Also, I need to ask: for the second Vampire Daughter image, are they supposed to be in a subway? Cause the seats and the background really remind me of one for some reason.
As usual, I'll be offering up 5 Favour for this great art and you will have first dibs on rolls during next week's Refinement stage.
I was trying for a passenger train look, with the city going by in the background and there being bus seats. The monitors, with ride info and stock news, were my attempt to give the illusion of windows.Thinking back, I could have just did some custom wall stickers to make it look more convincing. But hey, at least I remembered to give the daughter shoes this time!
While I hesitate to call my stuff great, I would be humbled to accept 5 favor and the roll dibs; we are expecting some Favor loss in the future. I hope the editor in chief isn't too pissed at us...
For this one case, we just show him a few pages and he will understand everything. I mean, he'll still be pissed we are too newbie to have been able to save both anyway, but still. The newbieness will vanish with time regardless.
Hopefully sooner rather than later. Given we will eventually have 5 series, we'll need extra editing points sooner rather than later and god know the dices are not on our side.
-[x] [Space Racer] Edit
--[x] 4 points on Supporting Characters to 50 (+0).
--[x] 5 points on Story to 50 (+0).
--[x] 4 points on Dialogue to 70 (+2).
--[x] 1 points on Special Effect to 70 (+2).
-[x] [Vampire] Edit
--[x] 2 points on Supporting Characters to 40 (-1).
--[x] 12 points on Story to 40 (-1).
--[x] 3 points on Setting to 40 (-1).
--[x] 9 points on Dialogue to 50 (+0).
--[x] 7 points on Layout/Background to 70 (+2).
--[x] 3 points on Special Effects to 40 (-1).
-[x] [Vampire] Crunch Time?
--[x] Story.
-[x] [Fake Teacher] Accept as is. No changes
-[x] [Lesser Evil] Rejected.
Once again, you rush to get everything ready before the deadline. While you'd picked up a bit of experience over the past few weeks, you couldn't help feeling a bit defeated as you sat across the table from a frowning Masaru.
Putting down the draft you'd handed over, he groaned and rubbed his bleary eyes. "Well, it's a shame. But after reading through it myself I have to agree with you. This Lesser Evil, Greater Evil series needs a lot more work before it's worth publishing."
"So you'll help me explain to our esteemed Editor-in-Chief?" you confirmed, resisting the urge to sigh in relief as he nodded.
Being forced to reject a chapter entirely still looked bad, but if a more senior editor like Masaru agreed with your reasoning then your bosses couldn't get too mad... hopefully.
"He's got some potential, I'm sure. But with this level of artwork?" Masaru shook his head in disappointment. "He might survive in a doujinshi convention, but not in a professional magazine."
"Actually… would it be possible for me to get him an assistant?" you asked. "His writing seems to be on par, so if we had someone to handle the art…"
Masaru shook his head again, looking a bit bemused. "That's not really… ah, I forgot how new you are to this industry as well. Maeda-san, you can't just give every mangaka an assistant. After all, they still need to get paid!"
You blinked, frowning as you remembered something. "Then what about Tana-sensei? Will there be a problem with her assistant in the future?"
"Oh no, that's different," Masaru waved off your concern. "After all, they're in a relationship together, right? I don't know the details of their arrangement, but if a mangaka wishes to pay for an assistant out of their own paycheck, that's their business."
"So if I wanted to get someone for, say, Aoki-san?"
"He'd have to pay their salary himself," your senpai confirmed, causing you to slump in your seat. Considering how much he already seemed to be struggling financially, you didn't really think it'd be a good idea to tell your mangaka to cut down his pay even more.
"We do offer subsidies to mangaka assistants, but only for those who are already Experienced or Established," Masaru explained. "After all, we don't want to waste money on someone who might end up getting canceled in a month!"
"That… makes sense," you had to admit. "It's just a shame, though. If they just had a little more support, I know these guys could do a lot better."
"Actually… have you considered an alternative?" Masaru asked, looking thoughtfully towards the script in front of him. "Instead of letting him start his own series straight away… why not assign him as an assistant to one of your other mangaka? That way he can gain experience and work on building up his skills before making his debut."
That… could work, actually.
"I'd have to speak to Gendou-san first, see what he thinks…" you mutter to yourself, trying to figure out how to break it to him. "I don't want to come across as too insulting, after all…"
"Well, just let me know if he's interested. We can put him with… The Greatest Fake Teacher? Ah, Yuzuki-san. Yes, she might be a good fit for him," Masaru mused. "But if he becomes an assistant, you'll need to pick up a new series to make up for it."
"I can do that," you nodded, glancing at the clock on the wall. Damn, 10pm already? "Now, if there's nothing else?"
"Oh, go on then, Maeda-san," Masaru chuckled, noticing where your attention had gone. "You've done your part. I'll just finish up the rest of this before I leave. Good work."
Nodding in appreciation, you gave your thanks before leaving as quickly as you could without being insulting. You took a second to wave goodbye to an equally exhausted looking John and Shion as you passed, but aside from that you didn't let anything get in your way as you all but ran out the door and into the brisk night air.
One of these days, you promised yourself. One of these days, you'd be able to submit your damn final drafts and leave on time and go home at a reasonable hour instead of having to stay up late like everyone else. One of these days…
===
The next morning, you put extra sugar into your coffee before picking up your phone.
Taking a moment to brace yourself, you opened up the Sunday Star's website to see just what the readers thought about you (and your mangaka's) hard work.
Popularity of Space Racer Subaru-kun (Chapter 3): 11!
AsukaisMyLaifu: Damn, that was a cool explosion! Just hope the next part is just as good.
MysteryMaster: This is a definite improvement compared to last week, especially when it comes to the art. My only complaint is that the ending feels very abrupt and out of place. Did they have to cut it short at the last moment?
PrettyPinkCure: Whoa, this race feels more intense than I was expecting. I wonder how Subaru's going to beat Karidok?
Our Daughter is Actually a Vampire! (Chapter 3): 9!
AsukaisMyLaifu: lol that "friend" was a dog the whole time? I've seen doujins like this...
MysteryMaster: Not quite as interesting as last week's chapter, but I did like the contrast between the daughter's trendiness and the main character's old-fashionedness.
PrettyPinkCure: Ugh, did they ask my dad to write this? Some of the jokes sound just like his sense of humor.
AsukaisMyLaifu: Well, the magic looked cooler than usual, but why do we have a new character all of a sudden? What happened to that cute student who confessed like five chapters ago???
MysteryMaster: Wasn't really expecting much from this, but I liked how we're getting a bit more information about Kaito-sensei's past life. Learning about his old school and how he wasn't always this confident in front of other people was some interesting backstory.
PrettyPinkCure: Well, this Edward guy seems nice. The way he used illusion magic for acting was pretty cool!
Well, it was better than you'd feared, at least. Space Racer and Vampire Daughter seemed to be chugging along so far, though Fake Teacher would definitely need some work if you planned to keep it going long term.
Glancing through your emails, you spotted a new message from your Editor-in-Chief regarding this week's situation:
Status Update:
Gained +1 Favor for successfully taking over The Greatest Fake Teacher
Gained +1 Favor for completing task for Space Racer Subaru-kun
Lost -2 Favor for canceling this week's chapter of Greater Evil, Lesser Evil (reduced due to circumstances)
New Requests Gained: Our Daughter is Actually a Vampire!: To avoid becoming stale, Chapter 4 should be from another character's point of view.
Well, your failure with Lesser Evil, Greater Evil aside, you'd done pretty well this week in your own humble opinion. As you poured yourself another cup of coffee, you took a moment to consider your schedule for the next few days…
===
For the sake of simplicity, please vote by plan. Choose Four (4) Personal Actions:
Overtime: Sure, your work will suffer, but that's a problem for the future-you. (Gain an extra action in exchange for losing 10 Editor Bonus points) [ ] [Overtime] Yes
[ ] [Overtime] No
[ ] Networking (Masaru-senpai): Since your direct superior is in a good mood, now's the perfect time to cement your role as his most trusted and reliable kouhai. -[ ] Learning the Ropes: With the sudden increase in the number of series you're expected to work with, it might be a good idea to ask Masaru for advice. Perhaps he has a few tips or tricks that he can show you? (Work on improving you Maeda's Editor Trait) -[ ] Leave It To Me: Alternatively, you can focus on doing what you do best: brown nosing your way into your boss's good graces. A few hours helping Masaru clear out some of his more tedious work is bound to make a good impression (Gather Favor)
[ ] Networking (Coworkers): It's probably a good idea to stay on the good side of the people that you're going to be working with regularly. -[ ] Thanks, Boss: A little errand here, a few words of flattery there, and you'll have the middle managers and team leads eating out of your hand in no time. (Chance to Gather Favor. Can be repeated) -[ ] Shion (Still Available?): Some of Shion's old manga assistants are currently looking for work. Even if you can't assign them to your newest mangaka just yet, it might still be a good idea to meet up and see what kind of talent they have to offer. -[ ] John (A Helping Hand): John claims to have found someone with "real talent" recently. Sadly, they don't seem too keen to sign up with the Sunday Star. Perhaps you might be able to convince them otherwise?
[ ] Networking (Assistant Editor in Chief): Ah, shit. Who decided to give such an important position to your idiot cousin? Meeting with him isn't going to be pleasant, but you should see if you can do some damage control before things get even more out of hand.
[ ] Networking (Editor in Chief): You're glad that he doesn't seem to be too upset over the chapter rejection thing. Still, it might be a good idea to meet up and learn more about him in person.
[ ] Networking (Board of Directors): You're not sure what exactly is going on, but rumor has it that the BoD are up to something again. Hopefully this time it won't be anything too crazy… right?
[ ] Networking (Mangaka): Paying a visit to one of your current mangakas might be a good idea, if only to ensure that they aren't having any problems meeting the deadline. (Gives you +1 Suggestion to that specific mangaka) -[ ] Tanaka Himari: While she has made a few mistakes in the past, Tana-sensei has been showing some substantial improvement over the past week. Maybe you could offer her a reward of some kind? -[ ] Aoki Akira: Seriously, what was with that mess that he submitted? What made him think that that was acceptable? You need to make it clear that this won't happen again. -[ ] Yuzuki Himari: Despite your initial fears, Yuzuki has done much better than anyone could have expected. However, if you want her series to stay healthy, you need to know what she has planned for the long term. -[ ] Gendou Ren: Unfortunately, Gendou just didn't have the art experience necessary to create a good manga. You're not completely sure about Masaru's suggestion, but it couldn't hurt to ask if he'd be interested in working as an assistant instead of jumping straight into the mangaka career.
[ ] Research: It's probably a good idea to make sure that you're not totally ignorant about your job anymore. (Work on improving Maeda's Editor Trait) -[ ] The Big Three: Naruto, One Piece, and Bleach; the biggest shonen series of their time. Perhaps you'll find the secret of their popularity by rereading them as an editor rather than a fan. -[ ] The Trending: What's even in the top ten list now, anyway? Probably a good idea to see what the general public are into nowadays. -[ ] Sunday Star: You know what the readers think about your own series, but what about the rest of the magazine? Now that things are shaking up a bit, you should keep an eye on what your readers are into.
[ ] Talent Searching: Despite being a relatively small publication, the Sunday Star still receives dozens of manuscripts from wannabe mangakas every week. Take a look through the pile and see if there are any interesting new series that you can pick up.
Dang, we're getting sucked in to the culture. The dangers of being passionate about the work I guess. At least we are uniquely motivated (and positioned) to find ways to cut our own crunch time.
Also I like the suggestion of having the mangaka of LEGE get assistant experience first. Not only is that an actual thing that happens irl, it also gives a new dimension to juggle in our work. So long as it doesn't get too complicated and bog both us readers and the QM down with mechanics and stuff, of course.
Also I like the suggestion of having the mangaka of LEGE get assistant experience first. Not only is that an actual thing that happens irl, it also gives a new dimension to juggle in our work. So long as it doesn't get too complicated and bog both us readers and the QM down with mechanics and stuff, of course.
I actually have to disagree: how helpful would the lege guy be as an assistant? His talents seem to run towards plot while failing on art ... when a manga assistant is supposed to lighten to load of all the drawing
I actually have to disagree: how helpful would the lege guy be as an assistant? His talents seem to run towards plot while failing on art ... when a manga assistant is supposed to lighten to load of all the drawing
[X] Greatest Editor Rush Plan -[X] [Overtime] Yes
-[X] Networking (Masaru-senpai)
--[X] Learning the Ropes
-[X] Networking (Mangaka) --[X] Gendou Ren
-[X] Research: It's probably a good idea to make sure that you're not totally ignorant about your job anymore. (Work on improving Maeda's Editor Trait) --[X] The Big Three: Naruto, One Piece, and Bleach; the biggest shonen series of their time. Perhaps you'll find the secret of their popularity by rereading them as an editor rather than a fan. --[X] The Trending: What's even in the top ten list now, anyway? Probably a good idea to see what the general public are into nowadays. --[X] Sunday Star: You know what the readers think about your own series, but what about the rest of the magazine? Now that things are shaking up a bit, you should keep an eye on what your readers are into.
(The plan is that the points lost by overtime will be made up by improving our editor trait. Also, we should give Gendou to Aoki.)
"Instead of letting him start his own series straight away… why not assign him as an assistant to one of your other mangaka? That way he can gain experience and work on building up his skills before making his debut."
how helpful would the lege guy be as an assistant? His talents seem to run towards plot while failing on art ... when a manga assistant is supposed to lighten to load of all the drawing
"So if I wanted to get someone for, say, Aoki-san?"
"He'd have to pay their salary himself," your senpai confirmed, causing you to slump in your seat. Considering how much he already seemed to be struggling financially, you didn't really think it'd be a good idea to tell your mangaka to cut down his pay even more.
[] Net the workers -[] Networking (Coworkers): It's probably a good idea to stay on the good side of the people that you're going to be working with regularly. --[] John (A Helping Hand): John claims to have found someone with "real talent" recently. Sadly, they don't seem too keen to sign up with the Sunday Star. Perhaps you might be able to convince them otherwise? -[] Networking (Mangaka): Paying a visit to one of your current mangakas might be a good idea, if only to ensure that they aren't having any problems meeting the deadline. (Gives you +1 Suggestion to that specific mangaka) --[] Gendou Ren: Unfortunately, Gendou just didn't have the art experience necessary to create a good manga. You're not completely sure about Masaru's suggestion, but it couldn't hurt to ask if he'd be interested in working as an assistant instead of jumping straight into the mangaka career.
-[] Research: It's probably a good idea to make sure that you're not totally ignorant about your job anymore. (Work on improving Maeda's Editor Trait)
--[] The Trending: What's even in the top ten list now anyway? Probably a good idea to see what the general public are into nowadays.
-[] Talent Searching: Despite being a relatively small publication, the Sunday Star still receives dozens of manuscripts from wannabe mangakas every week. Take a look through the pile and see if there are any interesting new series that you can pick up.
I would have gone with Shion's Networking action if the ones who needed an assistant most weren't also newbies and thus ineligible for company help. Also picked looking for a backup incase Gendou goes the manga assistant route and we don't convince John's pick to come with us. I also want to keep improving Maeda's Editor Trait, even if it's slow going this way. We have a busy week ahead of us.
Edit: I'm changing my vote to this plan, since it has the safety net of John's choice if Gendou backs out. Otherwise, it feels like "you're not good enough yet, but go ahead and resubmit your manga anyway so our editor-in chief doesn't yell at us." I would like to have done at least one research action, but I don't want to be one chapter short two weeks in a row.
"We do offer subsidies to mangaka assistants, but only for those who are already Experienced or Established," Masaru explained. "After all, we don't want to waste money on someone who might end up getting canceled in a month!"
Reminder: that means they have to have reached AT LEAST 10 chapters in one series for Experienced, and "5 published series or 1 hit" for Established.
(hit=published on its own)
It's fair enough, really. The requirement for the subsidy is reasonable. Also once she reaches 10 chapters that basically means Tana-Sensei and her boyfriend get a raise.
Every mangaka you meet will have their own unique personalities and traits. However, as an editor you will need to pay special attention to their experience level. The more experience a mangaka has, the higher their stat bonuses and the more possible rerolls they get.
Note: a "hit" series is one that has grown popular enough to be published on its own rather than as part of an anthology magazine.
Novice Mangaka(0 published chapters)
No bonuses. Rolls 4d20. No rerolls.
New Mangaka (1 published chapter)
Bonus of +5 to Writing and Art. Rolls 4d20. Can reroll once per script with a -5 penalty.
Experienced Mangaka (reach at least 10 published chapters in one series)
Bonus of +10 to Writing and Art and +5 to a stat (chosen by the mangaka)*. Rolls 4d20. Can reroll once per script with no penalty.
Established Mangaka (5 published series or 1 hit series)
Bonus of +15 to Writing and Art and +10 to a stat (chosen by the mangaka)*. Rolls 5d20, drop lowest. Can reroll once per script with no penalty or twice with a -5 penalty.
Veteran Mangaka (3 hit series or 1 anime adaptation)
Bonus of +20 to Writing and Art and +10 to two stats (chosen by the mangaka)*. Rolls 6d20, drop 2 lowest. Can reroll once with a +10 bonus, twice with no bonus, or three times with a -5 penalty.
*the bonus stat is chosen upon level up and cannot be changed
One of these days, you promised yourself. One of these days, you'd be able to submit your damn final drafts and leave on time and go home at a reasonable hour instead of having to stay up late like everyone else. One of these days…
Interesting idea. Obvious option is having the chapter from the daughter's point of view. Other options would be the wife, or maybe one of the daughter's friends.
Or... even a coworker of the father, maybe getting suspicious about his coworker's/friend's behaviour and thinking the worst of it, just like the father thinks the worst of the daughter...
Same for the Mother thinking the worst of the father (an affair is the obvious thought), or the daughter's friend thinking the worst of the father (maybe mistakes him for a stalker?)
Overtime: Sure, your work will suffer, but that's a problem for the future-you. (Gain an extra action in exchange for losing 10 Editor Bonus points) [ ] [Overtime] Yes
[ ] [Overtime] No
Overtime: definitely a yes. we NEED the extra actions, and now that we have more editor points the maluses are heavily reduced. Hopefully we won't get an overworked debuff, but then again much of our overtime isn't exactly on TIRING work. we read the manga, network with people... things that are not hopefully too tiring for our MC.
[ ] Networking (Masaru-senpai): Since your direct superior is in a good mood, now's the perfect time to cement your role as his most trusted and reliable kouhai. -[ ] Learning the Ropes: With the sudden increase in the number of series you're expected to work with, it might be a good idea to ask Masaru for advice. Perhaps he has a few tips or tricks that he can show you? (Work on improving you Maeda's Editor Trait) -[ ] Leave It To Me: Alternatively, you can focus on doing what you do best: brown nosing your way into your boss's good graces. A few hours helping Masaru clear out some of his more tedious work is bound to make a good impression (Gather Favor)
We're fine on favour, so I think we can mostly ignore these options. I'd work on improving our editor trait, so "Learning the rope" for action 1 put of 5.
[ ] Networking (Coworkers): It's probably a good idea to stay on the good side of the people that you're going to be working with regularly. -[ ] Thanks, Boss: A little errand here, a few words of flattery there, and you'll have the middle managers and team leads eating out of your hand in no time. (Chance to Gather Favor. Can be repeated) -[ ] Shion (Still Available?): Some of Shion's old manga assistants are currently looking for work. Even if you can't assign them to your newest mangaka just yet, it might still be a good idea to meet up and see what kind of talent they have to offer. -[ ] John (A Helping Hand): John claims to have found someone with "real talent" recently. Sadly, they don't seem too keen to sign up with the Sunday Star. Perhaps you might be able to convince them otherwise?
[ ] Networking (Assistant Editor in Chief): Ah, shit. Who decided to give such an important position to your idiot cousin? Meeting with him isn't going to be pleasant, but you should see if you can do some damage control before things get even more out of hand.
[ ] Networking (Editor in Chief): You're glad that he doesn't seem to be too upset over the chapter rejection thing. Still, it might be a good idea to meet up and learn more about him in person.
[ ] Networking (Board of Directors): You're not sure what exactly is going on, but rumor has it that the BoD are up to something again. Hopefully this time it won't be anything too crazy… right?
[ ] Networking (Mangaka): Paying a visit to one of your current mangakas might be a good idea, if only to ensure that they aren't having any problems meeting the deadline. (Gives you +1 Suggestion to that specific mangaka) -[ ] Tanaka Himari: While she has made a few mistakes in the past, Tana-sensei has been showing some substantial improvement over the past week. Maybe you could offer her a reward of some kind? -[ ] Aoki Akira: Seriously, what was with that mess that he submitted? What made him think that that was acceptable? You need to make it clear that this won't happen again. -[ ] Yuzuki Himari: Despite your initial fears, Yuzuki has done much better than anyone could have expected. However, if you want her series to stay healthy, you need to know what she has planned for the long term. -[ ] Gendou Ren: Unfortunately, Gendou just didn't have the art experience necessary to create a good manga. You're not completely sure about Masaru's suggestion, but it couldn't hurt to ask if he'd be interested in working as an assistant instead of jumping straight into the mangaka career.
...there's actually good reasons to talk with nearly all of them.
If we meet Tana-sensei, we can tell her what we learned about assistant-subsidy once she reaches chapter 10, which will certainly be an incentive and likely gain us some gratitude and good will.
with Aoki, we need to talk about the "from another point of view" chapter request, and the problems with the previous chapter.
With Yuzuki, we'd like to get ahead and plan for the long term. Her chapter was a success nearly on par with the beginning of Space Racer (which started with a +19, but then went down to 6 and 11 for ch 2 and 3), we want to avoid the fall Space Racer had (the extra editor points help).
and with Gendou Ren... we need to clarify this too.
so... we actually have good reasons to meet all 4 of them, really.
[ ] Research: It's probably a good idea to make sure that you're not totally ignorant about your job anymore. (Work on improving Maeda's Editor Trait) -[ ] The Big Three: Naruto, One Piece, and Bleach; the biggest shonen series of their time. Perhaps you'll find the secret of their popularity by rereading them as an editor rather than a fan. -[ ] The Trending: What's even in the top ten list now, anyway? Probably a good idea to see what the general public are into nowadays. -[ ] Sunday Star: You know what the readers think about your own series, but what about the rest of the magazine? Now that things are shaking up a bit, you should keep an eye on what your readers are into.
[ ] Talent Searching: Despite being a relatively small publication, the Sunday Star still receives dozens of manuscripts from wannabe mangakas every week. Take a look through the pile and see if there are any interesting new series that you can pick up.
[ ] Research:
-[ ] The Big Three:
-[ ] The Trending:
-[ ] Sunday Star:
Now, that's 11 possible actions, but of those
1)John is hardly urgent... though this talented person COULD replace our current flop... We're busy enough I'd ignore it though.
We only really need 1 of the research options at best, they're kind of interchangeable as far as we're concerned.
Networking with Editor in Chief, while nice, is not really necessary NOW either. We could wait for a turn in which we accomplished some big(ger) success, maybe.
So, redacted list:
[ ] Networking (Masaru-senpai):
-[ ] Learning the Ropes:(Work on improving you Maeda's Editor Trait)
only at most one of [ ] Research:
-[ ] The Big Three:
-[ ] The Trending: -[ ] Sunday Star:
this is a more manageable 5 out of 7 actions.
I suppose that, of the mangaka, Tanaka Himari is the least urgent, so we can probably make do without a meeting with her. the other 3 have bigger problems.
I'd like to do 2 editor points improvement actions, which for me is Maeda's and... probably big three, though any of them works.
3 mangaka networking, and 2 editor actions. Seems reasonable to me.
Alternatively, 4 (networking mangaka) and 1 (maeda).
The only minor problem with this is that we might be missing an opportunity with John's talent (not a big deal, and they'll probably still be there a week from now) and that ignoring our causing might come back to bite us later on when he gets another brilliant idea.
[X] Greatest Editor Rush Plan -[X] [Overtime] Yes
-[X] Networking (Masaru-senpai)
--[X] Learning the Ropes
-[X] Networking (Mangaka) --[X] Gendou Ren
-[X] Research: It's probably a good idea to make sure that you're not totally ignorant about your job anymore. (Work on improving Maeda's Editor Trait) --[X] The Big Three: Naruto, One Piece, and Bleach; the biggest shonen series of their time. Perhaps you'll find the secret of their popularity by rereading them as an editor rather than a fan. --[X] The Trending: What's even in the top ten list now, anyway? Probably a good idea to see what the general public are into nowadays. --[X] Sunday Star: You know what the readers think about your own series, but what about the rest of the magazine? Now that things are shaking up a bit, you should keep an eye on what your readers are into.
(The plan is that the points lost by overtime will be made up by improving our editor trait. Also, we should give Gendou to Aoki.)
mh... it's a bold plan, if a bit risky. We are, after all, NOT talking to our mangakas about their problems.
and they ALL have pretty serious problems, except maybe Tana-sensei.
We have a rejected chapter (Greater Evil Lesser Evil), a chapter we SHOULD have rejected (Vampire Daughter), and a series without a long term plan (Fake Teacher).
Space Racer is a bit down too, and with the next chapter being the climax (end of the race) it COULD also benefit from some extra attention... but it's not as big of a deal.
Then again, 4 research actions will near-certainly give us another editor points upgrade. If we can use it this turn it should be enough to, if not perform well, at least not perform worse, and from next week we'd be much more competent.
On the other hand... maybe it would be more cautious to do half and half between research and mangaka, instead of basically going all in on one this week, and forcing us to go all-in on the other next week?
[X] Plan Editor More Like Networker
-[X] [Overtime] Yes
-[X] Networking (Masaru-senpai): Since your direct superior is in a good mood, now's the perfect time to cement your role as his most trusted and reliable kouhai.
--[X] Learning the Ropes: With the sudden increase in the number of series you're expected to work with, it might be a good idea to ask Masaru for advice. Perhaps he has a few tips or tricks that he can show you? (Work on improving you Maeda's Editor Trait)
-[X] Networking (Mangaka): Paying a visit to one of your current mangakas might be a good idea, if only to ensure that they aren't having any problems meeting the deadline. (Gives you +1 Suggestion to that specific mangaka)
--[X] Aoki Akira: Seriously, what was with that mess that he submitted? What made him think that that was acceptable? You need to make it clear that this won't happen again.
--[X] Yuzuki Himari: Despite your initial fears, Yuzuki has done much better than anyone could have expected. However, if you want her series to stay healthy, you need to know what she has planned for the long term.
--[X] Gendou Ren: Unfortunately, Gendou just didn't have the art experience necessary to create a good manga. You're not completely sure about Masaru's suggestion, but it couldn't hurt to ask if he'd be interested in working as an assistant instead of jumping straight into the mangaka career.
-[X] Research: It's probably a good idea to make sure that you're not totally ignorant about your job anymore. (Work on improving Maeda's Editor Trait)
--[X] The Trending: What's even in the top ten list now, anyway? Probably a good idea to see what the general public are into nowadays.
My hope is that the points we lose from Overtime can be regained by doubling down on improving our Editor Trait.
[X] Plan Editor More Like Networker
[X] Plan Networker More Like NETWORKER
This actually does work with Maeda's skills. While he's not the best editor he is good at networking and my god he's trying to keep his stable of mangakas at a better pace. Though getting him out of overtime should be a priority.
well, this IS basically my plan. I suppose I would have slightly preferred Big 3 over Trending, but that's just a minor personal preference.
We're doing 2 editor improvement actions (of which one is with Masaru, which hopefully will get us closer with him), and 3 networking with mangaka that ALL really need it.
Next turn we can take the remaining 2 editor improvement actions, and hopefully we'll get another bonus to our points and/or suggestions.
[X] Plan Moving Around
-[X] [Overtime] No
-[X] Networking (Mangaka): Paying a visit to one of your current mangakas might be a good idea, if only to ensure that they aren't having any problems meeting the deadline. (Gives you +1 Suggestion to that specific mangaka)
--[X] Aoki Akira: Seriously, what was with that mess that he submitted? What made him think that that was acceptable? You need to make it clear that this won't happen again.
--[X] Gendou Ren: Unfortunately, Gendou just didn't have the art experience necessary to create a good manga. You're not completely sure about Masaru's suggestion, but it couldn't hurt to ask if he'd be interested in working as an assistant instead of jumping straight into the mangaka career.
--[X] Yuzuki Himari: Despite your initial fears, Yuzuki has done much better than anyone could have expected. However, if you want her series to stay healthy, you need to know what she has planned for the long term.
-[X] Networking (Coworkers): It's probably a good idea to stay on the good side of the people that you're going to be working with regularly.
--[X] John (A Helping Hand): John claims to have found someone with "real talent" recently. Sadly, they don't seem too keen to sign up with the Sunday Star. Perhaps you might be able to convince them otherwise?
So no Overtime, meeting some of the Mangaka and then with John so in case we need that reemplacement for our fourth manga, we may have an extra option.
I don't remenber the penalty for Overtime and it isn't in mechanics but I think that after the last time we used we decided that it wasn't worth it.
[X] Plan Moving Around
-[X] [Overtime] No
-[X] Networking (Mangaka): Paying a visit to one of your current mangakas might be a good idea, if only to ensure that they aren't having any problems meeting the deadline. (Gives you +1 Suggestion to that specific mangaka)
--[X] Aoki Akira: Seriously, what was with that mess that he submitted? What made him think that that was acceptable? You need to make it clear that this won't happen again.
--[X] Gendou Ren: Unfortunately, Gendou just didn't have the art experience necessary to create a good manga. You're not completely sure about Masaru's suggestion, but it couldn't hurt to ask if he'd be interested in working as an assistant instead of jumping straight into the mangaka career.
--[X] Yuzuki Himari: Despite your initial fears, Yuzuki has done much better than anyone could have expected. However, if you want her series to stay healthy, you need to know what she has planned for the long term.
-[X] Networking (Coworkers): It's probably a good idea to stay on the good side of the people that you're going to be working with regularly.
--[X] John (A Helping Hand): John claims to have found someone with "real talent" recently. Sadly, they don't seem too keen to sign up with the Sunday Star. Perhaps you might be able to convince them otherwise?
So no Overtime, meeting some of the Mangaka and then with John so in case we need that reemplacement for our fourth manga, we may have an extra option.
I don't remenber the penalty for Overtime and it isn't in mechanics but I think that after the last time we used we decided that it wasn't worth it.
Which is FAR less penalizing NOW, as we went up to a base of 50 instead of our starting 20.
If there's other penalties from overworking, we still don't know them, but consider that we're overworking now to improve our current situation and (hopefully) work less in the future.
In particular, we want to fix a few problems for our mangaka so they'll need less of our attention, and we want to get more editor points (and suggestions) so that we'll be able to get more popularity/better stats for the same amount of work.
Once we've done these two things, we'll probably be able to focus more attention on Maeda's actual strong points, namely networking and office politics.
It was 100% not worth it back when we only had 20 editor points, but with our 50 we can make it work. I still say it's not worth it when we can handle our immediate obligations without doing so, but I can see a justification to overwork to also slowly start improving our MC (like taking learn the ropes)
It was 100% not worth it back when we only had 20 editor points, but with our 50 we can make it work. I still say it's not worth it when we can handle our immediate obligations without doing so, but I can see a justification to overwork to also slowly start improving our MC (like taking learn the ropes)
before, it would have only been worth it for emergencies, as it means halving our editor points.
Right now though... Each extra editor point is worth LESS than the previous ones, because we'll have already used them on the low hanging fruits (stats ending in 6-7-8-9, basically), so we'll need increasing amounts of editor points to make a difference in the quality/popularity of the actual chapter.
we get 8 stats per chapter, and we should in theory deal with 4 series per turn. that's 8*4=32 rolled values.
For ease of math, I'll just assume the last digit of a rolled stat has the same chance of being any number.
32/10= 3.2.
So, 3.2 values ending in 9, 3.2 ending in 8 (on average), and so on. I'll round down to 3.
in this case, with 40 editor points, we can translate them to (on average)
3 points for 3 quality (bringing the '9s to the next tier)
6 points for 3 quality (bringing the '8s to the next tier). (9 points total used)
9 points for 3 quality(for the '7s) (18 points used total)
12 points for 3 quality(for the '6s) (30 points used total)
15 points for 3 quality (for the '5s) (45 points used total).
So, with 40 points we can on average add 14 quality to our various series (in total, spread between them).
with 50 points, we can on average add nearly 16 quality total.
Of course the distribution of values is unlikely to be THAT precise, AND I've rounded down a bit. Still, this gives a good idea of the decreasing value of editor points.
from 10 to 20 it's the difference between 6 quality points, and nearly 10. 4 extra points. (still assuming 4 series/chapters)
From 40 to 50, it's the difference between 14 points and nearly 16. 2 extra points.
Of course I'm not considering how sometimes we need to raise specific stats to minimum values, which requires even more points (and/or rerolls) used on them than this simplistic math shows.
...All of that to say that yes, 10 editors points were worth a lot more before, when we had 20 total, rather than now that we have 50. And as long as we don't know about OTHER consequences for Overtime...
And, of course, we're using these extra actions to hopefully prevent more work in the future, and/or making our work more efficient (more editor points, solve problems with mangaka, prevent problems in the office with our bosses and coworkers...)
...All of that to say that yes, 10 editors points were worth a lot more before, when we had 20 total, rather than now that we have 50. And as long as we don't know about OTHER consequences for Overtime...
And, of course, we're using these extra actions to hopefully prevent more work in the future, and/or making our work more efficient (more editor points, solve problems with mangaka, prevent problems in the office with our bosses and coworkers...)
We're nowhere near our next level unless "Learn the Ropes" can do it basically on it's own. One more study action won't push us over the edge. We just recently hit our current level after all.
I'd say it'd be better to do the John action so we can hopefully grab a replacement Mangaka for pulling LEGE Mangaka into an assistant roll to improve.
