Magnus Rex

Day preference: any

Days off-limits: Sunday night

Time Preference: 8-11

Noted! I'll make Tech a 2 instead of a 1 to use up that last skill point 🙂

Name        Ray Paloczek ("pah-LOW-check")
Age        26
Occupation    Pizza Delivery

Strength: 3
    Close Combat: 1
    Endurance: 1
    Force: 0

Agility: 5
    Mobility: 2
    Ranged Combat: 0
    Stealth: 3

Wits: 3
    Scout: 2
    Survival: 1
    Tech: 1

Empathy: 2
    Leadership: 0
    Manipulation: 0
    Medicine: 0

Archetype: The Nobody
Talent: Speed Freak

Starting Gear: Machete, Frying Pan, Pizza Delivery Car

Drive: "This is my chance."
Issue: "I do not care if I live."

NPC Companion: Ryan Smith, a taciturn senior citizen who always plans for the worst. Has a mobile home, toolkit, and rifle in his possession

Why in Central PA over Memorial Day Weekend?
Was delivering a pizza to a grouchy retiree at his mobile home in a remote campground in the woods. In spite of the older man's demeanor, the two struck up a fast friendship.

Backstory:
All his life, Ray felt like a ghost. Teachers repeatedly mistook him for his older brothers; his parents often forgot to pick him up from after school activities; even the family dog never seemed to take notice of him when he was in a room. It was a lonely and painful childhood, but in his teen years, Ray began to see it as a sort of superpower - the ability to blend in nearly anywhere.

Ray was content to be average and coast through life unnoticed. His one passion that brought any sort of attention was a car handed down from his grandfather. By day he drove around town delivering pizzas from the local shop, and on weekends he would pick up extra cash in regional road races. Though never quite competitive enough to rise to a national level, he did win 1st prize once.

The freedom caucusers *are* terrorists for their part in the Trump/Eastman conspiracy, but not for delaying McCarthy's self-anointed rise to the speakership. So Crenshaw is right for the wrong reasons.

And you're right it is sad to see the House chamber nearly devolve into violence.

I found myself partially agreeing with Justin Amash when The Hill had him on their panel and he said something to the effect of, "this is how it's supposed to be." and challenged the corporate news narrative that a multi-day stalemate for the speakership is a catastrophe.

To the degree that Amash meant it's not supposed to be a pre-determined cakewalk, that taking the time to hash out arguments, work out reforms, and make compromises is supposed to be part of the process, yes he's right.

Except that that assumes that any of this is done in good faith. Given the players at the table it can't possibly be. Some of the demands made by the MAGA-troll bloc are genuinely good ideas, and I don't for one second believe that they are sincere about any of them except the ones that guarantee committee or sub-committee leadership for Gaetz, Boebert, and co. And on the other side there is a mountain of evidence that McCarthy is so craven and power hungry that he will concede literally anything to get his way, and in all likelihood can and will go back on his word just as quickly.

This was a fishtank of piranhas eating each other alive as a performance for the cameras. This was WWE Monday Night Raw, not a deliberation on the best ways to legislate and govern.

In 1858 a brawl erupted on the House floor over Kansas statehood and whether it would allow slavery or not.

The 2022 narrowly avoided altercation between Mike Rogers and Matt Gaetz doesn't quite hold the same stakes.

And now that he's in, is there an over-under on how many days go by before a motion to vacate the chair is made on McCarthy?

by the narrowest of margins they managed to adopt a motion to adjourn so that the Republicans can check in with Tucker to see what their next orders should be 🤣

6 down, 128 to go!

The record for most rounds of votes, according to the Office of the Historian of the House, is the 34th Congress, when Rep. Nathaniel Prentice Banks of Massachusetts was only elected speaker after 133 rounds and some two months of voting.

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/longest-elect-speaker-house/story?id=96183135

Hi all, it's been almost 30 days since we last updated the game, so I'll put this out there for your consideration:

Is anyone opposed to calling the game concluded and declaring Pringles our winner?

Factoring in both earned Victory Points and not-yet-tallied popularity earned, the scoreboard reads as follows:

@Pringles in 1st place with 51 total

myself in 2nd place with 44 total

@Hestia in 3rd place with 40 total

followed by @WVProgressive with 37 total

followed by @Timur with 29 total

and @ConservativeElector2 with 18 total

If there's a majority in favor of picking up where we left off with @MrPotatoTed I fully support that as well.

At the end of Round 2:

William Seward is boxed-in at New England and New York and has no further moves. Those as well as PA and Kentucky are locked.

Round 3

Action to Webster @Hestia

Correct, Benton has the final move of Round 2 then we go back to the top of the order

Yes Seward is confined to New England and his home state of New York, since Pennsylvania was taken by Dallas and Webster.

You're right, it was wrong it should be 50 not 40. Thanks! I've made that correction

Action to @Timur

At the end of Round 1:

Round 2:

Daniel Webster's only available move is to Pennsylvania, which locks William Seward from any further movements unless he has a card that opens a state up.

Action to George Dallas @Pringles 

Mr. Benton, starting in Missouri you can go south to Arkansas or north to Illinois. @Timur

Ok election order is Webster, Dallas, Benton, Seward

Round 0:

Webster starts in New England: 36 votes
Dallas starts in Pennsylvania: 28 votes

Benton starts in Missouri: 6 votes
Seward starts in New York: 38 votes 

Round 1: 

Webster's only move is to New York, NY is now locked @Hestia

Action to Dallas @Pringles

Reminder to President Webster to name a conservative running mate on his reelection ticket @Hestia

Treasury Phase

With no debt to repay and $43mil in revenue, federal reserves grow from $139M to $182M for the upcoming term.

Election Phase

Public Support favors the Conservative Party. Incumbent Daniel Webster is unanimously nominated for reelection. Meanwhile at the Liberal Party convention, James Buchanan declines the nomination. The party selects Thomas Hart Benton.

@Timur Mr. Benton you get to select your running mate first. Then @Hestia will choose a running mate. 

The worst best place to be!

corrections all set @MrPotatoTed The President's faction now has 1 faction IP to go along with the 4 earned by Webster, and the General of the armies is now Winfield Scott, who gains +1 popularity for taking the job and +1 for resolving the issue.

Mr. President, last call for Tax or Tariff legislation before the Election of 1840. @Hestia

With the combined ability of President Webster and General Pierce of 3, and the 1 IP spent by the President raising it to 4, the difficulty is met and Bleeding Kansas is resolved. @MrPotatoTed

+1 popularity to Webster and Pierce, and +4 IP to Webster as Conservative party leader

Richard M. Johnson inherited the role of General from previous administrations, but you sir are not obligated to keep him at his post!

Loyal conservative Franklin Pierce is ready, willing, and able to step forward and command the Army at your direction to settle this matter in Kansas @Hestia

@Hestia Mr. President, William Rufus King figured out a way you can resolve this issue! If he gives you a plan, will you consider naming him as your new special envoy?

Mr. President, if you delegate this issue to your Vice President he will rally 3 IP and help solicit donations from other factions to help Secretary of War Taney and General Johnson meet the difficulty rating of the issue. @Hestia

Texas statehood is ratified with 30 in favor and 9 opposed. Spreadsheet updated @MrPotatoTed

+2 popularity each to President Webster and Secretary of State Dallas.

Texas activated on Electoral map for next election.

Mr. President you can call for Issue #3 or ask your Treasury Secretary to propose enacting a Tax, enacting a Level 3 Tariff, or repealing a Level 2 Tariff. @Hestia

@Pringles is up next to cast a vote on Texas statehood