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1A.
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Aug 31, 2022 18:55
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| # ? May 4, 2024 22:43 |
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1A. Being filled with determination will probably get us killed down the line, but not before we achieve something.
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Aug 31, 2022 18:58
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1B
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Aug 31, 2022 19:43
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Our first death may be approaching.
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Sep 1, 2022 07:40
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1.4 - Childhood's End Cowards, the lot of you.  Personally, I'm a big fan of the changes to the book itself when important stuff happens to us - the singed pages, the blood splatter, the tears from being hit.  Anyway, not actually hitting Gregor does not save us from a beating.  What an absolute piece of poo poo.  However, standing up for ourselves and generally acting like a noble would does make him like us more.  Don't worry, we'll piss away all that good will almost immediately.  We turn six, and our instruction begins in earnest. Books upon books upon books.      Meanwhile, Stephan has been moved to the capital, and Gregor has been spending more time at our house. An interesting note on Gregor: he's a Noble of the Mantle, like Father, and used to be an imperial judge, like Father. However, as we will see later, you can stop being a noble if you quit your noble job (judge, administrator, or lower-ranking officer). As far as I can tell, Gregor no longer works, so perhaps retirement lets you keep that title?  Gregor may be a piece of poo poo, but he is laser-focused on his goal of making us Nobles of the Sword.        By any means necessary.     Essentially holding Stephan hostage does help the old man out.  Stephan is a spoiled brat, but he's still Father's son, and his only reminder of his first wife (Stephan's mom died in childbirth).     We're seeing the cracks in the family widen. Mother has permanently accepted being Father's lesser a long time ago, and has been leaning on the Old Faith to justify it. That doesn't make treating her like this any more acceptable.  The baroness finally joins the party  He's physically incapable of not poking at us, isn't he?  Anyway, gently caress him, gently caress this baroness, we're going upstairs with Mother. Note: if we had admitted to Father that we pushed the noble kid who took our toy soldiers at the store, he would've been grateful, and we could've convinced him to formally introduce Mother and Gloria. This would've also hit our Reputation, but we would've gotten a Unity bonus.  Unwilling to see Mother treated like this, we leave with her.   We got you, Mother.  As expected, Gregor has been working overtime on making Stephan worse. Going directly against Father's instructions makes him dislike us.   Mother, of course, loved this, while Gregor hated it.   We lost some Reputation and finally get our first Perception point.  We turn seven, and Father really starts putting the pressure on us.  With Gregor out of town, we spend some time with Gloria, surrounded by our homework.          She's learning to pick her battles, and surprises us with a magic tube.  After looking through it for some time, we decide what to with it.  Of course we take it apart to see the infinite worlds inside it.   We didn't find infinite worlds, but we did learn how a thing works.  Netting us another Perception point, and leaving us on the brink of being unable to do anything.  With Stephan away, we spend more time with Gloria.     We also learn that commoners aren't even allowed to enjoy food.  When has either of us really given a poo poo about that though?    We are, however, still children, and sometimes get caught.  As always, Gregor's first instinct is to beat a child.    Gloria is giving us an out, trying to focus all of Gregor's rage on herself, like we did with Nathan.  Gregor isn't Mother, though, and this is saving no one. Time to stand up to this rear end in a top hat.  Gotta work together for this.    Gregor doesn't take our constructive criticism of his garbage taste in food very well.  God, that's gotta hurt.  Of course Mother is here to remind us of our Lot.   I count that as a win.  Would do it again in a heartbeat.   Our relationship with Gregor drops down to "distaste". Feeling's mutual.  Today's the big day. Our childhood ends, and our adolescence begins      We take our first step into the larger world of Anizotte.  This is where Mother and Gloria go all the time?    It doesn't seem to be that bad for the nobles.  Oh.     Oh wow, gently caress this church.   It's now our turn. -- How do we respond to our first sacrament?  A. Look, at the moment we're not a noble, and the world is not going to treat us as a noble. Better just accept it.  B. We're not going to keep our eyes down and submit to these people. Stand up!  C. gently caress this church, gently caress this priest, gently caress this society. Catch the lash, he's not laying a hand on us.  D. Oh, we'll go for a sacrament alright. The noble's sacrament because one day we will be a noble. Kiss the sword instead!
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Sep 1, 2022 15:00
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Kiss the sword Yes, I'm aware of the penalties. But the benefits are broad enough that it's worth taking. Delphisage fucked around with this message at 16:43 on Sep 1, 2022 |
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Sep 1, 2022 15:18
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Oh, and remember, we're at 0 Willpower, so if we use it now, we won't be able to use it for other events until we restore it.
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Sep 1, 2022 15:19
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How easy would it be to catch the lash from this position though? B seems redundant as Georg would just be forced down onto his knees again like Nathan was. Kissing the sword is brazen but would it count? Edit: I'm changing mine to D. If we catched the lash then we'd probably get beaten even harder with it. They've proven that we can be restrained. May as well give them a surprise. Rocket Baby Dolls fucked around with this message at 15:25 on Sep 1, 2022 |
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Sep 1, 2022 15:22
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C, gently caress everything about this.
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Sep 1, 2022 15:24
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Catch that lash! Establish badassness and determination in one swoop. We're no dirty noble.
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Sep 1, 2022 15:24
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willpower boost could be nice, worried about getting too low. Otoh kissing the sword is a pretty baller move and might get us some metaphysical wumbo bullshit boost? so maybe worth flirting with -10?
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Sep 1, 2022 16:25
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B eing a Noble sucks, they're all assholes or spineless.
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Sep 1, 2022 16:36
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D. Not interested in becoming a noble, but defying the lots system like this? Ought to leave quite the impression.
Arcanuse fucked around with this message at 16:52 on Sep 1, 2022 |
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Sep 1, 2022 16:46
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B. I don't wanna be a noble, they're assholes.
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Sep 1, 2022 16:51
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I vote for C. To quote Don Henley, “I will not go quietly”.
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Sep 1, 2022 17:20
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Voting C for gently caress the Church
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Sep 1, 2022 17:22
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Listen people, I've noticed that a lot of you want to vote for nice things and the best path. But this is not "The good times and great parties of Sir Brante." No, it is the "Life and Suffering of Sir Brante." So D. Because it will lead to suffering.
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Sep 1, 2022 17:45
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D good enough reasoning for me, lets steal our lot in life and hope we dont get a willpower crit fail right after
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Sep 1, 2022 17:51
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ThatBasqueGuy posted:D Paulo Freire posted:When education is not liberating, the dream of the oppressed is to become the oppressor.
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Sep 1, 2022 17:54
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If nothing else, D would make Gregor happy. Either B or C would be better, and at this stage, I think we need to show our willpower rather than our determination (and lose perceptiveness in the process) So B, and let the wounds remind us we suffer not because of our lot, but because of people holding whips.
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Sep 1, 2022 17:59
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B gently caress Gregor, gently caress the idea of the system in the first place. Our Lot is not a nobleman's, it's also not a commoner's. Lots are bullshit and we will not submit to them, even the fancy one. (Also just mechanically willpower seems like a more valuable currency than losing a Perception point and gaining negligible credit with the grandpa doomed to hate us regardless)
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Sep 1, 2022 18:03
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Crazycryodude posted:B This.
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Sep 1, 2022 18:09
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ok but with respect to mr freire becoming technically the oppressor gives us magical powers here
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Sep 1, 2022 19:10
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D
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Sep 2, 2022 06:24
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Alright, locking the vote. Kissing the sword wins.
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Sep 2, 2022 09:42
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1.5 - A Bigger World We're gonna be a noble whether this priest wants us to or not.    Congrats, thread, we earned the respect of Gregor Brante. I hope you're proud of yourselves.  The priest does eventually get control of the situation  But hey, at least Nathan thinks we're cool.  Hell of a way to end our childhood.  With that Willpower drop, we're not gonna be able to get anything special done for a while.  Welcome to the Church, you'll be here for as long as the Empire stands.  As with the sword training, we get a little event pop-up.  We turn eight, and our childhood comes to an end.      Looking back on the whole thing, has there been a downwards trajectory, or have we just slowly noticed more things as we grew up?  At the end of every chapter, we get a nice little timeline of the past couple of years' events.  Onwards, to adolescence!  The world grows a little larger.     We still have options: as Father's son, we might still become a noble, unlike most commoners.  Gone are Determination and Perception, with new stats to replace them. Nobility, predictably, determines how noble our actions are. Standing up and fighting, and maintaining good ties with the "right sorts" will make this stat grow. Ingenuity determines how well we can function in the commoner world. Misdirection, lying, and clever solutions boost this one. Spirituality determines how well-attuned we are to the Twins Just like Determination and Perception, these stats start at zero. Once our childhood finishes, our final Skills start as a combination of our childhood and adolescent stats.  We're also now aware of the general state of things in the province of Magra. We very rarely influence these stats, and they can move from one extreme to the other by major events. Power determines where the current focus of political power is, from Old Nobility in Power ("the Ancien Regime wasn't reactionary enough, we need to go back further!") to Reign of Terror ("bring out the guillotines!"). Have I mentioned this game is, regretfully, liberal? Reformist, specifically. Church determines which denomination of the Church of the Twins is in charge, from Fall of the New Faith to Fall of the Old Faith. Wealth of Magra determines how well-off and productive our province is, from Barren Land to Flourishing Land. Order determines how thoroughly the people in Magra follow imperial law, from Lawless Land to Triumph of the Law.     Here we have the Destiny events that can come up in the chapter. These are related to the family. Note that because we took the Nobleman's Sacrament, we can join the Brante Blood Tide even if Gregor hates us.    These are personal events. Note that we can't trigger the Revelation of the Tree event because we didn't get the Insight event in our childhood. That's the one that needed 4 Perception to trigger.  Always be studying, Father says.    But we can't just let this sort of thing stand! Nathan's in trouble!  Meet Tommas Guerro, the first person outside our family that we interact with on a regular basis.     Now, Nathan shouldn't have started with the insults, but this kid pushed him!  Let him have it!  drat, this kid can fight.     Cheese it, it's the fuzz!  We gotta bounce, fighting is reserved for nobility, and we're not there yet.       In the end, we hatch a clever scheme with Tommas so that no one gets whipped.  We made a friend!  And for fighting, gained a Nobility point.  Another year passed, and we turn nine, doing what kids do: play outside.    We try to show off in front of a girl from down the street.  But things get very real very quickly.  We don't have the Willpower to save Sophia, so the only thing we can do is stand there and watch.  The nobility does not care about commoner lives. Especially the Arknian nobility.  Sophia's tiny trampled body lies on the cobblestones as the riders speed away without even slowing down.     We talk to Mother about the traumatic event we've just witnessed, and she tries to calm us down.    As far as she's concerned, it's all a part of the Twins' plan, and we should just move on.  Sophia died, spoke with the Twins, and returned a changed person.  We grow a little older, to an age of 10.        Terrible things happen in Anizotte, but all we hear is rumours.      Finally, Father tells us what actually happened. Greed and disregard for worker safety, same as it ever was.  Slowly, the people of Magra start questioning the rights of the nobles, and where those rights lead, even if only in hushed whispers for now.  One evening, the family home gets new visitors. Maybe since Stephan is back, everything will be like it was before?      We meet Baron Augustin El Borne, Stephan's mother's brother, and a friend of the family. The other tolerable noble beside Father, and the only tolerable Noble of the Sword.  Stephan himself has clearly spent too much time in Gregor's company. He was a spoiled brat when he left, but now he's an absolute rear end in a top hat.    Look at that. We all played hide-and-seek together, you gently caress.  Thankfully, El Borne is here to at least ease the tension.      El Borne is a much, much better person than any other noble we've met outside of Father. It's a really low bar, but easily clears it.      Compare him to Gregor.  Or this rear end in a top hat.    Gregor has dedicated a lot of resources to making Stephan into as repulsive a human being as he could.  So publicly, too! -- How do we react to Stephan's outrageous behaviour?  1. This is unacceptable. Talk poo poo about the spoiled brat.  2. Listen, we're all gonna be nobles in the future, so we'll have to learn to fit into politce society. Just pretend nothing happened.  3. We're not leaving Gloria behind like this. We're all commoners here, so let's wait on these clowns together. On top of that, what stat are we focusing on? A. We're working towards being a judge, so we need to have as much Nobility as we can. B. gently caress nobles, all my homies hate nobles, let's build Ingenuity. C. There is a path outside of the petty squabbles of the nobility and the toil of the commoners, and we need to have Spirituality to reach it.
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Sep 2, 2022 15:45
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I hate to say this, but we’re gonna need all the Willpower we can get if we want to change the big things. So, 3. We can make it up to our rear end in a top hat brother later. As for stats, B. A revolution is coming, and we want to be able to survive it. MarmaladeSkies fucked around with this message at 17:08 on Sep 2, 2022 |
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Sep 2, 2022 17:06
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3C haha its cool everyone be cool ThatBasqueGuy fucked around with this message at 17:13 on Sep 2, 2022 |
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Sep 2, 2022 17:10
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3C We can't change the people around us, but maybe the New Faith can.
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Sep 2, 2022 17:44
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3B
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Sep 2, 2022 18:16
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3, we're gonna need the willpower boost and we gotta stick with our sister. Also probably would help to not make our brother hate us even more right now while he presently has a higher standing than us- we can save that for when we've actually got chance at getting the upper hand. No opinion on the stat to focus on.
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Sep 2, 2022 18:17
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3B
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Sep 2, 2022 20:28
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2A. Gloria toils in the present while we make efforts to relax it in the future.
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Sep 2, 2022 21:29
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MarmaladeSkies posted:I hate to say this, but we’re gonna need all the Willpower we can get if we want to change the big things. agree with all of this
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Sep 2, 2022 22:15
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3B. This sucks! But let's figure a way through it.
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Sep 2, 2022 22:53
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3B. Insulting Georg's brother and the +1 ingenuity would be great, but we need that Willpower. If there's going to be a revolution then who are we going to rebel against if it isn't the nobility? I think we should embrace being "low-born" and use it to our advantage.
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Sep 2, 2022 23:17
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I really rather like this game. My only complete playthrough to date started with pursuing the clergy. I have no opinion on what should be showcased first here.
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Sep 3, 2022 00:35
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Definitely 3. No preference otherwise.
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Sep 3, 2022 00:44
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This is definitely interesting. The LP caught my attention first for the art style. I love this kind of old illustration hard lines style. It keeps my attention with the excellent writing with both the fascinating world building, and the genuine writing for how repulsive people can be. Edit: Side note, when you said that it'd be impossible to keep peace within your family for reasons that'd be apparent 'later', I wasn't expecting it to basically be obvious quite so immediately once all the family gets introduced. Keldulas fucked around with this message at 12:27 on Sep 3, 2022 |
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Sep 3, 2022 10:22
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| # ? May 4, 2024 22:43 |
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This will be one interesting LP considering that my only playthrough this far basically could be summarized as "well poo poo, that escalated quickly"..
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Sep 3, 2022 18:48
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