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Warhammer Fantasy: Divided Loyalties - an Advisor's Quest

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TimEd said:
Thats why i vote for the Inn and Inspiration. It gives Mathilde time to unwind and come back with (hopefully a mastered spell) an open mind(hole)
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And when Van Hal asks what we've been doing the last six actions (months), we'll have spent four of them on magical theory? Five if you count "Practice Learning"? The spell matrix is neat, it just shouldn't be life-consuming. Take time to unwind doing something that's not the spell matrix.
 
Exmorri said:
I don't see why the paper is so important as to spend both actions on it, could someone please explain their point of view on that to me? As I see it, we're supposed to be spymaster first, wizard second, and getting published is only one part of being a wizard. A part we've already spent a lot of time on. It's useful, but far from urgent.
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To me, way back when the paper was just "part one" I'd thought it was a mistake to spend actions on it. It was a time sink with only long-term benefits when we had other more medium-term options for self improvement. However, not only were we lucky enough to get +2 instead of just +1 from the stat improvement, but there's still the chance for a trait gain. Leaving the paper be or taking one of the "takes no action" choices for the paper means we loose whatever that trait might be. We really don't have anything else that needs our immediate attention, so we should do this now while we've got a shot at the maximum gain from the actions spent.

[X] Plan Wait and Listen
 
Lupercal said:
AngelWings
-
From my iPhone
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Got to admit, that autocorrect is a new one.

Talking of non-evil vampires there is Genevieve Dieudonné. Shows up in a few books (and the Ostland quest). Saves Karl Frans's life. Stops a vampire/human war. Generally nice person.
Vampires don't have to be megalomaniacal tyrants. You just don't hear about the ones happy to keep to themselves.

That said if she is running a town she had better be paying her taxes properly. The Empire needs that money to fund our spy network!

WorldSlayer said:
Which is why I don't really want Mathilde to be known to be relaxing in a hotspring. This seems to actually be a point against spending time in the hotspring and actually the main reason I think now would be a really awkward time go around relaxing.
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We are the spymaster. If we think our best spymastering will be done by giving the appearance of relaxing at a spar then Van Hal isn't going to question it.
At least not for a while.
 
I think we need a break from the paper. Lets do practical rather than theoretical magic for a bit.

[x] Plan Labwork
-[x] Tell Van Hal about Gabriella and write to our master but take no action for now.
-[x] Enchantment: You've finally got the equipment, now you've just got to unpack it all and set up your laboratory.
-[x] Qhaysh Skunkworks: It would take careful study to unlock the secrets of the liquid. It would take considerably less time to find out if it can be made to burn, or explode, or do something militarily useful.
--[x] Ranald's blessing
 
BoneyM said:
The expectation is that the center of the Hills is going to be nastier than the outskirts, so it needs to be cleared instead of leaving it at the army's back as they march on Drakenhof. So the current plan is to converge on the center of the hills from Nachthafen and the camp between Leicheberg and Vanhaldenschlosse, and assuming that goes well to push southwest and clear the area around Naubonum.
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I think it's time that you spoiler that action lists. They have gotten very long.

Is all the extra work we are putting on the paper going to have benefits in the end?
 
[X] Plan Labwork

I do agree we should take a break and do something different for a change, and we really do need that lab set up. We've made quite decent progress on that paper, we shouldn't push ourselves into going crazy over it.
 
avatar11792 said:
I do agree we should take a break and do something different for a change, and we really do need that lab set up. We've made quite decent progress on that paper, we shouldn't push ourselves into going crazy over it.
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Uh...writing thesis that way usually winds up with giving up once the inspiration expires. At this point its like 90% momentum
 
veekie said:
Uh...writing thesis that way usually winds up with giving up once the inspiration expires. At this point its like 90% momentum
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It doesn't read to me that we have any momentum to preserve. We have the technical details down so we have something that we could submit and I don't think we're going to come up with some insight as to how we'd explain it more clearly by more grinding - that will give us tunnel vision locking us into the very dry and unintuitive style we're stuck on.

Meanwhile, I would really like to find a way to use up the bucket upon bucket of liquid magic accumulating in our lair. That can't be safe. If we can turn it into combat power it would be best to have it available by the time the purge hots up too.
 
[X] Plan Wait and Listen
@BoneyM you gave me awful flashbacks of my own academic work with that update, I really hated/loved it.

As to the plan, sure we invested a lot on this research, which is not exactly our core business, but still, an important step towards Mastery and something that I want to see finished as good as possible.

About Gabriella, I feel like some personal snooping around Nachthafen woild have been warranted, but I admit a lack of brilliant ideas on how to do that, so let's confide in our pragmatical witch hunter boss to know what's the best course of action.
 
Shape_Shifter said:
Is all the extra work we are putting on the paper going to have benefits in the end?
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If you count the paper actually existing in a legible form as a 'benefit', yes. I have mentioned in previous posts that all this work around the fundamentals of magical theory could very well lead to a trait if all goes well, but so far all hasn't been going well, so it's up to the dice at this point.

Yanez said:
@BoneyM you gave me awful flashbacks of my own academic work with that update, I really hated/loved it.
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I drew from my own experiences with academia, so I'm glad it rings true for others. Trying to force academic writing when it doesn't want to flow is truly agonizing.
Adhoc vote count started by BoneyM on Feb 24, 2018 at 10:37 AM, finished with 79 posts and 39 votes.
  • [X] Plan Wait and Listen
    -[X] Countess Gabriella von Bundebad implied quite a lot, and in such a way that it's clear she's trying to needle you into action. But you don't know what. If inaction isn't the correct move, what is? (write in; may take an action) (NEW)
    --[X] Write in: Tell Van Hal about the conversation. Advise that, as the situation is apparently stable and we have ears in the city, it can probably wait until the purge is done and we have time to investigate properly.
    -[X] Wurtbad was once famous for hospitality, and it still has a wonderful selection of high-class inns with actual hot running water. Book yourself into the Golden Eagle Inn and allow yourself to be pampered in the hopes that it will let the words flow. (costs personal funds)
    [X] Get atop your horse, find a place rich in ​
    Ulgu, ​
    and play hermit for a month while hoping that the energies you're so familiar with will inspire you. (???)​

    --[X] Ranald's Blessing
    [X] Throw yourself back into reclusion and goddamn stay there until the job is bloody well done.(takes two actions)
    -[X] Ranald's Blessing
    [x] Plan Labwork
    -[x] Tell Van Hal about Gabriella and write to our master but take no action for now.
    -[X] Enchantment: You've finally got the equipment, now you've just got to unpack it all and set up your laboratory.
    -[x] Qhaysh Skunkworks: It would take careful study to unlock the secrets of the liquid. It would take considerably less time to find out if it can be made to burn, or explode, or do something militarily useful.
    --[X] Ranald's Blessing
    [X] Really Good Swords: You have achieved proficiency with the Greatsword. Future progress is possible, though it will take more effort to see results.
    [X] Plan Northern Eye
    -[X] Something apparently quite similar to the Purge of the Haunted Hills is going on in Ostermark's southern regions; you could inspect goings-on up there yourself.
    --[X] Ranald's Blessing
    -[X] Getting To Know You: Spend time with one of your fellow councillors or your liege, offering your help in their tasks and generally getting a feel for them (choose one).
    --[X] Anton
    -[X] Send it off to our Master and ask that he passes it on to someone with the skills to distil it into something resembling elegance; though it will mean that they will get co-author status, and may fight you on the name. (does not take an action)
    [x] If you're feeling nosy, Vanhaldenschlosse is apparently free of anything that would object to you poking around in what was once the proud ancestral home of the Van Hals.
    [x] Something apparently quite similar to the Purge of the Haunted Hills is going on in Ostermark's southern regions; you could inspect goings-on up there yourself.
    [X] Get atop your horse, find a place rich in Ulgu, and play hermit for a month while hoping that the energies you're so familiar with will inspire you. (???)
    -[X] Ranald's Blessing
    [X] Get atop your horse, find a place rich in ​
    Ulgu, ​
    and play hermit for a month while hoping that the energies you're so familiar with will inspire you. (???)​

    [X] Enchantment: You've finally got the equipment, now you've just got to unpack it all and set up your laboratory.​
    [X] Plan Gettin Gud
    -[X] Countess Gabriella von Bundebad implied quite a lot, and in such a way that it's clear she's trying to needle you into action. But you don't know what. If inaction isn't the correct move, what is? (write in; may take an action) (NEW)
    --[X] Write in: Tell Van Hal about the conversation. Advise that, as the situation is apparently stable and we have ears in the city, it can probably wait until the purge is done and we have time to investigate properly.
    --[X] Ranald's Blessing
    [X] Plan I'm totally working, honest.
    -[X] Countess Gabriella von Bundebad implied quite a lot, and in such a way that it's clear she's trying to needle you into action. But you don't know what. If inaction isn't the correct move, what is? (write in; may take an action) (NEW)
    --[X] Write in: Tell Van Hal about the conversation. Advise that, as the situation is apparently stable and we have ears in the city, it can probably wait until the purge is done and we have time to investigate properly.
    -[X] Enchantment: You've finally got the equipment, now you've just got to unpack it all and set up your laboratory.
    [X] Get atop your horse, find a place rich in ​
    Ulgu, ​
    and play hermit for a month while hoping that the energies you're so familiar with will inspire you. (???)​

    --[X] Ranald's Blessing
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Adhoc vote count started by BoneyM on Feb 24, 2018 at 11:52 AM, finished with 80 posts and 40 votes.
  • [X] Plan Wait and Listen
    -[X] Countess Gabriella von Bundebad implied quite a lot, and in such a way that it's clear she's trying to needle you into action. But you don't know what. If inaction isn't the correct move, what is? (write in; may take an action) (NEW)
    --[X] Write in: Tell Van Hal about the conversation. Advise that, as the situation is apparently stable and we have ears in the city, it can probably wait until the purge is done and we have time to investigate properly.
    -[X] Wurtbad was once famous for hospitality, and it still has a wonderful selection of high-class inns with actual hot running water. Book yourself into the Golden Eagle Inn and allow yourself to be pampered in the hopes that it will let the words flow. (costs personal funds)
    [X] Get atop your horse, find a place rich in ​
    Ulgu, ​
    and play hermit for a month while hoping that the energies you're so familiar with will inspire you. (???)​

    --[X] Ranald's Blessing
    [X] Throw yourself back into reclusion and goddamn stay there until the job is bloody well done.(takes two actions)
    -[X] Ranald's Blessing
    [x] Plan Labwork
    -[x] Tell Van Hal about Gabriella and write to our master but take no action for now.
    -[X] Enchantment: You've finally got the equipment, now you've just got to unpack it all and set up your laboratory.
    -[x] Qhaysh Skunkworks: It would take careful study to unlock the secrets of the liquid. It would take considerably less time to find out if it can be made to burn, or explode, or do something militarily useful.
    --[X] Ranald's Blessing
    [X] Really Good Swords: You have achieved proficiency with the Greatsword. Future progress is possible, though it will take more effort to see results.
    [X] Plan Northern Eye
    -[X] Something apparently quite similar to the Purge of the Haunted Hills is going on in Ostermark's southern regions; you could inspect goings-on up there yourself.
    --[X] Ranald's Blessing
    -[X] Getting To Know You: Spend time with one of your fellow councillors or your liege, offering your help in their tasks and generally getting a feel for them (choose one).
    --[X] Anton
    -[X] Send it off to our Master and ask that he passes it on to someone with the skills to distil it into something resembling elegance; though it will mean that they will get co-author status, and may fight you on the name. (does not take an action)
    [x] If you're feeling nosy, Vanhaldenschlosse is apparently free of anything that would object to you poking around in what was once the proud ancestral home of the Van Hals.
    [x] Something apparently quite similar to the Purge of the Haunted Hills is going on in Ostermark's southern regions; you could inspect goings-on up there yourself.
    [X] Get atop your horse, find a place rich in Ulgu, and play hermit for a month while hoping that the energies you're so familiar with will inspire you. (???)
    -[X] Ranald's Blessing
    [X] Get atop your horse, find a place rich in ​
    Ulgu, ​
    and play hermit for a month while hoping that the energies you're so familiar with will inspire you. (???)​

    [X] Enchantment: You've finally got the equipment, now you've just got to unpack it all and set up your laboratory.​
    [X] Plan Gettin Gud
    -[X] Countess Gabriella von Bundebad implied quite a lot, and in such a way that it's clear she's trying to needle you into action. But you don't know what. If inaction isn't the correct move, what is? (write in; may take an action) (NEW)
    --[X] Write in: Tell Van Hal about the conversation. Advise that, as the situation is apparently stable and we have ears in the city, it can probably wait until the purge is done and we have time to investigate properly.
    --[X] Ranald's Blessing
    [X] Plan I'm totally working, honest.
    -[X] Countess Gabriella von Bundebad implied quite a lot, and in such a way that it's clear she's trying to needle you into action. But you don't know what. If inaction isn't the correct move, what is? (write in; may take an action) (NEW)
    --[X] Write in: Tell Van Hal about the conversation. Advise that, as the situation is apparently stable and we have ears in the city, it can probably wait until the purge is done and we have time to investigate properly.
    -[X] Enchantment: You've finally got the equipment, now you've just got to unpack it all and set up your laboratory.
    [X] Get atop your horse, find a place rich in ​
    Ulgu, ​
    and play hermit for a month while hoping that the energies you're so familiar with will inspire you. (???)​

    --[X] Ranald's Blessing
    [X] Plan Don't Abandon Sylvania
    -[X] Something apparently quite similar to the Purge of the Haunted Hills is going on in Ostermark's southern regions; you could inspect goings-on up there yourself.
    --[X] Ranald's Blessing
    -[X] Countess Gabriella von Bundebad implied quite a lot, and in such a way that it's clear she's trying to needle you into action. But you don't know what. If inaction isn't the correct move, what is? (write in; may take an action) (NEW)
    --[X] Write in: Tell Van Hal about the conversation. Advise that, as the situation is apparently stable and we have ears in the city, it can probably wait until the purge is done and we have time to investigate properly.
    -[X] Wurtbad was once famous for hospitality, and it still has a wonderful selection of high-class inns with actual hot running water. Book yourself into the Golden Eagle Inn and allow yourself to be pampered in the hopes that it will let the words flow. (costs personal funds)
Click to expand...
 
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[X] Plan Don't Abandon Sylvania
-[X] Something apparently quite similar to the Purge of the Haunted Hills is going on in Ostermark's southern regions; you could inspect goings-on up there yourself.
--[X] Ranald's Blessing
-[X] Countess Gabriella von Bundebad implied quite a lot, and in such a way that it's clear she's trying to needle you into action. But you don't know what. If inaction isn't the correct move, what is? (write in; may take an action) (NEW)
--[X] Write in: Tell Van Hal about the conversation. Advise that, as the situation is apparently stable and we have ears in the city, it can probably wait until the purge is done and we have time to investigate properly.
-[X] Wurtbad was once famous for hospitality, and it still has a wonderful selection of high-class inns with actual hot running water. Book yourself into the Golden Eagle Inn and allow yourself to be pampered in the hopes that it will let the words flow. (costs personal funds)

The Stirland army is getting close to Drakenhof and I expect the campaign to enter a crucial time soon. So I don't want to abandon Sylvania now to concentrate solely on writing the bloody paper.

It could be highly useful to know what Ostermark is doing so that Stirland and Ostermark can coordinate their efforts. Otherwise I chose to stay in the Golden Eagle Inn. If it doesn't help with the writing, then at least Mathilde will get to relax a bit.
 
[X] Throw yourself back into reclusion and goddamn stay there until the job is bloody well done.(takes two actions)
-[X] Ranald's Blessing
 
[X] Really Good Swords: You have achieved proficiency with the Greatsword. Future progress is possible, though it will take more effort to see results.
[X] Get atop your horse, find a place rich in Ulgu, and play hermit for a month while hoping that the energies you're so familiar with will inspire you. (???)
-[X] Ranald's Blessing
 
noliar said:
It doesn't read to me that we have any momentum to preserve. We have the technical details down so we have something that we could submit and I don't think we're going to come up with some insight as to how we'd explain it more clearly by more grinding - that will give us tunnel vision locking us into the very dry and unintuitive style we're stuck on.

Meanwhile, I would really like to find a way to use up the bucket upon bucket of liquid magic accumulating in our lair. That can't be safe. If we can turn it into combat power it would be best to have it available by the time the purge hots up too.
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The big problem here is I've personally seen it.
You take a break, and it gets worse. The entire process requires a clear picture and fresh memory of the paper. Taking a break breaks it. We're currently at the critical breakthrough threshold. Right on the brink of a revelation.

We can push through or we can turn away and leave it behind us.
BoneyM said:
I drew from my own experiences with academia, so I'm glad it rings true for others. Trying to force academic writing when it doesn't want to flow is truly agonizing.
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Speaking from firsthand experience as well. Blew my Masters paper from a related block.
Especially when it just gets even worse the longer you look away from it. Taking a month's forced break to recover from a hard disk failure...well it was an educational experience but beyond recovery academically. You have all the parts, you know they CAN fit together, but once the parts split up you can't gather the will to assemble it again.

Horrible flashbacks.
 
veekie said:
Speaking from firsthand experience as well. Blew my Masters paper from a related block.
Especially when it just gets even worse the longer you look away from it. Taking a month's forced break to recover from a hard disk failure...well it was an educational experience but beyond recovery academically. You have all the parts, you know they CAN fit together, but once the parts split up you can't gather the will to assemble it again.
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I'm actually in this position right now. I'm nowhere near as close to where my paper needs to be done and it's due at the end of the month. I don't entirely regret my Master's rn, but I totally regret my Master's rn.
 
BoneyM said:
Oh, it's so nice to have a thinker in Eagle Castle.
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This line makes me the most suspicious of Gabriella since it implies her hinting at being a vampire was a test about seeing how Matilda would react. Would we immediately attempt to kill a loyal? countess just for implying to be a vampire like a brute, would we ignore the the implication because it won't personally help us like our predecessor, or would we immediately try and think through the implications before taking any actions? Those were probably some but not all of the questions Gabriella had before meeting us in person and what she found out was that we were a suspicious thinker who has a horrible poker face (seriously Matilda you kinda need a poker face for this spy business). So from all this I don't think we should be 100% certain Gabriella is a vampire since her test would be the same regardless of her living status but what we do know is that the Countess has a definite intrigue focus given how tricky she was shown to be.
 
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