Choice of Rebels: Stormwright (XoR2 WIP)

[Havenstone]

@Vrangel_RIP

Are Cerlota’s “broad lips” tall or long or all of the above?

Long would I think be most naturally described in English as a “wide mouth,” while “broad lips” are broad along the nostrils-to-chin dimension. (Though in most cases, including Cerlota’s, stopping short of touching either nostrils or chin. )

@mshan95032

Havie, how plot armored are the Big Three?

The Big Three are all going to be endgame actors no matter what you do. You are not going to be powerful enough by the end of Wardfall to prevent those three from being active. A number of the other factions are also definitely going to be there in the endgame; but yes, there will be some you can preemptively gut, including (on my current plan) most or all of the ones you’ll be interacting with in Grand Shayard.

@mshan95032

how closely do you think the Leaguers’ vision for Shayardene dominance and continental leadership aligns with the historical American model of state governance?

No one’s envisioning a federal state. The koinon would be a lot looser than that. More Holy Roman Empire than Articles of Confederation. Going for a slaveowner-friendly regime and thereby setting the stage for the next rebellion will definitely be on the cards, though.

@mshan95032

are the following Abhuman adaptations plausible for adapting to the inevitable post-Hegemonic famine

I think I’ve said above that while I love the cecum idea (as well as your two Abhuman transformations here) I don’t see any of them moving the needle when it comes to famine prevention. You’re not going to be able to convince enough people to trust you and your Abhuman friends to radically remake their bodies into part-animal form. Once they’re actually starving, more would be ready to consent, but by then they won’t have the strength to survive the process.

@mshan95032

Did Eosphora occupy a slot amongst the Ennearchs prior to ascending as the Hegemony’s second Thaumatarch?

The Thaumatarchs’ heirs don’t serve as Ennearchs. Kleitos didn’t, and nor does Phaedrx. They need to be ready to take over as and when the current Thaumatarch dies – not die with them.

@Zamfir

I really like that the MC we play as isn’t exactly a blank slate, but a person with a pre-determined personality and principles, that us players can’t affect much during character creation.

I’m glad! Like I said almost 11 years ago:

@Havenstone

I understand people not liking CoGs that tell them how they feel. In general, I’d like to let the reader determine their emotional reactions – but I will break that rule from time to time. (More so in the flashbacks than I will going forward). One example is that initial moment of attraction to Breden [Ed: this changed a little], and the relief of finally being able to speak the truth with him/her. Another is the MC’s deep anger (and its roots in various family resentments), which is for me a major part of what makes them a plausible idealistic rebel. All of this is a key part of the answer to, “What kind of lunatic character would launch a rebellion against an unbeatable Empire?” Feel free to call me on it where you think it’s derailing your enjoyment, though.

I’m going to continue that to some extent. For example, I’m not ever giving you the choice of how you feel about your mother, or to be totally unaffected by your father’s death. But in terms of what’s unthinkable, a character racking up ever-higher ruthlessness is going to get more and worse atrocity options as the game progresses. (And that will be based on the hidden stat ruthreal, rather than the reputation stat ruth; from Stormwright onward, those will have more and more chances to diverge.)

There won’t ever be a morality stat, but there will be more stats that track what you really care about and are willing to consider, rather than just your reputation.

@Ackolyde

Really hoping that we won’t be locked out of Grand Shayard faction associations via our Homelander/Cosmopolitan stat.

Don’t worry, I like the idea of a cross-faction romance too much to lock you out on the basis of a Homelander/Cosmo strategy. Especally since you can start the romance with Teren or Abelard before they ever find out who you really are.