The War for the West [Releasing Nov 14]

[ChristandJackel]

@MahatmaDagon

It shouldn’t define your whole playthrough.

While it doesn’t 100% determine whether you’ll lose or not, as a new person who doesn’t understand what they’re getting into, it currently has a high chance of causing you to lose. I’ve never beaten the game fully complying with the request so there’s that as well.

@MahatmaDagon

While I still think this is only such a big problem because of the meta-knowledge of having multiple playthroughs, I’m open to ideas.

Well from what you are saying and how the game plays, he’s essentially a paper tiger. That said, here’s a few more ideas:

Summary

• Send a small contingent to find out why you didn’t send the money. This would include 40 soldiers and an emissary that will demand to enter by right of the King. They will state that they demand the money. If you don’t comply, they will effectively act as repo and ransack the kingdom, raising civil unrest. If you deny even that, he will state, a la Palpatine, that you are committing treason and that you will be dealt with. This puts a strain with all other kingdoms and require higher social checks to have a positive relation with them as they are effectively siding against Ludland (figuratively if not literally)

• Send an announcement throughout the Kingdom that you’re still loyal and are under the King’s protection. This announcement slightly lowers all social checks with other natives to the area and increases the amount of time before Noyedas attacks by 1 week as he’s not sure if the King will actually help defend you and needs a few more days to get the info through his spies.

@MahatmaDagon

Otherwise, there’s the invisible threat of the king opposing you if you try to take Sielccia without his authorization, but there’s also the possibility that a clever player can assume that perhaps the king can’t do much against him given his current situation

For me, I was already “in for a penny” in relation with the situation. Very little cleverness lol

@MahatmaDagon

Ultimately, I “trick” players and use smoke and mirrors to mess with their expectations or surprise them somehow. Once they know how things really work, some people might be disappointed, yes, but at least for a moment there I had them, and hopefully they comprehend that the result makes sense given the context of things. I think people can find fault that path X doesn’t give them Y reward, but they can’t say that things happening the way they are do not make sense inside the dynamics of the world.

And I’m by no means saying you can’t do that. All I’m saying is if you can give that person a lore based reward for going that route, it wouldn’t be terrible. An excellent example is in the Infinity series. All actions have a result while still being lore based for that world. Play a young character and people think you’re too young for the position but you suffer less stat decreases over the trilogy. Play too old and you aren’t laughed at, but by the end of the second book, your ancient and all stat checks are harder. Both have a complex choice that you can’t circumvent. “Do I choose young but die early because my battalion doesn’t listen to me, or choose old and potentially die later because I want physically fast enough to dodge that sword strike?”

@MahatmaDagon

Again, I’m not against a reward per se, I just didn’t find any that I liked and I thought made sense at the same time.

If no rewards, then incur a penalty. That’s what I’m saying.
Ex. Earlier I asked if there was a way if I could keep the Abyssal Spawn AND start my own religion. That’s because if there wasn’t, I would have a dilemma. I want to be a badass conqueror with star swords and demon armor… but I also want to be considered the messiah. If you only gave me one, it would put CONSIDERABLE weight on that choice. Since I could choose both though, that weight immediately left since I could effectively have my cake and eat it too.

If I can keep all the gold and all the men and the king “only” tells me he’s mad, that means nothing. Have him spread word to the other kingdoms that I’m stealing and thus try to actively smear my name. That causes a “is it worth it?” question to come.

@MahatmaDagon

It’s a fair point, although don’t think you necessarily get the SAME lore because some people will A) not entirely believe what this crazy random guy is saying

That is a weak argument. Avelyn stresses that this guy is super amazing and waiting just for you. Plus he’s got “Wizard” in his name. He’s preset to be a good guy lol.

@MahatmaDagon

some will only get two answers from him and not get the full story.

Actually, about that… it only works if you ask “why 3 questions”. If you don’t ask that specific question, you can ask as many as you want. Just fyi

@MahatmaDagon

There have been suggestions of locking the talk with the WW behind a high Knowledge check, or make it only available if you pass through the trials. In a sense, I think this last one would more than pay off for the delivery of the body.

Hm… I REALLY hate that idea… so it’s probably a good one lol. Maybe consider both. Like, the WW speaks an old language that you have a rough understanding of. If you’ve gone through the trials, the genderless accidentally allow you complete understanding while otherwise you need a high knowledge for a basic understanding. Low knowledge and no trials means he speaks unintelligibly and Avelyn is disappointed and doesn’t vote for you since “you’re not the one”

@MahatmaDagon

Thinking about it, the things I don’t like about rewards here are actually quite contradictory.

Again, if no reward, incur a penalty for not doing it.

@MahatmaDagon

Now, you talk about “adding more land” as a reward, but isn’t that EXACTLY what he is doing when he grants you control over Sielccia?

Touche. I guess I meant more expanding your borders as technically him allowing your rule over Seilc is like saying you can eat the deer you killed. Nice, but kinda not really

@MahatmaDagon

(As for the sister thing, I wouldn’t do something like that because it would add a claim to the Meinstrel bloodline inside your family and this would undermine some important plot points as well as open up too many possibilities.)

Tbf, that was why I wanted it. I wanted all the power lol

@MahatmaDagon

This is a crazy idea that requires lots of specific combinations of choices in order to happen. I love it.

I live to serve

@MahatmaDagon

She curses like a sailor and loves like one as well. I don’t think I can say much without spoiling stuff

I am off to test this out

[WolfStrider21]

A few questions, one how do you get the abysmal armor and also who are all of the romances? I seem to only be able to unlock one very early on.

[Norilinde]

@Asdwa

Anyway, you caught me with my pants down I must say, I’ve cheated for so long I completely forgot I was cheating when I made my last post about the archers and the 40 soldiers killing my best men. My apologies for that, I didn’t mean to waste your time.
I did a clean playthrough without cheats just now though and ended up with just above 5000 (3100 archers) soldiers against 800 (from first being under siege until forced to meet on the open field), and they manage to kill all my notable characters like I previously posted about. Much better than 40 mind you!

@Asdwa Are you sure that you ended up with 3100 archers? 5000 total soldiers sounds quite plausible and leaving the other side with 800 by the time we meet on the open field also sounds plausible. However, we start with at most 353 archers by my estimate, we can only add 200 per month from training militia, we have a 1 in 5 chance of adding at most 28 archers per recruiting drive every 10 days for at most 19 cycles, and then the final recruiting push which could give at most 416 archers again by my estimate. This best case estimate adds up to 353 + 28 * 19 + 416 + 6 * 200 = 2501. So I’m wondering if maybe you had 1300 archers instead or ignored Noyedas at the border for a while maybe?

“I will bring this matter to the Templar Tribune, Lady Larieth. Then we shall see who is right, you or the holy scriptures.”

@MahatmaDagon How do we imprison the Acolyte? I would have been perfectly willing to throw him in prison for disrespect to a ruler in a ruler’s own court.

Here are some typos in the latest version.

She tells you that that Nell - that was his name - was found with his neck split open in the room he rented at a local tavern. Witness say that, while he was always drunk, he never made any enemies, nor had he any large debts that would prone someone to kill him that way.

I think this should be prompt instead or rephrase it as …would make someone prone to kill….

“And I’m not talking about the Temple of the Two, as much as they appear to not be on good terms with your rule currently. No, I’m talking about those who worship something far sinister than the Whole.”

I think this should be far more sinister.

Prince Lodka claims to have been “received in Farhall by Lady Arla”. Was this supposed to be Lady Avellyn?

The Fahlmari are the most mysterious ones. They are attracted by the will for revenge, and they lurk the shadows on the hearts of men.

I think this should be lurk in the shadows unless that is Prince Lodka’s dialect.

There are also the Vrathni, who want nothing more than destruction. Their is the hatred, and it is said that they are spawns of the Great Beast. And then comes the Derathni, of the never ending hunger, and the Xontashi, the ones that bring madness and confusion. Those are all of them, if I remember correctly."

I think this should perhaps be Theirs is… again unless this is Prince Lodka’s dialect.

“The man had to defend themselves, my lady. And…” Vradnir lowers his voice. “The soldiers remember what happened in Emyria. It would be hard for them to hold the desire to hurt one of the attackers.”

I think that should be men.

*label killYou
"If you refuse to kill it... Then it will kill you," the prisoner says, and he seems almost... offended. [i]"Ehne murnwur."[/i]

*page_break

A knife - the kind one could easily find on the kitchens - appears on the child's hands, and he jumps towards you with murderous intent, as if just by hearing those strange words something changed completely inside his mind.

*if (combat >= 25)
 Perhaps normally you could avoid it, but you had been distracted with the words of the prisoner, and you are stabbed in the neck.

 "Good," the mad man says. "The prophecy fulfills itself, one way or another." 
 *goto_Scene youDied

*if (combat > 25)
 You manage to avoid it at the last moment, but the child does not stop there. It keeps trying to reach you with the blade, as if possessed by some evil spirit. All the while, the prisoner just observes, appearing entertained by it.
 *goto entertained

The first inequality is pointing the wrong way. It should be *if (combat <= 25).

And now, after so long, not only had House Sielcner finally rebelled against the crowd, but the person responsible for ending this revolt - with this becoming a major power player in the peninsula - was revealed to descend from House Sielc.

It should be crown.

To the middle of the square room there is a round table circled by ten seats, with an stylized map of the Western Peninsula carved on the wood. You and the others arrange yourselves in front of the areas which represent the likeliness of your provinces.

It should be a.

“That was your second one… You have one left.”

The count is off. I had already asked more than 3 questions when I picked this option only to be told it was my second question.

“The point of all this is clear to me, The Temple of the Two is a corrupt institution, evil at its very core. It must end, yet how can we fight it directly? How could we convince the entire population of Ludland, or even the Western Peninsula, that the thing hey have been worshiping for so long is wrong?”

It should be they.

“Why did you insist on making me surrender, if you wanted to win all along?”

I think it should be wanted me to win.

@WolfStrider21

who are all of the romances?

I tried doing a quick text search to just quote the answer because I know this has been asked before, but I can’t remember what to enter as the search. So I’ll try to answer from memory and I apologize in advance for any details I remember incorrectly.

Female MCs can marry: Dannel, Ullus, Noyedas, Vayden, Jenneth.
Male MCs can marry: Wyneva, Hereya, Petka, Danna, Jenneth.
(Marital happiness mileage may vary.)

Female MCs can additionally have a relationship with: Vradnir, Nada, Kenrir, Lodka.
Male MCs can additionally have a relationship with: Vradnir, Nada, Kenrir.

@MahatmaDagon I suggest considering adding the RO/marriage list to the FAQ in the first post.

@WolfStrider21

how do you get the abysmal armor

I’m going from memory again, but I think it is the following: secure the fallen star, make a sword out of it (probably a good idea to research the material while you’re at it though I’m not sure if that is needed for the armor), hunt something wicked, get the corpse back to your castle safely, give the corpse to the Alchemists. I think eventually you then get the Choice to have armor made out of it.

[GrimReaperJr1232]

Welp, I’m interested. Inspired by the likes of Crusader Kings 2, you say? Please tell me that doesn’t mean I’ll suddenly be doing great, then get dragged into a battle with the literal Anti-Christ (I had a really unlucky game).

[Asdwa]

@Norilinde

Are you sure that you ended up with 3100 archers? 5000 total soldiers sounds quite plausible and leaving the other side with 800 by the time we meet on the open field also sounds plausible. However, we start with at most 353 archers by my estimate, we can only add 200 per month from training militia, we have a 1 in 5 chance of adding at most 28 archers per recruiting drive every 10 days for at most 19 cycles, and then the final recruiting push which could give at most 416 archers again by my estimate. This best case estimate adds up to 353 + 28 * 19 + 416 + 6 * 200 = 2501. So I’m wondering if maybe you had 1300 archers instead or ignored Noyedas at the border for a while maybe?

Yes! I ignored him for a little while (I didn’t memorize how long precisely, a few months?), I still had a few game options left to do unless I misremember, visiting the temple, the library and such. Right before I went to the border to sass Noyedas, my healthy army of archers was:

Archers: 2879

So plus the civilian count when under siege →
Your army now has 283 men at arms, 3193 archers, 303 knights and 945 militia, giving you a total of 4724 troops.

When I cheated I went all out on the recruting, but now I stopped right when the reports came back with a morale and civil unrest taking a dip. So I’m missing out on a 120 something or so militias, which is the number I got when doing it all the way.
I suppose Noyedas was somewhat surprised when my arrows blocked out the sun and killed off 1300 troops in 1 nock, draw and loose.

[Vox]

@Vox

They have the same amount of lovers, since Kenrir is only for male MCs and its a bug otherwise.
Male lovers: Nada, Vradnir, Kenrir
Female lovers: Nada, Vradnir, Lodka

As for marriage opportunities, it’s disproportional (even with Vayden, but more so before he was introduced), and that’s the complaint.
Male marriages: Danna, Wyneva, Hereya, Petka
Female marriages: Dannel, Ullus, Vayden

@Norilinde I think you were referring to my post a while back, but I forgot to mention Jenneth.

[ChristandJackel]

You did this via seige vs marching out to see him?

[kyros]

@MahatmaDagon

it was painted over

PAINT ?!! in a medieval world? what kind of egregious opulence is this? My father who was a great admirer of the law would not approve

[WolfStrider21]

Is there any opportunity to use your gifts in this game or is that being reserved for the sequel? I know you can use the Sight before the temple trials, but I haven’t found a way to actually defeat them without dying. Also when I just decide to leave my MC and everyone acts like I didn’t just see into the future.

[Archon]

What the Sight gives us is a possibility. After all, the future where you die obviously didn’t happen. Therefore, is it really the future ? That’s the paradox: the fact that you can see the future means you can also change the future.
But I suppose some more exposition wouldn’t be fruitless

[Mari_Gold]

bug report:
it seems i can still skip days (even months) after receiving Noyedas’ letter without any adverse consequence. I think there should be a consequence somewhere for ignoring his letter just like what happens when you ignore the king’s.

[kyros]

I think the rationale can be that Noyedas really needed your assistance. His army didn’t even win against yours( although you could attribute that to plot armor), how does he expect to win against all the other three as well? Or even just Dullis for that matter?

[JQGDwpr]

Would be interesting.

[ChristandJackel]

@WolfStrider21

Is there any opportunity to use your gifts in this game or is that being reserved for the sequel?

As it stands, you currently are using your gift, though in a more esoteric manner. Your dreams are you subconsciously using your Sight

@WolfStrider21

I know you can use the Sight before the temple trials, but I haven’t found a way to actually defeat them without dying.

There is currently no way to survive meeting the Genderless.

@WolfStrider21

Also when I just decide to leave my MC and everyone acts like I didn’t just see into the future.

They should. Your allies will think you’re a bit crazy but you should still be fully aware of what happened. It may be a bug.

@Archon

What the Sight gives us is a possibility

From what I understand that’s exactly what it does, so far as the future is concerned. Meybuk so much as confirms it.

[Asdwa]

@ChristandJackel

You did this via seige vs marching out to see him?

Yeah man.

[ChristandJackel]

That’s… not an answer

Edit: Wait. Are you saying you, gathered a bunch of archers, stayed under siege, allowed them to attack, fired huge volleys of arrows, and nearly wiped them all out? Wild.

I will also try that

[Aaron_Ress_Vlogs]

How do you find out about the triple chalice and find it

[Somedude]

There are three ways that i know of. The first is to ask Jenneth to bring your half brother to your castle, the triple chalice will be mentioned a few times during that event. The second way is to go to Ludlander if you conquer Sielccia without permission or declare your heritage. However, this will lead to an alternate ending so it’s best to not do it. The third way is to simply survive until the Lord’s summit in Farhall. The holy ones in Ehael also talk about “Them” but it’s so vague that i don’t know if they’re actually talking about the triple chalice.

By the way, shouldn’t it be “strike” instead of “struck”

[Somedude]

The exact same thing happens even if you don’t send anyone to guard the coast.

[lokidemon007]

I’m wondering if we’ll get to see the fallout from the ending if the MC beats the Triple Chalice.