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To reframe the discussion a bit, imagine if when we asked about what Snorri was doing it turns out he spends 3/4 of his time sitting around chatting rather than things like scouting and arranging shifts. Sure he makes the case he needs to have a solid relationship with his fellows but does that really send the message that he's reliable and should be listened to in comparison to the situation where the ratio he spends directly on his job is 3/4 of his time?

As a scenario more directly related to Mathilde, is Ruprecht more likely to take it on faith that she's correct when she says Dum is hopeless and they should turn back in the case where she spent 3 social actions with him, or in the scenario where she's bolstered her credibility having torn back Vlag from the grips of chaos in a scenario no one else even fathomed was possible? Or more speculatively, is Snorri more likely to trust her read that a position should be abandoned from a history of conversations or from her having previously brought forewarning of a skaven/chaos dwarf raid?

Generally Mathilde's social networking heavy lifting is not accomplished by being a charming conversationalist, but by accomplishing great things that people are impressed by.
 
There's much more to resistance to Colleges getting electoral vote than conservatism of elites and animosity towards wizards. Reikland traditionally commands bloc of five votes - Sigmarites' and Moot's with its own of 15, which would mean Reikland EC needs only three votes, but anyone else has to secure seven votes out of eight free ones (Middenland votes for themselves, Ar-Ulric votes for Middenland), 6/8 for EC of Middenland. Inclusion of sixteenth Colleges' vote grants Reikland another guaranteed vote, surest of them all (naturally Colleges wouldn't want for Altdorf to lose capital status, and they are connected to this specific city more than Cult of Sigmar and of course Halflings of the Moot), and now anyone needs 9 votes for majority, so while for Reikland things technically doesn't change, anyone else except Middenland has to secure all the eight votes, 7/8 for Middenland - something next to impossible given all the constant provincial feuds.
Therefore Elector Counts of provinces will stand to an end against College vote in fear of such vote bloc reliably securing Reiklander dynastic succession of Empire, which would likely lead to increasing centralization. Granted, such established vote blocs could likely destabilize - Moot in particular could certainly break off and start offering their vote - but immediate threat of such bloc would be enough to almost all provincial politicians.
 
It's not about being exciting, there's genuine security reasons to go to both locations for the good of the expedition. Ruprecht on the other hand isn't that important a social option.
We're not visiting all the combes, we're visiting one. And not because it's the most likely to cause us problems, but because we know someone from there.

That said, I can think of one reason why visiting that specific combe might be strategically valid: Enough familiarity to actually facilitate infiltration and scouting.

@BoneyM What has Qrech told us about his old home? Is there anything relevant or actionable about the location itself that could be considered a reason to visit it over other Skaven bases for reasons other than curiosity and familiarity?
And there, as I recall, we ignored or overruled the captain until he resigned,
He resigned the moment we made the Wurtbard Watch into the Stirland Watch and rewrote its foundational papers into something more malleable that would officially be under the Spymaster. We didn't get the chance to actually give him any commands because he considered us not having the authority to do so until we showed him black on white, upon which he quit.
The Combes are not a mystery box, they are hedging against one of the major militaries of this region launching an attack at the force moving through their backyard.
Partially hedging. If for whatever reason a different one of the four Moulder-held combes organizes an attack against us then visiting the Fourth-and-Final won't warn us at all.
Alright, now write up everybody else's hidden mysteries.

Because believe it or not, we've met way more than 3 characters, they are not all by design full of hidden depths and motives, if only because that'd be weird design as well as ridiculously time consuming. Not to mention that even when they do have hidden mysteries, they are not necessarily ones which change what we really think about the character, because they often just fit with what we've already seen.

Sometimes the people we meet are pretty much what they seem, and dwelling solely on the most blatant exceptions gives an incomplete picture, just like ignoring them altogether would.
There's plenty more examples if we choose those that we've interacted with more than once. To mind come Heidi, Regimand, Anton, Ulthar, Thorek, Kasmir, Panoramia and Cython.
Actually the Sigmar votes might be the easiest if Mathilde keeps up her dwarf nonsense. Hard to say she isnt worthy when shes so clearly 'following' Sigmars path.

Hell by the end of this expedition we will have definitely done more for the Karaz Ankor than Sigmar. Doubt we will get the same level of accolades though.
Even if the Church loved Mathilde in particular that doesn't mean they are willing to give trust and power to the Supreme Patriarch (a position won by Wizard Duel) and all of his successors for all perpetuity until the end of the Empire in its current form.
 
[x] Ice Crone Ljiljana
[x] Visit Uzkulak, the Chaos Dwarf equivalent to Barak Varr
[x] Visit the combes that Qrech told you about
 
One interesting connection that Mathilde might make? Is; the way Belegar felt after reclaiming all of Karak Eight Peaks. (Hell, even the way he felt before he reclaimed all of the 8 Peaks; when he had reclaimed 3 or so of the Peaks. Even back then, he was having doubts if this was for the best for his people, because his people didn't even need the space. ... Then again, the maudlin mood may have been due to it being in the middle of the ceremony of a young Dwarf going Slayer. So, that probably had something to do with it.) And how she noted that she had once thought that Belegar would feel re-energized after completing the reclamation, but instead he just had heavier burdens.

(Battle of the Caldera and Waaagh! Birdmuncha happens here, on Turn 25.)


It's worth remembering though that, just like I noted "Hmm, this was in the middle of a young Dwarf going Slayer", this was shortly after some hard talks with Thorgrim too.

Compare it to the way Belegar reacted when we presented him with his Crown and all its jewels, and his resolution to defend his people and face Waaagh Birdmuncha.

Different situations, different emotions, different reactions.

There'll be ups and downs, basically.

That comes with being a ruler or with having responsibility. ... Hell, Mathilde wasn't very happy about reducing Castle Drakenhof to rubble despite the historic achievement, because her boss had died. Roswita was terrified of Wizards, but after the assassination of Alkharad turned the situation in Sylvania around? And after the arrival of and the getting used to of Battle Wizards... she was complaining about them being like damned cats, heh. And even after she reclaimed more parts of Sylvania, she still had to deal with unpleasant politics and politicking in the Empire. And yet, there's business to be done.

Ups and downs. Take your victories where you can. Take your joys where you can.

And don't beat yourself up too much for not being able to win perfectly.

... And sometimes, you can even achieve results you never would have believed even possible or were on the table. A million-man Waaagh? The language of the Skaven? An Aethyr-vanished Karak?

Borek has already accomplished something. And yes, it may not be the Karak he wanted... But think of how it will be viewed by those down south. And not in terms of prestige and awe. But in terms of "Do people believe in Borek's mission, or the possibilities or possible payoff thereof, or at minimum of the importance of getting good information on what is going up up north by Karag Dum and the value that any such information might hold?"

The reveal of Karak Vlag, means that people will have more interest and support in scouting Karag Dum. It means that even if somehow this mission has to turn back sooner or does not fully succeed... It might mean that people are more willing to believe in the possibility.

(... Of course, it's still possible for Karak Vlag to be another example of Skendanbryn, Stolen Hope. That is: if, after Vlag miraculously returns, if some Chaos Marauder army or Moulder raiding army wanders by and decides to exterminate the Dwarfs and set up camp in there, before the Karaz Ankor can respond to Vlag in time? It will be tragic and bitter and dark. But. We were already telling ourselves of the possibility that our hopes might fail, and we might strand Vlag in the Aethyr for good, and that ended up not happening. I think we can expand out a bit more hope, that reinforcements and messengers will reach Vlag in time, and that Vlag's story will have a happy end...)

(... If nothing else, Thorgrim will be glad to have a NET GAIN of one Old Hold recovered in his reign. Vlag, Dum, and Eight Peaks? Because Vlag and Dum were the first two Old Holds lost since Azgal in a long while. Eight Peaks was an unexpected return. So was Vlag. If we go 3 for 3, then... Then it would mean something delicate and incredible.)

(... Now if only the Norse Dwarfs weren't all vanished and dead and gone. Then, Thorgrim might start to feel like all his hopes and dreams that he started with -- finding lost cousins, returning with the news, proclaiming a new age of vengeance -- were not ground under the grim reality of the reaper's toll of the cost of the Great War Against Chaos. Because man, it must suck to be Thorgrim, to come into things with hopes and dreams... only to swiftly find them all falling to ashes.)
So, totally tangent to this guy's actual point, but Mathilde is so goddamn fun.

Practically every scene of the updates you linked had some memorable or memeable line. The scene with Ruprecht, who is one of the least interesting characters we've Social'd, was bursting with personality from 'Between you and Hubert we've rethought out position on Wizards' 'Well between you and Hubert I've rethought my position on Ulricans' to 'I just wanted to ask where you stood' '... You first.' to this little gem:
"I stand with King Belegar," you reply simply. "My service to him has the stamp of approval of the Emperor himself." He said he'd heard good things. That counts, right?
She turned 'Oh yeah, I've heard of Mathilde Weber' into 'My actions have the stamp of approval from the Emperor himself' without batting an eyelash.

So cool.
 
There's much more to resistance to Colleges getting electoral vote than conservatism of elites and animosity towards wizards. Reikland traditionally commands bloc of five votes - Sigmarites' and Moot's with its own of 15, which would mean Reikland EC needs only three votes, but anyone else has to secure seven votes out of eight free ones (Middenland votes for themselves, Ar-Ulric votes for Middenland), 6/8 for EC of Middenland. Inclusion of sixteenth Colleges' vote grants Reikland another guaranteed vote, surest of them all (naturally Colleges wouldn't want for Altdorf to lose capital status, and they are connected to this specific city more than Cult of Sigmar and of course Halflings of the Moot), and now anyone needs 9 votes for majority, so while for Reikland things technically doesn't change, anyone else except Middenland has to secure all the eight votes, 7/8 for Middenland - something next to impossible given all the constant provincial feuds.
Therefore Elector Counts of provinces will stand to an end against College vote in fear of such vote bloc reliably securing Reiklander dynastic succession of Empire, which would likely lead to increasing centralization. Granted, such established vote blocs could likely destabilize - Moot in particular could certainly break off and start offering their vote - but immediate threat of such bloc would be enough to almost all provincial politicians.
The Reikland normally commands 4, the Moot varies a bunch. As a note, you also need 2/3rds of the votes to become Emperor, not a simple majority.
 
I'm surprised so few people are in favor of scouting. Doing scouting here is especially important, as there are enemies all around us fighting that might stumble on us.

[x] Scouting near the convoy
[x] Ranging far ahead of the convoy
 
So, totally tangent to this guy's actual point, but Mathilde is so goddamn fun.

Practically every scene of the updates you linked had some memorable or memeable line. The scene with Ruprecht, who is one of the least interesting characters we've Social'd, was bursting with personality from 'Between you and Hubert we've rethought out position on Wizards' 'Well between you and Hubert I've rethought my position on Ulricans' to 'I just wanted to ask where you stood' '... You first.' to this little gem:

She turned 'Oh yeah, I've heard of Mathilde Weber' into 'My actions have the stamp of approval from the Emperor himself' without batting an eyelash.

So cool.
My favorite was Little Franz, although the opening and the one with Belegar are actually pretty poignant given recent events. Yet again, the gates of Karaz-a-Karak will probably be opened to aid a reclaimed Karak, and yet again stone will be given a chance to heal. And yet again, it's all Mathilde's fault. :V
 
????

if that was the case, why vote for the Skaven Combes?

their currently in six place, surely it would be more effective to not vote for it and widen the gap it has to get?

otherwises your making it more likely for two sidequests?

Unless one of the other options gains a ton of votes all of a sudden, the only way for us to not go to Uzkulak is if both the combes and Ruprecht get enough votes to knock Uzkulak into sixth place. And all three are extremely close in votes right now.
 
[x] Scouting near the convoy
[x] Ranging far ahead of the convoy
[x] Visit Uzkulak, the Chaos Dwarf equivalent to Barak Varr
[x] Visit the combes that Qrech told you about
 
I'm surprised so few people are in favor of scouting. Doing scouting here is especially important, as there are enemies all around us fighting that might stumble on us.

[x] Scouting near the convoy
[x] Ranging far ahead of the convoy
I am not against scouting, but we only have 5 AP and there are more interesting options...

Plus the chances of Scouting wining at this point are extremely small, so many people woný vote for them...
 
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[x] Citharus, Barbitus, and Timpania
[x] Visit Uzkulak, the Chaos Dwarf equivalent to Barak Varr
[x] Visit the combes that Qrech told you about
[x] Thane Borek Forkbeard
[x] Head Engineer Gotrek Gurnisson
[x] Head Ranger Snorri Farstrider
 
I'm surprised so few people are in favor of scouting. Doing scouting here is especially important, as there are enemies all around us fighting that might stumble on us.

[x] Scouting near the convoy
[x] Ranging far ahead of the convoy
We can still only be in one place at a time, while our hundreds of monstrous wilderness knights can cover far more ground, over much longer timescales.
Mathilde would if anything be better deployed as a follow up when the scouts report back to the Council saying "there's some specific and dangerous-looking point or event over there", rather than as one person ranging around on the off-chance we see something.
 
I'm surprised so few people are in favor of scouting. Doing scouting here is especially important, as there are enemies all around us fighting that might stumble on us.

[x] Scouting near the convoy
[x] Ranging far ahead of the convoy
We have many people that can scout overland. We are the only ones that can effectively scout underground.
 
"Okay," you say. "Spit it out. Someone's got to tell me what's with the Ulrican drama so it may as well be you."

"I'm not privy to the exact nature of the disagreement between the Winter Wolves and-"

"I can literally see your lies.
So, this bit. Hubert is a wizard, so he should be a single color, and get Ulgu colors there when lieing.
Is this an inconsistency, is Mathilde bluffing, or does a lying wizard still attract Ulgu, just not like a human.
 
So, this bit. Hubert is a wizard, so he should be a single color, and get Ulgu colors there when lieing.
Is this an inconsistency, is Mathilde bluffing, or does a lying wizard still attract Ulgu, just not like a human.

She can't see the Ulgu in Hubert directly, but she can see the ambient Ulgu being attracted towards Hubert. Same way she saw Gretel's curiosity earlier.
 
I know the discussion has passed the topic, but if we really wanted to get the Colleges an Elector vote the best way for Mathilde to influence that is to become Supreme Matriarch and mention it to Heidi. She's a big into politics and would have some incentive to get a friend in a position like that. Would still take a lot of work, but she'd have a better shot at influencing that decision than Mathilde would.

Accomplish big enough deeds helping every individual EC that they owe us enough to vote as we ask on this one vote? Might be the easiest and most likely to work path?

Which is still a ridiculously difficult and time consuming thing to do, though I think we might at least be theoretically capable of it. Still, lotta stuff on the list before we even have the time to start seriously considering solving massive problems for every individual EC.
 
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Accomplish big enough deeds helping every individual EC that they owe us enough to vote as we ask on this one vote? Might be the easiest and most likely to work path?

Which is still a ridiculously difficult and time consuming thing to do, though I think we might at least be theoretically capable of it. Still, lotta stuff on the list before we even have the time to start seriously considering solving massive problems for every individual EC.

Only 13 more Great Deeds to go and we can do it.
 
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