The Director’s Guide to Frozen Synapse 2

Overview

There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure. – Colin Powell

Markov Geist in Crisis

Markov Geist has been shaken to its very core by recent events. A politically unstable enviroment is balanced on the edge of irrecoverable doom. An unknown threat called Sonata has shown itself. The Markov Geist Muncipal Council [MGMC] has moved quickly to establish an organization to deal with the threat. You were tapped to lead this project. Unable to fund the project entirely from MGMC coffers, the Markov Geist Muncipal Council has brokered a coalition to provide funding for the project. A necessary gamble to halt the free for all that would have broken out. You have full discretion over the project to complete these objectives: Stop Sonata & Maintain Order. Success or failure depends upon you, Director.

TL;DR You are funded by MGMC, Districts & Factions; they expect you to deal with Sonata and, maintain the safety of the city.

Factions & Politics

Your experience in Markov Geist will be shaped by the factions and your relationships with them. Every faction has competing goals. Some factions are more aggressive, such as the big seven, while others are more focused on providing services for the city, or lining thier own pockets. Each faction will seek to use you to fulfill their objectives. It is up to you to plot a course through this melee. All factions are heavily armed, some more so than others.

Factions will be listed by the following method:
• [TAG] Faction Name, Faction Leader – Short Comment
  Unknown Threats:
• [SON] SONATA, Sonata – Major Threat to Markov Geist, MUST be dealt with swiftly.
• [RAD] RAIDERS, Unknown – Causes chaos, should be dealt with forcibly.
  The Big Seven:
• [MGMC] Markov Geist Municipal Council – City Government, Your Boss.
• [BU] Brightling University, Laine Malhotrah – Collegiate Organization.
• [SAF] Safeguard, Eht Par – Military Organization.
• [FOR] Forgiven Geometry, Virgil – Shapeform Organization.
• [DIA] Diamond Brothers, Gehrt Forrester – Banking Organization.
• [GUE] GUEST, Brianna Bartleby – Hacking Organization.
• [BLU] Blue Sunlight, Denzien Valour – Religious Organization.
  Minor Factions:
• [SHA] Shape Sec, Grant Heythrop – Shape Security, Hated by [GUE], Non-threatening
• [POL] Private Police, Conrad Matej – Constabulary Services, Possibly Corrupt.
• [JUS] Justice Authority, Boris Ferrelly – Legal Services, Non-threatening.
• [PRI] Prison Authority, Melanie Burr – Incarceration Services, Non-threatening.
• [FAB] Fabulous, Richard Howe – Primarily Manufacturing, Non-threatening.
• [SXT] SXT Media, Lunea DeWalt – Primarily News & Information, Non-threatening.
• [PAR] Parcel Tossers, Zorbaz Englander – Provides Contract Work, Non-threatening.

It is possible to take any building from another faction. You simply have to attack them and defeat all their units in the building. By taking their building certificate you can use it somewhere else within the city to claim a building as your own. This will most likely start a war between you and the faction you attacked. If you wish to fully eliminate a faction, then you will need to find and kill their faction leader. The faction leader is likely at the faction HQ.

TL;DR There are many competing paramilitary factions in Markov Geist, but only seven of them that can make or break you.

All factions have relationships with each other, and with you. If you get involved in a war with on faction, their partners are more likely to get involved on their allies side. If a faction is at war with a faction you are at war they are more likely to see it favorably. These interactions will drag the city game into new and unexpected directions based partially on your actions, and partially on the actions of the factions in the game. The Big Seven are the main drivers of conflicts within the city, but the other minor factions will become involved from time to time. Every faction has a unique political outlook, which adds flavor to how you feel about working with each of the factions. There is no “perfect” faction. You may find yourself regretting decisions you have made, that is alright, it is part of the game.

The agency you are incharge of will have many interactions with other factions, the quick and dirty way to find out where you stand and where all the factions stand can be found in the factions list. You can gather a quickover view of the factions, and their buildings and squads by perusing this list.

Listed below is a short guide to what you can expect from each of the relationships.
• Partnership – Partnership Factions will: not attack, provide top contracts, reliable militia support.
• Treaty – Treaty Factions will: not attack, provide better contracts, occasional militia support
• Neutral – Neutral Factions will: attack relics, provide contracts, stop your at road blocks.
• Truce – Treaty Factions will: chase your relics, attack your contracts, stop you in thier territory.
• War – War Factions will: Attack your base, attack your contracts, hunt your squads, pure madness.

TL;DR Each faction has a relationship with you and with each other faction in the game; check these relationships before starting anything.

Investments are a way to gain support for a faction. Your agency will receive dividens from that investment in the future as the supported faction: completes ventures, claims buildings and wins battles.

• Improves relationships
• Provides dividens

Ventures are political objectives that factions will pursue within Markov Geist. Ventures will increase the power and funding of the faction, as well as factions that are invested in that faction.
The Districts will request that you stop these Ventures in their territory, as they do not have the guns, or will to directly challenge the Venture. If you attack the Venture you can expect a drop in relations with the faction who you are attacking. The Districts will reward you if you stop the venture, while if you refuse or fail they will cut some of your funding. If you are invested in the faction, the faction will repay you a dividend based on your initial investment when they complete the venture.

• Ventures are political objectives for the faction
• Factions will pay you dividens, if you are invested in them, when they complete ventures.
• Districts will pay you stop stop ventures.
• Districts will cut funding if you fail or refuse to attack the Venture.
• Faction relations will sour if you attack their Venture.
• Factions may go to war if you attack to many of their Ventures.

TL;DR Each factions has a unique political outlook, and they will use Ventures to pursue their agenda within the city. Other factions or districts may ask break them up. If you invest in a faction and they complete their venture, then you will get a cut of the profits.

Districts & Demands

Districts are responsible for a large portion of the funding you receive at the start of the game, and they do not have a military presence in Markov Geist. They rely on you to protect them from threats in their territory. You can see which districts control what areas within the city by pressing the districs tab in the upper right hand corner. Each district leader has a council seat in MGMC. Individual district leaders will come to you with request. They are willing to boost your funding if you complete their request. However, if you fail or decline the requests the district lead will cut your funding.

District demands will come in two types.
• Incursion – This is the main threat you have been tasked with resolving.
• Ventures – These are politically motivated actions taken by factions, that district do not like.

Districts and District leaders will be listed below:

• [DIS1] New Corteca,
• [DIS2] Denovis,
• [DIS3] Clearhold,
• [DIS4] SIlver Arbor,
• [DIS5] Hoperidge,
• [DIS6] Greyline South,
• [WAN] Wanderhome,

TL;DR There are seven Districts in Markov Geist. They will contact you when they need you to stop Ventures and Incursions. Completing these requests will improve relations and secure extra funding, while declining or failing these request will result in cut funding, and worse relations.

Money & Mayhem

Funding for the project is gathered from several sources. Factions and district will invest in you. You start with a large investment from MGMC and the Districts. By completing mission for Factions and Districts you can gain extra funding. You can also raid faction’s buildings, to take money from them. Fair warning this will likely lead to a war. If you do get into a war, besure to protect your faction HQ and your faction leader (you). Bond, Relics, and Investments are all basically the same monetarily. Districts can cut funding if you fail to stop Incursions or Demands. This can place you into negative income. If you find yourself owing money, you will not lose any functionality, but you will not be able to buy new things until you balance your funding.

TL;DR Money is derived from an instant and constant flow of wealth. Money must be managed like a balance sheet, if you have it you can and should spend it.

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• Attack Faction –
• Patrol Building –
• Checkpoint –
• Radiers –
• Parcels –

TL;DR Contracts are a good way to earn some cash support from the factions, as well as gain access to new mercs.

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TL;DR During combat, mercs are only as brilliant as their Tacticin; They are a reusable and critical part of the game.

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It is important to keep an eye on how mnay squads you have, as well as managing their composition. Mercs can only be transferred from one squad to another if both squads are at the same location in the city. It is generally a good idea to establish a second or third base around the city to improve your response time to incursions that happen around the city. By the mid-game you should try to have a few squads ready to fight in case of war due to factions getting on your nerves, or reaching 7 relics.

Squad Combos that have worked for me:
• Old Steady: 4 AR, 1 AoE, 1 Explosive (Mid-Range w/ Options)
• Cheese It: 2 SMG/Shotty, 2 ARs, 2 Explosive/Smoke (Aggressive, Close-range)
• Hawkeye: 2AR, 2 Scope, 1 Sniper, 1 Rocket ( Long-range, Reliable)
• Smoke & Mirrors: 2 Shield, 2 Smoke, 2 Shotty (Close-range, Crazy)
• Burning Man: 2 Flame, 1 Smoke, 2 AR, 1 Explosive (Mid-range, Lots of Crowd Control)

TL;DR Squads are the chess pieces you are able to order about the city. They are customizable to some extent, and fulfill all combat roles.

services paragraph

• Ammunition – CRITICAL,
• Vehicle Fuel – CRITICAL,
• Satellite Service – IMPORTANT,
• Vatform Biomass – CRITICAL,
• Vatform Regen Tanks – IMPORTANT,
• Vehicle: Hire & Maintenance – IMPORTANT,
• Comms – CRITICAL,
• Diplomatic Lobbying – OPTIONAL,
• Military Intel Service – IMPORTANT,
• Silencers – OPTIONAL,
• Explosives – OPTIONAL,
• Milita Payments – OPTIONAL,
• Protection Insurance – TERRIBLE,

items paragraph

• Building Certificate –
• Interferance Generator –
• Command Detection System –

The Fate of Marvok Geist

You will be responsible for your actions taken in the city. I hope you enjoy the story as much as I did. Feel free to add comments, and talk about what you would find useful in this guide.

TL:DR It is in your hands.