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[Man of Paper]

A little accompaniment.

Namtar was identified as a perfect target for terraforming into a Prime Earth planet by The Subcommittee for the Expansion of Colonies, so terraforming machines were sent out ahead of a fleet of generational ships as part of the SEC's Livingspace Directive. Unfortunately, massive cosmic storms disrupted the final jump of the slipspace route the colony fleet was using, and the vessels were scattered across (and in one case into) the stars. The Colonial Orbital Platform 'Ceridwen' was luckier than most. The massive station tore out of slipspace above Namtar with force well outside typical ranges and too deeply within a gravitational well to hold together for more than a few moments. As Ceridwen broke apart and rapidly fell into Namtar's atmosphere, the emergency systems had just enough time to shunt all available power and processes into a single section for maximized survivability. 

Unnecessary systems were shut down en masse, taking still-important programs such as sections of Cryomemory Retention with them. Everything up to and including what little atmos wasn't compromised was vented in efforts to keep the section from spinning out of control or completely pulverizing against the surface of the planet. The greatest of the miracles in this string of miraculous events included the section of station colliding with the ground at just the right angle to prevent loss of the SlipSleep Chambers. One of the last things the automated systems managed to do was unlock the SlipSleep Chambers and set a timer for the Reawakening Process.

This was very good for your people, who were now waking up in waves of a few dozen with little more than their personalities and general knowledge rattling around in their brains outside of their purpose - colonize Namtar. Two things would prove to unify the stationwrecked survivors as they began to gather themselves, both nanoetched in big, somehow still pristine white letters across the wreckage scattered about the "landing site": C.O.P. Ceridwen and...

Which Module survived atmospheric entry? [GM Note: While you are not guaranteed to locate the other PreTech (Pre-crash Technology) over the course of the game, your choice now will not exclude you from the opportunity to make use of the other modules.]


A. Botany - Provides AgriDome (+Food, -Maintenance Over Time)
B. Command - Provides Communications Suite (+Coordination, -Permanent Signal)
C. Maintenance - Provides Trash Converter (+Power and Hygiene, -Massive Smoke Plume)
D. Medical - Provides Chemifab (+Healthcare, -Waste Byproducts)
E. Mining - Provides Crustbreaker Megadrill (+Resources Over Time, -Geological Instability)
F. Security - Provides Automated Security Network (+Colony Defense, -Diplomatic Potential)
G. Science - Provides Static Pacification Field (+Live Capture, -Diplomatic Potential)

HOW TO PLAY

You, the players, are responsible for making the decisions that will carry the Ceridwen survivors from their start in paleolithic squalor (a situation the depths of which should become abundantly apparent over the course of the next couple turns) to...wherever they may end up. The mention of paleolithic squalor isn't hyperbolic, either. The loss of knowledge among the colonists is so deep that they're going to be rediscovering all but the barest basics of a society - with your help. Players can join at any point in the game, and are not required to participate in every turn (although it'd be greatly appreciated). There is no limit on player count, and the more the merrier.

Each Turn will start off with a write-up summarizing the situation for your colonists. While some, like this first turn, will include a multiple choice question, most turns will be open-ended for the players to propose, discuss, and vote on their own propositions for how to approach perceived priorities. All updates will include invisible TURNTURNTURN text to make searching for updates in the search bar easier - so please also refrain for including TURNTURNTURN in your own posts. Anyway, since you're voting now and proposing later on, let's cover voting first:


Voting
Voting is easy peasy lemon squeezy. Every player gets one vote. Voting utilizes a quote box (aka "votebox") listing available options (usually pruned specifically to those with votes to minimize clutter) with both a total number of and the list of voters per option. Sound complicated? If you're making one, click "insert quote" on them fancy buttons above the message box (the one with the speech bubble). If someone else makes one, quote the votebox from their post, add your name and edit the vote tally accordingly, and post! A typical votebox will look like this:

Option 1 (2): Player 1, Player 2
Option B (0):
Option Charlie (1): Player 3

And if another player were to add their vote, it would look something like this:

Option 1 (3): Player 1, Player 2, Player 4
Option B (0):
Option Charlie (1): Player 3

Whichever proposal receives the most votes is taken by me and processed through 2d6 to determine the exact scope and impact of that proposal on colonial society. While most of the mechanics (like mapgen) will remain tucked neatly behind the scenes, for clarity's sake, the 2d6 is essentially a Stability Check, with 12 meaning the proposal helps bring about unity and progress in the colony, a 2 building disillusionment and unrest, a 7 maintaining the status quo, and everything else on a sliding scale in between.


Proposing
Writing proposals requires players to outline what line they want colonial society to advance upon. Any advancement to human society that you can think of is likely to be able to fit here, so long as your society can support it. Tools, laws, infrastructure, faiths, treaties, monuments, and military units are all examples of (but not examples of all of) the possibilities available to you. Any details important to the goals of the proposal should probably be included, and a title is necessary but not required.

All proposals must also be labeled as one of four types of actions in order to facilitate "Scoring". Besides being a way to keep "score" (outlined further below), the labels also help indicate the general intentions of proposals. There will be four brief turns following this one in order to cover each type of action in more detail. The four action types are:

Thinker: Internally-focused concepts, plans, and ideas. New training, experimental procedures, and general internal politicking is handled through Thinker Actions.
Creator: Tangible objects designed with a focus primarily on usage within colonial territory. Roads, shovels, clothes, and plows are all examples of potential Creator proposals.
Doer: Actions outlining direct interference or intervention with the world outside of the colony's borders. Arguably the most important action! Exploration of unknown lands and conquest of uncontrolled territory are both Doer actions, and the (re-)positioning of unique mobile developments can also be lumped into larger Doer actions. If, for whatever reason, there should be some sort of conflict, Doer actions will be where you write out desired strategies.
Decider: Diplomacy involving uncontrolled territory, should diplomacy ever occur for some reason, is performed with Decider actions. Annexation of, say, a group of "reeducated" rebels through diplomacy would be a Decider action. Any equipment used to project power beyond the border can also be created using Decider actions.

A properly identified proposal should include the action type somewhere in the title of the proposal, such as "Thinker - Basic Hygiene" or "Sack of Meat (Decider)".


Scoring and Victory
Whenever a vote ends, the player who made the winning proposal receives a point for their Pillars of Society Score, as will anyone who voted for it. While there is no goal other than survival of the tribe, group or personal goals can and should be aimed for. Once the game runs to it's conclusion, each player will have a very simple but clear profile of what kind of leader they were. A player's score in the spoiler will look like the following:

Example42069: Th2.10; Cr2.2; Do0.4; De6.0

Each pair of letters corresponds to the first two letters of their label. The number before the point represents the proposals the player made under that label that were pushed through, while the number after the point shows how many proposals under that label they supported that were written by other players. It is not a decimal point, so if there's a desire to flex in a PvE game that's secretly giving you a personality test about as legit as any other online personality test, 2.10 is more than 2.2 for the purposes of score. The goal is to, at a glance, provide a snapshot of what kind of leadership you provided throughout the life of the colony.


Game Map
The game map is, currently, completely unrevealed, but will appear on a standard square grid. Outside of the starting location, map squares are kept entirely unidentified until one of the surrounding squares comes under your control. Any square of land touching your borders will be labeled with the terrain type and observable modifiers, but any resources and harder to obtain intel will not become known or available to the colony until more direct action is taken. This direct action will, of course, uncover the tiles surrounding that territory, and thus the cycle continues. A map key will be provided and expanded upon as more knowledge is attained by the colony.


How Caveman Is Caveman? And Other Ponderings
Starting technology, while defined, will not be revealed until the next turn in order to provide some suspense regarding specifics, but I'll reiterate that starting from square one is not much of an exaggeration. If you approach your colony as a New Game+ for civilization, then you probably won't be too far off the mark there. You are hunter-gatherers with access to a piece of technology you will likely never be able to understand the workings of, let alone dismantle and replicate without losing functionality. It Just Works!

The planet is excessively Earth-like, thanks mostly to very skilled terraforming measures and not at all because I did not want to create an entire global ecosystem from scratch at this point in my life.

Be cool dudes.

One of you should run an Arms Race.

Below are the spoilers you'll see in every update from now on, but they're gonna be empty, you nerd. It's mostly so I have something I can copy and paste that includes the transparent TURNTURNTURN deal while I remember to include it. Oh right, let me add that somewhere further up.

Spoiler: Technology & Knowledge (click to show/hide)

We've crashed!

Spoiler: Available Resources (click to show/hide)

Screams

Spoiler: Map & Key (click to show/hide)

My eyes!

Spoiler: Regional Details (click to show/hide)

DEATH AND DESTRUCTION!

Spoiler: Pillars of Society (click to show/hide)

:*

TURNTURNTURN

[ZBridges]

Option A (1): ZBridges
Option B (0):
Option C (0):
Option D (0):
Option E (0):
Option F (0):
Option G (0):

[The Canadian kitten]

Oh great steel food dome, for once it breaks we die with it or something like that.

Option A (2): ZBridges, TCk
Option B (0):
Option C (0):
Option D (0):
Option E (0):
Option F (0):
Option G (0):

[ctsun]

Option A (2): ZBridges, TCk, ctsun
Option B (0):
Option C (0):
Option D (0):
Option E (0):
Option F (0):
Option G (0):

[FiveBalesOfHay]

We really like food, huh?

Option A (4): ZBridges, TCk, ctsun, Bales
Option B (0):
Option C (0):
Option D (0):
Option E (0):
Option F (0):
Option G (0):

[Kashyyk]

Food is useful, but boring as a starting boon.

Option A (4): ZBridges, TCk, ctsun, Bales
Option B (0):
Option C (0):
Option D (0):
Option E (0):
Option F (1): Kashyyk
Option G (0):

[Nirur Torir]

I think B and C give the most unique benefits.
Radio would be amazing for governing a pre-industrial wide civ.
An advanced waste processing plant makes building a huge capital city much easier, and the power gives us a lead for early industrialization.

Option A (4): ZBridges, TCk, ctsun, Bales
Option B (0):
Option C (1): Nirur
Option D (0):
Option E (0):
Option F (1): Kashyyk
Option G (0):

[Powder Miner]

Food is definitely safer, but imo it is more SOULFUL - SOULFUL I SAY - to start with the big fuckoff smoke machine or as a crashed mining colony. For the sake of not pissing in the wind in a third different direction, I'll vote for the maintenance module.

Option A (4): ZBridges, TCk, ctsun, Bales
Option B (0):
Option C (2): Nirur, Powder Miner
Option D (0):
Option E (0):
Option F (1): Kashyyk
Option G (0):

[TricMagic]

Option A (4): ZBridges, TCk, ctsun, Bales
Option B (0):
Option C (2): Nirur, Powder Miner, TricMagic
Option D (0):
Option E (0):
Option F (1): Kashyyk
Option G (0):

The first step of terraforming, greenhouse gases. (Not really if it's already near earth, but power is good. Hygiene better.)

[VermilionSkies]

Option A (4): ZBridges, TCk, ctsun, Bales
Option B (0):
Option C (4): Nirur, Powder Miner, TricMagic, VSkies
Option D (0):
Option E (0):
Option F (1): Kashyyk
Option G (0):

For this rite we call upon the Thunder-Smith, from whose forge sprouts lightning, and whose craft darkens skies.

[ZBridges]

Man of Paper, how are ties handled?

[IronyOwl]

Oof. Oof I say! Free food is really nice and you do not fully appreciate this until you're politely asking a forest for more berries. However, it's not really free if it requires a bunch of maintenance, it's probably the easiest thing to replicate (it fuckin better be or we're ALL gonna die), and it does feel very generic.

Option A (4): ZBridges, TCk, ctsun, Bales
Option B (0):
Option C (5): Nirur, Powder Miner, TricMagic, VSkies, IronyOwl
Option D (0):
Option E (0):
Option F (1): Kashyyk
Option G (0):

HAIL SMOG-CROWN DEVOURER OF PEOPLE AND THINGS WE DON'T LIKE

[Man of Paper]

Man of Paper, how are ties handled?

I'll lock everyone in a sack until they figure out a majority. Or flip a coin if I really have to.

An update should come within the next 24 hours or so, barring an uptick in discussion or a flip-floppin' that'd necessitate holding off for a little longer.

[Kashyyk]

Yeah, I'll go for the Smoke Stack.

Option A (4): ZBridges, TCk, ctsun, Bales
Option B (0):
Option C (6): Nirur, Powder Miner, TricMagic, VSkies, IronyOwl, Kashy to
Option D (0):
Option E (0):
Option F (0):
Option G (0):

[Man of Paper]

TURN 1 RESULTS
Musical Accompaniment

After the sudden unanticipated landing, as the screeching and banging of the catastrophic accident echoed across the landscape, the first wave of SlipSleep Chambers unceremoniously dumped their contents onto the grated steel floor. Mass confusion and panic rapidly took hold, as while everyone could remember vague notions, concepts, and ideas, specific memories from before waking up were simply gone. Names and spoken language remained intrinsic knowledge to the awakening Colonists, and they could even understand the nametags on the drab grey jumpsuits folded under each Chamber, but actually writing words seemed to be a foreign concept. Likewise, while the Colonists retained the concepts of things such as space stations, nuclear weapons, terraforming equipment, and lasers, any knowledge of how they actually function or are manufactured has slipped away.

This bare minimum was very fortunate, as the First Wave had to undertake damage control, and knowing how to use a fire extinguisher was extremely important. Once the immediate threat was handled, the First Wave set about analyzing the situation.

The region the Colonists had "landed" in was, outside of the areas peppered by wreckage, a very healthy grassland. Terraforming efforts had obviously been extremely successful, as one expects when dealing with the SEC. Bees flitted about from flower to flower while hawks hunted rabbits that wandered away from the Ash trees, bison grazed on the tall grass, and some small creeks and streams cut through the otherwise unremarkable terrain. The skies were clear of clouds, save for the black swirls that traced the paths of each station module, and the wind didn't pick up to much more than a light breeze. The land would provide, and what it could not, perhaps Ceridwen's carcass would. Tools were smashed together out of loose sticks and stones, but the tons and tons of debris left by Ceridwen proved to be somewhat better materials. Plastic was molded or shaped into handles, and steel scraps were used to make up whatever basic tool was needed. As the module was mostly left in pieces large enough for one or two people to drag around (and these Janitors, Plumbers, and Electricians were built for manual labor anyways), the Colonists also made use of Ceridwen's scrap to build some basic housing and shelter.

As the module was repurposed, one section was discovered to be entirely functional - outside of the fact that it was completely separate from any space station. The Trash Converter, a set of massive furnaces and incinerators that burned waste to provide auxiliary power, remained intact and, surprisingly, functional. The Colonists were quick to test functionality utilizing some of that leftover knowledge to start up the facility and turn on the lights that cast a dim light on the ground around it. The Colonists themselves would describe the experience as odd, almost out-of-body or possession-like, as they operated the Trash Converter without any apparent active thought involved. Switches, levers, wheels, plugs, and valves were extremely advanced for where the mindset of the Colonists was at this point, and yet they were able to work them perfectly without question. Dismantling, let alone reproducing, this miracle of science and technology was impossible due to the CryoAmnesia in combination with a present technological base of dirt.

There were plenty of things to do around the landing site, but as wave after wave unloaded fresh Colonists, some found themselves volunteered to be part of a small scouting party ranging further away from the security of the known (relatively, anyway). The immediate area had been assessed well enough, so this group spiraled outward to get a better lay of the land. The lively plains quickly fell away to the South and South-East, with Badlands and Desert providing a nice strip of inhospitability. To the East stands a cluster of imposing Mountains which terminate abruptly at the shores of the Ocean in the North-East. More Ocean laps against the beaches to the North-West, while a wet Swamp sits due North firmly between both Oceanic regions. The Swamp stretches into the West, and then dries slightly to lead into more Plains in the South-West.


Technology Discovered:

Basic Scrap Tools: Simple handheld tools made out of scavenged plastic and steel. Foundational Tech - No Resource Cost.
Firemaking: The ability to use basic principles of friction to start fires. Foundational Tech - No Resource Cost.
Scrap Housing: Protection from the elements and a place to keep ones' belongings made out of scavenged plastic and steel. Foundational Tech - No Resource Cost.
Basic Electrical Power: A rudimentary understanding of how to utilize PreTech power sources. Ultimately represents knowing how to flip a switch and pull a plug, but a foundation for advancement nonetheless. Foundational Tech - No Resource Cost.


PreTech Chosen:

Trash Converter: A recycling plant that used to provide power as well as a chemical stew of gases that could be repurposed by various elements of the station. Now functions as a massive incinerator powering some emergency lighting that somehow survived the crash. Severely reduces resource requirements related to power consumption within the Colony, while reducing squalor thanks to refuse being a fuel source. A thick black plume of acrid exhaust billows out of the smokestacks as it operates - which is constantly.


Regions Identified:

-1,-1: PLAIN
-1,0: SWAMP
-1,1: OCEAN
0,-1: BADLAND
0,0: PLAIN, Ceridwen Crash Site, Trash Converter
0,1: SWAMP
1,-1: DESERT
1,0: MOUNTAIN
1,1: OCEAN


Resources Identified:
0,0: FOOD x2 (Bison, Rabbit), WOOD x1 (Ash Trees), SCRAP x3 (Maint. Module)

TURN 2: THINKER TUTORIAL

With the threat of death now looming slightly further away from the colonists, they face their hardest task yet: what will they do now? Other than the fires of the Converter, the Ceridwen scraps, and the jumpsuits on their backs, the Colonists have nothing. It will be hard to convince people to stick together and carry on if no reason to do so is provided, so the people that found themselves in positions of leadership will have to decide what the first building block of Colonist society will be...and maybe choose an actual name for the Colony as well.


Welcome to your first turn making a proposal yourself. This turn's focus is THINKER actions. If you place the turns on two axes, Internal v External and Intellectual v Material, Thinker Actions are firmly Internal Intellectual. Proposals focused on the sciences, arts, law, and culture, and still-vague but slightly more specific concepts rooted within them, will fall under Thinker Actions so long as their aim is to impact a facet of life within the Colony's borders. Firemaking and Basic Electrical Power would possibly fall under Thinker actions, as they are both skills or knowledge that is used to improve life within the borders of the colony. If there are questions about the validity of a proposal, it is best if a proposal is written first so that it can be properly judged by my smooth brain.

Naming your colony is not required at this moment, but is highly suggested due to narrative (but not mechanical) impact.

Spoiler: Technology & Knowledge (click to show/hide)

Basic Scrap Tools: Simple handheld tools made out of scavenged plastic and steel. Foundational Tech - No Resource Cost.

Firemaking: The ability to use basic principles of friction to start fires. Foundational Tech - No Resource Cost.

Scrap Housing: Protection from the elements and a place to keep ones' belongings made out of scavenged plastic and steel. Foundational Tech - No Resource Cost.

Basic Electrical Power: A rudimentary understanding of how to utilize PreTech power sources. Ultimately represents knowing how to flip a switch and pull a plug, but a foundation for advancement nonetheless. Foundational Tech - No Resource Cost.


Trash Converter: A recycling plant that used to provide power as well as a chemical stew of gases that could be repurposed by various elements of the station. Now functions as a massive incinerator powering some emergency lighting that somehow survived the crash. Severely reduces resource requirements related to power consumption within the Colony, while reducing squalor thanks to refuse (and anything else that burns) being a fuel source. A thick black plume of acrid exhaust billows out of the smokestacks as it operates - which is constantly. PreTech.

Spoiler: Resources (click to show/hide)

AVAILABLE/TOTAL:
FOOD 2/2
WOOD 1/1
SCRAP 3/3

BY REGION:
0,0: FOOD x2 (Bison, Rabbit), WOOD x1 (Ash Trees), SCRAP x3 (Maint. Module)

Spoiler: Map & Key (click to show/hide)

Pink Border: Colonial Control

Blue: Ocean
Brown: Badland
Green: Plain
Grey: Mountain
Ochre: Desert
Pea Green: Swamp

"What is this, a map for ants?"
No, it's just got the potential to grow real big real fast and in unbalanced directions. If you have a problem seeing things, you can hold Control and use the scroll wheel to adjust the zoom on your browser window! Neat!

Spoiler: Regional Details (click to show/hide)

-1,-1: OCEAN
-1,0: SWAMP
-1,1: PLAIN
0,-1: SWAMP
0,0: PLAIN, Ceridwen Crash Site, Trash Converter
0,1: SWAMP
1,-1: BADLAND
1,0: MOUNTAIN
1,1: OCEAN

Spoiler: Pillars of Society (click to show/hide)

Terry, the rabbit you landed on. He had a family, man. That's dozens of little bastards now. Dozens!

TURNTURNTURN