Tallys:
3 Likes
I like the story and the writing is excellent. As it is a wip is what in future updates one could choose not to join the shepherds because it is disappointing to die choosing not to integrate them.
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Thank you! Unfortunately, there is no way to avoid joining the Shepherds, as the story is about their Order and where you can take it–and it is called Shepherds of Haven, after all. 
I will take your comments into consideration and think about removing the option to be executed, however–maybe it will just become an alternative route to joining where you’re forced to be conscripted. 
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Apparently I’m a mage 
Also @rinari I’ve been wondering, what kind of guns there are in your universe ? Are they like the modern ones (automatic/semi-automatic/bolt action), more 19th century (revolvers/lever action), or are they even older (matchlock/flintlock/etc…) ?
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Maybe you can make a way where we don’t choose to join the shepherds and we always fight the monsters and we are constantly pursued by them as an outlaw that will add to the story an opportunity to play again with a different ending. That’s just my personal opinion.
That just wouldn’t work. Almost all of the characters (and all the ROs) simply would not appear because it’s dependent on you recruiting them to begin withn.
If you’re not part of the Shepherd, you have no reason to recruit most of the characters, and lose direct access to quite a few because they would see you as a threat (or becauss you just don’t have any way to be introduced, like Lavinet).
Besides that, the game itself looks like it’ll be rather large on its own. What you’re suggesting would be to make a separate but smaller game in addition to this one.
Don’t get me wrong, becoming a vigilante is fun, but it just wouldn’t work into the game @rinari is making right now.
8 Likes
But why put the choice join or not join. If the story revolves around the shepherds I think it would be worth not putting this choice. From my point of view if I play games until I reach this choice and choose not to join them and I die I will feel as if I am being told “go, integrate the shepherds…” as if I was being pushed towards the choice to join. So I think it would be better to eliminate that choice or start the story when the character has to join the shepherds. Again, I repeat, that is only my point of view.
Hey, me too! 
I’ve been imagining them as more 19th-century revolvers and pistols with some magical/steampunky elements. Well, let me clarify: very early guns in this world were basically rods that fired tiny glass orbs that held spells in them. So an elemental orb–an object enchanted to hold a prepared fire spell or a lightning spell, and which would release the spell upon shattering–would be propelled out of the “gun” at high velocity and would collide with the target, unleashing the destructive effect of the spell upon breaking. How did these guns fire the orbs in the first place? They were loaded with more orbs, usually containing Wind Sprites: pulling the trigger would crush the orb containing the Wind Sprite, freeing it and causing it to shoot out of the barrel at explosive speeds (and blowing the ammo out with it).
This, of course, was crazy-expensive as well as fairly ineffective: Wind Sprites were difficult to catch, and misfirings and accidents were common. The whole scheme was also totally dependent on magic–the opposite of what the Norms wanted. The invention of the true “gun” that won the Castigation followed the discovery of black powder, but it was still a single-shot gun that had to be manually-reloaded. Still, it was enough to take the Gifted races by surprise: only the Ket were fast enough to put up a really close fight.
Revolvers have made their appearance only very recently (say the last 10-20 years) and multi-shot handheld guns that don’t require reloading are still considered fairly “new.” Most poor commoners you’d encounter would only have a single-shot gun, if one at all, and the Autarchy has only distributed the shiny new revolvers to the upper ranks of its army. You can still purchase them off the street, of course: but yeah, single-shot pistols (especially of the dueling variety) are still pretty popular too.
Is there such a thing as enchanted bullets or guns? Yes, but it’s a closely-guarded government secret, only doled out to the Autarch’s most trusted Sun Courtiers (and executed by her personal Court Mages). Whether they’ll become more of a thing in the future remains to be seen.
5 Likes
The ironic thing (and you can see this further upthread) is that the original version of the game did not feature the choice to refuse joining them at all! 
You just had to join them at the end of the first chapter, and that was it. I only added it in once readers said they would like an option to be reluctant about joining the Shepherds! 
Mainly for role-playing and character purposes, it seems. 
So it’s there, but the end result has to be the same for story reasons–the game is about being a part of the Shepherds, after all! You can just choose whether you’re happy about it or not.
Or… die, which is a very real consequence of being in the world, too.
4 Likes
Now I’m curious, does a gunslinger MC use a revolver or do they just use a single-shot pistol?
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They use a revolver in the current version of the demo, but I might change it when I rehaul the weapons system so they start off with a single-shot pistol and can buy a revolver as an upgrade at the store. Not sure about that yet though!
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Ohh I got None as my race lmao
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Interesting!!! 
That means you could be an Elemental, or a Drake for all we know…
…orrrr you could be a demon! 
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Hopefully, not a demon or all the characters would be out to kill me 
Being a drake sounds fun tho
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Well, I think I understand now. Anyway, it’s a great story and I can’t wait to find out what’s next. By the way I noticed a little spelling mistake, nothing bad.
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Thank you! I hope you’ll enjoy it. And that was actually intentional–it was meant to be a colloquial phrase–but since another user also pointed it out, I’ll change it to avoid confusion! 
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Halek:
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Halek looks very proud of me! I am flattered. XD
To be honest rinari, you know how to make me want your game right now. I know I have been saying this again and again. The world you created makes me very excited to discover it. XD
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Wah, thank you so much, @resuri08! 
Your support and enthusiasm keeps my excitement for the game really high–I can’t wait to get back to it! I’m desperately throwing myself into this manuscript so I can finally be done and move onto this with nothing to hold me back! Thanks always for your patience and great support! I’m excited for you to explore the world too. 
4 Likes