A Brief Introduction

How Do I See Income?

not

What do I care if these systems cost Command Capital? We’ve got a lot of it!

So we need fortify everything all the time! Right?

So you’re telling me we’re FUBAR’d?

We do? How?

not

Right. I can see that 50 is higher than 40, but what does that mean?

not

But those are all so far away!

18 January 3304Power Play assesses galactic population as Command Capital. It then uses Command Capital to balance a Power’s ability to Control their Dominion.'Total Command Capital (cc) Available' is a surplus of ‘income’ that can be expended weekly to Prepare, Consolidate, or a mixture of both. A deficit of available Command Capital means that some Control Systems are placed into Turmoil.You can see a Control System’s ‘Radius Income’ when by using the Power Play filter in the Galaxy Map. However, a Control System’s ‘Radius Income’ isthe Income of Command Capital received by the Power from the Control System.Going forward, always assume that ‘Radius Income’ is misleading.By selecting ‘System Power View’ ( the bar graph ), you see the Control System’s detailed readout. For an accurate count of how much Command Capital the Power receives as Income, you have to use ‘Base Income’. Essentially, both the Galaxy Map and the Power Play calculation can be buggy, and overlapping Control Spheres easily confuses the readout, but ‘Base Income’ is the number Power Play uses to calculate income.Additionally, please remember that Fortification has zero effect beyond 100% of the Control System’s Fortification Trigger.As an extremely rough guide, any Control System with a Base Income under 62cc actively costs the Power Command Capital to maintain, even when fortified. This is due to Overhead costs, but no one wants to hear about those, so let’s take it as given and move on.Control Systems that cost more Command Capital to maintain than they provide in income are a consistent drain on the Power’s ability to balance and control their Dominion. We call these ‘deficit-causing systems’.‘Without further fortification’ means that number is the Power’s starting balance every cycle. Every cycle, that number has to finish in the positive or the Power will enter Turmoil.No, because the Emperor’s starting balance is -259cc, a complete Undermining of all Control Systems will always put the Power into Turmoil. A Power with a standing deficit cannot Fortify out of Turmoil unless the underminers make a mistake. Once a Control System enters Turmoil, should the Power end the Cycle in deficit again, Turmoil systems will Revolt and leave the Power until the Power can balance its deficit.No. And this is where it gets dense.When the Power finishes the Cycle with a deficit of ‘total Command Capital available’, Control Systems will enter Turmoil. The Control Systems with the highest Upkeep cost will enter Turmoil first.This is where ‘Cost if Undermined’ comes into play. If the system is Undermined to 100% and no Fortification Cancels that by the end of the Cycle, the Control System’s ‘Cost if Undermined’ becomes its Upkeep cost for that week.Systems with a high ‘Base Income’ also have a high ‘Cost if Undermined’, which is why it is important that we prioritize Control Systems with high Base Incomes for Fortification.And why it is less important that we spend time and credits to Fortify systems with an Extremely low ‘Cost if Undermined’.For a deficit-running Power, no amount of Fortification will avoid the Cycle of Turmoil and Revolt. However, the Power does have some agency when it comes to which systems enter Turmoil.When suffering under a mass Undermining campaign, the only agency a Power has to control which Control Systems enter Turmoil first is by selectively deciding which Control Systemsto Fortify.If we are heading for a deficit at the end of the Cycle, and a Control System with 40cc Upkeep is Cancelled, it will enter Turmoil before any other system, unless a system with 50cc Cost if Undermined is fully Undermined, and not Cancelled by Fortification.It means that the only agency a Power with a negative starting balance has is choosing which systems tofortify.The Research Desk from the Kamadhenu Herald (Research) hosts a webpage with prioritization of Control Systems based on distance and tonnage required.The list on the right focuses on short range high value Control Systems.These 60-110Ly destinations will take most haulers under 30 minutes to round trip without cargo coming back. If time is your concern, you can arrive just before the next free allotment is available. If cost is your concern, you can develop a trade route to return back to Kamadhenu, and then your next free allotment will definitely be available. There are 39 High Tech Markets within 40Ly of Kamadhenu . Picking up supplies from the Control System, trading at the High Tech station, and selling in Kamadhenu is a viable means to cut some of the investment in defending your Power.Additionally, if you wish to Fortify, but cannot afford to spend the credits required ‘fast track the next quota’ of Power Play cargo, take a look at this great write up on how to ‘ Fortify & Profit ’. The specifics concerning when the allotment timer starts fresh aren't precisely accurate, but the concept of building a trade loop into your fortification loop has served many commanders well.The Power thanks you for your continued efforts to root out corruption and bring Imperial Justice to the galaxy.Arissa Invicta