Of course. 
I hope I can manage to be a little less derivative. 
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Cool story!
My only contention is that unlike the show, the Queen of Theurgy will win
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Could anyone here tell me how to get called “Child-Killer” by the Thaumatarchy? I want to be ruthless, and that seems like a good way to go about it
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Can’t wait to see what you have in store!
I imagine your story can end similarly if you’re not careful. But if she plays her cards right, long may she reign!
Kill a child lol, just throw the knife at the daughter during the tax raid
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Noted! On another note, how sustainable (or unsustainable) is the relationship between de Firiac and an MC who manages to be a strange mix of dishonorable (yet surprisingly compassionate)?
And to clarify my defintion of “dishonorable (yet compassionate)”, I’m thinking of a protagonist akin to Jack Sparrow (from Pirates of the Caribbean), because of the following traits:
-
“While he likes the more romantic aspects of piracy like the freedom, the endless alcohol, and the search for treasure, he dislikes the things that actually make piracy a lucrative profession: killing, pillaging, and kidnapping.”
(FYI: Mind you, this does not remotely make Jack (nor his XoR MC counterpart) a pacifist, but somebody who would primarily prefer to smooth-talk (rather than shoot/stab/kill) his way out of trouble.) -
“He will always do the right thing in the end, and he doesn’t like unsavory methods of living forever, but he is still a manipulative, treacherous and at times even rude fellow.”
(FYI: “doing the right thing in the end”, in Jack Sparrow’s case, usually translates into pivoting back towards fighting alongside the good guys (after his “initial betrayals during the first/second acts”), along with making a habit of sacrificing his chance at claiming “the MacGuffin of the movie” in order to save “the deuteragonist of the movie.” Perhaps a similar dilemma might face XoR Jack, when tempted by the prospect of talismans and Theurgically-granted immortality?) -
"His moral code revolves around freedom. If stabbing someone in the back leads to greater freedom, then it is a moral action. And per his explanation (while fighting an opponent), the only things that matter in the world “are what a man can do and what a man can’t do”, and points out that if he’ll die in fair combat, “well then, that’s not much incentive for me to fight fair, now is it?”
In the context of XoR MC’s mindset (regardless of helot or aristo origins), the above code would translate towards a strong empathy towards helots, aka a sincere desire to see them freed from slavery (e.g. “People aren’t cargo, mate.”).
Though XoR Jack was initially swayed by Horion’s romanticized description of the idyllic “Shayard-led koinon”, a quick glass (or two) of rum later provided the reality check he needed: “Would the other provinces truly be free if Shayard was consistently calling the shots? And if Horion’s koinon is designed to be an aristo-led oligarchy, what hope will there be for helots to secure their freedom/prosperity?”
Thus, with this newfound clarity in mind, XoR Jack’s mindset shifted as follows: having already expected to the Leaguer aristos to (eventually) betray XoR Jack’s helot allies/community, XoR Jack will take action to (covertly/preemptively) betray the Leaguer aristos first (by outwardly allying with the Leaguers, while ultimately envisioning an empowered, international “republic/confederacy of pirates” (underneath the fledgling koinon’s nose) as his endgame).
FYI, XoR Jack’s expectations is that his pirate republic/confederacy will become a meritocratic safe haven/“opportunity for fresh start” for the helots (and other outcasts/misfits/victims) who will inevitably be bullied by the post-Hegemony, “polite society” new world order.
Anyways, character creation sheet details/schemes aside, could a “Jack Sparrow and Will Turner”-inspired alliance be sustained between de Firiac and XoR Jack in the grand scheme of things? (with de Firiac playing the role of Will Turner)
Noted!
And will Game 2 be Suzanne and Abelard’s very first time interacting with each other face to face?
If they’ve previously met (and liked/respected each other “back in the day”), perhaps there may some goodwill/history for MC to leverage (When brokering their hypothetical arranged marriage).
Building upon my earlier suggestion about a Laconnier-Leaguer union, what if the Laconnier monarch helot MC promised to share power with an elected Grand Moot (with meaningful representation for all social classes, including the helot community)?
Would that be a step in the right direction? (of keeping Kalt/Kala loyal to helot MC’s envisioned dream of hijacking/redefining the Laconnier cause)
But on a completely separate note, maybe it would be far more feasible to instead secure Kalt/Kala’s long-term loyalty by selling them the dream of a pirate republic/confederacy? (per my character creation sheet details for XoR Jack)
If Kalt/Kala were working with a squeamish/pacifist MC, that would indeed be quite the impasse.
My “chaos is a ladder” MC, on the other hand, doesn’t see intrigue and violence as mutually exclusive.
How’s this for a compromise: could Kalt/Kala be refined into a more precise assassin, one who’s sufficiently loyal/self-controlled to only kill the people that MC orders them to kill? (especially if MC wishes to punish “bad apple” aristos (e.g. the Keriatous), while preserving the more likable aristos who could be negotiated/reasoned with)
Could a “good cop, bad cop” dynamic (and/or Roosevelt’s “big stick diplomacy”) be sustainable between high anarchy compassionate MC and Kalt/Kala? (In the context of their leadership style during later games)
MC would be the one who “speaks softly” while Kalt/Kala (and other enforcers) “carry the big stick”.
(Tragically) noted, but very understandable/acceptable (par for the course). Nonetheless, I remain confident that my MCs will have secured their respective Habsburg-inspired empires (minus the inbreeding) by the end of Game 5, one way or another 
Though I’m amazed at the sheer diversity of your (already planned) ROs (Shayardene, Erreziano, Karagond, Abhuman, Halassurq, Nyrish), it does somewhat sadden me that your list doesn’t yet include any Whendish representation. 
But here’s to hoping that the increased scope/popularity of later games will allow for the possibility of Whendish suitors! 
A new analogy came to mind on how to envision male helot MC’s hypothetical Game 2-5 marriage with Calea:
An envisioned “bittersweet/happy ending AU” pairing between Jay Gatsby (nouveau riche/“bootlegger” merchant prince helot MC) and Daisy (“old money” noblewoman who has a callous heart underneath her outward beauty)-
With MC rehabilitating Calea into a respectable/decent “pillar of the community” (who has atoned for her past sins towards helots), while in return, Calea has “semi-corrupted” MC into becoming a more cynical, intrigue-obsessed antihero.
While looking up the historical Republic of Pirates (Nassau) on Wikipedia (while doing research for my above mentioned Jack Sparrow-related talking points, I came across an interesting tidbit: “Some of the pirates were also Jacobites, who had become pirates to help restore the recently deposed Stuart line to the throne.”
Will a pirate-Laconnier alliance (in the vein of the above historical example) be within MC’s means to achieve? (Or is there way too much anti-aristo sentiment within XoR’s criminal underworld for the idea to be plausible)
Indeed it is; FYI, I’m currently watching Season 4 (out of 9). It’s quite the fascinating/compelling long-term investment (in the context of time spent on hobbies)!
Might there also be the possibility that any co-conspirators (recruited by the MC to carry out said murder) might eventually become MC’s blackmailer(s) during Game 5?
This would certainly make for quite the intrigue-centered side plot in Game 5, right?
Would a Cosmo Aristo MC be able to lean upon his Homelander Aristo allies (amongst the Leaguers) to access the above mentioned clout (compensating for MC not having a reputation of personally being a Homelander)?
Could the pragmatic opportunity (to research/hone self-sacrifice theurgy together) be another useful selling point for brokering peace/tolerance between Shayardene Xthonists and Abhuman Syncretists? (In addition to the pragmatic need to maintain economic ties)
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Is there a way to successfully romance Breden while being an arrogant aristo?
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Now that I’ve had more time to think about this, it’s now occurred to me that my “aspiring Laconnier lieutentant/lackey” helot MCs qualify as “Lawful Stupid” antiheroes who tragically lack both imagination and self-confidence (in their vision of a post-Hegemony world order).
Despite having the skillset to rise on their own merits (and having demonstrated such during Game 1), MCs are fundamentally diehard monarchists at heart (due to being hopelessly hooked on the romanticized Laconnier legends/childhood stories of old).
Never mind that the current generation of Laconniers may not necessarily have the helots’ best interests at heart (in the grand scheme of things).
Never mind that tying themselves to the Laconniers could potentially strain MC’s relationships with MC’s gay friends/acquaintances.
Never mind that the Laconnier throne may eventually be occupied by an heir who’s unfit to rule (e.g. a Caligula/Joffrey of sorts).
Never mind that the Laconniers are probably planning on appeasing Halassur at the expense of everybody else.
MCs have self-deluded themselves into accepting the above dismissals, because…
1- From MCs’ perspectives, they have a “debt of honor”/“life debt to pay” to their Laconnier savior, Abelard (who granted MC both freedom (from jail) and anti-Plektoi weaponry). For the MCs, their honor unfortunately overrides their common sense.
2- To question the Laconnier justification/legitimacy for ruling would be to question the culture/childhood stories that they grew up with. Without their nationalism/culture to cling to, MC’s lives would no longer have any meaning (since they don’t have the imagination nor self-confidence to carve out a new destiny/purpose).
3- Last, on a deeper level, the “aspiring Laconnier lieutentant/lackey” helot MC tragically embodies a certain quote of Haytham Kenway (from Assassin’s Creed 3): “The people never have the power, only the illusion of it. And here is the real secret: they don’t want it. The responsibility is too great to bear. It’s why they are so quick to fall in line as soon as someone else takes charge.”
Anyways, now that I’ve reached a stopping point for my above rant, I’m both curious (and terrified) about where my “aspiring Laconnier lieutentant/lackey” helot MC will end up (when all is said and done for Game 5).
@idonotlikeusernames, I once again wish you good luck on your more independent-minded helot MC playthrough, and I get the feeling that your playthroughs will be a lot more optimal/less chaotic than mine.
De Firiac is an adorable cinnamon roll who is too good for this world (and needs to be protected at all costs).
@Havenstone
Building upon Alaric’s above question, if aristo MC started out arrogant (but then progressively softened/felt empathy towards the helots through out Game 1 and beyond), approx. how long will it take for Breden to acknowledge/trust that MC’s character development is genuine?
(to the extent that Breden could finally feel comfortable calling MC their friend and/or eventual love interest)
Similar to how a Skeptic MC has the option to pretend to be a Devout Xthonist during Game 1, how useful will it be for MC to lie about Homelander/Cosmo preferences?
E.g. I wonder if it will be (somehow) possible for a (fake) Homelander MC to hijack the Laconnier throne as a tool for advancing a “Covert Cosmo” agenda (since MC was presumably enlisted by the Leaguers as their double agent).
And conversely, will it be possible for a (fake) Cosmo MC and other agents to infiltrate/subvert the Leaguers (on behalf of the Laconniers)?
The imagined desired outcome here are the following steps:
1- The Laconnier voting bloc rig the koinon’s very first election to install a president of their choosing.
2- The Laconnier “president” then eventually finds an excuse to declare emergency powers/martial law to solve a widespread crisis (a manufactured crisis of the Laconnier’s own design), thus staying in office beyond their given term limit
3- “In order to ensure the security and continuing stability, the Koinon will be reorganized into the first Shayardene Empire! (applause) For a safe and secure society.” (thus, the “president” finally/properly drops the false pretenses to fully assume their role of Laconnier monarch)
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No.
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Hi, just wanted to chime in and say that I absolutely loved this game! I loved the strategic micromanaging through the winter, the end battle, and the characterization in general. And it is just such a good underlying plot - trying to break the power of an evil Hegemony, and playing as the Captain of a band of people also sells it for me since you really are in the center of it all.
I have so much respect for the amount of coding due to all the branching that this must be built upon. I just hope that it won’t be too overwhelming to code the next games after this one… but I will wait for it as long as it takes and will definitively buy part 2 when it comes out.
My favorite playthrough is either helot - low anarchy with 2 INT and 1 CHA. (In order to recruit Simon)
or helot - romancing Breden - high anarchy run with 2 INT and 1 COM since Breden’s charisma balances my uncharismatic MC so well. I do try to keep all factions except the nobility friendly with me though so that I face a smaller army.
The most satisfying ending is of course beating the army - but it always ends up with a lot of dead followers… like 100+. I did like the darker parts of the game - like if you mess up people will die and everyone will hate you.
As for the traitor issue, I fully believe that Breden IS an ex-kryptast, but he was somehow swayed to your rebellion wholeheartedly through love after looking through most of the dialogue code. What a redemption arc. I don’t think Simon is a spy… I mean he offers to fight for you genuinely after you’ve held him hostage for months if you haven’t killed Horion.
As for the 2 INT preference it’s just too fun to play around with theurgy, especially if you are a secret Theurge. I’ve tried some 2 CHA playthroughs but it’s hard to keep few people from dying in the ending - and with a 2 COM playthrough it feels like you got to raid all the time to make the most of it, which makes everyone hate you.
I know that most people seem to prefer the aristocrat run, but it’s so hard to win the nobility’s support in order for it to affect the final battle positively if you don’t want to be an arrogant twat. It also feels like the only route that makes sense for the “I pretend I care about helots but I don’t” character is the jailbreak route because someone like that wouldn’t really risk their lives for a few helots during the harrowing. I laughed at the really arrogant aristo options though, like beating Breden off with your sword. Besides, it’s so fulfilling to rise from lowly helot to rebellion leader - an underdog story.
Some interesting options I only found out by looking at the source code. I played pretty compassionately/idealistically, and I could never bring myself to pick some of the darker options.
Seriously, you have the option to kill de Firiac by stabbing him in a moment of trust, pushing him over a cliff, making one of your archers fire an arrow at him as he is walking away or executing him while he doesn’t protest at all. That is dark stuff indeed and it made me feel so bad. Almost worse was the scene I found where you basically belittle him and call him a naive child. Of course, he can kill you as well if really brought over the edge.
I do wonder if many people manage to see those scenes because someone that has done a low-anarchy playthrough and managed to recruit him probably hasn’t done anything that bad yet. It would be interesting if you could somehow see what coded parts are the most played, and what coded parts are the least played by the majority of people.
Regarding the code, I was also surprised at how much coding there was in regards to the jailbreak route (in regards to the spears, etc). I just can’t bring myself to get Elery, Yebben, and all the rest Harrowed, and thus I’ve maybe only picked it once. Another reason might be that it just feels like a stroke of luck somehow - during the Harrowing you do play to your strengths so it’s not pure chance that you manage to stop it. Like normally it would be game over, but just luckily there is someone willing to bail you out.
Anyway, good luck with writing the next part of the game!
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Well, I see the logic of doing so (as someone playing a true arrogant aristo). Remember that even as a supporter of arrogant aristo privilege, you still have grievances against the Thaumatarchy. “Xthonos, I couldn’t stand by as they Harrowed children.” That makes it clear that even if they’re helot brats, the Hegemony’s cruelty has gone beyond the pale for even an arrogant aristo who isn’t a Hector-level asshole.
As the esteemed Cataphrak has said many times in his own game, a High Tory can have many values that we’d find sympathetic, but at the end of the day, he is still not your friend.
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this one also works as harrowing kids is something that even the hegemony preaches is wrong and is the main anti-Hallassur point they push forward (although I suspect that for some of the nobility Hallassur cruelty to horses is more compelling)
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Compassionate, arrogant aristo is certainly a kind of run I want to try.
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De Firiac probably wouldn’t leave a rebellion led by Jack Sparrow, but also wouldn’t romance the leader. Honor is too important.
De Firiac doesn’t know the de Tomans, including Abelard.
Kala/Kalt may find the idea of a Grand Moot or pirate confederation appealing-- as long as it can’t be dominated or taken over by the nobility, or hamper the vengeance of former helots against their former masters.
You don’t really mean “self-controlled” here–none of K’s attacks are done on blind impulse–but MC-controlled. And the answer there is definitely no.
K could well be the “bad rebel” to your “good rebel,” but it wouldn’t be an act, and they wouldn’t stop just because it was hurting your efforts to make some noble alliances.
Might be!
Definitely.
But to influence the Cabelite leadership choice you’d really need yeoman clout, not just homelander aristo clout.
The Abhumans don’t feel they have anything to learn from the Inert on this topic.
Breden knows what they want, and arrogant ain’t it.
A few years.
Thanks for all the kind and insightful commentary! I’m so glad you enjoyed the game. You’re not wrong about the Ch1 rescuer; it’s an unlikely escape. But having established with the framing story that you become at least a minor legend as a rebel, I wanted there to be a way forward out of the Ch1 fail options too–and an early connection to more than one of the major factions. I figure if I’m asking my readers to accept a lucky escape anywhere, the origin story is the place for it. There are plenty of nasty brutish endings to be had later on.
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How will our aristo MC be able to impress/infiltrate Grand Shayard aristocracy considering his rather poor lineage from distant province and that even wealthy Keriatou were seens as upstarts by nobility of the capital?
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As they religiously disapprove of using other people’s blood might they be willing to help development of self sacrifice methods on that basis. That and the creation of a buffer between them and the hegemony might be compelling enough to send their equivalent of a high school teacher to help out
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A country noble can infiltrate the high society of Grand Shayard and will have plenty of company with other ambitious bumpkins. Impressing them is much, much harder – perhaps conventionally impossible for a non CHA 3 MC.
You may find some who are willing to teach you, yes.
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Assuming they don’t just decide that this is an opportunity to annihilate the Inert and their wretched, blasphemous ways.
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Another two questions! @Havenstone
- Will Sybla training of our band have some effect in later game(s) even if we didn’t went Stand and Fight route in Game 1?
- Will we have some extreme stats checks in later games? Like 100 homelander/cosmopolitan, 100 compassion/ruthlessness etc.
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A country noble can infiltrate the high society of Grand Shayard and will have plenty of company with other ambitious bumpkins. Impressing them is much, much harder – perhaps conventionally impossible for a non CHA 3 MC.
What feats could a CHA 3 could do or be like?
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