Alastor plays and ranks the whole series! Mission Complete! ...For now.

[Icelerate]

53 minutes ago, Alastor15243 said:

Ah, but I keep forgetting: that's not canon to the English version. No, here, there is no way directly from Gallia to Begnion (except the nigh-suicidal underground volcanic tunnel network we fight through later out of desperation), meaning that this fort shouldn't be relevant to Gallia's defensive plans in any conceivable way whatsoever.

 

First of all, this secret path is mentioned later in the game. I'm not going to quote it because you're in for a rude awakening and I'd rather you be pleasantly or unpleasantly surprised by it instead of me quoting it for you. Second of all, this secret path was clearly part of the original script so it stands to reason that the historic defensive plans should take into account those defenses. 

According to the extended script, the laguz, at least Ranulf is a decent strategist but still pales in comparison to Soren. 

Spoiler

Ranulf:
“Originally we planned to take Flaguerre and Mugill before the enemy could prepare themselves….. However Mugill has set up defences faster than we expected.”

Ike:
“What do you think, Soren?”

Soren:
“…I believe it’s the work of the Flaguerre survivors. The soldiers’ battle back at the fortress– how should I say it? As soldiers of the empire, they performed atrociously. However, their retreat was well executed.”

Ranulf:
“So it looks like the survivors warned Mugill of our advance. It’s no wonder the defences are so much better than back at Flaguerre. Then…… it looks like we’re going to have a hard time.”

Soren:
“This outcome was so obvious, even you must have anticipated it. You don’t have a plan?”

Ranulf:
“… Truth be told, for the battles against Flaguerre and Mugill, we only thought of using Blitzkrieg tactics to take out the enemy in one strike. We didn’t think up any backup plans.”

Soren:
“…… Are you serious?”

The reason why the laguz strategy failed was because Septimus' cowards nature actually allowed him to prepare an orderly and sudden retreat. So I like how the villain's flaws also had a positive impact as well. 

Also, who is more manipulative, Mist or Lucia? 

Wow the extended script's irony is amazing. 

Spoiler

Ike:
“Looks like the watchmen are all asleep. Great job, everyone.”

Lethe:
“We didn’t do anything. It was all Mist’s work.”

Mist:
“Th-that’s not true…”

Lethe:
“But…..I can’t believe they fell for it so easily…”

Lyre:
“Beorc truly are simple-minded creatures. Falling for such a simple ruse… Were we in their place, we’d catch on in an instant.”

Lethe:
“Lyre!”

Lyre:
“What I said was the truth.”

Ike:
“But it’s for that reason that everything went according to plan. Isn’t that good?”

 

[Alastor15243]

5 hours ago, Icelerate said:

First of all, this secret path is mentioned later in the game. I'm not going to quote it because you're in for a rude awakening and I'd rather you be pleasantly or unpleasantly surprised by it instead of me quoting it for you. Second of all, this secret path was clearly part of the original script so it stands to reason that the historic defensive plans should take into account those defenses.

While I find the extended script interesting to reference, my point there was that as I said before, I can't really judge the game I'm playing by the script they didn't translate. The fact that this stuff wasn't translated is a mark against the game, and any issues with the writing that result will be held against the game in the final ranking, regardless of what the untranslated original extended script says.

But yeah, I did notice that Soren did say something in the original script about the survivors warning Mugill, which I assumed meant the ones who escaped, and it seems I assumed correctly there.

And in fairness to the irony of that last bit, I mean, yeah, I totally buy that laguz wouldn't have fallen for that trick. They'd have smelled the drugs in the food.

Edited August 20, 2020 by Alastor15243

[Shadow Mir]

54 minutes ago, Alastor15243 said:

Anyway, we get some info conversations, including Boyd and Rolf arguing about strength vs skill, and Mist says they're both equally important and “only a bad soldier would focus on one over the other”, and all I can do is laugh at Mist's ignorance of game mechanics being passed off as level-headed wisdom.

On the other hand, she has a point somewhat - how hard you can hit is meaningless if you can't hit in the first place. Look at Gonzales in Binding Blade, for example. He can hit hard, but his accuracy is so shit, he can't even hit the broad side of a barn.

[Alastor15243]

1 minute ago, Shadow Mir said:

On the other hand, she has a point somewhat - how hard you can hit is meaningless if you can't hit in the first place. Look at Gonzales in Binding Blade, for example. He can hit hard, but his accuracy is so shit, he can't even hit the broad side of a barn.

True, but he lives in a world with generally low hit rates, to the point that you wind up appreciating even the miniscule 2% hit per skill point.

[Jotari]

The funny thing about bthat strength Vs skill conversation is that Rolf actually has a higher strength growth than Boyd. They also both have equal skill growths and bases.

So, Rolf's mother. This is news to me.

Edited August 20, 2020 by Jotari

[Alastor15243]

2 minutes ago, Jotari said:

So, Rolf's mother. This is news to me.

 

[Jotari]

22 minutes ago, Alastor15243 said:

 

Damnit guys she's trying to give you the seraph robe and you're running away XD But that was pretty great. They really should have put some kind of reward in the base convo, the same seraph robe at the very least (unless, is this how you unlock the triangle attack in this game? If so that's at least some kind of alternate reward even if it's useless).

Edited August 20, 2020 by Jotari

[Alastor15243]

11 minutes ago, Jotari said:

Damnit guys she's trying to give you the seraph robe and you're running away XD But that was pretty great. They really should have put some kind of reward in the base convo, the same seraph robe at the very least (unless, is this how you unlock the triangle attack in this game? If so that's at least some kind of alternate reward even if it's useless).

Near as I can tell, no, that isn't the case. The wiki doesn't say this is activated by any base conversations like it was in the last game.

[Icelerate]

5 hours ago, Alastor15243 said:

While I find the extended script interesting to reference, my point there was that as I said before, I can't really judge the game I'm playing by the script they didn't translate. The fact that this stuff wasn't translated is a mark against the game, and any issues with the writing that result will be held against the game in the final ranking, regardless of what the untranslated original extended script says.

But yeah, I did notice that Soren did say something in the original script about the survivors warning Mugill, which I assumed meant the ones who escaped, and it seems I assumed correctly there.

And in fairness to the irony of that last bit, I mean, yeah, I totally buy laguz wouldn't have fallen for that trick. They'd have smelled the drugs in the food.

I do agree if you're going to rank the game, rank the English version exclusively. But when it comes to discussions, the implications of the Japanese shouldn't be ignored entirely. Also, despite FE7 having a lot of translation errors, it was still a top 3 game for story purposes so we shall see how limited translation effects RD. 

Septimus is probably RD's most memorable minor boss.  

That's true but I found it funny just how arrogant Lyre was when it comes to mocking the intelligence of those who fell for the ruse. It goes to show this is a laguz problem and not just Skrimir and bunch of no named beasts. 

[Alastor15243]

2 minutes ago, Icelerate said:

That's true but I found it funny just how arrogant Lyre was when it comes to mocking the intelligence of those who fell for the ruse. It goes to show this is a laguz problem and not just Skrimir and bunch of no named beasts. 

Yeah, arrogance in the face of a track record that does not warrant it is definitely a major problem that laguz culture has in general, and this game's starting to get significant credit from me for actually admitting it. It actually kind of even improves the narrative of Path of Radiance in hindsight that all of that stuff about the laguz can be seen as intentional now, something they were just going to get to later.

[Alastor15243]

Radiant Dawn Day 20: Chapter 3-2

Honestly, I think I've come to a conclusion that... I don't like marathoning the Tellius games. Not that I don't like the games, more that... the dialogue-heavy nature of them, while perfectly acceptable when I'm just playing them, makes them more exhausting to do playlogs for. I feel like I don't actually spend that much time actually playing these games, and I find myself commenting much less on the gameplay than I normally would because I just know I'm already going to have pages of shit to proofread from the story alone and I want to make the gameplay commentary more concise than it should be, and that... worries me.

...Fuck it, let's just get on with it.

So the narrator says that the heroes make a shitton of military conquests after the double-layered border defenses fall, and now we're pretty damned deep in Begnion territory, having crossed through Serenes Forest without much issue and taken over a fort called Telgam.

More offscreen conquests. Yeah, like others have said, FE4 Chapter 10 is, like... the only other game in the marathon so far to do this? To just skip over military conquests like this? It's not... I mean I suppose it's not an absolutely inexcusable writing sin or something, it's just a constant reminder of the perpetual hurry this game is in.

So I just looked up the word “tributary”, and as I thought by the context, it means a branch of a larger river. I wonder where “the mighty Miscale” is, in contrast to the Ribahn River.

Okay, they say Begnion's forces use the Ribahn river as a defensive front, but... they're situated on the western side. The side of the river we're on. How the fuck do you use a river defensively when the river isn't between you and your enemies? It's like Soren said about forts, they didn't build those castles so they could stand outside of them. They're not using the defensive terrain, they're being walled in by it. Doesn't fighting with an army of big cats on one end and a river on the other... make you... trapped?

But yeah, the Laguz Alliance this time comes up with a pretty cool plan to disrupt the enemy's supplies with the bird tribes, since, y'know, they've done that to Begnion for years, just at sea.

Anyway, we get a scene with Tibarn and Naesala, and Tibarn asks if Naesala will tell him how he “suddenly became first in line to succeed the throne of Kilvas”. At first I thought that had something to do with the blood pact he inherited, like maybe he cut some kind of deal with Begnion I completely forgot about and he wasn't a blameless inheritor of the curse, but, like... no. That's not how laguz succession works. He succeeded the throne because he's the mightiest warrior, right? So why is it a mystery how he “suddenly became first in line”? Did everyone stronger than him suddenly die? If so, isn't Tibarn accusing Naesala of mass murder if he thinks Naesala had anything to do with that? Also while Naesala's definitely the weakest of the laguz royals, he hardly seems so weak that him becoming eligible to rule is some massive mystery, so... I hope they elaborate on this later. Because I can't remember the answer.

Yeah, Tibarn's trust in Naesala and Naesala's uncomfortable, frowning silence at the end is just screaming “something is going to happen to ruin this”.

We get a brief scene with Levail, Zelgius's right hand man, and I like the scene. It's got a similar, “humanizing the enemy” feel to that scene in PoR where Ena's talking with Kasatai. These are two soldiers being bossed around by incompetent, greedy monsters, and I love how you feel sympathy for them and their situation even though the nameless one is still clearly racist.

Oh! Here's the base conversation between the girl who likes pussy and the girl who likes food.

...Yep, it's... pretty much exactly what my flippant, dismissive summary made it sound like it would be. I learned literally nothing of value about either of these characters beyond those traits. This is exactly how you'd imagine a scene between these two would go. Heather thinks Ilyana is cute and rushes off to dupe some dude into cooking for her the second she finds out Ilyana is hungry. I do like the ending line though:

Ilyana: Heather... Her name is Heather. I'll have to remember her name. She likes to feed me.

Oh! It isn't the ending line! Ike comes in!

...And yeah, everything she says still revolves around food. It's kind of obnoxious that something with comparatively little prevalence in her non-support scenes has consumed her character entirely, and yet everyone acts like she “hasn't changed a bit”. That... it feels so wrong, and... almost creepy.

Oh man, and then we get the talk between Ike and Soren and Aimee, and...

...It feels like we've just randomly stepped into full-tilt “Modern FE” wackyland for a second. It's this utterly ridiculous conversation about Aimee attempting to bribe Ike with free shit if he'll tell her she's the most beautiful woman in the entire camp, and then Soren runs in shouting that he mustn't do that, because then rumors will spread throughout the whole damned continent that Ike and Aimee are in love.

And then Aimee reveals that yes, that was her entire plan, using her network of merchants to spread the rumor of this, even though there's no recording equipment or picture technology anywhere and she could have spread this rumor just as easily without Ike saying anything, and then she acts like this would suddenly make Ike “[hers] forever”.

And then...

Ike just walks out, giving Soren no instruction beyond “She's all yours”, implying that the two of them have thoroughly practiced anti-thot defensive maneuvers...

...and then Soren starts flirting with Aimee to bribe her. And... that's... enough for her to cut her prices down, despite her infatuation with Ike and her previous reaction of “ew” to seeing Soren before.

This is... this really feels like something that would happen in Awakening. No, scratch that, this feels like something that would happen in Awakening DLC.

It's ridiculous and dumb and psychotically absurd and part of me wants it to die in a fire.

...But fuck if it isn't hilarious as hell.

But on the bright side, it means we get the Silver Card for this chapter and this chapter only. Which means I'm gonna be going on a massive shopping spree, buying as much shit as I possibly can, and then selling the thing when I'm done since the game somehow lets you take something you're borrowing and sell it back to the people you're borrowing it from.

Okay, so I bought a ton of shit, mostly wind edges, because I know Ike is gonna burn through a ton of those fucking things before he gets Ragnell. I bought ten of them, and my experience playing Blazing Blade has trained me to feel even that isn't enough to last him until Ragnell. But I spent 9000 gold on wind swords, hand axes, javelins, steel poleaxes and steel greatlances. So that's pretty much the most I could do with the thing before selling it.

I notice the bargain section for this chapter is trash, probably because of the silver card.

Right, I gave Ike a few levels of bonus experience, partially in the hopes that I don't have to get a terrible level up with him again if I use him too much. He's currently capped strength, skill, HP and defense, and he's 1 away from capping speed. His luck and resistance have been enjoying significant boosts from this. I then gave Haar nullify, and in the process of being in this menu I discovered that...

...apparently Mist starts at B swords at base.

That is... that is awesome. So the brave sword trick is just shit you can do with her with no combat investment at all.

I love the reward of working for cool shit as much as the next guy, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate units who do cool shit for free. Mist can bless a brave sword with no combat investment at all. That's just a thing she can do, and I love it.

Honestly... I got a weird thought seeing the opening dialogue before the preparation screen. A thought that part of me feels it's a shame that the Greil Mercenaries are such a significant influence over the strategy of this war, because it would be interesting to see the Greil Mercenaries fight more like actual mercenaries, playing the roles they were given and following orders from higher-ups. The more I type this though, the less I feel like I can describe why I felt that way. Something about that conversation Ike had with Ranulf at the beginning about what they were supposed to do... felt interesting.

...Shit... I can't remember if PoR did this... an I'm probably going to forget by the time I have an opportunity to check again... basically, I highlighted enemy ranges during battle prep, and they didn't stay highlighted after starting the battle. I know Fates, and I'm pretty sure the other 3ds games too, let them stay highlighted... no, wait, that's the fact that they let you highlight enemy attack ranges during prep at all, something that 3H infuriatingly got rid of for inexplicable reasons. I actually... yeah, maybe the 3DS games do reset enemy range highlighting after you end battle preparation. I can't remember.

...Fuck, honestly, I think I'm gonna max Ike out with bonus exp the first chance I get. I'm gonna use him extensively either way, and I hate feeling reluctant to give him more than 99 experience on any given map. He's already almost 20% there, and he's such a useful unit.

Thankfully, I have Haar, who can still easily afford to get bonus experience without suffering.

...Of course I say this, and he gets a single stat level up and has now capped defense, leaving him with two stats that are capped, including one of his best ones.

Ugh.

This is why I hate it when games reward you with better growth rates for doing weird shit with characters. It actively rewards you for doing shit that is less fun.

That said, between the two of them, I probably shouldn't have to gain another level.

...Especially since the boss can be baited out. Awesome. Anyway, apparently... there's a Russian-accented community in Begnion that we see literally one person from. Shitty worldbuilding, acting like accents just don't exist until they suddenly do for like one character, but... fuck it, Gregor was fun.

Yep, I used Haar to bait the boss over to him, Oscar and Ike, and now we've got it made.

Haar got the boss kill because he was the furthest of my good units from leveling up, and thankfully he just barely managed to avoid leveling up, stopping in the 90s.

Weirdly though, Istvan didn't seem like somebody who was appointed to his position through unearned birthright. He seemed rougher and more mercenary-like. Which makes me wonder why exactly he was chosen when he was apparently, according to Soren, a terrible commander.

Anyway, the Central Army shows up, even though Tibarn and Naesala were supposed to stall them. Ike initially worries this means Tibarn's dead (though he makes no mention of Naesala failing to stall them or potentially being dead; didn't he know Naesala was part of it too?), but Soren points out that it doesn't look like there was even a battle, given how quickly the Central Army showed up.

And then Ranulf is given the unenviable job of trying to convince Skrimir to retreat. Obviously that's impossible, so Ranulf actually resorts to fighting Skrimir in single combat. He loses, but the combination of his own injuries and the little damage he managed to inflict on Skrimir convince Skrimir that he has to retreat.

That really does show just the sheer power difference between Skrimir and Ranulf though, at least storywise. Ranulf is a much more experienced fighter, and yet he didn't stand a chance. It really goes to show just how much of an outrageous combat advantage being a lion is.

I love how Ike basically says “Ranulf injured your leg, and you're still willing to carry him?” and Skrimir says “If he doesn't rest and heal, all of his little chores fall on me. I can't have that.”

Oh. Looks like I was mistaken. I always remembered Levail being Zelgius's second-in-command or something, but this seems to be their first meeting.

I like Zelgius's attitude here, in terms of characterization. Makes me wish it was genuine and not a facade from what he's pretending to be. He basically says that while the politics of what's going on in the capital are worrying (since there's a rift between the apostle and the senate), they're still soldiers, there's still an invading army, and it's still their job to protect their country from invaders.

Anyway, that's it for today. Man, I can never predict how much I'm going to have to discuss until it happens. It's really a matter of how much I find interesting or infuriating, rather than a matter of how much actual writing there is there. Anyway though, until tomorrow, guys.

Stay safe, everyone!

Edited August 20, 2020 by Alastor15243

[Icelerate]

1 hour ago, Alastor15243 said:

Honestly, I think I've come to a conclusion that... I don't like marathoning the Tellius games. Not that I don't like the games, more that... the dialogue-heavy nature of them, while perfectly acceptable when I'm just playing them, makes them more exhausting to do playlogs for. I feel like I don't actually spend that much time actually playing these games, and I find myself commenting much less on the gameplay than I normally would because I just know I'm already going to have pages of shit to proofread from the story alone and I want to make the gameplay commentary more concise than it should be, and that... worries me.

Do you think RD got much better at story dialogue compared to early part one where it was barely giving all the details such as in chapters 1-2 and 1-3? Still would have liked an extended script to be translated in the localization though. 

This is what a mark means.

Edited August 20, 2020 by Icelerate

[Shadow Mir]

1 hour ago, Alastor15243 said:

Weirdly though, Istvan didn't seem like somebody who was appointed to his position through unearned birthright. He seemed rougher and more mercenary-like. Which makes me wonder why exactly he was chosen when he was apparently, according to Soren, a terrible commander.

Which is kinda reflected in gameplay; he moves before anyone else on the enemy side. His dialogue even implies he's a glory hog.

Also of note, this chapter is one of three opportunities to steal a Bolting. Of course, odds are Heather is too weak to steal it at this point. . .

1 hour ago, Alastor15243 said:

I love the reward of working for cool shit as much as the next guy, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate units who do cool shit for free. Mist can bless a brave sword with no combat investment at all. That's just a thing she can do, and I love it.

Unfortunately, braves aren't that good for blessing compared to a lot of the other weapons at that point.

[Alastor15243]

1 minute ago, Shadow Mir said:

Unfortunately, braves aren't that good for blessing compared to a lot of the other weapons at that point.

How so? They're great for fighting auras.

[Shadow Mir]

8 minutes ago, Alastor15243 said:

How so? They're great for fighting auras.

They're not that accurate, which I would honestly consider cause for concern as the auras are rather evasive, and they're rather weak at that point. Amiti is the only one worth blessing. I also consider the lack of range a major inconvenience when everything at that point has range.

[Alastor15243]

15 minutes ago, Shadow Mir said:

They're not that accurate, which I would honestly consider cause for concern as the auras are rather evasive, and they're rather weak at that point. Amiti is the only one worth blessing. I also consider the lack of range a major inconvenience when everything at that point has range.

That's why it's great that Mist has it as a backup for whoever you give Alondite to, and also blood tide helps a ton with accuracy if someone like Zihark is still somehow struggling, and the damage boost would be quadrupled. Also, you only need a blessing to damage the bosses. I'm pretty sure the dragons and spirits can be hurt by anything.

Edited August 20, 2020 by Alastor15243

[Shadow Mir]

2 hours ago, Alastor15243 said:

That's why it's great that Mist has it as a backup for whoever you give Alondite to, and also blood tide helps a ton with accuracy if someone like Zihark is still somehow struggling, and the damage boost would be quadrupled. Also, you only need a blessing to damage the bosses. I'm pretty sure the dragons and spirits can be hurt by anything.

The thing is, high strength sword users are virtually nonexistent. Which means that a blessed brave sword likely wouldn't do me much more good than Alondite against the auras even in the best-case scenario, that being that all 4 attacks hit home. That said, while the blessing is only needed for bosses, I;d want a blessed weapon that helps me against as many opponents as possible, instead of one that's overspeciaiized - after all, the auras aren't the only enemies after the blessing. . . and having a 1 range weapon at this point means it's open season, and you're the prey.

[Alastor15243]

3 minutes ago, Shadow Mir said:

The thing is, high strength sword users are virtually nonexistent. Which means that a blessed brave sword likely wouldn't do me much more good than Alondite against the auras even in the best-case scenario, that being that all 4 attacks hit home. That said, while the blessing is only needed for bosses, I;d want a blessed weapon that helps me against as many opponents as possible, instead of one that's overspeciaiized - after all, the auras aren't the only enemies after the blessing. . . and having a 1 range weapon at this point means it's open season, and you're the prey.

Blood tide, man. +10 displayed hit per attack and +20 total potential damage with a brave weapon, and you get two of the guys.

Edited August 20, 2020 by Alastor15243

[Shadow Mir]

1 minute ago, Alastor15243 said:

Blood tide, man. +10 displayed hit per attack and +20 total potential damage with a brave weapon, and you get two of the guys.

Is not convincing enough of an argument, especially when one of its users is going to attract spirits to them like moths to a flame.

Edited August 20, 2020 by Shadow Mir

[Alastor15243]

Just now, Shadow Mir said:

Is not convincing enough of an argument, especially when one of its users is going to attract spirits to them likes moths to a flame.

And that's trivially easy to deal with. Mekkah did a whole video about ways you can keep him alive.

[Jingle Jangle]

6 hours ago, Alastor15243 said:

Radiant Dawn Day 20: Chapter 3-2

Honestly, I think I've come to a conclusion that... I don't like marathoning the Tellius games. Not that I don't like the games, more that... the dialogue-heavy nature of them, while perfectly acceptable when I'm just playing them, makes them more exhausting to do playlogs for. I feel like I don't actually spend that much time actually playing these games, and I find myself commenting much less on the gameplay than I normally would because I just know I'm already going to have pages of shit to proofread from the story alone and I want to make the gameplay commentary more concise than it should be, and that... worries me.

When you get to the Three Houses playthroughs months down the line. Perhaps you could only talk about the interesting dialogue  highlights from the monastery. Otherwise there is way too much to dig into. And you are going to discuses Raphael eating habits as much as the story. Same goes for more support heavy games; eg Awakening and beyond.

[Shadow Mir]

2 hours ago, Alastor15243 said:

And that's trivially easy to deal with. Mekkah did a whole video about ways you can keep him alive.

Cool story, bro. I still see Gareth as more of a liability than an asset.

[Alastor15243]

1 minute ago, Shadow Mir said:

Cool story, bro. I still see Gareth as more of a liability than an asset.

Still as in you've already heard the arguments, or still as in you don't care to?

 

[Shanty Pete's 1st Mate]

5 hours ago, Shadow Mir said:

They're not that accurate, which I would honestly consider cause for concern as the auras are rather evasive, and they're rather weak at that point. Amiti is the only one worth blessing. I also consider the lack of range a major inconvenience when everything at that point has range.

No 1~2 range is a problem, yes, but your hit rate argument is totally off base. The Brave Sword has 90 hit, which is 10 ahead of Alondite and Ragnell, and on-par with Amiti.

4 minutes ago, Shadow Mir said:

Cool story, bro. I still see Gareth as more of a liability than an asset.

That's like the argument that Caeda is bad, because she dies to a single Archer. Gareth has a really strong niche that can be worth fielding him for in the final map.

7 hours ago, Alastor15243 said:

Ike just walks out, giving Soren no instruction beyond “She's all yours”, implying that the two of them have thoroughly practiced anti-thot defensive maneuvers...

...and then Soren starts flirting with Aimee to bribe her. And... that's... enough for her to cut her prices down, despite her infatuation with Ike and her previous reaction of “ew” to seeing Soren before.

Honestly, Soren's forced flirting dialogue makes this whole exchange worth it. I doubt Aimee is really that deluded; she probably just wanted something to lord over Ike, in perpetuity. Even if no one else believes them, he'll remember. 

7 hours ago, Alastor15243 said:

Weirdly though, Istvan didn't seem like somebody who was appointed to his position through unearned birthright. He seemed rougher and more mercenary-like. Which makes me wonder why exactly he was chosen when he was apparently, according to Soren, a terrible commander.

Maybe he's a strong fighter, but a poor leader? I dunno, he can't be worse than Septimus. And most of his choices (Bolting sages, having Wyverns on a forest-and-swamp map, calling in reinforcements) come across as quite sound.

[Shadow Mir]

33 minutes ago, Shanty Pete's 1st Mate said:

That's like the argument that Caeda is bad, because she dies to a single Archer. Gareth has a really strong niche that can be worth fielding him for in the final map.

What the hell, dude. These don't even compare. Caeda outranges archers, while Gareth can't hope to escape from spirits and their 20 move, and has to deal with long-range magic that can easily single him out on top of that. And this isn't even getting into the part where Caeda pretty much trivializes the game, whereas Gareth's niche is one that Ena can fulfill without the hoops needed to ensure he doesn't die like an armor would in a room of mages.

33 minutes ago, Shanty Pete's 1st Mate said:

Maybe he's a strong fighter, but a poor leader? I dunno, he can't be worse than Septimus. And most of his choices (Bolting sages, having Wyverns on a forest-and-swamp map, calling in reinforcements) come across as quite sound.

At the same time, I think a good leader shouldn't go Leeroy Jenkins the moment enemies show up.

Edited August 21, 2020 by Shadow Mir