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The Codexian Saga LP

laclongquan

Arcane
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Messages
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Searching for my kidnapped sister
This kind of vote stink to high heaven.

Conan, let's return to single choice vote. No need for this shitty multiple choice any more. Shitty thing is shitty.
 

Azira

Arcane
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Codex 2012
I disagree. I like these choices, where it's not just one single thing we're mulling over.

Good thing is good, Barbarian. Keep the system as it is now. :wink:
 

The Barbarian

Liturgist
Joined
Mar 21, 2010
Messages
599
Location
Melbourne, Australia
No offense intended here, but I think that system is even worse.

If any given vote in future raises the sort of furor (a slight exaggeration) that the three-option vote of yester-turn did, then the Barbarian will be collating the votes after a day or so and then giving the voting body the opportunity to flip-flop for a set period, in order to resolve any inconsistency or an illogical result. He is not a system written in stone that cannot accommodate flexibility. If you trust in the process, all should be well.

The minority-majority is a noted weakness of this system, but at least it will see concrete ideas 'win' - rather than a composite of the most popular individual choices.

I don't really think the new system would have helped us in the hin'in war disaster either. I mean, imagine the following choices:
choice 1: a) War or b) don't war
choice 2: A) don't fund war b)fund war with X c) fund war with Y

The problem the last time was that the majority wanted war, but they divided their votes on how to fund it IIRC. With your new proposed system, this would instead have meant that the peacetards would have won, in spite of most people pushing for war.Imagine the following numbers: 4 people want AB, 5 people want AC, 6 people want BA(no war, no funding). Your new system would have counted this as a victory for the peacetards, even though most of the people voting AB would gladly change their vote to AC if it meant that the war freaks would win.

This is a more acceptable choice than, for example, B/B or B/C, which the other system leaves as an open possibility.

Not that the Barbarian would facilitate such a possibility (the 'war, but without funding' thing was, on some desperate level, at least theoretically plausible), but the principle remains.

If the hypothetical AB/AC voters feel outraged by the minority-majority, then they are free to flip-flop, in order to redress the balance. Over the last several turns, players have been independently keeping track of vote counts and flip-flopping at the first sign of dead-locks. This is to be encouraged.

This kind of vote stink to high heaven.

Yet it inspires the most fruitful and interesting of discussions. Rest easy, laclongquan, not every vote will be multi-option.
 

The Barbarian

Liturgist
Joined
Mar 21, 2010
Messages
599
Location
Melbourne, Australia
Respublica

The ashes of the old Codexian Republic proved fertile soil for the seeds of something quite extraordinary. As the Civil War was wound down, and the worlds of the fallen giant were consolidated under a new regime, neither Neo-Liberal nor fully Conservative, a sort of apathy set in. More than fourteen billion people called this new state 'home', but they found it to be a difficult place to live; fraught with instability, economic turmoil and absolutely riddled with crime. Such was the extent of the damage caused by the war that it took almost ten years just to clean up the rubble. The homeworld, especially, was a veritable junkyard. It had borne the brunt of the conflict in its most terrible stage, and had seen a host of major cities burned by nuclear fire. The living, in some respects, envied the dead. Humanity's 'Golden Age' was at a definite end. Or, at least that was true for the majority of humans.

The neighbouring Commonwealth spent the next twenty years positively BOOMING. Its relative stability, good living standards, excellent job growth and favourable immigration terms caused a vast number of humanity's best and brightest to leave the 'old world' behind during the 280s and beyond. Doctors, engineers, specialists from every profession, all seemed to be keen on fleeing the terrible mess that the core worlds had become. The new government tried in vain to stop them by offering lucrative employment packages, but was only moderately successful. The Codexian state had enough other problems to deal with and found itself unable to devote the requisite resources to retain these talented individuals. The brain drain, in turn, damaged its ability to clean up the fallout of the war, figuratively speaking. The economy simply could not shift gears, having only mildly improved in the aftermath of the 'Brotherly Conflict'. Unemployment remained high, colonial development ground to a halt, and the 'Navy' (if such a term was even appropriate, at this stage) was a pitiful remnant of a shadow of its former glory.

These were sad times. Sad, desperate times. While the Commonwealth prospered throughout the 290s, Codexia looked on, enviously. The trade that had spurred on the high economic growth of the last seventy-odd years had badly slackened, with the Raumen-Hin'in War. When that finally ended - after the failure of the Second Raumen Uprising in 284AU - a third of Raumen territory was in Hin'in hands, and a Hin'in 'protectorate' occupied another. Though things began getting better thereafter, ever so slowly, it was just not enough to make a serious difference for the Codexians. They suffered, while the ruling regime floundered. It was then that a small movement arose from the slums of the largely destroyed Unification City, and began gathering momentum, as it exploded across the homeworld and beyond. This movement was known as the 'Children of Santi Maria'; a pseudo-Christian organization with obvious Buddhist and Islamic influences. It was a religion for the New Age; all-encompassing and re-assuring of one's cosmic utility, but grounded in committed charity work and harsh discipline.

It was enormously successful in selling its image to the poor and the middle class. They, who had experienced the worst of the last fifteen years, began flocking to it from 292AU onwards, after its aggressive proselytizers had spread to many parts of the homeworld. There were no Marianite hedonists, junkies (of any sort) or (known) criminals. This was a religion for the 'unsullied', the disciplined, the pure and the vengeful. It promised salvation only through the strict pursuit of personal perfection and the rejection of all 'vices'. These vices would come to include just about every materialistic symbol: from means of sensual gratification, to drugs, to body-alteration etc. etc. It was an attractive ideology simply because it offered something the government could not. That is to say, it offered CERTAINTY. A sense of belonging and the comprehension of one's place in the greater scheme of things. Soon, the Children were nearly everywhere. By 310AU, they numbered over a billion.

The resolve and drive of the Marianites was impressive. Though organized religion had taken a backseat to secular government for hundreds of years, the trend was reversed in mere decades. The multifaceted failures of the various governments of Codexia were largely to blame for a new blossoming of belief in the intangible and the aspirational. The ruling government of the period in question did not see the mortal danger the Children presented, until it was too late. They were 'hands off' during the rise of the nascent cult, and they delayed acting when the cult began to take on a political aspect. When it formed a political party (with clear affiliations, despite legal distance), there was no reaction. When it formed lobby groups and spent tens of millions of credits on influencing various political bodies, there was no reaction. When the Charitable Party for Progress (CPP) won the second election it contested, there was still no reaction.

It would take the Marianites another decade in power to drop all pretence of democratic inclinations, but by then they had become a part of the furniture, so to speak, in any case. Led by the enormously charismatic Pure Alonso Jaymes Mariano (born to one of the first Marianite preachers on Codexia), they used every opportunity to pulverize big business, consumer culture and anything else that was seen to afflict the common man. They infiltrated various public institutions, introduced their own (very popular) schools, raised their own 'security forces' and generally made themselves the centre of public life for a very large number of people. Resistance, when it finally came, was mainly on the part of the largest corporations, the upper class and a certain segment of the population that, for whatever reason, could not stomach the Marianites, their policies or their religion. The Marianites, who did not take kindly to such resistance, crushed it using socio-economic pressure and, in a few instances, force. In 327AU, Constant La Berre, Mariano's 'successor', dissolved the Council, had its members arrested and declared that the Republic was no more. In its place, the Marianites introduced the Venerable and Resplendent Codexian Respublica (or the Venerable Respublica, in short).

There was virtually no resistance to this development. The military almost immediately pledged its loyalty to the new regime, having been guaranteed a steady expansion and increased funding in future. Citizens who were unhappy about the coup held their tongues. They knew full well what the regime was liable to do in case of aired protests. Intellectuals, too, generally erred on the side of caution. At most, the steady stream of upper class economic migrants to the Commo became a flood. By 328AU absolute power was in the hands of Wise-Earl Neymar, the first leader of this new state. The work ahead, such as it is, remains monumental. The Venerable Respublica faces many challenges. The first amongst these is a simple choice. How is the state (and Marianism) to treat outsiders?

Do you... decree that the Respublica is open to all, and that Santi Maria embraces all sentients (those who conform to Marianism, that is) lovingly? This will help ingratiate the state with its alien neighbours, specifically, and may prompt the spread of the religion, perhaps. However, such an open attitude is not very conducive to aggressive action or militarism.

OR

Do you... decree that the Respublica is repelled by alien monstrosities? Santi Maria reserves the salvation she offers for Man alone! This will adversely affect alien trade (thereby the economy) and relations, but will help inspire an us-against-them attitude in the people that may be useful in maintaining stability, and will not allow for economic dependencies, like those of our past.
 
Joined
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Messages
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The Republica is open to all. It shall lead to many improvements that xenophobia would deny such as economic growth which is still needed to return to a more powerful state.
 

Radech

Augur
Joined
Sep 1, 2007
Messages
505
Open to all, us vs them can also be achieved in terms of believers vs non-believers, besides we need some new brains
 
Self-Ejected

Jack

█▓▒░
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Insert Title Here
Brothers, sisters, the revered wisdom of Santi Maria was not meant for the xeno scum.
We must embrace our destiny and take our rightful place in the universe as its ruler.
I must honor the holy promise that was given by Saint Jack the first.
I vote B.
 
Self-Ejected

Jack

█▓▒░
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Insert Title Here
Oh, that must have been a glitch in the space-time continuum.
Remind me to vote against any future time traveling.
 

Radech

Augur
Joined
Sep 1, 2007
Messages
505
This religion gives us a great opportunity to destabilize our neighbours, before we cleanse the remaining heathens in holy fire, might even make us look like the good guys if we play it right(freeing our oppressed brethren of the faith), besides the xeno scum we invite in will play by our rules this is a religion of self-discipline and abstinence after all, and pilgrimages to Codexias holy sites will help fill our coffers

ps. can we get teutonic knights pretty please, they are even dedicated to st. mary "Ordo domus Sanctæ Mariæ Theutonicorum Hierosolymitanorum"

File0113.jpg
 

Azira

Arcane
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Messages
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Copenhagen, Denmark
Codex 2012
We haven't actually been very succesful in our aggressions. I think the time is ripe for taking over our neighboring species culturally instead.

Let's spread the gospel to our non-human co-inhabitants of this galaxy! Let them see the light of truth and let them flock under our banners! The galaxy shall be remade as Codexia has been remade.

Option A
 
Self-Ejected

Jack

█▓▒░
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Insert Title Here
That was because we wasn't united and lacked spiritual guidance.
Now we stand together at last, brother.

We will be victorious in the end.
 

treave

Arcane
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Joined
Jul 6, 2008
Messages
11,370
Codex 2012
Option B.

Know our betrayal by the xenos. Know that they laughed off our offers of peace. Know that aliens are the spawn of the devil. They are his twisted, monstrous children. They beggared us with their filthy lucre. They, indeed, brought about the death of the Republic with their insidious alien ways.

Santi Maria is forgiving, and I would like to follow in her example and preach salvation to all sentients, but remember that we must not rely on alien trade again. I will not put my trust in xenos promises, nor will I place my faith in xenos money. We may pretend to do so and use them to our ends, but to commit ourselves wholeheartedly to working with them? Never.

Codexians can only rely on Codexians and God to help them. Consider that the Commonwealth is a booming conclave of economically strong Codexianity. All we need to do is to make them see the Light.

BTW, lac, Venerable Respublica, abbreviation: V.R. (Virtual Reality) Coincidence? I think not. :smug:
 

treave

Arcane
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Codex 2012
This is a choice I would not mind one way or another, to be honest. Option A is truer to the 'spirit' of the religion, but Option B may help us achieve true independence from the vagaries of the interstellar economic market (like North Korea!) Another analogy: Option A is the path of Christianity, opening up the religion to the Gentiles. Option B is the path of the Jew, reserving salvation for those of a certain bloodline.

I find both possible consequences to be interesting.

Also I hate the Commonwealth. Also the Raumen deserve all the oppression that they're getting from the Hin'in. This does make the Raumen a fertile ground for conversion, but I'm not sure I want to share our salvation with those greedy jewbugs, the offspring of Mammon.
 

Maria

Novice
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May 10, 2010
Messages
74
Location
Sweden
Brothers and sisters,

The choice we stand before is a difficult one indeed, we need to define the nature of the alien.
Does the alien have capacity to be an unsullied soul? Does is have capacity to reject the hedonistic and sinful ways of it's past and enter the pure state of bliss without again falling to sin?

Should the alien be able to hold purity, and so be an eligable soul, we must then ponder the ramifications of allowing the alien to worship upon our holy altar. Will the godess accept them, will she be warped by their influence?

This troubles me and I must ponder on this.
 

treave

Arcane
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Codex 2012
I shall submit to the divine wisdom of our Most Venerable Santi Maria if it does not coincide with my own flawed, earthly logic.
 

Maria

Novice
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Messages
74
Location
Sweden
Having read the archives about our closest naighbors the Raumen, it was clearly stated during the last failed peace negotiations that they believe that "the very idea of authority is anathema".
Our earliest reports also states that " The Raumen clans are extraordinarily tightly knit – clan and family ties override all other loyalties."
According to this information the Raumeni clans cannot and will not submit to the allmighty wisdom of Most Revered Mother Santi Maria and the Children.

The Raumeni will not be able to follow the strict rules that leads to purity and the unsullied soul. Not because of lack of willpower but because they are inherently flawed, their very design defies the rigidity and strict rutine that is demanded of a Marianite.

And since this decision is wether to let every alien in or none at all, I believe that we shall take the road of caution. One race is clearly not suited and we cannot allow them to make a mockery of our beliefs.

Option B
 

praetor

Arcane
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Apr 27, 2009
Messages
3,069
Location
Vhoorl
root said:
@praetor: what exactly did I do that made you so butthurt regarding me? i really can't remember. i'm not treating this game like it's wh40k. in fact, i ONLY started doing something similar after the 5-point-plan went fuck all. until then, i had been steadily encouraging commerce, open relations with aliens, yadda yadda yadda.

i'm not butthurt. i must have been misinterpreted. i am just sad and disappointed by the extent of blind, unthinking stupidity shown (not by you specifically, if i may add.. indeed, your :decline: came only after the complete and utter failure that was that 5-point plan) over the last dozen or so sessions. it seems very few sensible persons that actually carefully read what is written by the mighty Barbarian (and think "oh.. this sounds cool. it's like *insert lame SF scenario or whatever*" instead of "hmm.. considering what we know so far, this seems like the most plausible outcome so that and that would be the most sensible choice") are left in the council. and that saddens me. no (serious) butthurt involved... only disappointment

that said: i vote for B
 

treave

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Codex 2012
:smug:

I am a harbinger of your :decline:

It's the MORAN and RETARD (paraphrased) remarks that create the butthurtedness impression, I suppose.

I suppose you are unhappy mainly with the way we collectively handled that minor Raumen altercation a few decades back? Prior to that it was mostly exploration, which turned out pretty well if I must say so myself despite reservations from some parties.
 

praetor

Arcane
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Apr 27, 2009
Messages
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Vhoorl
root said:
sometimes a game is just a game, guv. i was genuinely interested in seeing a civ develop along the lines i would like one civ to do so. but after the complete and utter fuck-up, and some added cruelty by the barbarian, i (and probably not only me) just stopped caring about a glorious civilization and started thinking on something more along the lines of "what would make this interesting as a story, as opposed to just a succession of trade agreements, failed military incursions, and democratic fuck-ups of the major kind?"

obviously we can't decide things properly. ANYthing. So i choose the most radical choice and risk. fuck it, why not? let's see what turns out

that being said, i am somewhat disappointed that the civil war ended like it did: barb even said there might be more than just one turn to decide its outcome, and that by staying out of it the chance of dragging the commonwealth in would be greater. sure, he's just doing what he did, and it's entirely under his control do to that, but still, i guess after the 5-point-plan, that was just the last nail in the coffin.

after that. i dunno. let there be wh40k. maybe it'll work. maybe it won't. we'll still get a good story out of it.

no worries, mate. i am trying to "impersonate" a councilor after all.. it should only be logical that i be butthurt when my "proposals" do not win, eh? :)

as for WH40K, as much as i'd like to see that, as Conan already stated, this universe is based on plausibility and not "coolness factor".

what i don't really like about that "most radical choice" approach is that it may very well lead to an "endgame scenario" quite soon. and seeing that most councilors here are spineless lowly weaklings they cannot think for themselves and thus follow the higher forms of intelligence that have some semblance of leadership (like yourself :P ) with the "coolest" (read: most radical) idead.. well, you can guess how it ends :smug:
 

obediah

Erudite
Joined
Jan 31, 2005
Messages
5,051
I'm interested to see how space fundies plays out. I'm confident that The Barbarian won't let you get away with making him write 40K fanfic.
 

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