I think getting Engrimm involved in a investigation against his former master is a bad idea for many reason. First he has a personal bias against his former master. Mathilde is allowed to investigate nearly anyone since she is a grey wizard. Involving Engrimm may look like Mathilde is taking sides in a investigation between college factions. Plus Mathilde is better at sneaking around by herself.
[X] Plan Stacking Advantages
-[X] MAX: Learning: Rituals from the colleges. Mathilde pays gold costs.
-[X] WEB-MAT: Investigate Alric with one or more members of WEB-MAT (JOHANN)
--[X] COIN: The Gambler
-[X] WEB-MAT: Investigate Gryphon Wood with one or more members of WEB-MAT (EGRIMM)
-[X] Personally scrutinize a Waystone as thoroughly as you possibly can.
-[X] Lay the foundations: work with the current members of WEB-MAT and the Waystone Project to build a single unified framework for understanding the Waystones.
-[X] Attempt to bring a Major House or Ward into the Waystone Project (Frost)
-[X] EIC: Try to uncover what's going on in Gryphon's Wood.
-[X] LIBRARY: Seek an agreement with a Cult to have access to their libraries (Verenans)
-[X] SERENITY: Write a paper: Observations of Johann's prosthetic arm (FRESH)
The plan here is to not underestimate the mini-adventures we're going on, and instead stack the deck so we do well in them.
For investigating Alric, I don't think it's a good idea to send Egrimm against his former master. Instead, we go with Johann, who has a high 19 Intrigue and 20 Diplomacy, and The Gambler coin. Johann can handle investigating the more public/social parts of Alric's business while Mathilde can pull off a daring information heist or two with the help of The Gambler.
For Gryphon Woods, we'll go with Egrimm for his multidisciplinary expertise and we'll use the EIC to lay some prep work and try to find some initial intel. The Gryphon Woods is more of a mystery, so Egrimm's flexibility will be an important asset.
Aside all that, given Mathilde herself thinks it's time to Lay the Foundations, I don't see any reason to delay that unless we want to pack in more recruitment actions this turn. And I'm seeing many plans that don't do either. (Exploring the Ward of Frost is more preparing to recruit them than anything else. It's not itself a recruitment action, and even then, we have a Grey Lord who already should know Laurelorn's side of the Waystones.)
E: I should acknowledge that some parts of this plan were "stolen" from @picklepikkl. Thanks!
Edit 2: Swapped the MAX and Ward of Frost actions.
OK, I actually really like Derpmind's plan: using two WEBMAT actions for the investigations so as to leave time for Mathilde to poke a waystone, make connections in the Ward of Frost, and set up the framework is great. I'm going to leave my plan intact for the sake of the folks who want to Windherd and/or try to get lucky with Protector, but I think Stacking Advantages is the best plan currently extant and people who are voting for my plan just because they trust my judgment should switch to hers instead.
Aside all that, given Mathilde herself thinks it's time to Lay the Foundations, I don't see any reason to delay that unless we want to pack in more recruitment actions this turn. And I'm seeing many plans that don't do either. (Exploring the Ward of Frost is more preparing to recruit them than anything else. It's not itself a recruitment action, and even then, we have a Grey Lord who already should know Laurelorn's side of the Waystones.)
E: I should acknowledge that some parts of this plan were "stolen" from @picklepikkl. Thanks!
We have been laying foundations for the last year and a half IC and about five months OOC. If we lay them any deeper we will start building down instead of up. Speaking of things that happened a year and a half ago the Ward of frost are literally the people to approach us about all the cool Waystone knowledge they have. I do not think we need to beat around the bush.
I genuinely do not think anything Alaric can do to us, can be more potentially damaging in the long term than a failure in getting the millennia old elf lord and the centuries old dwarf lord to play along. A bad enough diplomatic failure on lay the groundwork, which hinges on Mathilde's worst stat could be crippling long term. We should really put the Gambler on there.
Is it possible to micromanage like this: [] WEB-MAT: Investigate Alric with Johann (on-site) and Egrimm (analysis through correspondence) ?
On the topic of mass recruitment, Wissenland has acute rat problems plus an academy of elementalists in Nuln and we still have dwarf favours to call in. That doesn't look like rocket science to me.
[X] Plan Stacking Advantages
[X] Plan: Jyn+debt free
[X] Plan Project Soon
Is it possible to micromanage like this: [] WEB-MAT: Investigate Alric with Johann (on-site) and Egrimm (analysis through correspondence) ?
On the topic of mass recruitment, Wissenland has acute rat problems plus an academy of elementalists in Nuln and we still have dwarf favours to call in. That doesn't look like rocket science to me.
[X] Plan Stacking Advantages
[X] Plan: Jyn+debt free
I have absolutely no desire to chase down this Daughter plotline or hunt down the secrets of the Hedgewise, so supporting plans which does not involve them and instead actually gets to work with the project we're here to do.
Which is why we wouldn't be doing the favour to them but rather to the guy who tried to recruit Mathilde as spymaster and he will then order them to send someone.
I'm adding a couple of extra variation plans, in my ongoing attempt to get Windherding to happen:
[X] Plan Starting up debt free, Windherd Edition
-[X] EGRIMM: Attempt a Windherder enchantment with Egrimm
--[X] Shadowsteed & Clarity, allowing the user to ride all night without sleep
-[X] WEB-MAT: Investigate Alric with one or more members of WEB-MAT (Egrimm) (NEW)
-[X] WEB-MAT: Investigate Gryphon Wood with one or more members of WEB-MAT (Johann) (NEW)
-[x] Personally scrutinize a Waystone as thoroughly as you possibly can.
-[x] Lay the foundations: work with the current members of WEB-MAT and the Waystone Project to build a single unified framework for understanding the Waystones.
--[x] The Gambler
-[X] Attempt to bring a Major House or Ward into the Waystone Project (Frost)
-[X] Serenity: Observations of Johann's prosthetic arm (FRESH)
-[X] EIC: Investigate what trade goods the Eonir might be willing to import from the Empire. (NEW)
-[X] Seek the publishing contacts to start acquiring large amounts of books from a nearby realm (Bretonnia)
-[X] The Gambler
[X] Plan Stacking Advantages, Windherd Edition
-[X] EGRIMM: Attempt a Windherder enchantment with Egrimm
--[X] Shadowsteed & Clarity, allowing the user to ride all night without sleep
-[X] WEB-MAT: Investigate Alric with one or more members of WEB-MAT (JOHANN)
--[X] COIN: The Gambler
-[X] WEB-MAT: Investigate Gryphon Wood with one or more members of WEB-MAT (EGRIMM)
-[x] Personally scrutinize a Waystone as thoroughly as you possibly can.
-[x] Lay the foundations: work with the current members of WEB-MAT and the Waystone Project to build a single unified framework for understanding the Waystones.
-[X] Explore one of the Wards of Laurelorn (Frost)
-[X] EIC: Try to uncover what's going on in Gryphon's Wood.
-[X] Library: Seek an agreement with a Cult to have access to their libraries (Verenans)
-[X] SERENITY: Write a paper: Observations of Johann's prosthetic arm (FRESH)
These changes out Max's actions for having Egrimm do windherding. Yes it means there's no Max action - but that's fine every once in a while. He is the WEB-MAT participant we most reliably call upon, we can afford to give him some time off.
[X] Plan WEB-MAT All-In, Foundation Edition
-[X] MAX: Study an artefact: Kurgan enchanted weapons
-[X] MAX: Learn to pilot the Gyrocopter along with Mathilde
-[X] EGRIMM: Attempt a Windherder enchantment with Egrimm
--[X] Shadowsteed & Clarity, allowing the user to ride all night without sleep
-[X] WEB-MAT: Investigate Gryphon Wood with one or more members of WEB-MAT (JOHANN)
-[X] WEB-MAT: Investigate Alric with one or more members of WEB-MAT (Egrimm) (NEW)
-[X] WEB-MAT: Write a paper: Observations of Johann's prosthetic arm (FRESH) (Johann, Egrimm)
-[X] Lay the foundations: work with the current members of WEB-MAT and the Waystone Project to build a single unified framework for understanding the Waystones.
--[X] Gambler
-[X] EIC: Investigate what trade goods the Eonir might be willing to import from the Empire. (NEW)
-[X] Library: Seek an agreement with a Cult to have access to their libraries (Verenans)
-[X] SERENITY: The Black Orc Warboss' worship of Only Gork, and what you saw of the Rogue Idol ritual
-[X] COIN: The Gambler
This is just my WEB-MAT All-In but instead of personally scrutinising a waystone, we jump in on the foundation - and rather than having Protector coin we go for Gambler on the foundation, because I think that's something that 100% wants the gambler boost with how vital it is to our future progress.
[X] Plan WEB-MAT All-In
-[X] MAX: Study an artefact: Kurgan enchanted weapons
-[X] MAX: Learn to pilot the Gyrocopter along with Mathilde
-[X] EGRIMM: Attempt a Windherder enchantment with Egrimm
--[X] Shadowsteed & Clarity, allowing the user to ride all night without sleep
-[X] WEB-MAT: Investigate Gryphon Wood with one or more members of WEB-MAT (JOHANN)
-[X] WEB-MAT: Investigate Alric with one or more members of WEB-MAT (Egrimm) (NEW)
-[X] WEB-MAT: Write a paper: Observations of Johann's prosthetic arm (FRESH) (Johann, Egrimm)
-[X] Personally scrutinize a Waystone as thoroughly as you possibly can.
-[X] EIC: Investigate what trade goods the Eonir might be willing to import from the Empire. (NEW)
-[X] Library: Seek an agreement with a Cult to have access to their libraries (Verenans)
-[X] SERENITY: The Black Orc Warboss' worship of Only Gork, and what you saw of the Rogue Idol ritual
-[X] COIN: The Protector
[X] Plan Pickle's Political Protector Proposal
[x] Plan: Waystone scrutiny, payments promised and Wind herding
[X] Plan Compromise
Which is why we wouldn't be doing the favour to them but rather to the guy who tried to recruit Mathilde as spymaster and he will then order them to send someone.
Learning Rituals alongside Max seems more valuable to me than investigating some random enchanted junk that can sit the drawer for the next however long. That's my main reason for favoring "debt free" over the alternatives.
I'm ambivalent about taking Egrimm after Alfric. I can see where it would lead to problems, but on the other hand no one knows Alfric and his tricks and thought processes better. I think the potential for things becoming "complicated" for Egrimm is overshadowed by the potential benefit of having our personal Alfric expert on tap, if only barely. It's a risk, but not a crazy one.
