Three gold a night, and absolutely no hanky-panky: CYOA at the Evertree Inn

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Let's Play! > Three gold a night, and absolutely no hanky-panky: CYOA at the Evertree Inn

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CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

So, what's this thing?

Good question. Evertree Inn, its sequel Sordwin, and the forthcoming Lux are a series of CYOAs written by Thom Baylay and published under Choice of Games' Hosted Games section. In short, you play a customisable protagonist in a high fantasy world with magic, gods and criminal syndicates galore. They are also, in my view, the joint best series of CYOAs available on Choice of Games (an honour shared with Paul Wang's Infinity series, LP'd by Lord Cyrahzax here and here).

The reason that this series shines is the attention to detail. Small, seemingly unimportant, choices may be referenced at any point, there are different degrees of success and failure for checks depending on both your stats and items, and who you choose to spend time with can lead to dramatic branching not just within individual books, but across them. This means that it's almost impossible to see everything across the series, and despite the fact that I've put an unhealthy amount of time into the series, there significant events that I am only aware even exist because I've looked at the underlying code. But hopefully, as the kind of obsessive who has dug into code, I'll be able to guide you through this series and make some informative comments on how things could have changed if we'd built our character differently.

Our character?

But, of course! This is a CYOA, so that means voting. Put your votes in bold or they won't be counted.

Spoilers

No spoilers for anything ahead of where we are in the series please, but spoilers for choices we didn't make are fair game for discussion, as long as the impacts would have already have been felt.

Given the above, are you going to do the next games too?

I've never LP'd anything before, but if this goes well, I will LP the next games too, but for now, we're just exploring the Evertree Inn.

Anyway, in the spirit of :justpost:

, let's get on with this. We'll begin in the next post!

Stats posted:

Current Stats

Character
Name: Glangwen Ogg
Race: Elf
Weapon: Staff
Stats:
Combat: 35/100
Guile: 18/100
Perception: 67/100
Magic: 67/100
Gold: 7
Mana: 53
Status: Full Health
Warnings: None

Suspects
(Suspects with a higher % will be more co-operative)
Owner: Laisa: 33/100
Gardener: Lamuel: 93/100
Maid: Wen: 53/100
???: 18/100
Checked Out - Tobin Brushgather: 28/100
Gunther Ga'arl: 5/100
Daisy Thorne: 17/100
Isaria Evenveil: 23/100

Romance: You definitely have a connection with Mrs. Dupree's son, Lamuel. You hope it could turn into something more.

Clues
1 - Luxican official Gregori Risenfaal was murdered in room 3 a week ago with a wooden hair comb.
2 - Mr. Dupree died at the inn, 5 years ago, falling into the wood cellar.
3 - The mystery of your stolen 3 gold pieces has been resolved.
4 - Wen was adopted by Mrs. Dupree after she was abandoned by her parents in her room eight years ago.
5 - The elf in room 6, Isaria Evenveil, is a VIP.
6 - ?
7 - Mr. Risenfaal was leering after Lamuel during his stay.
8 - Wen is scared of the wood cellar.
9 - ?
10 - ?
11 - Two thief brothers, one with a child, went missing from their room a couple of months ago while trying to rob the place.
12 - ?
13 - Tobin the halfling claims that the inn is cursed.
14 - ?
15 - ?

Evertree posted:

Backstory
You grew up in Flom, the oldest of three in a family of elves. Comfortable living alongside nature, your true goal in life was always to become a dedicated shaman.

When a fire destroyed your family home, you and your father were the only survivors. You were forced to start all over again, living on the streets. It all seemed so hopeless until you learned of an opportunity in a far off city, a chance to get your life back on track.

And so with nothing to your name but your pony, your trusty staff, and your keen instincts, you set off on the road to Lux, and that is how you came to arrive at Evertree Inn. It seemed as good a place as any to stop for the night�.

Ending:
Check back here at The End.

Thanks to Thom Baylay, the author, for giving their blessing to this. If you enjoy this LP, I strongly recommend picking up the game at the link above.

CottonWolf fucked around with this message at 21:39 on May 10, 2021

# ¿ Jan 11, 2021 19:21

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# ¿ May 14, 2024 09:22

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

Welcome! Let's begin this story.

Before we get into character creation proper, we're going to get some scene setting.

Evertree posted:

Prologue

How do I always end up in these situations?

The thought runs through your mind over and over again as you stare down at the body in front of you.

It certainly wasn't how you planned on spending your evening. In fact, you didn't even really need to stay in this place at all. You could have kept walking, pushed on through the night. Hells, at any point you could have stopped asking questions and gone to bed.

But you didn't, not after seeing the letter. You couldn't ignore it. Your curiosity was piqued.

And now you're standing in front of a body.

You hear a knock on the door and as you turn, you catch your reflection in a mirror.

We'll start with the most important choice.

Evertree posted:

What colour are your eyes?

1. Blue
2. Brown
3. Green
4. Black
5. Grey
6. Something more unusual (Write in)

----

Mechanics Corner

Because there's not much to this update, I'll also go into what we can get to in our stats screen right now. At the moment, we can't get to our main stats, because we don't exist as a fully formed stat-block yet, but we can get to a section entitled "Hints - A guide to the stats of Evertree Inn" which breaks down the main mechanics of the game. Et voila:

Evertree posted:

Main Stats
In Evertree Inn there are four personal stats that can help you to succeed.
These stats are: Combat, Guile, Perception and Magic

Combat is your physical strength and skill when using a melee weapon. It is also your ability to threaten and intimidate. It will increase when you take aggressive actions or when you successfully defeat an enemy. It will decrease if your weapon is damaged or when you sustain an injury.

Guile is your stealth and your ability to lie. This will increase whenever you do something dishonest or illegal. It will decrease if you take unsubtle or generous actions.

Perception is the awareness you have of your surroundings and your ability to read people. It is also your skill with a bow. It will increase when you put your senses to the test or when you make a clever deduction. It will decrease if you make a foolish decision or if you receive a severe injury.

Magic is the spells you are able to cast and also the potency of those spells. It increases whenever you try to cast a spell. It rarely decreases; however, Magic relies on Mana. Your Mana decreases every time you use a spell and can be increased by resting. If your Mana gets too low, you will not be able to cast any more spells.

It is also possible to increase these skills with bonuses at the end of each Chapter where you will be rewarded for overall progress in the story.

There are a couple of things to note here. Firstly, this isn't the kind of game where your stats become fixed the moment chargen finishes. They'll be going up and down throughout the story depending on both our actions and our general competence, but I'll break that down in more detail when it starts to happen. The second thing is that the series doesn't keep this stat setup throughout. From the second book, each of these stats is split into two, with Combat being split into Atheletics and Prowess, Guile into Deception and Stealth, Perception into Intuition and Observation, and Magic into Spellcasting and Will. Normally, I'm a lumper rather than a splitter when it comes to statblocks, but this split turns out to work quite well and lets you create much more flexible characters which fill more specialised niches.

Next we have:

Evertree posted:

Suspects
In Evertree Inn you will find many suspects who will either trust you or not. Suspects who trust you will be more likely to help you in your investigations. Each Suspect is different in what they like and don't like, so you might find it hard to please everyone. Try not to upset too many people or you will find yourself without allies when you need them most.

This is a first hint of what we actually do in this game. Apparently we're performing investigations, and there are suspects. What are we investigating? I guess we'll find out. Consistent with this, we have:

Evertree posted:

Clues
In Evertree Inn there are many clues to uncover. Some will be helpful, while others could be red herrings. Whenever you uncover a new clue, the phrase <Clue updated!> will appear in the story. Having clues will unlock new conversations with Suspects and help you to investigate deeper into the mysteries of the inn. However, remember that if something you discover doesn't prompt a <Clue updated!>, that doesn't mean that it isn't important.

Clues can come from anywhere - Exploring, Talking, Fighting, Sneaking, Spellcasting, even 'Hanky-Panky!'

That's all we have in Hints, right now. The rest of the mechanics will reveal themselves as we go forward with character creation and into the game proper.

# ¿ Jan 11, 2021 19:21

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

For the record, I'm going to try put out updates quite quickly through chargen because there'll be quite a few short updates with questions I can't really ask all at once. So I'm aiming for one to two updates per day during chargen, then I'll slow down to an update every two to three days once we're in the game proper.

CottonWolf fucked around with this message at 20:12 on Jan 11, 2021

# ¿ Jan 11, 2021 20:09

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

We have a winner.

Evertree posted:

Your eyes are a dark and brooding black, widening in the mirror as a voice calls out.

"Hello? Are you in there?"

Your heart starts to race as you return your attention to the body.

How do I always end up in these situations?

Three Hours Earlier...

As a stray thought, I really don't know why the game makes you set your eye colour here. The ${eye} variable isn't called again for a significant amount of time, and you don't even know what species you are at this point.

Evertree posted:

Chapter 1 - Welcome to Evertree
Well, it will have to do. It's certainly not much compared to what you've seen in the big cities but this looks like as good a place as any to stop for the night. The sun is still just about visible over the mountains and casts its orange glow on an endless expanse of green. You have been following the edge of the ancient Firstwood for two days now and this is the first establishment you've seen. Not that you don't have a perfectly good tent with you, but a comfy bed and a warm meal would sure be a welcome change.

You hitch your pony securely at the gate and make your way along the narrow path to the front door. Above your head swings a sign bearing a beautifully painted tree surrounded by the words, "Evertree Inn" in large black letters.

You check your coin purse. You have 10 gold pieces. You only hope it's enough for dinner.

This is another core mechanic. Gold is tracked and you can use it for various things throughout the game. Whether you care about it is somewhat of a character choice, as we will see. But, as far as I know, everything that can be aquired with gold can also be acquired through other (often much more difficult) means, with one exception.

Evertree posted:

The inside of the tavern is built with a smooth oak wood that glows brown under the gentle warmth of the many candles that line the walls in brackets. The lobby contains no furniture but for a counter behind which is standing a large woman wearing a grubby apron and scribbling into a ledger with a brilliant, blue quill. Standing on a stool so that he can see over the top of the counter is a halfling. He appears to be checking in.

"Thank you, Mr. Brushgather, and this is your room key. You'll be staying in room 2. It's right up�"

"I'm sure I'll find it!" the halfling interrupts irritably. He grabs his key and hops down off the stool so quickly that he crashes right into you.

What would you like to say in response?

1. My apologies, Mr. Brushgather.
2. Whoa, careful there.
3. Hey, watch it!
4. Say nothing.

Okay, how polite are we?

limeicebreakers posted:

I kind of hope chargen gets us to look super plain for the irony.

We already have black eyes, I fear that ship has sailed.

# ¿ Jan 12, 2021 00:42

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

Whoa, careful there has it.

Evertree posted:

The halfling glares but says nothing. He pushes past you, grabbing a single, large traveller's pack, and heads up the stairs. The woman behind the counter watches the halfling leave, tutting and shaking her head, before going back to the ledger. Without so much as looking at you she asks,

"Welcome to Evertree Inn. My name is Laisa Dupree, the owner and manager, and what can I do for you today, sir?"

Will you correct her for addressing you as 'sir'?

1. Not at all! I am a man.
2. No. I am a man, though when I was born my family thought I was female.
3. Yes! I am a woman.
4. Yes! When I was born, my family thought I was male but I am a woman.
5. Yes, I would prefer something non-binary.

This is really just so you can set your perferred pronouns and term of address and has no mechanical effects beyond that, as far as I can tell. There's no extreme sexual dimorphism in any of the species options. I do appreciate the trans and non-binary representation here though.

When you answer, give your preferred term of address too. Here are the options:

For men:
1. Sir
2. My lord
3. My good man
4. Write in

For women:
1. Miss
2. Ma'am
3. My lady
4. Write in

For non-binary:
1. Mix
2. Misser
3. Ser
4. Write in

CottonWolf fucked around with this message at 11:42 on Jan 12, 2021

# ¿ Jan 12, 2021 11:35

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

Fat Samurai posted:

Now I imagine a trilogy (?) of books where everyone addresses the MC with the condescending "My good man".

Quadrilogy, at least. Lux will be two books, City of Secrets and City of Lies.

But yeah, I am very glad the goonmind has not gone with "My good man".

# ¿ Jan 12, 2021 16:44

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

Next vote decides it. We're either Nanny Ogg-ing it up with 3, 2, or channeling our inner Fallen London with 5, Friend.

# ¿ Jan 12, 2021 21:37

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

Nanny Ogg-ing it up it is then. Time for the first choice with large mechanical impacts.

Evertree posted:

You politely correct Mrs. Dupree with your preferred form of address. The smile on her face falters but she collects herself and says, "Apologies, ma'am. I didn't mean any offense."

She continues with, "Room for one, is it?"

You walk up to the counter and confirm that yes, you would like a room.

"Okay, well in that case I'll just need to take a few check-in details if you don't mind?"

She picks up her fabulous, blue quill and checks the next line of the enormous, leather-bound ledger that sits on the counter.

"Race?" she asks.

You pause. You're standing right in front of her, but she shows no sign of looking to see for herself and so you are forced to answer,

1. "Human" - The most prolific race in the land and renowned for being neither excellent nor terrible at anything. Jacks-of-all-trades, humans come in all shapes and sizes.
2. "Elf" - Mysterious and beautiful, elves are revered by many for their natural attunement to magic and their heightened senses. They are more honest and trusting than other races.
3. "Dwarf" - Sturdy and strong, dwarves are natural born fighters with a keen interest in all things material. They make shrewd entrepreneurs but are stubborn and narrow-minded.
4. "Halfling" - Small and agile, halflings resemble miniature humans. Standing around three feet tall, they are one of the least magical races but this they make up for with cunning and quick wit.
5. "Brownie" - Elusive and timid, brownies are by far the rarest of the races. The same size as a halfling, they tend to shy away from fighting and rely on their spells and keen senses to stay out of trouble.

Your race/species determines your base statblock, as well as changing how people react to you more generally (people will often be shocked to see a brownie, for instance). As the descriptions imply, each race is definitely designed for a certain type of play, but it's not completely determining, and you can built against type. My character is an elf that I built to be guile-based as a challenge, for example. However, going that route is much more tricky, and requires a degree of optimising in order to not end up with a quite weak generalist character.

Something else which I don't think is documented anywhere is that your race also determines your age. Your age almost never comes up, but human MCs are 20, elf MCs are 37, dwarf MCs are 27, halfing MCs are 18 and brownie MCs are 22.

Evertree posted:

Mrs. Dupree makes no indication that she has heard you other than by scratching the word '???' into a column of the ledger before moving on to the next question.

"And your name, ma'am?"

We're then asked for our name. There are specific naming conventions for each gender within each race, So, like with our salutation, I'll list the female names for each out below and we can do them together with the species choice.

Human first names
1. Amaquis
2. Natalya
3. Ricara
4. Write in

Human last names
1. Buckley
2. Espenoth
3. Valerus
4. No last name
5. Write in

Elven first names
1. Glangwen
2. Naeva
3. Vanyalanthiriel
4. Write in

Elven last names
1. Faerondalan
2. Galadiir
3. Meliamne
4. No last name
5. Write in

Dwarven first names
1. Fundra
2. Olafi
3. Suli
4. Write in

Dwarven last names
1. Archeim
2. Olhelm
3. Reibor
4. No last name
5. Write in

Halfling first names
1. Keeva
2. Laelia
3. Melody
4. Write in

Halfling last names
1. Leagallow
2. Farthinghill
3. Winterborn
4. No last name
5. Write in

Brownie first names
1. Aelfwine
2. Odiane
3. Tenanye
4. Write in

Brownie last names
1. of the Deepwood
2. of the Lake
3. of the Misty Meadows
4. No last name
5. Write in

CottonWolf fucked around with this message at 21:54 on Jan 12, 2021

# ¿ Jan 12, 2021 21:42

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

We can headcanon her into having a snaggle-tooth if the thread likes. The elven crone Glangwen Ogg is born.

Time for the most probing inn check-in Glangwen has likely ever experienced.

Evertree posted:

"Glangwen Ogg, can you tell me your sexual preference, please?"

Your eyes widen and the silence causes Mrs. Dupree to look up.

"Oh, don't be so coy," she insists irritably. "Some of our rooms have shared or adjoining facilities and I'll not have any hanky-panky in my establishment."

She seems genuinely serious, so what will you tell her?

1. "I'm interested in men."
2. "I'm interested in women."
3. "I'm an equal opportunist."
4. "I have absolutely no intention of committing any acts of 'hanky-panky'!"

Surprisingly, based on the character, I do think there's an in universe reason that she asks this question, but whether we discover it or not remains to be seen.

She also wants to know if we're packing heat.

Evertree posted:

Mrs. Dupree narrows her eyes at you for some reason as she scrawls your answer into her book. Her eyes flick to the quiver on your back and she asks, "And are you carrying any weapons with you today?"

Like any traveller, you carry a bow for hunting, but you do also carry a melee weapon. What is it?

1. A longsword - simple yet effective, although it does make spellcasting difficult.
2. A spear - an elegant weapon that makes up in versatility what it lacks in strength.
3. A magical staff - a flashy weapon to augment my magical abilities.
4. A dagger - perfect for sneaky attacks if I'm up close.
5. Actually, I don't have a melee weapon.
6. Actually I carry a� (Write in)

Every one of these weapons changes our stats somewhat with one positive and one negative shift, except for the write in which keeps things constant, but does allow you to wield frying pans and similar as effectively as a longsword.

# ¿ Jan 13, 2021 12:53

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

CountryMatters posted:

we take a wizard's staff which, as per the song, has a knob on the end

Can confirm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACQLpBEwAzc

# ¿ Jan 13, 2021 13:40

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

limeicebreakers posted:

Honestly, whatever choice that leads to us finding out why an innkeeper would ask about their customer's sexual orientation. I'm intrigued.

It's never explicitly stated, but you can put together a convincing theory based on certain clues that you can gather, or not, later in the game. If we don't find the required stuff in this playthrough, I'll explain my theory at the end.

# ¿ Jan 13, 2021 16:02

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

I don't think this is going to change, so I'll put this update up now before I go to bed.

Glanwyn carries a witches staff (knob optional) and has a decidedly open view about the ol' hanky-panky. Interestingly, if you say you're not interested in hanky-panky, Laisa likes you more, and then the game asks if you're lying. If you say yes, you can then still choose a preference, otherwise you stay as ace.

Evertree posted:

"Just so long as you don't use it on the premises."

Mrs. Dupree finishes writing in her ledger and then looks up at you with her final question. "So how long are you planning on staying?"

"One night," you reply firmly and with absolute certainty. The city of Lux is only a day away and you can't afford any further delays.

Evertree posted:

You find yourself reflecting on the road that brought you to this moment.

You would not tell any of this to Mrs. Dupree but this journey is more important than any you have ever made. For the first time in two years you feel as though you might have a shot at something better; a shot at the life you thought you were going to live before it all went wrong.

The thought of your past brings an ache to your stomach. In the beginning it was all so full of promise and potential�

1. You were extraordinarily gifted in the magical arts for someone so young.
2. You may have been on the wrong side of the law, but you were making money!
3. A true athlete, you were constantly winning local tournaments and jousts.
4. Growing up in nature taught you how to survive in even the harshest conditions.

Unsurprisingly, this choice changes your stats, with the 1 giving you more magic, 2 giving you more guile, 3 giving you more combat and 4 giving you more perception, but it also sets the place you grew up, which is quite important across the series. This choice is followed by a second choice about what you did in that place, which lets you increase another stat or the same stat further, and sets your career goal. As you all seems to have a pretty defined idea of the character you want to make, I'm going to do this next bit a bit differently than the CYOA does and give you some text from a book you can acquire in Sordwin which has sections on each of the locations, so that you can have a bit more context on the impacts of the choice.

If you're gifted in magic you grew up in Tyr.

Sordwin posted:

The sigil: A Wand and Parchment.

Tyr, also called the Mages' City, is the magical capital of the Empire. It is home to four of the five largest mage academies, including the prestigious Hogarth's Tower. Nestled in the foothills of the Serpentcoil Mountains, the city is a buzzing hive of magical activity. At night it lights up with every colour of the rainbow and unusual weather patterns are frequent. Tyr is a particularly popular tourist destination on account of its famous hot springs, the steam towers of which give the city its distinctive skyline.

Tyr is home to one of the high temples of Yla.

Tyr is also the base of the Syndicate of Shadows, a criminal organisation about which very little is known but whose name is enough to encourage caution when traversing the city at night.

Tyrans have a reputation for being flamboyant.

If you're a criminal you grew up in Blackstone.

Sordwin posted:

The sigil: A Black Watchtower.

Blackstone is named for the watchtower that stands in its centre. Legend tells of how the tower was originally white until a dragon breathed fire upon it and blackened the stone. It is one of the smaller cities in the Empire and although wealthy, it is also very corrupt with crime running rife through all levels of society.

Blackstone is home to one of the high temples of Kin.

Blackstone is particularly famous for its thieves' guild, an organisation that spans the Empire and uses the sigil of a four-armed highwayman. Each arm represents a different branch of the guild's operations�Spying, Stealing, Swindling and Slaying.

Blackstonians have a reputation for being dishonest.

If you're an athlete you grew up in Veyawin.

Sordwin posted:

The sigil: Two Crossed Swords.

Veyawin is a city of champions. It encourages greatness, particularly in physical pursuits, and is constantly hosting tournaments in its two arenas, one for combat and one for athletics. Music is also popular in Veyawin and many successful performers come from there, the most famous being the elven singer, Isaria Evenveil.

Veyawin is home to one of the high temples of Nor.

Veyawin is famous for having one of the most efficient law enforcement institutions in the Empire.

Veyawiners have a reputation for being competitive.

And the survivalists grew up in the village of Flom in the Southern Plains.

Sordwin posted:

The villages in the south range from moderate settlements down to small collections of makeshift homes surrounding watering holes. There is very little to recommend these areas in terms of tourism and trade, but they have many traditions, particularly that of shamanism, a practice which stretches back centuries. Because of the wilderness of the southern plains, villages there have a higher population of half-orcs and brownies than the cities of the north.

There are often shrines to Tay in this part of the Empire.

Citizens of these villages have the reputation for being simple.

# ¿ Jan 13, 2021 21:51

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

We seem to have a tie between harsh conditions and magic, so the next vote decides it, then I'll put the update up.

# ¿ Jan 14, 2021 11:58

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

Flom it is!

Evertree posted:

The village of Flom was barely even a village at all, more a small collection of makeshift homes on a vast plain in the middle of nowhere. It was out there in the wild that you learned how to live with nature rather than against it. For you and your people, attunement to the environment was a necessity of survival. You had become a keen observer and a patient hunter, but you couldn't hide your desire for something more.

1. You were going to join a temple and spend your days meditating and studying martial arts. (Monk)
2. You were going to become a scout for the Imperial army. (Scout)
3. You planned to study the teachings of your village elders and combine knowledge of nature with magical practices. (Shaman)
4. You were going to leave home and venture out into the wilderness to live on nature alone. (Ranger)

Every starting location has its own set of careers. Here's the Flom set. Given what's been said already, I'm assuming we're going shaman, and I'll go forward with that choice, but if people like any of the other options more we can retcon.

Evertree posted:

It was an ancient tradition in the village, perhaps a dying art, but you had always hoped to follow in the footsteps of your town elders. You spent many hours in deep trances, going out into the plains to meditate among the beasts, and your endeavors did not go unnoticed. You were due to start studying with the elders as soon as you came of age�

Evertree posted:

And then, the fire happened.

You still don't know how it started. It was the night that you became an adult, and while your family had all retired early, you had taken the opportunity to stay out late with your friends and do what all races do once they reach such an age!

But as you returned home, you began to get a feeling that something wasn't right. And then you heard a sound.

It was a cry, which turned into more cries, which turned into screams for help. The black sky was lit up by a hellish red and filled with smoke. Your home was an inferno and the occupants, your mother and father, your two younger siblings; they were all trapped inside!

You had no time to think, no time to consider the risk. You could only act. You leapt through the flames and raced straight for the one member of your family you knew you could never live without�

1. My father.
2. My mother.
3. My sister.
4. My brother.

Technically we can't see our stats for another two choices, but we actually have a statblock now. Here it is:

Stats posted:

Character
Name: Glangwen Ogg
Race: Elf
Weapon: Staff
Stats:
Combat: 25/100
Guile: 5/100
Perception: 65/100
Magic: 50/100
Gold: 7
Mana: 100
Status: Full Health
Warnings: None

Suspects
(Suspects with a higher % will be more co-operative)
Laisa: 20/100
???: 10/100
???: 10/100
???: 10/100
???: 10/100
???: 10/100
???: 10/100
???: 10/100

Clues
1 - ?
2 - ?
3 - ?
4 - ?
5 - ?
6 - ?
7 - ?
8 - ?
9 - ?
10 - ?
11 - ?
12 - ?
13 - ?
14 - ?
15 - ?

Our magic stat might seem quite low, but we'll have plenty of opportunity to send it into the stratosphere as we go forwards.

CottonWolf fucked around with this message at 16:30 on Jan 14, 2021

# ¿ Jan 14, 2021 12:52

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

That looks like a consensus to me. Your career goal is a minor part of Evertree and Sordwin, apart from the stat changes. It takes a more important narrative role in Lux, which perhaps we'll see at some point.

Evertree posted:

You had always been closest to your sister. She was the light of your life, always smiling, but when you found her she could not have been more different.

She screamed for help as she attempted to pull your father free from the burning debris that had fallen onto his leg. You stepped in to help but even with the rubble gone, your father was barely able to walk. You hoisted him onto your shoulder and began to carry him through the burning house.

Your sister was supposed to be right behind you. You were practically outside when you looked back to check that she was still there, but she was nowhere to be seen. The house came crashing down behind you and it was all over.

You and your father were the only survivors.

You never manage to save the family member you try to. If you try to save your sister, your father suvives, as we can see. If you try to save your father your sister survives. If you try to save your mother, your brother survives and if your brother, your mother.

This leaves us with one last question in character creation before we can begin the game proper.

Evertree posted:

After that you had to give up on your old plans. Your father had survived but his injuries had left him unable to walk and so it fell to you to take care of him. You could no longer go off chasing your dreams, and though you missed your little sister more than you could say, there was no time to grieve. You had to step up and become responsible. You had lost everything in the fire, and without any other relatives, you were out on the streets with no money and no shelter. You spent a gruelling two years doing whatever it took to survive, many things of which you were not proud. You began to build some sort of a life among the poor of Flom until finally an opportunity came your way, a chance to escape the poverty and perhaps get back the life you had wanted before the fire.

The reason you were passing by Evertree Inn was to get to the port city of Lux.

The reason you were going to Lux was�

1. To seek employment as a bodyguard.
2. To try to earn a magical scholarship.
3. To get work on a merchant vessel and head out to sea.
4. To rob from the richest snobs in the Empire!

As of the last choice, we now also have a backstory.

Evertree posted:

Backstory
You grew up in Flom, the oldest of three in a family of elves. Comfortable living alongside nature, your true goal in life was always to become a dedicated shaman.

When a fire destroyed your family home, you and your father were the only survivors. You were forced to start all over again, living on the streets. It all seemed so hopeless until you learned of an opportunity in a far off city, a chance to get your life back on track.

And so with nothing to your name but your pony, your trusty staff, and your keen instincts, you set off on the road to Lux, and that is how you came to arrive at Evertree Inn. It seemed as good a place as any to stop for the night�.

Ending:
Check back here at The End.

CottonWolf fucked around with this message at 16:27 on Jan 14, 2021

# ¿ Jan 14, 2021 16:24

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

Magic solves everything, and with that chargen is complete.

Evertree posted:

The merchant lord Luca Imperion was offering vast sums of money to any mages who would come to work for him as researchers into new magical techniques. The exact nature of the work was vague, but the pay was excellent and the chance to improve your own magical understanding was too good an offer to pass up. The journey to Lux would not be an easy one, however, and so, leaving your father back in Flom in the safe hands of a few trusted friends, you packed your bags and set out to turn your life around�

"Ma'am"?

Evertree posted:

"Ma'am?"

You snap out of your recollections to see Mrs. Dupree holding out her wonderful, blue quill for you to sign the ledger. As you do so she starts to explain a little more about that for which you are signing.

"It's 2 gold pieces for the room, breakfast included. Dinner tonight is an additional 1 gold piece. Serving is in an hour, listen for the gong, and that will be in the room to the right here." She gestures to your left. "The menu tonight is a game stew with mixed vegetables and a flagon of ale. It's one of our cook's specialities."

She turns around to grab a key and then passes it to you.

"Your room will be number 1. It's at the top of the stairs and then all the way round and along, on the right, opposite the�"

She stops, seeing your dazed expression.

Evertree posted:

"Ah! Let me get you a map, that will be easier," She reaches for a box that must have once contained maps but is now empty.

"Hmm�" She looks around at the rest of the desk and then grabs a blank piece of scrap paper onto which she sketches a rough layout of the ground and upper floor of the building, revealing that the upstairs has a total of six rooms. The downstairs has a dining room, located through the door to your left, as well as a kitchen, larder, and three more rooms which must belong to Mrs. Dupree and the staff. It's not a big place, and the layout is not nearly as complicated as Mrs. Dupree was making it sound, but still you take the map and put it in your pocket.

"Right then," Mrs. Dupree finishes. "Keep the noise down, keep out of other people's business, and above all, have a nice and relaxing night here at Evertree. Now before you head up to your room, is there anything else I can help you with?"

Do you have any further questions for Mrs. Dupree?

1. "How long has Evertree Inn been open?"
2. "Your rooms are very cheap. Is there a sale on?"
3. "I don't suppose anyone could give me a hand with my bags."
4. "Are there many other guests staying here?"
5. "What should I do about my pony?"

We can ask as many or as few of these questions as we like, so vote for the ones you want me to ask and any that get over 50% of people asking for, I'll ask. A couple of them have follow ups, so if we ask those, I'll put it back to you to see if you want to ask any of those. This isn't the kind of game where you want to ask everything, because if you think asking a specific question to a person will make them like you less, it probably will. There's one last out-of-game LP question that I need to ask at this point. Do you want me to ask the questions we've decided on in the mechanically optimal order for us figuring things out, or do you want me to do it in the order of votes? Either way, I can also explain how the mechanically optimal order would have been/was better.

From this point on, now we've finished chargen, I'll be dropping the rate of updates to one every one to two days rather than a couple a day. But they'll have more mechanical detail, and I'll start showing the stat changes from each of our choices, even though the game doesn't explicitly. I will only update our statblock at the end of conversations though, because, due to follow ups, a lot of the updates will correspond to points that don't actually exist in game because you have to have asked some other questions before you can get there.

Fat Samurai posted:

I've been checking the free version on the web and I expect Laisa to be scandalised with the amount of hanky, and sometimes panky, going on on her establishment.

Hah. If you've got to chapter 2, you'll see that that chapter specifically is going to be tricky to LP. I've been trying to work to what's the best way to handle it. We'll see how it goes.

Anyway, if anyone else is interested in trying out the demo, it's available here.

CottonWolf fucked around with this message at 12:57 on Jan 15, 2021

# ¿ Jan 15, 2021 12:50

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

That Italian Guy posted:

(I guess certain questions may change how much the person we're talking with likes us? and maybe we can offend someone enough to make them not want to talk to us anymore?)

Exactly.

People seem pretty against the mechanical optimised route, so the way I'll do it is ask in vote order (rather than top to bottom, because I don't want a question at the top to lock us out of something most people wanted me to ask, later). I'll explain the mechanical impacts of our choices and how you would optimise them in the Mechanics Corner section at the bottom of occasional updates from this point on.

Here are the vote tallies:

5. 7/7
4. 7/7
1. 6/7
2. 4/7
3. 3/7

"What should I do about my pony?"

Evertree posted:

"Oh don't worry, Lamuel will have taken it round to the stables. You can check in on it later. It's just outside and around to the right."

Lamuel must be one of the staff�

"Are there many other guests staying here?"

Evertree posted:

Mrs. Dupree nods enthusiastically. "Oh yes, we're almost at full capacity tonight."

1. "Who are the other guests?"
2. "I'm glad to hear it."

"How long has Evertree Inn been open?"

Evertree posted:

Mrs Dupree is happy that you asked about the Inn and talks about it readily.

"Well, since you ask, my husband and I came to the area ten years ago. We grew up in the city, you see, and it was always a hectic life. We wanted something a little more rustic. My husband actually built this inn himself. It was all his idea. He even came up with the name."

1. "Why did he decide to build the inn here?"
2. "Does your husband work here too, then?"
3. "Why "Evertree Inn"?"
4. I'd like to ask about something else.

"Your rooms are very cheap. Is there a sale on?"

Evertree posted:

Mrs. Dupree nods her head. "These are hard times," she explains. "Not so many travellers these days and I need all the customers I can get."

1. "I'm sorry to hear that."
2. "Why are the times so hard?"
3. "It's not an indication of the quality of service, is it?"
4. I'd like to ask about something else.

---

Mechanics Corner

Actually, all the questions that might have mechanical changes have follow ups, so we'll go into that after this conversation is over!

CottonWolf fucked around with this message at 13:22 on Jan 17, 2021

# ¿ Jan 17, 2021 13:17

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

MagusofStars posted:

If we're only allowed to ask one, then ask about the name.

In general, feel free to give an order of preference, it's often unclear as to whether you'll get to ask one question or the person you're talking to will be willing to keep talking about it, and again, I'll ask either the question with most votes or all the questions with over 50% of votes in order.

# ¿ Jan 17, 2021 13:47

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

Let's do some follow-ups.

Following up:

"Are there many other guests staying here?"

Evertree posted:

Mrs. Dupree nods enthusiastically. "Oh yes, we're almost at full capacity tonight."

"Who are the other guests?"

Evertree posted:

Mrs. Dupree gives you a reprimanding look. "Now then, ma'am, I'm sure you wouldn't want your details shared with other guests, would you?"

1. "Sorry, just curious."
2. Try to sneak a peek at the ledger.
3. Offer Mrs. Dupree a bribe (1 gold) to see the other names.

Following up:

"How long has Evertree Inn been open?"

Evertree posted:

Mrs Dupree is happy that you asked about the Inn and talks about it readily.

"Well, since you ask, my husband and I came to the area ten years ago. We grew up in the city, you see, and it was always a hectic life. We wanted something a little more rustic. My husband actually built this inn himself. It was all his idea. He even came up with the name."

"Why did he decide to build the inn here?"

Evertree posted:

"Well, that would be�" Mrs. Dupree pauses to think before continuing. "Well, it's a popular road. Lots of people use it when travelling to Lux. It seemed like as good a place as any. And the forest made for a cheap and ready source of wood for building. Nowadays we still use the forest for firewood, herbs, game� it's a very convenient location, really, when you start to think about it."

"Why "Evertree Inn"?"

Evertree posted:

Mrs. Dupree shrugs and says, "You'd have to ask my husband."

You aren't sure why, but her response to your question felt strangely evasive�

"Does your husband work here too, then?"

Evertree posted:

An air of sad nostalgia comes over Mrs. Dupree's face as she explains, "No, alas; he passed away five years ago." <Clue 2 updated!>

1. "That must have been very hard."
2. "Was it an unusual death?"
3. "Then how am I supposed to ask him about the inn's name?"
4. This is a sensitive subject. I'd rather move on to something else.

We've just discovered our first clue.

Stats posted:

Clues
2 - Mr. Dupree died at the inn, 5 years ago.

I can now talk about how clues work. The first thing to note is that they're not "yes/no" variables. They have levels. Each clue can be considered a topic, and as the (hidden) number of the clue increases, it corresponds to learning more about that topic, the text on the stats screen will also change as we learn more. Different clue levels unlock different questions you can ask characters and have other mechanical effects, which we'll get to later.

Following up:

"Your rooms are very cheap. Is there a sale on?"

Evertree posted:

Mrs. Dupree nods her head. "These are hard times," she explains. "Not so many travellers these days and I need all the customers I can get."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Evertree posted:

Mrs. Dupree smiles. "It's no worry. We get bad seasons from time to time�"

You can tell that she is not telling you something but it looks like asking her would only make her more defensive.

1. "Is that really the only reason?"
2. I'll drop it and ask about something else.
3. I could try using magic�

We can tell that she wouldn't respond well to probing more due to our high perception. If she liked us more, she'd have been fine with it, and we would have been able to detect that too. Of course, that doesn't stop us trying, just because she wouldn't like it doesn't mean we couldn't pull it off.

If we try and use magic, we get this:

Evertree posted:

She's clearly not willing to tell you what she's thinking, but you could always use your magic to read her mind.

1. No, it's not worth the risk of getting caught! I'll ask about something else.
2. I'm confident I can be subtle enough. I'll read her mind. (Mana: 10)

If you say 3, above, I'll assume that you do indeed want to use magic in the next choice!

# ¿ Jan 18, 2021 14:08

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

We've got a tie for "Who are the other guests?". Once that's broken, I'll update.

# ¿ Jan 19, 2021 15:52

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

Okay!

We were just curious about the other guests.

Evertree posted:

Mrs. Dupree is placated by your apology. "Well, remember what happened to the curious cat, ma'am," she says. You get the impression that this is not so much a threat as a kind warning.

She's totally fine with that response, and yes, your instincts were right, we couldn't have got away looking at the ledger. It's actually a two stage check. First, there's a guile check, to see if Laisa notices and stops you (which we would have failed), then there's a separate perception check to see how much you can actually take in. If we'd been able to get past the guile check we'd have been able to read the whole ledger, but yeah, not stealthy enough.

Laisa's husband's death must have been very hard.

Evertree posted:

Then she snaps out of her melancholy. "But that's all in the past now. What else can I help you with, ma'am?"

Laisa %+5

That choice made Laisa like us a little more, not enough that we'd have got different answers to any of the other questions, but a little more. Evertree and Sordwin use a combination of what choicecode calls "fairmath" and standard increases to stats. Standard increases, which I will use simple +X just add that number to the stat directly, so if you had 50 in a stat and hit a +5 to that stat it would go to 55. Fairmath makes it progressively more difficult to raise stats the higher that the stat is. Instead of X, %+X would add (100-stat value)*(X/100), in the 50 example we had above, that means %+5 would correspond to a 3 point increase after rounding.

We're a shaman, let's do some magic to find out why the rooms are so cheap.

Evertree posted:

Mrs. Dupree's mind is surprisingly strong but as your spell starts to work you catch a glimpse of the secret she is trying to hide.

I cautiously open the door to the room. I dread to think what I might find but�oh Gods. Is he dead?

Mrs. Dupree is thinking about a death in this very inn. The memory feels recent, perhaps within the last week. <Clue 1 updated!>

You end the spell and can't tell if Mrs. Dupree knows what you just tried to do� but she looks suspicious.

Laisa %-10
Magic %+2
Guile -2

Stats posted:

Clues
1. Someone died in one of the rooms a week ago.

We got the info (because we were good enough at magic), but Laisa realised (because we're the least subtle person on the planet and have a guile score of literally 3). Getting caught when trying to read minds is generally not an issue, but people will often comment that you look vacant, and Laisa is particularly observant.

Anyway, that's all the questions we wanted to ask, so let's proceed.

I'm all done asking questions

Evertree posted:

Mrs. Dupree stares at you expectantly and then you realise that she must be waiting for payment. You pull out your coin purse from inside your robe and check the contents�it feels lighter for some reason.

It must have been that halfling who bumped into you before he went upstairs to his room! <Clue 3 updated!>

1. Tell Mrs. Dupree that the halfling must have taken it!
2. Keep quiet - I can confront the halfling later.
3. Keep quiet - I don't really care. I can still afford the room.

Stats posted:

Clues
3 - The halfling staying at the inn stole 3 gold pieces from you.

We spotted that our coin purse this due to our high perception, which has really been doing work these last few updates. So, do we mention it, or hold onto this information?

# ¿ Jan 19, 2021 18:44

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

Later, it is.

Evertree posted:

You just need to remember in which room the halfling is staying.

The game actually asks you to remember this, here. You can have noticed it when Laisa gives the keys over, or when you looked at the ledger. You also get another chance to look at the ledger here. But by the perfect memory granted to Glangwen by the power of let's plays, she can recall this:

Some number of updates ago posted:

The inside of the tavern is built with a smooth oak wood that glows brown under the gentle warmth of the many candles that line the walls in brackets. The lobby contains no furniture but for a counter behind which is standing a large woman wearing a grubby apron and scribbling into a ledger with a brilliant, blue quill. Standing on a stool so that he can see over the top of the counter is a halfling. He appears to be checking in.

"Thank you, Mr. Brushgather, and this is your room key. You'll be staying in room 2. It's right up�"

"I'm sure I'll find it!" the halfling interrupts irritably. He grabs his key and hops down off the stool so quickly that he crashes right into you.

So, remembering that:

Evertree posted:

That sounds right! You can confront the halfling later if you want your money back. <Clue 3 updated!>

Stats posted:

Clues
3 - Mr. Brushgather, the halfling in Room 2, stole 3 gold pieces from you.

Evertree posted:

You take three gold pieces and hand them over to Mrs. Dupree who puts them into a small metal container behind the counter.

"Enjoy your stay, ma'am. I'll be here for a while longer if you have any questions once you're settled."

And so, having finished checking in, you head up the stairs and begin searching for your room.

The map you've been given is hardly necessary given the small size of the building. The corridor is the same as the lobby, the same smooth, dark-brown wood on the walls and flickering candles in brackets. The effect is eerie as the sunlight fades beyond the single window.

You reach door "1" and fumble for your key.

If we'd asked for someone to help carry our bags, we could have met the maid here, and had a chat with them, but as it is, it's just us.

Evertree posted:

With the door unlocked, you push it open to find yourself in a simple room. It consists of a small, wooden bed with a thick quilt and furs for warmth. There is also a small table and a closet into which you place your bags for safe-keeping. There is one window that looks out onto the road that brought you to the inn.

Evertree posted:

Alone at last, you have time to make a full inspection of the room. It's very clean and well-maintained and the quality of the wood used for the furniture is extraordinary.

You move over to the window for a better view and see the world stretching out as far as the eye can see. To the right, there are white towers, their flags emblazoned with the Golden Anchor of Lux, a stark contrast to the Acacia trees of Flom, your home. The world truly is a big place and just looking out you feel very small.

You stand there for a while longer as the sun all but disappears, and then you turn to the door on your right that leads to the washroom. A bath would be perfect before dinner, and then you can settle down to a quiet night's rest.

You start to undress, and as you do, the map that Mrs. Dupree drew for you falls from your pocket. You bend down to pick it up, and that's when you notice that something is written on the other side. It appears to be a letter, and as you scan the contents, you're pretty sure that Mrs. Dupree didn't mean for you to read it.

Evertree posted:

<Clue 1 updated!>

To Mrs. Laisa Dupree,

The city of Lux hereby suspends your licence to provide lodgings at Evertree Inn pending investigations into the death of Mr. Gregori Risenfaal.

Please refrain from continuing your business until it has been declared safe by a city council official.

Signed, John Gubrick

Mayor of Lux
�

So much for a quiet night�

Stats posted:

Clues
1 - A Luxican official named Gregori Risenfaal died in one of the rooms a week ago.

Evertree posted:

Bonus!
And now for a bonus!

You feel like so far you have been pretty successful at uncovering some of the mysteries that Evertree Inn has to offer and this experience will increase your abilities moving forwards.

You have earned almost the maximum possible bonus for this stage!

Choose one skill you would like to improve before moving on to the next chapter.

1. Combat.
2. Guile.
3. Perception.
4. Magic and Mana.
5. I want to improve everything equally.

At the end of every chapter but the last, this will happen. It gives you a chance to improve a stat (often significantly) in addition to the smaller improvements you can get from using those stats in game. Each chapter has different requirements for its bonus. In this game, but not Sordwin, every bonus change is absolute, you just get a flat number, equal to your bonus, added to the stat of your choice, or a smaller number added to all the stats. As you can see we did pretty well here, getting nearly the maximum. The maximum bonus for this chapter is 10, and we achieved 8. We missed starting Clue 4 due to choices we made, had we have also done that, we would have got the maximum. So, anyway, where do we want to put our 8 points?

# ¿ Jan 20, 2021 18:19

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

CountryMatters posted:

I knew that drat halfling was shady. Pump guile imo. At the end of the run are you going to do any mechanics posts for stuff we missed, like that clue 4 you mentioned?

Yep. I will. I've not entirely decided when it makes sense to do it, but I do think the end is probably the right point, so that we don't spoil things in advance of Glangwen finding them out.

# ¿ Jan 20, 2021 19:22

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

Let's get a wee bit more stealthy.

Evertree posted:

You feel a surge of inspiration as you consider all that you have uncovered and know that you will be able to expose far more secrets as your adventure continues.

Now, on to the next chapter!

Guile +8

Here are our end of chapter stats.

Stats posted:

Current Stats

Character
Name: Glangwen Ogg
Race: Elf
Weapon: Staff
Stats:
Combat: 25/100
Guile: 11/100
Perception: 67/100
Magic: 51/100
Gold: 4
Mana: 90
Status: Full Health
Warnings: None

Suspects
(Suspects with a higher % will be more co-operative)
Laisa: 25/100
???: 10/100
???: 10/100
???: 10/100
???: 10/100
???: 10/100
???: 10/100
???: 10/100

Clues
1 - A Luxican official named Gregori Risenfaal died in one of the rooms a week ago.
2 - Mr. Dupree died at the inn, 5 years ago.
3 - Mr. Brushgather, the halfling in Room 2, stole 3 gold pieces from you.
4 - ?
5 - ?
6 - ?
7 - ?
8 - ?
9 - ?
10 - ?
11 - ?
12 - ?
13 - ?
14 - ?
15 - ?

Evertree posted:

Chapter 2 - An Hour To Kill
You read and reread the letter several times, going over everything in your mind. It's all a bit much to process.

A death and a suspension of the licence; Mrs. Dupree has certainly not been honest with you, but how do you feel about this information?

1. I love a good mystery! Let's get to investigating!
2. This is outrageous. Mrs. Dupree is breaking the law!
3. Am I even safe here?
4. If this place is operating outside of the law, perhaps I can get away with some theft.
5. Meh, it happened a week ago. I'm more interested in just exploring.

This choice just gets us a define Glangwen a little more, but has only narrative, no statistical, impact, so I'll give the text for our choice next update. But carry on with the main story for now.

Evertree posted:

As you ponder this, you catch sight of yourself in the mirror and realise that you're still carrying the filth of the road on you. Your clothes are smelling pretty bad and you haven't washed in several days. While travelling, this was never a problem, but this inn is full of guests. Is it really okay to appear in public in your current state?

You examine yourself in the mirror. You're not a bad looking elf, by most standards. You've never had any complaints about your appearance, particularly your beautiful, black eyes, and underneath your travelling clothes, your body is�

1. Sculpted from years of combat training.
~~2. Slight as one who is used to getting out of scrapes.~~
3. Rugged and scarred from the events of my life.
4. Smooth and flawless, almost magical.

Surprisingly, this choice doesn't actually modify your stats directly, but does have mechanical impacts in other places, so it's not purely fluff to help give you an idea of what your character looks like. We don't have enough guile to have had a past that lead us to be lithe, but we hit the stats required for all of the other potential body types.

# ¿ Jan 21, 2021 12:34

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

Nothing is going to catch those choices now.

Glangwen loves a good mystery!

Evertree posted:

Nothing livens up a boring night in a country tavern like a mystery. The next step will be to figure out which room was the scene of the crime.

And she's rugged and scarred from the events of her life.

Evertree posted:

Marked with a patchwork of scrapes, you have the scarred look of one who has been hardened by life. Though perhaps not conventionally beautiful, your body tells the story of who you are.

Yes, it's certainly true that had it not been for the fire you would never have wanted for attention from either gender back in Flom. As it is, it has been some time since you've worried too much about what people might think of how you look. When you get to Lux it will be important to dress appropriately. This could be a good opportunity to try it out.

So what would you like to do?

1. I've got time. I'll take a bath and get really cleaned up before I go out in public again!
2. I think I'll just get changed. I don't want to waste too much time in my room.
3. Forget smelling nice, I just want to get to work!
4. Actually, before any of that, I'd like to take a couple of minutes to search the room.

This begins to show why LPing chapter 2 is going to be a challenge. We have 1 hour of in-game time and more or less free reign to explore the inn, meet characters etc. All actions take a given amount of time (though without looking at the code, you don't know how much). Essentially this chapter is as close as a CYOA can get to an "open world" game. Our aim is just to find out as much as we can about what's going on in this inn within the hour before dinner. So, consider your actions going forward through that framing. Here we can pick one of 1, 2 and 3 and either do 4 or not. If we have the bath, we also get changed.

CottonWolf fucked around with this message at 14:25 on Jan 21, 2021

# ¿ Jan 21, 2021 14:20

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

Right, let's have a quick poke around.

Actually, before any of that, I'd like to take a couple of minutes to search the room.

Evertree posted:

You spend a few minutes going over the room and as you open the little drawer in the bedside table you find something that has rolled to the back, an object that must have belonged to a previous guest. You recognise it straight away as a sunstick. These small wooden wands have a glass head at one end which when smashed, emits a light that shines as brightly as a candle for several minutes. You're not sure if it will be useful at all but it would definitely be worth taking.

Other than this impressive find, your search only reveals a single gold coin that had rolled under the bed, which you happily pocket.

Now you had best make a decision about your appearance.

+1 Gold
+1 Sunstick

I think I'll just get changed. I don't want to waste too much time in my room.

Evertree posted:

You open up your travel bag and lay out your various clothing options on the bed. You don't own much, but with a little creativity you have a number of combinations you could try.

How will you be dressed for the night?

1. In something tough and practical in case I get into any scrapes.
2. In something smart. I want to impress the other guests.
3. Something more�appealing. Nothing wrong with turning a few heads.
4. All black, perfect for sneaking around unnoticed, though perhaps not for making friends.
5. Just another set of travelling clothes.

Each of these causes some stat modifications apart from the travelling clothes, which in some sense is the "default" option where you stay the same. I don't want to tell you exactly what these do before you pick (because some of them have non-intuitive effects), but I'll explain afterwards.

CottonWolf fucked around with this message at 14:22 on Jan 23, 2021

# ¿ Jan 22, 2021 17:20

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

The sunstick we found last update would have been more useful if we'd not have been a magic user, but as it is, we can create light with the wave of a hand. Perhaps it will save us some mana at some point though.

Anyway, let's dress smartly.

Evertree posted:

You don't own much of which to be proud but you do have a clean, white shirt with a stylish neckerchief to give you a more sophisticated air. Coupled with black leather breeches, tunic, and boots, you feel as though you could almost be considered quite fancy.

You check your look in the mirror and fix a gold pin to your lapel� perfect.

Thinking about what to do now, you recall how Mrs. Dupree said that it would be about an hour until dinner and according to your map, there are quite a few places to explore.
There are six rooms on your floor, some empty and some with guests.
Downstairs is the lobby and the dining room.
Outside your pony has been put in the stables.

Don't forget that you have a limited time. You might not be able to see and talk to everyone, so pick and choose carefully. Also remember that you are a guest. You don't want to get in trouble or you might be thrown out.

Where would you like to go now?

[Note - You have 56 minutes left until dinner.]

1. Check out Room 2.
2. Check out Room 3.
3. Check out Room 4.
4. Check out Room 5.
5. Check out Room 6.
6. Go and see if Mrs. Dupree is still in the lobby.
7. Go to the dining hall.
8. Head outside.
9. On second thought, I think I do need to have a bath.
10. I'm done with exploring. I'm just going to rest until dinner time.

Laisa +5
??? +5
??? +5
??? +5
??? +5
??? +5
??? +5

So begins Chapter 2 proper. Before I go into that, clothes. As you can see, wearing smart clothes made most people (but not everyone) like us more. We'll also get occasional comments about our clothing when we meet people. Practical clothing gives a small buff to both combat and magic (because the ease of movement it makes the somatic components easier to pull off). All black gives a significant guile boost, but makes literally everyone like you less. Finally, "appealing" (or sexy as it's outright called in the code), gives you a guile penalty and nothing else, but can give you some pretty significant boosts to people's reactions to you later if you make the right choices. As I mentioned earler, travelling clothes have no effect at all.

Okay, Chapter 2: So we can go anywhere, in any order. Some locations change as time proceeds or if you've been there before. The more questions you ask a person when you're talking to them, the longer it takes, as you would expect. As it is, we didn't get a peak at the ledger, so we don't know who's in each room. All we know is that Tobin Bushgather, the halfling who took our gold, is in room 2, and that someone called Lamuel took our pony outside.

So, with that information, where do we want to go first?

Note: I'm not going to put our statblock at the end of every update, I'll probably just do that at the end of chapters, but I will be keeping the statblock in the OP updated.

CottonWolf fucked around with this message at 14:26 on Jan 23, 2021

# ¿ Jan 23, 2021 14:22

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

We need a room 2 or room 6 tie-breaker.

# ¿ Jan 24, 2021 21:26

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

In that case, we come to a door. What do we do with the door?

Evertree posted:

The door to room 2 looks just like all the other doors on the first floor except for the brass number nailed into the wood. It's also directly opposite the door to your own room.

What would you like to do?

1. Listen at the door.
2. Knock on the door.
Break into the room.

Evertree posted:
There's more than one way to break and enter. Would you like to use strength or cunning to get into the room?

3. Strength. I'll literally break in.
~~4. Cunning, I'm an expert lock-picker.~~
5. Neither, I'll use magic. (Mana:5)

6. I'd rather explore somewhere else.

Classic door problems.

# ¿ Jan 24, 2021 22:10

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

Evertree posted:

You strain your ears and feel like you can hear something on the other side, but only faintly. There's certainly someone in there, but they're being very quiet.

What would you like to do?

Perception %+2 (which in our case actually corresponds to no increase because our perception is already so high)

All the other options are still available!

# ¿ Jan 25, 2021 15:54

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

Unless anyone has any problems with it, going forward, if we encounter any locked doors or containers, I'm just going to magic through them. It seems like that's our MO.

Evertree posted:

It might be a simple spell, but it's one of the most useful. By closing your eyes and making a few fluid hand gestures, you feel a small wave of energy slip into the lock and press against the mechanism.

With a light click, the door opens to reveal an empty room. As you enter you feel a chill as a breeze rushes over from the open window on the far wall.

This room is smaller than yours but furnished in the same way with a bed, a closet, and a mirror. There are some scattered belongings around, suggesting that the room is in use, but the owner is nowhere to be seen. It might not be ethical to go through someone else's things, but then it's not ethical to break into someone else's hotel room. Maybe you're just not a very ethical elf.

You have a moment to snoop around if you would like to.

Where would you like to look?

1. Check the belongings.
2. Check the closet.
3. Check under the bed.
4. Check the window.
5. Leave the room.

Magic %+2

We know that someone's in here somewhere...

CottonWolf fucked around with this message at 20:08 on Jan 25, 2021

# ¿ Jan 25, 2021 20:05

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

The closet it is.

Evertree posted:

The closet, like yours, is equipped with a lock to keep the contents safe. It looks similar in design to the locks on the doors to the rooms and requires a key which you do not have. There might be another way to gain access, however.

And with a wave of the hand, and an expension of 5 mana:

Evertree posted:

The spell is straightforward enough, even on a tough lock like this one, and with a magical click, the door opens and you have access to the contents of the closet.

Inside you find only a small coin purse resting on the smooth wood. It contains 5 gold pieces. You also notice sewn onto the side of the purse is the name "Tobin Brushgather."

This was the halfling who bumped into you upon your arrival at the Inn, and you can be pretty certain he was responsible for stealing your gold.

Now is your opportunity to win it back. <Clue 3 updated!>

1. I'll take all 5 gold pieces!
2. I'll just take 3 gold pieces since that is what was stolen from me before.
3. I'll take back 1 gold piece. That way he'll know that I bested him and that I don't care that he bested me!
4. I'll just leave it. I'm not a thief.

Magic %+2

Stats posted:

Clues
3 - The mystery of your stolen 3 gold pieces has been resolved.

So, how law abiding is Glangwen?

# ¿ Jan 26, 2021 13:43

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

Shouldn't have messed with us.

I'll take all 5 gold pieces!

Evertree posted:

You pocket the gold and have another quick look around the room, but find nothing else of value. The sound of footsteps moving around outside causes you to freeze, but eventually they go away, and you remain undiscovered. You figure you've probably lingered long enough now and so, content with your findings and with your own coin purse considerably heavier, you sneak back out of room 2.

Where would you like to go now?

[Note - You have 53 minutes left until dinner.]

1. Check out Room 3.
2. Check out Room 4.
3. Check out Room 5.
4. Check out Room 6.
5. Go and see if Mrs. Dupree is still in the lobby.
6. Go to the dining hall.
7. Head outside.
8. On second thought, I think I do need to have a bath.
9. I'm done with exploring. I'm just going to rest until dinner time.

Gold +5
Guile %+2
??? -10

We get guile here, because, at least in Evertree, guile measures both your willingness and ability to steal. Willingness to steal is combined into a separate statistic in Sordwin, which measures your general disposition.

Anyway, where to now? That only took us 3 minutes, so a very profitable diversion. We technically have the option to go back to room 2 again, but the game basically says "I'm not sure that's a good idea!" and throws you back to this menu, so I didn't put it on the list.

Here's the text for those interested:

Evertree posted:

There's nothing else to be done in this room for now. Certainly the halfling staying there won't want to make conversation again.

You'd be better off using your time elsewhere.

CottonWolf fucked around with this message at 14:45 on Jan 27, 2021

# ¿ Jan 27, 2021 14:25

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

There�s the ledger we didn�t look at in Chapter 1. But there are plenty of other ways of finding out who�s in rooms that we could still access, beyond trial and error.

# ¿ Jan 27, 2021 23:25

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

What's behind door... number... 4?!

Evetree posted:

You walk up to the door to room 4. It is the room adjacent to your own, although the door is located around the corner from yours, opposite the top of the stairs.

What would you like to do?

Listen at the door.

Evetree posted:
You strain your ears against the wood and hear the sound of someone definitely moving around on the other side. From the creaking of the floorboards you estimate that they must be quite large.

What would you like to do?

Perception %+2

1. Knock on the door.
2. Break into the room.
3. I'd rather explore somewhere else.

CottonWolf fucked around with this message at 14:38 on Jan 28, 2021

# ¿ Jan 28, 2021 14:25

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

CountryMatters posted:

That's pretty cool then. I'm pretty tempted to buy this one myself and play along with the thread

If you're going to play Evertree, I suggest playing Sordwin after you finish. Not only does is improve on basically every aspect of Evertree (though I still think Evertree's great, or I wouldn't be LPing it), it's frankly insane how much carries over. There are entire chapters worth of content that swap out in Sordwin based on your choices in Evertree.

# ¿ Jan 28, 2021 16:51

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

Sure, let's have a chat.

Knock on the door.

Evertree posted:

You knock lightly on the door but nothing happens.

What would you like to do?

1. I'll knock louder.
2. Break into the room.
3. I'd rather explore somewhere else.

Hmm...

# ¿ Jan 28, 2021 18:53

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

Perhaps they didn't hear us.

I'll knock louder.

Evertree posted:

You knock again but still you get no reply. If there is someone inside, they either can't hear you, or they don't want to.

What would you like to do?

1. I'll hammer on the door.
2. Break into the room.
3. I'd rather explore somewhere else.

Hmmmmmmmmm...

(We're collecting some fun hidden variables here, but I'll talk about them if and when they pay off.)

CottonWolf fucked around with this message at 19:11 on Jan 28, 2021

# ¿ Jan 28, 2021 19:02

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

The wiser option, probably.

Evertree posted:

Where would you like to go now?

[Note - You have 52 minutes left until dinner.]

1. Check out Room 3.
2. Check out Room 4.
3. Check out Room 5.
4. Check out Room 6.
5. Go and see if Mrs. Dupree is still in the lobby.
6. Go to the dining hall.
7. Head outside.
8. On second thought, I think I do need to have a bath.
9. I'm done with exploring. I'm just going to rest until dinner time.

Had you have tried to knock on the door one more time ~things~ would have happened. I'll show that scene at the end of LP.

CottonWolf fucked around with this message at 17:18 on Jan 29, 2021

# ¿ Jan 29, 2021 17:16

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# ¿ May 14, 2024 09:22

CottonWolf: Jul 20, 2012; Good ideas generator

Can't argue with that logic.

Evertree posted:

You walk up to the door marked with a bronze 3. It's one of the smaller rooms and sits to the left of room 2, across the corridor from where you are staying.

What would you like to do?

Listen at the door.

Evertree posted:
You press your ears up against the wood and strain to hear anything happening on the other side, but you get nothing. The room sounds like it's empty.

What would you like to do?

1. Knock on the door.
2. Break into the room.
3. I'd rather explore somewhere else.

# ¿ Jan 29, 2021 20:19

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Let's Play! > Three gold a night, and absolutely no hanky-panky: CYOA at the Evertree Inn

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