Hawkwing Posted September 21, 2022 Share Posted September 21, 2022 Back in April of 2020 while watching Youtube, I got this advertisement: This intrigued me enough to write down the name of the game, but otherwise I continued on with my day. It wasn’t until later in the summer that I saw the Early Access version of Griftlands on Steam and decided to purchase it. Not only did it become my favorite game I played in 2020, which was the same year I played The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Smash Brothers Ultimate, and Resident Evil 4, Griftlands became one of my favorite games of all time. I put in over a hundred hours in the first month alone; the only other game to do so was XCOM 2, which I played this year. I’ve had half a mind to do a screenshot let’s play of this game for over a year now, and decided that since I’ve rejoined Serenes Forest after a two year hiatus, there’s no time like the present. A few heads up beforehand: This is my first time doing any sort of let’s play, so it might be a bit of a crash course as I figure out which format works best. The animation of this game is amazing, for instance, but capturing that through screenshots may take some practice on my end. I joined the game while it was still in early access. While I have forgotten a few things thanks to Griftlands officially releasing last year, I will still point out various changes or behind-the-scenes tidbits that I find interesting throughout this let’s play. I also got Griftlands on the Nintendo Switch (yes, I love this game enough to double-dip), and I alternate between playing on a computer and playing there. This won’t affect much, but I do mix up which device I took certain screenshots from, so I might not always be able to show a funny story because it happened on the Switch. This game has different factions you can ally with, as well as multiple endings, and I think it would be fun to have some audience participation to see which route to take. Let's hope Serenes Forest is cooperative with polls. As well as a few Content Warnings: While it never goes beyond its T rating, the game does feature blood, and some of the artwork and descriptions can get fairly visceral. Topic matter includes drunkenness, indebted servitude, corrupt authorities, police brutality, exploitation of workers, worker rights, familial dysfunction, and lots and lots of lying, backstabbing, manipulation, and murder. One of the factions in this game is a cult, and there is a lot to say about them. If I wish to discuss something in more detail, I’ll put it into a spoiler with a warning. Just note that it will be something I and others will be commenting on. Without Further Ado: SAL’S CAMPAIGN DAY 1 MISSION 1: When Have Escort Missions Ever Been Uneventful? Spoiler And so it begins. There are three separate characters and thus three campaigns to go through, each with multiple endings. Sal Ik-Derrick is the first character available when you start the game. Rook is the man with the glorious mustache, pilot helmet and robot leg, and Smith is the snail looking alien. Each has their own mechanics that sets them apart, and we’ll see what those are in due time. To show off, I’ll be playing on the hardest difficulty. Enemies are stronger, bosses have more tricks up their sleeves, Sal has less health and resolve, and everything is more expensive. I’ve played this game enough to unlock all the perks, which are various bonuses you can apply to make the game easier, such as starting with more money or having two pets or even reviving once after you die. For now, I’ll be going down the boring but practical path of gaining more health and resolve, as well negating a single bane at the end of each day, which I will explain later. Since I want to show off both endings, I’ll be replaying each character’s story twice. I may activate some custom game modifiers to spice things up the second time around, but for now, let’s start the show. This is the music that plays during Sal’s introduction. It shows up on the pause menu, and I personally consider it to be Sal's theme. I have an easier time putting my thoughts into words with Rook and Smith's themes (and Smith's music in general. Seriously, the soundtrack for his route is amazing), but I still feel this is fitting for Sal. I suppose if I had to describe it it would be... sad and tired? I hope you like this intro, because you’re only seeing it once. Yeah for some reason Sal has an entirely separate introduction after your first game. So how am I showing it off? Mods. For the record, this will be the only mod I use for this entire let’s play, and I’ll be turning it off after this run anyway. Since we haven’t even seen any gameplay yet, I won’t go into detail about modding yet. For now, I’ll just say that while I appreciate that it is officially supported, this isn’t the easiest game to make mods for. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Back to the main game, we enter the Grog n’ Dog. Remember what I said about this being my first let's play, and having to learn a few things via crash course? This is an example of what I mean. I really appreciate how the game provides descriptions of various terminologies in the setting just by hovering over the word. It does a great job quickly explaining the in-universe lang while keeping the conversations flowing naturally. However, I don't know how easy it will be to actually read once posted, and it doesn't help that personally, I have an easy time reading small text. Of course, I’m already familiar with all the terminology, and I am willing to write this stuff out (I just don't want to spend more time than I need on the writing phase), so if I miss something and anyone has a question, feel free to say so. Yes, Fssh is a pun. I’ll leave you to figure out what it is. Prepare yourself, because it is far from the only one in the game. Probably my biggest concern is that the game uses animations when characters speak, which means I won’t be able to transcribe the script. I may try out a few different methods to show the dialogue without having a thousand screenshots, and I’m welcome to suggestions and feedback. But before accepting a job, let’s ask some questions. Already I forgot I already hovered over the description for Havaria. Oh well. The admiralty are the closest thing Havaria has to a police force, and they enforce the few laws of the land when they feel like it. Deltree is mentioned a few times, but we never visit it. Each character’s story does take place in a different part of Havaria, however, so we’ll still be seeing a change in scenery. Yeah, we’ll be seeing the common folk under enough hardships already. What we do hear about those in indentured servitude is not pleasant. We can now ask about the annex. I really appreciate how Griftlands provides exposition. For instance, here we learn that the admiralty isn’t popular, but Sal already knows that. This method is consistently used throughout the game. You know? Crime Spree? Klei likes their puns. Anyway, while the Spree aren’t the only ones robbing people off the street and engaging in criminal activities, they are the ones that do so most frequently. There’s… a lot to say about the cult. Such as how they don’t bat an eye about utilizing indentured servitude. This is just the start… I’ll be skipping over some single text boxes to save on space. Particularly when there aren’t any animations. Don't have much to say about Hesh right now, but get used to the name. Make your Berwick Saga related jokes now. There’s not much humor to the derricks in the rest of the game. Lumin is used frequently throughout Havaria, from lights to cybernetics to even drinks. There will be a few missions in the future revolving around nabbing or transporting the stuff. I’ll probably bring this up again later, but Fssh is a Kra’deshi. They’re amphibians that can easily heal their wounds, which means they tend to be longer lived than the other races. This also means they often find their ways into positions of wealth and power. Note that I say tend to and often; the racial dynamics of this game are not universal. This is part of the reason I love Griftlands writing, but I’m getting ahead of myself. Questions over, onto the game. We leave the building automatically. This is the map screen, from which we’ll choose our job. This is the music that plays during when you see this screen. Rook and especially Smith’s versions are better listens, but I want to be consistent. In my first draft, I almost didn’t talk about the mission descriptions. After over 250 hours of playing, I’ve already seen most of what the game has to offer, so I tend to look at the rewards first and the description second. As the topic title suggests, this is a card game, and bounty hunter is a solid choice, though by no means necessary. The mission has a neat "dead or alive" angle that has pros and cons for either approach. One of the less interesting missions, writing-wise, but extra shills are always welcome. Shills are this game's currency. Y’know, shilling? Maybe that one was too obvious. There is a purpose behind removing cards, as bloat is a serious problem. However, it's a problem that tends to pop up later in the game. I don’t have a reason to thin out my deck this early on. Again, not one of the most exciting missions story-wise, but it is a good introduction to negotiations. Since everything is more expensive on the highest difficulty, I decide to help Enit by guarding her stuff. There is an animation that plays when traveling across the map, but it’s too quick for me to bother screenshotting. Also, a bit of a heads-up that isn't the most exciting quest of the game, though I do think it is a nice introduction of how the gameplay functions. Just keep that in mind. Here we are at Better Living Chemists. I don’t believe I’ve mentioned how good this games artwork is yet, because I love it. Everything looks worn down, second rate, and used, but without being ugly. I love comic book aesthetics in videogames, and this is my favorite one. I'll fawn over some of the designs later. Before accepting the job, we can talk to the other two people here. Couldn’t describe them better. When the cult needs a violent solution to their dirty work, the Luminari do so with shining efficiency. I’m not joking when I say that they’re quite possible the strongest non-boss opponent in the game. Let me put it this way, the game considers combat where you’re outnumbered and only have a Luminari as your partner to be a fair fight. And they’re right. I don’t bat an eye at having to fight a Luminari one-on-one, but if there’s an alternative way to avoid combat, I tend to take it. The Feud was the original name of the citizen faction, before “citizens” described it far more efficiently. The phrase still shows up from time to time. Bilebrokers are perhaps the rarest faction in the entire game (The only exception are two other characters from completely other continents). All of them are eccentric and often interested in weird experiments, mostly involving chemicals or biomass. They are one of my favorite factions to negotiate with, as the game nails the sense of talking with an easily distracted person who jumps between topics. This will make more sense when we see how the gameplay plays out. Also, I keep forgetting that you can buy cards in this game, so don’t be surprised if I never do so. I low-key love Enit’s design. She looks like she only got two hours of sleep, is trying to stay awake on her third cup of coffee, and is mentally preparing herself to deal with someone's crap. Also, she’s a Jarackle. They’re dog aliens. And Klei got far more mileage out of that concept that you might expect. Seriously, they have some of my favorite designs in the whole game. Enit is part of the Jake faction. They’re dockhands and smugglers. We’ll mostly encounter them as the latter but never forget they can be the former. Sal’s campaign takes place in Murder Bay, by the way. First Mission let’s go! Ah crud. I have to choose a card and we haven’t even seen how combat works yet. I’m debating how much detail to go into, as Griftlands does a pretty good job explaining its mechanics and what each card does. For now, I’ll just give quick thoughts on each card and enjoy the funny descriptions. Hemorrhage: Bleed is helpful in general, and if you’re running a deck focusing on dealing bleed, then the damage Hemorrhage deals adds up big time. Improve Accuracy: Can be useful, but at this point of the game I’d rather have another attack than increased damage. Jarackle Free-Fighting: Hey, it’s Goober! The fan nickname of a character that doesn’t appear in the game yet for some reason appears in card artwork. We’ll be seeing more of him when we reach Smith’s campaign. For now I can say that his actions speak for him. Right, the card effect. Useful if you have a reliable way of gaining combo, which I don’t at the moment. Also, each time you skip a card, the bonus shills you get increases. This is what trips me up the most switching between playing on a computer and playing on the Switch, as there are some combinations I forgot I did on the other system. Neat mechanic, but there are some cards I never bothered with. I went with Hemorrhage. The other two cards aren’t useless, but they require set-up that I haven’t worked towards yet. Meanwhile, dealing bleed damage is useful from the get go. Off to transport some possibly questionably legal cargo! It wouldn’t be a roguelike without some random events now, would it? Crayotes are often shorted as “Yotes”. I could joke that “yote” is the past tense of “yeet”, but to be perfectly honest, I never cared much for that particular meme. Nice! We have a chance to gain a pet. Took some damage, but it’s worth it. Sal has the easiest time gaining pets, and they’re incredibly useful. Any extra help in combat is welcome, and they often pull their weight. Also, you can rename pets. I’m indifferent to the default names, so if you have any ideas on what to rename Quark, feel free to share them. If enough people reach a consensus, I'll change the name. It may have to occur on day 2, though. Welcome to the Gutted Yote… which is a little weird to say after saving one, but whatever. This is the bar where the spree like to hang out. Rude, but I suppose being standoffish is the expected response from people who are indifferent to you in Havaria. Nadan has his own description and theme. He’ll be more important later, but for now, can I just say that I would love for a manakete to have his facial injury? That would be an awesome subversion for the 1000 year old looking youngling to have some serious battle scars. We’ll never see the Bread Fields, and it's not brought up much anyway, but for now I’ll just say that they’re surprisingly relevant to Rook’s backstory… I… suppose the game’s not wrong about his smile… On a more serious note, I love the character descriptions of this game. I might compile my favorites sometime in the future. Gunjax joined as a party member, and we’re off to deliver whatever the heck he’s carrying. Of course we’re being robbed. But I guess it’s not so bad to be robbed by a face like Goni’s, right? I could pay the bandit to walk away… Or take his offer… But I’ve been hired to do a job, and it’ll pay better anyway. FIRST FIGHT (These sections can get quite lengthy, especially later on, so I'm testing what separating it in a spoiler looks like) Spoiler Whoo boy, I have to explain combat mechanics now. Each turn, you have three actions. The number on the top left of every card states how many action points it will use. Orange cards are attack cards that primarily deal damage, while blue cards are maneuver cards that focus on defense or other effects. If you hover over the top of each character, you can see who will be attacked, how much damage they’ll do, or if they’ll perform a status effect. Like I said, the game does a good job explaining its mechanics, so I debate what to tell and what to show. Ah, the effects you don’t notice until you actually have to time your screenshots properly. Some defensive cards can be played on allies, while others only affect the player. You’ll generally know which does which by if you can target something or not. Quark increases their power and thus the damage they deal, while Grunjax gains evasion, allowing him to straight up avoid two attacks. Like so. Turn 2, and I love this cards description. Also, you may have noticed last turn that Grunjax had a red 9 over his head, while Goni has two purple numbers. A red number means that an attack will simply deal damage, while the pruple circle means that a status effect will be applied. There is also a yellow number, meaning that an attack will be piercing and avoid defense. Sal’s Daggers gives a choice between hammer or saber grip. Hammer grip gives combo, which various cards spend for various effects. Combo is neat, but it requires some luck on card selection to have a reliable way to both gain and spend combo in order to be truly effective. Saber Grip, meanwhile, just deals bleed damage, which is always welcome. Yeah, I almost always choose saber grip. I stab Goni twice. I love this game's animations, but, uh, it doesn’t always translate well into picture format. I might find a way to make gifs sometime. There are some animations that I really want to show off in their full glory. Quark gnaws at the thug, causing him to bleed. And Grunjax slices his knees, dealing enough damage for Last Stand to activate, along with other nasty effects. Goni revs up his… spinning spike gloves, meaning that all his attacks will deal bleed damage. Fight Dirty pulls three random cards to use, and you can’t get these any other way. Goni’s almost dead anyway, so I choose Trip to hasten his demise. I think the descriptions for wound and exposed explain themselves. And an elbow strike to ensure the next attack kills him. Though not necessary, I give Quark some defense. The bar underneath the card name shows how much experience it has. Once it’s full, it can be upgraded. It can be worthwhile to use some cards just to gain experience. And with that, Goni is dead. The first casualty of the entire Let’s play. It also means we get to loot the body! I accidentally nabbed his spare change before snapping a picture. With the sole exception of the final bosses, every character in this game drops an item when they’re killed. The Spree carry makeshift daggers, and the description is pretty self explanatory. After every battle, you gain a new card. Concentration: Self-explanatory. Deception: Another card that trips me up because I’ve used it on the Switch. While I generally prefer using another attack card, this one can come in handy if you drew more maneuver cards than attack ones. Target Practice: Attack 2 random enemies often translates to “Attack the same enemy twice”. Which is why I chose it. I have some concerns that handling it this way just spoil what happens, though. Again, recommendations are welcome. We arrive at our destination without any more interruptions. Nothing much happens animation wise. But we can ask for more money. Manipula- I mean, Negotiation Time! Spoiler Okay, so similar to combat, you have three action. You win by destroying the core argument of the opponent. As you can see, characters core arguments have some kind of effect. Sal, for instance, gains 1 composure (essentially defense) every turn, while Lili adds a card to our deck that costs money to play. Grunjax added Flustered, which reduces damage for two turns. While Quark adds an argument that deals 3 damage. Arguments can be attacked and destroyed. Similar to combat, you can see what will be targeted and how much damage will occur once your turn is over. Purple cards are manipulative, focusing either on defense or other effects. Green cards are diplomacy cards, while red cards are hostile. Hostile cards tend to do more damage, while diplomacy cards tend to deal more reliable damage. Note I say “tend to” as there will be various cards that shake up or contradict what I just said. Anyway, I defend first And remember that I forgot to get the little description for Stab and Elbow Strike. I dearly hope people can read them, because the flavor text is really fun. I'll likely make a complication of my favorite card descriptions later on. I risk dealing higher damage with Threaten. More descriptions And more damage. Also, while negotiations are pretty abstract (the game will get creative with some of the scenarios you talk your way out of), I love picturing how they actually play out. In this case, Sal just ignored what Lili will say, threatened him, and then did some smooth talking. There’s a particular mission with Rook that is hilarious to envision, and I dearly hope we encounter it. Quark deals 3 damage, I take none, and I gain Kickback. The amount of damage that flies around at the end of each turn can get crazy, so don’t be surprised if by the end of each campaign, I lose track of what’s going on. Like fighting dirty, Quick Thinking brings up 3 random cards to choose from. I choose Consideration, because I didn’t draw any composure granting cards this turn. You may have noticed that Lili has a question mark inside the circle. This means that next turn he’ll add an argument. I focus on dealing damage the rest of the second turn. Once again, I take no damage and gain kickback. Lili added the argument Tribute, which is useful to me if I destroy it, but distracts from dealing damage to the core. After blocking damage, I decide I may as well destroy Lili’s Tribute argument. If you deal more damage than the argument has resolve, then the extra damage goes to the core argument. Predictably, there are cards and arguments that change this rule. Again, I take no damage. I embrace these moments while I can, because this will quickly not become the case. I see an opportunity to end the negotiation this turn, and I take it. This is what I mean by diplomacy cards being more reliable. The influence argument causes them to deal max damage. And since I have two diplomacy cards that can deal the exact amount of damage necessary to win this negotiation… Victory! Good Impression: Hits hard for longer than you might expect. Dealing less damage each turn sounds bad, but it takes a while for that to become truly detrimental. Interestingly, the character in the artwork doesn’t appear in-game, but a variant with a similar hair style show up briefly in the 2019 E3 trailer for Griftlands (Side note, I really love the music for this trailer). I have no idea why he was cut. Speaking of E3, I might talk about the 2017 trailer later on. This was one of those games that started out in an entirely different genre before things had to be shifted around. It's pretty interesting. Setup: I forgot the last time I used this card. It’s useful, particularly when you have “spend influence to do X” cards, but I suppose in recent runs I found other methods of gaining influence. On a side note, Smith has the most artwork of the three protagonists. The artists had a lot of fun with his expressive and bombastic design, and you’ll probably get a general idea of his personality long before we reach his story. Aplomb: Hard to say no to defensive cards, especially if you have a reliable way of gaining enough influence to spare. I take the extra damage as I'd like to end negotiations sooner than later. We gain 40 shills, and head back to Enit. A pretty lucrative day, all things considered. Sure, we killed someone, but that’s not unusual in Havaria. *** I think this is a good place to end the update. Perhaps not the most exciting introduction to Griftlands, I admit, but when trying to write the entire day as a single update, it came off as pretty bloated and overstayed its welcome. It’s probably for the best that each update will be one mission anyway, as while Sal’s are pretty quick, Rook and especially Smith’s can get pretty lengthy and complex. On the bright side, it takes around an hour to complete a day in Griftlands, so on the gameplay and screenshot front, I can get something done even on a busy day. The writing process came pretty naturally; I had an easy time remembering how things played out just by seeing a screenshot. My main concern at the moment is just finding a format that finds a balance between looking nice and not taking forever to set up, and I'll likely find a solution to that long before the let's play is over. I’m glad I found this process fun, and hopefully things will pick up speed in the future. Day 2 in particular is when Sal’s route starts getting interesting… It's really been over two years: Spoiler So yeah, it’s been a while. To make a long story short, the constant barrage of bad news, petty politics, and intense division over the course of 2020 made me the most cynical and jaded I’ve ever been in my life. I realized that I seriously needed to take a step back from the internet and news and instead focus on the people around me who I could actually talk to and help out, instead of fretting about things outside of my control. Not to say I abandoned the internet entirely (I became a big fan of Scott The Woz and MandaloreGaming, so do not be surprised if I steal their jokes reference them), but I was a lot more selective and cautious about where I visited. There’s a lot more that happened in-between, but I can say that I am in a far healthier state of mind right now, and my home and work life are pretty calm. With the release of a new Fire Emblem game, I decided that I might as well come back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousSpeed Posted September 21, 2022 Share Posted September 21, 2022 Aw heck, Hawkwing is back. Glad you're feeling better. I might be keeping tabs on this- I'm really enjoying Slay the Spire right now, so "roguelike deckbuilder" sounds like something interesting to get some eyes on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punished Dayni Posted September 21, 2022 Share Posted September 21, 2022 Hawkwing's back Good to see you anyways. 14 hours ago, Hawkwing said: I also got Griftlands on the Nintendo Switch (yes, I love this game enough to double-dip), and I alternate between playing on a computer and playing there. This won’t affect much, but I do mix up which device I took certain screenshots from, so I might not always be able to show a funny story because it happened on the Switch. So I assume it has good crossplay in terms of saves at least. 14 hours ago, Hawkwing said: SAL’S CAMPAIGN DAY 1 MISSION 1: When Have Escort Missions Ever Been Uneventful? I had a whole reply but I managed to crash the laptop so lost it (I see those days are back :P) So a question or two and some statements then: I assume when you get a reward to remove cards you have to do it then and there? What in particular is the reason for Sal's opening changing on subsequent runs? I'll let you get into the cult on it's own time but it's making it's impact so far. Not looking like a good bunch. I'd say putting the combats in spoilers should be fine, unless it's story significant. Maybe the same for negotiations, but I don't know if that's what you'd want. 16 hours ago, Hawkwing said: It's really been over two years: Reveal hidden contents So yeah, it’s been a while. To make a long story short, the constant barrage of bad news, petty politics, and intense division over the course of 2020 made me the most cynical and jaded I’ve ever been in my life. I realized that I seriously needed to take a step back from the internet and news and instead focus on the people around me who I could actually talk to and help out, instead of fretting about things outside of my control. Not to say I abandoned the internet entirely (I became a big fan of Scott The Woz and MandaloreGaming, so do not be surprised if I steal their jokes reference them), but I was a lot more selective and cautious about where I visited. There’s a lot more that happened in-between, but I can say that I am in a far healthier state of mind right now, and my home and work life are pretty calm. With the release of a new Fire Emblem game, I decided that I might as well come back. Understandable given the online space, especially at the time, much as it hasn't improved much at all if not gotten worse in certain corners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Rubenio Posted September 21, 2022 Share Posted September 21, 2022 The man, the myth, the legend. He has returned. Spoiler 17 hours ago, Hawkwing said: Smith's music in general. Seriously, the soundtrack for his route is amazing Dude didn't need to pop off so hard with his battle theme. But he did, anyway. 17 hours ago, Hawkwing said: I hope you like this intro, because you’re only seeing it once. Yeah for some reason Sal has an entirely separate introduction after your first game. So how am I showing it off? Mods. For the record, this will be the only mod I use for this entire let’s play, and I’ll be turning it off after this run anyway. Inexplicable oddities like these are the essence of videogames. 17 hours ago, Hawkwing said: There’s… a lot to say about the cult. Does it have garbage bagmen? 17 hours ago, Hawkwing said: I low-key love Enit’s design. She looks like she only got two hours of sleep, is trying to stay awake on her third cup of coffee, and is mentally preparing herself to deal with someone's crap. Also, she’s a Jarackle. They’re dog aliens. And Klei got far more mileage out of that concept that you might expect. Seriously, they have some of my favorite designs in the whole game. Enit is part of the Jake faction. They’re dockhands and smugglers. We’ll mostly encounter them as the latter but never forget they can be the former. I did quite enjoy how varied the appearance of the non-humans are in this game. Usually they tend to blend together. Not so here. 17 hours ago, Hawkwing said: Also, you can rename pets. I’m indifferent to the default names, so if you have any ideas on what to rename Quark, feel free to share them. If enough people reach a consensus, I'll change the name. It may have to occur on day 2, though. Name them 17 hours ago, Hawkwing said: He’ll be more important later, but for now, can I just say that I would love for a manakete to have his facial injury? That would be an awesome subversion for the 1000 year old looking youngling to have some serious battle scars. Gone cheek is a hideous, hideous scar to have. Which I guess is why it's not seen more often. 17 hours ago, Hawkwing said: Ah, the effects you don’t notice until you actually have to time your screenshots properly. You just be grateful if this game doesn't have flashbangs to worry about 17 hours ago, Hawkwing said: I stab Goni twice. I love this game's animations, but, uh, it doesn’t always translate well into picture format. She looks like she really angrily went "hey, look behind you!" and Goni turned his head to look behind him so fast that he hurt his neck. 17 hours ago, Hawkwing said: I have some concerns that handling it this way just spoil what happens, though. Again, recommendations are welcome. Yeah, I think I would recommend just leaving fights out of spoilers. Otherwise we'll just know haha. 17 hours ago, Hawkwing said: Manipula- I mean, Negotiation Time! Coolest mechanic in the game. 17 hours ago, Hawkwing said: I hated these guys. Merchant fucks, always traveling with strong bodyguards, not to mention the game lies and says they're not much in fight, but that toad woman with the brown jacket kicked my sorry ass one time. I hope you kill her at some point, I hate her. 17 hours ago, Hawkwing said: A pretty lucrative day, all things considered. Sure, we killed someone, but Capitalism in a nutshell lololololol 17 hours ago, Hawkwing said: To make a long story short, the constant barrage of bad news, petty politics, and intense division over the course of 2020 made me the most cynical and jaded I’ve ever been in my life. The internet can be a rough place. I'd say you made the right choice, admitting it was bad for you and stepping away. I can only hope you enjoy this second try better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eclipse Posted September 22, 2022 Share Posted September 22, 2022 Deck roguelike? Check. On Switch? Check. Using the combat system to haggle? You have my attention. I'll probably get this Sometime Later, when I'm not worried about a bunch of other things. Looks interesting, but I won't read too much since this looks like something I'd like to play through myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawkwing Posted September 23, 2022 Author Share Posted September 23, 2022 SAL’S CAMPAIGN DAY 1 MISSION 2: I Stab A Former Coworker for Telling The Truth Replies: Spoiler On 9/20/2022 at 10:34 PM, AnonymousSpeed said: Aw heck, Hawkwing is back. So I am. Glad you're feeling better. I might be keeping tabs on this- I'm really enjoying Slay the Spire right now, so "roguelike deckbuilder" sounds like something interesting to get some eyes on. Thank you! I've heard there are comparisons between Griftlands and Slay the Spire, so it probably won't be too difficult to jump into the former. On 9/21/2022 at 3:28 PM, Punished Dayni said: Hawkwing's back Good to see you anyways. Thank you! Glad to be back. So I assume it has good crossplay in terms of saves at least. In terms of the computer and Switch versions communicating with each other, no. However, a playthrough of Griftlands can take 3-5 hours to complete, and it's meant to be replayed several times anyway, so it doesn't take much time to unlock stuff like new cards and costumes. If you're aiming for 100% completion however... don't bother getting two versions. Griftlands is the kind of game you gradually complete over time. I had a whole reply but I managed to crash the laptop so lost it (I see those days are back :P) This sentence gave me flashbacks. There's a reason I had a google doc open just to copy-paste what I wrote down in the event Serenes Forest deleted hours of work. So a question or two and some statements then: I assume when you get a reward to remove cards you have to do it then and there? Yep. You choose which deck, then which card to get rid of. There is an option to skip it if you want, which I'm thankful for because the "remove card" reward can sometimes occur on mandatory quests. It can be useful for getting rid of annoying status cards you gain through some events, but I rarely bother. What in particular is the reason for Sal's opening changing on subsequent runs? If I had to take a guess, it's because "Havaria is a dangerous place and Sal wants revenge against Kashio" can be easily summarized in a single slide, so they do. I'll let you get into the cult on it's own time but it's making it's impact so far. Not looking like a good bunch. Smith's campaign is where the cult is most prevalent, but you can feel their influence long before you reach his story. I'd say putting the combats in spoilers should be fine, unless it's story significant. Maybe the same for negotiations, but I don't know if that's what you'd want. I'll test out a few different methods to see what works best. Understandable given the online space, especially at the time, much as it hasn't improved much at all if not gotten worse in certain corners. Not going to lie, I've occasionally had thoughts about coming back to Serenes Forest in the past, but it seemed like there was some more bullshit happening in the world every time I tried. Underwhelming as I though the recent Nintendo Direct was, it was a nice opportunity to come back and discuss videogames again. On 9/21/2022 at 4:09 PM, Saint Rubenio said: The man, the myth, the legend. He has returned. Glad to see I'm getting a warm welcome! Hide contents Dude didn't need to pop off so hard with his battle theme. But he did, anyway. Seriously, it's both incredibly fitting for Smith's character and is a bop in general. I debate whether I like his combat or negotiation music better, as they're both awesome. Inexplicable oddities like these are the essence of videogames. Like I mentioned for Dayni, Sal's probably get's a second one because her intro is easy to summarize. Does it have garbage bagmen? Unfortunately, no. They are loads of trash in different ways, however. I did quite enjoy how varied the appearance of the non-humans are in this game. Usually they tend to blend together. Not so here. It's amazing what something as simple as "how does an alien dog do their hair" can add to a setting. As much as stories try to focus on lore and worldbuilding nowadays, I find that it's mundane things that really ground a story for me. Name them Because it's a yote, I already have a name in mind. I'll see whether or not "Quark" grows on me. Gone cheek is a hideous, hideous scar to have. Which I guess is why it's not seen more often. The only other example I can think of is Harvey "Two-Face" Dent, and that depends on the artwork. It's a shame because I think the effect in The Dark Knight still looks really cool. You just be grateful if this game doesn't have flashbangs to worry about I did catch a black screen on the map, so I'll still have my own variant, even it it'll probably never make it into the LP. She looks like she really angrily went "hey, look behind you!" and Goni turned his head to look behind him so fast that he hurt his neck. Heh, it does. Interesting to be on the other side interpreting odd animation timing. Yeah, I think I would recommend just leaving fights out of spoilers. Otherwise we'll just know haha. I'll try different variants to see what works best. Coolest mechanic in the game. It's more abstract than other examples, but that works to it's advantage in several cases. It's hilarious to visualize how these conversations play out, and the game does get creative with the scenarios you negotiate in. I hated these guys. Merchant fucks, always traveling with strong bodyguards, not to mention the game lies and says they're not much in fight, but that toad woman with the brown jacket kicked my sorry ass one time. I hope you kill her at some point, I hate her. Yeah, merchants on their own are fine to deal with, they're just rarely alone. Working as a team can a lot in this game, and it goes both ways. Capitalism in a nutshell lololololol I don't think killing someone for money is exclusive to capitalism. On a more serious note, "hah, capitalism sux" jokes rarely hit for me. I suppose it's because as flawed as capitalism can be, a lot of it's problems are not exclusive to that system. That, and I care a lot more about on execution than ideology. Two countries can be democracies yet decide their laws in vastly different ways. The internet can be a rough place. I'd say you made the right choice, admitting it was bad for you and stepping away. I can only hope you enjoy this second try better. I'm glad I spent more time with family and friends over the past two years, even with the pandemic. As valuable as online friends can be, talking with someone face to face is something we still need to do. 21 hours ago, eclipse said: Deck roguelike? Check. On Switch? Check. Using the combat system to haggle? You have my attention. I'll probably get this Sometime Later, when I'm not worried about a bunch of other things. Looks interesting, but I won't read too much since this looks like something I'd like to play through myself. Happy to introduce someone to Griftlands! And yeah, I do recommend playing blind, as the game offers different paths to complete missions, and the randomization keeps the game fresh. It helps that the roguelike elements focus on making each playthrough unique rather than trying to murder the player a thousand different ways. Update (Trying out a different font size. Feedback is welcome): Spoiler Again, it wouldn’t be a roguelike without random events. Orange events are temporary, forcing you to choose one or the other or else they’re gone for good. I decide Quark is more valuable than salvage. I really don’t know why they give you the option to play with your pet when training pays off so much more in the long run. Quark is now trained, so he’s even better in combat and his argument won’t disappear after one turn in negotiations. Sal often gets to pick and choose her missions. The other two characters don’t have as much luck in this regard, though they make up for it in complexity. A Matter of Faith is the primary reason (though far, far from the only one) I singled out the cult when writing the content warnings. While I don’t think the mission itself is necessarily provocative, I could write a few paragraphs about my thoughts on the situation. Sal’s freelance missions can appear at various points in her campaign. Private Security is fun early on and an absolute pain in the butt if you tackle it later. Seeing as I’ve put over 250 hours into Griftlands, I know I can do Asset Recovery at this point despite the increased challenge. Grafts are easier to show that to explain, but they’re always worth it. It’s at this point I forgot to mention boons and banes. You gain a boon when someone loves you and receive a bane when someone hates you. Fssh grants us Cozy while Kashio curses us with Troubled Past, which cancel each other out. Interestingly, when I first started playing, Fssh liked Sal from the start but never loved her, and Kashio hated Sal but didn’t give a bane. This was probably changed because as we’ll soon see, Fssh goes out of her way to help Sal, and it was weird that Kashio was the only exception to the bane rule. And of course I run into something on my way to a mission. Wonder what happened to Cash for him to lose both of his eyes. I could rob him, but… Clicking on his icon in the lower right brings us to this screen. Oh, right! Voices! The game uses fictional gibberish when characters talk, and it does a great job getting tone across while giving different characters unique pitches that feel distinct. It was my favorite handling of it for a while until I played Warhammer 40K: Mechanicus. Holy Crap does Mechanicus have amazing sound design. Not just in the voices, but all the whirrs and buzzes of machinery and the various bangs and booms of weapons being fired, topped off with an awesomely unique soundtrack that all together make Mechanicus one of my favorite games in regards to audio. Now where was I? Right, Banes. On a lower difficulty, I could go for robbing him, as while Bad Credit does add up, there are ways to deal with it. However, considering that I’m on the hardest difficulty where everything is already more expensive… Says the man who in another timeline was robbed of his wealth. Looks like we’re extorting even more money out of Lili. I love this exchange. Another mission that lets us choose a card before starting. Projector: Abilities always expend and tend to be costly, but they last the rest of the fight. Projector is useful if you have some improvisation cards, which I don't have at the moment. Deception: Speaking of improvisation, we’ve seen this one earlier. Target Practice: “Attack 2 random enemies” can translate into “Attack the same enemy twice”. Which is why I chose it. Grunjax was the smuggler who carried the package in the previous mission. Guess he found his calling as a cargo guard. Since Enit likes me and will help out in negotiations or fights, I decide to go to Better Living Chemists. People who like you will help out in negotiations, even if they have no stake in it. This is one of the few times where there is an actual difference between self-defense and being the aggressor in a fight. Even though Enit likes me, her job is to guard the store, and thus will help out the defender. In general, more people jump to the defender's aid when you’re the aggressor, though this isn’t always the case. I choose to talk. I almost put this section in a spoiler, but several negotiations and a fight were so close together that I didn’t see the point. Quark’s argument will now remain the whole negotiation until it is destroyed. And it seems Grunjax spent his paycheck on alcohol. Also, I think I was too caught up explaining how the gameplay works to share the music for negotiations. I really enjoy this piece. Does a good job conveying thinking on one's feet and bouncing between ideas of what to say. The core argument for Jakes is Double Edge. They gain composure if they deal damage, but if the attack is entirely blocked, they take damage instead. Fitting name, and it’s incredibly fun to abuse, but it can be a pain in the butt when enemies start dealing more damage than you can hope to fully guard against. Best advice I’ve heard for surviving the harder difficulties in Griftlands; Treat your health and resolve as a resource. Sometimes it can be worthwhile to “spend” it for an extra attack, and sometimes it’s better to focus on “saving” it. Enemies grow stronger the longer fights and negotiations go on, so it can be worth taking some damage to end them early. Speaking of which, I start off with Quick Thinking. I choose Withdraw since I didn’t draw any defensive cards, and I want to take advantage of Double Edged. Bait, by the way, is better on paper than in practice. It usually just absorbs a little damage that isn’t always worthwhile. Technically, we already met, but I give Grunjax a good impression... And it hits for max damage. Threaten, meanwhile, just does one. Quark scares Grunjax, I suppose. And Double Edge hurts him All kinds of enemies have patterns that you’ll gradually figure out by playing the game. Jakes, for instance, always start out by adding the Crafty argument, which hides what argument they’re going to attack and how much damage it will do. Doesn’t help that if you attack Crafty without destroying it, it adds another argument that damages you and gets stronger each turn. Since I can’t destroy Crafty this turn, I focus on defense. And attack his core argument with some fast talking. Quark destroys Grunjax’s Drunk argument, which removes his attack. I try to destroy Crafty in one go. And fail, adding Ploy to Grunjax’s arguments. I decided to defend my core argument and hope that Threaten deals full damage against Ploy, which it does. Quark destroys Crafty, and the extra damage goes to the core argument Double Edge activates But I also lose Quark and take one damage. Thanks to Double Edge, Grunjax has some composure, and like previous turns, I start off focusing on defense. Dominance increases the amount of damage hostile cards do. Unlike influence, you lose 1 dominance each turn. So of course I play threaten next. The previous turn was my last chance to gain advantage of Double Edge, and Grunjax is now Impatient, increasing the damage of all attacks. So instead, I focus solely on attacking Good Impressions really does last longer than expected. A few turns in and it’s doing the same amount as damage as my starting diplomacy cards. I annoyingly take damage and Grunjax gains defense and crafty again, but the fight is close to being over anyway. Which is good, because the artwork matches my expression whenever politics are brought up. Fatigued prevents cards from gaining experience for the rest of the negotiation, and the same thing can happen during combat. It’s annoying, but it encourages ending fights sooner than later, as well as indicating when you should start using your big guns without hesitation. I attack twice and come frustratingly close to ending the encounter. I end the turn by adding defense. I take 2 damage and he adds ploy… But this talk is over. Onto the rewards Heavy Handed: A pretty strong sacrifice, especially since some arguments can take a beating. The cost is that it requires you to already have dominance, which you lose each turn. Plead: Free cards are always useful, and it’s easier to gain and keep influence compared to dominance. I tend not to pick it more for personal reasons than anything else. I respect Sal too much to reduce her to begging. And yes, I am well aware that I am A-OK with making Sal a murderous bully but think pleading is below her. Shut up. Solid Point: Hard to pass up on free damage and influence, even if it is only by one. Like I said, hard to pass up. The Roaloch is where most Bilebrokers do their work, which probably explains why there are only three in Havaria. Well that turned ugly. There are various ways to get people to hate you, and some are inevitable if you aim to complete the quest. There are worse banes than Thin Skin. It only happens once per fight, and you can always get around the extra damage by focusing on defense. And because he hates me… I can provoke him into attacking me! Has he? We met, like, a few hours ago at most. Then again, he is drunk… Insult cards can be fun. You lose every non-hostile card, and in exchange gain dominance. Seriously, these can add up, and the dialogue for insults are some of the funniest you’ll see in negotiations. Once again, Quark and Enit help. I add defense to take advantage of Double Edge… again. And realize I should have seen if drunk would have gotten rid of the attack first. Oh well. I’m enjoying taking advantage of Double Edge as much as I can. I won’t always have this luxury. Defense And the first use of insult. While I don’t pay much attention to the dialogue during negotiations since I’ve seen almost all of it, insults are still fun to read. What do you know? Double Edge works in my favor again. Solid point activates on its own. I try to soften the blow And take advantage of the little dominance I have left. And deal full damage with fast talk. Influence is damaged but not destroyed I destroy Ploy. Ya already know about Double Edge and abusing it by now. And I insult him for having such an exploitable ability. You know the drill. I hope we get more interesting cards soon, so I can say something more than “I defend then attack”. Fleads are more or less oversized fleas. They’re a fun pet that focus strongly on defense, especially when compared to other beasts. Why not gain more dominance? And the exact amount of damage to end the debate. And now Grunjax is so mad I can get away with murder! Before I forget, battle music. Sal’s is one of the more subdued battle tracks in the game, though like everyone’s music I love the critical phase section that plays when either you or the enemy is near death. Anyway, like in negotiations, each “class” has patterns that you can recognize through experience. For instance, I know that he’s going to apply evasion next turn, so I use the dagger to increase the amount of damage I do this turn. Some items have sprites. Makeshift Dagger doesn’t. Hard to see, but the shattered card effect means it’s gone for good. Like I said, target practice means “attack the same enemy twice”. Apparently, Sal’s elbows cause explosions. And an unnecessary feint for the experience. Quark gains power. If someone hates you, they only target the player. Fine by me, as it means I don’t have to worry about Quark taking damage. I nab Saber Grip before attacking. I waste both of Grunjax’s evasion with a single card. I cause him to bleed. And take advantage of hemorrhage. Sal does a funny jump and Quark looks mad. That hurt I feint twice to gain the same amount of defense that a normal feint card would provide, because exposed is annoying. On a side note, I really like how defense is pretty vague and includes implications that it involves dodging along with blocking. Doesn't mean much mechanically, but it's fun to picture these fights. Stab thankfully deals full damage. And Quark keeps Grunjax’s blood flowing. Yowch. Yeah, Jake dockhands focus on wounding, which makes them especially dangerous when they have a partner to rack up the damage. I predictably nab saber grip And stab him twice. Causing Grunjax to bleed to death. Earlier today, Grunjax helped me kill a thug. Now I’m looting his body. Gaff is one of the more useful item cards, as you gain defense while dealing damage. Brazen Attack: Costly, but considering it ignores defense AND lowers the amount of damage enemies can do, it’s worth the 2 actions. Barbed Defense: Another ability. An incredibly useful one, but unfortunately I have no way of gaining counter yet. Slippery: A pretty useful defense card, since you gain an extra card to choose from. Feint is doing its job defending me right now, and Brazen Attack deals damage while keeping me alive longer. Seems like no one cared that I just talked to a customer and killed him shortly afterwards. Then again, that was the result of provoking him into attacking me. If you enter combat in a shop or bar for a different reason, it can cause the owner to dislike you for causing violence in their place of business. I go to the place Grunjax said the goods were buried. Looks like he was telling the truth. Okay, so normally, I would be ambushed by Grunjax and a lackey, and have the choice whether to fight him or give up the goods. But because I already killed him, his corpse can’t steal anything. Time to head back to Lili. Sal conveniently never tells Lili that I killed Grunjax for being honest. You really do. Your first package was nearly taken by a bandit, while the same guard stole your supplies. And the two times you hired Sal, she killed someone. Including your former employee. I love this game. Apparently I forgot to take a screenshot of the Graft selection screen. Anyway, Buckshot applies 1 wound to a random enemy at the start of each turn. I’m not 100% certain what grafts are in-universe (they seem to be cybernetic implants, but not all of them make sense that way) but they provide extremely useful bonuses. They’re always worth going out of your way to get. *** Mission 2 done. Quark is now trained, we killed Grunjax hours after working with him, and Lili really needs to be careful who he hires. Tune in next time to see Sal have an existential crisis and get really drunk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punished Dayni Posted September 23, 2022 Share Posted September 23, 2022 Griftlands: in which we see a street skin graft applied. Spoiler 7 hours ago, Hawkwing said: This sentence gave me flashbacks. There's a reason I had a google doc open just to copy-paste what I wrote down in the event Serenes Forest deleted hours of work. I couldn't do that, I was too reliant on what I was quoting. 7 hours ago, Hawkwing said: Not going to lie, I've occasionally had thoughts about coming back to Serenes Forest in the past, but it seemed like there was some more bullshit happening in the world every time I tried. Underwhelming as I though the recent Nintendo Direct was, it was a nice opportunity to come back and discuss videogames again. I mean, bullshit is continuous sadly. As to the direct, personally the ports are really feeling the age and relative lower power of the switch and aside from something like Sifu I'd probably prefer to play elsewhere I only engaged with the new FE, the Kirby port and TotK. 7 hours ago, Hawkwing said: I really don’t know why they give you the option to play with your pet when training pays off so much more in the long run. When you're low on Resolve? 7 hours ago, Hawkwing said: Says the man who in another timeline was robbed of his wealth. Cash Money here seems to be very trusting. 7 hours ago, Hawkwing said: I love this exchange. Lili in the third image looks drained. "Dammit Sal, I'm stressing about this enough." 7 hours ago, Hawkwing said: This is one of the few times where there is an actual difference between self-defense and being the aggressor in a fight. Even though Enit likes me, her job is to guard the store, and thus will help out the defender. In general, more people jump to the defender's aid when you’re the aggressor, though this isn’t always the case. So I suppose bystanders might rarely join you if you attack?. 7 hours ago, Hawkwing said: Quark scares Grunjax, I suppose. He's helping the threat. 7 hours ago, Hawkwing said: Plead: Free cards are always useful, and it’s easier to gain and keep influence compared to dominance. I tend not to pick it more for personal reasons than anything else. I respect Sal too much to reduce her to begging. And yes, I am well aware that I am A-OK with making Sal a murderous bully but think pleading is below her. Shut up. It's a little funny seeing you insist on these immutable character traits, but I get it. I mean sure, she'll kill people, push others around, extort, but she will not beg! Admittedly that case feels consistent. 7 hours ago, Hawkwing said: Well that turned ugly. There are various ways to get people to hate you, and some are inevitable if you aim to complete the quest. There are worse banes than Thin Skin. It only happens once per fight, and you can always get around the extra damage by focusing on defense. Do these randomise as well? 7 hours ago, Hawkwing said: And because he hates me… I can provoke him into attacking me! So, the game allows you to remove banes by killing the cause. This game is going to see a lot of dead people huh? 7 hours ago, Hawkwing said: Fleads are more or less oversized fleas. They’re a fun pet that focus strongly on defense, especially when compared to other beasts. So the fleads are useable? Are they defensive in messing with enemy attacks? 7 hours ago, Hawkwing said: And now Grunjax is so mad I can get away with murder! 7 hours ago, Hawkwing said: Some items have sprites. Makeshift Dagger doesn’t. Hard to see, but the shattered card effect means it’s gone for good. So it's single use and then consumed? Makes items well worth keeping an eye on. 7 hours ago, Hawkwing said: Earlier today, Grunjax helped me kill a thug. Now I’m looting his body. Just another day in Murder Bay. Theme music plays. 7 hours ago, Hawkwing said: Okay, so normally, I would be ambushed by Grunjax and a lackey, and have the choice whether to fight him or give up the goods. But because I already killed him, his corpse can’t steal anything. Can't be robbed by a thief if you kill the thief. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Rubenio Posted September 24, 2022 Share Posted September 24, 2022 Fun fact of the night(?): Sal in Spanish means salt. Which is fitting, given how salty she is with Kashio and all. Spoiler On 9/23/2022 at 3:37 AM, Hawkwing said: Because it's a yote, I already have a name in mind. I'll see whether or not "Quark" grows on me. I was going to present a suggestion, but then I couldn't come up with anything and I forgot to go back to it before hitting "submit reply." Oof. On 9/23/2022 at 3:37 AM, Hawkwing said: Heh, it does. Interesting to be on the other side interpreting odd animation timing. This is an interesting role reversal, that's for sure! On 9/23/2022 at 3:37 AM, Hawkwing said: On a more serious note, "hah, capitalism sux" jokes rarely hit for me. I suppose it's because as flawed as capitalism can be, a lot of it's problems are not exclusive to that system. That, and I care a lot more about on execution than ideology. Two countries can be democracies yet decide their laws in vastly different ways. That's fair enough. I just thought the opportunity was perfect. On 9/23/2022 at 3:37 AM, Hawkwing said: I really don’t know why they give you the option to play with your pet when training pays off so much more in the long run. Because playing with pet is adorable. On 9/23/2022 at 3:37 AM, Hawkwing said: While I don’t think the mission itself is necessarily provocative, I could write a few paragraphs about my thoughts on the situation. Dew it On 9/23/2022 at 3:37 AM, Hawkwing said: It’s at this point I forgot to mention boons and banes. You gain a boon when someone loves you and receive a bane when someone hates you. Fssh grants us Cozy while Kashio curses us with Troubled Past, which cancel each other out. Interestingly, when I first started playing, Fssh liked Sal from the start but never loved her, and Kashio hated Sal but didn’t give a bane. This was probably changed because as we’ll soon see, Fssh goes out of her way to help Sal, and it was weird that Kashio was the only exception to the bane rule. I'll say, I found that to be a pretty smart way to implement pre-game relationships without causing gameplay shenanigans. On 9/23/2022 at 3:37 AM, Hawkwing said: Warhammer 40K: Mechanicus. I shouldn't be surprised you've found a way to bring that one up haha On 9/23/2022 at 3:37 AM, Hawkwing said: I love this exchange. This game's got some great dialogue. On 9/23/2022 at 3:37 AM, Hawkwing said: Technically, we already met, but I give Grunjax a good impression... In Spanish "impresion" can mean both "impression" or a paper that's been printed. For a moment I considered making a pun regarding Sal's outstanding abilities with the pocket printer she keeps in her scarf. But alas, it doesn't work in English. On 9/23/2022 at 3:37 AM, Hawkwing said: Fatigued prevents cards from gaining experience for the rest of the negotiation, and the same thing can happen during combat. It’s annoying, but it encourages ending fights sooner than later, as well as indicating when you should start using your big guns without hesitation. Fatigue is whatever. It's impatience that's the real crapper. I often couldn't finish fights fast enough to keep the enemy from powercreeping the heck outta me. On 9/23/2022 at 3:37 AM, Hawkwing said: Plead: Free cards are always useful, and it’s easier to gain and keep influence compared to dominance. I tend not to pick it more for personal reasons than anything else. I respect Sal too much to reduce her to begging. And yes, I am well aware that I am A-OK with making Sal a murderous bully but think pleading is below her. Shut up. Hah! Cute. I don't usually look at that kind of thing in gameplay. On 9/23/2022 at 3:37 AM, Hawkwing said: And because he hates me… I can provoke him into attacking me! Hahahaha... Ahh, yes, this. The fact that this is the optimal thing to do is nothing short of hilarious. On 9/23/2022 at 3:37 AM, Hawkwing said: What do you know? Double Edge works in my favor again. Saying the same insult twice is quite effective, as not only does it anger the target, it also confuses them! On 9/23/2022 at 3:37 AM, Hawkwing said: like everyone’s music I love the critical phase section that plays when either you or the enemy is near death. I wish there were extended versions of the critical phases. They're just the best. On 9/23/2022 at 3:37 AM, Hawkwing said: Earlier today, Grunjax helped me kill a thug. Now I’m looting his body. Havaria in a nutshell? On 9/23/2022 at 3:37 AM, Hawkwing said: Okay, so normally, I would be ambushed by Grunjax and a lackey, and have the choice whether to fight him or give up the goods. But because I already killed him, his corpse can’t steal anything. Oh wow, that's actually awesome. And extremely evil of you. But awesome. On 9/23/2022 at 3:37 AM, Hawkwing said: Mission 2 done. Quark is now trained, we killed Grunjax hours after working with him, and Lili really needs to be careful who he hires. Screw Lili. He deserves to die for killing me the one time. On 9/23/2022 at 12:13 PM, Punished Dayni said: I only engaged with the new FE, the Kirby port and TotK. And some healthy punning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawkwing Posted September 25, 2022 Author Share Posted September 25, 2022 SAL’S CAMPAIGN DAY 1 MISSION 3: Sal Gets Really Drunk And Agrees To Be Live Bait For A Herbivore Replies: Spoiler On 9/23/2022 at 6:13 AM, Punished Dayni said: Griftlands: in which we see a street skin graft applied. I had to look up what skin grafts are. Yowch, but accurate. Hide contents I couldn't do that, I was too reliant on what I was quoting. Yeah, I can see how that wouldn't be practical. I mean, bullshit is continuous sadly. If there is a comfort I've found in studying history, it's that the problems we face aren't anything new, and if people in the past were able to make it through, so can we. As to the direct, personally the ports are really feeling the age and relative lower power of the switch and aside from something like Sifu I'd probably prefer to play elsewhere I only engaged with the new FE, the Kirby port and TotK. Yeah, while in the past I rolled my eyes whenever "Switch Pro" was brought up, I'm starting to join that bandwagon. There are several games coming out that seem like they would fit well on switch, but the power differences seem like it would take too much effort to make a port, and even then it might not always run well. I suppose the big reason I was disappointed with the recent direct was because Nintendo kept to their word that the February direct would only show games that would release this year, so I was excited to see what Nintendo had in store for 2023. Needlessly to say, we got like, four farming sims instead? At the very least, I can look back on the Switch's history and confidently say that there were some amazing games that released on the console. When you're low on Resolve? I suppose, it's just that there are more effective ways of regaining resolve that don't waste a random event. Cash Money here seems to be very trusting. He's just trying to enjoying those rare walks where you aren't attacked by a wild animal or ambushed by a bandit. Lili in the third image looks drained. "Dammit Sal, I'm stressing about this enough." "You already took some of my money earlier today with that 'hidden fee' of yours." So I suppose bystanders might rarely join you if you attack? If they like you, sometimes. There is actually a mechanic to pay people to look the other way or help out in a fight. I rarely find it worthwhile, but it's an option. He's helping the threat. It seems his bark is as nasty as his bite, fortunately. It's a little funny seeing you insist on these immutable character traits, but I get it. To be fair, this is the only one I feel this way for. I suppose I have an odd subconscious respect for characters and people that can retain their dignity even in harsh situations. Better than one of Smith's cards, which I still pick because the ability is good, but I'm not a fan of the implications. We'll get to that later, though. I mean sure, she'll kill people, push others around, extort, but she will not beg! Admittedly that case feels consistent. One of the more believable character consistencies. Some bullies do have the virtue of courage. Do these randomise as well? Thankfully no. They're consistent with the characters class, so you decide whether or not it's worth angering someone or sacrificing a reward to have someone love you. So, the game allows you to remove banes by killing the cause. As long as you run into them and they aren't suspicious (I.E., necessary for the mission to continue), you can kill them. It makes the few times were a character hates you but then leaves the game world without dying especially dangerous, as you'll be stuck with the bane for the rest of the game. This game is going to see a lot of dead people huh? Depends on the run. Some have around 5 people dead, and I think my record is 34. A lot more people die in the brawl mode, as some missions straight up force you to kill. Fortunately, that mode is purely gameplay focused, so it doesn't bite you in the butt as often. So the fleads are useable? Are they defensive in messing with enemy attacks? They gain defense automatically each turn, and several of their attacks apply impair. Or at least, there was much indifference. Seriously, I killed someone in the middle of a store, and not a single person cared. So it's single use and then consumed? Makes items well worth keeping an eye on. Most items have a limited number of uses before being destroyed, with some exceptions (boss items, for instance, simply expend). Makeshift dagger has a 50% chance to be destroyed every time it's used, so I got unlucky. Just another day in Murder Bay. Theme music plays. Too bad Sal doesn't have any sunglasses to finish the theme. Can't be robbed by a thief if you kill the thief. The original title of the update. 2 hours ago, Saint Rubenio said: Fun fact of the night(?): Sal in Spanish means salt. Which is fitting, given how salty she is with Kashio and all. Huh, that's neat. The more you know. Hide contents I was going to present a suggestion, but then I couldn't come up with anything and I forgot to go back to it before hitting "submit reply." Oof. I'm still open to ideas. This is an interesting role reversal, that's for sure! I look forward to it! That's fair enough. I just thought the opportunity was perfect. Don't blame you. It's more of a pet peeve than can sometimes annoy me that anything else. Because playing with pet is adorable. I don't disagree, but playing with a pet doesn't make it do more damage in combat or help out in negotiations. Dew it Unfortunately, it's a situation that I feel loses it's impact if I try to explain it. I'll say, I found that to be a pretty smart way to implement pre-game relationships without causing gameplay shenanigans. I appreciate the change. It was always odd originally. I shouldn't be surprised you've found a way to bring that one up haha That's a contender for my favorite game I've played this year, which is a pretty big list. Seriously, I love that game's script and audio and art design and gameplay and... This game's got some great dialogue. One of many reasons I fell in love with Griftlands. In Spanish "impresion" can mean both "impression" or a paper that's been printed. For a moment I considered making a pun regarding Sal's outstanding abilities with the pocket printer she keeps in her scarf. But alas, it doesn't work in English. Now I have the mental image of Sal slapping people in the face with her scarf when talking to them. Thank you for that. Fatigue is whatever. It's impatience that's the real crapper. I often couldn't finish fights fast enough to keep the enemy from powercreeping the heck outta me. There's good reason Bluster is one of my favorite negotiation cards in the game. Flustered is incredibly useful simply for its ability to reduce damage. Hah! Cute. I don't usually look at that kind of thing in gameplay. This is really the only time I refuse to use a card for personal reasons, and I still use plead from time to time if it's a good option. I do love picturing how these negotiations actually play out, though. Hahahaha... Ahh, yes, this. The fact that this is the optimal thing to do is nothing short of hilarious. The fact that there are random events where you save a friend in trouble imply that this is universal in Havaria. Someone could make some serious money running an anger management class there, although it would probably end up becoming a front considering how the setting rolls. Saying the same insult twice is quite effective, as not only does it anger the target, it also confuses them! Not only did Grunjax's insult not work, Sal though he was deaf. I wish there were extended versions of the critical phases. They're just the best. There's good reason why Rook's is used in trailers. Havaria in a nutshell? Havaria in a nutshell. Oh wow, that's actually awesome. And extremely evil of you. But awesome. Almost every mission in the game accounts for someone involved being dead. Including important allies when they don't have plot armor. Screw Lili. He deserves to die for killing me the one time. You're going to absolutely hate every merchant in the game, won't you? And some healthy punning. I get it. Still don't know what to think of the subtitle. Update: Spoiler More random events. I don’t think I mentioned drugs under content warnings, as there is a substance called “slurry” in the game. That said, it appears so little that I’m not surprised it didn’t come to mind when writing it. We never become a drug dealer, if that’s what you’re wondering. Anyway, Adrenaline Shot is nice, but I’ve gone so many games without it that I can safely say that it is by no means necessary. Meditation, meanwhile, can help recover some of lost resolve. “Meditate on the nature of meditation” is a hilarious sentence, but as damaging as it can be, it is one of the very few ways to increase your max resolve, so I choose it. Well, it looks like I gave Sal an existential crisis. Time to get drunk As the name implies, night merchants offer useful services at night, and we get to choose which one we get a bonus with. This is a good example of how Sal’s campaign finds a good balance between being welcoming to newcomers while still offering something to veterans. The night shop has the most options for things to buy compared to Rook and Smith, and people who already know how the game rolls have to decide which shopkeeper they’ll use the most this run. Also… is that a Bilebroker in the background…? IT IS!!! DRINK WITH ME!!! SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!!! Doze bug is one of the best boons in the entire game, ESPECIALLY if you manage to nab it early! Oh, right, drinking restores resolve, but comes at the cost of clogging your deck with Slurred Speech and Tipsy cards. We meet Gura. I forgot to mention that he’s a Shroke. They're a tough, thick-skinned race that gain a defensive bonus in combat, so they often work as mercenaries, soldiers, and thugs. They’re one of the less populous races in Havaria, though I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s simply because Klei didn’t find as many creative designs for them. Still, they look distinct from each other. Gnak’s original name was Snack, and I wish I still had the screenshot to prove it. I swapped laptops twice, and discovered the hard way that Steam screenshots don’t carry over. . Our first look at an admiralty officer. There is a consistent color scheme across factions, and blue represents the admiralty. I decided to get drunk with Gnak. And pay a price I can work with right now. Buying someone a drink is an easy way to get someone to like you. It usually pays off, as you never know when you’ll run into someone again and when they can help out. Drinking alone restores more resolve and is cheaper, but obviously you aren’t making any friends. And you restore health by eating. They upped the price of food compared to when I first started playing, but they also buffed the amount of health you heal. A change I was all for, honestly. As I welcome having less bloated cards, well, bloating my deck. Smith’s bartender is apparently the only decent cook in Havaria, and even then his food is just adequate (and Smith may have just destroyed his stomach with drinking and bar fights anyway). At least the drinks are good. One more on the house. I love this description. Phroluk is one of my favorite NPCs personality-wise in the game, even if I slightly prefer the dialogue he had before Klei did some rebalancing and rewriting of Sal’s campaign. I’m kicking myself for not screenshotting his original dialogue and saving it somewhere. See? The title has meaning. Huh. It’s been a while since I last played (been addicted to XCOM the last few months), so I’m trying to remember if Sal’s dialogue changes if you have a different pet at this point. I think it does, as I’ve had a vroc (bird dogs. You’ll understand what I mean later) once before meeting him. I know I said that fleads focused on defense, but Grawkits swim in it. Difference being you can’t domesticate one. I remember Phroluk being a little more upfront about the “bait” part, though I could be off about that. Forgot to screenshot the section where we ask questions. Least I’m learning now rather than later. I suppose Sal has never heard of Hippos or Rhinos and the like. Though to be fair, I don’t know many creatures that attack via bellyflop. Hope you like swamps, because Rook is going to spend his time in Grout Bog. The Vagrant Age was the time when the planet was discovered and everyone was still spacefaring. That technology has since been lost, so there’s good reason there’s an entire faction dedicated to finding it. That’s the Spark Barons, and I have almost as much to say about them as the cult. If I had to describe them in two words, it would be “cartoonishly grounded”. In a sentence, they’re train barons IN SPACE that are trying to figure out how to get the space trains working again. They’re at they’re most prevalent in Rook’s route, but like the cult, they appear in the other two stories. Is it weird that lava eels from Bionicle came to mind when I heard of another creature that is kept as a pet until it is abandoned when they grow up and become destructive”? I had one of those lore books as a kid, and while I didn’t get as sucked into Bionicle as much as I know some others have, it’s still one of the most interesting settings I’ve seen for a toy line, or heck, just in general. Phroluk always seems happy talking about animals. Rake provides combat cards. Since everything is expensive anyway, I won’t be buying much anyway. Like Grunjax, I spent my entire paycheck on food and beer. At least I don’t have a former coworker to stab me in the back now. Don’t know what that smells like and I don’t want to know. Not that it would probably matter. I have almost no sense of smell. If I remember correctly, Phroluk’s original plan was for Sal to fight and scare it away in a certain direct, and then he would try to catch it in a net. He still gave you cracklers. Since we killed the last two people, I didn’t mention panic. If you damage someone enough, they’ll surrender, and you’ll have a choice whether to spare or execute them. In this case, Phroluk wants us to capture the beast alive, and it won’t be the only time we see a request to spare someone. I’ll probably use them all in this fight. Interesting insults At least they worked. Grawkit’s look like someone combined a beaver, a bear, and a boulder. They can absorb at least 6 attacks before we can deal any real damage. And they’ll do that belly flop maneuver after we attack them enough. The white number above the health bar is the amount of damage they can take before surrendering. Interestingly, it looks like the grawkit was harmed before the fight. Maybe the last person Phroluk hired didn't last long? Anyway, I use my crackler. And miss the animation where we shoot it. Won’t do any damage, so I may as well get rid of its stack. Stab didn’t do anything, though I wasn’t expecting it to. Quark finds it wise to gain some power and the grawkit decides to defend. Sal throws four daggers to get rid of the defense. And I finish the turn by using another one of my cracklers. And I catch the shot this time. Quark bites twice. This attack would normally stun, but the playable characters are immune to the effect. I protect Quark. Once with feint… And the other with brazen attack. Now he’ll take 1 damage instead of 4. Always hard to complain about bleed. Quark can’t do anything, so I decide to continue what he started and spill more blood. May as well use my last crackler. On the bright side, I caught the weapon at various angles and animations. It takes some damage from bleed… And decides its belly flopping time. Unfortunately for the Grawkit, it just means every attack will hurt. The two elbow strikes were unnecessary, but I may as well gain experience for them. Same thing for the feint. Quark seals the deal and the beast runs away. Jarackle Free-Fighting: We’ve already seen Goober and this card before. Over Extension: Hits hard, but I don’t want to clog my deck with injury cards. Interestingly, it’s implied Fssh may have taught Sal this move. Freighter: Nice if you have a lot of high-cost cards, a waste of space otherwise. Sometimes, it’s a good idea to just skip getting a card. More cards is not always better in this game. Phroluk was far more laid-back about losing the grawkit previously. I distinctly remember the line “The only certainty in life is that it will one day end. Everything else is just details”. If it sounds like I hate the changes, I really don’t. I enjoy Phroluk as a cheerful, laid-back animal lover, and I think the previous writing got that across slightly better. However, I’m fine with the new changes, and fully acknowledge some bias since I’m used to the older version. As much as Sal hates Kashio, she doesn’t seem to mind hinting about her in a casual conversation. Onto the night market! The market has some background music. One of the handful of location music tracks I could find, but it’s pretty fitting. Phroluk can upgrade pets, which is why I decided to help him. I visit him first. I forgot to show what he’s selling. Oh well. There’s a reason I said Phroluk was one of my favorite NPCs in this game. We’ll possibly fight this things’ mother. Needless to say, there's a good reason it’s a team fight. I would love to see Phroluk run a blog where he just talks about animals, real or fictional. Dammit! Spent so much money drinking I can’t give Quark armor. Guess I’ll have to do that tomorrow. As pitiful as that amount is, Quark only lost 1 health. That’s tiny potatoes, and I have far better things to save my money for. For fun, here’s his alternative introduction: I love this dork There’s a running gag where Plocka meets every single grifter, no matter where they’re located. For good reason, too. She sells grafts, which you can otherwise only get after defeating bosses or doing certain missions. She can also extend the number of grafts you can use, but I can’t afford it at the moment. Endo sells negotiation cards, which I can’t afford right now. I remember Rake having hair colored like sand, and the orange (red?) hair throws me off sometimes. Anyway, she sells combat cards. *** That’s it for mission 3. Next time we’ll fight the first boss in the game, and there will be some audience participation to decide which faction Sal will ally with. Hopefully I can figure out how to add extra polls to a topic on Serenes Forest. The next update should come out sooner than later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawkwing Posted September 25, 2022 Author Share Posted September 25, 2022 SAL’S CAMPAIGN DAY 1 BOSS FIGHT: Sal Ik-Derrick, The Bounty Hunter VS Sparky, The Spark Baron Spoiler With everything else done, let’s head back to the bar. Kashio has her own theme. I’m so used to her having different music from the Early Access version that the new track still catches me off guard sometimes. Sadly, I can’t find the original music. Well, first off, Sparky’s Spark Baron design encapsulates the Spark Barons better than any other Spark Baron. Jokes aside, this section used to be far shorter, with the beginning being largely unchanged, except Kashio noticed Sal was there, grabbed and kicked her in a quick motion, and told Sal to “stay down”. She then left the fight to her goon. Part of me still likes the original intro, since it shows that Kashio is a competent combatant and a woman of few words. Intimidating as it was, though, I think the rewritten section helps both Sal and Kashio’s characters, as otherwise they rarely interact with each other. With the exception of two of Smith’s boss fights (which is really annoying, but I’ll get to that later), every boss fight allows you to even the odds with a negotiation beforehand. In this case, we can convince Fssh’s bouncer, Bina, to do her job. Sparky, it seems, is content with letting me talk to Bina first. Quark and Fssh help out. There’s also a different negotiation track that plays during nighttime. Helps make things less repetitive auditorily. I start off with some quick thinking, because my drinking earlier clogged up my deck (that sounds really odd as I’m typing this out). Since I have no composure cards, Withdraw will have to do. It won’t prevent damage, but it will keep Quark in the debate a little longer. I use both my fast talk cards and end the turn. I catch a screenshot of the textbox before the text appears (didn’t know the game did that), Bina adds Crafty, and Quark takes 1 damage. Solid Point appears and attacks Crafty. Which annoyingly adds Ploy, though fortunately Good Impression can finish the job. Since Quark will destroy Ploy, I focus on the core argument instead. Once again, I can’t prevent damage, but I can prevent the argument from being destroyed. As predicted, Quark destroys Ploy… And takes one damage. Yeah, I’m going to lose my influence this turn. Since the damage will go to my core argument, I defend that first. I threaten Bina twice. And Sal goes Super Saiyan! Actually, it just means that my flourish is now available. I won’t use it here, because the negotiation is close to being done, but flourishes are powerful cards that can easily change the course of a fight or debate. In negotiations, you gain points from dealing and taking damage, as well as just playing cards and destroying arguments. I think the cards themselves find a nice balance between being extremely useful and powerful but not to the point that you hang onto them forever. I may have lost my influence, but my core argument can still take a beating. I protect Quark one last time so that none of the damage carries over. I use my other two cards to deal damage. Once again, drinking caused me some problems. Quark attacks one last time You did well, Quark. I miss showing that Solid Point appeared and got rid of Bina’s composure As well as how I was so excited to end the fight I forgot to show me selecting Sal’s Instincts and Inspiration. And with that, the negotiation is over. Nice! I finally upgraded some cards! I almost always go for the “stone” upgrade, because applying composure automatically is difficult to pass up. The less cards there are in your deck, the more likely it is that the ones you want to use will appear. That’s the mindset behind picking the “Destroy” upgrade… which I’ve never done because that puts me in the classic “but I can save it for later” mindset. Boosted Threaten, meanwhile, just deals more reliable damage, so I select it. Dominance can combo nicely if I draw another hostile card, so I choose the upgrade. Your starting cards are unique in that they can have randomized upgrades. Every other card has 2 choices to pick from. Abrupt Remark: I’ve gotten a lot of mileage out of this card. I’ve also drawn cards that would have been helpful if I didn’t run out of actions. Useful, but I tend to choose other cards over it. Solid Point: Choose this one earlier. Bellow: Useful if you’re running a hostility focused deck, which isn’t set in stone at the moment. Having two Solid Point cards may pay off later when my deck gets larger, though I doubt I’ll grab a third. I really like how there’s unique artwork for boss fights. Makes the battle that much grander. Bina’s a smuggler. They’re essentially combat medics that fulfill both roles with flying colors. They’re one of my favorite allies in the whole game, and I’m glad you don’t fight against them that often. Also boss music. For once, I actually prefer Sal’s boss music to the other two characters, even if Rook has the best critical phase theme in the game. I defend first Then attack twice Since one more use will upgrade elbow strike, I decide to go for that over Sal’s Daggers. Reason Why I love Jake Smugglers #1: They provide a ton of defense. Quark once again gains power before attacking. Sparky throws a spark grenade, damaging everyone. Been a while since I fought dirty. Since Sparky will be attacked by everyone this turn, I chose trip. Then I stab him. I have no reason to defend this turn, and would rather not have my deck clogged with tipsy cards. The animation is fun, though. Reason Why I Love Jake Smugglers #2: They have an attack that hits three times. Quark helpfully gnaws on Sparky, causing him to bleed. Sparky decides it’s time to actually use that arm cannon of his. Counter is really fun to use and really annoying to deal with. It has also caused the most amount of accidental deaths on both sides. Since I know it counter will hit for 7 damage, I give myself 8 defense and use elbow strike since it deals more reliable damage than stab and I won’t get countered twice like I would if I used target practice. Reason I Love Jake Smugglers #3: They heal you. I am very thankful Bina healed Quark and not me, since he took 14 damage. Ah shit, Sparky’s cannon hits hard enough it will cause Quark to panic. Luckily, I have a card that reduces the amount of damage Sparky can do. Since I have no other options for defense, Gaff will have to do. I manage to catch the animation before gaff loads in. Weird. I miss the amount of damage Aimed Shot did. Also, Reason I Love Jake Smugglers #4: They have a hard hitting attack. Quark adds more bleed. Which takes effect now. I should really start praising how much I love Griftlands animations. I’m not doing it enough. Since the fight will be over this turn, I aim for experience. First on hemorrhage. Then on stab. Which deals enough damage to end the fight. In hindsight, I should have played feint beforehand. I don’t gain anything from sparing Sparky. So I don’t. Sal kills with a quick slash to the throat. The fight is over. Killing bosses offers both a negotiation card and a combat card. Sparky’s unique item isn’t the most exciting one you can get from bosses, but it has its uses. Moving on to upgrading cards I’ll take hitting hard once per fight over hitting hard once in the whole game. Some cards actually have a bonus if you discard them, so I’ll nab Strained Strike just in case. I forgot to hover over each of the cards. That or I thought I did. Steam screenshots started running slow at this point for some reason. Not that it really matters, as I skipped this round. Recall: Can be useful. I don’t have many, if any, cards that expend at the moment, though. Brownbeat: Nice on paper, in practice I usually spend all my actions on something else. Bellow: We saw this last time. Hard pick, as all of them are useful. Seeker: A good amount of defense, and one of the few cards that can heal. Rummage: It’s free, you can get rid of a card you don’t need and hopefully draw one that will be useful. Also, I like the flavor text. Spines: Apparently Sal can grow them now. Counter punishes the enemy for every attack they make, and even 1 counter can add up quickly. Hard choice, but I go with Spines, as it combos well with another ability card and is helpful in general. One of several cards you can randomly receive after killing someone. Some are useful, others are not. You also get to choose a graft reward after defeating a boss. You’ll notice that any graft that grants you an extra action has a drawback. For good reason, as you can do some serious damage with 4 actions. I pick Interior Drill, as it’s hard to complain about playing a card at a cheaper cost, no matter what it is. I don’t want to know what the drill is doing to Sal’s head. You can do any last minute drinking or gift-giving, if you want. I decide to end the first day. Each character has various dreams. They’re quite interesting. Ending the day automatically restores health and resolve. It also gets rid of any cards gained from eating or drinking. A summary of who loves, likes, dislikes, and hates us. It also shows all the cards and grafts gained. SAL’S CAMPAIGN DAY 2 PICKING SIDES: Audience Participation Time! Spoiler I believe Sal always thinks this when waking up on day 2. Like I said, one of the best boons. Also apparently Kashio no longer hates us. The Forgiveness perk is doing its job. This is the big split in Sal’s route. We get to pick between helping the Admiralty or the Spree. But first, let’s chat. Onto questions I’ll say this again later, but I have fun with both sides, so I don’t have a preference. We’ve exhausted our options here. Now to meet the rest of the people in the bar. Peri, sadly, is not a platypus. Fortunately, he seems more sane than the one in Fates. We met the Luminari earlier. The Meat Market is where we recruit people to help us. I can’t afford it right now, so I won’t bother. The Admiralty claims that we won’t have many friends, while if we go with the Spree we’ll make enemies of several Admiralty officers, but to be honest, it doesn’t matter much. I have fun with the missions and characters of both, so I’ll let you guys decide. Also, if anyone has a name idea for Quark, feel free to share it. *** Day 1 complete! A little over a week since I first took screenshots. I’ll probably wait 2 or 3 days before starting on day 2 to give people some time to vote. I might catch up on some games I’ve started. I’m not the fastest typer, so writing these still takes over an hour. As a whole though, I’m having a lot of fun! I find it pretty natural to talk about the game and explain the mechanics, which I’m thankful for since one of my concerts before starting was that I would find that part difficult. Now I look forward to it. I still need to get better at screenshotting and I might try something different with the formatting every now and again, but I expect that will come with practice. See you in a few days! Alternative titles: I too am surprised at how quickly I got this done. Strawpoll here: https://strawpoll.com/polls/XOgOJXN6rn3 (Hopefully this works. Tell me immediately if it doesn't) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Rubenio Posted September 28, 2022 Share Posted September 28, 2022 Spoiler On 9/25/2022 at 2:30 AM, Hawkwing said: You're going to absolutely hate every merchant in the game, won't you? They were responsible for like, half of my deaths when I played this game. Fuck 'em. On 9/25/2022 at 2:30 AM, Hawkwing said: Now I have the mental image of Sal slapping people in the face with her scarf when talking to them. Thank you for that. You're welcome. On 9/25/2022 at 2:30 AM, Hawkwing said: You're going to absolutely hate every merchant in the game, won't you? Well... Maybe? Quote I get it. Still don't know what to think of the subtitle. I think it points to an engaging narrative, myself. On 9/25/2022 at 2:30 AM, Hawkwing said: “Meditate on the nature of meditation” is a hilarious sentence, but as damaging as it can be, it is one of the very few ways to increase your max resolve, so I choose it. This is the kind of thing a newbie would choose, thinking "oh yeah that's gonna be good in the long run", and then they die. I may or may not be speaking from personal experience. On 9/25/2022 at 2:30 AM, Hawkwing said: Oh, right, drinking restores resolve, but comes at the cost of clogging your deck with Slurred Speech and Tipsy cards. It's always a fun time. I remember getting my entire hand swarmed with drunk cards a few times because of my careless drinking. Say no to alcohol, kids. On 9/25/2022 at 2:30 AM, Hawkwing said: Smith’s bartender is apparently the only decent cook in Havaria, and even then his food is just adequate (and Smith may have just destroyed his stomach with drinking and bar fights anyway). I'll take them just for the pun. Fsshcakes. She's a genius. On 9/25/2022 at 2:30 AM, Hawkwing said: Hope you like swamps, because Rook is going to spend his time in Grout Bog. A A AA AA AA A AA swamp maps On 9/25/2022 at 2:30 AM, Hawkwing said: Grawkit’s look like someone combined a beaver, a bear, and a boulder. But I don't see a mustache On 9/25/2022 at 2:30 AM, Hawkwing said: There’s a reason I said Phroluk was one of my favorite NPCs in this game. I can respect a pet lover. On 9/25/2022 at 2:30 AM, Hawkwing said: For fun, here’s his alternative introduction: Possibly the best introduction in the game lol On 9/25/2022 at 9:12 PM, Hawkwing said: Kashio has her own theme. I like Kashio's theme. It almost sounds sad, in a way. On 9/25/2022 at 9:12 PM, Hawkwing said: Also boss music. For once, I actually prefer Sal’s boss music to the other two characters, even if Rook has the best critical phase theme in the game. I love the part where it goes wawawawa wawawawawa wawawawa On 9/25/2022 at 9:12 PM, Hawkwing said: Been a while since I fought dirty. How honorable of you. On 9/25/2022 at 9:12 PM, Hawkwing said: Reason Why I love Jake Smugglers #1: They provide a ton of defense. Reason Why I Love Jake Smugglers #2: They have an attack that hits three times. Reason I Love Jake Smugglers #3: They heal you. I never even noticed these guys were this good. On 9/25/2022 at 9:12 PM, Hawkwing said: I don’t gain anything from sparing Sparky. So I don’t. Ahh, the days of my first few runs where I thought there'd be an actual impact to it. I still did it sometimes, even after finding out there's no reason to spare anyone. It just feels right sometimes. On 9/25/2022 at 9:12 PM, Hawkwing said: I mean, that's pretty badass, but last time you got the crap beaten out of you, so... Maybe get better help than the bouncer who honors her name by bouncing at the first sign of trouble unless she's peer pressured by a stranger? On 9/25/2022 at 9:12 PM, Hawkwing said: Also apparently Kashio no longer hates us. The Forgiveness perk is doing its job. Welp, GG. It's over everyone, go home, friendship ending. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawkwing Posted October 1, 2022 Author Share Posted October 1, 2022 SAL’S CAMPAIGN DAY 2 ADMIRALTY MISSION: A Rat In A Cave Replies: Spoiler On 9/28/2022 at 11:37 AM, Saint Rubenio said: Hide contents They were responsible for like, half of my deaths when I played this game. Fuck 'em. Did the merchants themselves kill you, or was it their backup? In my experience they rarely travel alone. You're welcome. I'm remembering this pattern from back in the day. Well... Maybe? Wonder which choice you'll pick when we reach Smith's campaign. I think it points to an engaging narrative, myself. Hardy har har. Jokes aside, the story setup so far is so generic that I'm expecting that the story will turn a lot of tropes on their head with some big twists halfway through, or it will be incredibly predictable and they embrace all the cliches and have a fun time. I'm personally okay with a straightforward plot as long as it's entertaining to go through. This is the kind of thing a newbie would choose, thinking "oh yeah that's gonna be good in the long run", and then they die. I may or may not be speaking from personal experience. You had the right idea. Just maybe not enough experience. It's always a fun time. I remember getting my entire hand swarmed with drunk cards a few times because of my careless drinking. Say no to alcohol, kids. That's one way to spread the message. Have it negatively affect your gameplay. I'll take them just for the pun. Fsshcakes. She's a genius. Fssh is good at naming things and knowing who needs what. She A A AA AA AA A AA swamp maps Thankfully, it doesn't deal damage every turn. It is terrible in other ways. But I don't see a mustache I mean, his beard is nice, but you're right in that he doesn't really have a mus- Ooooh, you're talking about Moulder! I really need to try Sacred Stones again. I didn't play enough to get a concrete opinion on the game. I can respect a pet lover. Especially one that can describe them in fun ways. Possibly the best introduction in the game lol I agree. I like Kashio's theme. It almost sounds sad, in a way. Huh, I can kind of see what you mean. I do get the vibe of "powerful person who's lonely at the top." I love the part where it goes wawawawa wawawawawa wawawawa I know exactly what you're talking about How honorable of you. Hah hah I never even noticed these guys were this good. I love having them as an ally. Funnily enough, I don't mind fighting them that much, since they tend to focus on allies rather than themselves, which makes them an easy target. Ahh, the days of my first few runs where I thought there'd be an actual impact to it. I still did it sometimes, even after finding out there's no reason to spare anyone. It just feels right sometimes. There's two people you can spare to change the ending, Rook can spare several bosses for more dialogue though you have the choice to kill them afterwards anyway, if I joined the Spree there would be a reason to spare the assassin, there's a boss in Smith's route you're requested to spare... Of that, uh, there's really only one or two bosses where sparing them is ideal. Two affect the ending but otherwise don't affect gameplay, and the rest you're better off sending to the grave. Huh, never really thought of that before. I mean, that's pretty badass, but last time you got the crap beaten out of you, so... Maybe get better help than the bouncer who honors her name by bouncing at the first sign of trouble unless she's peer pressured by a stranger? Maybe Sal's hoping that Fssh will yell or something before the boss kills her or something. I think Sal just doesn't want to be killed in her sleep... though that raises the question of if Fssh ever takes a break. Welp, GG. It's over everyone, go home, friendship ending. Kashio still dislikes us and wants us dead. She's just more annoyed than angry now. Update: Spoiler Seems like we’ll be siding with the Admiralty this run. But first, there’s two quick things I want to do. To spice things up, I’ll be changing Sal’s costume each day… even if I forget to do so on day 3. I’ll go into more detail later, but Sal’s second day was shortened down and I got screenshots for day 2 and 3 in the same sitting. Anyway, you unlock more costumes after completing a run or dying. I’ve already unlocked all of them, and to be honest, it was a pretty quick process. They have no bearing on gameplay; it’s purely cosmetic. This appears to be the only costume Sal likes, which makes sense as it’s the least rugged looking outfit she has. Now, for Quark. The game allows you to pet animals, which for some people automatically makes it game of the year or something. To be completely honest, I never really cared for the trend. I’d rather pet an actual animal than a fictional one. The only exception personally was D-Dog in Metal Gear Solid V: Spoiler Big Boss’s interactions with D-Dog are one of the very few times he seems genuinely happy in the entire game. That puts it over most other cases for me. Anyway, let’s give Quark a new name. I know I mentioned earlier that I don’t care for the “Yeet” meme. I also don’t care for the “Fox on Trampoline” phenomenon yet this Stupidfox pic is one of my go-to profile pictures: Still don’t know why I like it so much. At least “Yeet the Yote!” is a ton of fun to say. Enough stalling, let’s get the show on the road. I had to look up what a tchotchke is. Apparently, it just refers to small trinkets. Interesting thing to base your career path on. You get this introduction regardless of the character. Make of that what you will. Now onto the main partner for this route, Oolo. Oolo's theme. Fitting, for a sci-fi sheriff. That’s quite a few questions to ask. Prepare to be here for a while. Unsurprisingly, this is the kind of setting where law enforcement has to go through loopholes to enforce the law. Least Oolo’s honest and willing to look beyond a person's status, even if it is only for her own benefit. Nice to know Oolo’s not in it for the money. People only caring about politics if it personally affects them is a universal constant, it seems. Considering the alternative is to watch people bicker and lie over petty things that they’ll be hypocritical about anyway, I can’t say I blame anyone. Honestly, considering a lot of the changes I want to see in my country won’t be fixed with another law that’s unlikely to be followed anyway, I have a hard time giving a shit about politics. I do appreciate that Oolo became a cop to arrest legitimately bad guys, and actually sticks to that. Questions over, let’s get to work. To Oolo’s credit, she sticks to her word about that. Right. I keep forgetting that you get an exclusive card for siding with either the Admiralty or the Spree. They’re helpful, but the fact I hardly remember these cards are a thing is pretty telling. Anyway: Oolo’s Requisition: Can automatically win a single negotiation. Take a wild guess if I’ve ever used this one. Very Convincing: Every card that grants an extra action usually has a cost. Considering you get another 2 cards to pick what to use that action for, I’d say that expend is a solid price to pay for what it provides. Is anyone really surprised? In Havaria, having a unique card counts as an impromptu badge. And of course that sounds suspicious, Oolo. Since when did anyone trust authority figures? Anyone play Excavate! by Scriptwelder? The dude that made the Don’t Escape and Deep Sleep series? It’s a fun game, even if specializing with your starting characters kind of broke it. You dig, find artifacts, archive them, and hopefully find everything before the time limit runs out. I just wanted to see if anyone else played web games. Also, I need to grab Don’t Escape 4 sometime. Hunting bandits in a cave. What is this, an RPG? I might be showing my hand a bit early, but I love how these two bounce off each other. Perhaps my favorite pairing in the game. There’s always a random event somewhere, eh? A choice between one of the better item cards in the game, or increasing your max resolve. Like I mentioned earlier, opportunities to increase your resolve and health are rare. …How well do maggots hide in cheese? I’m trying to remember if this quest was altered, or if it’s random whether the first bandit you meet wants to fight or escape. I remember one of the negotiations was to convince them that you would let them go if they gave up the rest of the sprees location. Not that it matters, because I’m sticking to the plan to kill every last one of them. Since there's going to be a lot of combat in this update, I'll try putting it into a spoiler again, to see if that helps or not. Spoiler Helpfully, the game reminds you whether to kill or spare certain characters. I start off with the expected defense. I get some experience on Stab. And decide I may as well expend Elbow Strike early. Is anyone really surprised when I say that Yeet gains power? Apparently, the spree have outfitted their crossbows with explosive bolts. That seems to be weirdly common in video games. Annoyingly, Thieves can pin certain cards, requiring you to spend 2 actions to gain it back. Sometimes it’s easy to deal with, while other times it's frustrating. I give Yeet some much needed defense. I keep forgetting just how much damage thieves do. I suppose it’s because they don’t defend much, so solo fights with them tend to be quick. Since Yeet’s going to hit hard, I let him hit harder. I suppose Sal tries to breakdance? The fight seems like it will be over sooner than later, so I decide to use Sparky’s Oppressor Cell to hit hard while I have the chance. For some reason, Temporary Power is considered a debuff. I suppose it’s this way to add some decision making with cards that remove debuffs. His HP went from 60 to 41. Panic is weird with attacks that hit multiple times. Yeet bites hard and causes Blane to bleed. Since the fight will be over soon anyway, I spend my points to gain experience on Spines. As well as some extra defense, since it’s better to get those cards upgraded sooner than later. Yeet ends the fight. And I finish my job. And Sal once again goes Super Sayian. I’ll show combat flourishes in the next fight. This is the main reason people will hate you. Some folks have friends, and they really don’t like you killing them. Kind of a sad mechanic, really. Whenever someone dies in Griftlands, they either leave their friend focused on revenge, or no one cares. Looting the body. Wild Lunge: “Attack Random Enemy” often translates to “attack the only enemy”. Hits pretty hard too, and adds wound to boot. Exertion: Requires some planning and foresight to get the most use out of, as well as getting lucky with drawing the card in a hand where you can actually use those bonus actions. Dagger Storm: It’s essentially spending two actions for two piercing attacks. It’s a pretty helpful card that I pick often. I’m adding to the wound train this run. No, Sal! You were on the cusp of a breakthrough in your introspection! Oh well. Can’t change the course of this revenge tale, it seems. I’ve banged my head on a wall or desk in frustration a few times. Don’t recommend it. I’ve never seen stars, though. One of the few times I remember that you can hover over a character’s portrait to show their fun description. Really, really hard to pass up the opportunity to have a Luminari as a partner. NEGOTIATION: Spoiler A quick look at the flourishes. I’ve already upgraded them all, so if you plan on getting the game for yourself, don’t expect them to start off this powerful. I hang onto my flourish for now. Since I won’t be attacked until next turn, I risk gaining another damage dealing card. Fortunately, I gained two. Since three of the four cards I can attack with are diplomacy cards, I may as well gain some influence to deal max damage. To save time on writing, I attack with every card that deals damage. And since it costs nothing and it’ll be upgraded soon, I finish off the first turn by defending. Yeet yells at Strollo. And Strollo adds two arguments, which I’ll get to in a bit. First, I draw Solid Point. If it wasn’t obvious, members of the Cult of Hesh rely on arguments. Their core argument, Zeal, reinforces any that are destroyed, Prayer of Hesh also heals and prevents damage to a single argument each turn, and Wrath of Hesh deals damage to every single one of your arguments. Because of this, they’re simultaneously one of the easiest opponents to win negotiations against, or one of the difficult enemies to debate in the entire game. ***** Hi, Hawkwing from the 2nd draft here (which is when I double check for spelling or formatting errors or see if I should adjust a joke and so on). This is an example of what I mean by putting something in a spoiler when discussing the cult. I initially continued off of the last point I made and it came off as rambling or ranting. I know that some people would find those observations interesting. I also know that others would want me to shut up and get back to stabbing bandits. Thus, I’m putting it in a spoiler so that those curious can read further and those who want to get back to the gameplay can skip right on by. Spoiler Which I swear is intentional. Debating against people of faith is either a pathetic affair for how easy they are to shut down, or they’re some of the most entrenched and knowledgeable people you’ll ever see. Is it really a surprise though when some claim to be a “Christian” yet only read their Bible once a week and only put their beliefs into practice on Sunday, and sometimes only at church? While others dedicate their life to studying the word and actually put their faith into practice, helping those in need? Interestingly, this isn’t the only game I have similar thoughts on. Sword & Glory is my second favorite mobile game (Rebel Inc is my all time favorite), and is a roguelike about obtaining as much “glory” as possible before you die in combat or of old age. If you’re curious, the game is free, there are no ads, and you can unlock everything in the game without paying a single penny. At the start you have the choice of being a Christian, a pagan, or neither. You have a limited amount of perks you can gain in a single life. Predictably, being part of a religion grants exclusive perks. Opponents have the same perks you can get, and to no one's surprise, some of them are affected by the faith of the enemy. Having a religion but not focusing on it does more harm than good, while focusing on those exclusive perks comes at the cost of not advancing so much in jobs or training compared to a worldly character. Faith without action is worthless, and there will always be sacrifices. Now to get back to stabbing people. ***** Since I already have influence, I use Sal’s Instincts to gain Attitude and thus some dominance for the Threaten card I can play for free. Now I won’t be attacked this turn. I don’t waste time on Prayer of Hesh and focus on the core argument. And since I can’t attack, I may as well upgrade another Deflection card. Yeet helps again. Prayer of Hesh not only increases its resolve, but shields itself, preventing it from being damaged. Another Wrath of Hesh argument appears, aiming to damage all my arguments. I once again miss Solid Point appearing, and Known Thug attacks thrice Since I can’t attack right now, I see what I can do with Quick Thinking. Nothing that deals damage appears, so I take the extra composure. And spread out the rest of my defense. Take a guess what Yeet did I am so used to negotiating with Jakes the last few updates that I thought the damage would be reflected. Alas, it was not. I nabbed another screenshot of Solid Point appearing. Tithe is one of the few arguments that restores your resolve. The catch is it distracts you from attacking other arguments on a character that buffs arguments every time they are destroyed. I once again focus on destroying the Wrath of Hesh argument first. Time to end this Nice! Even more upgrades. Can’t go wrong with extra composure. Sigh… I can work with this, but I really don’t like having defense cards expend. Jeez, does this game want to destroy all my basic cards? Not only does Boosted Impression deal more damage, it remains effective in negotiations for a longer period of time. Bluster: Straight up my favorite negotiation card in the entire game. I am not joking. It hits hard, it reduces the amount of damage enemies can do, and the 2 action point cost is fair. Abrupt Remark: I believe we’ve seen this one before. Helpful sometimes, annoying other times. Swift Rebuttal: Obviously useful if you have cards that cost nothing to play. I don’t have enough right now to justify grabbing this one. I’ve never had a game where I skipped over Bluster. I really appreciate how characters actually make good points when they win negotiations in Griftlands. That’s not always something that games with dialogue systems succeed with. Yet another fight against yotes. Spoiler Before doing anything, A quick look at combat flourishes. Hail of Blades is Sal’s starting flourish and thus can’t be upgraded. It’s extremely odd, as Beast Master also attacks all enemies, deals more damage, and adds debuffs on top of that. It’s the only flourish that I’d say becomes outright worthless, unlike Rook and Smiths default flourishes which serve their own niche (especially Smith’s). Since this is a simpler fight, I won’t use my flourish in this fight. I can’t wait until Dirty Fighting is upgraded and I can gain power for free. Alas, at the moment it costs an action. Since I don’t want to figure out the hard way whether or not Hemorrhage is affected by wound, I Stab the wild yote. Luminari swing their scythe around while defending, and I catch part of the animation. Unsurprisingly, wild yotes have the same moveset as Yeet. It takes a little while before I realize that I should really be careful where I drag cards, since they remain there when the animation plays. I attack the yote that’s not going to run away this turn. And Stab it for good measure. Have I mentioned I love this game's artstyle and animations yet? Yeet gnaws on a yote, and I miss screenshotting it run away. The wild yote bleeds… And deals 1 damage to the Luminari. Since the yote will hopefully die this turn, I once again gain experience on Spines. And add some wound to increase its chance of dying. Sadly, it just runs away. Speciality: I don’t have a finisher and I’m not running a combo deck, so this card is useless this run. Bedlam: Good damage, I’ve already mentioned that random does not always mean random in this game, and discard isn’t a bad price. Active Defense: Provides the same amount of defense as feint, with the potential to gain more. Bedlam is good, but I should start nabbing a few more defensive cards. Apparently, Sal found or made a torch. Strangely, this isn’t the oddest thing she’ll just have on hand. One of the Faster Fights in the Update: Spoiler I decide I might as well end this fight quickly and use Hemomancy. Magic might not exist in Griftlands, but I don’t want to know what Sal is doing to get them to bleed that much. Only a handful of flourish animations are actually cool, sadly, but I can’t really blame them for reusing animations for cards that attack everyone. ‘Course, I also chose Hemomancy because I also have Hemorrhage. Sheesh, first turn and already Prekt is thinking of surrendering. Since I won’t be attacked and I have no reason to gain power, I sling mud at Prekt. …Which would hurt like hell to have mud thrown into open cuts in real life, but in-game we just gain 2 combo. Sal apparently keeps mud in a canister. A final Stab for the experience. Prekt bleeds so much she surrenders. She was going to die anyway. Haven’t had much issue with defense yet, so I choose to stab more reliably. Lacerate: Deals damage and a good amount of bleed. Since bleed has been a constant this run, it seems like a good choice to pick another card that focuses on it. Barnacle: Bleed has been applied often enough that gaining defense with it is not a bad choice. Jarackle Free-Fighting: Geeze, Goober. How often will you appear? Hard choice between Lacerate and Barnacle, but I went with the former because I’d rather spend an action adding blood and a stronger defense card than risk 2 actions on a card that could offer less. One of the more annoying cards you get from killing people. That’s one way to look at things. Final battle of this update, which is good because fights can take around 30 minutes to write and around the same time to put into Serenes Forest. Spoiler Forgot to hover over this last time. Not that it mattered, because Plekt bled to death. Most abilities work best when you get them sooner than later. The wound is pretty useless, but since I’m the only one dealing damage this turn, I risk dealing 8 damage. I missed how much I actually did. Interesting the effects you don’t notice until you’re pressing F12 like a madman. Here, have different angles of the Revved Up animation. I have two good attack cards. May as well gain some temporary power. I make the same mistake when dragging the card. I decide to focus on the thug who’ll be attacked the most this turn. I realize I’ll be attacked by the other thug, and defend accordingly. Wonder if there’s a sci-fi version of baseball in Griftlands… Yeet bites Lux, who decides to give up. I block one attack And get hit by the rest. Also, bleed works differently for player characters, for some reason I still don’t understand. On the bright side, Sal counters thrice. I once again Fight Dirty And forget to screenshot the options that showed up. I Stab twice for the experience. They both bleed And I remember that Luminari have enough armor to be immune to bleed and wound. Since I know that this will be the last turn of the fight, and I don’t want to make the same mistake I made in the past, I gain experience on Feint first. Then I focus on dealing damage. I kill them both. And with that, the mission is complete. If I talked to the Spree at the very beginning, I would have gone straight to this fight. Glad I didn’t spare them. Made more enemies, it seems. Don’t look forward to fighting Tarq, though. His class focuses on counter, which is never fun to deal with. I forgot if I showed this screen before, but it tracks everyone who loves, likes, dislikes, and hates you, as well as everyone who died in your proximity. Improve Accuracy: I believe we’ve run into this card before Zig Zag: Can be useful, though I forgot the last time I bothered with it. Chamber: Chuckled when I looked at the flavor text. I should comment on that more often. Anyway, defense is always nice in general, and it’s one of the easier ways to gain combo to boot. I’d like another defensive card. Could maybe nab a combo card in the future. Unstable is pretty helpful, even though you should really be aware of what cards you have in your draw pile before playing. One of the nicer Cult members, I can tell you that right now. I get the joke, but you really shouldn’t listen to people who focus on the worldly benefits. I could quote quite a few passages that show how much God states the opposite, but you’re not here for that. The line of corpses helped. Time to get paid. One of the better grafts on offer, so I pick it. Pocket Bomb is nice, it just that you’re likely to have so many cards near the end of the game that you won’t be shuffling your deck that often. Sal’s going to bed late enough as is. Three hours is a lot of sleep to loose. We can ask three more questions. As mentioned earlier, Oolo joined the Admiralty to put bad guys behind bars. Not a bad path to take if you’re stuck in her situation. She’s surprisingly casual about this. Then again, I often hear that cops know any day could be their last, so perhaps it's not so surprising. With that, the update is done. You were originally supposed to get another freelance mission after this, but they removed it. I’ll probably talk about that more next time. ...Phew! That took longer than I though to complete. If I ever do a let's play of another game, I'll make damn sure it's one I can write a transcript for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawkwing Posted October 4, 2022 Author Share Posted October 4, 2022 SAL’S CAMPAIGN DAY 2 BOSS FIGHT: Assassin Questions Their Life Choices At The Worst Possible Time Spoiler Once again, there’s a choice between two random events. I have no idea what’s going through Lili’s head for him to want to spend time with a bounty hunter who extorted money off of him and killed one of his former employees. Maybe he’s just that lonely. Unfortunately for him, he’ll have a quiet evening. You know by now how much I emphasize increasing max health and resolve. Just like meditating, you can either regain HP or take damage to increase Sal’s maximum health. Gross, but I’ll take being dirty over dying sooner. Back when the game was in early access, there was a freelance mission you could choose here, which worked similar to what we saw in the previous day. They’ve since removed it to increase the difficulty of Sal’s route, as Klei found that people tended to cruise on by up until the final boss, which came off as too steep of a difficulty spike. Now you have to know what you’re doing since you have less money and cards to fall back on. I’m okay with the change, since if you were experienced then day 4 was essentially “buy the best cards and grafts before the final boss”. That said, I am sad that you have less opportunities to do the freelance missions, as I do find them pretty fun and varied in both writing and gameplay. Anyway, let’s see if we have enough cash to give Yeet some armor. OR we could run into another random event. Rug is one of the few semi-consistent characters in the game. By that I mean you won’t always run into him, but his personality is consistent across games. In Rug’s case, he’s a cook. A cook that’s heavy into experimentation. I could refuse, but then Rug would dislike me. The pickled talons sound like they would tear up my mouth, throat and stomach. I have no idea what a casserole made of coyotes would taste like, and I don’t know why you would eat tartare made up of alien snail bile. I go with the crayote courage casserole, because compared to the other two, I don’t know what it’ll do. Apparently it’s not bad. Nice! I believe if you pick the talons, you’ll get hurt, and have the choice whether to pretend you liked it or yell at Rug for the terrible meal. Something I appreciate about Griftlands is that while the events you can get are random, the results are consistent. You’ll always get hurt picking the talons, for instance, and the game never has any “one-hit kill” scenarios. It’s more interested in the “every run is different '' element of roguelikes, not the “we try our darndest to kill you in a thousand different ways” side. Anyway, onto the night market. Before buying anything, let’s see what Phroluk has to say about the creatures of Havaria. I’ll keep Yeet away from lasers, then. You thought crayotes gaining power every turn was a bit much? You haven’t seen a lumicyte. There’s good reason they’re one of the most expensive pets in the game. Time to give Yeet some armor. Oh, Yeets a she. I suppose Captain Quark from the Ratchet & Clank franchise (I really want to get into that series sometime) came to mind when I saw “Quark”, so I defaulted to referring to them as a male. I never really understood why the process of upgrading pets would sound awful. I get that armor isn’t comfortable, but it doesn’t seem like it would be a hellish process. With the exception of upgraded fleads and oshnus. Those go straight into animal cruelty. My only purchase of the day has left me with 18 shills. That’s not enough to order a meal or drink. Since I can’t buy anything, I head back to the Grog n’ Dog. There’s a few people to meet before going to bed. Never really put much thought into whether those sayings really are interchangeable or not. Then again, I don’t recall anything I “hate to love”. There are certainly things I was surprised I enjoyed as much as I did, but I doubt that counts. That certainly sounds suspicious… I am so used to seeing Fssh’s eye that I forget to compliment how well it’s animated. I’ve made similar comments in the past, and got similar reactions. While a fight is inevitable and I’m going in wounded, I can negotiate things in my favor… I love the victory condition. It’s so hilariously blunt. I start off by making not one but two Solid Points as two why attempting to assassinate Sal is a bad idea. Ah, Double Edge. Hopefully you’ll work in my favor. It is at the moment. I suppose Sal makes a Good Impression on Hanbi, causing him to question why Kashio would want her dead. I destroy the first Impending Doom argument, meaning I can target Hanbi’s core argument now. He does gain Impatience, though, so he’ll be doing more damage for the rest of the negotiation. A downside of picking cards like solid point which activate without costing any actions is that you’ll sometimes have actions left over that you can’t do anything with. Double Edge does its magic. Since it’s free, I start this round with Quick Thinking. And I forgot to screenshot my options. I picked Observation thanks to having influence, and I target Crafty so I know where to defend. And since I have a full set of actions to spare nothing but defense cards, I use Very Convincing to hopefully draw some damage dealing cards. Fortunately, I draw two. I defend Yeet real quick. Then attack another Impending Doom argument. I decide I may as well take advantage of Double Edge again and expend Wide Deflection. Reputation Preceding adds an annoying argument for the enemy and destroys itself. If I manage to destroy all three Impending Doom arguments, the fight will be over quickly, but Hanbi will deal more damage for the rest of the negotiation. Getting these gradual hits in on his core argument will help out in the long run. Known Thug deals two damage. I probably should have screenshotted me looking at my deck, since you can check which cards are in your draw and discard piles. Since then I would have known that drawing unstable would have given me Bluster! Also, drawing a card activated Known Thug again. Like I said, Bluster is my favorite negotiation card. I destroy another Impending Doom argument with Pale Fast Talk. I gain Attitude from Sal’s Instincts to gain dominance and boost the damage of Threaten. And finish off the final Impending Doom argument! Yeet gets rid of Apprehensive. And I take 2 damage, which I can spare right now. Hanbi adds Ploy, which has increased health and damage thanks to having more Impatience than usual. Known Thug gets rid of the single point of composure Hanbi had. I once again forget to screenshot my options after using Quick Thinking and induce Stammer to increase the amount of damage my cards will deal this turn. Since I already have influence, why not have Threaten hit even harder? Influence may be destroyed this round, but I have enough Resolve that I can afford the loss. Solid Point once again removes Hanbi’s composure. Like I said… I love Bluster. I’m thankful that Solid Point showed up with influence that I’ll spend immediately. And though I don’t need to, I spend the rest of my actions defending Yeet, who will win the negotiation. We’ve successfully given an assassin an existential crisis! Sigh… I really hate having defensive cards that expend. Playing inspirational talk first will result the rest of my diplomacy cards deal max damage, and if I already have influence, then I can increase it even more and start taking advantage of cards that spend influence. Tyrannize: On runs where you’re reliably gaining influence, it’s a worthwhile pick when you draw a hand full of hostile cards. Seeds of Doubt: A really useful card as doubt deals damage every turn, and there is no way for an opponent to get rid of it. Oppress: Huh, I haven’t used it enough on the PC version for oppress to be worth 50 shills. I normally grab it as it’s hard to complain about gaining something after destroying an argument. Tyrannize was a close runner up, but I love Doubt too much to pass it up. Different costumes have unique art and poses for boss fights. I really love the artwork for these fights. A pretty annoying gimmick with fighting Hanabi is that he adds these cards to your deck. There’s a reason I don’t mind nabbing some discard cards. Yeesh, Yeet would lose half their HP if that hits. Fortunately, Hanabi is questioning his life choices in the middle of a fight, and thus will panic more and more as the battle goes on. Since I have nothing but attack cards and it would be awhile before I shuffle my deck, I play Sparky’s Oppressor Cell. I also apply wound to increase the amount of damage my other cards will deal. I promise I learned my lesson about where to place cards after I drag them. I suppose Hemorrhage isn’t affected by wound. I discard of Assassin’s Mark, so Yeet will only take 16 damage now. That stings, but she’ll live. A new move of Yeet’s. Now she’ll start off giving everyone defense. Which was a very smart move considering that amount of damage she could have taken. Ow. Well, any bit of defense counts. May as well. I have nothing but attack cards left. Okay, so now I catch the sprite for Makeshift Dagger. Never realized how odd the timing was for when sprites load in. Fortunately, it wasn't destroyed. Not to worry, after successfully screenshotting one animation I missed earlier, I miss an animation I successfully screenshotted earlier. Lacterate does more damage, adds bleed, and doesn’t expend. Really, why would I have picked Lucid Strike this round? Now Yeet gains power. I suppose Hanbi trys to regain some of his morale by styling on us. It doesn’t work. Honestly, I just chose Spines for the experience. I use the rest of the daggers to help Yeet out. This one wasn’t destroyed. This one was. Never paid much attention to the animation trick when Hanbi spins his pistol around. Steady hands draws extra cards. It can mean that I draw more Assassin’s Mark cards and take more damage, but it can also mean I have more options on what to do this turn. I spend both feint cards protecting Yeet. And make up for the lost damage by attacking twice. A combination of bleed and an existential crisis cause Hanbi to give up pretty early. Now if I was working for the Spree, I could run into him again if I spared him, and potentially even get a new friend. However, I’m not working for the Spree. A pretty helpful item card. There are more exciting items you can get from bosses, but it’s hard to complain about this one. The best offense is a good defense. Especially if you’re still stabbing them while blocking. Empathy: I rarely pick this one, but if used wisely, it can save you from a near defeat. Bulldoze: Sometimes you destroy arguments after ending your turn, and bulldoze is useless. Other times, it’s the gift that keeps on giving. Heavy Handed: I believe we’ve seen this one before. Pretty hard to pass up on gaining extra actions. Cynotrainer: Pretty nice when you have cards that have an effect when discarding them. Efficient Disposal: One of the best abilities if you’re running a discard deck, and a solid one even when you’re not. Dealing damage with every discard can easily rack up if you plan ahead. Haymaker: 2 actions is a lot for 3-5 damage… except you’ll likely have more than 1 combo at a time. A pretty good pick if you have any cards that give combo. I have enough discard cards that the ability will be beneficial. Amazing what you can accomplish when you actually focus on cleaning. Just don’t have the corpse of an assassin be your motivation to clean your room, okay? I don’t know why I forgot to screenshot the graft selection twice. Anyway, I removed one graft and replaced it with another. I wish I skipped earlier to nab some extra shills, but I probably would have just spent that on a meal I ultimately didn’t need. I really like these dreams. They’re a neat insight into the protagonist's past and reveal details that wouldn’t show up elsewhere Didn’t heal all the way, but I’ll take it. Day 2 was pretty quick, so hopefully tomorrow will be more exciting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Rubenio Posted October 5, 2022 Share Posted October 5, 2022 Spoiler On 10/1/2022 at 10:06 PM, Hawkwing said: Did the merchants themselves kill you, or was it their backup? In my experience they rarely travel alone. I mean, combination of all, but that woman with the grenades was deceptively tough. Sheesh. On 10/1/2022 at 10:06 PM, Hawkwing said: I'm remembering this pattern from back in the day. Heh, brings back good memories, doesn't it? On 10/1/2022 at 10:06 PM, Hawkwing said: Jokes aside, the story setup so far is so generic that I'm expecting that the story will turn a lot of tropes on their head with some big twists halfway through, or it will be incredibly predictable and they embrace all the cliches and have a fun time. I'm personally okay with a straightforward plot as long as it's entertaining to go through. The Gharnef is playable. Now that'd be the dream. On 10/1/2022 at 10:06 PM, Hawkwing said: I mean, his beard is nice, but you're right in that he doesn't really have a mus- Ooooh, you're talking about Moulder! Quote I really need to try Sacred Stones again. I didn't play enough to get a concrete opinion on the game. I'm not sure if I've mentioned it to you, but I've been making a Sacred Stones hack. So you can try THAT one out instead and give me downloads to boost my ego-- On 10/1/2022 at 10:06 PM, Hawkwing said: This appears to be the only costume Sal likes, which makes sense as it’s the least rugged looking outfit she has. No scarf to hide weapons in, but... eh, the jacket's collar is so massive it will do the trick. On 10/1/2022 at 10:06 PM, Hawkwing said: Oolo's theme. Fitting, for a sci-fi sheriff. Best character. Most of the time, when a character is corrupt, they have a "I'm going to subtly hint at my corruption and quietly laugh because there's nothing you can do about it" type of personality. Oolo just goes "YAY CORRUPTION" and has a ball with it. And I love her for it. On 10/1/2022 at 10:06 PM, Hawkwing said: Okay the face Sal's making there is priceless. On 10/1/2022 at 10:06 PM, Hawkwing said: This dude wiped sweat off of his steel mask. Funny the things you notice when you're looking at still images, not busy playing the game. On 10/1/2022 at 10:06 PM, Hawkwing said: Which I swear is intentional. Debating against people of faith is either a pathetic affair for how easy they are to shut down, or they’re some of the most entrenched and knowledgeable people you’ll ever see. Is it really a surprise though when some claim to be a “Christian” yet only read their Bible once a week and only put their beliefs into practice on Sunday, and sometimes only at church? While others dedicate their life to studying the word and actually put their faith into practice, helping those in need? Some food for thought, right there. On 10/1/2022 at 10:06 PM, Hawkwing said: Tithe is one of the few arguments that restores your resolve. The catch is it distracts you from attacking other arguments on a character that buffs arguments every time they are destroyed. No better distraction than the promise of free goodies. On 10/1/2022 at 10:06 PM, Hawkwing said: I decide I might as well end this fight quickly and use Hemomancy. Magic might not exist in Griftlands, but I don’t want to know what Sal is doing to get them to bleed that much. She has a pair of razor-sharp knives. She probably just went "wooOOOooOOOooOoooO" and started spinning. On 10/1/2022 at 10:06 PM, Hawkwing said: That’s one way to look at things. Hah! Okay, I love that line. It's really good. On 10/1/2022 at 10:06 PM, Hawkwing said: I forgot if I showed this screen before, but it tracks everyone who loves, likes, dislikes, and hates you, as well as everyone who died in your proximity. The proximity of Sal's knives lol On 10/1/2022 at 10:06 PM, Hawkwing said: As mentioned earlier, Oolo joined the Admiralty to put bad guys behind bars. Not a bad path to take if you’re stuck in her situation. Certainly seems like she made the best of a bad situation. On 10/4/2022 at 3:58 AM, Hawkwing said: Once again, there’s a choice between two random events. I have no idea what’s going through Lili’s head for him to want to spend time with a bounty hunter who extorted money off of him and killed one of his former employees. Maybe he’s just that lonely. He thinks he has a chance with Sal yet On 10/4/2022 at 3:58 AM, Hawkwing said: Rug is one of the few semi-consistent characters in the game. By that I mean you won’t always run into him, but his personality is consistent across games. That reminds me, since you're not playing on a fresh file, you won't be able to showcase the first encounters with Miss 4th Wall Breaker. Too bad, I liked those. On 10/4/2022 at 3:58 AM, Hawkwing said: I never really understood why the process of upgrading pets would sound awful. I get that armor isn’t comfortable, but it doesn’t seem like it would be a hellish process. I mean, have you seen cats at the vet? Animals don't like having their lives saved, imagine getting spiky shells taped onto their backs and heads. On 10/4/2022 at 3:58 AM, Hawkwing said: With the exception of upgraded fleads and oshnus. Those go straight into animal cruelty. ...Oh dear. On 10/4/2022 at 3:58 AM, Hawkwing said: Gahahahaha! That guy looks like handsome Squidward! On 10/4/2022 at 3:58 AM, Hawkwing said: I’ve made similar comments in the past, and got similar reactions. ...Oh dear. Again. On 10/4/2022 at 3:58 AM, Hawkwing said: I don't think I ever saw this one. I mostly got the one with the horns. On 10/4/2022 at 3:58 AM, Hawkwing said: I love the victory condition. It’s so hilariously blunt. The things this game has you do. On 10/4/2022 at 3:58 AM, Hawkwing said: Now if I was working for the Spree, I could run into him again if I spared him, and potentially even get a new friend. Ahhh, so that's how you run into the assassin again... On 10/4/2022 at 3:58 AM, Hawkwing said: Amazing what you can accomplish when you actually focus on cleaning. Just don’t have the corpse of an assassin be your motivation to clean your room, okay? So any corpse not belonging to an assassin will do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawkwing Posted October 11, 2022 Author Share Posted October 11, 2022 SAL’S CAMPAIGN DAY 3 ADMIRALTY MISSION: If This Were A Stealth Game, Things Would Have Played Out Very Differently Under normal circumstances, this wouldn’t have taken me a week. Heck, this was actually one of the shorter missions in the game and I wrote the first draft in 2 hours. The reason for the delay was that my sister came to visit last week. As much fun as I have writing these, I’d rather spend my free time with family that I haven’t seen for a few months due to college. She’s since went back, so I should get back to updating every two to three days unless something else comes up. …My father getting the anniversary edition of Skyrim on GOG didn’t help. Neither of us have tried Skyrim before, and we’ve both been addicted the last few days. I see where people are coming from when they complain about it “oversimplifying” mechanics, and I don’t necessarily disagree, but I’ve had a love-hate relationship with every Elder Scrolls game mechanically, and Skyrim is no different. Dual wielding is a ton of fun, though. I hope they keep that for the next game. On a final frivolous note, I'm laughing my butt off because while people are giving their opinions over whether or not they like Celine's dress, I’m playing a game where units look like this, and while people are debating over Mario's voice, the game handles it's voice acting like this. On a serious note, Sacrifice is an awesome game that I would love to see given the HD remaster treatment, even if it would have to be made by a team that “gets it”. Replies: Spoiler On 10/5/2022 at 6:27 AM, Saint Rubenio said: Hide contents I mean, combination of all, but that woman with the grenades was deceptively tough. Sheesh. I don't really enter that many fights with merchants outside of Brawl, where enemies tend to fight in groups anyway, so my experiences fighting against them don't come to mind as easily as some other classes. Look, I'm trying really hard to not just say "git gud" as that tends to be unhelpful advice. Heh, brings back good memories, doesn't it? Mostly yes. I don't miss taking several hours to write something. The Gharnef is playable. Now that'd be the dream. That would be a fun twist. Amazing I'm not sure if I've mentioned it to you, but I've been making a Sacred Stones hack. So you can try THAT one out instead and give me downloads to boost my ego-- I'd be willing to try it out once it's done. The little I've seen looks interesting. No scarf to hide weapons in, but... eh, the jacket's collar is so massive it will do the trick. She straightens the collar to intimidate enemies. Best character. Most of the time, when a character is corrupt, they have a "I'm going to subtly hint at my corruption and quietly laugh because there's nothing you can do about it" type of personality. Oolo just goes "YAY CORRUPTION" and has a ball with it. And I love her for it. Oolo somehow simultaneously combines the phrases "If you can't beat them, join them" and "Beat them at their own game". Okay the face Sal's making there is priceless. The in-between frames of animations can be a glorious thing. This dude wiped sweat off of his steel mask. Funny the things you notice when you're looking at still images, not busy playing the game. Same. Wonder how long he's been wearing that mask, though. Maybe old habits die hard? Some food for thought, right there. It's a topic I have observed often. I could go on longer, but this isn't the place for those rants. No better distraction than the promise of free goodies. The adage "if it's too good to be true, it probably isn't" applies here. She has a pair of razor-sharp knives. She probably just went "wooOOOooOOOooOoooO" and started spinning. Boringly, the animation just has her spinning the blades, so you're not far off. Still... 20 bleed... ouch... Hah! Okay, I love that line. It's really good. It's good advice for any dungeon crawling adventure that requires backtracking. The proximity of Sal's knives lol Well, there is a random event where someone gives you an item before dying right in front of you, and it counts as someone who died. Similarly, if you refuse to save someone, that person will be added to the death toll. Certainly seems like she made the best of a bad situation. She has a healthier approach to her situation than I've seen out of most people, real or fictional. He thinks he has a chance with Sal yet I was originally going to make a gif of a joke here, but I didn't feel like tinkering for several minutes with various gif makers to find one I liked, so enjoy an alternative interpretation of Lili's thoughts via an out of context video. That reminds me, since you're not playing on a fresh file, you won't be able to showcase the first encounters with Miss 4th Wall Breaker. Too bad, I liked those. There's a reason I took screenshots of meeting Plundak on Switch. I plan on completing Rook's route on Prestige 7 as well, so we may not meet her until we reach Smith. I mean, have you seen cats at the vet? Animals don't like having their lives saved, imagine getting spiky shells taped onto their backs and heads. I suppose I was think more of horses and armoring them ...Oh dear. There's a reason Oshnu races make Smith sad. Gahahahaha! That guy looks like handsome Squidward! I... suppose so? Goa's not causing my eyes to bleed. ...Oh dear. Again. I'm not dashing to die in a glorious blaze, but I young enough where the idea of self-preservation hasn't fully manifested. That, or I still think I don't think I ever saw this one. I mostly got the one with the horns. I believe bosses alternate, as I've never gotten the same one in a row. The things this game has you do. It's still one of my favorite negotiation descriptions, though there is some competition. Ahhh, so that's how you run into the assassin again... So any corpse not belonging to an assassin will do? I mean, I think you'd have bigger problems if a corpse was found in your room. But yes, it's still a good idea to clean up afterwards. Update: Spoiler Having a clean room after removing an assassin's corpse will do that. Seems like something that could easily backfire, though I doubt people in Havaria would care about someone being electrocuted in a bar. The simple solution would be to not piss off the bartender and drink your beer at one of the tables. Unless they don’t drink before killing someone… which is pretty likely. Similar to Day 2, Day 3 had a freelance mission cut. Nobody new drinks in the morning, so I head off. No random events occur as I go to get a job from Oolo. Too many people thrive from the gears of government being jammed. Including the government. Both offer grafts. I pick “Leave No-one Behind” because it pays more, there are more encounters to gain cards from, and I know from experience I can still complete the mission even if negotiations fail. Predictably, this is where Griftlands randomness comes in and the mission can have different end results. It really is. We arrive at the camp with no interruptions. Yowch. I know that there are enough nerves in your nails that getting them pulled off hurts. Pretty effective for interrogation, too, as it’s painful but doesn’t risk killing the person. On the bright side, Phinoon is a trooper and is keeping tight-lipped. Metaphorically, anyway. If this were a stealth game, I would sneak around the two guards, find Phinoon, and hopefully rescue him and get out without anyone knowing I was there. Or I would knock out every guard with whatever tools the game provides (and in Metal Gear Solid V’s case, fulton them to gain new soldiers) and rescue Phinoon after the fact. That would be more likely. Now I could pose as that “expert interrogator” they mentioned earlier… But this isn’t a stealth game, so we’re going to take the “Kill the guards” approach. Since this is technically still a stealth attack, I gain an extra action that will prove ultimately useless because I drew three cards that cost zero actions. May as well take advantage of the free defense. And the extra action, for all the good it will do me. May as well use one of these daggers. Which goes away forever. It’s always interesting to see what animation tricks are used to convey action. Even if they look really odd when paused. To make up for the lack of attack cards this round, I use Target Practice to hit Stoque twice. I wonder what animal Stoque got those gauntlets from… Despite playing this game for 2 years and putting over 250 hours into it, I learned today that the official name for this attack is Cheese Grater. Costly to remove, and it will stay in our hand until we get rid of it. There’s a reason promoted grunts don’t appear on the lowest difficulty. The game makes up for the last round by offering several attack cards and no need to worry about defense. Hanbi’s Power Supply in particular is a welcome sight when you can go all out on offense. Predictably, I use Lacerate to add bleed and follow up with Hemorrhage to do more damage. I catch the jump, but not the strike. (These two pictures were way too fun to flip between when sorting through screenshots) A stab for good measure. And I discard feint since I don’t need to defend this round. Yeet still gives us some defense anyway. Ironically after giving us Shredded, it’s Stoque who surrenders after bleeding. Unfortunately for him, he’s not in a stealth game. And Sal yells after gaining access to flourishes again. Again, this would have gone differently in a stealth game. That would have been helpful at the start of the fight, but I’ll take it over my defense cards expending. Inside Fighting: One of the easier and more reliable ways to gain combo. I’d normally pick this one except I don’t have any combo finishers. Lacerate: I just killed Stoque will bleed with the help of this card. You already saw it in action. Crusher: Hits hard, doesn’t take long to upgrade, and benefits an improvisation focused deck. I am focusing on bleed this run. I skip this round. All of these cards are useful, they just wouldn’t mesh well with my current deck at the moment. Because I took the “kill the guards” approach, the game thinks something is not right with me. Not one of your better lies, Sal. Though slipping on blood and/or tripping over a corpse into your knives is more believable. Maybe if it were a negotiation, Dauler could have thought otherwise. Unfortunately, she’s not in the mood to talk. Fleads gain defense at the start of every turn, with the only string attached being if you break through it they gain less and less. It’s annoying to deal with, but there are ways around it. May as well take advantage of Sal’s flourish and summon some wild yotes. Horned yotes are an actual variant you can fight. Sadly, you can’t get them as a pet. Seems like Sal really is a yote person, as they did a synchronized headbutt. Beast Master hits hard, hits everyone, and adds wound, leaving me to wonder what the point of Hail of Blades is. Since I only have one attack, I’m going to save my dagger and Sparky’s cell and just use Lucid Strike. I defend the rest of the turn. Yeet has the same idea. I miss which card gets pinned. And I also miss Sal throwing the dagger when countering. Animal bites seem to consistently give wound. Sadly, we won’t get to see their Flead Ball attack this time. Since it’s free, I’ll draw a card, and since Yeet will be taking more damage, I start turn 2 defending her. I draw Stab, meaning I have a chance to get rid of the flead this turn. It runs away. Tempting as it is to level up Efficient Disposal, I’d rather Yeet keep as much of her health as she can. Day 3’s boss can take a while. Active Defense doesn’t do much as I haven’t discarded anything, but it's hard to complain about gaining any defense, and an upgraded variant provides higher base defense. Yeet gains some power, and the armor does its job. Which is good. I can live with 1 damage. I can do nothing but attack, so I try to make it worthwhile. Reminder that I did Days 2 and 3 in one sitting and thus the lesson of “show what improvise options appear” eluded me until after the fact. Anyway, I start off with trip to increase the amount of damage Dauler will take this turn. I sometimes forget that Sal wears a cape for most of her costumes. Adding to the wound train. Upgrading another stab card this fight. And I finish off with hemorrhage. Yeet ends the fight with a savage bite. And I’m still in a guard killing mood. Piercing is nice, but I picked having more reliable damage this time. And doing even more damage for the second upgrade. Readiness: Nice if you gain something from drawing cards or don’t want to run into the issue of having few useful cards to play that round. Generally, though, I don’t tend to pick cards that draw more. Rummage: Nice fourth wall joke with the flavor text. I’m not normally a fan of having random belts and pouches as a design choice, but I love Griftlands art style so much I don’t really care. The card is exactly what is says on the tin. Rebound: I chose this card a lot early on. I still use Rummage, but I tend to prefer spending that action on something else. Still, it combos nicely when you have 4 actions. I don’t need to draw more cards at the moment, so I skip. Sigh, I suppose having a reputation for killing guards isn’t so nice when several people are hired as bodyguards in Havaria. That’s not a good sign. And hopeful Phinoon will still be alive. Phinoon is an Admiralty Patrol Leader. You ever have a videogame enemy that you dread fighting but have to respect how well designed they are? That’s Admiralty Patrol Leaders for me. They’re more than competent on their own. As part of a team they are terrifying, and earn their title of “Leader”. One of my favorite boons in the game. Doesn’t sound like much, but that 1 bonus defense adds up a lot more than you think it would.. I really wish I caught Phinoons' description. Copy Pasting from elsewhere: “Phinoon is often seen killing it on the dance floor, but it’s unclear if this means he’s a good dancer or a terrible hunter.” Cue the fan art: Link: https://forums.kleientertainment.com/forums/topic/109134-communal-fanart-thread/page/12/ It’s amazing what a well done description can do for an otherwise unnoteworthy NPC. Nothing happens on the way back. Now for our reward. Predictably, if Phinoon spilled the beans, he’d be dead right now. I can always respect someone who is savvy, and Oolo fits the bill pretty well. Like I said, there are only a few ways to increase max resolve. Skeletal Suspension would be nice if I actually had combo, and Pocket Bomb is useful in the early game and becomes less so later on as you gain more cards. Question time I can tell you now that Oolo isn’t the only Kra’deshi we’ll see with some family problems… This will come back later… I mean, Oolo’s not exactly wrong there. Sal didn’t learn to hold her own by having a comfortable life. That’s twice now Kashio got rid of a promising successor, and both times the person in question wanted revenge. Depends on the law. Interesting perspective that I haven’t seen much out of cop characters. As will I. This was a shorter update. Next time will be the opposite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eclipse Posted October 14, 2022 Share Posted October 14, 2022 It was on sale on Steam, so I picked this up. Managed to hit Day 4 on my second run, which isn't bad IMO. There's a bunch of tips here that I wish I'd known during my second run. Don't know if I can beat the game on the third try, but I'll give it a shot later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Rubenio Posted October 14, 2022 Share Posted October 14, 2022 Spoiler On 10/11/2022 at 3:30 AM, Hawkwing said: I was originally going to make a gif of a joke here, but I didn't feel like tinkering for several minutes with various gif makers to find one I liked, so enjoy an alternative interpretation of Lili's thoughts via an out of context video. So if that's Lili... who's the person he's stealing Sal from? On 10/11/2022 at 3:30 AM, Hawkwing said: Unless they don’t drink before killing someone… which is pretty likely. They might want to buy a drink, even if they don't actually drink it, to pass off as a customer and slip by unnoticed. Some guy barging in and beelining for the back would be about as suspicious as a man with a top hat and a twirly mustache heading for the railway with a bundle of rope under one arm and a woman under the other. On 10/11/2022 at 3:30 AM, Hawkwing said: Too many people thrive from the gears of government being jammed. Including the government. Ahahahah... Oh, that'd be funny if it wasn't so sad. On 10/11/2022 at 3:30 AM, Hawkwing said: Yowch. I know that there are enough nerves in your nails that getting them pulled off hurts. Pretty effective for interrogation, too, as it’s painful but doesn’t risk killing the person. It's a classic torture technique for a reason. On 10/11/2022 at 3:30 AM, Hawkwing said: I sometimes forget that Sal wears a cape for most of her costumes. That's an amazing frame. I don't know what that pose is, but I love it. On 10/11/2022 at 3:30 AM, Hawkwing said: Phinoon is an Admiralty Patrol Leader. You ever have a videogame enemy that you dread fighting but have to respect how well designed they are? That’s Admiralty Patrol Leaders for me. They’re more than competent on their own. As part of a team they are terrifying, and earn their title of “Leader”. One thing I loved about this quest is how sometimes it turns out the Admiralty member wasn't being tortured at all, but rather turned coat and was just... more or less crashing on the Spree's couch for a while lol On 10/11/2022 at 3:30 AM, Hawkwing said: “Phinoon is often seen killing it on the dance floor, but it’s unclear if this means he’s a good dancer or a terrible hunter.” Cue the fan art: Leave it to the internet to meme a dude into relevance. On 10/11/2022 at 3:30 AM, Hawkwing said: I can always respect someone who is savvy, and Oolo fits the bill pretty well. Or lazy. She could just be lazy too. This reminds me of this line from a certain other game... On 10/11/2022 at 3:30 AM, Hawkwing said: I like how the screenshot makes it look like she's just saying "fair point" while getting her brain drilled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawkwing Posted October 19, 2022 Author Share Posted October 19, 2022 SAL’S CAMPAIGN DAY 3 BOSS FIGHT: A Bounty Hunter, A Smuggler, A Crayote, And A Bureaucrat Fight A Biohazard Alternative Title: There might not be a lot of talking, but holy crap was there a lot of gameplay this time around. The boss alone took 2 hours to arrange and comment on. It did not help that Mandaloregaming and Ahoy both posted hour-long videos on the same day, and I accidentally played XCOM 2 for six hours straight last Saturday. Replies: Spoiler On 10/14/2022 at 12:22 AM, eclipse said: It was on sale on Steam, so I picked this up. Managed to hit Day 4 on my second run, which isn't bad IMO. I managed to get to Day 4 my first run before overestimating my abilities on a harder mission. Day 4 on the second try is not bad at all. There's a bunch of tips here that I wish I'd known during my second run. Don't know if I can beat the game on the third try, but I'll give it a shot later. Glad to be of service! On 10/14/2022 at 7:16 AM, Saint Rubenio said: Hide contents Can I just say I did a triple take and almost said "What the Fuck?!?!" out loud when I saw your new profile picture? It sure is... something... So if that's Lili... who's the person he's stealing Sal from? That was not the response I was expecting from an out-of-context Scott the Woz clip, but I'll take it. They might want to buy a drink, even if they don't actually drink it, to pass off as a customer and slip by unnoticed. Some guy barging in and beelining for the back would be about as suspicious as a man with a top hat and a twirly mustache heading for the railway with a bundle of rope under one arm and a woman under the other. I mean, Sal enters a bar, greets everyone, and then goes to the person offering a mission without anyone batting an eye. Ahahahah... Oh, that'd be funny if it wasn't so sad. Kicking the can down the road is a time honored tradition among politicians, unfortunately. It's a classic torture technique for a reason. It is. Though I've yet to see a work of fiction that threatens to chop the rest of the finger up like a carrot. That's an amazing frame. I don't know what that pose is, but I love it. Sal missed her career as a dancer, though her singing skills probably flushed that dream down the drain. One thing I loved about this quest is how sometimes it turns out the Admiralty member wasn't being tortured at all, but rather turned coat and was just... more or less crashing on the Spree's couch for a while lol And the bandit guards remain equally annoyed. Leave it to the internet to meme a dude into relevance. We're part of a fanbase that memed a gatekeeper for having nothing to report and being voiced by the protagonist of a previous game, as well as a NPC archer for being surprisingly competent. Or lazy. She could just be lazy too. Nadan would use this argument unironically. This reminds me of this line from a certain other game... Wonder how well Oolo and Shigen would get along, now that I think about it. I like how the screenshot makes it look like she's just saying "fair point" while getting her brain drilled. I still don't know how Grafts fully work in universe. Or at least, how you can casually insert them into your brain with no worries. Update: Spoiler Now it’s optional event time! I could visit Enit for Tincture, which grants 2 Power in a fight twice in the whole game… Or I could save my friend's life! You never want to skip these. They’ll legitimately die if you ignore them. Now, Bina works at the Grog N’ Dog, and I’ll be needing her help later… So I decide to talk Bina out of killing Treena. A somewhat filler-y negotiation. I'm spoiling the gameplay this time because there's a lot of it: Spoiler Since I’ll be regularly destroying Bina’s arguments anyway, I may as well gain something from it. I could have upgraded Sal’s Instincts here, but I’d rather spend my remaining action doing damage. Thanks for that Yeet. Sorry I couldn’t protect you this time. At least Bina didn’t gain a ton of composure from that attack. Solid Point appears and removes the composure on Crafty without damaging it, thankfully. I don’t have to deal with Ploy right now. The boss fight on Day 3 can last a while, so I wanted to get through this negotiation as quickly as I could. Thus I forgot to show me drawing and using Unstable, which gave me Seeds of Doubt. One of my favorite things about doubt is that the enemy can never get rid of it, so they’ll have to deal with constant damage for the rest of the debate. There’s an achievement for giving 99 doubt to an opponent in a single negotiation, and I for the life of me have no idea how you’re supposed to reach that amount without winning first. Since I have no idea what will be targeted, I defend everything. I forget to screenshot me using Very Convincing, and once again the bonus action does nothing. Still, I’m not complaining about the opportunity to do more damage. I take two damage. And Bina loses the composure she gained due to doubt. Hello Bluster my old friend. I love to see that damage again. Since it’s the only thing that will be targeted this round, I expend Lucid Deflection to ensure Bina will take damage. I warned before that I would forget to screenshot the options Quick Thinking would offer, and decide I may as well add more Flustered. Any cards drawn and played by Unstable have a random target. In this case it was Bulldoze. Double Edge finally works in my favor this negotiation. Doubt once again does its job. And I draw Solid Point again. Not always using my full set of actions is an issue I realize around this point, and I plan on gradually addressing it later. I gain Sal’s Negotiation Flourish but decide to save it for a later debate. More damage On the plus side, the negotiation is almost over, so at least the Reputation Preceding card was destroyed before it could do much of anything. I lost my influence, but I’ve been gaining it pretty consistently, so I can recover. Doubt removes the composure on Bina’s core argument and does 1 damage. Known Thug and Solid Point conspire to throw a bunch of 1 damage around that I barely managed to catch. It’s pretty obvious I can end this debate here and now. You should know the importance of experience by now. Bluster is still my favorite negotiation card. I upgrade my Solid Point into a Strong Point. Veiled Anger: Cheap, but free damage is hard to pass up. Just the Facts: I feel like there’s some meme potential with that image. Smarts is powerful, but there’s a trend where anything that grants you an extra action has a catch, and expending cards without using them is a good example. Abrupt Remark: In hindsight, I should have picked this one. I suppose I just remembered all the times it drew cards I couldn’t use because I spent my turn destroying a single argument. Instead, I chose free damage, without realizing how many cards I had that had zero cost. I get to keep Doze Bug, and Bina still has health for the boss fight later. Time to help Fssh. Who seems like she needs some. Also, those lizards in the background actually move around. “Apparently” Fssh casually bought contraband. To help Sal. A few questions before we head off to the docks. Fssh’s words hold more weight thanks to Griftlands being a roguelike. A really, really good point. Also a really good point. …I have no idea why I forgot this awesome line. Maybe I’m so used to skipping questions because I’ve played this game dozens of times that I don’t remember everything. She tried to kill my friend earlier today, but maybe things will be different when it’s about official business. I could pay her a hefty sum. Or convince Bina to do it for free. With a pretty good argument… I argue with the same person twice in a row: Spoiler A combination of Strong Point and Known Thug deals 5 damage right off the bat, and I play Unstable to see if I gain any other bonuses. I forgot which card I drew, but regardless the next card I play is Lucid Threaten. I start getting real bad about now showing what options appear for Quick Thinking, and the extra composure was apparently the best choice. Since my only other card is hostile that I can play for zero actions, I decide now is the time to use one of Sal’s flourishes. Specifically, Rage II. BLUSTER!!! Have I mentioned I love bluster? While it can be annoying to build up sometimes, the extra damage dominance can provide is no joke. No wonder you lose some each turn. Yeet helps a quick debate end even faster. I can afford one damage. Time to upgrade this card. In hindsight, I probably should have chosen Attitude. Oh well. I use the last two actions adding Bulldoze. And I draw Veiled Anger with Unstable. Man, Sal was angry during this negotiation. …Really angry. That did full damage! And Yeet ends the debate. Sal’s Instincts can be upgraded! Hostile Instincts provides more dominance and a pretty solid hostile card. Diplomatic Instincts, meanwhile, has a card that spends influence and in exchange attacks every enemy argument and a card that gains influence while dealing a variable amount of damage. Since I’ve been reliably gaining influence, I pick Diplomatic Instincts to take advantage of that. Appeal to Reason: I really like the artwork. Deals a solid amount of damage potentially for free, though it’s really only useful if you have a reliable way of gaining influence. Exploit Weakness: I don’t think I’ve ever used this card. I suppose I’d rather keep adding to an argument than duplicate it. Beguile: I don’t want to know what’s going through Peri’s head in that picture. Anyway, another card that benefits from having influence. I soon realize how much I am adding to my “I’m not using all my actions” issue that is gradually building up. A pretty damn good argument, honestly. I had to convince you to fight Sparky, you didn't help fend off an assassin, and you tried to kill one of my best friends. You’re not “keeping my scrawny butt safe” in any way. See? Sal gets it. A boss fight is coming up, and I want to be at full health for this one. Now to pick up some contraband. Yeah, my first draft had a handful of quarantine jokes, but upon review I decided to scrap them all. They came off as jokes I would say between friends who I knew what their personal experience with the whole situation was, not shouted on the internet where people from all walks of life cross paths. I ask about the quarantine And get a quick response. I could convince them to let me through anyway. Bribe them Or attack the guards. Since I’d like to keep my hard-earned cash and I want to be at full health for the boss, I decide to negotiate. Besides, I’ve killed enough guards today. The first time Sal has negotiated with the Admiralty: Spoiler Admiralty negotiations, like all classes, follow specific patterns. They’re not the most interesting people to debate in the game, honestly, but they still put up a solid fight. I’ve already stated I love Bluster. Even more so when I start the negotiation with it. It’s also nice to add Doubt sooner than later. Since I can’t play Bulldoze and I’d like to keep Wide Deflection when I need it, I play Unstable. And give a good impression. Yeet finishes off a solid starting turn. I take 2 damage, and Gen adds two arguments to the fray. Interrogate is a bog standard “deal random damage to the enemy” argument. Planted Evidence, on the other hand, is specified as a core argument ability, and for good reason. A single point of damage can destroy it, 6 damage is nothing to scoff at, and the leftover damage tends to rack up quickly. And when one is destroyed, another is added the next turn. It’s annoying to deal with, and the damage can rack up easily if you’re not careful. The upside is that it’s an obvious threat, so you’ll know what to prioritize defending. Since I don’t have influence, I have a card that grants influence, and a card that normally spends influence to be free to use is already free… Yeah, why wouldn’t I start off with it? I use Inspirational Talk so I can play Stone Fast Talk at full strength. But first I played Lucid Threaten so that Veiled Anger can deal at least 1 guaranteed point of damage. Though Threaten did that amount anyway. Okay, now I use Stone Fast Talk to attack while protecting my core argument. And finish off with Veiled Anger dealing three damage. Sal alternating between being diplomatic and hostile this turn would be pretty interesting to witness. Ow Frisk straight up steals your money with no way to get it back. Take a guess which argument I always target, no matter the consequences? Also, Solid Point activates, and will be upgraded after this negotiation. And Known Thug is drawn first, meaning 4 extra damage was dealt before I played any cards. Up that damage to 6 by using Very Convincing. Strong Point adds to the damage train and increases my influence once again. Apparently, it destroyed frisk, because I don’t see the argument appearing in the background. Anyway, I pick Attitude as the only other attack card I can play this turn is hostile. Boosted Threaten deals full damage, and I don’t bother defending because the damn card expends. Yeet helps end the negotiation sooner. Though I lose my influence. Doubt does its job And I got so excited about ending the negotiation this round that apparently I forgot to show that I drew Quick Thinking. Fortunately, I end this debate with Debate. I’ll take more damage over more options, thank you. I also prefer extra damage over more influence. I’ve never used any of these three cards. Back Pedal: 5 composure is good, but I mentioned last time I’m cautious about expending cards without using them first. Subtlety: I suppose it’s nice if you have influence to spare and your deck benefits on drawing cards, which I rarely, if ever, focus on personally. Level Playing Field: An interesting card. You deal more damage while also taking more damage. Has its uses, but I never bothered. Unsurprisingly, I skip this round. There’s commentary in there somewhere, but I don’t feel like commenting on it. Anyway, to find the boat with the contraband. Interestingly, we have two choices for negotiations. One to convince Sandrano to give us the package And a tougher negotiation to get around the quarantine entirely. If you offer to attack the Admiralty, I believe Enit will just tell you that she doesn’t want to solve this with violence. It’s been a while since I picked the option and I forgot to do it here. You can also just grab the package, to which Sal will hilariously do the whole “conspicuous whistling” routine with neither of them falling for it. You do seriously miss out on some bonuses for the boss fight, though. I decide to stick with the easier negotiation this time. I could see myself succeeding with the tougher debate, but I could just as easily see it failing. A reminder that the alpha for Girftlands was available in 2019. The most important negotiation in the update: Spoiler Bina and Enit add 4 flustered, while Yeet cheerfully helps like they always do. A sign that I started getting really impatient at this point, I don’t even screenshot the full deck before playing card. I turn the 4 flustered into 6, and upgrade Bluster to boot. I finish off with Veiled Anger, which does full damage. I miss Yeet dealing damage, and take three damage myself. Admiralty clerks may be weak in combat, but they make up for it by having the Paper Pusher argument. The argument can take a beating and adds cards that consistently do damage to your deck. Quick Thinking gives me a stronger Withdraw. Unstable draws Lucid Threaten. And I finish the turn picking Compliment from Diplomatic Instincts in order to gain some influence. Yeet destroys Interrogate. I gain more Baffled cards. And I take no damage this round. Strong Point appears and targets the core argument. To do nothing but show off, I play Inspirational Talk first to gain influence… So I can play Appeal to Reason for free. Then I destroy Frisk while gaining defense… And Yeet destroys Paper Pusher. I still gain damage from Baffled. And Planted Evidence is destroyed. Strong Point appears and I recover the lost influence. I plant the Seeds of Doubt. Then threaten Sandrano for free. And Unstable provides a defensive card. Yeet does her thing Sal loses some composure from paperwork. Planted evidence is added again. And Sandrano takes some damage from doubt, while also adding in more paperwork. I don’t know whether I’m terrified of getting to Smith or looking forward to it. There can be a ton of numbers flying around thanks to his focus on arguments, yet at the same time they’re the most intricate in the game, with a lot of fun combinations. I suppose we’ll get there when we get there. So much damage flying around thanks to Known Thug and Strong Point. I finally remember to screenshot the options of Quick Thinking. And go with Stammer so my cards will do more damage for three turns. Very Convincing once again conveniently appears when I have Known Thug in my hand. I draw Boosted Threaten and Pale Fast Talk. The issue of having too many 0 cost cards is starting to catch up to me as I’m having so many wasted actions. Not that it matters in this case, as I deal enough damage to win the negotiation. Why wouldn’t I go for even more flustered? Overbear: Ranges from “OK” to “Tear The Enemy To Shreds With A Single Card”. It’s hard to complain about any damage even if it only attacks once, but I’ve had times this turned a negotiation around in my favor when the opponent kept spewing out arguments. It’s not flawless, as it will target arguments you may not want to destroy, but it’s hard to complain about otherwise. Good Impression: You’ve seen this in action enough to get a good impression of the card. Know It All: I used this a lot when I first started playing. Smarts is pretty useful and vulnerability isn’t the worst debuff to have. I tend to pick grafts that grant 4 actions, and that tends to do the job most of the time, so I don’t choose it as often nowadays. I’ve been facing several opponents that utilize arguments this run, and I already have issues with not using my default 3 actions, so Know It All isn’t helpful at the moment. I have no idea why text didn’t fill in for this screenshot. Sal gets some reassurance that she’s actually being noticed in Murder Bay. The only time a hunter's license is brought up. No wonder Sal forgot it exists. Uh… where would we register to be legally allowed to build weapons or traps? …And what kind of trap is Fssh making? …And is there a real world equivalent to this scenario? Far as I can tell, Sal never bothers. It’s small, but this is my favorite “badass bureaucrat” moment. Most examples of the trope have the “Bureaucrat” part be a secondary or otherwise minor part of the character, or the character is already pretty important in the setting. Here? This is just a run of the mill clerk who moments ago was stressed about preparing for an important event, and when a dangerous monster shows up, their first reaction is to fight it and limit damage. Boss Fight Time! This boss fight took me 2 hours to write and arrange (Also, there are child murder jokes): Spoiler The Shroog mother summons shrooglets, and she’ll get stronger with each one we kill. Fortunately, if we kill the mother, any remaining shrooglets will retreat. Since I’d like to save Lucid Strike for the boss (who has too much defense to break through this turn) and Hemorrhage isn’t affected by power, I save Sparky’s Oppressor Core for later and instead start the fight by stabbing a kid. I focus on this one to prevent them from gaining power. Since smugglers rarely, if ever, focus on defending themselves, I give Bina some defense. Everyone focuses on defense this turn. The shrooglet bleeds to death. Causing Maternal Instincts to kick in. Everyone is hit by this. And her kids use their heads. Better to gain this sooner than later. I focus on hurting the Shrrog this turn, and Hanbi’s Power Supply adds to the pain train. Sandrano gives a paper cut to a kid, impairing them. While Bina focuses on the mother. Spines kicks in for any defense, even if I didn't personally apply it. Thank’s for the defense, Yeet! Even if it only did 1 damage. The kids hype themselves up. Okay, so I’ll be taking the brunt of damage this turn, though thankfully most of my allies are focusing on hurting the boss this turn. I grab Trip from Fight Dirty. And predictably cause the boss to take even more damage. Looks like Sal did a slide kick in this screenshot. Even more wound! Even more Damage! MOAR WOUND!!! MOAR DAMAGE!!! God, that kinda hurt to write… And I finish off with defense And counter. Goodness, Sandrano must hate kids. Bina attacks the mother thrice. While Yeet attacks twice. The Shroog slowly bleeds to death. Ow Though I wonder what the thing on the creature's back is supposed to be or do? Sal retaliates for being singled out . This kid hypes himself up some more. I think this kid has your bite beat in terms of looks, Yeet. Fortunately, you bite harder. Annoyingly, the Shrooglet heals from this. I’m so impatient at this point I don’t even screenshot me drawing Sal’s Daggers. Obviously, I go for more bleed. And I wish I used the dagger first, but hindsight is 20/20. And that one is destroyed. I defend Sal twice. And since I have an action left, I may as well use Gaff to deal damage, gain defense, and thanks to spine, add some counter to the mix. I keep catching item cards at weird times. Sandrano impairs the mother with a paper cut. Bina heals herself, and I’m reminded that they didn’t originally have a special effect for healing. Yeet keeps the blood flowing. Which takes effect now. The mother Shroog attacks everyone again. Sal avenges everyone by countering. Squash and stretch are staples of animation. Even if it looks odd when not in motion. Sal doesn’t care about the principles of animation at this time, and instead counters the shrooglet for headbutting her. I gained some combo I won’t be using thanks to Chamber. Since it costs 1 this round, I may as well use this ability. I defend to upgrade this card more than anything else. Similar though process with Target Practice. Sandrano almost kills a kid. While Bina deliberately aims at one. The mother is mad that another one of her children falls. Yeet doesn’t care and just bites her. Bleed damage again. The Shroog retaliates by swiping at us. Sal counters again. The remaining shrooglet heals itself. I get lucky and wound the mother, who is focused on this turn. This normally costs 2 actions, so I take advantage of Brazen Attack this time. I discard the Makeshift Dagger, as I’ve already spent one this battle. Efficient Disposal adds two damage. Sandrano and Bina focus on the mom. Yeet, meanwhile, gnaws at the kid and causes them to bleed. And, uh, die immediately afterwards when bleed damage takes effect. Guess who’s not happy? I miss the damage, but I don’t mind. This is a cool shot. It’s free, so might as well. A little late for power, but Fighting Dirty cost zero actions to use, and I’ll take anything that will help the battle end faster. Well, that, and only Sandrano is attacking this round, so wound wouldn’t be as useful this time. Similar mindset with Chamber; I’m focusing on gaining experience right now. Once again, I’ll save Sparky’s item when I have more than one attack card. Sandrano helpfully adds impair. While everyone else guards. On a turn when the mother asks for reinforcements instead of attacking. Hemorrhage won’t break through the defense, but it will ensure the Shroog will have some bleed to deal with. It’s been a while since Sal stabbed a kid. Once again, Smugglers rarely defend themselves. Man, Sandrano hates kids, but Bina fucking slaughters them. No wonder their mom is targeting Bina this round. Good tactic on the wrong turn, Yeet. Glad I’m getting different angles of the claw attack. Even if I’m missing the damage dealt. The rest of the children hype themselves up. Took a while, but Sal is finally tired of this fight, around the same time I am. I play Target Practice twice to see what it will hit… And I can end the fight here and now. After being shot, stabbed, sliced, diced, and bitten, the Slobbering Aberration Shroog finally succumbs to Sal’s elbow. This causes Sal to go Super Saiyan again. Which scares away the rest of the children. Phew! It legitimately took me 2 hours to arrange and comment on the boss fight alone. The Shroog Fang is a pretty good reward for putting up with the fight. Can’t think of a situation where it’s useless. 4 cards were upgraded in that last fight. I don’t like defense cards that expend. However, I have enough at the moment to get around that, and being able to heal on the spot is difficult to pass up. Similar to Quick Thinking, I prefer having stronger cards than more options. Piercing ain’t bad, but I use Hemorrhage to add bleed. The extra damage is just a bonus. A choice between being cheaper to activate, or for the ability to be more effective. The extra counter can easily add up, so I choose Thorny Spines. Agitation: A pricey card, but heated only gets stronger as the negotiation goes on. I’ve used this card several times before, and trust me, the cost is worth it. Recall: I can see this combing well if you have several expend cards, but otherwise it’s an argument that’s just “there”. Clean Slate: I recall (hah) using this once or twice in the past. It can get you out of a pickle if your opponent is bombarding you with arguments, but if you’re benefiting from several arguments yourself, then it can hurt you just as much as it does the enemy. Clean Slate can change the tide of a debate, but it is situational. I’ve barely been using all my actions, so I can live with using high cost card. Wretched Strike is the only new card that appeared here. The base damage isn’t all that impressive, and it requires having a deck focused on drawing cards to be truly effective, and that kind of deck has its own pros and cons I have a solid amount of combat cards at the moment, and I don’t see a reason to grab any of these. Oh, you sweet summer child… I’d say the alternative boss that can appear here looks more monstrous. Still, not something you’d want let loose in the mainland. Surprisingly reasonable, though I suppose helping to stop a biohazard when Sal could have easily run away shows she has guts. Hopefully not. Jeeze, what kind of traps are you making, Fssh? If you succeeded in the harder negotiation, then Enit would have helped for the fight. They literally say they'd rather die than have to abandon their cargo. Honestly, I do prefer the dialogue you get from helping out the clerk. If you’re curious, Sal would have convinced Sandrano to exploit a loophole by having the ships leave the dock, and trading supplies out in the water. It’s pretty clever, honestly. If you fail the negotiation or try to steal the package, they decide to jump overboard when they see the giant beast. Before heading off to bed, a quick trip to the night market. Give me more slots for grafts, Plocka. Added a battle and negotiation slot for grafts. I’m hurt, but as long as I don’t run into anything, a Fsshcake and a nap will heal it up. Enjoy your contraband, Fssh! Maybe you should wash it off first? That’s a potential biohazard Sal! You just got done fighting one! Fittingly, Sal also has the easiest time getting a pet out of the three grifters. I only ate twice? Interesting. So that was day 3! It took longer than it should have. One due to family, and another due to YouTube and XCOM. Hopefully the schedule for writing Day 4 won’t have any surprises. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawkwing Posted October 21, 2022 Author Share Posted October 21, 2022 Sal’s CAMPAIGN DAY 4 FREELANCE MISSION: The Fourth Wall Spoiler Doze bug activates, and we’ll be proving our mettle to Oolo today. Considering how the last encounter with a ”visitor” went, I can’t say I blame her. Fortunately, it’s Oolo. Just beer and Fsshcakes, which no one eats for the taste. To be fair, we did save Murder Bay from being attacked by a Shroog and its kids. I talk to Fssh real quick to change my outfit, and it turns out we can ask a question. Trust me, this will come back when we get to Smith. Guess that’s one way to end the conversation. Sal’s parents were brave people, even if it cost them their lives. Rook’s campaign shows it might not even have been in vain… Anyway, time to change costumes. Petting Yeet real quick. It’s a neat costume, and fits the title of “hunter”. The only other time in the game we’ll be able to do freelance missions. As I said earlier, I’m fine with the change for balancing reasons, but I still miss having the opportunity to do more of these. Anyway, a graft is a good reward, but I’m always wary of doing the hardest mission on Day 4, even on the lower difficulties. They’re deceptively simple and can easily go wrong. Especially this one, where we can pick our targets and it’s really easy to get greedy. Healing isn’t a bad reward, though considering this is day 4, chances are there will be quite a few beasts to fight. I could use the extra cash, I know how to make this mission easier, and the writing is the most fun out of the three. Of course I pick it I can think of worse reputations. At least Ekel can roll with a punch. Interesting background for a fictional name. Sounds suspicious… …Very suspicious… Off to the Meat Market! Been a while since we ran into a random event. An event that appears in almost every gameplay trailer. We just stopped a biohazard from the Roaloch. I think I’ve had enough from the place for now. That is suspiciously cheap at 25 shills… Yeah, I just said that. Why not? Sal’s main weapons are daggers. She can handle a dirk. One of the less eventful encounters we can have with a wandering bilebroker, but I’m not complaining. “You get what you pay for” applies here. The high price of the harder difficulties and having a reliable friend in Yeet are the main reasons I haven’t bothered with the Meat Market this run. Still, getting a pet isn’t a guarantee, and if you know a mission is easier with extra manpower, then coming to the Meat Market isn’t a bad idea if you have the shills to spare. Huh, I’m used to Zex appearing for this mission. A nice change of pace, for me at least. Looks like a pretty cheap cybernetic arm, though fitting for a thug that likely doesn’t have access to better gear. I really like Toeren’s design, even if it’s mostly due to the hat. The admiralty seems tightlipped about the guy. I wonder why… Okay, so whatever Rudana is doing, it seems to be going beyond a simple military commander going rogue… Don’t have the money to hire her. I could convince Fanda to take me to Rudana Or I could force her to bring me to him. Since I don’t want to risk killing her, and I’d like to keep my strength for the boss fight later today, I try talking with Fanda. Stong Point appears and I miss it dealing damage. I actually remember to screenshot my initial hand this time. I start off with Boosted Impression Deal one damage with overbear And none with Veiled Anger. Outside of gameplay, in this case it is unsurprising that the diplomatic approach worked well, while hostility didn’t. Since my core argument isn’t being targeted while Yeet is in danger, I spend Lucid Deflection protecting her. Yeet thanks me by dealing 3 damage. Another Strong Point, another time I miss the damage. Since I’ll generally be trying to destroy admiralty arguments as soon as they appear, I play Bulldoze early. Threaten only did one damage And Unstable drew Seeds of Doubt I ain’t complaining Yeet destroys the argument, preventing Planted Evidence from being attacked. I do lose influence, however. And take a not insignificant amount of damage. Doubt does its job Agitation uses up all my actions… …In exchange for adding three Heated arguments! The damage Heated does adds up over time. Three at the same time can end fights impressively fast. I see what Unstable gives us My favorite card! Sal’s gains her flourish, though I’d like to hang onto it at the moment. I finish this turn with Stone Fast Talk. Yeet prevents Fanda from frisking me Heated deals a combined total of 3 damage. I take damage to two arguments, though fortunately my core argument remains untouched. May as well gain an extra action and see if I can do anything with the new cards. Hmm… Since I can gain influence this turn, I pick Tall Observation And since I want to keep that influence, I play Pale Fast Talk first Then Inspirational Talk to gain Influence Meaning Tall Observation deals full damage In hindsight I should have played Wide Deflection, but the mindset of “I don’t want to expend my defensive card yet” was in effect here. Like I said, Heated adds up quickly. Hindsight is 20/20. Any defense is better than none. Doubt helps the negotiation reach the final stage. As does another Strong Point. May as well get rid of the argument while I’m at it. I miss the screenshot, but Threaten deals full damage. It’s kind of pointless, but why not defend? Yeet seals the deal, and the negotiation is over. Menacing Air is the new card here, and it’s a pretty good argument. 1 dominance isn’t a lot, but any extra damage is welcome, and dominance is not easy to gain or maintain in the first place. Similar to Agitation, I generally have the actions to spare for cards with higher costs right now. Sal assures Fanda that no matter how scary Rudana may be, she doesn’t have to face him alone. Though I suppose that’s another use of traveling in a group. Sal is taking this whole situation in stride. Maybe a mystery about the admirability is refreshing when it’s not coming from Oolo? I go to the Grog n’ Dog to recover the lost resolve …Before remembering I only have 2 shills. After that hiccup, I go to reprimand Rundana. Sal did say she was good at mazes. I learned that one of the definitions of flaking is to fail to keep an appointment or fulfill a commitment, especially with little or no advance notice. The more you know. A… surprisingly good suggestion if Rudana’s words really are that scary. Have to make indentured servitude bearable somehow, I suppose. Sadly, Sal can’t shriek songs at her opponents. A shame, as that would make for an interesting combat card. As Rudana predicted, we can ask two questions. Learning you’re the NPC in a videogame will do that to you. We get to choose Sal’s actions, after all, instead of responding as a result of pre-determined code and randomness. Something that will be more prominent upon a future playthrough. If it seems like my comments were suddenly breaking the fourth wall, this was part of the original conversation before it was changed: I do like how the rewritten dialogue is more subtle about it, but a part of me will always miss how hilariously blunt the original text was. Rudana may take the cake, but Sal is right that this is far from the only person who’s lost some of their marbles thanks to spending too much time in Havaria. We did choose this mission out of the three provided. Sal is directed by the player, after all. I could attack him right now when he still has three people following him. Though considering the Admiralty are strongest as a team, I decide to scare them off first. How many arguments have started off with Strong Point by now? Fanda gave us the Wealth Extractor bounty, providing us with 30 shills when destroyed. It doesn’t help us win the negotiation in any way, but free money is difficult to pass up. Since I’m starting the argument with a flourish available, I may as well use it. Clemency is my favorite negotiation flourish Sal has, and is one of the few cards that can restore resolve without some sort of catch. Hard to say if it’s my favorite negotiation flourish, though. I cannot complain about free healing, but Rook and Smith have some flourishes that can verbally tear the enemy to shreds if you use them wisely. I found out that if you screenshot fast enough, you can catch the numbers increase in the middle of healing. Heated is better to have sooner than later, and I don’t care if it costs all of my actions to add some. Having 2 shills makes it extremely appealing to target Wealth Extractor first Even if I don’t destroy it Unstable once again plays bluster, much to my delight. Yeet and heated spread the damage around. I lose my influence Fortunately, the core argument remains untouched. Paper Pusher and Interrogate are added to the mix. On my end I gain Planted Evidence. Why not gain some dominance every turn? I have enough 0 cost cards to get away with playing Menacing Air this turn. I’ll see what Very Convincing has to offer before making my next move. Another deflection card and one that costs nothing to play. Since both of the attack cards I have in my hand are hostile, I gain some dominance first. Again, I’m greedy. An excellent time for overbear to appear, as it will attack six times! Did you keep track of that? Won’t be the first time we’ll see a turn like that. Hopefully Veiled Anger will deal 3 or even 4 damage. Instead, it does 2. Once again, Yeet and Heated efficiently destroy some arguments. I do lose two heated arguments and take some damage to the core, though, and Rudana adds Frisk. Fortunately, Boosted Impression can destroy it in one go Annoying that I’m dealing just enough damage to destroy the argument, but silver linings. I got rid of two annoying arguments and even gained some composure. I don’t destroy the final argument, but Yeet will finish the job anyway Dominance has proven useful the last few turns, so I decide to spend Lucid Deflection to keep Menacing Air in the negotiation longer. Okay, so it was actually heated that convinced the final soldier to abandon Rudana. I’m not complaining. Nothing is damaged this turn. Strong Point shows up again. Since I can play it for free, why not start off with Promoted Thinking? I gained influence this turn, so Tall Observation will deal full damage. Like so Would have been nice earlier, but I can’t complain about adding Doubt. I see what Unstable will surprise me with A card that’s useless to me right now. I finish off this turn by spending my remaining influence. Yeet deals damage As does heated I lose Yeet and take some damage. But doubt wins the day. I believe Erupt is the new one? Second Wind is self explanatory and situational. Erupt can be useful for finishing off a train of damage from hostility cards. It typically requires having a graft that gives you an extra action as well as a good number of hostile cards to pull off consistently. I have done it before, though, and the nice thing about Evoke is that you don’t have to have it in your hand in order for it to activate. I generally go with two Seeds of Doubt cards so it shows up more consistently. Grabbing more generally doesn’t hurt, just remember that doubt activates after the enemy attacks. I’ve learned that lesson the hard way. Especially in a roguelike, where dying is half the fun and seeing what will be different in a new game is the other half. Bold words considering you just lost a card game. Good thing we can get away with murder here. Why not start off using our fancy new dirk and give Rundana some wound? Huh, apparently it’s a hybrid weapon. First time I’ve seen a dirk and karambit combined. More wound, and I remember to place these cards off to the side so we can see the action. I attack twice One day I’ll screenshot both knives and the damage they deal. And finish off with lacerate. Well that was quick! I’ll be taking that badge now Thought it was weird Sandaro attacked with “paper cuts” last time? Their weapon is a letter opener. Stomp: A really helpful combo card that still deals reasonable damage even when it costs and action to play. Lacerate: It caused Rudana to surrender, so you’ve seen it in action quite a few times. Bloodbath: I don’t know who the person in the witch looking hat is, but I can say their reaction is appropriate for an ability that spreads blood around. I have enough bleed cards for this ability to be worthwhile. We’ll meet him again in another run. Maybe. …I would mock that, if not for how many people rely on other things to make them “happy”. Not the healthiest mindset, but at least Sal is strong in her convictions. Keanu Reeves typically comes to mind whenever I see a “whoa”, and this case was no different. The minds of Havaria are easily blown. I wish I could say that Fanda was a unique case, but no. Quite a few people in Havaria are like this. Time to get paid. Sal seems unfazed by the whole situation, and is probably wondering what the big deal is. Still, I’d forget the whole matter for the paycheck. I’m trying to remember if I’ve ever used Authorization. It doesn’t seem like a bad boon; just a forgettable one. The bane of clerks is similar in that I typically forget it exists. Because this was a shorter update (and, honestly, I don’t want too many fights to write for the next update), I’ll do the optional events now. I can choose between a gun that might stun the opponent that I only have two shots with. Or I could pick and choose some equipment from a desolate battlefield. I’d like some options, thank you. We can grab the tincture for free A Vroc Whistle with a random chance to be attacked. Or a graft that guarantees a fight, but ensures cards like Known Thug and Unstable will be even more useful and prevents Slurred Speech from clogging up my deck. Our first fight today was quick, so I don’t mind entering another one. This is all the crayote variants in the game. I wonder what Yeet the Yote thinks of all this. May as well spread the damage around when I apply bleed. I attack the yote that will attack me. Since my flourish is available, I summon some yotes to attack the yotes. Another synchronized headbutt as the yotes attack their own kind. I’ll do 8 damage with the Karambit, and bleed will cause the yote to retreat. Interesting pose Yeet gains power Everyone bleeds And the spitting yote runs away The horned yote retaliates against Yeet by doing the exact same attack I ordered a group of yotes to do moments earlier. Seems like this yote had the same idea as Yeet. Considering I’ll be attacked three times this turn, I’ll gladly take counter. I defend next to see what I can do with my final action. 5 defense isn’t going to cut it, and Gaff provides defense equal to the damage I deal, and this yote is wounded… Not that it matters, as the horned yote runs away before it can attack. Ouch, but on the flip side… I attack twice, dealing 8 total damage. Why not? I see what Fighting Dirty will give me… A chance to deal even more damage. I see a potential chance to straight up kill this yote, so I use Sparky’s Oppressor Cell to gain 3 temporary power. If I get lucky, I’ll kill the beast and take its hide. It deals full damage! It falls back dead, and I win the fight with barely a scratch. Carapace is a pretty solid defensive card, even if I can only use it twice. Oh, right, grafts can upgrade. I don’t know what causes them to gain experience, so I generally don’t pay attention to this screen. Unlike cards, you don’t get to choose what they upgrade into. …I’ve played this game for two years now, I’ve never paid attention to the line of text at the top. Apparently, they’re from the Vagrant Age (when everyone used to be spacefaring) and attached to the spinal cord. …I still have several questions but that answered a handful of them. Battle Scars: Scars are a badass fashion statement, and I will gladly tell you about the long one along my back any time. As for the card itself, it has its uses, but I’ve never bothered. There are more than enough ways to gain defense and counter. Crushing Blow: Costs 3 actions, but it deals a ton of damage while stunning the target. I’ve mentioned this before, but anything that deals stun has a catch. If I was going solo, I would have debated whether or not to pick this one up. Since Yeet is at my side, even if this costs all my actions, I’ll know she’ll take advantage of the enemy being stunned. I’ll end this update here. Next time, we’ll see what Oolo’s plan is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Rubenio Posted October 21, 2022 Share Posted October 21, 2022 Got two updates to go through. Day 3: Spoiler On 10/19/2022 at 3:39 AM, Hawkwing said: Can I just say I did a triple take and almost said "What the Fuck?!?!" out loud when I saw your new profile picture? It sure is... something... Gahahahahahahahahah. Thanks. I love it too. On 10/19/2022 at 3:39 AM, Hawkwing said: Nadan would use this argument unironically. Oh dear, let me check if my cheek is still in place... On 10/19/2022 at 3:39 AM, Hawkwing said: Wonder how well Oolo and Shigen would get along, now that I think about it. The real question is how well Nadan and Eugen would get along On 10/19/2022 at 3:39 AM, Hawkwing said: You never want to skip these. They’ll legitimately die if you ignore them. The first time I got one of these, I waited to see how it played out. My friend died, the event just ended anticlimatically and I felt like a massive idiot. On 10/19/2022 at 3:39 AM, Hawkwing said: Instead, I chose free damage, without realizing how many cards I had that had zero cost. Free decks? Free decks. On 10/19/2022 at 3:39 AM, Hawkwing said: I get to keep Doze Bug, and Bina still has health for the boss fight later. Wait, she retains her injuries if you just beat her to submission? That's... wow, I had no idea. That's really cool. On 10/19/2022 at 3:39 AM, Hawkwing said: Fssh casually bought contraband. To help Sal. I mean, she does look surprised. I don't know how one buys contraband by accident, but hey, maybe it's not sarcasm. Maybe she just went into the wrong website. On 10/19/2022 at 3:39 AM, Hawkwing said: …I have no idea why I forgot this awesome line. Maybe I’m so used to skipping questions because I’ve played this game dozens of times that I don’t remember everything. It is a really good line. On 10/19/2022 at 3:39 AM, Hawkwing said: I argue with the same person twice in a row: You'd think at this point she'd have learned to demand a lawyer before interacting with Sal. On 10/19/2022 at 3:39 AM, Hawkwing said: Have I mentioned I love bluster? I don't even know what bluster means. ...ah, being a jerk, basically. Fitting. On 10/19/2022 at 3:39 AM, Hawkwing said: I soon realize how much I am adding to my “I’m not using all my actions” issue that is gradually building up. I mean, if you have no cards left to play, what do you want 'em for? On 10/19/2022 at 3:39 AM, Hawkwing said: Sounds oddly kinky On 10/19/2022 at 3:39 AM, Hawkwing said: Frisk straight up steals your money with no way to get it back. Take a guess which argument I always target, no matter the consequences? I do love how the admiralty's negotiating skills involve mugging the opponent and framing them for non-descript crimes through bogus evidence. Nice to see they all share Oolo's love for corruption. On 10/19/2022 at 3:39 AM, Hawkwing said: Admiralty clerks may be weak in combat, but they make up for it by having the Paper Pusher argument. The argument can take a beating and adds cards that consistently do damage to your deck. Weaponized bureaucracy! That should be a war crime. On 10/19/2022 at 3:39 AM, Hawkwing said: This boss fight took me 2 hours to write and arrange Well, I'm sure the fruits of that effort will-- On 10/19/2022 at 3:39 AM, Hawkwing said: (Also, there are child murder jokes): ...Ah. On 10/19/2022 at 3:39 AM, Hawkwing said: And her kids use their heads. Very smart kids. On 10/19/2022 at 3:39 AM, Hawkwing said: MOAR WOUND!!! MOAR DAMAGE!!! God, that kinda hurt to write… Embrace the cringe, my friend. On 10/19/2022 at 3:39 AM, Hawkwing said: Bina heals herself, and I’m reminded that they didn’t originally have a special effect for healing. So before they just closed their injuries by... pumping their chests out? Wouldn't that just open wounds more...? On 10/19/2022 at 3:39 AM, Hawkwing said: Which scares away the rest of the children. Congratulations, you've produced orphans! On 10/19/2022 at 3:39 AM, Hawkwing said: That’s a potential biohazard Sal! You just got done fighting one! "You're a good kid, Sal. Trying to give me radiation poisoning and all. Good kid, good kid. Day 4: Spoiler 14 hours ago, Hawkwing said: It’s a neat costume, and fits the title of “hunter”. I like the cloth shoulderpad. So unnecessary, but it looks neat. 14 hours ago, Hawkwing said: I can think of worse reputations. At least Ekel can roll with a punch. Yeah, but... maybe the point is that she has a reputation of being a pushover lol. Still, I'd say they intentionally left it vague. 14 hours ago, Hawkwing said: One of the less eventful encounters we can have with a wandering bilebroker, but I’m not complaining. Huh. I don't recall if I ever saw this guy, let alone if things went awry with him. 14 hours ago, Hawkwing said: Sal is taking this whole situation in stride. Maybe a mystery about the admirability is refreshing when it’s not coming from Oolo? Or maybe she trusts in her ability to throw Fanda at the danger before Fanda can do it to her haha 14 hours ago, Hawkwing said: Learning you’re the NPC in a videogame will do that to you. I loved the 4th wall breaks with this guy. His dialogue was a lot of fun. 14 hours ago, Hawkwing said: Oh, he was a woman named Yunni before? Or does this person change randomly? Because I recall encountering Rudana as well... 15 hours ago, Hawkwing said: Well that was quick! Cult leader or no, at the end of the day, he's still a poorly trained clerk. 15 hours ago, Hawkwing said: I see what Fighting Dirty will give me… Biting one of those things has to taste pretty bad. ...Just a random thought that came to mind. 15 hours ago, Hawkwing said: …I’ve played this game for two years now, I’ve never paid attention to the line of text at the top. Hahaha, it's okay. These things happen. That kind of HUD text tends to blend in. 15 hours ago, Hawkwing said: I’ll end this update here. Next time, we’ll see what Oolo’s plan is. How much you wanna bet it's got to do with corruption? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eclipse Posted October 23, 2022 Share Posted October 23, 2022 I never figured out what the Authority boon did, either. Still, thanks for going over that clerk's sidequest, I tried it and got rolled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawkwing Posted October 24, 2022 Author Share Posted October 24, 2022 SAL’S CAMPAIGN DAY 4 BOSS FIGHT: Taking Down The Spree Replies: Spoiler On 10/21/2022 at 1:29 PM, Saint Rubenio said: Got two updates to go through. Day 3: Hide contents Gahahahahahahahahah. Thanks. I love it too. Well, at least someone does… Oh dear, let me check if my cheek is still in place... Just don’t stand near any explosives and you should be fine. The real question is how well Nadan and Eugen would get along They’ll either be at each other's throats, or make astute observations about the situation. Or both. The first time I got one of these, I waited to see how it played out. My friend died, the event just ended anticlimatically and I felt like a massive idiot. I’ve never waited to see how it played out, so this is news to me. I’ve skipped the event before, though usually when the other random event is worth giving up the boon, which is rare but does happen sometimes. Free decks? Free decks. Which results in wasted actions. Wait, she retains her injuries if you just beat her to submission? That's... wow, I had no idea. That's really cool. Damage carries over between encounters. It can lead to some hilariously anticlimactic encounters if you fight someone in a random event and then they appear propper in a mission, or the other way around. I mean, she does look surprised. I don't know how one buys contraband by accident, but hey, maybe it's not sarcasm. Maybe she just went into the wrong website. Considering the supplies needed different paperwork for being turned into weapons or traps, I wouldn't be surprised if Havaria's laws are... messy. Doesn't help that they're not even consistently enforced. It is a really good line. It is. You'd think at this point she'd have learned to demand a lawyer before interacting with Sal. If one of Smith’s missions is anything to go by, being a lawyer is a side-gig for several people in Havaria. Even Smith can improvise being a lawyer if you want to complete the mission that way. I don’t recommend, it but it is an option. I don't even know what bluster means. ...ah, being a jerk, basically. Fitting. At least it makes sense why it makes people flustered. I mean, if you have no cards left to play, what do you want 'em for? Stronger cards. More stuff to do. I really don’t like having actions go to waste. Sounds oddly kinky ... ... I am not joking that I took a 30 minute walk and spent the whole time contemplating how to respond to that when I first read it. I ended up going with two different reactions Reaction 1: Spoiler Reaction 2 (Slight gameplay spoilers): Spoiler (This is one of Smith's cards, by the way, and I have no idea why Sal is part of the artwork (though I will say it is far better than what Klei originally planned...)) I mean... there is a mission when you side with the spree where you escort a corrupt clerk in a prisoner exchange. You have the option to kidnap a smuggler off the street to make the prisoner negotiation easier (or harder, if you get unlucky). The game says that you gag them, without specifying where you got the gag. Put two and two together. ... I'm going to go take a shower and think long and hard about my life after typing that. I do love how the admiralty's negotiating skills involve mugging the opponent and framing them for non-descript crimes through bogus evidence. Nice to see they all share Oolo's love for corruption. It's pretty impressive how much character building can be down with abstract concepts. Now if only the admirality targeted actual criminals more often. I appreciate that Oolo is at least trying to do her job. Weaponized bureaucracy! That should be a war crime. …Standard paperwork should be outlawed? Well, I'm sure the fruits of that effort will-- The gameplay sections typically take the longest. A combination of having more to comment on, deciding which screenshot to use, and there just being more screenshots in general. ...Ah. I did not go into the fight expecting to make child murder jokes. They just… sorta happened when Sandrano kept targeting them and Bina kept killing them. Very smart kids. They might have a bright future ahead of them. Embrace the cringe, my friend. I have a hard time doing so without turning around and making fun of making a cringy joke. ...Not as bad as me trying to make a sex joke. Those always end up with me rambling about how terrible and/or boring they are. So before they just closed their injuries by... pumping their chests out? Wouldn't that just open wounds more...? Nah, they played the same animation. They just didn't have the green swirling effect. Congratulations, you've produced orphans! Maybe Phroluk will take them in? "You're a good kid, Sal. Trying to give me radiation poisoning and all. Good kid, good kid. Seems like Sal is taking advantage of the Kra’deshi’s natural healing ability to not tell the truth. Which is underhanded, but honestly, Smith takes a lot more abuse in his route. Day 4: Hide contents I like the cloth shoulderpad. So unnecessary, but it looks neat. I wouldn’t be surprised if Sal has it just to cover up her cybernetic shoulder. Yeah, but... maybe the point is that she has a reputation of being a pushover lol. Still, I'd say they intentionally left it vague. ...I'm debating whether it's worse to be seen as a pushover or a coward. Huh. I don't recall if I ever saw this guy, let alone if things went awry with him. There is another event where he gives you different vials to drink from, while seeing your reaction. I think if I got this event earlier, he would have asked for the knife back at some point. Because it’s Day 4, it ends up not mattering much. Or maybe she trusts in her ability to throw Fanda at the danger before Fanda can do it to her haha There are times you can abandon your ally to save your own skin. This isn’t one of those times but you can do it. I loved the 4th wall breaks with this guy. His dialogue was a lot of fun. It caught me off guard the first time I played it as well, but in a good way. It was an interesting observation of the games mechanics, didn’t distract from the main story, and helped reinforce that there might be something to the crazier people in Havaria. Oh, he was a woman named Yunni before? Or does this person change randomly? Because I recall encountering Rudana as well... The game randomly assigns characters. As long as they’re a clerk, they can either give the quest or be the leader. Heck, this is actually pointed out in the dialogue where Rundana says that the roles could be flipped or that he may have been friends with Sal in another run. Cult leader or no, at the end of the day, he's still a poorly trained clerk. There’s good reason you tend to fight them as part of a group. They’re pretty pathetic otherwise. Biting one of those things has to taste pretty bad. ...Just a random thought that came to mind. Well, Rug did make a pretty solid casserole out of them. Hahaha, it's okay. These things happen. That kind of HUD text tends to blend in. Doesn’t help that grafts are pretty straightforward and hovering over one on the main screen will give you the flavor text and what it does. There’s a reason to check out your deck, whether to see the artwork or review what you can do. Now so much the graft upgrade screen. How much you wanna bet it's got to do with corruption? There’s surprisingly little on Oolo’s side. Sal, on the other hand… 17 hours ago, eclipse said: I never figured out what the Authority boon did, either. Still, thanks for going over that clerk's sidequest, I tried it and got rolled. The boon isn't bad so much as forgettable. I believe it was the first quest I died in, too. Update: Spoiler Before seeing what Oolo’s plan is, I’ll take a quick stop at the Grog n’ Dog for a drink. Since I’ve run into Heleet before, I decide to buy him a drink. It probably won’t do much at this stage of the game, but you never know. I gain resolve and two cards The boon of Admiralty cards is neat, but not worth going out of your way to get. Now I’m ready to meet Oolo Apparently we’re the only grifter in these parts worth a damn for Oolo to say that. Unsurprisingly, Nadan would be telling us to go after Oolo right now if we joined him. I suppose they have an equivalent to bees in Havaria. Jokes aside, I do like this quote. Maybe for Sal. I just see flattery as wasted words, personally. Then again, I didn't spend several years doing thankless work. Bait that bites back Living without half your face will give you such a reputation. Before doing Oolo’s bidding, we can ask some questions. A reminder that the Spree really don’t want the annex to go through. Hard to tell if alien food is supposed to be disgusting or surprisingly delicious. Oolo says this very casually. Sal doesn’t seem that surprised. Not a bad tactic, honestly. How many players know the dread of escort missions where the enemy will ignore you to kill whatever you’re defending? Though that throws a different spin on things. Oolo is pretty damn casual talking about the guy who wants her dead. Or that she didn’t blow someone up as efficiently as she should have. Well, off to be bait. Told you oshnu’s looked like alien snails Essentially Sal right now: Link: https://forums.kleientertainment.com/forums/topic/108989-shilling-memesclickbaity-but-will-get-your-attention/page/3/ Uh… Link: https://forums.kleientertainment.com/forums/topic/119879-bestfunniest-writing-thread/page/2/#comments (This thread is really fun, by the way) To be fair, I thought Quark/Yeet was a dude initially, and I don’t know much about snail biology, much less alien snails. We could just take the oshnu and head off Though we could convince Irkow to come with us. … …I don’t know what Sal is referring to here… …But I’m stealing that innuendo and using it elsewhere sometime. Sal’s lying to through her teeth, though I can’t blame her for wanting a partner against Nadan. Brace Yourself. This Is A Gameplay Heavy Update: Spoiler ***** Bartenders have seen and heard everything, and thus they’re prepared if you try to manipulate them. You don’t debate with them often, but it’s interesting how they change the order you play cards, as manipulation cards tend to provide effects that don’t always directly deal damage but are useful to have. I start with Bulldoze, as bartenders have several arguments that are better to destroy sooner than later. Since it’s free, I play Lucid Threaten Which combos nicely with Overbear, even if it only attacks once. And since I already used my harder hitting cards this turn, I see what Very Convincing gives me, which turns out to be Pale Fast Talk and Agitation. Pale Fast Talk only has a chance to deal 1 damage, if it breaks through Irkow’s composure at all This won’t deal any damage, but at least I’ll have influence for the future. It doesn’t do much, and I forget that Pale Fast Talk is now free to play. Whoops. Yeet breaks through the rest of Irkrow’s composure to deal 2 damage. Irkrow adds an argument, and I take 7 damage thanks to not drawing any defensive cards last turn. Strong Point appears and does exactly what you expected Part of the “Havarian Bartenders have seen everything” impression is the Intuition argument, which does more damage and increases its health every time you deploy a new argument. While it depends on your deck for Sal and Rook, this is nightmarish for Smith due to how much he relies on arguments. Doesn’t help that Intuition can take a beating from the get go, and any arguments that could help bring it down faster only make it stronger. And of course, every card in my hand this turn except for two are manipulation cards. May as well play the only card that isn’t manipulative and see what it plays. Not just a manipulation card, but one that expends! God, as useful as Unstable can be, there’s a reason you can’t get it from shops or winning negotiations. At least it didn’t draw an item card, as unstable does not give a crap whether or not it will be destroyed. This won’t do anything now, but at least doubt will help in the future. Thankfully, it doesn’t affect Intuition. May as well see what Promoted Thinking will provide, since I don’t need to use Lucid Deflection right now. While all three could be useful, I go with Boosted Stammer, as it appears Irkrow’s composure will be an issue in this negotiation. Yeet doesn’t scare Irkrow this time Though Irkrow doesn’t break through my composure either. Doubt thankfully brings Intuition closer to being destroyed. It’s Solid Point that destroys the argument, granting me another action thanks to Bulldoze. Chaser is essentially drinking, but without costing any shills. The downside is that you can still gain Slurred Speech even if you already have full resolve. Annoyingly, your arguments can target this one even if you don’t them want to. Since it hits hard and costs nothing, I attack Irkrows core argument with Appeal to Reason, which Sal does by saying “be reasonable!” In hindsight, I really should have taken this opportunity to destroy Chaser to gain an extra action from bulldoze. You’ll see why shortly. I still love bluster. I decide to get rid of my Slurred Speech card, which was a good idea, but now I can’t defend Bulldoze, which could easily be destroyed in the future. Yeet frightens Irkrow this time Irkrow learns his lesson and defends I wish I defended bulldoze last turn And Irkrow is now impatient while taking a single point of damage from doubt I don’t draw any defensive cards this turn, but because I have three cards that cost zero actions to play, I upgrade Menacing Air. I waste my last chance to get rid of Chaser by attacking Irkrows core argument twice If you click on the “draw” or “discard” icons on the lower left and right of the screen, respectively, you can see which cards are in each pile. Since Known Thug won’t help me this turn, I don’t bother with Unstable. Yeet does her thing I lose Bulldoze And take 7 damage to my core for my mistake. Irkrow defends, while Doubt made the attempt fruitless. Known Thug deals a total of six damage. The card has moments where it shines. Since it costs 2 actions instead of 3 to play, and it will upgrade after the negotiation, I play Agitation. Want to know why I made a big deal about losing Bulldoze earlier? I forgot that I lost it this turn, and thought I had this big brain plan to play Agitation and Bluster on the same turn. I’ll take the extra health, but I missed out on a cool turn. Oh well, the debate is close to being over anyway. I forgot why I didn’t play Unstable. I suppose I though the negotiation would be done this turn and didn’t pay attention to Irkrow having a defense ready. Yeet attacks one last time Heated comes close to ending the negotiation. Doubt can’t do anything, though. And I am rightfully punished for not paying attention. Not that it matters, because Solid Point appears and finishes the negotiation. I can upgrade 4 cards this time. Neither of these upgrades are that helpful, to be honest, but I’ll take the free composure. You never known when that will come in handy. Ambush means you draw the card at the start of the negotiation or fight. It’s worthwhile for some cards, but for Menacing Air, I’d rather it be cheaper to play. The possibility that Veiled Anger will do no damage is its biggest drawback. A drawback that Tall Anger addresses. Aplomb: Requires you to have influence to spare to play at all, but spending 2 influence to gain 8 composure is a pretty good deal. This Ends Now: Can really only be useful if you’re running a deck with a reliable way to gain dominance, but if that’s the case then this is a damn good card to have. As this negotiation has shown, I really need to address having issues with gaining composure. Irkrow reluctantly joins us, having no idea what we plan to do this evening. Time to ambush Nadan! I don’t think you’re going to be happy about this Irkrow… I’m a grifter. I’m paid to do dangerous jobs that no one else does. Also, a reminder that Nadan has his own theme. Seems Oolo rubbed off on Sal, as she’s snarking about Nadan to his face. I doubt Nadan is the kind of guy that will go quietly. …That was not a mental image I wanted, Sal. Delegation! Which if you side with Nadan, you’ll realize is something he’s really good at. This dialogue will change depending on if the thug likes or dislikes you. They’re obviously more reluctant to fight if they like you. I could talk Or I could fight I try negotiating to keep my health for fighting Nadan. Besides, if I fail the negotiation, I’ll have to fight her anyway, so why rush? If You Just Want To Get To The Boss Fight, Pass Right On By: Spoiler Everyone adds their respective arguments. Unsurprisingly for thugs, they get impatient easily when you try to talk with them, and the Spree generally focuses on dealing high amounts of damage instead of defending. Funnily enough, though, I consider them more difficult to negotiate with during the early game compared to the late game, as you’ll be shuffling your deck far more often thanks to not having many cards yet. The oshnu is untrained, sadly, and will only be able to help us on this turn. I start off seeing what Unstable gives me. Stone Fast Talk, apparently. I’ll take it. Hecklers join in whenever a person who dislikes or hates you is present at the same location you negotiate in. They’re annoying, but it depends on the negotiation whether or not they’re worth targeting. Since it was damaged earlier and Spree focus on dealing high damage, I may as well destroy Heckler sooner than later. I gain Influence that will likely be destroyed this turn. So I have no qualms about playing Pale Fast Talk and convincing Nadan to back off. Since I still have 3 actions left, I see what Very Convincing gives me. Two deflection cards. It'll lessen the blow of losing influence. Since I don’t see a reason to expend Wide Deflection right now, I spend the rest of the turn attacking. Both animals help me out Predictably, I lose my Influence, but only take 3 damage to the core, which I can live with. Known Thug deals 5 damage total. I’ll take it. Escalation heals itself and increases the amount of damage Kuga does every time you play a hostility card. This is either hilariously easy or incredibly frustrating to deal with depending on your deck composition. Fortunately, I have no hostility cards to play this turn. I can now play hostility cards freely Hard to argue with adding Doubt Sal also unlocked her flourish right now. In hindsight, it may not have been a bad idea to have played Pure Diplomacy for some composure and influence to take advantage of the rest of the cards in my deck, or Clemency to heal. Still, Rage wasn’t a bad choice, as dominance is difficult to come by and Kuga has enough resolve that hitting hard is a good strategy. Yeet chips away at Kuga’s resolve Kuga spreads the damage around While Doubt does 2 damage Strong Point appears slightly later than usual, though I welcome the damage and influence. I play Stone Bulldoze since it’s cheaper than usual. And since I may lose my dominance this turn, I use Bluster to both hit hard and reduce the amount of damage Fuga can do. Yeet’s still standing Right, Stone Bulldoze gives the composure to your core argument. I forget sometimes whether cards that grant composure defend themselves or your core argument. Kuga adds an argument and takes 2 damage from doubt. Strong Point appears again At the cost of 10 shills, you get to double your actions. Not a fan, as it can take more than one action to destroy the argument, and if you play efficiently you’ll have more actions than cards to use them on. I’m glad they added the condition that the argument can only be targeted by cards. That wasn’t the case when I first started playing and it… wasn’t fun. Just keep in mind that cards like Unstable and Overbear which have random targets still damage greed. I’ve learned that the hard way more than once. Apparently I forgot to show the upgrade actions for Agitation. It was a choice between the card costing 2 actions to play or creating 4 heated arguments. It’s pretty apparent which one I chose. Kuga went from taking 5 damage to 9 this turn. I see what options Promoted Thinking will provide I can’t play any composure cards this turn, so I use Boosted Withdraw. Now to see what Unstable does 2 damage and gives me 1 dominance Yeet and heated barrage Kuga I lose influence, but take no damage to the core argument. Now Doubt kicks in So why not add more? I only have one action left, Bulldoze is the only argument being targeted this turn, and Observation is the only card that deals damage. Why wouldn’t I pick it? Cause it’ll do jack and shit. I deal an okay amount of damage with the rest of my cards. Bulldoze is damaged but not destroyed And Doubt ends the negotiation I can upgrade a graft! It makes expensive cards even cheaper to play. I’ll take it. 3 Doubt is better than 2, and I already said I’m not the fondest of drawing more cards. Oppress: I believe we’ve seen this one before. Nice to have, even if it sometimes requires getting lucky with the RNG. Build Rapport: Gives you influence for free and defends it to boot. I almost always pick this one. Level Playing Field: You take more damage in exchange for dealing more damage. A little too situational for my liking. I’m picking this primarily for the composure. The influence is just a neat bonus. I successfully convinced Kuga to back off. Her second sentence makes more sense when the person likes you. On I do, Nadan. My knife might even be sharper than my tongue! New costume, new artwork. I really like Nadan’s arm blades. I think they’re cool weapons in general, as I also like Mortal Kombat’s Tarkatans (Baraka) arm blades. The real life equivalent, Katars, are pretty underrated weapons. The Boss Fight Against Nadan: Spoiler So many things appear Nadan is armored and will gain 12 defense at the end of every turn. Yeet has a similar ability, though she only gains 4 defense. When Nadan has goons out, they’ll attack whoever hurts the Spree leader. Annoyingly, your allies don’t adapt to this. Since it’s free to play, I see what Fighting Dirty can give me. I focus on reducing damage The dust effect is there, even if it’s a little hard to see. Since I’m the only one being targeted right now, I focus on defense and counter. I don’t need to heal right now, though, so I attack a generic thug. Yeah, there are generic characters in this game with randomized names, generic faces, and no descriptions. I understand why they're there, but I'm not a fan of them. At least the Spree generics get a neat mask. Bartenders carry some type of rifle, and they’re surprisingly good with one. Seems like my allies focused on gaining power over dealing damage this turn. The thug takes damage from bleed, while Nadan runs towards me I catch the backhand from an interesting angle I take no damage, and counter him. Fisticuffs is a three hit combo that ends with a cool looking uppercut. Unfortunately for him, I counter three times. One day we’ll see the flead ball animation. This will probably pay off in the long run I nab Saber Grip from Sal’s Daggers I was tempted to save Shroog Fang for later so I could give Nadan wound, but there’s no guarantee of when it would reappear. Besides, it’s better to gain power sooner than later. In the grand tradition of this run, I keep screenshotting the attack before the sprite loads in. I’ll save the dagger for later. Irkrow fires wildly . Since one of his targets was Nadan, the thug retaliates. …Thanks? Nadan backhands yet again. The thug is revved up, and will now deal bleed damage. I decide I want another dagger, and thus aim to kill the generic thug this turn. “Random” doesn’t include enemies that have surrendered. A bit of a waste of two actions, but he’ll just run away when Nadan decides to fight alone, so this is my only chance to kill Onar. Nadan seems to be caught off guard by his subordinate being killed in front of his eyes. Slobber gives slimed, a debuff that can stun the enemy, but it rarely activates Bartenders are one of two classes that use ammo for their attacks. Interestingly, they’re both part of the “civilian” faction. Yeet gnaws at Nadan, causing him to bleed. A final backhand A simple animation, but I like it. The shing sound effect really sells it. Interestingly, Nadan initially started the fight with his arm blades out, and called for back-up when they stopped working. I don’t know why they flipped it around; perhaps he took too much damage the first few rounds? Since I don’t have anything else to spend my actions on, I play Efficient Disposal. May as well gain some combo next turn, even if it won’t do anything. Time to use this dirk I debate ending the turn here… Before realizing that the dagger will sting like hell and increase the amount of damage everyone else will do this turn. Fortunately, it wasn't destroyed. Yeesh, bartenders should fight more often since they’re so good at it! Yeet keeps the pain train going. Nadan takes a single point of damage from bleed as he strolls towards Irkrow Doing a leap attack that looks kind of silly when not in motion. Still hurts, though. Bloodbath might come in handy later. Depends on how long the fight lasts. I played this mostly for the experience One day I’ll catch both daggers Since it’s free, I finish the turn with Strained Stab. Ouch Thank you, Yeet Sorry, Nadan, but seeing you jump in still frames is making me laugh more than anything. Seems like Irkrow will surrender this turn. Before doing anything else, I get rid of the Tipsy card I got earlier today. The animation is still funny. Wild Lunge will upgrade this turn, deal a high amount of damage and add more wound. A wonderful combination. 17 damage is good enough for me. Oh, how the tables turn. Nadan will surrender before Irkrow does. I catch a screenshot of the oshnu actually biting something before the day is done. Apparently those bullets are made out of lumin. Sounds pretty wasteful, to be honest, but it’s hard to complain about the amount of damage it does. Yeet ends the fight by biting at Nadan twice. Neat effect when wound is added. Anyway, I arrest Nadan. Alive. Not a bad haul Following Feint can be useful, but Feint of the Healer will gradually keep me alive. Tempting as it is to continue the amount of bleed I do, I’m primarily using Target Practice to attack the same opponent multiple times. Similar logic with Wide Wild Lunge. Planning: It’s cheap, but honestly I’d rather not have it clog up my deck. Duplicity: I’d rather spend that action playing another card. Scorched Earth: Situational, and you can potentially get rid of some good cards if you mistime it. However, considering how big your discard pile can get, that damage can rack up quickly if you time it right. I skip this round Follow Through: Neat… if I was running a combo deck. Inside Fighting: A pretty solid ability that I normally choose. I don’t have any cards that use combo this run, though. Shadow Mastery: Adrenaline is essentially temporary power. The ability is nice, but I tend to finish off a round with a card that discards, and I don’t have enough for the ability to be consistently useful. I skip this round, too. I gain the Killer card after killing a generic thug. It’s an okay card, if a little meaningless if you don’t draw any hostility cards. Meaning he might have something planned… A fairly nasty ability, though you get it so late in the game there’s a chance it won’t matter. As helpful as Irkrow was in arresting Nadan, he wasn’t planning on taking on a crime lord today. Naturally, he’s pretty pissed about almost dying. We didn’t spend much time together, but you helped out in the fight. Off to bring Nadan to Oolo. Was anyone expecting this to go smoothly? They both keep their word about getting you to Kashio, so Nadan is half right. If you accept the offer, I believe you get one of the unique cards joining the Spree would give you. You know, like how Very Convincing was an option for helping the admiralty? The cards are nice, but I never accepted the offer. Funny how much his tone will change regarding payment when you work for him. We reach Oolo without further interruptions. One thug today, around 11 total. God damn, Oolo! How many digs at Nadan’s face are you going to make? Kashio’s going down tomorrow A useful boon. Would be nice if we got it earlier, but it’s hard to complain. Before spending some shills for the final time at the night market, I can ask two questions. They’re both right. Nadan can be surprisingly loquacious, but it hurts for him to talk, so he doesn’t do it often. Before heading to been and looking “presentable”, I go to the roadside market for the final time. I add a single slot, see that none of the other shopkeepers have cards I’m interested in, and go back to the Grog n’ Dog. I’m surprised I get a random event this late. Tarq used to hate me, but thanks to the forgiveness perk now he just dislikes me. I could try talking my way out again… I check what his death loot is, forget to screenshot that screen, yet remember to take a picture of his description. I don’t know what my thought process was then. This is incredibly risky, but I go for it. This Was Kind Of Dumb On My Part, But At Least I Survived: Spoiler Spree captains aren’t the hardest 5 star enemies in the game, but they’re one you have to be incredibly careful when fighting. Since I won’t always be able to deal as much damage as I’ll want attacking head on, gaining counter can help even the odds. I really don’t want to lose Yeet at this far into the run. Time to see who’ll be attacked Both of them, it seems Thanks Yeet I don’t know what those weapons are supposed to be, but they don’t break through Yeet’s defense. I gain impair, and I retaliate with counter. Might as well. It’s the only attack card I got Interesting shot of the flead. At least Tarq didn’t gain counter. I once again defend Yeet Though I’m the one to gain counter. Damn it. It’s hard enough damaging him when he’s not defending. Hey! I’d say we’d get the Flead Ball animation sometime! And it’s even more hilarious when not in motion. Thankfully, Brazen Attack has piercing, so Tarq’s defense means nothing. The impair is a nice bonus. I really want to keep Yeet alive. I test to see if Tarq will counter Hemorrhage. He doesn’t, though he does gain more counter. May as well use this opportunity to extend how long impair will last. Hey! I catch the dagger sprite! Characters tend to “dash” towards the opponent. I suppose it saves animation for walking and helps speed up combat. Looks kinda silly, though. Ow Ow I see what Fighting Dirty can provide. Considering I’ll be attacked thrice and drew no defense cards, I nab Boosted Hide. Risky, but I see what this will do It straight up killed the flead. Nice. Risky, but the Dirk can add more wound and thus help each attack hit that much harder. I lose some defense from that I finish off by adding more bleed to the mix. I do lose all my defense, though. Yeet gains power Tarq bleeds I take 16 damage And counter twice And I take so much damage I unlock my flourish Chamber was free to play, so why not? Hemomancy will hopefully end the fight sooner than later. That’s a lot of counter… but I’m not being targeted this turn, and Yeet isn’t attacking… Sure Also, Efficient Disposal sees some action, and I catch a thrown dagger outside of Target Practice. I end the turn, since I don’t want to risk taking more damage. Good idea, Yeet! Ouch! Hopefully, that will convince him to give up sooner than later. I see an opportunity not only to use Crushing Blow, but to make sure it truly lives up to its name. I gain more power from Sparky’s Oppressor Cell. Lacerate Tarq for shits and giggles. And give him the mother of all Crushing Blows. Then Yeet ate the corpse or something Phew! That could have been ugly, but instead the game continues on. Grisly Trophy is one of the few death loot cards to expend rather than be destroyed. It’s a pretty damn good argument too. Killing the flead gave us Mandible, which gives impair equal to the amount of damage it deals. I pick the exact same upgrade as I did last time for Target Practice. Spare Blades is the new card available. You get an extra attack from discarding it, which is always a plus. I often grab this one. Not this time, though. I don’t have enough discard cards to activate Spare Blades reliably. And take a grisly trophy for my troubles. Before heading off to bed, I can ask a few more questions. This conversation was added later. It wasn’t here when I first started playing. Another difference is that Rook will be involved… A simple plan Also a risky plan. I eat a Fsshcake real quick because I have the shills to spare and to make sure I start the final day at full health. It’s interesting to think about this in hindsight. That much I’ll say now. … Holy Crap that was a lot of fighting and talking. Next time will be the finale to Sal’s story. Should be exciting… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eclipse Posted October 25, 2022 Share Posted October 25, 2022 I went with the upgrade that gave me Menacing Air in my initial hand. Since it's an ability, I want it active sooner than later. Plus, the first turn is usually the least interesting. Still, good to see that this run's off to the finale. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Rubenio Posted October 26, 2022 Share Posted October 26, 2022 Spoiler On 10/24/2022 at 4:24 AM, Hawkwing said: They’ll either be at each other's throats, or make astute observations about the situation. Or both. Nadan will be all right. Eugen can't lift a sword anymore after the injuries he sustained. ...He will simply sass Nadan to death. Which is, if anything, more scary. On 10/24/2022 at 4:24 AM, Hawkwing said: I’ve never waited to see how it played out, so this is news to me. I’ve skipped the event before, though usually when the other random event is worth giving up the boon, which is rare but does happen sometimes. In my own defense, I think it was like, the second event I ever saw when I started playing. I was confused, I thought something might go wrong if I intervened. Then the guy just died. On 10/24/2022 at 4:24 AM, Hawkwing said: If one of Smith’s missions is anything to go by, being a lawyer is a side-gig for several people in Havaria. Even Smith can improvise being a lawyer if you want to complete the mission that way. I don’t recommend, it but it is an option. I think I may've seen this haha. On 10/24/2022 at 4:24 AM, Hawkwing said: Reaction 1: Appropriate. On 10/24/2022 at 4:24 AM, Hawkwing said: Reaction 2 (Slight gameplay spoilers): You know, looking at it now, I think I know why Sal is in the artwork. It's a POV shot. YOU are the masochist. On 10/24/2022 at 4:24 AM, Hawkwing said: …Standard paperwork should be outlawed? Yes. Screw bureaucracy. On 10/24/2022 at 4:24 AM, Hawkwing said: The game randomly assigns characters. As long as they’re a clerk, they can either give the quest or be the leader. Heck, this is actually pointed out in the dialogue where Rundana says that the roles could be flipped or that he may have been friends with Sal in another run. Oh, huh. I still seem to recall seeing Rudana. Must've been a wild coincidence or something. On 10/24/2022 at 4:24 AM, Hawkwing said: On 10/24/2022 at 4:24 AM, Hawkwing said: I love this woman. She has so much sass in her, she'd make Eugen fall in love with her and ask for her hand in marriage attempt to conscript her into his army. On 10/24/2022 at 4:24 AM, Hawkwing said: Oolo is pretty damn casual talking about the guy who wants her dead. Or that she didn’t blow someone up as efficiently as she should have. That's why she's awesome. On 10/24/2022 at 4:24 AM, Hawkwing said: Essentially Sal right now: Even the hardened survivor Sal cannot resist the charms of a cute pet. On 10/24/2022 at 4:24 AM, Hawkwing said: … …I don’t know what Sal is referring to here… She's... getting a bit carried away now. On 10/24/2022 at 4:24 AM, Hawkwing said: …But I’m stealing that innuendo and using it elsewhere sometime. Hah! Can't blame ya, it's a pretty good one. On 10/24/2022 at 4:24 AM, Hawkwing said: Not that it matters, because Solid Point appears and finishes the negotiation. What a way to end a negotiation lol On 10/24/2022 at 4:24 AM, Hawkwing said: At the cost of 10 shills, you get to double your actions. Not a fan, as it can take more than one action to destroy the argument, and if you play efficiently you’ll have more actions than cards to use them on. I don't think I ever saw that one. I imagine it can be pretty awesome... provided you've the means to destroy it in one hit. On 10/24/2022 at 4:24 AM, Hawkwing said: New costume, new artwork. I really like Nadan’s arm blades. I think they’re cool weapons in general, as I also like Mortal Kombat’s Tarkatans (Baraka) arm blades. The real life equivalent, Katars, are pretty underrated weapons. The blades are so massive, it looks like he's missing his left arm on top of his left cheek. On 10/24/2022 at 4:24 AM, Hawkwing said: Yeah, there are generic characters in this game with randomized names, generic faces, and no descriptions. I understand why they're there, but I'm not a fan of them. At least the Spree generics get a neat mask. I noticed them sometimes. It's always so weird to run into a person without a description. Would've been nice if they gave them random descriptions too, make them look a bit more legitimate. On 10/24/2022 at 4:24 AM, Hawkwing said: Bartenders carry some type of rifle, and they’re surprisingly good with one. Seeing what Fssh's life is like, it's clearly in the job description around these parts. On 10/24/2022 at 4:24 AM, Hawkwing said: I catch the backhand from an interesting angle He's giving Sal a tap on the shoulder. Comforting her. What a nice dude. On 10/24/2022 at 4:24 AM, Hawkwing said: A simple animation, but I like it. The shing sound effect really sells it. Interestingly, Nadan initially started the fight with his arm blades out, and called for back-up when they stopped working. I don’t know why they flipped it around; perhaps he took too much damage the first few rounds? It makes less sense in-universe (why wouldn't he start with them out?) but I feel it probably works better in the gameplay. On 10/24/2022 at 4:24 AM, Hawkwing said: Doing a leap attack that looks kind of silly when not in motion. Looks even sillier because his expression is so intense. He's really feeling this pose. On 10/24/2022 at 4:24 AM, Hawkwing said: We reach Oolo without further interruptions. I like how both you and Nadan made it seem like there'd be trouble on the way back. And then he just cried for a bit and that was it. On 10/24/2022 at 4:24 AM, Hawkwing said: God damn, Oolo! How many digs at Nadan’s face are you going to make? I was half expecting her to tell him to be careful not to let the water spill from the hole. Surprising amount of restraint there, given... you know, everything else. On 10/24/2022 at 4:24 AM, Hawkwing said: This Was Kind Of Dumb On My Part, But At Least I Survived: Imagine defeating Nadan only to die to this rando. Thank goodness it didn't happen. 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Hawkwing Posted October 29, 2022 Author Share Posted October 29, 2022 SAL’s CAMPAIGN FINALE: Sal Fallon, The Bounty Hunter VS Kashio, The Freelancer Replies: Spoiler On 10/25/2022 at 7:29 PM, eclipse said: I went with the upgrade that gave me Menacing Air in my initial hand. Since it's an ability, I want it active sooner than later. I go that path with upgrading Menacing Air when my deck is focused on hostility cards, as then the early dominance is far more useful. Still, it's one of the more balanced upgrade paths in the game. There are several were one choice is Plus, the first turn is usually the least interesting. Still, good to see that this run's off to the finale. Good luck! Thank you! The final fight sure was... intense... On 10/26/2022 at 8:08 AM, Saint Rubenio said: Hide contents Nadan will be all right. Eugen can't lift a sword anymore after the injuries he sustained. ...He will simply sass Nadan to death. Which is, if anything, more scary. I really need to reread the Lets Play sometime. Eugen has so many moments of awesomeness that I've started to loose track of them all. In my own defense, I think it was like, the second event I ever saw when I started playing. I was confused, I thought something might go wrong if I intervened. Then the guy just died. That's understandable. There are still events I'm cautious about my selection because I don't know what the other options will do. I think I may've seen this haha. It's one of the first missions Smith can get. Appropriate. Didn't want to disappoint You know, looking at it now, I think I know why Sal is in the artwork. It's a POV shot. YOU are the masochist. I mean, one of Sal's flourishes is stomping on her opponent... ... Yes. Screw bureaucracy. I agree. I've accepted that it is an unavoidable part of any government and like all systems it will inevitably fail, but I agree. Screw paperwork. Oh, huh. I still seem to recall seeing Rudana. Must've been a wild coincidence or something. I mean, I mentioned that I often had Zex be a part of the mission in the update. There are times I wonder how consistent characters appear for certain events. I love this woman. She has so much sass in her, she'd make Eugen fall in love with her and ask for her hand in marriage attempt to conscript her into his army. It would be a glorious back and forth as they try and trick each other into doing the their bidding. That's why she's awesome. Oolo not only regularly dodges assassination attempts, she does so with style. Even the hardened survivor Sal cannot resist the charms of a cute pet. Considering Sal has the easiest time gaining a pet, and one of her flourishes is calling in a bunch of yotes, Sal is totally an animal person. I would not be surprised if she uses Kashio's Bounty to start a zoo. She's... getting a bit carried away now. I get that animal breeding is a thing, but now is not the time to ask those questions, Sal. Hah! Can't blame ya, it's a pretty good one. I'm using it sometime. I don't know when or where, but I am using it. What a way to end a negotiation lol It's so much fun being able to use several powerful cards in a row. I don't think I ever saw that one. I imagine it can be pretty awesome... provided you've the means to destroy it in one hit. It sounds good on paper. In practice, it tends to be a waste of shills. Especially if you have free cards in your deck and/or a graft that grants an extra action, as you can end up with more actions than cards to use them on. I know I've been encountering that problem throughout the run, but it's not costing me shills to do so. The blades are so massive, it looks like he's missing his left arm on top of his left cheek. It kind of does. I love the look of his arm blades. I think they're cool weapons in general, and I forgot to mention the ones in Republic Commando last time. I noticed them sometimes. It's always so weird to run into a person without a description. Would've been nice if they gave them random descriptions too, make them look a bit more legitimate. That would be great, though a lot of the character descriptions are already pretty random. Granted, the witty and fun kind of random. Seeing what Fssh's life is like, it's clearly in the job description around these parts. I really wish bartenders appeared in combat more often. The only time they appear regularly is in Brawl, and even then that depends on the run. He's giving Sal a tap on the shoulder. Comforting her. What a nice dude. Nadan is reflecting on how differently things could have gone if the vote went the other way and Sal joined the Spree. Before slapping her. It makes less sense in-universe (why wouldn't he start with them out?) but I feel it probably works better in the gameplay. Personally, I like to imagine that he wanted to start the fight with weapons drawn but then his arm blades malfunctioned, so he called in some goons to save face. I don't think a newcomer would get the joke, though. Looks even sillier because his expression is so intense. He's really feeling this pose. Swapping between the two screenshots was a ton of fun. It looked like Nadan was flapping his arms so much he wanted to fly I like how both you and Nadan made it seem like there'd be trouble on the way back. And then he just cried for a bit and that was it. Had to make the interruption seem interesting somehow. I was half expecting her to tell him to be careful not to let the water spill from the hole. Surprising amount of restraint there, given... you know, everything else. Perhaphs Oolo knew that Nadan would then drink a glass without issue just to spite her, so she didn't give him the chance to fire back. Imagine defeating Nadan only to die to this rando. Never had it happen with Nadan, but this situation has happened to me before. It is as disappointingly hilariously anticlimactic as it sounds. Thank goodness it didn't happen. I'm thankful too. Especially considering how close the final fight was this time... Update: Spoiler It’s the final day. The final Doze Bug upgrade. The day Sal’s campaign comes to a close. These questions weren’t here when I first started playing. I’m very glad they were added. It’s nice to get Fssh’s thoughts one last time before entering the final section of the game. Hobby? Does doing something for two to three days count as a hobby? Maybe that’s why Fssh accidently bought contraband. She got so wrapped up making new traps she forgot to read the fine print. Not as bad as losing track. I dearly hope the electric counter was the most lethal trap she made… A little out of nowhere, but this talk of traps makes me want to play Sang-Froid: Tales of Werewolves again. Apparently, it’s the most Canadian game ever made, with lumberjacks fighting werewolves while drinking beer for buffs to an amazing soundtrack (that I had to go a little out of my way to find. Thank goodness for this Steam Post). Think tower defense, except you set traps instead of towers and have to be more proactive in setting them off at the right time. It’s pretty fun. A neutral response that’s fitting for Fssh and Sal no matter who you side with. Not really in this run. Sparky was the only fight that happened here this time, and that’s a mandatory fight. That said, I have had runs where a lot of people died in bars. United not in theme, but in experience. Something like that. I haven’t even left the bar, Fssh. Anyway, changing my outfit one last time. Still not entirely sure how I feel about the color scheme, but the “infiltrator” costume is one of the more distinct outfits Sal has. Interestingly, both Sal and Smith have “tactical” looking costumes that are a little out of place, but they both look cool so I don’t mind. I pet Yeet one last time I take a final look at the Grog n’ Dog for this run And head to the Auction to settle things with Kashio. Fortunately, I didn’t run into any random events. I have had a weird case of an optional mission appearing on the final day, though I wouldn’t be surprised if that was patched out. Weird that the mission didn’t appear at all this time, though. I did enter combat with a Spree Captain after arresting Nadan, which was a risky idea considering how counter happy they are. Seriously, that fight could have easily gone downhill. I’ve lost a handful of runs thanks to them. We’re now part of the security detail! We’ll get to Kashio soon enough, but first we have to do guard duty. Yeah, one of the randomized guard missions you get is having to assassinate a friend of yours. The other appears when someone who hates or dislikes you tries to start a fight, and you have to try and calm them down. Sal has some official authority, and she immediately spends it being an asshole. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, considering the lack of good role models in Havaria. I mean, I bought you a drink once. That’s about the extent of our friendship. Sal doesn’t seem thrilled about losing a drinking buddy. I could provoke him into attacking me right here and now, though that does risk earning a last-second bane, which may or may not be harmful during the final stretch of Sal’s route. Alternatively, I could convince Gnak to come to a secluded spot before stabbing him in the back. Since I forgot to screenshot the other options, warning Gnak would cause him to love me, though it wouldn’t automatically let him in. Doing the final option would make Oolo disappointed and we’d miss out on an extremely useful reward. Of course I go with getting Gnak to a secluded place before sticking a knife in his back. I Definitely Caused One Of My Readers To Pull Their Hair Out This Negotiation With My Cheerful Disregard Of My Opponents Abilities Spoiler Apparently, Known Thug did nothing but remove some composure. Blue collar blood and sweat workers gain composure whenever you gain an argument. My interpretation is that they’re wise to people trying to butter them up, and are incredibly jaded towards any pleasantries. Anyway, I start off upgrading Seeds of Doubt. This may be a longer negotiation, so adding doubt will help end this sooner than later. Fortunately, Doubt doesn’t give Gnak any composure. I Build Rapport so I can use Aplomb. Also, I believe I forgot to mention I really like the picture of Rook. It was one of my ideas as a profile pic before I settled on my current one. Now I remember to screenshot Gnak’s core argument! Debating against workers is one of the few times you’ll have to pay attention to the distinction between arguments and bounties and so on. I defend myself with a card that thankfully doesn’t expend. This won’t do anything, but might as well. Yeet doesn’t break through Gnak’s composure. Meanwhile, Gnak adds an argument and takes damage from Doubt. If you like playing multiple cards in a row, you’ll hate Irritable. Laborers are “done”, so to speak, and lengthy conversations just make them angry. Obviously, I want to take it down quickly. Now we’re going to see the downside of gaining influence frequently. It will constantly activate Defensive. Menacing Air isn’t helping my situation, but at least it activates Irritable at a slower rate. Since this is the final day and I don’t have to worry much about long term negotiations, I for some reason thought it was a better idea to focus on seeing what Promoted Thinking would give me over defending. I go with flustered, since it isn’t an argument and will reduce the amount of damage I take for a while. Sorry you didn’t do much, Yeet. Gnak gains a lot of defense, while Doubt makes him less irritable. As does making a Strong Point, even if it makes him defensive. I start off the turn playing Overbear, which ends up doing nothing but reducing Gnak’s composure. Grisly Trophy will eventually do 8 damage, even if it gives Gnak even more composure. Irritable is combing closer and closer to activating… I see what options Very Convincing provides Another Solid Point And Bluster, which appears in the nick of time! I will be incredibly sad when I can no longer use Bluster. Fortunately, Rook and Smith have their own set of fun and powerful cards. I still have an action left, so I see what Unstable draws. Killer, which thanks to replenish and a graft, means I draw two cards. Boosted Impression does nothing but remove composure. At least doubt will hopefully do damage. I lose dominance that I’ll gain next turn anyway. Another argument is added while Gnak takes 2 damage from doubt. Fortunately for me, workers, well, work, meaning they don’t have the energy for long conversations. It’s free, so might as well. I just know I’m making someone agitated with my blatant disregard for Gnaks ability to gain composure every time I add an argument. Heated does gradually chips away at Bone Tired while doing nothing against his core argument. I lose influence, though fortunately my core remains undamaged. Doubt strikes again The upside about losing all composure for your next turn is that it applies to enemies as well, meaning that his 35 defense means nothing now. Have I drilled it into your brains yet that I love Bluster? So much damage! Fortunately, Solid Point dealt damage before the composure kicked in. I don’t care if the card itself did no damage, the rest of my arguments will do the heavy lifting. Why not? Now we’re getting somewhere! I lose Menacing Air. It was helpful, but I can go the rest of the negotiation without it. I mentioned this earlier, but it's good to remember that Doubt won’t always deal the damage you’d expect. Fatigued kicked in now. Forgot the last time it did so. Anyway, since I can’t defend, I spend this round focused on dealing as much damage as I can. I don’t use Pale Fast Talk, because I don’t know where that 10 damage will go otherwise, and I’d like to keep my Heated arguments. I love Heated. Gnak adds two arguments and destroys my influence. Suspicion makes diplomatic cards deal -2 damage, which for your starting cards usually mean they can only do a maximum of 1 damage. This is why I said at the start that workers are incredibly jaded towards people being diplomatic, as they probably just see it as kind words hiding how someone wants them to do unsavory work. Bone Tired appeared again, and will be targeted by a single heated argument. Good enough for me. In case things don’t go to plan, I attack the core argument for minimal damage. I defend a Heated argument twice. Could have been thrice, but I don’t have any influence. With that, I win the negotiation. A little late to be useful, but I might as well. Ergo is the new card here, and the flavor text is the definition. It’s situational, and I haven’t personally bothered, but I can see its uses. Since the game is almost over, I skip. Partly to mess with the game so hopefully I can get 10 shills next time Bulldoze or Bluster appear. I’m going to assume you mean that you don’t want to be shanked and robbed for what you’re bringing to the auction. This isn’t about legality, Gnak I want to stay on Oolo’s good side, one last time. I almost put this fight in a spoiler, but it’s so short I don’t see the point. I start off showing what Fighting Dirty can give me I don’t need extra cards, so I pick Boosted Slash Before doing that, I gain Bloodbath for no other reason than it was cheap to play. I defend and attack Yeet prevents me from taking damage. I once again catch funny poses of people jumping. Laborers are tired and become stunned if they’re hit often enough. I decide to speed that process up Wow, I upgrade Sal’s Daggers in the penultimate fight. I normally upgrade that card way earlier in the run. Fights over Sad to lose a drinking buddy, but I can always find another. Worker’s Gloves typically fall into the “I’ll save it for later” trap for me, but not this time. Eh… I’ll take the extra damage. I don’t want piercing to be rendered useless just because the enemy didn’t defend that turn. With Sal’s Daggers, you have the choice between focusing on bleed or combo. I typically choose bleed, but Sal’s Combo Daggers are still useful if you have some combo cards. Into the Night: As long as you have any discard cards, this ability is worthwhile. A single point of defense can go a surprisingly long way. Muscle Memory: Have I ever used this card before? Anyway, another improvisation card that I keep forgetting exists. I can see why it costs 2 actions, though. Backstab: Nice if you have a few improvisation cards. Otherwise, there are better sources of damage. It may never come into play, but I’ll take the chance to gain any defense. I’ve killed 13 people this run, and who knows how many in the past. Sal is unfortunately unfazed by death by now. I can ask a few questions before thanking Oolo and heading off to the auction. Asking about the annex was added later. Hope you’re paying attention, because this affects gameplay. Always smart to have a back-up plan. Especially in a roguelike. Sal takes offense, but is (probably) understanding. Another comment that will affect gameplay soon. …This is uncomfortably close to how most of my discussions with politics go. I don’t drink. I do want to make a Molotov Cocktail sometime, though. Much as I love how Sal and Oolo bounce off each other, I vastly prefer how the scene of Sal thanking Nadan one last time plays out. It wouldn’t feel out of place as the ending to a western. The theme for the auction. A lot of people are here. I just bought you a drink yesterday, Heleet. You’re oddly friendly today. I hand over my requisition chip to get a free item. Quite a few choices… I’m at full health already, so I don’t need this. Of course the only graft that grants you an action without any drawbacks is only available for the final boss. What are Rook’s pistols doing here? A James Bond invention made its way into the auction. I suppose Q had to pay the bills somehow. A “play the next card twice” card that costs zero actions? Of course something this good could only exist near the end of the game. Trust me, I’ll be needing all the actions I can get when fighting Kashio. After this, I decide to try and nab another item at the auction. You do have the choice of hanging back and waiting for Kashio to appear. As much as I love the dialogue when you do so, I have enough resolve at the moment that I want to try to get another item. This is the only time Hundruthor appears in the entire game. Havaria is the kind of place where this simple courtesy has to be spelled out. To Defeat, The Huns! Sorry, I couldn’t resist. A damn fitting description for an Auctioneer. The final negotiation of the game, and pretty unique one at that Sal will fast talk and threaten people into letting her have one of the items without having to actually pay for it first. This Negotiation Is Unique, But It Drags On For A While Spoiler Several of our friends pitch in for the final negotiation of the run. We get a unique card that is only useable in this single situation. We get composure every turn thanks to Oolo’s boon, and I forgot why Hundruthor took 3 damage. If haven't noticed already, the guy doesn’t have any resolve for his Core Argument. That’s because the rest of the items are on offer, and any one we destroy, we get. Of course, there are rival bidders that try to damage these arguments or even yours. Since it’s free to play, I see what Promoted Thinking will grant me. I choose the only one that deals damage Since bidding costs money and I don’t care for getting Sage Conversion, I nab some extra shills. Then I do it again. I don’t really have much else to target, as bidders will just reappear when destroyed. Now to show off the unique bidding cards . Appraisal: Doubles the damage a bidder will do. Risky, but considering how much resolve the items have, it can save a you a lot of time. In-universe, I suppose you’re paying 100 shills to say that one of the random bidders is worth (hah) Hundruthors time. Grade: Steals the composure off of an argument and gives it to you. Considering how much composure the item bounties can have, it can be worth the 100 shills to remove the hassle of breaking through it. Hammer Price: If I had 50 more shills, I could buy something outright and end the negotiation then and there. Alas, I am 49 shills off. I ended up going with Grade, so I don’t have to deal with breaking through the composure all the time. I’ll be saving it for later. Yeet tries to bid, I suppose The bidders bid and increase their damage. Told you the items would be given a lot of composure. Lili, and by extension merchants, provide the Hush Money card. This allows you to prevent the enemy from taking a random action. Note that is doesn’t affect arguments. Might as well Especially since I plan on spending some influence to attack everything. Next I see what Unstable will give me. I don’t know how effective Doubt will be in this negotiation, but I’m not complaining. Sal’s flourish is now available. Since I can’t break through the other items' composure this turn, I focus on getting rid of the graft I don’t need. Yeet growls at one of the bidders The bidders do their bidding Composure is added once again And Lili gives me more Hush Money Since it’s free and there are times I’ll be targeting the bidders, I play Stone Bulldoze. I also add a Grisly Trophy because I can, which must be really strange in the context of an auction, but Yeet helping me bid is already a little odd, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Since I have two hostile cards, I decide to play Rage And I pick the cheapest card available I realize I haven’t even looked at what the other item is. Turns out to be Suitcase Grenades, which are a solid option. I get rid of the composure with Bluster. I add to that damage with Tall Anger Realize that in hindsight I should have seen what Bid would have offered I realize I can’t do anything, and end my turn. Yeet tries to bid on an item I don’t want. Again. The bidders keep bidding I have no idea how Doubt works in this context, but I won’t complain I make a Strong Point against one of the bidders, one of whom wants me out of the conversation. I hope I do enough damage this turn to get the Suitcase Grenades Maybe What will Very Convincing give me? A card that won’t deal enough damage to destroy the bounty! What will Unstable draw? An argument that won’t directly deal damage! Will Agitation do the trick? Eeeeeehhh??? No I almost do this Before settling on Boosted Doubt. In hindsight, I should have defended. Too little, too late, Yeet. Everyone notices that Sal is starting to get agitated. Well, I can live without those Suitcase Grenades OW Being a Known Thug somehow helps me out in an auction I see what Bid gives me, and the only thing I can afford is Appraisal. Eh, it’s free Observation will do the most damage I think I played this just because I could, honestly. I don’t know what my plan was, here, exactly. I think I just wanted Sage Conversion to go down so that another item would appear. I really should have focused my attention on the other bidders, but hindsight is 20/20 Yeet had the right idea here More Heated shenanigans Sage Conversion is taken What the fuck? The bidder attacked me! Strong Point appears twice, as does Bid I give a late good impression to one of the bidders, convincing them to back off. Heated scared off a different bidder, and I realize that someone scared off Yeet. Speaking of Heated, I’m starting to lose track of the damage it’s dealing. Heated and dominance take damage, though thankfully they aren’t destroyed. Never mind. Considering how powerful some of my combat cards are, a lucky draw with Hologram Projection Belt could go a long way. I just want this negotiation to be over already, but first I defend Then I use Appeal to Reason because it’s free Similar case with Overbear. I see if I can do anything with Bid Bait and Switch: Extremely helpful when you don’t want an argument taking damage that turn. Lean: I’ll need to double check, but this might be the only card artwork that features Kashio. It’s essentially an attack card you pay 50 shills to use. Debatable, but this the cheapest bidding card at a point of the game where money doesn’t really matter. Also, I just want to give huge kudos to the artists for putting this much effort into card artwork that will only appear in this specific, skippable event. I really haven’t been praising the artwork as much as I should, which I know I’ve said before, but I really mean it. I love Griftlands presentation. Might as well use some of my shills for once I once again attack everything Apparently, Flattery convinced someone to let me have the belt. Hopefully. If you can tell what’s happening in these screenshots, then congratulations! You’re paying better attention than I am. I finish off by adding doubt because it’s the only thing I can do Heated burns the bidders I lose dominance And only have 6 resolve left. The belt is close to being claimed! Fuck! 17 composure! And the doubt doesn’t target it! I play Bid to see if it can help me at all It can! That 17 defense is mine! As is that belt! Finally! This damn auction took more time to complete than the final boss! Thank you! I mean, I did make that much of a ruckus. Reading through the negotiation when finalizing the update was a trip to visualize. Enjoy Kashio’s theme one last time. …Makes sense considering the craziness of bidding… …A lot of sense… Final boss time! I prefer, “Let’s dance, Ik-Derrick!” Don’t know why they changed that. Funny screenshot thanks to forgiveness. Oolo can come in and help out 3 times. A reminder that Shrokes gain defense every time they take damage. Yeet will still take damage, but fortunately she won’t be the target. Yeah, any items you don’t nab, Kashio will use, and they give her a unique attack or ability. I hate the Sonic Pistol the most for giving her 8 counter every turn. I see Kashio stole those Suitcase grenades, and will use them against us at the end of every turn. Sage conversion just gives her more health. By the way, Sal’s boss music, one last time. Though I listened to Metal Gear Rising: Revengence’s soundtrack while writing this section, and I have to say, it was shockingly fitting. I see what bonus Fighting Dirty will give me. Hell yeah I’ll take the power! May as well use the dagger now. No point in saving it for later at this point. I am thankful Kashio doesn’t start the fight with counter. I stab her, and don’t have a reason to expend Kra’Deshi Feint because I haven’t taken damage yet. Thanks for the defense, Yeet! Kashio’s jump animation doesn’t look silly Unfortunately, it hits hard. Using a mace like a baseball bat seems difficult. Unfortunately, Kashio is good with it. I sometimes forget that her main weapon is a mace. I’m used to her using a spear that didn’t appear as an option this time. I’ll take the temporary power, thank you. I’d like to take less damage, thank you. I miss it here, but I do take damage from counter. Time to add bleed to the mix. Ow. Seems like Kashio likes to spin the pistol around. I protect myself, and decide not to use Rooted Stab. I don’t want to take more damage than I need to from counter. Bad idea, Yeet! Please stay alive, Yeet. Kashio takes damage from bleed While Kashio cracks something. Another Suitcase grenade. Oh hell yes! I’ll crush her twice! Fuck yeah! The more damage Kashio takes, the better! Keeping the wound train going! Why not add even more bleed to the mix?! Not a bad idea, Yeet! Kashio doesn’t do anything but bleed, though I worry about that counter… Your sacrifice will not be in vain, Gnak! Kashio has a boatload of health, and so the more damage I deal, the better! Nice! 32 damage, and I got a screenshot of the Shroog Fang! Kashio isn’t so happy about that. I’ll take 16 damage, but any wound will help! I active my flourish, and decide to stun Kashio again! Yeet will live to fight another day. Holy shit, my heart is pumping just remembering this fight. I use Sal’s Bloody Daggers for the first and last time I’ll take the card that deals damage, thank you. I finish off this turn with an elbow. Thank you, Yeet! I call in Oolo for help! Oolo has a weird weapon, but I can’t complain about its efficiency. Hell yeah, I’ll take the surrender. Phew. Despite how surprisingly fast the fight tends, I still consider Kashio to be the most difficult boss in the entire game. She does not mess around, and you have to be just as vicious to keep up. I suppose it makes sense that the two characters that have the biggest reasons to hate each other also have the more brutal fight in Griftlands. Behold, one of the best exchanges in the entire game. Seriously, I convinced @Saint Rubenio to buy Griftlands after I showed him this specific dialogue. The final exchange differs depending on if Kashio is alive or dead. They’re all really interesting. Unfortunately, I took those screenshots on the Switch, and forgot to do so on my current computer, so I can’t show them off. The music from the beginning appears at the end. This slide differs depending on if you took Kashio in alive or dead. Obviously, this slide depends on who you sided with. Took a month to complete (though to be fair, I visiting family did delay some updates), but I beat the game in 4 hours. I engaged in 18 fights, killed 13 people, persuaded 16 people, installed 6 grafts, and had 3 people love me by the end. I’ll take a short break, but Rook is coming up next. ***** I know that this Let’s Play is far from over, but I just want to say it right now: Thank You for Reading. The idea of doing a Let’s Play of this game has been bouncing around in my head for over a year now, and I’m grateful to finally see it come to fruition. I’m also thankful that the two things I was worried I would struggle with before I started, getting screenshots and finding things to say, instead ended up being the two things that came the most naturally. Most importantly, I had fun making this. I don’t care if this is only seen by 5 people or 100, I had fun playing the game, commenting on what happened, providing tips and tricks, replying to people, taking and arranging screenshots, and overall bringing more attention to a game I love. Sure, there are some things I would do differently. I wish I learned a few behind the scenes tricks earlier to save myself some time, and I do wish that I brought more attention to the artwork and flavor text. However, even the mistakes I realize I made after posting an update and reading it, I laugh at. Besides, I have two more characters to go through, each with their own strengths and hurdles. Once again, thank you for reading, and we’ll continue the journey soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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