Esquestria: The House of the Sun - A pony cultist experience

[Zxzx24]

No actions on the Outsider @Pittauro ?

 

[BritBiscuit]

Well this seems like a relatively low risk vote so im going to attempt plan making with less pressure this time.

[] Plan Morals and Measures
-[] What of the merchant, who engaged in bribery?
--[] Ask for a few favors (gain TWO "servant actions", on turn 21 only)
-[] What of the public servant, who needed a pony to "disappear"?
--[] Equestria will be better off without him in power (gain a reasonable amount of respect from the Bureau)
-[] What of the great noble, who conspired against the Crown?
--[] Put him behind bars, where he belongs (gain a great deal of respect from the Bureau)

The basis of this plan is really just my personal beliefs about morality and ethics, the bribery is a lesser crime and I feel that it could be worked off with community service to allow us to act towards our goals, the other two criminals in my eyes need harsher punishment and the other options don't seem to give that in my eyes, also its a bit about accountabilty, should Velvet go further into criminality to achieve her goals or is holding to a stricter standard (which also gives us some leeway with the Bureau) better for her development as a character, in the past we have played Velvet as someone who tends to stick to the Law and wider morality unless she is either in a desperate situation or feels the actions are neccessary to achieve something of great importance as evidenced by the fact that whilst the option is still available, the sending people out to steal bits options in votes was never really taken (for many reasons but it still informs her character), I feel like whilst mechanically this wouldnt change Velvet or our course of actions at all, narritively I don't feel like this is a situation where there is a urgent need to aid and abide criminals.

And I really don't trust Mareinette and I kinda feel like we are slowly falling into a slippery slope where we feel that we can trust a foal eating monster who's main gimmick is the ability to socially manipulate others, after the whole Mareinette helping after our injury it feels almost like (and this is a bad analogy but its all I can really put to words) it feels like Mareinette is a drug dealer with whom the first hit is free, then over time they try to isolate us from others (especially as they can do all the friendship for you don't worry) whilst ramping up their demands/actions slowly as seen with the options to extend her bindings (which she can break at anytime so its really more of a game to see how far she can push us before she feels the need to make us take the next step via her own choice). I mean all the beings we have bound have their own goals to pursue in the Wake and whilst Mareinette's is the most blatent and in your face about it, we still just ignore it as she gives good results, honestly there is a lot of room for her to do anything she feels like with the vague and wide reaching order to 'deal with this blackmail as you see fit', I mean as seen with how she hides traits and didn't fight near us to protect us so she could eat people without being stopped, she has shown that unless we keep an eye on her she will follow her nature.

Edit: also forgot to say that i'm pretty happy with the alliteration of the plan name.

 

[Solace2117]

Been busy so haven't had time to engage lately, but great updates. Not too excited to keep relying on Mareinette. If we are going to use her I'd rather it be for the briber, but also down to just take the bits.
As far as the conspirator, the bits are real tempting, but we could really use the Bureau boost. Getting them fully on board just opens up so many options. I get play to win, but man having them as more of a buffer to all the other stuff that pops up let's us focus on Glory.
The murder, honestly I'm all for actions. We will have a lot to do next turn. The forge ritual, DOA's sacrament, probably a couple fleeting opportunities. Potentially scouting out a location in the Manse for the Outsider ritual.
I

 

[Pittauro]

No actions on the Outsider @Pittauro ?

Click to shrink...

Outsider search, if not completed, can be done with follower actions.

Mansus blood removal can be done with free Mansus point.

We know of no other action yet. If we're shown it and it requires Velvet I might change my mind

 

[Maer]

So... long thoughts, I've spoilered them to avoid a massive text wall in the thread when people are scrolling. To be polite. Makes it easier to skip past and ignore my thoughts and ideas, but anyone who cares enough to read can likely elucidate the general idea for the ones who don't. If they find it convnincing enough.

Spoiler: The Bureau is Velvet's Cult

The Bureau is a secretive organization designed by the highest authority currently active in the Wake that was aligned with the powers of Glory Harmony, centered around the destruction of an unseen, and vile enemy bent on destroying the Equestria we all know and love. One that found Velvet to be particularly useful and trustworthy, and has put their faith on us to guide and prepare the members of the cult bureau to be more effective and useful. They perform actions on our behalf, belay suspicion with the right actions, and can most likely act as support for some of the needed rituals and acts once they have the capacity to do so.

((The fun parallels with The Master and our own Cult are mostly coincidence. Then again... we know what is said about Coincidences. Let us not bring Celestia (Lantern) the same fate as the Master (Moth).))

They are the backbone of our power in the Wake, and a support structure needed for our support in The Mansus. We have a shambling, half-functional mess of a not-quite-cult in our family, the Names, Jade, Rarity, and Comet/Fluttershy, with new members hopefully being brought in with Cadence and Shining soon. But it isn't truly a Cult. The Bureau isn't either, but it is a VERY close thing, as it can and will support and handle many things we need done in the Wake once we have their loyalty unquestioning.

If we want to 'reward' Mareinette, do her sacrament. Send Beidde to capture a criminal, make them a prisoner, and do her sacrament that same turn. Or give her some artifacts. Or 'spend time with her' again. We have options.

Instead, I'd rather use these to get actions- which help us befriend Names and get Sacraments- and strengthen the Bureau's already strong bond with us, that way we can have several turns of socialing Midday Dew. If we get him to confidant or- Glory willing- MINION, we gain control or influence over his department. If we have successfully laundered the Lores through the Bureau- high loyalty gain=easier time of that, I'm pretty sure- we can use that to introduce him to what we've 'discovered' and bog down their studies with other Lores- like Forge and Heart? Increase their chances of survival, and possibly get them studying the Forge's redemption on our behalf. Plus it slows that Doom counter, and leaves Celestia getting a healthier spread of the Lores. If we introduce them to Winter, but not Edge, that's mental stability options to help resist Dread without the faint traces of Wolf that that combo offers (Shaper, before yo ucomplain, Wolf is for Velvet and our sons/daughter, why share that with anyone else? Be selfish in this at least). And Velvet doesn't know Celestia is studying the Lores... might not find out until after she's shared them or until she's outright told by Midday.

Regardless, it handles numerous issues in the wake, lets us start on others, and puts a filthy crown-traitor in the Just Hooves of Fair Trial. Whom we already have a decent in with. Getting those two on our side gives us possibly the three most powerful institutions in all of Equestria under our hoof- on top of already having the ear of one Princess, and the familial loyalty of another. That is a LOT of power, safety, and stability for us, as well as numerous ways to handle issues in the Wake without needing to waste Velvet's personal AP even further. All by handling the loyalty of the Bureau here and now with relative ease.

See the Spoiler above for my argument for the Bureau and better understanding of my reasoning down below.

Spoiler: On the Actions and Mareinette

If it actually progressed Mareinette's friendship, I'd be all for picking her options. But right now? We need to guarantee Glory. Handle the Wake issues with massive Progress, get AP to use on Sacraments, and MAYBE get Bits for the upcoming turns as a buffer. Mareinette can definitely get MORE, but it's been explicitly stated by Bird that "She will try to extract value out of them in another way that is not listed in the options." That means no Bits, no AP, and no Bureau relationship. While it could MAYBE be more AP/Bits, that is not likely given the Word of Bird. What exactly it could even BE I don't know, other than 'valuable', but it's an UNKNOWN.

We cannot rely on Unknowns when we can make very good use of what we DO know. I'd rather be able to plan on stability and solve things, than rely on the unpredictable nature of a Name who delights in twisting the Minds and Hearts of all who meet her, and who regularly consumes the bodies of innocent foals and fillies. Is she friend material? MAYBE, but I cannot trust her unpredictable nature. What if its just another artifact? On top of all the others we need to study? Or a free summon she hands us the reins to after sacrificing the Pony? While the former might be useful, it's only adding to our current and sudden artifact flood. The Summon? They are temporary- extremely useful, but little long-term or even mid-term benefit compared to the other options.

Beyond that she may find an expedition using them somehow- useful, but Bit and Opportunity Cost would poison that well. It might be a new Minion- extremely useful, but certainly not guaranteed and with concerning or morally dubious methods of being persuaded to join us. Maybe a few really cool/useful fleeting opportunities? AP Cost on an already VERY busy turn. more blackmail material? Useful, but back to this same issue, and makes me wonder how long we could keep the blackmail going before it becomes potentially dangerous to handle. Maybe reagents? Great, useful, no guarantee on level or Lore type. Same with Books if we get them.

So... outside of those options, what could we possibly get? And how under Glory's Light does an unpredictable and random- but useful by Mareinette's view- effect help us progress to Glory more than the options that actually have a solid and predictable use and outcome?

I'm with Pit on this. Noble to Bureau, the other two for AP, OR Public Servant for AP and Merchant for Bits. None of the other options are worth giving to Mareinette when the opportunity cost is so high, compared to what we could get with the known quantities.

The most I'm willing to compromise is the Merchant being Mareinette. The least 'valuable' option, but also the least likely to be 'wasted' if it ends up being less impressive for our plans and needs than hoped. And that is a key thing: We'd be HOPING with Mareinette. Trust and Hope in an unpredictable action taken by a 'kind' Mare who is not our Friend yet, and who actively wants us to eat our daughter.

While she's an amazing Mare, I'm not banking on that when I have better options right now.

So yeah. Those are my general thoughts. A bit ramble-y and a bit meandering, but I think I covered most of the salient points. Hopefully this helps...

 

[Rafuki22]

Send Beidde to capture a criminal, make them a prisoner, and do her sacrament that same turn.

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I think that i asked about this before and the answer was that a prison was still needed, although i believe that Biedde should be able to just contain the prisoner by himself.

Edit: Actually... @OurLadyOfWires any change on this?

 

[Maer]

Fair, though the point still stands. We have other, better ways to reward her if we REALLY want to do so. It just isn't worth it to waste these opportunities on a completely unknown, if guaranteed beneficial, action.

After all, it isn't beneficial by OUR standards, or what we ACTUALLY want, but by a mix of Velvet and Mareinette's standards, and what SHE thinks VELVET wants. I don't think that's being taken into account.

 

[BritBiscuit]

I think that i asked about this before and the answer was that a prison was still needed, although Biedde should be able to just contain the prisoner by himself.

Click to shrink...

It'd be pretty funny if whilst Biedde was doing his auto guard action around the Estate, the maids and our brother are just watching this hog tied and gagged pony frantically struggling whilst Biedde nonchalantly drags them along.

 

[Earth-Destroyer]

Thinking about what Mareinette, could do

Merchant: Improve our merchant contacts, allowing easier/cheaper access to buying artifacts, and books.

Government pony. ???

Noble: Have them give us some lore artifacts/books.

 

[Maer]

Thinking about what Mareinette, could do

Merchant: Improve our merchant contacts, allowing easier/cheaper access to buying artifacts, and books.

Government pony. ???

Noble: Have them give us some lore artifacts/books.

Click to shrink...

1. Possible, but I also mentioned numerous other possible uses for that low-tier Merchant option. It's the most acceptable ands last wasted option.

2. Exactly my point.

3. Which wouldn't be helpful given it'll only add even more to the pile when we could use our AP better in other places. I already covered those in my points.

Overall just… still not very worth it, except MAYBE the merchant.

 

[Sveta08]

Fair, though the point still stands. We have other, better ways to reward her if we REALLY want to do so. It just isn't worth it to waste these opportunities on a completely unknown, if guaranteed beneficial, action.

After all, it isn't beneficial by OUR standards, or what we ACTUALLY want, but by a mix of Velvet and Mareinette's standards, and what SHE thinks VELVET wants. I don't think that's being taken into account.

Click to shrink...

You think the Name of Grail doesn't know what Velvet wants?

Really?

 

[Maer]

I think the Name of Grail knows what we've shown interest in, and much of what Velvet wants.

I also think that she wants things herself and is likely to give us what Velvet wants in the ways, amount, manner, or even variety that will best lead her to feel like her focus should be where Mareinette wants it. Glory, yes, but she never intends to stop us from gazing at that pretty 'distraction'- she wants our secondary focuses to shift so we become the kind of person who will not complain or fuss when she makes her 'reasonable' suggestions once more…

And beyond all that, I am still more focused on the fact that ultimately, what she offers us cannot be planned around and is therefore very likely to alter or mess with plans, or at least won't aid them like we'd want or expect- and if it offers alternatives or options that require even more plates to spin in the air than we already have going it is not going to truly be helpful.

Again, anything she does will be 'Velvet's choice if she had my morals and abilities' on Mareinette's part, with enough of an exception to not be outright hated by us.

Which means it is not something you can plan around or rely on. That's all I'm saying.

She is frightfully good at dancing the edge between hatred and love, and coming out loved no matter how often she pushes at our limits and boundaries…

 

[spiderhellian]

You're not giving Mareinette nearly enough credit. Especially after what she's done this very turn!

Maybe she has the public servant devote himself to organizing festivals across Equestria, the first in Ponyville of course. Get a family fleeting as a free action and 2 heart scraps.

Maybe she has the Noble hire a team of discreet scholars, and we get 2 study actions free with +50 boost to our rolls.

Maybe she has the public servant do some digging into peculiar circumstances in ??? and we get insight into where Windy is and what he's doing in time to stop it. Or Neighnea.

Maybe we get a minion. Maybe we get a Level 6 artefact. Maybe we get a Level 7 book to secure Baldomare's friendship.

As Sveta said, This is the Name of Desire, it's outlandish to think she won't fulfill ours.

By the time we're actually planning next turn, we'll know.

 

[Sveta08]

And beyond all that, I am still more focused on the fact that ultimately, what she offers us cannot be planned around and is therefore very likely to alter or mess with plans, or at least won't aid them like we'd want or expect- and if it offers alternatives or options that require even more plates to spin in the air than we already have going it is not going to truly be helpful.

Click to shrink...

Bah. A hope to be sure, but I doubt that is going to matter.

We cannot pre-plan the action as well. We cannot cross the box or tick the checkmark saying we will get bits, or we will get action. But you forget yourself. We cannot plan what will happen till the time comes.

I could point to the two more four artifacts, making study tempting. Or to the book of Manhattan expeditions we just got that might net us bits. Or even the outsider and the paths beneath! There is uncertainty all throughout. Do not count your chickens before they hatch and all.

Or should I remind you of The Master? Coming in at the Wedding when all was seen as set in stone? Or this very turn, so wounded and malaised that every idea of planning on our part has to be rewritten?


This is simply a powerful option. By the name of Grail. When we have shown her we are not looking for money, or time, or reputation.
It is a temptation.

 

[Limabot]

I would be willing to send Mareinette after the Public Servant just to see what would happen, but I would not want to dedicate more than one option to her, and I think the noble is too value as a legitimacy-building opportunity within the Bureau to do anything else with (especially since Bird implied shortly after the last update that a good amount of Ponies within the Bureau still aren't entirely convinced that she deserves the position of Commissioner).

 

[Greymere]

We cannot cross the box or tick the checkmark saying we will get bits, or we will get action. But you forget yourself. We cannot plan what will happen till the time comes.

Click to shrink...

We can though. Like, this vote literally includes the option to "tick the checkmark saying we will get bits", and there is a 0% chance that those servant AP, which oh-so-conveniently come in Cover Your Bases-sized packs, aren't going to immediately get converted into Velvet AP. Unless I am misunderstanding what you meant by this?

Mareinette is a mystery box, plain and simple, and quite frankly I don't think rolling on the gacha will be worth it when there are things that we actually want given to us plainly and in a controllable manner here and now. Like Velvet AP (with which we might actually have room to study those artifacts that you mentioned instead of just gathering dust). Or bits. Or more loyalty with the organization that we're trying to guide into learning the Lores without tripping alarms about our mysterious omnicompetence with this newly (re)discovered, externally unintuitive magic, or being able to get them to help with the inevitable "un-Daybreaker Celestia" plan directly and intentionally instead of having to sneakily lead them around by the nose.

 

[Venerable Ro]

[] Plan Morals and Measures
-[] What of the merchant, who engaged in bribery?
--[] Ask for a few favors (gain TWO "servant actions", on turn 21 only)
-[] What of the public servant, who needed a pony to "disappear"?
--[] Equestria will be better off without him in power (gain a reasonable amount of respect from the Bureau)
-[] What of the great noble, who conspired against the Crown?
--[] Put him behind bars, where he belongs (gain a great deal of respect from the Bureau)

Click to shrink...

This one's got my vote (when the time comes to start voting) we are endowed with great authority and that comes with moral/aesthetic obligations.

It's also worth noting that things come in threes, the other two options for each choice are monetary and AP breakpoints, so why shouldn't the third options also be breakpoints? Namely breakpoints to progress the Bureau's loyalty.

 

[Limabot]

Speaking of Daybreaker, one thing I found interesting in the update where Luna met Daybreaker in Celestia's dreams was how desperately she wanted to merge with her. Given that Celestia and Luna don't seem to be (consciously) aware of the Outsider they were created from, it could imply that Daybreaker is either born out of Celestia's subconscious; maybe even a remnant of whatever consciousness the Outsider originally had.

 

[DelightedOne]

Speaking of Daybreaker, one thing I found interesting in the update where Luna met Daybreaker in Celestia's dreams was how desperately she wanted to merge with her. Given that Celestia and Luna don't seem to be (consciously) aware of the Outsider they were created from, it could imply that Daybreaker is either born out of Celestia's subconscious; maybe even a remnant of whatever consciousness the Outsider originally had.

Click to shrink...

Interesting. Most of what I thought was just Daybreaker wanting to be free can also be seen as her wanting to be whole with Luna.

Maybe her twisted nature allows her to tap into the "instincts" of the Outsider and feel "something" is missing?

It is so much fun theorising about the Alicorns! The fact that Daybreaker remembers she is supposed to rule the World with her other half is just so good.

Shame we will not see much more of her(or maybe thank Harmony) when Selene does what she needs to do. My current bet is just killing her in Celestia's mind, sounds easier but if there is a Harmonic way to do it we probably should help her get it right... maybe by looking at that Memory of Light?

 

[spiderhellian]

Speaking of Daybreaker, one thing I found interesting in the update where Luna met Daybreaker in Celestia's dreams was how desperately she wanted to merge with her. Given

Click to shrink...

Where did you get this from?

I saw stuff about being freed and ruling together, but not merging.

 

[Limabot]

Where did you get this from?

I saw stuff about being freed and ruling together, but not merging.

Click to shrink...

I would not say it's explicit, but the turns of phrase Daybreaker uses to describe it don't sound really sound like a mere desire for Diarchy. Things like

WE BELONG TO EACH OTHER, AND NOTHING WILL EVER CHANGE THAT.

Click to shrink...

paired with how Luna's dream body started burning near the end and how Daybreaker's (apparent) plan before this would have been plunging the world into eternal Daylight implies something very bad about her plans with Celestia's sister.

 

[Steady Gaze]

24-hour moratorium is over. I'll come back with approval votes later. These plans are basically the (merchant, bits), (public servant, ?), (noble, Bureau respect) idea I mentioned earlier. (I think Sveta technically mentioned this first; not sure what they think now.)

[X] Plan: Balanced Rewards
-[X] What of the merchant, who engaged in bribery?
--[X] Ask for a small "donation" (gain 100 bits)
-[X] What of the public servant, who needed a pony to "disappear"?
--[X] Have him work for his misdeeds (gain FIVE "servant actions", on turn 21 only)
-[X] What of the great noble, who conspired against the Crown?
--[X] Put him behind bars, where he belongs (gain a great deal of respect from the Bureau)

[X] Plan: Much Respect
-[X] What of the merchant, who engaged in bribery?
--[X] Ask for a small "donation" (gain 100 bits)
-[X] What of the public servant, who needed a pony to "disappear"?
--[X] Equestria will be better off without him in power (gain a reasonable amount of respect from the Bureau)
-[X] What of the great noble, who conspired against the Crown?
--[X] Put him behind bars, where he belongs (gain a great deal of respect from the Bureau)

[X] Plan: Marinette in the Middle
-[X] What of the merchant, who engaged in bribery?
--[X] Ask for a small "donation" (gain 100 bits)
-[X] What of the public servant, who needed a pony to "disappear"?
--[X] Have Mareinette deal with it (unpredictable result, that will still benefit you)
-[X] What of the great noble, who conspired against the Crown?
--[X] Put him behind bars, where he belongs (gain a great deal of respect from the Bureau)

Also, just some replies:

For a net gain of 1450-75=1375 bits (and the book, which I'm not estimating).

We really need to do more expeditions, even if this one was likely an outlier.

Click to shrink...

Wow, that's pretty sweet! I wonder if an occult war with Windy would be so profitable.

Current Follower actions:

Click to shrink...

It's a shame Applejack will be going from Friend to Close Friend this turn, rather than Close Friend to Confidante, since then we'd gain her follower action. Doing her "loyalty quest" might be a potential social action next turn though.

I think we can't sell them without studying them first, as we don't know what they do so can't advertise them properly.

And right now if we wanted to research anything we'd want to research the high level ones first.

Click to shrink...

Ugh. So artifacts are kind of bottlenecked right now. This is good info though, thanks.

YOu know, I just realized we might want to become head of our noble house and/or a Princess of Equestria.

Just give us 35 follower actions and triple our APs.

...And now I'm imagining what that would look like. Servants cooking, cleaning, dressing us, doing groceries, standing in line for us, organizing our agenda, making sure we don't waste a SECOND of our time all day, every day...

Click to shrink...

I salivate at the thought. A wide playthrough that never was. Or Copper!Quest.

 

[Potdl]

[X] Plan: Balanced Rewards

 

[DelightedOne]

It's a shame Applejack will be going from Friend to Close Friend this turn, rather than Close Friend to Confidante, since then we'd gain her follower action. Doing her "loyalty quest" might be a potential social action next turn though.

Click to shrink...

If it keeps the trend of how we got the other Confidantes we will need something BIG.

Rarity: Made her dreams come true by negotiating a contract with a noble family where we paid all of the initial costs(300 bits if my memory is right).

Jade: Made her want to live(that's it).

Fluttershy: Talked with her in a favorable enviroment for her shyness, told her things about Comet Feet before telling the whole truth about him and helped her save him from the Colonel(We really trusted her a lot in this and she succeded so a confidence boost could have been part of it).

Selene: Spent about a year as her mother while healing her mind from damage and teaching her the lores(the most expensive and our primary goal at the start of the Quest).

The Leash also has it's uses and we should keep that in mind if it is free(no way I'm letting another Element out of our sight) OR we could have Selene order her to help using her authority as a Princess.

 

[Limabot]

[X] Plan: Balanced Rewards
-[X] What of the merchant, who engaged in bribery?
--[X] Ask for a small "donation" (gain 100 bits)
-[X] What of the public servant, who needed a pony to "disappear"?
--[X] Have him work for his misdeeds (gain FIVE "servant actions", on turn 21 only)
-[X] What of the great noble, who conspired against the Crown?
--[X] Put him behind bars, where he belongs (gain a great deal of respect from the Bureau)

[X] Plan: Marinette in the Middle
-[X] What of the merchant, who engaged in bribery?
--[X] Ask for a small "donation" (gain 100 bits)
-[X] What of the public servant, who needed a pony to "disappear"?
--[X] Have Mareinette deal with it (unpredictable result, that will still benefit you)
-[X] What of the great noble, who conspired against the Crown?
--[X] Put him behind bars, where he belongs (gain a great deal of respect from the Bureau)

I will probably change my specific choices as the vote goes along, but these seem like good first choices.

 

[Shaper47]

[X] Plan: 700 bits for Jade and Selene friendship adventure
-[X] What of the merchant, who engaged in bribery?
--[X] Ask for a small "donation" (gain 100 bits)
-[X] What of the public servant, who needed a pony to "disappear"?
--[X] Remind him that nothing is free (gain 200 bits)
-[X] What of the great noble, who conspired against the Crown?
--[X] Wring him (gain 400 bits)

[X] Plan: Most Value for the options
-[X] What of the merchant, who engaged in bribery?
--[X] Ask for a small "donation" (gain 100 bits)
-[X] What of the public servant, who needed a pony to "disappear"?
--[X] Have him work for his misdeeds (gain FIVE "servant actions", on turn 21 only)
-[X] What of the great noble, who conspired against the Crown?
--[X] Have Mareinette deal with it (unpredictable result, that will still benefit you)

[X] Plan: Books are expensive
-[X] What of the merchant, who engaged in bribery?
--[X] Ask for a small "donation" (gain 100 bits)
-[X] What of the public servant, who needed a pony to "disappear"?
--[X] Have him work for his misdeeds (gain FIVE "servant actions", on turn 21 only)
-[X] What of the great noble, who conspired against the Crown?
--[X] Wring him (gain 400 bits)

[X] Plan: Mareinette

 

[LieutenantSpirit]

[X] Plan: Balanced Rewards
-[X] What of the merchant, who engaged in bribery?
--[X] Ask for a small "donation" (gain 100 bits)
-[X] What of the public servant, who needed a pony to "disappear"?
--[X] Have him work for his misdeeds (gain FIVE "servant actions", on turn 21 only)
-[X] What of the great noble, who conspired against the Crown?
--[X] Put him behind bars, where he belongs (gain a great deal of respect from the Bureau)

 

[BritBiscuit]

[X] Plan: Much Respect
-[X] What of the merchant, who engaged in bribery?
--[X] Ask for a small "donation" (gain 100 bits)
-[X] What of the public servant, who needed a pony to "disappear"?
--[X] Equestria will be better off without him in power (gain a reasonable amount of respect from the Bureau)
-[X] What of the great noble, who conspired against the Crown?
--[X] Put him behind bars, where he belongs (gain a great deal of respect from the Bureau)

[X] Plan Morals and Measures
-[X] What of the merchant, who engaged in bribery?
--[X] Ask for a few favors (gain TWO "servant actions", on turn 21 only)
-[X] What of the public servant, who needed a pony to "disappear"?
--[X] Equestria will be better off without him in power (gain a reasonable amount of respect from the Bureau)
-[X] What of the great noble, who conspired against the Crown?
--[X] Put him behind bars, where he belongs (gain a great deal of respect from the Bureau)

 

[spiderhellian]

Right, I've thought for a while and come to this conclusion: The Bureau is not on the path to victory.

They are not even Lore Level 0. They are great at handling threats to Equestria and not having Celestia get pissed off, they will not help us reach the Glory. They will help us avoid losing, they will not help us win.

Maybe you can imagine a way they do, helping us sneak into the catacombs where the Outsider lurks, ignoring the peculiarity for whatever reason. You know what's better for that? Axe and a Moth check. They are not equipped to handle Equestria's oldest threat. They don't even know about the Mansus, or Outsiders, or what we seek to do.

Maybe that would change given a half-dozen turns. But we should be spending those turns taking action towards victory, not starting something from step not-even-0.

The Glory is right there. Let's get it. By securing some bits for flexibility, actions to power up next turn, and Mareinette's help.

[X} Plan: Play to Win
-[X] What of the merchant, who engaged in bribery?
--[X] Ask for a small "donation" (gain 100 bits)
-[X] What of the public servant, who needed a pony to "disappear"?
--[X] Have him work for his misdeeds (gain FIVE "servant actions", on turn 21 only)
-[X] What of the great noble, who conspired against the Crown?
--[X] Have Mareinette deal with it (unpredictable result, that will still benefit you)

 

[Shaper47]

[X} Plan: Play to Win

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Your completely right...

That Plan has already been created however

[X] Plan: Most Value for the options

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-A book, with no Lore levels. "A pile of reports, letters and maps. No doubt containing a wealth of information about the less reputable places of Manehattan. And perhaps of the treasures they hide."

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So how about we gift this to Steppes?

Also thoughts on daughter reveal anyone?

Do books help us find the outsider...? And climb?

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Lore will, and books lead to lore.

Jade is pointless on expeditions compared to the Names. If you need to send her on one, at least send her on easy short ones like the Grave book 6 one.

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4 lantern might be useful besides it's like the Rarity dress choice.

Friendship narrative choice.