Greeting kurios Havenstone, I want to express my appreciation for wonderful literary game, also, I have some question I couldn’t find an answer to so far.
I am Aliki Liddelatou, the devoted fan of XoR who has spent 100+ hours into this game, I don’t want to sound like I’m exaggerating, but… Xthonos, your game is amazing! It is the most well-written fantasy book I have ever read (including LOTR and GoT). Choice of Rebel deserves much more fame than this! It also is a best CoG (and Hosted Game) ever exists. I absolutely love the flavored text depending on my characteristics, and the unending possibilities of outcome your game offers.
My real age is 20 (which seems to coincide with the protagonist’s age at the end of Chapter 4), seeing that the first game took 7 years to finish, I expect to finish this whole series when I’m 48. I’ll wait for it. Kurios, Please don’t abandon this project. Don’t abandon your Hegemony. Don’t abandon the rebellion you make it starts. I implore you.
Now, question time, I guess?
Chapter 1
-
Overall, I feel like even a cha 0 protagonist talks more eloquently than most people I know in real life. Shouldn’t she use different wordings than her cha 2 counterpart? (Anyway, from your writings, it seems like you can write nothing that is not beautiful and articulate. So the current wordings is more than acceptable.)
-
Just a suggestion, but I would welcome some flavored text from Breden and the gang if my name appears to be “Elery”, “Calea”, etc., or if I’m a helot with “de XXX”, “XXXatou” family name. Also, I’m not suppose to be a Keriatou?
-
I have read your code, and there seems to be many instances where aristo protagonist refers to her comrade as ‘helot’ ( like, Elery the Brilliant ‘helot’ tactician). I would never think of them that way. Shouldn’t that be the case only with an arrogant aristo?
-
Looks like there is no choice to be a secretly-arrogant aristo (like, always talk nice to Breden but seeing helots as pawns for a noble like herself to control them to her own benefits). A secretly-arrogant aristo (with enough charisma?) should be able to take Breden as her plaything, like what my cousin Calea does with Dann.
Chapter 2
-
At the start of a week, sometimes I have no option to sell mules and arms, leaving me to buy a less-than-ideal number of grains.
-
Maybe int 0 noble should not be literate?
-
Fedrel seems to have a very high standard. From the code, there is at most one week I can feed my band less than “a healthy diet for everyone”. That makes it very hard for me to go through the winter “without robbery and brigandage” AND no casualty (I only managed it once, with high amount of luck involved). Shouldn’t he be contend if I feed the band like… mixed diet for week 1-2 and healthy diet for week 3-4 ?
-
If I’m a theurge who have practiced levitation enough (maybe have done it at least 2 times?), I think I have enough skill to lift the telone’s daughter without killing her.
-
Shouldn’t my deputy have some reaction if I choose my alias exactly the same with my name?
-
Minor suggestion, but I would like to forbid the whole Whendward band from Xaotic copulation outside of matrimony. And I’ll make a brutal example of the swiving couple, even if they’re Elery and Zvad.
-
Why can’t I teach my followers an alphabeta in week ten?
-
If I can go through the winter with little/no casualty and do not raid anyone (and/or raid from only Hegemony), shouldn’t that increase my credibility with yeoman and helot (and/or noble, merchant)?
-
If my band has about 300 followers and they need 81 bushels. I’ll need about 1300 drachams to buy enough grains for everyone. Why would I do that, when I could buy ale, beef and cheese enough for a feast with only 300 drachams?
-
I feel nervous by Kala’s blood-thirst. It would be relieving to have option not to accept her into my band (though if I have com 0 and be a noble, she may kill me on the spot?)
-
I know there are nobles with Hegemonic name and Shayardene family name, like Ismene de Galis, but I prefer to change my name to a more Shayardene-sounding name along with my family name ( like, Aliki to Alice). I would appreciate that option.
Chapter 3
-
I feel like if I’m very ruthless and/or performs bad in the winter, Linos should not think that, or not be sure if, I’m an Eclect (though he may still offer to proclaim me as one if being threatened, or if being treated very well).
-
Like the 16), followers should not believe a leader who proclaims herself an Eclect after she led them through the winter with 100+ casualties and leaves morale utterly dismal, even if she has extraordinary charisma. And if she tries to teach them to hear their inner voice, shouldn’t some of them hears the Angel tells them to leave the band? That would be darkly amusing.
-
Sometimes, I want to kill Linos after he proclaims me an Eclect (though it may cause deep plunge in morale). I couldn’t find an option to do so.
-
After Hector attack, it would be wonderful for a male helot protagonist to admit something like “I have a summer with Calea once” and/or parley with her. Male helot has an option to seduce Calea would be amusing. (Well, assuming that any helot Calea feels bored would goes straight to the Harrower, that means the protagonist is either Calea’s current lover, which makes the whole sequence more amusing, or a recently-discarded lover whose his name is to be called in the fourth Harrowing.)
-
I would like to have an option on what to do with the venuers’ bodies. They deserved to be nailed to trees near the Keriatou estate.
Chapter 4
-
I would like to sell mules and buy more arms before choosing the strategy with my band.
-
I feel like some option that require my followers to follow my commands (like telling them to stop Radmar from killing Breden, or the “pull me up/ push it down” with Plektoi) should be a morale check. Eclect may get a free pass and high charisma may pass a morale check easier.
Some curious questions about the game’s lore
-
I know that Hegemony is based on ancient Greek, but I couldn’t find an information about ancient Greek family names end with -atou. Instead, they seems to have no family name. What is the meaning of -atou?
-
When same-sex noble couple chooses to adopt, where could they find a child for adoption? It seems unlikely that they would adopt a child without noble lineage.
-
Would I, as a master thuerge, have a chance in later game to give a tongue back to Poric?
-
The Hegemony’s religion could be a real religion! It looks like a perfect mix of Roman afterlife, Christianity, Zoroastrianism and Hindu caste system. Do it has a name (like Xthonosis?). And is there a ritual for a person who want to converts to the religion of Xthonos? (not that I’m gonna to convert! I’m just asking!)
-
I have not seen much of the region, but I suspect Shayard City has the advance level about England in Industrial Revolution era. And the most advanced part of Hegemony would be about 2030-2040, considering how it creates a mutant dog. Is that correct?
-
It is very unclear to me which countries these are based on. But Whendery gives me an Irish/Scottish feels. And Halassurq gives me a Chinese feels. What would you say about that? What is an inspiration for the tale of Oton and Katta-Kack?
-
I have heard that your game is the bestseller of CoG (which is not surprising at all). Do you intend to write something like… a companion book, explaining the religion of Xthonos, the lives of nobles and helots, the history of Shayard, etc. ? It doesn’t have to be long (10000 word count is fine). It doesn’t have to be interactive. I (and probably many of your fans) would give many drachams for it.
Kurios Havenstone, thank you for readings this. I understand that you probably not agree with me on many points, and I respect and cherish your decisions.
I have known your game since it came out and I have always kept an opinion to myself. But after seeing that you have made many small changes to the game from the fans’ suggestions… bleeding Angels, I couldn’t keep it all to myself any longer.
Also, sorry for my bad Shayarin (is Shayarin = English?). I am Thai, and Shayarin is my second language. I really want to write like a noble (from the code, noble sometimes use a “higher” word choice and sentence structure than helot), but this is the best I can manage.
Thank you for creating this wonderful game and literature!