by Rulings GM (Posted May 20th, 2010, 12:40 am)
May/June 10.191

Title: Gansireed Survey
Type of RP: Consensual (Internal)

GM Ruling:
PAID: 160s
Approved. This may continue to be written as the player deems necessary.
With the payment of surveyors, the preliminary report should be completed and presented to House Alexin in September 10.191, and the more detailed report made available for review in November.

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by Rulings GM (Posted May 20th, 2010, 12:39 am)
May/June 10.191

Title: A Whole New World
Type of RP: Consensual (Internal)

GM Ruling:
Approved. This may continue to be written as the player deems necessary.
With the arrival of the fleeing remains of House Alexin from Eirdanos, the settlers numbered in the mere thousands begin to settle a primary location identified by the Guild prior to the Gansireed Survey. Bringing battered supplies and whatever they could load onto the Guild Frigates in leaving Eirdanos, initial stocktakes indicate that there are sufficient stores and equipment for the settlement to construct a basic but sufficient town which should be completed in a further four months (2 turns) with the allocation of 5 units of Raw Materials and 5 units of Industrial Components.

Until a farming system has been established, the settlement will require 2 units of Foodstuffs per month to survive. Plans to construct a farming system indicate that it would take six months (3 turns) with the allocation of 3 units of Raw Materials and 4 units of Industrial Components to construct an adequate system once the town has been completed. The few remaining survivors suggest that focus be placed on the establishment of the town first as there are abundant food supplies to last. If, however, food supplies are saught to be established immediately by the Baroness, then construction efforts for the town can be divided and refocused into food supply, at which point the town construction will require eight months (4 turns) to complete the town and the farming system ten months (5 turns) to complete.

House Alexin gains +2 to its Domestic Respect Rating and is no longer under Civil War or Civil Disorder.

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by Rulings GM (Posted May 20th, 2010, 12:37 am)
May/June 10.191

Title: New Mentat
Type of RP: Consensual (External)

GM Ruling:
Approved. This may continue to be written as the player deems necessary.
A representative of the Order of Mentats promptly arrives to meet with the Baroness and outlines that several candidates nearing graduation of their training are seeking employment:

• Marek Getrum - Born to a minor noble family on Kaitain, Marek has demonstrated exceptional aptitude and ability to calculate and process information during his training with the Order and is considered a prominent duelist. Currently fourth in the class, Marek is seeking work with a Great House, but may be willing to work for a Minor House for the right amount of solari. Marek Getrum will cost 120,000 solari (120s) to employ in service to House Alexin.
• Percival Modnar - Born to a merchant family on Elysium, Percival has demonstrated capable aptitude in his Mentat training, as well as maintaining a respectable reputation on the dueling floor. Twenty third in his class, Percival is open to working for a Minor House that shows promise, and should be convinced to come into the employ of House Alexin for 70,000 solari (70s).
• Kristophe Vasiliev - Born to a now deceased officer of the House Alexin Guard, Kristophe has demonstrated sufficient aptitude to pass all aspects of his Mentat training thus far and has shown a keen interest and capabilities in his dueling classes. Currently fifty sixth in his class, Kristophe is prepared to return to House Alexin to restablish the Minor House for free, but the Order's fee of 30,000 solari (30s) will still need to be met.

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by Rulings GM (Posted May 20th, 2010, 12:35 am)
May/June 10.191

Title:Political Painting
Type of RP:Consensual (Internal)

GM Ruling:
Approved. This may continue to be written as the player deems necessary.
The arrest of the Governor-General Stukav has gone some way into reassuring nobles that House Aiantis will follow the rule of law, and in particular Stukav's deliberate actions in contravention to the Great Convention. Lord Charazet's Heir is demanding that all lands and titles be returned to the Charazet's family and that House Aiantis compensate the estate for the murder of the head of their family by an Aiantisian appointed official. Review of the claim indicates that the claim for compensation and the cost of reversing Stukav's redistribution of Chazaret's lands to the family will cost 20,000 solari (20s).

With the removal of the first appointed Governor-General so soon after his appointment, the nobles of Eirdanos remain skeptical of their future under House Aiantis rule. Diplomatic advisors suggest that more pro-active measures be taken in securing Aiantis control of the fief. Suggestions include the next Governor-General be elected from amongst the nobles of Eirdanos whilst an observer is appointed by the Marquis, or that military presence be increased and placed in strategic locations in major cities such as the shield generators to ensure that they cannot be raised in defiance of the ruling House again. Mentats express that either way that House Aiantis moves forward, more diplomatically or more authoritarian, a firm path must be chosen to ensure stable form in the political situation.

The absence of an interim Governor-General or ultimate authority on the planet during the trial of Stukav is likely to cause an increase in instability of the political landscape of the already rocky Eirdanos. The appointed Council took little time to elect a jury for the trial consisting of three minor nobles of little political weight, five of the powerful figures which lead the rebellion against House Alexin and thus far unimpressed with House Aiantis' rule, and four powerful figures which have been strong supporters of the new rulers of Eirdanos.

The ordered investigation is completed very quickly, most likely in part due to the nature of the offence and large number of witnesses. The report indicates that Stukav complied with the instructions of House Aiantis in the overall management of the fief, including the heavy handed tactics used which were expected to bring the nobles of Eirdanos into line, but failed to follow the forms of the Great Convention. Damning of Stukav, the report finds little in his management of the fief that was in breech of his scope of work except for the murder of Lord Chazaret, but the absence of any orders for that specific act from House Aiantis' leadership have thus far gone unchallenged and the nobles of Eirdanos have accepted the report's conclusion that Stukav is guilty and acted on his own intitiative in the matter. A volatile situation, and advisors suggest that the trial be permitted to proceed without delay to allow the Council to feel that they still have some semblence of authority on their world.

In the wake of the civil war, the Council suggests that House Aiantis turn its attention to the almost destroyed farming industry. If the foodstuffs industry of Eirdanos is not addressed promptly, then it will be unrecoverable.

House Aiantis gains the fief Eirdanos.
House Aiantis gains +1 to its Economy rating.

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by Rulings GM (Posted May 20th, 2010, 12:30 am)
May/June 10.191

Title: Spice Harvesting II
Type of RP: Consensual (Internal)

GM Ruling:
PAID: 45s, 5x Industrial Components
Approved. This may continue to be written as the player deems necessary.
With the continued and now routine expenditure of new equipment to maintain the large fleet of harvesters and their support functions, House Wikkheiser is experiencing greater levels of harvesting operations efficiency. With Wikkheiser personnel now having a firm grasp of the Arrakis environment and the maintenance demands and expectations, divisional managers are suggesting that focus should now to turn to refinement of operational procedures; it is felt from this point forward that greater efficacy can best be obtained through that direction.

House Wikkheiser gains +2 to its economy category pool.

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by Rulings GM (Posted May 20th, 2010, 12:29 am)
May/June 10.191

Title: New Equipment
Type of RP: Consensual (Internal)

GM Ruling:
Approved. This may continue to be written as the player deems necessary.
The review of the new equipment issued to Wikkheiser forces is delivered to Jonas Farber, but the review is not what was expected. The vast majority of equipment performs admirably on Arrakis compared to routine equipment, a major flaw has been discovered in the magazine housing of the new standard issue small arms rifle. Whilst most weapons' magazine housings are slightly larger than the magazine itself to allow for ease of slotting the magazine into the recess quickly during battle, the design for the new weapons increased the size of the magazine housing by 0.5 of a millimetre in response to initial soldier feedback of accumulated sand around the housing whilst a magazine is loaded, causing problems when a new magazine is being loaded.

Whilst a straight forward response, engineers failed to consider that the increase in the size of the magazine housing would result in sand being capable of making its way far more easily into the working parts of the weapon. Soldiers are experiencing a significant increase in the jamming of their rifles when outside of the cities. Soldiers patrolling outside of the city limits have taken to using older rifles they have purchased from local merchants for the time being, and there is much resentment towards the new rifles.

Given that all of the other modifications are working as expected, addressing the problem of the main battle weapon of Wikkheiser forces would result in a significant improvement to the militay capabilities of the House. To address the issue of the new rifle's magazine housing, two suggestions have been made by the military and weapon engineers:

1. A bracket insert is manufactured that will have a dense but soft collection of bristles to be inserted in the magazine housing. This would in theory allow for the bonus effect of ease of inserting magazines, whilst preventing the sand from making its way into the working parts of the weapon. This option will cost 30,000 solari (30s) and 2 units of Industrial Components to complete over a period of 4 months (2 Turns). This option will result in a roll vs Wikkheiser's economy to determine if successful.
2. All of the rifles are returned to have their magazine housings modified in factories and reduced in size to the previous rifle's dimensions. This would prevent the sand entering the working parts and preventing the weapon from functioning at all. This suggestion would cost 164,000 solari (134s) and 5 units of Industrial Components with a timeline of 6 months (3 Turns) to completion. This option is a no roll outcome.

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