Protip: writing fiction isn't actually easy. It's a bunch of interwoven skillsets that take a fair bit of time and effort to get even kind of good at.
So you're saying that you would punk on Mathilde. The scrub.
I know this isn't what you were suggesting, but to head anyone else off, this would not mean you would be able to turn Egrimm into a power stone farmer. Creating power stones is a tedious and perpetually in-demand process that attracts people that seek a boring, predictable, and safe job. Egrimm is not such a person.
Off the top of my head I wouldn't even know what to do with Hysh Power Stones. I'd have suggested it as a good skill for two engaged and talented Enchanters to learn together, for the purpose of one secret and scandalous research project and whatever he himself wants to do with it instead of spending CF.
If somewhere down the tech tree we actually want more, at the very least we shouldn't demand that he ever makes more Power Stones than Mathilde herself and only for something that's actually worth doing.
The potential benefit would be that mathilde as a magic user would have a different perspective that might help him translate insights from that language into a form more easily communicable to other project members.
It's definitely useful. I'm just not sure if it is "must happen before the foundation" useful.
A big reason for wanting to do Drakenhof is this:
I want to get it done as soon as possible not to plump up her collection, but because it's the largest repository of dark lore on the continent and letting it sit there for six more months than we have to is irresponsible. I want to get the library up and running too, but letting a giant library of necromantic lore sit around in an unsecure location isn't better than opening up KAU six months later when it comes to making the world better.
Is there any action we can drop to do both those library actions this turn?
If six months is irresponsible, what about 11 years? And nothing specific even happened last turn to make it more urgent. If a player hadn't thought of it at some point during discussion in between turn 37 scenes we wouldn't even be talking about it.
Letting the books lie for 11.5 years won't make such a difference. At worst the DC of whatever roll Boney uses to see if it's already been looted increases by less than 5%.
so it saves us an AP to just get it done right now instead.
I get most of your arguments. But not this one. How does spending an AP on it now save us an AP? Isn't the net the same?
Anyway, I still continue to see the merits of both options. If we want to recruit Hedgewise it just makes more sense to give them a chance to add to the foundation than not. And recruiting them without the Father would just be silly.
On the flip side we don't know if they actually have anything of worth to contribute and two times +20 somewhere might just make all the difference. And it's not just to make Mathilde personally seem more knowledgeable. It might also happen to shake loose an important memory of one of the participants or distract from a clash of personality that would have led to a fight.
All else being equal I'll probably vote for the Father. But "all else being equal" seems like it will be a high bar this time around.
[-] Plan two houses (gambler)
-[-] One Overwork Action
-[-] WEB-MAT: Hire someone as a full-time Gyrocopter pilot (Adela)
-[-] 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.
-[-] Attempt to bring a Major House or Ward into the Waystone Project (Tindomiel)
--[-] COIN: The Gambler
-[-] Attempt to bring a Major House or Ward into the Waystone Project (Miriel)
-[-] Branulhune's ability to disappear and reappear at a thought allows entirely new forms of combat. Continue to work on them.
-[-] Investigate how the Vitae reacts to a power stone.
-[-] EIC: Investigate what trade goods the Eonir might be willing to import from the Empire.
-[-] KAU: Decide who your library staff will consist of, and go about recruiting them.
-[-] SERENITY: Write a book: Windsoak Mushrooms (1/2)
[-] Plan two houses (father)
-[-] One Overwork Action
-[-] WEB-MAT: Hire someone as a full-time Gyrocopter pilot (Adela)
-[-] 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.
-[-] Attempt to bring a Major House or Ward into the Waystone Project (Tindomiel)
--[-] COIN: The Father
-[-] Attempt to bring a Major House or Ward into the Waystone Project (Miriel)
-[-] Branulhune's ability to disappear and reappear at a thought allows entirely new forms of combat. Continue to work on them.
-[-] Investigate how the Vitae reacts to a power stone.
-[-] EIC: Investigate what trade goods the Eonir might be willing to import from the Empire.
-[-] KAU: Decide who your library staff will consist of, and go about recruiting them.
-[-] SERENITY: Write a book: Windsoak Mushrooms (1/2)
Recruiting House Miriel is not something I am in any way opposed to, even if I don't think they are as important to have early as House Tindomiel. So the basic idea behind your plans is something I would vote for.
That said, I don't get why we would want to spend the Gambler on Tindomiel. They don't seem like such a tough nut to crack.
And using the Father without attempting the Haléthans just seems plain weird and not comprehensible.
If we do not do Book mine option these turn we will not do it next turn. Next turn will be use taking follow up action for the waystone and spending AP actions paying for recruitment. Or spending AP recruiting. That means mini adventures. I do not see people wanting to vote for book mine if we are already going to have mini adventures.
That sounds like fear mongering to me. Not only have we done two adventures in a row before (and I wouldn't be opposed to it as long as there's a gap between those two adventures and the next two), but we've also had multiple recruitment repayments in the past that didn't even cost AP, let alone trigger a mini-adventure.
If spending CF to get someone else to study it isn't possible, then I'd prefer to give it away for rep or simply sell it. Our backlog is too big and the rep/gold would be better than something we want to do but won't actually ever get around to doing. (Ghyran Nut excepted.)
I'll fite you IRL before I let you throw away the Moon Shrine.