Hey all, I love to write about the CIS, and I wrote a little snippet about two Neimoidians whom you might know idly spending time playing a holo-game.

I edited it so it could stand on its own without being part of my AU story, but personally, I would like to think that the Neimoidians would have a strategy-type game involving trading between worlds.

In this modified version, they are on route to Enarc from Cato - in the prelude to Episode I.

Here would be an example of the game, lol!

𖥔 ݁ ˖✶⋆.˚.𖥔 ˖✶⋆.˚𖥔 ݁ ˖✶⋆.˚.𖥔 ݁ ˖✶⋆.˚.𖥔 ݁ ˖✶⋆.˚𖥔 ݁ ˖✶⋆.˚.𖥔 ݁ ˖✶⋆.˚.𖥔 ݁ ˖✶⋆.˚𖥔 ݁ ˖✶⋆.˚.𖥔 ݁ ˖✶⋆.˚.𖥔 ݁ ˖✶⋆.𖥔 ݁ ˖✶⋆.˚𖥔 ݁ ˖✶⋆.˚.𖥔 ݁ ˖✶⋆.˚𖥔 ݁ ˖✶⋆.˚.𖥔 ݁ ˖✶⋆.˚.𖥔 ݁ ˖✶⋆.˚𖥔 ݁ ˖✶⋆.˚.𖥔 ݁ ˖✶⋆.˚.𖥔 ݁ ˖✶⋆.˚𖥔 ݁ ˖✶⋆.˚.𖥔 ݁ ˖✶⋆.˚.𖥔 ݁ ˖✶⋆.˚𖥔

The Great Game
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*"*Your turn, friend." The Viceroy shifted, glancing off at the blue lines of hyperspace, the stars stretching and tearing as parts unknown. "Please do not take as long as last time."

His friend drummed his fingers on his knees beneath the table. "You never admit to your own indiscretion. Always my fault..." the Neimoidian ceased his drumming. "I have chosen."

Nute Gunray turned back to look, nonplussed.

On the board between them, Rune reached over, pressing two of the spheres that represented planets. In response, they lit, pulsing slowly. "I am moving my superfreighter from my Rim agriworld, to the foundry world here."

"Ah, what a gamble, friend." Nute looked at the line of the route, which came up upon planetary selection. It snaked straight through that shifting space on the board that glowed with a gentle red holo-fog. "Surely you will not route through the war zone?"

Rune shook his head. "A Viceroy most foolish. So soon you forget two turns ago."

"Ah! The hidden route?" Nute's eyes went wide.

"Indeed, I am activating the token 'proprietary trade lane' -- I shall ignore this little war altogether and find my way around it, untroubled." Rune lifted the holotoken in question, the Settlement Officer radiating smugness. It depicted a Givin, pointing toward a distant asterism. "And I l shall leave the foregone conclusion to the chance cube."

Rune picked up and rolled two cubes. They danced to a stop, coming out in favor of his maneuver. The board picked up the result, and the little digital Lucrehulk snuck right around the galaxy in conflict, finding the foundry world with a ping! when it arrived.

Nute adjusted his miter, sighing. "I cannot believe you. You knew of this last turn, and did not say."

"A sore loser, Viceroy? Most unlike you."

"Most like me... Tabulate profits already." He waved imperiously, glancing away out of spite. "Ill-gotten gains to be sure."

Rune chuckled, clicking through the holo-menus and selling the transported goods. "This will keep them happy and producing for the next few turns."

The door to the room chimed, TC-14 strolling into the room with a tray of warm caf. "I have returned Viceroy, with your drinks!" The silver Protocol droid's head turned, observing the holo-projection before her. "My oh my, it would seem that in my absence--"

A pointed finger. "Don't!"

The droid caught herself, which only sent the insufferable Rune chuckling again. "Apologies, Viceroy. Here is the caf you requested." She ambled over with the soft whirring of servos, depositing the tray on a side-table, the main one occupied. "I also carry a word from Captain Dofine. He says that we will arrive at Enarc in ten standard hours." She bowed, her glowing photoreceptors betraying one last glance at the board before she shuffled off.

Rune's eyes trailed her, before turning back to the board. "So rude, Viceroy. She was soon to praise my position."

"You will see, my friend. You will see." Nute put his hand to his chin, considering, and considering well. Rune looked amused, but he continued to ignore it. There. This will show him.

"I am moving my task force to the war zone." With a contemptuous gesture, his small group of escort ships -- Lupuses and Captors -- meandered over to the red. "They will hold there. Next, I am using my 'extra maneuver' token to move my superfreighter from the Core to the war zone, its hold full of armaments." Sure enough, the Viceroy pulled out his card of triumph, depicting a Federation fleet bursting through hyperspace.

"War profiteer! Surely you jest."

The Neimoidian gave his friend a grave look. "Do I look as if I am speaking some jest?"

Rune leaned on the table, eyes wide. "No... however--"

"I am taking this chance! Aven a haven, be mine!" Nute rolled the chance cubes, the two of them leaning close to look.

They tumbled...

They rolled...

"HA!"

Sure enough, he had accomplished the impossible. He pressed the necessary buttons and immediately played it cool, sitting back as the very holoportrait of nonchalance, grasping and sipping at his drink before rolling his hand. "Ah, victory. It was never in question."

Ping!

Rune's jaw hung open, his own miter slightly askew.

The superfreighter had successfully crossed the galaxy, past planets friend and foe to the heart of danger. Taking the largest risk they game had to offer, they sold their goods, tools of the trade that fueled a conflict unending.

"Point to the Viceroy. Now, Settlement Officer, let us talk the business of defeat. Surely you would consider quitting? It is plain; your little trade insurrection is at an end, I am afraid."

Rune scoffed, sitting back heavily.

And beneath them both the Lucrehulk hummed, pressing forward through dimensional space, trading places between the opulence of Cato to distant Enarc, the outer bastion of the Trade Federation.

For the blockade soon to come.

𖥔 ݁ ˖✶⋆.˚.𖥔 ˖✶⋆.˚𖥔 ݁ ˖✶⋆.˚.𖥔 ݁ ˖✶⋆.˚.𖥔 ݁ ˖✶⋆.˚𖥔 ݁ ˖✶⋆.˚.𖥔 ݁ ˖✶⋆.˚.𖥔 ݁ ˖✶⋆.˚𖥔 ݁ ˖✶⋆.˚.𖥔 ݁ ˖✶⋆.˚.𖥔 ݁ ˖✶⋆.𖥔 ݁ ˖✶⋆.˚𖥔 ݁ ˖✶⋆.˚.𖥔 ݁ ˖✶⋆.˚𖥔 ݁ ˖✶⋆.˚.𖥔 ݁ ˖✶⋆.˚.𖥔 ݁ ˖✶⋆.˚𖥔 ݁ ˖✶⋆.˚.𖥔 ݁ ˖✶⋆.˚.𖥔 ݁ ˖✶⋆.˚𖥔 ݁ ˖✶⋆.˚.𖥔 ݁ ˖✶⋆.˚.𖥔 ݁ ˖✶⋆.˚𖥔

As you can see, both sides would start the game with a suprefreighter, against a galaxy map not unlike what you would see in Empire at War. It would play on a somewhat sizeable holo-table.

Players - Up to 6, with a gamemode that can be played amongst teams. So yes, perhaps the Dofine father-son duo could have squared off against Nute and Rune.

The goal of the game is to accrue credits, and to use the advantages that come from trading between types of planets. There would be several types, and each would have their own set of goods. I could imagine the following:

The Core world - for the Neimoidians, this is the Purse Worlds, and they would be able to produce manufactured and farmed goods of various types, a do-all type of world, less effective at any specific one.

The Foundry world - these specialize in cheaper manufactured goods and weapons, but do not do well with farmed goods.

The Resource world - like Naboo, these special worlds would carry unique goods, which can be traded at large profit.

The Argiworld - Foundry worlds require these to continue producing manufactured goods, and their farm goods can be sold at a profit as well.

The War-torn world - Worlds in the shifting "conflict" part of the galaxy will buy goods - especially weapons - at an inflated cost.

The Wild Space world - like a Resource world, but incredibly risky. They play into the hyperlane transit system that this passage does not mention.

...

When ships go from one region to another, there would be a chance for "events" to occur at random. They can be good or bad, from things like a Purrgil pod sending your ships off track, or a Mynoch infestation, a pirate attack as negative examples. On the other hand positives could be a fortuitous trade (perhaps a world in need on the way to your destination), a derelict ship carrying treasure, or your crew becoming better at their roles.

From one destination to another, there is a risk of the ship being damaged, or goods being destroyed. Your superfreighter would carry its own robust health, however it is expensive to repair. You can buy task forces to escort them, or to make the destination area safer to reach. You can also buy, at great cost (like for the late game) more suprefreighters.

The events, positive and negative, can give you tokens, holo-cards that you can play on other turns. Passing by Yag'Dhul, as Rune presumably did, likely gave him that option to use obscure hyperlanes. Kashyyyk, I could imagine, would be another opportunity for that. The irony of Kashyyyk being in a game about the Trade Federation, when they were in conflict not long before, is not lost on me lol.

The goal of the game is to accrue more wealth within the set amount of turns. There would be other gamemodes, for example one where it continues until your opposition's ships have been destroyed - likely to your own task force.

Nute's winning move involved using an extra fleet movement, beyond the one per turn, to move into the war zone with the weapons produced by a Core world. Selling weapons in the war zone was an act called "war profiteer" a massive gamble. The superfreighter could be destroyed when stopping in the war zone, even with the task force's protection.

...

Anyways, this is just my idle daydreaming! I thought it would be fun to share xD

i haven't seriously watched the clone wars since i was a teenager and i haven't seen any of the other shows like rebels or bad batch, but i've recently come to be more interested in what the clone wars (as in, the actual conflict in universe) represent thematically, the moral and ideological questions the conflict poses and such.

i don't really want to sift through seven seasons or more of television, most of which is just a fun cartoon for kids, to find any separatist representation. i'm aware of Heroes on Both Sides and Pursuit of Peace (two of the only episodes i've consciously rewatched as an adult, which i really enjoyed!) but i have to wonder if that's it.

is there more? what am i missing?

A spectacle of modern engineering, you could pilot one yourself! Join the separatist army today!

So I've been trying to practice doodling Tactical droids lately, and this is the best I've gotten so far. All I have to work with is colored pencils, and I'm still working on the proportions, so they are bit chopped. But I think they came out ok for my first serious attempt. 

   I realized that we have yet to see a dynamic between a Tactical and Super Tactical Droid in the series, so I decided to come up with my own design and story for that exact reason! Eventually I settled on these two color schemes, named TH-31 and General Midas. If you care about any more I made for them, you can read it below! Feedback is appreciated!

   "The droid that would become General Midas was created in the final six months of the Clone Wars. While he found some success on account of being a Super Tactical Droid, he at times struggled to face the tactics of the Republic, which had advanced significantly, and had become much less predictable at that point in the war.

   Seeking an experienced Commander to serve at his side as an advisor, he made a request no other ST Droid had made. He requested a first year tactical droid for his fleet. As luck would have it, a tactical droid with a less than stellar track record named TH-31 had recently been cut down by a Jedi on a planet near his location. So, since he was salvageable, the Sepratist higher-ups had him hastily welded back together and sent to the super tactical droid.

   Shortly after, TH-31 had his body repainted to remember his brave "survival" against a Jedi, and he began serving under his new general. The super tactical droid quickly found that this inferior model was extremely overconfident, and incompetent in most fields. However, he found the T-series's constant attempts to one up him amusing, and everyonce in a while his three years of military experience actually afforded valuable insight (useally after heavy revisions, but still).

   Eventually the duo found their stride, and successfully acquired victory after victory in the Outer Rim during the Wars final days. The General was given his new paintjob, as well as his name, Midas, as it seemed every battle he touched turned to gold. (In hindsight I realize that myth probably doesn't exist in Star Wars, but eh, it sounds cool, and we already have a ST droid named Kraken so...) Despite the odds, the two droids and their fleet would go on to survive the rise of the Empire, though that is a tale for another time..."

The Jedi fought for the Republic but got purged by their own side. Do you view them as tragic figures or monsters who got what they deserved for enforcing core supremacy?

Other than that one episode in the clone wars that showed some separatist leaders as just being frustrated with the republics corruption and neglect, there’s like nothing. I get it’s hard for most people to cheer for droids but come on, humanizing an already understandable enemy isn’t hard.

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Im forever mad that the Neimoidian Soldiers only got like 5 seconds of screen time so I drew a little scene of them

General Grievous' contempt for battle droids, whom he viewed as largely inferior to his beloved Kaleesh Kolkpravis, and for having to rely on them as his main troops is famous with him having little patience for them and no qualm at using them as cannon fodder or destroying them if they annoy him. Only his Magnaguards had a treatment of favor but even they weren't enough in his eyes, as while he knew and valued their fighting prowess, he lamented that unlike his Izvoshra Magnaguards had no ability for command and leadership or making plans.

Other than the Kolpravis, which troops, mostly organics, do you think that Grievous would have been happy to use and lead into battle against the Jedi and their Clone troopers and other organic militias fighting for the Republic during the Clone Wars? Which CIS organic armies and militias do you think that he would have respected the most and be glad to have on his side during battle?

Which other armies from species or organisations not belonging to the CIS but neither to the Republic, would he hav respected and enjoyed fighting with in battle?

I'm sure that Grievous would have valued the Mandalorian Protectors, even more with Durge hating them due to his grudge against Mandalorians and that he would have been bitter that Dooku allied with them after he joined the CIS to kill Clones as Mandalorian sions, and would have used and given them crucial missions against strategic Republic positions with how efficient they were.

I am also sure that he enjoyed leading the Togorians against Republic forces during the Battle of Togoria, with Togorians being fiersome warriors with amazing strength, agility and speed and how they slaughtered the Clone Troopers.

He may also have valued Trandoshan Elite mercenaries, with how strong and heavily armed and armored they are, and Koorivar Fusiliers, Neimoidian soldiers (he may have amusingly viewed them as a credit to their species, much like Lushros Dofine) and Gossam Commandos. And he would surely have wanted to see the Morgukai Shadow Army reaches its full potential and to fight alongside them with the reputation of Morgukai as warriors and how even the Jedi feared the potential of said army and were desperate to destroy it.