What would readers prefer?

  • Pure narrative quest: no dice will be used, the author will have free reign to decide what happens.

    Votes: 25 59.5%
  • New dice system: the author will design a new, better dice system to add some randomness and risk.

    Votes: 17 40.5%

  • Total voters
    42
  • Poll closed .
[X] Plan Relieve the Pressure
Honestly, I kind of hate how devastating "The Shadow Moves" turned out to be, because it means even tactical Bane picking feels like a non-starter
I doubt that not picking that would have prevented the emperor's assassination, just changed the timeline on it. We should be careful about when we pick a bane like that, but I doubt we can stop whatever shadowy cult is the final boss from continuing to act.
 
Honestly, I kind of hate how devastating "The Shadow Moves" turned out to be, because it means even tactical Bane picking feels like a non-starter.
I doubt that not picking that would have prevented the emperor's assassination, just changed the timeline on it.

Yeah, the Emperor was always going to die. In some of the early drafts, he was already dead before Ryza had even woken up, but I decided to push that back. All that bane did was move up the timeline a bit.
 
There is not much differences between current plans, my own Getting some Banes so things are narratively interesting can still win!
 
I doubt that not picking that would have prevented the emperor's assassination, just changed the timeline on it.
The important thing is that we picked a bane and something Very Bad happened, which means some people are going to be very bane-shy in case something similarly bad happens again.

Which I think is unfortunate, because banes are fun.
 
Wait, hold up, the winning plan is attacking the Southlands?

I thought it was joining in the northlands front! What the hell, that's a terrible idea given how that'll be so easily spun as Kingdom Aggression!
 
Wait, hold up, the winning plan is attacking the Southlands?

I thought it was joining in the northlands front! What the hell, that's a terrible idea given how that'll be so easily spun as Kingdom Aggression!
All 3 plans involve the invasion of the Southlands. It's just a question of if we're personally a part of it.
[] Reinforce the Northern Kingdoms. While Artemis had a small advance force before, Archduke Letoro and the rest of the Southern Kingdoms are now going to send a larger, more powerful army to help blunt the invasion of the Northern Kingdoms while the rest of the alliance pushes into the Southlands. Artemis will lead that army, and you will stand with her. The Northern Kingdoms will do a lot of the fighting, and you'll have plenty of chances to meet new people. (Moderate Combat, Moderate Social)

[] Punch into the Southlands. No one polity has the strength to oppose the full might of the Empire alone. If nothing is done, the North will fall, no matter how bravely they fight. What is required is that the Southern Kingdoms open a second front, to draw troops and treasure away from the invasion of the North. Artemis will lead one of the branches of the Southern Kingdom invasion of the Southlands dutchy, and you'll help her however you can. There will be battle. That is unavoidable. (High Combat, Low Social)

[] The path before you seems an… odd, one. Apparently, during the buildup, Archduke Letoro was in secret contact with Baron Rickman and Baron Warwick-Lightbringer. In the last days before the invasion of the Southlands, the Archduke has apparently made a breakthrough: the two Barons are willing to either stand aside without a fight or, possibly, even join forces with the Southern Kingdoms. However, to finalize the deal, face-to-face meetings are required. Artemis will take a small, stealthy force to slip first to Warwick, who's on the border, and from there to Rickman. Despite the fact that the Archduke and Kopoi insist that these meetings are legitimate, you're not going to let her go alone! (High Social, Low Combat)
 
Clarifying the Narrative
All 3 plans involve the invasion of the Southlands. It's just a question of if we're personally a part of it.

Quoted for truth. At this point, in the eyes of Archduke Letoro and the rest of the Southern Kingdoms, war is inevitable.

There is credible evidence that the Regent murdered the Emperor in order to justify the reconquest of the various states that have left the Empire over the centuries. Thus, in their view, the only question is "do we fight when we have allies who are drawing a lot of Imperial troops away, and thus we have a chance of winning? Or do we fight when we're invaded ourselves by the full might of the Empire, we have few if any allies left, and are thus all but guaranteed to lose."

They've chosen the former. This vote is about how Artemis and Ryza are going to fit into this broader plan: by helping to stall the northern front by preventing the Empire from winning up there, by making the southern front go faster to draw troops away from the north to protect them that way, or by trying to woo allies in the Empire onto the Kingdoms' side, something that has worked in the past.
 
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[X] Plan: Getting Stuck In
-[X] Social Options: (Choose 2)
--[X] Artemis
--[X] Elena
-[X] Learning Options (Choose 2)
--[X] Continue learning Yellow magic
---[X] Specialist Spell (Bolting)
--[X] Begin learning Red magic (Fire)
-[X] Reinforce the Northern Kingdoms.
-[X] Boons:
--[X] The Revisionists find fertile ground for your story.

I'd just like to say that this is my first post here and this quest is entirely why I joined, after watching for a while, so shoutouts to @SoaringHawk218 for the work so far!

... I'd also like to say, on a tactical level, that I wouldn't be remiss to the other plans except I am a little cagey on Bane choices in all of them. I feel like two is a little too much given that-if I'm not mistaken-we've taken exactly *one* Bane that moved up the timetable for the assassination, but we don't really know how much of a difference it made. I don't want to see Banes potentially 'synergize' to create a bigger problem. I also feel *very* suspicious about the 'backstab' bane, because the wording makes me think it's not so much who or what as when that is going to be the problem. I'm not sure if it's within quest etiquette to share suspicions on the matter more in-depth than that.

To go in depth on what I think of the options at large-I'm OK with modifying this to have one more Boon, either Good Fortune or a Defector, and take the Bane Unique To Our Path or A Shadow Moves Beyond Our Sight. I'd rather only the one Bane, though. I'm OK with basically most social options that include Elena-though I say deepening Ryza's emotional bond with Artemis sounds like a great idea in the wake of the upcoming, Definitely-A-Thing Awakening. I'm fine with Ryza learning Bolting+Fire given Ryza probably needs it for her runecrafting purposes later and it covers one of Ryza's big weaknesses, while Bolting means Ryza gets to play siege mage. I think we've mildly overinvested into combat at this point and can spare time to learn rituals after this instead but that's just me. Only thing I really don't want to negotiate is on reinforcing the Northern Kingdoms, as that's somewhere pretty new and I want to try to have Ryza cover more ground in the world in general to see if there's anywhere *else* like Ryza's little hideaway shrine, waiting for someone of good character to wake up a potential ally for life. It would certainly do Ryza good to know she isn't the literal last of her kind.
 
Hmm

Okay, for people doing Stuck In, would they be amenable for me to add one Bane to add a Boon to the table? It's a little late to the game, but I could see "War gets off to a bad start" and "World has Something Good" working together well.
 
Hmm

Okay, for people doing Stuck In, would they be amenable for me to add one Bane to add a Boon to the table? It's a little late to the game, but I could see "War gets off to a bad start" and "World has Something Good" working together well.
As mentioned, I'd be willing to accept one Bane. I'd be OK with this I think-if only from the fact Ryza can be there to turn the tide and make that poor start into a spectacular finish. Especially since this should be post-Awakening, so at this point Dragon Ryza coming out to fight is an option-Ryza isn't hiding what she is from the world anymore, so she might as well go full blast to minimize allied casualties. Incidentally, odds are that even with Ryza's stories and heritage now being open knowledge, they probably wouldn't have thought of Wyrmbane weapons to counter her just yet. Wonder if there's anything like Iote's shield around for her flier weaknesses.

... That said, this may also be the 'worst possible combo' of Bane and Path SoaringHawk mentioned-making the War in the North we are going to start poorly. It seems a little obvious and almost too predictable for bricking levels of panic, though.
 
One Day Heads Up
Adhoc vote count started by SoaringHawk218 on Aug 26, 2023 at 1:28 PM, finished with 56 posts and 32 votes.

  • [X] Plan Relieve the Pressure
    -[x] Social Pick Two:
    --[X] Artemis
    --[X] Elena
    -[X] Learning Options (Choose 2)
    --[x] Bolting
    --[X] Silence
    -[x] Punch into the Southlands. No one polity has the strength to oppose the full might of the Empire alone. If nothing is done, the North will fall, no matter how bravely they fight. What is required is that the Southern Kingdoms open a second front, to draw troops and treasure away from the invasion of the North. Artemis will lead one of the branches of the Southern Kingdom invasion of the Southlands dutchy, and you'll help her however you can. There will be battle. That is unavoidable. (High Combat, Low Social)
    -[X] Boons:
    --[X] The Revisionists find fertile ground for your story.
    --[X] A friend on the other side crosses the line to aid you.
    --[X] The world at large receives good fortune.
    -[X] Banes:
    --[X] Someone causes problems at your back at a bad time.
    --[X] A bane unique to your path forward appears.
    [X] Plan: Getting Stuck In
    -[X] Social Options: (Choose 2)
    --[X] Artemis
    --[X] Elena
    -[X] Learning Options (Choose 2)
    --[X] Continue learning Yellow magic
    ---[X] Specialist Spell (Bolting)
    --[X] Begin learning Red magic (Fire)
    -[X] Reinforce the Northern Kingdoms.
    -[X] Boons:
    --[X] The Revisionists find fertile ground for your story.
    [X] Plan Getting some Banes so things are narratively interesting
    -[X] Social Options: (Choose 2)
    --[X] Sypha
    --[X] Elena
    -[X] Learning Options (Choose 2)
    -[X] Continue learning Yellow magic
    --[X] Silence
    --[X] Continue learning Runewrighting
    -[X] Reinforce the Northern Kingdoms.
    -[X] Boons:
    --[X] The Revisionists find fertile ground for your story.
    --[X] A friend on the other side crosses the line to aid you.
    --[X] The world at large receives good fortune.
    -[X] Banes:
    --[X] The war in the North gets off to a poor start.
    --[X] A bane unique to your path forward appears.
    [x] Plan: Hard Contact
    -[x] Social Pick Two:
    --[x] Belle
    --[X] Elena
    -[x] Learning Pick Two:
    --[X] Continue learning Yellow magic
    ---[X] Specialist Spell (Bolting)
    ---[X] Silence
    -[X] Reinforce the Northern Kingdoms.
    -[X] Boons:
    --[X] The Revisionists find fertile ground for your story.
    --[X] A friend on the other side crosses the line to aid you.
    -[X] Banes:
    --[X] The war in the North gets off to a poor start.
    [X] Plan To The Barons
    -[X] Social Options: (Choose 2)
    --[X] Artemis
    --[X] Elena
    -[X] Learning Options (Choose 2)
    --[X] Continue learning Yellow magic
    ---[X] Specialist Spell (Bolting)
    --[X] Begin learning Red magic (Fire)
    -[X] The path before you seems an… odd, one. Apparently, during the buildup, Archduke Letoro was in secret contact with Baron Rickman and Baron Warwick-Lightbringer. In the last days before the invasion of the Southlands, the Archduke has apparently made a breakthrough: the two Barons are willing to either stand aside without a fight or, possibly, even join forces with the Southern Kingdoms. However, to finalize the deal, face-to-face meetings are required. Artemis will take a small, stealthy force to slip first to Warwick, who's on the border, and from there to Rickman. Despite the fact that the Archduke and Kopoi insist that these meetings are legitimate, you're not going to let her go alone! (High Social, Low Combat)
    -[X] Boons:
    --[X] The Revisionists find fertile ground for your story.
    --[X] A friend on the other side crosses the line to aid you.
    -[X] Banes:
    --[X] Someone causes problems at your back at a bad time.
    [X]Plan Social Artillery
    -[X] Social Options: (Choose 2)
    --[X] Phoebe
    --[X] Write-in (subject to veto): Siri
    -[X] Learning Options (Choose 2)
    --[X] Continue learning Yellow magic
    ---[X] Specialist Spell (Bolting)
    --[X] Begin learning Red magic (Fire)
    -[X] The path before you seems an… odd, one. Apparently, during the buildup, Archduke Letoro was in secret contact with Baron Rickman and Baron Warwick-Lightbringer. In the last days before the invasion of the Southlands, the Archduke has apparently made a breakthrough: the two Barons are willing to either stand aside without a fight or, possibly, even join forces with the Southern Kingdoms. However, to finalize the deal, face-to-face meetings are required. Artemis will take a small, stealthy force to slip first to Warwick, who's on the border, and from there to Rickman. Despite the fact that the Archduke and Kopoi insist that these meetings are legitimate, you're not going to let her go alone! (High Social, Low Combat)
    -[X] Boons:
    --[X] The Revisionists find fertile ground for your story.
    --[X] The war in the North gets off to a good start.
    --[X] A boon unique to your path forward appears.
    -[X] Banes:
    --[X] Someone causes problems at your back at a bad time.
    --[X] A bane unique to your path forward appears.


So at the moment, Plan Relieve the Pressure is in the lead with 13 (Fighting in the Southlands, a few boons and banes) while Plan Getting Stuck In is running up with 11 (Fighting in the Northern Kingdoms, only the one boon of the Revisionists doing good.)
 
Is this Plan Getting Stuck In's Comeback?

Nay I say! Rise, followers of Plan Relieve the Pressure! Riiiiisssseee :p

More seriously vote for Plan Relieve the Pressure. We have cookies, foxes, and dragons.
 
ALERT: GETTING STUCK IN HAS BEEN REVISED!

I've added the Bane "Something Unique to your Path Forward" in order to add a "World Receives Good Fortune", to the table! If this is a dealbreaker, let me know. If not... Well, I still have time to adjust back.
 
[X] Plan Relieve the Pressure
Yeah, that seems more interesting.

[X]Plan Social Artillery
[X] Plan To The Barons
Hope, it never die. Barons are my favorite try.
 
[X] Plan: Getting Stuck In
[X] Plan Getting some Banes so things are narratively interesting

*sigh*
 
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