Turns of ACS03 (No-Crawlers)

[Scipio Centaurus]

Outstanding job team Zakharov! We finally assembled the necessary pieces to complete the Morganic puzzle; Arima's intelligence coup in acquiring the critical data files for Doctrine: Air Power; Qantaga's brilliant diplomatic machinations as implemented by his agent provocateurs - forcing Morgan into a state of paranoid paralysis; HerrDoktorProfessor JohnDMuller's magnificent defensive stands at Garland Crater and of course; Provost-General Smack's maneuver sus le derrier leading to the eventual blitzkrieg and submission of the Mogul. This period of the University's history will be remembered in epic song, poem and holovideo!

I may complete my turns this evening.

- Scipio

[Scipio Centaurus]

Report to the Board of Regents, MY2275-89
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2275 - We capture Morgan Industries and then immediately cede control of the base to Morgan. He said he liked the gift very much. Could have let Morgan take it himself, but what the hey... now he thinks we're magnanimous in victory.

One of our NJs spotted a Gaian IoD just offshore near Morgan Energy Monopoly. It's in position to land troops immediately. I sent a Light Brigade and a NJ over to reinforce MEM. We'll have to see about putting out a few indigenous units to patrol the coastlines. Recon NJ zapped a Gaian transport foil in the island channels just west of Morgan Industries.

Don't know how long Lal can hold out against Dierdre. If she rolls him she'll be in position to bring the attack to our small island continent. Might be time to think about connecting our landmasses.

Do we have any kind of navy? 'cause Santiago's got a gatling foil in the waters betwixt our two landmasses. It's quite annoying!

We sent a couple of scout rovers and probes out on recon/patrol duty in the northern and SW 'wilderness' coastal areas. The transport foil with the police missile (!) unit is headed west to explore the last of the peninsulas on our main landmass. We founded The Marine Institue (seabase) near the mouth of Morgan Solarfex harbor.

Switched us to Democratic/Green since we have no enemey occupied bases sharing our landmasses. Remind me to set us on Knowledge next year.

Switched Uni Base to working on The Neural Amplifier SP.

2276 - Switched us to Dem/Green/Knowledge. Hmmm... Spartan tranport foil w/ gatling infantry and scout rover located in The Med, just 2 squares offshore near Morgan Biochemical. Very annoying!

Morgan probe team moves next to Morgan Mines (ours). Hope it's just passing through...

2277 - Surprise! Recon flight located Hive missile marines (6~-3-1) and empath missile shock troops (6e-4-1) two squares away from MEM. Later recon flight detected a hive transport foil tucked into a cove just offshore. Gotta get some coastal detection and defense forces up. Lost two gatling NJs bringing the empath shock troops to 90% damage. Committing a couple of rovers and a probe team to reinforce MEM.

A Hive missile cruiser encounters one of our tranports w/ probe team near the equator. Yang asks us to join in his crusade against Lal. I decline. Yang then demands Superstring Theory for an end to hostilities. I tell him to go fly a kite. He informs me that the Planet is no longer big enough for the two of us. The probe team just barely has time to say "Gurrgle"!

Hive missile marines make amphibious assault on Morgan Industries. Garrison unit destroyed. One of our NJs takes out the Hive transport w/ the missile marines.

Heh heh! Forgot about the HSA. Probe team lost trying to subvert Hive missile marines at MEM. Light Brigade destroys the invaders.

Our tranport foil pops a seapod with 150 EC worth of manufacturing supplies.

2279 - Transport foil drops our police missile unit on a Unity pod near the south pole. Half a dozen mindworms pop out and dine on the policemen. Tranport foil sails off to pop a seapod and is consumed by an IoD.

The loaded Spartan tranport foil mentioned a few years back is conducting naval exercises in the tropical waters near Academgorodok's borehole.

Research foil pops a pod near The Marine Institute. IoD appears. Research foil disappears.

We have enough ECs to pay for The Neural Amplifier SP. Let's hope we get advance notification, because I don't want to spend that much now. I'll rush the SP by 1 year each turn till we get it.

2281 - Sunspots. It says for 'up to' 20 years. Means it's probably a random number of years. Can't say I've ever counted though.

The IoD that trashed the research foil killed the lone garrison unit at The Marine Institute (size 1). I grabbed the alert CAP6 at Morgan Solarfex (I had to use my special trick for getting an alert unit in a base off of alert) and sent it to Marine Institute to finish off the IoD.

Zvedny Gorodok builds a research foil. Sending it to Autumn Grove (Gaian) to establish infiltration.

2282 - Hive missile marines and scouts land at Morgan Industries. Our NJ takes out the scout patrol. Morgan only has a probe team in the base. Luckily a Light Brigade on coastal patrol is just arriving at Morgan Industries and takes out the missile marines.

Hive missile cruiser located 2 square from The Marine Institute heading due south towards Morgan Metallurgy. NJ from Morgan Biochemical zaps it.

We found Planetary Archives in the northern part of the continent. (that doesn't sound right does it?)

2283 - A second Hive missile cruiser moves into the square where the first one sank. Our NJ sacrifices itself to take out the second cruiser. Hmmm... Note to self: Self... make some more NJs.

Santiago landed her troops right on top of our borehole at Academgorodok. She's such a card... (Sunspots) I'll let her stay there for a few turns. Maybe we can sweet talk her off the island. (yeah right)

2285 - Another Hive missile cruiser driving hard for Morgan Metallurgy. Sent a NJ out to reconnoiter in back of the cruiser. Sure enough. A second Hive missile cruiser 2 square back of the first AND a Believer Gatling Destroyer 2 squares away from the first Hive cruiser. We have no intel on the diplomatic status between the Hive and the Believers. I suppose it would be too much to hope that they are mortal enemies of each other. Our NJ kills the first cruiser but is badly damaged. The NJ is blocking the second cruisers direct path to Morgan Metallurgy. Curiously, The Marine Institue is only 2 squares away and much more vulnerable. I am mobilizing a couple of NJs from Morgan Bank to reinforce. I am also calling up a couple of Light Brigades. Morgan Metallurgy and Morgan Biochemical are switching to missile NJ production (rush building is authorized). Otkretia Discovery will commence work on the prototype Chaos Assault NJ forthwith.

2286 - Lots of action! The Spartans moved a cruiser transport offshore at Planetary Archives (up north). A Spartan missile artillery landed next to Planetary Archives. Then either a Spartan probe landed and attacked our own probe in the base or the Spartan artillery fired on the base. Our probe has 40% damage. If there was a Spartan probe it was destroyed. It all happened too fast. In any case, our diplomatic status with the Spartans still shows as truce - not sure what's going on there. Could sunspots mess that up?

There were 2 Believer gatling destroyers. They were blocked by our NJ and turned north away from our bases - they are out of sight now. The Hive missile cruiser (it's actually a Mk3 with silksteel armor) was also blocked by the NJ and turned to attack The Marine Institue, destroying the garrison. Our damaged NJ flew into the seabase. Two NJs from Morgan Metallurgy attacked the Hive cruiser and were both destroyed, but the badly damged NJ in Marine Institute managed to finally sink the cruiser.

Meanwhile, a Hive missile marines and empath missile squad (6e-4-1*2) <--- landed on our small island next to Tsiolkovsky Institute. I attempted to subvert the Spartan rover sitting on the borehole at Academgorodok. We sucede, but Santiago discovers the act and declares vendetta on us. We might be in trouble on the little island now. Luckily the mainland is starting to look much better. Since we are now definitely at vendetta with the Spartans I had the damaged probe team at Planetary Archives capture the Spartan artillery.

2287 - We learn Environmental Economics and begin researching MMI. Yang destroys Tsiolkovsky Institute. More Believer and Hive naval activity near Marine Institute.
The Believers destroy The Marine Institute.
We build The Neural Amplifier.
We appear to have eliminated all hostile forces from Das Boot (our island). At least for time being.

2289 - Miriam landed a couple of AAA Gatling Squads on the mainland. There are a coule of rovers nearby.

2290 Summary
------------
Yang has fusion. It appears that Yang and Miriam are cooperating against us and perhaps Santiago is in on it as well.
We are researching MMI, but our research rate is still pathetic. We lost 1 base net during my administration.
We have the Neural Amplifier. The Longevity Vaccine is available for study.
Some formers are working their way across the mainland building boreholes.
A new base site has been prepped on the southern end of Das Boot. A colony pod is in production. Several formers are now raising land on Das Boot.
Two of Yangs capital ships are bombing one of our rovers. Seems like a good tradeoff to me.
There is a research foil just north of Dierdre's position. Santiago and Dierdre both need to be infiltrated.

- Scipio Centaurus, Chancellor

[Avenoct]

Outstanding job team Zakharov! We finally assembled the necessary pieces to complete the Morganic puzzle; - Scipio

I too want to congratulate everyone. I know the opening of my turn report seems harsh. I didn't mean for that, and I also neglected to mention that it was the hard work of developing weaponry and diplomacy that enabled me to focus our efforts entirely on Morgan. In fact, if we'd been at war with just about any other faction at the beginning of my tenure I would not have been able to take agressive action. During my assault on Morgan I encountered units from every other faction except Lal. Had they been hostile my weak forward teams would have been halted, if not destroyed utterly. It was only because I could focus so exclusively on a broad military strategy that I was able to force Morgan's withdrawel and submission. So congratulations on a team effort par excellence. I'm fairly certain we got lucky and that our situation was indeed hopeless only 100 years ago.

-Smack, temporary chairman of the Imperialist committee.

[Arima]

If it is possible, could I skip my turn for now and I could go after Quantaga? That would work out much better for me, since I won't be able to look at the turn until Friday.

[johndmuller]

I take it that makes it my turn?

I'll take it on; I may not finish the turn today/tonight, but if not, then it will be not far into tomorrow. This may, however, change the way our militarism/pacifism/builderism/academonism/adventurism oscillates.

[Qantaga]

johnd, that does indeed make it your turn. No rush on getting it out. I will be travelling tomorrow (driving for now ), so I will not be able to get to it until Thursday evening at the earliest anyway.

And you are right that it will affect our flow (although I liked your description better).

[Scipio Centaurus]

Originally posted by Smack
I'm fairly certain we got lucky and that our situation was indeed hopeless only 100 years ago.

Don't give up hopeless yet!

- Scipio

[Avenoct]

Verra funny.

Here's a hopeless...anyone want to play the first ever MP or succession Aldebaran game? I've figured out a way to play Aldebaran without doing any installation at all, other than downloading a scenario and playing all saved games from that scenario folder.

Well, if anyone's interested, I can set up a game, and am willing to moderate, though of course I'd love to actually play.

-Smack

[Scipio Centaurus]

Count me in.

[Qantaga]

Smack - count me in, too.

And, of course, you have to play.

[Arima]

I'm in too. Aldebaran is great!

[Avenoct]

Eesh, I lost my hopeless already! (where'd it go). O.K., question, MP or succession game? Now that it's legit, I'll start a thread for it and link it here.

-Smack

P.S. BTW, I need a volunteer to make sure the scenario-folder trick is hunky-dorey. Try downloading the 'Foothold' scenario from the creation threads and email me if everything is o.k.. It should be, but I'm unable to test on a PC platform personally. Email alde_baron@Yahoo.com

[Qantaga]

Smack, why don't we try MP? I have a lot to learn about Aldebaran and probably would be a major defecit in Succession, whereas MP gives me a chance to think things over as I go.

However, if everyone would prefer Succession, I'm up for that as well.

I'll try to download the scenario a little later. I have dinner duties tonight, so I will be occupied for a couple of hours.

[Avenoct]

O.K., MP it is then. I think that's a better choice for getting familiar with things, especially the tech tree.

Here's the signup thread

-S.

[Zakharov VII]

Hello again, sounds like the University's going strong

If the Aldebaran game is going to be MP, any chance of another succession game starting up soon (for some reason I hate competing against human players...)? I would start one, but I'm not sure how, and I don't know how busy everyone is...

Z