Trading the naturalist for the natural philosopher to get the alchemist in the future I want. I still lean towards a mage over an inventor mostly because: I prefer magic in general; for at the very least the first mission we're going to be giving back a very large piece of tech that our inventor won't be able to break down; an inventor will work better when we have a larger ship to store their stuff on I think, mages are usually much more compact in their stuff than mad scientists.
I traded the pirate boarders for a work crew and two sets of thugs because the GM advised us to get some more bulk to our forces. They are cheap and provide some meat shields, though it makes me tempted to go to 2x Musketeers since the thugs are both melee and drop the man-at-arms. Since Natural Philosophers carry acid grenades that means giving up the boarders grenades isn't too bad an impact. The work crew also is useful for moving stuff.
The suggest line up isn't bad, don't take me wrong, but if something does go wrong, its likely to go wrong because you don't have a lot of flex in terms of 'someone is going to die'. Though each pick is more then just one person. Well, usually. It depends on the pick. All the soldiers and such are more then one person though, don't worry.
It's elite, and hard hitting, but if someone does die, you don't have any slack. Though, granted, higher quality decreases the chances of people dying.
The second. And as you do research/bring stuff back for people to try to back engineer.
For example, it's entirely possible to get monster cavalry if you find some nice eggs and take them home and hire a naturalist to figure out how to train them...
As another example, once someone runs into natives that you can talk to, you'll unlock the ability to hire trained diplomats to bring along to do the talking. Or just expert con men, for those inclined to favor cheapness.
Edit : anyway, going to sleep now, will call vote when I wake up. You can, if you have reason, ask for things not on the current list, but some stuff just isn't available until you run up against the right thing... Or get enough favor to get someone to lend you something cool.
[X] German
Certain German individuals are highly interested in the reports of 'magic' items coming from the Sunless World. In exchange for their five Treasure Points, they want you to bring them back either an Ethertech Item of any sort, or a Magic User, if such an individual exists.
I think that's about it. This is about as many people that have been hooked by the opening blurb alone. More voters will probably trickle in once more story bits get posted.
Tis just sad sometimes. All that effort and only a few participate.
Fandom ones/crossovers I can kinda understand, Im not really a fan of anything so I dont take part for the main. But originals seem worth more participation.
It is a chill day in the early spring when you set out to sea. Well before when the pass would melt, in fact. But traveling to the new world and beyond is no minor labor. It will get easier next year, you suspect, for the Spanish are constructing an outpost on the Isla Hornos to support further expeditions. At the very least, you should be able to reprovision at the outpost far easier then you will by hunting and fishing.
But that is for the future, and for now, you have a journey to see to. Not that you are the only one seeking a fortune out in the sunless land, though. For besides your ship, several other ships also sail, a wordless truce currently existing between all those who would risk their lives over treasure.
The infamous pirat-... er, privateer, Captain Johnny, and his rowdy crew of low lives sails to the front of you even now, eagerly seeking their next great haul. You'll need to be cautious of them, for you doubt that they'll pause for a second should dirty deeds hold the promise of increasing their fortune, and from what you've seen, the majority of their crew looks combat worthy. Even if you haven't spotted a single specialist to support their expedition.
Meanwhile, besides your ship the Brothers Wickwood's own vessel is transporting their own expedition onwards. The Wickwood brothers are a strange duo, one a genius scholar, one an inventor with few equals. They've spent a good sum of money hiring toughs and mercenaries to defend themselves on this trip, but they'll probably consider it fully worth the cash if they just get one or two good relics to study.
More interesting is the Royal French Expeditionary Force somewhere off on your other side. Really, it's less a true expedition and more some particularly rich noble's hunting party. He seems to have heard the word 'giant monsters' and decided he has got to mount a few of their heads off his mansion... Still, he did get the royal army to lend him a few troops to help with the hunt, and that means if its a good trip, said army will probably be interested in sending another one.
Lastly, and potentially the most worrisome, the church has sent it's own explorationary party in response to the reports of 'potential deviltry and black magic'. You aren't familiar with the leader, but besides a few musket wielding mercenaries, you've seen some quite heavily armored knights on their deck...
It'll be interesting if you run into any of them again after you make it through the entrance.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– The Entrance
Captain's Log ; Entry 7
We have entered the Sunless Lands for the first time, passing in through the arctic passage Captain Brewer discovered on that fateful voyage. The air is thick here, full of steam and dank from the melting snow. And the sky... the sky glows. It is as if the aurora borealis never ends here, and the ethereal energy the scholars claim causes the lights heats the air enough to cause the constant muggy fogbanks.
We've yet to see any trees, though tales from Brewer's expedition claim we'll find them deeper into this forsaken land. Instead, vast groves of mushrooms thrive here, and insects of unusual size are the commonplace. Just this morning, I had to chase a beetle as big as my hand out of my tent.
The other expeditions have already split off from us, heading in their own directions to the whims of their own commanders. Captain Johnny has stated his intentions to 'get where the loot is worth taking' and headed full bore into the depths of these woods, but the rest of us have been more cautious, at least for now.
Indeed, the commander of the church's expedition to these dank lands had barely moved into these woods when we left them behind. Given that their commander, the priest named Walter Tito Ganza, suffered an immense fit when entering these lands, I can not bring myself to be surprised by their caution.
My own men are in high spirits, however, as earlier this week we came upon an ancient ruined tower, sunken more then half way into the earth. Though it was sufficiently broken as to disallow a more complete exploration without spending more time then I was willing, the two brothers we brought along for their experiences in Egypt soon identified a hidden compartment in the walls. Within that compartment, we found a more marvelous set of golden candles, of great detail, and more importantly of great value. With this living proof of the treasures to be found in this land, we all are eager to see what we can find next.
Several options are evident to me for how we shall advance, and tonight I shall make my choice of which of them to take. For now, though, I shall go and taste the surgeon's experiment in cooking some of the giant moths we trapped earlier today.
[ ] Continue onwards into the Wilderness. ("I have chosen to continue onwards as we have been going. While not the fastest of marches, keeping an eye out for opportunities to claim treasure as we go is always worth it.")
[ ] Divert sideways, into the Sunless Kingdom. ("While the mushroom growths here are impressive, according to reports should we divert sideways, instead of heading directly forth into the wilds, we shall find a much more impressive forest, where the mushrooms completely block off sight of the sky.")
[ ] Explore the area for Treasure. ("We shall stop here for the week, and make a detailed search for treasure. Granted, we're close both to the opening and in an area where all the other expeditions are sure to be traveling through, so pickings may be slim, but it will also be safer here then further in.")
[ ] Make a forced march onwards, attempting to reach the Skeleton Coast. ("We shall make our way at full speed into this wilderness, seeking the inland sea said to lie at the end. The ruined cities upon the coast should be full of both treasure and danger... Of course, our fast pace will make it unlikely to find treasure as we travel, as well as making it hard to keep an eye out for anything worrisome.")
I don't like the forced march idea since that seems way too risky, our men would be tired and we could be set upon at any moment.
I don't like the Sunless Kingdom idea either. Going into an area of perpetual darkness is a good way to reduce people to crazy in a short time and I'm kind of doubtful there's much to find there.
I lean towards continue onwards. Though Exploring the area for Treasure is also tempting. Though we aren't likely to get much out of that it's by far the safest of the options and might be for the best in our first exploration.
[X] Continue onwards into the Wilderness. ("I have chosen to continue onwards as we have been going. While not the fastest of marches, keeping an eye out for opportunities to claim treasure as we go is always worth it.")
Exploring right near the entrance is a long term thing. Perfect for overwintering bases, as an example, once things get that far.
This is actually the best chance to go find treasure by the entrance there is... Because every expedition is going to travel through here at least twice (Coming and going), so most of it is going to be gone by next year, or the year after that at the latest.
But you've got equal chances of their just not be anything worthwhile out here anyway, depending on the dice.
If you keep traveling through the wilderness, you'll eventually reach the skeleton coast anyway, the forced march is just trying to reach it as fast as you can.
Lastly, the Sunless Kingdom isn't perfectly dark... Besides the self-illuminating mushrooms, the top cover isn't that much more then you'd find in, say, the amazons, and it's not pitch black there after all.
But it is darker then 'mostly normal (Looking) woods.', yes.
Anyway, updated the Index and the first page's expeditionary force listing.
Hmm how likely is it that expeditions will get killed off in this game? Trying to gauge if we should play it safe and gradually build up our men's experience, or if we have to take big risks just to stay in the running.
There are deadly areas, and there are less deadly areas, so it kinda depends on where you are looting and how much you've made the natives hate you.
So, basically 'Yes.'
Don't forget though, you need to find an ancient golem or such and drag it home with you unless you want England to be annoyed at you...
Edit : It is possible to get wiped if things go utterly wrong, but for the first expedition where no one is actively trying to kill you all, you should have plenty of advanced warning you are doing something suicidal...
EditEdit : Also, the way to be able to buy more boats is to drag home so much treasure that the character decides he can afford to start considering that option now.
[X] Divert sideways, into the Sunless Kingdom. ("While the mushroom growths here are impressive, according to reports should we divert sideways, instead of heading directly forth into the wilds, we shall find a much more impressive forest, where the mushrooms completely block off sight of the sky.")
Probably best to check this out before we acquire any additional risks. Also, if there's going to be a golem in good condition, it's not unreasonable that the coast wouldn't be the best place to find one.
And I have a good feeling about the Sunless Kingdom right now.
