Remove ads

Warhammer Fantasy: Divided Loyalties - an Advisor's Quest

Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
Reader mode
The Meddler said:
I'd prefer Greatswording, I think, because it synergises with the combat magic we've got and I want to get it to advanced/trait level. It also means spending more time with the Greatsword-bros.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I third this. We really need to shore up our skills under 14 as well. They seem to be auto-sucesses if we find time, so upping our martial (and later our diplo) should have some priority.

For all that Mathilde has found great success in combat so far, she's not very good at it. Considering how deadly it is in this game we should up that a bit more before committing to such a dangerous venture.

Edit: On a completely unrelated note, am I the only one who really loved Kasmir's scene comforting Mathilde there? That was really cool of him.
 
Last edited:
BoneyM said:
Have means in place to gather information re: undead types and density in Sylvania if and when Stirland forces sally across the border. When information is acquired, send via your Master. If possible, collection of live samples will be rewarded; send news of any you secure via same and we will arrange collection.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

So I have been thinking about how this organization we want to propose should actually work and I think I have a good idea. For now lets call them the Sylvanian scouts. The purpose of this organization should be to scout Sylvania for information on undead numbers, locations and typing wherever possible and to make this information available. On the small scale it would mostly report to the local military, in Liecheberg especially I imagine expert scouts specializing in evading undead would be useful, but I could also see them scouting through areas like the Hunger wood and returning to Templhof with reports that a minor undead horde is coming and to prepare. The organization as a whole would report to us (the intelligence apparatus of Stirland) information that would let us tell in advance if necromancers or vampires are mustering forces from the local undead.

On the small scale Sylvanian scouts would be stationed out of wherever Stirlands could expected to benefit from information on undead forces in the area, so small villages, larger towns, but also in attachments with the military. They should have an institutional focus on stealth in a similar many to a hunter, able to stay in undead territory for potentially long periods of time gathering information and destroying undead where they can, alone or in groups. Ideally the Sylvania scouts would recruit from military veterans who previousy dealt well with the undead, hunters, and hopefully, Sylvanians. The importance of recruiting locals is immense, I imagine initially we will be forced to recruit out side of Sylvania but because most of their work will be done within the area recruiting locally is a necessity.

As for the second part of the command from our mysterious overlords, the live capture request in exchange for a reward I don't really care for. As long as they aren't trying to kill us i'm happy. The Sylvania scouts as an organization would owe loyalty to the Elector count first and foremost, though they will report to the Spymaster as his primary representative. In some circumstances they would also come under the authority of the military for use in scouting. The research aspect to the previous proposal is I think not as valuable as up to date information on Sylvania is, however by necessity such an organization will gather quite a large amount of information on specific types of undead through exposure and long periods of observation which could be recorded more permanently than word of mouth some point in the future.
 
veekie said:
-[X] Though half the council already knows firsthand, the Haunted Hills are just regular Sylvanian and 'wild' undead. No sign of any necromancers or other organized efforts going on, thankfully, they can be handled not unlike wild beasts.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

You should cut this from the public report. It adds nothing that Gustav or Kasmir wouldn't have already said and, even if they didn't, Van Hal was present. I'm pretty sure you don't need to tell Van Hal things he already has all the information for.

The meetings, as far as I can tell, are primarily for informing him with potential collaboration with the other councillors as a secondary purpose (and bragging because we constantly succeed beyond everyone except for Anton just a happy side effect).
 
veekie said:
[X] [Orders] Plan Watch The Dead Shit
-[X] The Purge of Haunted Hills will begin in a year. Perhaps there's a way you can contribute to the preparations.
-[X] Also for no particular reason, how about I see about building a unit in the army dedicated to catching terrible necromantic gribblies? In a way that conforms to Van Hal's criticisms.
-[X] The Wurtbadian Watch is now your attack dog - let it's reach spread across Stirland.
-[X] Write in: You could look into financing for your intelligence operations. It'd probably be worth a pretty penny to sell some of the less sensitive information to the various nobles and traders out there. You'd probably need to collaborate with Anton and Wilhelmina to be pointed to the best buyers however.
-[X] Write in: You could look into the financial possibilities of the gong farmers. If Wurtbad's situation is representative, simply having someone scooping up the crap stinking up the air and selling it to the farmers and tanners should make everyone happier and Stirland richer. Not glamourous and dirty work, but its money literally left to rot.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Would you be worried about vampires infiltration in EIC? The son is not keen on being the Count's money maker (in his view) and likely view EIC as "HIS", looking into that might dig up some funny things.
 
BoneyM said:
Finishing the takeover: Req 50, Stewardship, 71+10=81.]
[Expanding the administration: Req 40, 14+10=24.]
[Spotting the plants: Req 60, Intrigue, 53+16=69.]
[Julia interrupt? Roll, 4. Nope.]
[Sewer Jacks: Req 30, Stewarship, 95+10=105.]
[Rat Catchers: Breakpoints 30/60, Stewardship, 64+10=74.]
[Gong Farmers: Breakpoints 20/40, Stewardship, 69+10=79.]
...
[Retirement bureaucracy: Roll, Stewardship, 35+10=45.]
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
If we ever intend to train Stewardship, this would be the time to do it, with the number of rolls this turn and last.

veekie said:
Well, lets see next turn:
-Watch income we could probably do with our Watch action
-Informant income we could probably do with our Informant action.

-We'd need an action to set up the lab.
-We'd need an action to continue the undead research
-We'd need an action to find spare bureaucrats
-We'd need an action to set up the Van Helsings

So we tentatively have 1 action left to spare, and we almost certainly need to overwork to get any training done. Urgh.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
We've had a couple of hints we could backslide on Greatsword skill. In the barrow, and (also I think) Markus being disappointed he's not seen us for training in a while.

Shape_Shifter said:
Really? I haven't noticed any negative effects yet.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Riding off without a word to Wilhelmina. Can't see Anton doing that.
Not picking up that she's maybe pissed off about it on the return journey.
Hardly speaking to her friend, Markus?

Maybe even not speaking a word to her old village headman. But then again, trauma.
 
Last edited:
Kairos123 said:
I third this. We really need to shore up our skills under 14 as well. They seem to be auto-sucesses if we find time, so upping our martial (and later our diplo) should have some priority.

For all that Mathilde has found great success in combat so far, she's not very good at it. Considering how deadly it is in this game we should up that a bit more before committing to such a dangerous venture.

Edit: On a completely unrelated note, am I the only one who really loved Kasmir's scene comforting Mathilde there? That was really cool of him.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
They are not auto succeed. We've gotten a 'minor' injury from screwing up the greatsword training once.
Seventeen said:
You should cut this from the public report. It adds nothing that Gustav or Kasmir wouldn't have already said and, even if they didn't, Van Hal was present. I'm pretty sure you don't need to tell Van Hal things he already has all the information for.

The meetings, as far as I can tell, are primarily for informing him with potential collaboration with the other councillors as a secondary purpose (and bragging because we constantly succeed beyond everyone except for Anton just a happy side effect).
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
This is incorrect. The council meetings are for all the councillors, and Schultz with Wilhelmina wasn't directly in sight of the events.
Furthermore, even if they were, they don't know the magic. We're qualified to explain on it
VoidZero said:
Would you be worried about vampires infiltration in EIC? The son is not keen on being the Count's money maker (in his view) and likely view EIC as "HIS", looking into that might dig up some funny things.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Somewhat. It's a medium priority however, we've already put our agents into the EIC previously so in turn any new agents have a chance of being spotted.
Alliterate said:
We've had a couple of hints we could backslide on Greatsword skill. In the barrow, and (also I think) Markus being disappointed he's not seen us for training in a while.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Yes. I was pointing out how tight the schedule is going to be. I want to train too.
 
[X][Public] Plan Watch Expansion Plus
-[X] The Stirland Watch is now fully under your authority, and you've begun spreading that authority outside of Wurtbad. The towns of the County of Worden have accepted the Watch's replacement of their efforts without trouble, as has Nussbach.
-[X] Retiring soldiers are now being offered positions with the Watch, which helps with general manpower issues in the expansion, but educated roles like clerks and administrators are becoming harder to fill. There have also been issues with attempted infiltration via those roles.
-[X] You've also integrated the sewer jacks and other underground roles into the Watch proper. Sale of waste is helping to mitigate some of the costs involved in the expansion.

[X][Private] Plan Minor Differences
-[X] If we want Wurtbad well-protected from beneath, a couple of dwarf trainers would be useful. They wouldn't come cheap, but it's something to keep in mind for the future.
-[X] Naturally, as Van Hal's spymistress you want to have eyes and ears everywhere, including outside of the province. With the Elector's Meet coming up, you need to know if he intends for you to prioritise cross-border operations any time soon.
-[X] You've finally got the gear for your lab after literal years of trying. You should be able to more safely investigate the box, the juice and the swords soon. One at a time of course.
-[X] You've also been brushing up on your undead lore in preparation for the push. If he has any recommended readings you'd gladly prioritize them

Infiltration attempts moved to public report and added a new line bringing up the possibility of spy work in the other provinces. Tidied up the public report and the private one's dwarf vote because I was making changes anyway. Everything else is the same as veekie's vote.

[X] [Orders] Plan Please Choose The Magic Option
-[X] The Purge of Haunted Hills will begin in a year. Perhaps there's a way you can contribute to the preparations.
-[X] Also for no particular reason, how about I see about building a unit in the army dedicated to catching terrible necromantic gribblies? In a way that conforms to Van Hal's criticisms.
-[X] The Wurtbadian Watch is now your attack dog - let it's reach spread across Stirland.
-[X] Write in: You could look into financing for the watch and your intelligence operations. There are a number of possibilities.
-[X] The spell used by the informants is like nothing you've heard of before. You want to see if you can detect or replicate it.

Consolidated the finances options and added my preferred magic option.
 
Last edited:
[X][Public] Plan Watch Expansion Plus
[X][Private] Plan Minor Differences
[X] [Orders] Plan Please Choose The Magic Option

This seems to keep everything good about the previous vote plan while tweaking a few things that make the vote better overall.I particularly like bringing up the question of external intelligence; it wasn't on any of our default options but it's obviously starting to concern Van Hal so I'd be interested in at least getting his take on how important it is.

And I too wish that Van Hal would choose the magic option (but he never will).
 
[X][Public] Plan Watch Expansion Plus
[X][Private] Plan Minor Differences
[X] [Orders] Plan Please Choose The Magic Option
 
[X][Public] Plan Watch Expansion Plus
[X][Private] Plan Minor Differences
[X] [Orders] Plan Please Choose The Magic Option
 
[X][Public] Plan Watch Expansion Plus
[X][Private] Plan Minor Differences
[X] [Orders] Plan Please Choose The Magic Option

Magic! It's only sort of heretical right? right? rite guys? guise?!
 
The magic option in question is being proposed when its not really useful to ANY of Van Hal's priorities here. Time delay spells are curiosities to invest in on our own time, not claimed as work when he's preparing for a war and noting the tight budget problems.
 
The magic option would probably be useful when inserting agents into Sylvania and Mathilde will want the agents memory to self scrub if discovered, but it's kinda meaningless now.

[X] [Public] Plan Watch Expansion
[X] [Private] Plan Minor Matters
[X] [Orders] Plan Watch The Dead Shit

A good reason to push the waste sale to private report and give it as an option is so that Van Hal will let Mathilde handle it to subsidise her spying ring instead of letting Wilhelmina handle it whenever (which while it will enrich Stirland eventually, still leaves Mathilde to find ways to get money right now).

EDIT: @DarkLight140, veekie's report does bring up the attempted infiltrations, it just does it in the private report instead of the public one.
 
Last edited:
Voting will close in two hours from this post; a little longer than usual, but that should give me enough time to bludgeon this migraine away.
 
veekie said:
The magic option in question is being proposed when its not really useful to ANY of Van Hal's priorities here. Time delay spells are curiosities to invest in on our own time, not claimed as work when he's preparing for a war and noting the tight budget problems.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
If he doesn't think it will be useful, he won't choose it.

That said, if Mathilde can work out the a non-destructive form of the technique and use it with her spells, that could be very beneficial. They're not just time-delay spells. It's like giving a non-wizard a (presumably a self-targeted) spell they can trigger on command.

SITB said:
EDIT: @DarkLight140, veekie's report does bring up the attempted infiltrations, it just does it in the private report instead of the public one.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

If you're talking about his comment on external intelligence, that has nothing to do with the infiltrations. It's about foreign spying by Mathilde.

SITB said:
A good reason to push the waste sale to private report and give it as an option is so that Van Hal will let Mathilde handle it to subsidise her spying ring instead of letting Wilhelmina handle it whenever (which while it will enrich Stirland eventually, still leaves Mathilde to find ways to get money right now).
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

That income is currently going to the Watch, I believe. The work is done by them, at least. If you want to pay for the spying with it, we should integrate the two organisations.
 
Last edited:
Seventeen said:
If he doesn't think it will be useful, he won't choose it.

That said, if Mathilde can work out the a non-destructive form of the technique and use it with her spells, that could be very beneficial. They're not just time-delay spells. It's like giving a non-wizard a (presumably a self-targeted) spell they can trigger on command.



If you're talking about his comment on external intelligence, that has nothing to do with the infiltrations. It's about foreign spying by Mathilde.



That income is currently going to the Watch, I believe. The work is done by them, at least. If you want to pay for the spying with it, we should integrate the two organisations.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

1) You are correct and I misread his comment.

2) The suggestion was to expand the scope of the gong farmers to subsidise Mathilde's spy activities, the whole point is that shit is underutilized.
 
Seventeen said:
That income is currently going to the Watch, I believe. The work is done by them, at least. If you want to pay for the spying with it, we should integrate the two organisations.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

The money goes back into Stirland's treasury, defraying some of the operating costs of the Watch. The middleman could be cut out, but it's a dangerous thing to make your law enforcement no longer financially reliant on the state.
 
Reader mode
You must login or register to reply here.
Remove ads
Back
Top