Vapourware AURORA: The Clash of Cultures - Year 13 over

[Hellraiser]

Oh come on, not even by replacing key phrases?

:declining:

 

[Cassidy]

Alright, I'll leave a teaser of what is coming:

 

[Cassidy]

I tried to make it even crazier than the original, but that is just not possible. Cheesier and filled nonsensically with Warhammer 40k and Codexian lore, on the other hand... hell this could fit in as one of the early Jimbob Comics, I dare say!



Like promised:

Eternal League Tracts

LARP DUNGEONS

 

[Random Word]

Welcome, Comrades, to a very special TASS Global Report. Tonight we are overjoyed to be bringing you Comrade Grigorovich addressing all brave men and women of the Communist Interstellar live from the massive Baltija Shipbuilding Yard in high Earth orbit, shortly after the close of the 35th Party Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union - the first but surely not the last to be held in orbit.

"Today, Comrades, we stand ascendant. We stand triumphant. We stand united in the pursuit of freedom, justice, and equality. We stand united as one People under one Party. Above all, we stand united as together we reach for the stars. Under the guidance of the Party each and every one of you have accomplished the impossible. In only five years you have unlocked the bounty of our solar system - no body is beyond our reach, no phenomena beyond our capacity to study. Your tireless labour, brilliant insights, and unwavering dedication to the ideals of Marxism-Leninism and the Party would have made Lenin proud, and in his name do we stride forward to spread those tenets farther still, for though we have accomplished the impossible we are not done. We now stand proudly amongst the planets of our solar system, but we will yet stride boldly forward amongst the stars. Behind us lies our past, the foundation from which we will build," she motions towards the lights of the Soviet Union visible far below the rear of the atrium, "Before us lies our future," she finishes triumphantly, as behind her the NTR engines of the Akademik Maria Klenova and Akademik Nikolai Kudryavtsev engage, bathing the atrium in brilliant light, the glass automatically dimming to shield viewers from the intense glare. "Stride boldly forward with me, and every worker will taste of the bounties of the stars themselves, no child will ever again have to fear the looming danger of the ever increasing nuclear arsenal of Omniventures nor the power armoured stormtroopers of the Empire of Nippon, and above all each and every one of us will be a part of the greatest undertaking in human history - the October Revolution shattered the barriers of class oppression, and now nothing can stop the united proletariat, not even the speed of light."

"We now build upon the most successful Five-Year Plan in Party history - and with your unwavering support I aim to surpass it in every way. Our industrial base will be stronger, our exploration will reach further, our mines will drive deeper into untapped worlds, and for the first time in human history we will live and breathe on another world. The Red Planet will become the newest Soviet Socialist Republic, and it will become a springboard from which we reach further still. You have done the impossible under my leadership once - I ask that in the name of the glorious cause of Interstellar Socialism you redouble your efforts and accomplish it once again."

Bravo Comrade Grigorovich, we salute you. The future of the Soviet Union is bright, Comrades, and each and every one of us will see the benefits of this visionary new Five-Year Plan. Highlights include the successful conclusion of the Ministry of Health's enforced weight loss program for the Greater Moscow Area which preliminary results indicate has reduced the incidence of cardiovascular disorders by almost half, priority approval for acceptance into the Mars colonization program for volunteers in many Hospitality Zones housing displaced Chinese citizens fleeing Nipponese atrocities to acknowledge the heroic generosity they have shown in labouring above and beyond the call of duty to bring many of our new TN industrial facilities online, and generous incentive packages for brave workers who volunteer to operate orbital infrastructure.

In international news, Omniventures continues to embarass themselves with a propaganda campaign proclaiming the virtues of a drive system which has yet to leave drydock - if it has even left the drawing board - while Soviet starships travel the solar system. We asked Comrade Dr. Sonya Kyrujkov of Ivchenko Progress ZKMB her opinion on this baffling behaviour. "They don't even know what they don't know. Their complete inability to recognize an NTR design despite the patent impossibility of giving a starship of that size that sort of acceleration profile with conventional drive systems is beyond me. By the time they have a space program capable of leaving LEO we'll probably be drinking vodka in Alpha Centauri." Indeed, Comrade Kyrujkov. This is the TASS Global Report signing off - Welcome, Comrades, to the birth of the First Interstellar.

 

[Kalin]

 

[GarfunkeL]

Just a heads-up to players, that since 6.00 overhauled engines, it is no longer necessary to research Missile Engine Technology for each generation separately. Missile engines are now designed just like normal engines, can range from 0.1 to 5 Missile Size Points and a mssile/drone can incorporate more than one - so you can have smaller missiles with one engine and larger missiles with two/three same engines. These engines do need to be prototyped just like any other engines and the missiles must then be designed & prototyped as usual.

Also, in case people have forgot or don't know, remember that NO beam weapons work in atmospheres, aside from Mesons. So if you plan on using PDCs, you better arm them with either missiles or meson cannons. Orbital Weapon Satellites CAN have lasers/railguns/gauss guns/particle beams/microwave cannons. Also note that any TN-missile launched from Earth, against Earth-based targets, will only have a 5-second flight time, so anti-missile missiles are useless - only beam weapons set on "Final Fire" are able to shoot and they can only shoot once. So the only working defence against Earth-based TN-missiles is PDCs with Mesons or OWPs with any beam weaponry. Missile armed PDCs are, of course, efficient if you want to shoot ships or bombard other planets/moons/comets/asteroids.

And before anyone goes missile-spamming crazy, remember that radiation and atmospheric dust affects ALL players on a planet. It is impossible, in the current Aurora model, to localize either one. So any shoot-out that involves TN-missiles is equal to a nuclear war and can, possibly, ruin the planet for everyone.

 

[Hellraiser]

In case anyone was doubting the deterrence potential of the Shoah-1 NTR missiles stationed in the Jericho.

Naturally turning our beautiful planet into a radioactive ball of dust is something Omniventures seeks to avoid, however we will retaliate against the warmongering agression of Communism if necessary. Especially if they use WMDs against us.

 

[Random Word]

Let's face it, you'd nuke your own grandmother just to short pharmaceuticals futures if they didn't cost so much to build. While the manboons of Omniventures have been developing WMDs the USSR has been advancing humanity into a new age of peace, prosperity, and exploration.
It took Communism to boldly go where no man had gone before - the capitalist nations of the world could think of nothing more productive than how best to apply TN technology to blowing each other up more effectively.

 

[Kalin]

Inspired by Storyfag's excellent initiative, I saw it fit to publish this unbiased and 100% truthful summary:

 

[Hellraiser]

Facist Greece is a must have of every fictional map of the (near) future

 

[Storyfag]

I'm still of the opinion that New Prussia should, in fact, contain actual Prussia - in other words the present Kaliningrad Oblast. And maybe even the Baltic States Also, I did give Poland back it's eastern regions for a reason

 

[CaptainAwesome]

Remove vodka

Koningsberg is rightful Prussian clay

operation Barbarossa best day of my life

In other words I agree.

 

[GarfunkeL]

Couple of players haven't given me any orders yet.

 

[Kalin]

In regards to Prussia/Poland/Soviet Union, it is a tad problematic that their interests all overlap, particularly when we lack properly established claims by the factions. Much of old Prussia is now held by the Commonwealth, while the Soviet Union could be argued to have more "rights" to the Baltic states having actually held them in the past, and so forth. This goes for Kaliningrad too, could such a Russian enclave of alcoholism and depravity truly reverse to embrace Prussian culture? Personally, I opted to compensate for the rather humble Prussian presence in the north-east by adding southern acquisitions, though it was naturally also an imperfect measure.

Of course, in-character wise:

After carefully reviewing your complaints, we can but conclude that Imperial Cartography is infallible; all fault lies solely with the observer due to optical/ideological deficiencies. Please be aware that repeated pursuit of misconceptions based on flawed input constitutes a level two infraction of Imperial Law, being punishable by up to fifteen years of rehabilitating indentured servitude in the Trans-Newtonian mining sector.

 

[Kalin]

 

[Storyfag]

This goes for Kaliningrad too, could such a Russian enclave of alcoholism and depravity truly reverse to embrace Prussian culture?

An Imperial Gentleman such as yourself ought to be well aware of the wonders of mass deportations

 

[Kalin]

Indeed, fair point! Not to mention all those mysterious, unexplainable disappearances, they seem to happen everywhere these days.

 

[Hellraiser]

ITZFOODZ denies any involvement in the recent cases of people disappearing.

 

[CaptainAwesome]

Hey, deportations and disappearances are how the Russians got Kaliningrad in the first place, and turnabout is fair play.

 

[Storyfag]

That is exactly what I meant

 

[CaptainAwesome]

That is exactly what I meant

Indeed.

 

[Kalin]

 

[Random Word]

PUBLIC STATEMENT FROM THE OFFICE OF THE GENERAL SECRETARY OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF THE SOVIET UNION:

"It is telling that the first response of the Empire of Nippon is violence, however Duke Hayashi is a military man and they are creatures of a peculiarly singular mindset for which they can scarcely be blamed. Much more surprising was the current of reason opposing this typically dominant line of imperialist posturing so pervasive in Nipponese political rhetoric. Had such level heads prevailed at the time of the Nipponese invasion of the PRC that atrocity may never have come to pass. Many would counsel me that to negotiate with a power so steeped in war and so quick to disregard the sovereignty of its neighbours would be folly. Such terrestrial affairs tire me, and only serve to detract from our duty to the First Interstellar. Should this sudden outbreak of reason in the land of the rising sun prove less fleeting than the morning dew, we can only hope to encourage its growth. Perhaps, in time, bereft of the militaristic nationalism which closes their minds to the enlightenment within their grasp, the people of Nippon will come to understand the truth of Marxism-Leninism, and join the Interstellar as comrades in arms as we spread its tenets to the stars.

It is therefore my pleasure to invite a suitable delegation from the Empire of Nippon and any interested party to attend the Olympus Conference, to be held, most appropriately, on the slopes of Mars' majestic Olympus Mons. Transport is of course available for those who cannot yet make the journey under their own power. It is my hope that at this conference a mutually beneficial agreement on the equitable division of the solar system will be established. It would be a great tragedy should the Empire force us to mar the cradle of humanity with TN conflict, one I am eager to avoid."

-- Comrade Grigorovich

 

[GarfunkeL]

I'm really fucking wasted at this moment but, I'll play the next turn (years 7-9) when I wake up, during the Sunday. The players who haven't sent me their orders, well, tough luck, you have been taken over by ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE or something like that. Ambitious vice presidents? Roll with it, cheers.

 

[The Brazilian Slaughter]

I'm really fucking wasted at this moment but, I'll play the next turn (years 7-9) when I wake up, during the Sunday. The players who haven't sent me their orders, well, tough luck, you have been taken over by ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE or something like that. Ambitious vice presidents? Roll with it, cheers.

I'm now getting a hilarious image of Amerikwa being taken over by the villain of Metal Wolf Chaos and his giant mecha.

Of course...

"EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE!! BECAUSE I'M THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!!!!"

Sucession by Mecha Duel seems to be destined to become a popular method of sucession in the Celestial Empire.