her.

 

[ ] Seek Transportation

-[ ] Scavenge (Timeslot cost: 2; AP cost 4, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: My current transportation sufficed for me in my troubleshooter role, but I will likely require a larger vehicle, or several vehicles, in order to bring everyone to Ar Harbor. I can seek to find something in the suburbs and surrounding towns.

Concerns: Leaving Shington could be dangerous, and I am far from guaranteed to find a bus or truck suitable to my needs, as the area has already been heavily scavenged.

-[ ] Trade with existing owners (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: As above, but instead of fixing up ruined vehicles I’ll negotiate to get them from their current owners.

Concerns: Snitcher may disapprove of a warlord being civil

-[ ] Seize by force (Timeslot cost: 2; AP cost 4, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: As above, but instead of asking my contacts for vehicles I’ll just take what I want. My role as warlord and my Tally should minimize resistance

Concerns: People like their vehicles, and won’t like the one who takes them. I will make enemies.

-[ ] Seek Transportation [Adder + Company] (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: As above, but Adder can use his gift to make something for my purposes, and the Company can duplicate it and make it permanent.

Concerns: Adder and I are not close, he may decline to aid me, owing to his rivalry with my sponsor, Subtracter.

 

[ ] Seek Target Information

-[ ] Company (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: The Company logs every Ultra they create. Their Ar Harbor records would be useful information

Concerns: Ultras migrate and conceal their gifts, this information would be incomplete

-[ ] Subtracter (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 3, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: Subtracter is the military leader of the Regime, she will have information on this target

Concerns: Subtracter is stupid and violent, I don’t like to be around her

-[ ] Survivors (Timeslot cost:1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: There have been 2 other attempts at Ar Harbor. I can seek out and question survivors in the outer city.

Concerns: I may be unable to find any survivors, and I may be misled by liars.

 

[ ] Seek Posse Members

-[ ] wander & gossip, (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 1, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: There are dozens of powerful Ultras in the Lair. I know only the barest fraction of them. I can learn the basics on 1-6 of them in a few hours of socializing and gossiping, opening up in depth investigation options on them and adding them to my list of acquaintances.

Concerns: None

-[ ] At Ultra Fights, (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 1, refunds 1 on success)

Constraint: Only available in the afternoon or night on days divisible by 4 (day 4, 8, etc)

Motive: There are dozens of powerful Ultras in the Lair. I know only the barest fraction of them. I can learn the basics on 3-12 of them in a few hours of socializing and gossiping at this kind of event.

Concerns: Ultras associated with the Fights are more likely than most to be melee combatants.

 

[ ] Seek Warband Members

-[ ] At the Yard, (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: The Lair is surrounded by hundreds of Regime Ultras. The strongest come to the Yard to show their power and appeal to those like me, who would give them purpose. I should be able to gather between 5 and 20 Ultras of such caliber.

Concerns: I will need to provide housing and direction to these Ultras, or risk them wandering off. I can expect to spend at least an action a day on them, and training them might well eat up more. Ideally a Posse member will be tasked with this.

-[ ] [Gang name] From a Gang, (Timeslot cost: 2; AP cost 5, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: The Ultras that surround Shington are organized into Gangs dozens strong. If I can recruit such a force I might have my whole Warband right there.

Concerns: These Ultras likely already have patrons in the Lair, who I would need to negotiate with. Their leader would also likely want a place in my Posse, and she would be the primary locus of their loyalty until I’d had time to win them over.

 

[ ] Investigate Acquaintance:

-[ ] [Name], (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success, 2 if we become allies)

Motive: I can spend some serious one on one time with an Ultra I’ve chosen, evaluating the capability of their gift, the alignment of their values with mine, and their basic ccompetence. If all checks out, I might move them into my Ultra Allies column.

Concerns: None

 

[ ] Invite Ally into Posse:

-[ ] [Name], (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 3, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: If I want to bring an ally into my posse, get them to take actions on my behalf and rise or fall with me, this is the way to do it. I will only take this action on those I’ve already made allies, and once this has been taken it is difficult to undo.

Concerns: Posse members are most of the way into my circle of trust, and will operate on my behalf, representing me to stranger. A mistake here would be dangerous and damaging. I should be careful before taking this step, potentially investigating a prospect several times.

 

[ ] Seek Information on Snitcher’s patterns

-[ ] Passive listening (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 1, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: Snitcher can ride my senses at any moment, and bring Her along. If I am ever to contact my KEM allies, my resistance allies, or show any kindness or weakness whatsoever, I need to understand when this is likely to take place. Gossip can hint at this, particularly if I carefully steer conversations. This action would be mostly undetectable, even if he was riding me when I took it.

Concerns: None

-[ ] Active interrogation of Snitches (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 3, refunds 2 on success)

Motive: As above, but rather than listen for random gossip I will seek out other linked individuals and directly ask them how often he rides their senses, and what actions he has reacted to in the past.

Concerns: More likely Snitcher notices this, unknown consequences of that.

-[ ] Confront Snitcher Directly (Timeslot cost:1; AP cost 4, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: As above, but take the simplest possible route. Go to Snitcher and ask him for the deal.

Concerns: I am sponsored by Subtracter, not Snitcher, he may not wish to aid me. He may demand favors or other services in exchange for the information.

 

[ ] Seek Information on Regime military operations

-[ ] Ask Subtracter (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 3, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: My life depends on doing this right. I need to get a basic understanding of what She is expecting from my attack on Ar Harbor. Do I need to seize the Company Facility? Kill all the enemies? Are there any constraints on how I go about it? Subtracter is the leader of the Regime’s military, and my sponsor, she will know these answers.

Concerns: Subtracter is stupid and brutal, and she killed my neighbors, I hate spending time with her.

-[ ] Ask Around (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: As above, but ask survivors of previous missions instead of my evil boss.

Concerns: My predecessors may not have told them everything, their views of their missions may omit certain command level details that I need to worry about.

 

[ ] Relax and Recuperate

-[ ] By visiting Blisser (Timeslot cost: X (slots spent until AP reaches max), AP cost 0, returns 3 per time period. DANGER, this action may cause addiction)

-[ ]By lounging around, (Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 0, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: I could do with some rest.

Concerns: None

-[ ]By patronizing entertainment areas (Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 1, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: I could do with some rest, and I might learn some things by socializing

Concerns: None

-[ ]By using my gift to repair the city (Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 2, refunds 5 on success)

Motive: It needs to be done.

Concerns: This is not becoming behavior of a warlord, Snitcher may take notice, and people may talk

-[ ]By using my gift to heal people (Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 1, refunds 5 on success)

Motive: This is why I have my gift.

Concerns: This is not becoming behavior of a warlord, Snitcher may take notice, and people may talk

 

[ ] Organize Armory [Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 2, returns 2 on success)

Motive: I carry, in my backpack and on my person, various items to blend with if the need arises. I am overdue to look through my setup and take an inventory, once that is done I could seek out new objects if I am missing anything useful.

 

Concerns: None

 

[ ] Action: Direct the Warband (Timeslot cost 0, AP cost 1, returns 1 if successful)

Motive: If I need to set my warband in motion, give them a project or whatever, it is as simple as telling them to jump.  My will is their command.

-[ ] Let [Posse Member] Supervise, takes up the Posse Member’s action, modifies success chance based on which Posse member it is, and which action

 

[ ] Action: Train the Warband (Timeslot cost 0, AP cost 1, returns 1 if successful) [Requires a timeslot from the teacher, who should probably be an Ultra combatant]

Motive: Yard Ultras are fierce, but undisciplined.  They are warriors, not soldiers.  I can get better outcomes if I teach them some basics.

-[ ] In Ultra Combat (Gives bonuses on their battle rolls)

-[ ] In anti firearm maneuvers (Makes them suffer less casualties under fire)

-[ ] In obedience (makes them more likely to obey my orders)

 

[ ] Action: Other (Timeslot cost: x, returns x if successful)

 

KEM Actions:

[ ] Assign Assassination mission [Timeslot cost 1, AP cost 3, returns 1 on success, can only be done in the morning, uncertain Snitcher risk]

 

Description: KEM are the only humans who fight back on a consistent, day to day basis.  We’ve come up together, they and I, and pointing them at my foes is only common sense.  If I give them a target, then I trust them to make a good faith effort to put that Ultra down.  Their odds of success, of course, vary wildly depending on how much info I can provide, and the gifts of the Ultra in question.

 

Resistance Actions:

[ ] Assign Information Gathering Mission [Timeslot cost 1, AP cost 2, returns 1 on success, can only be done in the morning, uncertain Snitcher risk]

Description: The humans are the ocean in which the Ultras swim, the saying goes.  The Resistance’s capacity to gather information about Ultras is unsurpassed.  If I give them a target, then they will give me every bit of public information on the target, and often times a little bit more.  Ultras are people, after all.  I believe this with all my heart.  And people trust other people, even those that they ultimately shouldn’t.  I can assign as many targets as I wish, but the more I assign the less details I will probably get, and the longer it might take.

 

[ ] Debrief Information Gathering Mission [Timeslot cost 1, AP cost 0, returns 1 on success, can only be done in the morning, uncertain Snitcher risk]

Description: The information that the Resistance gathers is worthless if I never regain it.  Using protocols I’ve worked out ahead of time, and my recent discovery of Snitcher’s habits, it should be possible for me to take the Resistance’s reports with minimal risk.  I expect I should give them a day or two for local targets, and possibly as much as four for targets in Ar Harbor or further afield.

Smasher Actions:

[ ] Recuperate [Timeslot cost All]

Description: Smasher hangs on the edge of death.  Her body and gift will try to knit her back together each day.

 

Owner Actions:

[ ] Acquire Funds [Timeslot cost 1]

Description: Owner takes action to get more and more valuable assets within our world, increasing her overall funding, hopefully permitting her gift’s actions to be swifter and larger in impact. (Requires Write In clarification on how to do this)

[ ] Change Company [ Timeslot cost 1]

Description: Owner presently runs a package store, located in downtown Washington.  She has, as near as I can estimate, a low six figures saved up.  With this action I can direct her to acquire licenses, expand locations, purchase other businesses, or perform similar deeds, all based around changing the operation and activities of her imaginary franchise. (Requires Write In clarification on how to do this)

[ ] Company Action [ Timeslot cost 2]

Description: This is a catchall action for anything I might think of that could let Owner impact the main battle in Ar Harbor.  Buying up local real estate and demolishing it on a certain date seems like the obvious course of action, but there are a lot of other fringe ideas that I’ve been entertaining. [Requires Write In clarification on how to do this.  The first Action spent on this is about Owner doing tests to make sure this effort will work, the second actually kicks off whatever changes I want in the imaginary world.]

Builder Actions:

[ ] Repair Structure [Timeslot cost 1]

Description: Builder can repair most any structure any structure in just a few hours, spreading broken portions back into place and generating new matter as needed.

 

[ ] Construct Known Structure [ Timeslot cost 1]

 

Description: Builder can construct any easily described structure with the same ease that she repairs them.  Her present education limits this to extremely primitive structures, but that might well be changeable.

 

[ ] Construct Known Items [Timeslot cost 1]

 

Description: Builder’s gits aren’t limited to buildings.  If she can get a perfect understanding of an objects, and samples for every component, then she can form any items that I might desire.  The easiest way to accomplish this, of course, would be to provide her with a sample.

 

[ ] Memorize Patterns [ Timeslot cost 1]

 

Description: Builder’s gifts are heavily limited by her imperfect education.  The more patterns I can get her to learn, the more she can construct from any given material.  If I provide her with patterns or specimens I’m pretty sure she can memorize them and add them to her arsenal.

[/spoiler]

 

 

One thought on “Regime Quest 24

  1. Hmmm. If I want to get my final plan considered, I clearly need to win the action one more time.

    My plan for today is actually… not much different to yesterday. But there are a few minor changes to be found in it. Well. Not in what to do during the day, but in how to handle the final confrontation.

    Mostly in that now I know what the aid of the Knights will cost, and it is a price too high to pay.

    Plan:

    Morning: Investigate ally: Smasher. Find out exactly what her power can and can’t do.

    Afternoon: Seek Information on Regime military operations: Ask around. Asking Subtractor didn’t help, let’s ask around and find other people to query. Especially with regards to whether or not restoring the damage afterwards with Builder is going to help.

    Builder: Let’s try something. Builder can take a substance and make more of that substance. Can she turn a bottle of water into a high-pressure firehose by vastly increasing the amount of water in the bottle? (She might need a strong bottle).

    Owner: Look after the Army for a while. Try training them in basic combat.

    Smasher: Tell me all about her power.

    ————–

    As to the Plan, here’s my current thoughts:

    – We should attack on the 28th. We shouldn’t tell anyone about this until about the 25th. This will throw a spanner in the works of any trap they’re planning that requires that they have an idea of when we’re coming.
    – If we head over on the 30th, we can expect to ‘coincidentally’ meet a Union patrol partway there who will inflict some damage on us. We should prepare for this possibility, even at our earlier date.
    – Merlin’s invisible troops are, of course, invisible. They are also carrying Knight equipment. Picker’s assassins carried Knight equipment. Hmmm. But what the Knights are asking for in exchange for the use of their equipment is morally completely reprehensible. I can’t countenance that, and would lose my Resistance contact if I did. (I would deserve to lose my Resistance contact if I did that. I would be truly a monster.)
    – I need to bear in mind that Merlin and Arthur might have empowered the same people. That is to say, some of Merlin’s invisible assassins might have Ultra Strength, or Speed, or Toughness. They’re already hitting above their weight – on top of that, they may actually have some weight to hit on top of.
    – Another option for dealing with Merlin is to take advantage of KEM. I know where she lives, what she can do and who she cares for; leaving that report on Merlin in the right place should be enough to get her killed outright. However, I shouldn’t use KEM on more than one person. Merlin is a greater threat than Guinevere.
    – Third option – use Owner to demolish Merlin’s house in the middle of the night (buying and demolishing the property).
    – Fourth option – take advantage of Builder’s stuff-stretching ability to ensure that our confrontation happens in an ankle-deep flood. Even invisible people can be seen walking through ankle-deep water – if nothing else, by the foot-shaped hollows in the water.
    – Guinevere is easily handled. I need merely imbue my Posse with fireproof; after that, Smasher can take her out easily. (Ankle-deep water should mess with her, too, by extinguishing a lot of fires).
    – Lancelot and Arthur are unlikely to be trouble in the final confrontation.
    – That giant Union tank, on the other hand, is a problem (and not a small one). But Builder should be able to deal with it; her power works at any range. She can close off any gun barrels by extending the barrel material _inwards_, she can mess up the engine by making the internals just grow crazy spikes everywhere, and so on. Once she can see it, she can ruin it utterly – and probably without even leaving any external sign of her sabotage, so it can all be blamed on the Union being idiots.
    – If the Ar Harbour team don’t want to come out and fight, we can draw them out by taking hostages. from the people they care for. This strategy is unpleasant and distasteful, but it will work, and will draw them away from buildings. Moreover, I don’t actually need to permanently harm the hostages, not if I’m threatening enough.

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