Ruins of Alien Suns: Stability and Morale

Stability (PC States)

There are few ways to indicate the health of a state. High GDP, sprawling industrial capacity or a large military only indicate the resources and priorities of a nation's leadership. Expansive institutions say little of the popular confidence in or natural durability of those very same institutions.

For this purpose, Ruins has the attribute called Stability.

But What Is Stability, Really?

Stability is the health of the nation. Stability is the given consent of the governed, the strength of institutions, the support of merchant magnates, aristocrats and juntista elites. Stability is the ability of authorities to assimilate or repress renegade forces, criminal associations and countercultural movements. As political capitol, Stability may be expended in order to achieve great things but it is a precious resource in that regard. Stability in turns engenders Fervor, representing the willingness of citizens to support the state in excess of their obligations, act against their instincts and accept deprivation for the glory of the nation.

Stability is a XX-point track, with 4 tiers: Revolt, Low, Standard and High. As described in the Stability Track section, each point provides various benefits, as well as an income of Fervor that can be expended.

Resources

Stability (Primary)

As stated previously, Stability is the 'health' of the nation, a static value representing the current state of public confidence and institutions. It must continuously be continuously tracked for GM purposes.

Fervor (Secondary)

Fervor is a currency created by having Stability above the 'Revolt' stage. It has a variety of uses detailed in a lower section. Fervor is not rolled 'yearly', but is instead Called Up at any point during the year. The X in every Fervor calculation is the current numerical track value i.e.: Standard-5 means 5d6+10 Fervor.

The Stability Track

Revolt - The country is slowly creaking towards civil war. State factories and civil service are plagued by strikes, riots are a regular occurrence from the streets of the capitol to the most far flung provinces and large sections of the government are corrupt or outright treasonous. There is no consent or consensus among the classes of the land to legitimize rule. Disaster looms.

[Revolt 1] <-> [Revolt 2] <-> [Revolt 3] <-> [Revolt 4] <-> [Revolt 5] <-> [Low 1]

Raise Cost: x1

No Fervor

Base Developments: 1

Effects

• States in the Revolt levels may change Traits without penalty upon first dropping to Revolt.
• States with the appropriate traits (People's Champion, Fanatics) will spawn patriotic militias attempting to preserve order.
• Any stability gain at Revolt-5 raises back to Low-1, no need for a Milestone event.
• No ability to deal with hostile groups.
• No espionage defense, your state is a free-for-all for foreign spies.
• Up to 50% of your total assets (units, labs, etc) may refuse your orders and do as they please.
• Positive traits may begin to manifest downsides, like Fanatics killing dissenters, Merchant Marine selling state assets for private gain, etc.
• Client States slip the leash and become overtly self-willed if not outright treacherous.
• Civil war becomes formal after taking any Stability loss past Revolt-1, GM determination of outcome.
• Desperate: never suffers penalties for negotiating with powers that have antithetical values.

Low - The malaise of ill-rule or economic stagnation may be the cause or consequence of low stability. Few people enjoy living in unstable states, where institutions often fail, protests and riots are frequent and the rule of law is either absent or overreaches with a mailed fist, but there are worse places.

[Revolt 5] <-> [Low 1] <-> [Low 2] <-> [Low 3] <-> [Low 4] <-> [Low 5] <-> [Standard 1]

Raise Cost: x1

Fervor: Xd3

Base Developments: 5

Effects

• May Suppress hostile groups with an activity rating 4 or less.
• Espionage vulnerability: all potential mission targets are one 'tier' easier than normal.
• Pragmatic: suffers decreased penalties for negotiating with powers that have antithetical values.

Standard - Business as usual. There may be political protests and civil instability, but it falls within norms and is mostly captured by the flow of normal political energy.

[Low 5] <-> [Standard 1] <-> [Standard 2] <-> [Standard 3] <-> [Standard 4] <-> [Standard 5] <-> [High 1]

Raise Cost: x2

Base Developments: 7

Fervor: Xd6+10

Effects

• May (INSERT TERM) hostile groups with an activity rating under 4 or less.
• May Suppress hostile groups with an activity rating under 7 or less.

High - High stability emerges only when well-situated states suffer an extreme event that crystallizes and homogenizes politics. Opposition becomes loyal, parties merge or form unity cabinets, and the normal internal divisions of a state may be suppressed in order to defeat an external threat. There is frequently something unpleasant or off-putting about the culture of High Stability societies, over-militarized, critical of dissent and full of well-heeled keyboard warriors ready to protect the honor of the motherland through op-eds, memes and endless online debates.

[Standard 5] <-> [High 1] <-> [High 2] <-> [High 3] <-> [High 4] <-> [High 5]

Raise Cost: x3

Base Developments: 10

Fervor: Xd6+25

Effects

• May (INSERT TERM) hostile groups with an activity rating under 7 or less.
• May Suppress hostile groups with any rating.
• Espionage defense: all potential mission targets are one 'tier' harder than normal.
• Yearly Random events are always positive.
• Stability gains over High-5 grant an additional 10 Fervor.
• Difficult to sustain for long. Every 2 years of prolonged 'High' Stability, the state must justify their activity level with another Milestone event or drop back to Standard-3.
• Profoundly ideological: suffers increased difficulties negotiating with powers that have antithetical values.

Gaining/Losing Stability

Stability is gained and lost by spending resources, random events and satisfying certain conditions, based on the national ethos, popular sentiment or various traits. Depending on stability tier, Stability may cost more than one point to increase, referred to in the 'Raise Cost' section under each tier description. The cost to decrease is not adjusted by this value.

States are resilient entities, and Stability represents that. When Stability is at 1 or 5 of a given tier, it doesn't immediately crash through to the higher or lower after a single-point shift. Changing tiers requires a Milestone event, determined by the GM. Milestones can be bypassed by simply having +5 or -5 net 'unspent' Stability change, modified by the new tier's Raise Cost (so increasing from Low-5 to Standard-1 without a Milestone costs 10 Stability, increasing from Standard-5 to High-1 costs 15). The only exception to this is the Revolt tier, as described in the above section.

The listed events and actions cause Stability losses and gains. Items tagged with a (*) are by-event, all others are yearly or as determined by GM.

Buying Stability

Stability can be raised by spending Prestige or money, though this is costly. Once per year, a state may spend 10 Prestige and/or $1000 to increase their Stability by 1 point, subject to the cost increases from Tier (so Standard costs 20 Prestige or $2000, etc). This is a full increase rather than a 'point' given by the events and actions in the section below. A second purchase doubles the cost, a third triples, etc. This increased cost persists across years until the state has not spent a whole year without obtaining Prestige in this manner, and thereafter resets to base cost.

States may also purchase Milestones: the cost is 50 Prestige or $5000, modified by the multiplier for the new tier.

Universal Conditions

• GREAT GAIN* (+5): The Triumph: being celebrated by your peers after single-handedly defeating a great threat to humanity.
• STRONG GAIN (+2): Rally Around the Flag: being actually attacked at your home territories. Unlike similar bonuses in the trait-specific conditions, this generally requires the battle be fought close enough for prying eyes to see.
• GAIN* (+1): One Small Step/the Apple Effect: making a significant discovery with great civilian or consumer applications.
• GAIN (+1): A whole year without serious violence, civil disorder or political scandal.
• GAIN* (+1): Suffering a terrorist attack with a clear culprit and immediately responding to the culprit with sanctions, censure or violence. More successful terrorist attacks that result in an initial stability loss requires commensurately more serious response to gain from this.
• GAIN (+1): Access to the Leitner’s Second End trade node in the Sunbreak Sector provides the valuable alien panacea, Red Jelly.
• GAIN* (+1): Responding to an exceptional threat in your home Sector and aiding a fellow state, regardless of politics.
• GAIN* (+1): Making an enduring peace at the end of a serious war.
• GAIN (+1): Not calling up Fervor that year.
• LOSS* (-1): Suffering a terrorist attack without directing the resulting political animus towards some threat.
• LOSS* (-1): Trading proprietary or controversial technologies. Stacks with other potential losses from trading technologies.
• LOSS (-1): Being the top economy in the game.
• LOSS (-1): Being the top military in the game.
• LOSS* (-1): Agreeing to an unjust peace at the end of a war.
• LOSS* (-1): Taking a 'not my problem' attitude towards problems that will realistically be yours soon.
• LOSS* (-1): Having a major agent of the state, like a general or cabinet member killed.
• LOSS* (-1): Betraying humanity to a threat that realistically threatens all of humanity in the long term.
• LOSS* (-1): Accepting the unilateral threats or demands of any power (the UN and PMCs count).
• STRONG LOSS (-2): Being in the top 3 economies or militaries in the game and not using your power in a satisfactory manner.
• STRONG LOSS* (-2): Having your head of state or a similarly important national figurehead killed.
• STRONG LOSS* (-2): Accepting the unilateral threats or demands of a Core power (the UN doesn't count).

Positive Trait Conditions

People's Champion

• STRONG GAIN (+2): Being in or at threat of a defensive war.
• GAIN (+1): Spending 1000+ in a Standard of Living developments.
• LOSS* (-1): Repressing your own people with military force.

The War Machine

• GAIN (+1): Being at war to protect national interests or honor.
• LOSS* (-1): Ignoring an insult or major loss.
• LOSS (-1): Failing to spend 30% of your discretionary budget on new military spending
• STRONG LOSS (-2): Not being at war for 2+ years.

Star Patrol:

• STRONG GAIN* (+2): Defeating or cowing a major pirate threat in your home or occupied sector(s).
• GAIN (+1): Being in the bottom quartile for freight losses.
• LOSS* (-1): Paying ransom to pirates.

Merchant Marine:

• GAIN (+1): Maxed out own and adjacent sectors.
• LOSS (-1): Losing more than 100 ships a year to piracy.
• STRONG LOSS* (-2): Being blockaded.

Admiralty:

• STRONG GAIN* (+2): Winning a major naval battle.
• GAIN* (+1): Fighting a major naval battle.
• LOSS* (-1): Losing the most expensive ship in your fleet.

Fanatics:

• STRONG GAIN* (+2): Having the enemy at the gates, i.e.: being one battle away from direct invasion.
• GAIN* (+1): Experiencing a catastrophic loss (at least 20% of your fleet total) in a single battle.
• LOSS* (-1): Surrendering under arms to a hated enemy.

Dreamland:

• STRONG GAIN* (+2): Researching a new Alien Technology (that has not been discovered yet).
• GAIN* (+1): Sourcing novel alien wreckage (of a type that is not widely available yet).
• LOSS* (-1): Destroying or abandoning a chance at alien treasure.

Skunkworks:

• STRONG GAIN* (+2): Defeating an enemy with your cutting-edge technology.
• GAIN* (+1): Researching a Novel New Technology or New Category with Labs.
• LOSS* (-1): Destroying Labs by choice or having Labs breached by a hostile force.

Manticore:

• GAIN (+1): Having bases in all junction systems.
• LOSS* (-1): Having a major incident in your system.
• STRONG LOSS* (-2): Losing control of one of your junction systems.

Client States [subservient]:

• GAIN (+1): Spending at least half your budget on your client states.
• LOSS* (-1): Having a client state threatened without response.
• STRONG LOSS* (-2): Not protecting a Client State against external aggression (stacks per state).

Mayflower Society:

• GAIN (+1): Founding a colony on a colony on a Jewel or particularly interesting world.
• LOSS* (-1): Having a colony attacked.
• STRONG LOSS* (-2): Losing a colony to enemy action.

Murtox:

• GAIN (+1): Filling all your development slots at maximum investment.
• LOSS (-1): Finishing the year with negative gross income vs the previous year.
• STRONG LOSS (-2): Finishing the year with net negative developments.

Large Population:

• GAIN* (+1): Every time 5 Standard of Living developments (any type) are completed
• LOSS (-1): Attempts to curb population growth, either by rejecting immigration or mass colonization.
• STRONG LOSS* (-2): Suffering a disease outbreak or other major natural disaster without responding.

Population by Proxy:

• GAIN (+1): Building an advanced standard of living development
• LOSS (-1): Major changes in population demographics
• STRONG LOSS* (-2): Major population loss

The Library of Ruins:

• STRONG GAIN* (+2): Gaining access to a new artifact by finding it.
• GAIN* (+1): Gaining access to a new artifact by buying it
• LOSS* (-1): Losing access to an artifact

Assembly Prestige:

• STRONG GAIN* (+2): Making a successful proposal in the UN General Assembly.
• GAIN* (+1): Making a successful proposal in the Assembly of the Verge.
• LOSS* (-1): Disregarding the rules you yourself set or claim to follow in international relations.

The Blunder Bus:

• STRONG GAIN* (+2): Gaining a successful diplomatic coup despite yourselves
• GAIN* (+1): Insulting or wronging another power without a response
• LOSS* (-1): Paying off another power to make good on a diplomatic fauxpass

Autarkists:

• GAIN (+1): Completing 10 developments with an unmodified build time of more than 3 years
• LOSS (-1): Losing more than 5 developments without replacing them
• STRONG LOSS* (-2): Accepting a large foreign cash injection, particularly a loan.

Blackbeard 2525:

• STRONG GAIN (+2): Gaining the loyalty or support of one of the great pirate states (Midgard, Torgatu, Ten Thousand Dawns, etc) or one of the Chrome Age pirate lords.
• GAIN (+1): Making more than 1000 income from corsairs
• LOSS* (-1): Giving in to threats and not pirating in a specific sector.

Cosmo Albania:

• STRONG GAIN* (+2): Defeating an invader that has blundered into the maddening labyrinth of your system defenses.
• GAIN (+1): Building at least $5000 of defenses unmodified in any system.
• LOSS* (-1): Allowing a hostile power a permanent presence in your controlled systems.

Negative Trait Conditions

UN Sanctioned List:

• GAIN* (+1): Harming a UN task force or great power in a major way.
• LOSS* (-1): Submitting to UN, Great Power or TFT authority.
• STRONG LOSS (-2): Being at the mercy of a great power.

Peaceniks:

• GAIN (+1): Not being at war for the whole year.
• LOSS (-1): Being at war for more than 1 years.
• STRONG LOSS (-2): Being in a war that lasts 3 years or more.

Dirty Cops:

• GAIN (+1): Ignoring piracy losses.
• LOSS* (-1): Joining international anti-piracy effort.
• STRONG LOSS (-2): Not having at least 100 combined weight of freighters and corsairs.

Keystone Navy:

• STRONG GAIN* (+2): Winning a major fleet battle.
• GAIN* (+1): Winning any fleet battle.
• LOSS* (-1): Running away from a fleet battle without major (20%) losses.

Disunited:

• GAIN* (+1): Forming a major agreement with your fellow powers.
• GAIN* (+1): Winning a major ground or space combat victory over your fellow powers.
• LOSS* (-1): Making a major concession to your fellow powers without payoff.
• STRONG LOSS* (-2): Losing a major war to your neighbours.

Political Science:

• STRONG GAIN* (+2): Major win against anyone with more advanced technology
• GAIN* (+1): Combat against anyone with more advanced technology
• LOSS* (-1): Buying foreign technology not used by at least 4 other states

Xenos Scum:

• GAIN* (+1): Defeating any alien or xenotech-using power.
• LOSS* (-1): Being defeated by an alien power or using alien technology.
• STRONG LOSS* (-2): Making Alliance with an alien power.

Cul-de-sac:

• GAIN* (+1): Having a base in the system beyond yours
• LOSS* (-1): Any major incident in the system above yours
• STRONG LOSS (-2): Other major power controls access to your Cul-de-Sac

Coldest War:

• GAIN* (+1): Any major gain over your rival.
• LOSS* (-1): Any major gain by your rival.
• STRONG LOSS* (-2) Suffering a major defeat at the hands of your rival.

Poor Merchants:

• STRONG GAIN (+2): Having less than 1000 freighter income
• GAIN* (+1): Accepting any trade deal where you are the losers
• LOSS (-1): Having more than 5000 freighter income

Dark Fate [2 points]:

• STRONG GAIN* (+2): Surviving your Dark Fate with some kind of loot (privatizing the gains).
• GAIN* (+1): Rallying other players to help defeat your dark fate (socializing the risks).
• LOSS* (-1): Being abandoned to your own devices by allies.
• STRONG LOSS* (-2): Surrendering to your dark fate enemy in a major way.

5 Year Plan:

• STRONG GAIN (+2): Having more than 5 developments with a development time of 4 or more years
• GAIN (+1): Building a development that takes 4 or more years
• LOSS (-1): Not having any developments building or built with a build time of at least 4 years

Homebodies:

• STRONG GAIN* (+2): Whenever someone else’s colony world is destroyed (the suckers).
• GAIN (+1): Any year you neither explore nor colonize.
• LOSS (-1): Exploring or colonization.

Lobotomy Corporation:

• GAIN* (+1): Refusing the existence of the supernatural in a manner that is politically useful.
• GAIN* (+1): Getting a major victory against the forces of unreason (Petitioners, Golden Lions, etc).
• LOSS* (-1): Suffering any kind of Petionner terrorism.
• STRONG LOSS* (-2): Publicly acknowledging the existence of supernatural forces and acquiescing to the ‘wisdom’ of occultists.

Empty Chair:

• GAIN* (+1): Rejecting an international agreement and suffering the consequences for doing so.
• LOSS* (-1): Accepting an international agreement made by or with the Solarians.
• STRONG LOSS* (-2): Surrendering to an international agreement made by or with the Solarians after initially rejecting it.

Yearning Masses:

• STRONG GAIN (+2): Keeping your stability at Standard or above for one year.
• GAIN (+1): Having an army of at least 100 regiments on your homeworld.
• LOSS (-1): Having less than 50 regiments on your homeworld.

Old Model Army:

• STRONG GAIN* (+2): Winning a ground battle.
• GAIN* (+1): Participating in a ground battle.
• LOSS* (-1): Surrendering after you lose space control.

Verge Hatemagnet:

• GAIN* (+1): Being insulted.
• LOSS* (-1): Doing anything nice for the Verge that is not self interested
• STRONG LOSS* (-2): Helping someone who insulted you that year.

Using Stability

Stability provides passive intelligence defense and a higher chance of positive random events in addition to the benefits listed in the descriptions for each tier. Additionally, simply having a functional government provides states with significant tools to deal with antisocial forces that dogmatic institutions like UN Taskforces and the highly personal forces of Transtellars.

The following actions can be undertaken at given Stability levels. They cost nothing, but require at least one Operative assigned and must be declared in budgets and the IC thread:

• Adopt: (Any Tier) States can bring hostile groups like factions of the Sons of the Verge, pirate cabals into the fold and make them part of the government. This is not inconsequential and may cause the state to develop temporary negative traits as the new ruling coalition suffers growing pains.
• Suppress: (Low+) Political repression is always an option, but it only really works when people prefer the government to whatever forces challenge it. Suppressing a faction forces it underground where it has fewer resources, grows more slowly and suffers various setbacks. However such actions make the group hostile, and may see them take over vast tracts of the black market and other criminal enterprise if they have not already.
• Control: (Standard+) Counterculture movements can only act where they exert de-facto political hegemony. As long as the state is more locally powerful than the group (i.e.: Stability remains at a Tier that can affect the SoV cell), they will refrain from illegal actions against a Controlling nation and generally behave themselves.

Fervor

Fervor can be spent as currency, once called up. The options are detailed in this section, with costs attached. Some options may cost additional points the longer they are used.

Hire Radical Minister: 10 Fervor, Choose One

• Lets you fake traits for a year, but you also suffer the downsides like Stability Loss criterion. Costs more if you pick a contradicting trait (i.e. Peaceniks and Warmachine are opposed.)
• Get an Operative with 3 pre-filled upgrade slots and 3 open ones.

Conduct Radical Reforms: 5 Fervor, Choose One

• Change the government in order to appease NPCs by deflecting the blame of your actions on the old guard. Less effective if your behavior repeats the initial offense.
• Change your social openness.
• Instantly raise a 200-point Agency.

Conduct Purges: 5 Fervor, Choose One, +5 per Extra Use that Year

• Expel counterculture elements (SoV, Demimonde) or foreign influences (TF Titan). Reduces a single tracker value by 2.
• Expel spies or counter the result of a single intelligence project. PCs can Purge their Client States but Dominions cannot Purge on behalf of their masters.
• Restore the morale of armed forces at the cost of significant loss of effectiveness.

Conduct Radical Research: 1d6+10 Fervor

• Allows you to implement techs without investing the political capital or material aid, by paperclipping Praetorian and Artan scientists, kidnapping university students, hiring rogue weapons cartels, etc. These technologies are always [Controversial], causing continuous domestic and foreign unrest which manifests as lost Stability upon trading and generally unfavorable opinions among NPCs.

Conduct Mass Mobilization: 15 Fervor

• Reduce build time on all ground units to 3 months, at the cost of a minor decrease in quality for those units and terrible morale if deployed in offensive wars. All units made in this way must be labelled [Conscript] and must be demobilized to stop stability loss. In defensive wars, People’s Champions gain this automatically, and units are labelled “volunteers”. Volunteers are built at half cost and gain significant moral bonuses.

Rally Around the Flag: 10 Fervor per Year
Use once war with a hostile power seems inevitable. Choose two of the traits below. Every odd year, take another trait.

• President-General Batman: Use your head of state as a propaganda unit, attached to any ground, aerospace or starship. Grants perfect morale to units in the battlespace. For powers without a discrete head of state, this can instead be a fighter squadron of the executive committee or a great people’s elective battleship, etc.
• Together for the Empire!: As the Prestige benefits.
• War Rationing: Halve upkeep, double Development costs.
• Manufacturing Consent: Gain 4 buffer Stability for defeats or war crimes.
• Plowshares to Swords: Convert Developments directly into military value. This also affects Developments you capture from the enemy.
• Victory Gardens: Your people do not need Standards of Living Developments and are moderately provisioned for sieges and other supply disruptions.
• Staybehind Units: Your conquered areas will spawn massive contingents of professional partisans, typically 25% of whatever was holding the territory when it was taken.
• Tin Can Hurricanes: Gain [Industrial + Standard of Living Development Value] in free aerospace or ground units in the event of a direct attack on your homeland. This stacks with other effects that spawn ground units.
• Sten Guns: You may use your own Monkey/Export Model equipment without penalties.
• Buy War Bonds: Deficit automatically reduces by $1000 every year, $2000 at High tier.
• Super Patriotic Space Internet: Give a passive diplomacy bonus with all friendly NPCs and a passive diplomacy penalty with all who are hostile. Open source intelligence on your state is completely unreliable.
• Observer Corps: Gain a bonus to detecting surprise attacks and espionage operations aimed at you.

Deficit Spending 6 Fervor, 3 at Low Tier, Doubles per Additional Consecutive Year

• Unsecured: Can go up to 2x your total GDP into debt, with no caveats.
• Secured: Ask a Great Power, IMF or one of the pan-Verge financial institutions to secure your loan. This allows for unlimited spending, but every $5000 or so into debt the institution will add some new obsequious restriction to how you can spend it. The restrictions can be backtracked by adjusting budgets, but will not change until the next year.