To be fair, doing stereotypical viking actions is probably not the best idea for the Cine right now. The only raiding targets they have is the Castulian Empire and raiding them seems like a pretty bad idea at this point. It would be like the vikings taking Mykonos. Sure, at first the Romans might not see taking it back as a very worthwhile endeavor but if you start raiding them you’re finished. But I agree that these are the nicest raiders I have ever read about.
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Out of curiosity, is it possible to not ally either clan and just go solo but also peace?
The short answer is… kind of. The slightly longer answer is that we definitely have an end state in mind for players inclined this way, but getting there may or may not involve at least some kind of side-taking, or at least a declaration of neutrality that is itself not entirely safe, if that makes sense. We don’t have the exact details worked out yet, but we definitely get that people have appreciated the ability to take middle-road options. While that will be very tricky ground to navigate, we’re making an effort to keep it an open possibility.
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When they weren’t raiding, vikings were farmers living in a democratic society that had trial by jury, no death penalty and child support. They highly valued family, cleanliness, hospitality, community and order. There was a law that you had to let any women and children out of a house if you were going to raze it. While dying in battle was considered a glorious way to die, Vahalla wasn’t the only afterlife available.
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They also had amazing rights for women comparatively to the time period
R was death penalty touching a woman the woman could “sue” you and you would pay a fine
Interestingly the fine was much much higher if you were being “sued” for touching her arm cause she had to be really uncomfortable with you while the others it was seen as they like you but you took it to far to quick.
Edit: Viking were considered very cultured and diverse and close nit with each other even enemies put aside thier differences in times of need.
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Hey all, just wanted to give a quick status update on our progress. We’re about 2/3 or so done with the interlude, which is coming in at a pretty hefty length, as we have scenes with just about every single major character in the game here, across three locations. We’re really excited for you to play it, and working pretty much every day we can to get it done.
In the meantime we’ve been posting some teasers on our tumblr page (linked at the top), if you’d like some hints of upcoming topics. If you don’t mind some slight spoilers, do go and check it out.
We hope to have the next update done for you soon.
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Finally created an account just so I can comment on this amazing game. I hope I’m doing this right, I have no idea how to use this forum yet.
First, there’s a coding mistake in the scene where you go to visit Cormac fishing. If you have low dexterity, the end of his scene veers right into Aisling’s visit. Not sure if you’ve gotten it yet, as I haven’t replayed it since your last update, I’m just reading from notes I made then that I’m finally getting around to posting.
Other comments (I’ll blur the more recent stuff):
- I’m a bit confused about the scene with General Tullus right before the sea battle with the Iskendi. If you ask “what’s in it for me”, is she saying SHE will sink our ship or that the Iskendi will?
- Could we maybe have an option to be skeptical of the meal with the Iskendi? Like what if it’s a trick or something? Of course, we’d be turned down, since the meal has to happen, but for character building reasons?
- The duel options are pretty confusing. Since its a stat heavy fight, you’re looking to figure out which of the options are connected to your strengths instead of character choices, but the way they are described is so vague I had a lot of trouble figuring it out. Also was disappointed there weren’t companion reactions to the result of the duel. I feel like Cormac at the least would have been right there with commentary no matter what.
- An option to pull Pan and Sangarinus aside before taking them to the meeting to sort of interrogate them (or question if they are on friendly terms) about their intentions, why Pan volunteered, etc?
- the meeting with Daghan and Mama Maghnus (I call her this in my head every time) felt… short? I’m not sure. This is such a vital decision, I was expecting a sort of group discussion/argument and (dis)agreement, not what felt like a pat on the back and “I trust you”? I get that they believe in the mc, but do they trust them SO MUCH that they don’t even care to understand all the factors in case the mc is missing something or overlooking something? Would the Chief relinquish control over a decision that is basically as important as the original choice to leave the north was?
I hope these are the kind of comments that are helpful! Excited for the next update!
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Hey @sharknap, thanks for the comments!
We appreciate you pointing out other options you think are useful to have to reflect types of characters one might be playing, so much gratitude there. We’ve given these some discussion, and there are a few we think we can implement without having to restructure too much, so those might show up in later game versions. We hope you’ll forgive us for not changing all of them, but considering the breadth of (sometimes contradictory) feedback we get, balancing various considerations can be quite tricky!
In any case, it means a lot to us that you went out of your way to get the suggestions to us. That was super awesome of you—and you seem to be using the forum just fine to me!
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A lot of folks have mentioned that the duel choices were confusing, however, intelligence was my highest stat and I didn’t have an issue picking the choices that reflected that and I won without issue.
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I come bearing gifts!
The post-Chapter 5 interlude is finished and playable now. It is without a doubt our longest interlude, with around 10 different scenes and conversations available, most of which are centered around exploration of the companions and side characters, and developing and deepening your relationships with them. To be honest, I doubt any interlude we have will reach this length again.
So yeah, have at it! There’s probably quite a bit we can discuss, and as always we’d love to hear your thoughts and feedback on your experiences, either here or on our tumblr page (link at the top). We’ll get to work on moving the main plot forward in the meantime with the next chapter, and after that we’ll have the first of our personal side-missions for our companions.
Enjoy.
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The save system isnt working.
My bad; will fix in a sec here.
Edit: done! I have to turn it off, so to speak, for testing, and occasionally I forget to turn it back on. 
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Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas
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I’m so jazzed - I can’t.
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This is an increible story thus far and I can’t wait for the story to progress!
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This took me a while to review, so here I go. Really long post, you’ve been warned.
Izzy and Cormac training:
- The end result is all three of you spilling out of the arena almost simultaneously, and ending up laughing in the sand and you try to extricate yourselves from one another. This one is the best result. Fight me (also I think it’s as you try not and).
Pan:
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Everything about Pan was my favorite part, Pimenita said, surprising absolutely no one.
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Being able to see another part of them was such a treat. The vulnerability they display, and the way they pull away whenever they realize the MC is having serious romantic feelings for them. I’m dead. Then there was that layer of, guilt? Because they are so obviously withholding information from the MC regarding Castulia’s plans for the Cine, and about stuff of a more personal nature too. So now they are thorn between what’s better for the land they love and are loyal to, and what’s better for a person they’ve just met some weeks ago and their pesky raiding clan. What should be an easy choice for them has been tangled up and turned into something so bafflingly complicated. I can understand if they don’t know what’s going on any more.
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The loose strands of hair near their ears are soft against your skin, inviting you to tangle your fingers in them, but you’ve other priorities just now. Ooohhhh~ You wrote that in
It wasn’t on my canon route, mind you; Deaman doesn’t seem inclined to go lightly on things that involve Pan: he ended up being a true romantic, but sometimes MCs surprise me like that. Anyway, Deaman isn’t particularly patient, but he’ll wait for Pan as much as they like. The sage didn’t shoot him down, so he knows he isn’t the only one interested in being more than friends, and that’s enough for now. Him? Pining? Ha ha no. He so isn’t. At all. -
I’m so happy you wrote the humorous MC trying to lift Pan’s spirits by joking around whenever the chat grew too heavy. You did a great job keeping things light, while also making it obvious that the MC is not downplaying Pan’s emotions, or being an ass. I feel this kind of MC on a spiritual level.
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I love that there’s the option to hug them too, but when faced with hug or make a last joke, I can’t refrain myself. And really? The Ospredator? That’s when I knew I’ve chosen wisely.
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Clearing your throat, you focus on the original question. If anybody was going to make my flirty, show-offy Deaman fluster, it was so going to be Pan
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The flavor text we get if we want something serious or if we’re just being casual is great. No wonder this interlude was driving you guys insane; on top of all the characters’ interactions, you have to write two different Pans now.
Roise:
- Alright, this chat was a difficult one too. The sense of loss is so on point
I cried. This part was a favorite for me, too. It was disheartening, but I’m glad Mom could let some emotion out. If she can’t show vulnerability in front of her own child, then how is she going to start healing? Beautifully written.
Daghan:
- Daghan built himself a tower. He stands on it like a cranky cat perching on the tallest piece of furniture in a room. Daghan is awesome.
Aisling:
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If someone has chosen not to trust this adorable girl with her magic, I’m judging you. Hard. The MC not letting her use her magic bugs me so much! Let the poor girl live (Her reactions if the MC fails to “set her right” are the best though).
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“They cut its heart out while it’s still alive. I probably wouldn’t have even written it down, except I get it almost once a week lately.” It certainly doesn’t sound pleasant, but the meaning eludes you as much as her, so it doesn’t seem like there’s much you can do with it, for the moment." I need to know what impression this dream leaves in her. Sadness, fear, deference, necessity?
Tullas:
- “[Her eyes] linger on the Sage for a moment longer than you think is normal, then flick to you, then back again.” Does… does Tullas have the ability to smell pining Cine on people? Because if she does, that’s a pretty specific power.
Izling:
- The Izling ship has sailed! Finally. Those two look so good together. Izzy better guard my pure child with her life, though.
Other stuff:
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I realized you added some new text in older parts of Diaspora. You’ve been really busy.
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There’s a lot more I could talk about, but it would take me days. Suffice to say, this’s been my favorite part so far. Lots of character development, lots of chats, lots of Pan,
lots of pain if you’ve been playing with people, ahem. -
As of now, I’ve been keeping both the Empire and the Iskendi thinking I’m their ally. Still not sure what I’m going to do.
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I have a question or two how big is our crew? And ehat kind of ship do we have because all i can think about is this.
Summary
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Absolutely perfect.
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I’ve kind of been picturing Cine models of ships as hybrid between longships and biremises in general “look.” At least for the ones used for raiding and battle. They have multiple decks and a very large mainsail. Some (like the PC’s ship) have secondary masts/sails depending on size; all of them have oars as an option as well. Sails are often striped with clan colors (green and gold, in the case of Maghnus). The main ones are square, but secondary sails are usually more triangular.
So they differ from what you might be thinking in that they’re built not just for raiding but for the long-term housing of their crew.
But also what Pimenita said.
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I’m so excited for this, thank you so much! I’ve only just found the time to sit down with the interlude, but I can already tell I’ll be playing snatches of it here and there all week.
For the moment, only one question: If, hypothetically, someone were to defeat Balthasar in a duel, would they gain command over just The Osprey or over the whole Iskendi fleet? And would anything change if that hypothetical challenger was not Iskendi…?
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