The Gwynneth Winter Matrix Game

1. Round 1
2. Round 2
3. Round 3
4. Round 4

Round One Arguments

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Round	1
Argument	0
Type	I DECLARE (+4)
Strength	4
Status	IN
Title	The Imperial Agent
Description	The Count Anwar Haddesh Rinfeh al-Malik arrives insystem as an Imperial Emissary. He is charged with ensuring that Imperial decrees are folllowed and that the Empire remains safe. He is accompanied by diplomats, functionaries, and a battalion of Fighting Eagles.
Effect	The Imperial Agent is introduced as a Pawn upon Gwynneth.
Reason1	The Emperor is concerned with the progress of the Hawkwoods against the Vuldrok
Reason2	The Emperor is uneasy in his power, and wants to make an impression on his Hawkwood kin.
Reason3	Stories of Vuldrok atrocities have reached Byzantium Secundus.

Round	1
Argument	1
Type	I DECLARE (+4)
Strength	4
Status	IN
Title	The Imperial Agent is assassinated
Description	The Imperial Agent is assassinated by an unknown assassin.
Effect	The Agent is removed from the game. The Imperial Fighting Eagles disband and become mercenaries, available as a Pawn. The leaders of the major factions on Gwynneth become more paranoid.
Reason1	Most of Gwynneth’s economy is corrupt.
Reason2	Vuldrok Infiltrators in the fleet can get access to him. (PAWN)
Reason3	Gwynneth is uncivilized frontier, and is inherently lawless.

Round	1
Argument	1.1
Type	YES, AND (+2)
Strength	6
Status	IN
Title	Jurisdictional Conflict
Description	The assassination of the Imperial Agent draws Inquisitorial attention. They get in the way of the Imperial Eye investigators.
Effect	The gulf between the Imperial Eye and the Inquisition grows greater. Much Custom House activity comes to a halt during the investigation because so much of it is corrupt and cannot operate under scrutiny.
Reason1	The Imperial Agent was slain with occult means.
Reason2	The Inquisition is heavy-handed and brutal
Reason3	Imperial Investigators don’t like having their turf trod upon.

Round	1
Argument	1.1.1
Type	YES, AND (+2)
Strength	8
Status	IN
Title	Down with Corruption!
Description	The investigation shows that corruption is endemic in the Custom House, the Church, the Guilds and the Fleet. A crackdown ensues.
Effect	Many loyalty tests are given. A lot of people are shipped to Loughrea Prison. Corruption is stamped out left and right, particularly in the Fleet (professional officer corps) and in the Church (righteous zealotry).
Reason1	The Imperial Agent’s assassination is high-profile, and draws many resources.
Reason2	Zealous churchmen are adept at finding mystic corruption.
Reason3	Loyal, dedicated Hawkwoods and skilled Imperial Eye agents are working together.

Round	1
Argument	1.1.1.1
Type	YES, AND (+2)
Strength	8
Status	IN
Title	Many Innocents Suffer
Description	Many innocent people suffer as a result of the crackdown.
Effect	A substantial amount of questionable information comes to light about the various investigators, making their long-term effectiveness questionable. People cease cooperating with the authorities. The Anti-Authority Disinformation Resistance is introduced as a Pawn under the Spiritual Weakness’ Control.
Reason1	Investigators are not cooperating well.
Reason2	The Investigators are overly zealous.
Reason3	Everyone is jumping at shadows.

Round	1
Argument	1.1.1.1.2
Type	YES, AND (+2)
Strength	8
Status	IN
Title	The “Vuldroks” Destroy Surreveil Valley
Description	The Hawkwood Custom House decides they need more Second Republic data on Gwynneth, and have heard bad things about the political reliability of the Surreveil Valley monks. They use a politically-reliable Battalion to destroy Surreveil Valley and take away the research data. They make it look like a Vuldrok attack.
Effect	The Hawkwood Custom House controls and the information that was once at the Surreveil Valley Monastery.
Reason1	The monks were politically and militarily unreliable.
Reason2	It is nice to know what the Second Republic had going on Gwynneth.
Reason3	The Church is easily angered by Vuldrok atrocities.

Round	1
Argument	2
Type	I DECLARE (+4)
Strength	4
Status	IN
Title	Custom House Takes Insystem Squadron
Description	The officers of the Gwynneth Fleet Men-o-War use their influence to draw the Gwynneth Fleet Insystem Squadron to duties around the planet.
Effect	Security around the planet is tighter, making movement more difficult. The Hawkwood Custom House assumes control of the Gwynneth Fleet Insystem Squadron.
Reason1	Customs duties can be collected at landing: why do it in space?
Reason2	The Men-o-War have influential officers.
Reason3	Small, fast ships are needed to support ground operations and pursue speedy Vuldrok ships.

Round	1
Argument	3
Type	I DECLARE (+4)
Strength	4
Status	IN
Title	The Vuldroks Discover Sathra
Description	The Vuldrok Sathra dampeners either fail or are sabotaged, and a sathraist community develops among their pilots.
Effect	The Vuldrok ships become less aggressive, making the planetside Vuldroks more paranoid. Support of the planetside Vuldrok by the spacefleet becomes more spotty.
Reason1	The Sathra Dampener technology is old, and prone to failure.
Reason2	The Sathra experience is addictive.
Reason3	The Sathra experience doesn’t harm the ship; it just affects the pilots.

Round Two Arguments

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Round	2
Argument	0
Type	I DECLARE (+4)
Strength	4
Status	IN
Title	The Bite of Winter
Description	Winter arrives early in Gwynneth’s northern hemisphere.
Effect	The harvest is small, and many villages do not have enough food. Severe snowfalls make travel difficult. Some isolated locations are cut off from the outside world.
Reason1	Winter comes every year
Reason2	Unpredicatable weather events have become more common since the beginning of the Emperor Wars
Reason3	The terraforming engines are no longer as predictable as they used to be.

Round	2
Argument	1
Type	I DECLARE (+4)
Strength	4
Status	IN
Title	Hawkwoods Are Spared the Worst of Winter
Description	The Hawkwoods evade the worst effects of winter.
Effect	Most villages have enough food to survive, travel is easier than it would otherwise have been in Hawkwood areas.
Reason1	Hawkwoods control the Gwynneth Weather Machine
Reason2	The Hawkwoods must protect what is theirs.
Reason3	The Surreveil Valley data allows the Hawkwoods to predict weather pattern.

Round	2
Argument	1.1
Type	YES, AND (+2)
Strength	7
Status	IN
Title	Everyone Hates Evil Hawkwoods War
Description	Bloody and savage civil war erupts between Hawkwood communities favored by Custom House and a coalition of everyone else (unreliable Hawkwoods, Vuldroks, Church sympathizers), prompted by Hawkwood food distribution practices.
Effect	The Vuldrok Land Army is created as a Pawn under the Control of the Utag Kingdom. Hawkwood military forces are pulled back to northen Lachann for defense.
Reason1	The Vuldrok Fleet Infiltrators publicize the Hawkwood attack on Surreveil Valley.
Reason2	The Church is aghast at the actions of the Hawkwoods against helpless monks (STRONG).
Reason3	There is an influx of ex-Imperial mercenaries (STRONG).

Round	2
Argument	2
Type	I DECLARE (+4)
Strength	4
Status	IN
Title	Zombies Run Wild
Description	The Zombies run amok through the winter.
Effect	There are a lot more zombies, and the infestation spreads to Tuam and the Byrrem Isles plantations. Zombie Plague Opportunists are introduced as a Pawn under the Control of the Spiritual Weakness.
Reason1	Zombies don’t need crops to eat
Reason2	Troops have trouble hunting zombies in the snow
Reason3	Zombieism is very contagious and can spread like wildfire.

Round	2
Argument	3
Type	I DECLARE (+4)
Strength	4
Status	IN
Title	Hawkwoods Blast Vuldrok
Description	The Hawkwoods declare “open seas” on Vuldrok settlements. The Hawkwoods use Surreveil map data to make guesses on where Vuldrok settlements are. The Hawkwoods shoot at everything they see.
Effect	The Vuldrok population at large suffers: they can’t feed themselves; they’re dying of cold and radiation; they have trouble moving around planetside.
Reason1	Second Republic technology lets the Custom House spy on the Vuldrok effortlessly.
Reason2	We control the weather!
Reason3	Orbital bombardments make fixed fortifications useless.

Round	2
Argument	3.2
Type	NO, ACTUALLY (+0)
Strength	5
Status	IN
Title	The Vuldrok Blast the Hawkwoods
Description	When the Vuldrok became addicted to Sathra, they started exploring Second Republic ruins, and discovered a Second Republic Arsenal.
Effect	The Utag Kingdom gains a Second Republic Arsenal as a Pawn. The Hawkwoods do badly in their war against the Vuldrok.
Reason1	Sathra addiction leads to exploration of Second Republic ruins (STRONG).
Reason2	The Vuldroks Infiltrators neutralize Hawkwood fleet actions.
Reason3	The Hawkwoods’ attention is divided among many different crises

Round	2
Argument	3.2.1
Type	YES, AND (+2)
Strength	8
Status	IN
Title	Vuldrok Colonies Flourish
Description	The Utag colonies on Continent X flourish.
Effect	The Utag Kingdom gains control of a new Pawn: Continent X Colonists. The Utag are too widespread to be immediately eradicated.
Reason1	The Hawkwood Minister of Planetary affairs was imprisoned, sending his department into chaos.
Reason2	The Vuldroks are living in Second Republic ruins.
Reason3	The Vuldrok war effort is a massive misdirection to draw attention away from the colonies.

Round Three Arguments

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Round	3
Argument	0
Type	I DECLARE (+4)
Strength	4
Status	IN
Title	The Gargoyle Speaks!
Description	The archaeologist Peter DuSabne returns from a journey into the hinterlands of Lachann reporting that he has found a new Annunaki Gargoyle that has granted him incredible visions. Some question his story, but none can deny that he is a changed man.
Effect	A new Annunaki site is discovered. The Red Weeper Gargoyle and the Archaeologist Peter DuSabne become available as Pawns.
Reason1	Gwynneth is known to be dotted with mysterious Annunaki sites
Reason2	The younger sons of the Noble classes are much given to hobbies like archaeology.
Reason3	The hand of the Pancreator moves in mysterious ways.

Round	3
Argument	1
Type	I DECLARE (+4)
Strength	5
Status	IN
Title	The “Gargoyle Speaks” Revisionists
Description	The Archaeologist’s vision inspires a new religious sect.
Effect	The Orthodox Church is split, and there is tension in the streets of Llanfyrth. The Spiritual Weakness gains control of the Gargoyle Speaks Revisionists.
Reason1	Many people put great stock in Gargoyles and what they say (STRONG)
Reason2	The Orthodox sect is stagnant.
Reason3	The new sect is supported by enemies of the Orthodoxy.

Round	3
Argument	1.1
Type	YES, BUT (+1)
Strength	7
Status	IN
Title	The Gargoyle Truce
Description	The Word of the Gargoyle inspires a truce between the new Revisionist Church sect, the Hawkwoods and the Utag
Effect	The war ends. The Hawkwoods gain Control of the Red Weeper Gargoyle Pawn. The Utag Kingdom gain Control of the Archaeologist Pawn, who becomes a prophet.
Reason1	All three factions have suffered in the war.
Reason2	The Hawkwoods and the Utag are interested in different areas of Gwynneth
Reason3	The Gargoyle’s vision is for peaceful coexistence (STRONG)

Round	3
Argument	1.1.1
Type	YES, AND (+2)
Strength	8
Status	IN
Title	Hawkwood Consolidation
Description	The Hawkwoods consolidate control over Lachann and Loughrea Prison.
Effect	The Hawkwoods are in firm control of Lachann and Loughrea Prison. They are able to concentrate hard upon cleaning up rebels and zombies. The Hawkwood Custom House gains Control of the Loughrea Prison Pawn.
Reason1	The Hawkwoods control access to the Red Weeper Gargoyle ruins.
Reason2	The Hawkwoods offer up sacrificial lambs to various aggrieved parties.
Reason3	The Hawkwoods abide by the Revisionist truce, and declare a general amnesty.

Round	3
Argument	2
Type	I DECLARE (+4)
Strength	5
Status	IN
Title	The Pious Order of the Vuldrok Revisionists
Description	The Vuldrok embrace the new Gargoyle Speaks Church sect.
Effect	The Utag Kingdom gains control of the Gargoyle Speak Revisionists. The Revisionist Church is a pious order that embraces virtue wholeheartedly.
Reason1	The Red Weeper Gargoyle speaks to the Vuldrok (STRONG)
Reason2	The Vuldrok are in contact with the Church.
Reason3	This is a politically sound decision that will give them common ground with the Hawkwoods.

Round	3
Argument	1.1.1.2
Type	YES, AND (+2)
Strength	8
Status	IN
Title	Hawkwoods Gain Wealth and Friends
Description	The development of the Red Weeper Gargoyle site brings the Hawkwoods substantial income and esteem.
Effect	The Hawkwoods become wealthier, and build stronger ties among the planetside Hawkwoods, the Empire, the Church and the Guilds. The Hawkwood Custom House gains Control of the Hawkwood Plantation Nobles Pawn.
Reason1	There is an influx of pilgrims eager to see the Red Weeper Gargoyle.
Reason2	There is renewed interest from friendly houses and the Empire from advanced SR gear.
Reason3	The Hawkwoods are able to pay war reparations to compensate their people for earlier losses.

Round	3
Argument	2.1
Type	YES, AND (+2)
Strength	7
Status	IN
Title	Vuldroks Sell to the Guild
Description	The Vuldrok also begin a massive trade campaign, selling Second Republic items from Continent X.
Effect	The Utag Kingdom gains a Guild Contacts Pawn. The Utag Kingdom starts selling Second Republic artifacts to the Guild.
Reason1	The Utag have Second Republic artifacts sitting in the ruins.
Reason2	The Utag desperately need money for their colony.
Reason3	The Revisionist sect is interested in income sources that don’t involve slaughter.

Round Four Arguments

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Round	4
Argument	0
Type	I DECLARE (+4)
Strength	4
Status	IN
Title	The Dawn of Spring
Description	After a long and miserable Winter, the first signs of Spring appear.
Effect	The morale of the people is improved by the sight of growing things. Communities made inaccessible by the snows are opened once again. Foodstuffs remain scarce, as the harvest is still months away.
Reason1	When there is Winter, Spring must soon follow.
Reason2	The common folk have suffered much through the Winter, and are ready for reason to celebrate.
Reason3	The terraforming engines still work fairly well, after all.