Outwitting, Outfighting, and Backstabbing Everyone! Hawkwing Plays The Sci-Fi Roguelike Deckbuilder Griftlands

[eclipse]

Fights usually don't dump everything on you for the first two turns, so I think working around Faulty Armor shouldn't be too bad.

[Saint Rubenio]

Spoiler

 On 1/7/2023 at 10:00 AM, Hawkwing said:

Weird to think Engage is coming out in less than two weeks. I still have no idea whether I'll go in blind or wait until we get more reviews and word of mouth.

Personally, I was rather on the fence, but at this point I think I'm going to bite again and get it on release. The loads of preview footage we've gotten have done the trick to assuage some of my greater worries. Then again, story and characters were never two of those, so my case is different from others.

On 1/7/2023 at 10:00 AM, Hawkwing said:

I'd say you've been doing a good job spreading the word about the game. You're the Patron Saint of Berwick Saga, after all. Never mind that you had the username years before the game was translated.

You know, it's funny you mention the username, seeing how it originated in Team Fortress 2... A game where I literally made a "play Berwick Saga" sign. I straight up murder people with a Berwick advertisement.

One of my better ideas, if I do say so myself.

On 1/7/2023 at 10:00 AM, Hawkwing said:

Oh wow, that HD Wario Land. That's amazing.

On 1/7/2023 at 10:00 AM, Hawkwing said:

If you haven't already played this game, do so. The Henry Stickmin Collection is legitimately one of the funniest games I've ever played.

I can recommend them as well, it's fucking great.

On 1/7/2023 at 10:00 AM, Hawkwing said:

Bagman

I really wish I knew what I was going to say there.

But sure. Bagman.

Quote

... I really need to reread the Kagasaga Let's Plays. There were so many running gags and storylines and it feels like I forgot half of them.

I really went crazy with those two. I feel you can kinda tell in Sun God's Wrath that I was getting a bit tired of it, but I think I peaked with those two.

On 1/7/2023 at 10:00 AM, Hawkwing said:

Spain is in a weird position in Sid Meier's Pirates. They have the strongest military in the game, as well as the most territory in several of the starting eras, and are generally wealthy... which in practice means that they're overextended with cracks in their defense, so their treasure fleets are a prime target for pirates, which is the entire point of the game. Oh, and you can capture those powerful warships and use them yourself if you can pull it off. There are some eras where their fleet strength is a serious threat and they're better fortified, but on the flip side it means that if a nation is at war with Spain, you'll have plenty of targets.

Ah, so we're undone by hubris. Like the real Spain!

On 1/7/2023 at 10:00 AM, Hawkwing said:

As impressive as the technology and science would be to make human feces edible (they contain a ton of bacteria and, well, waste, and despite the memes drinking pee is generally not a good idea in a survival situation) I doubt anybody would willingly eat it. If anything, it would cause an uproar that we're resorting to feeding people literal shit to solve hunger problems. Which explains why the Rise are a thing.

All in all it makes a disturbing amount of sense, doesn't it...

On 1/7/2023 at 10:00 AM, Hawkwing said:

I found only a single picture of a viking with a monocle. The beard was not as impressive as Imiko's.

Aww. Show anyway?

On 1/7/2023 at 10:00 AM, Hawkwing said:

I can neither confirm nor deny that Del is aware of the fourth wall. Which still makes it a good idea to discuss the plan elsewhere.

Then again... This is Del we're talking about, that may not be enough...

Oh God is he behind me right now--

On 1/7/2023 at 10:00 AM, Hawkwing said:

I thankfully have pictures of Fellemo firing a gun. Rest assured he adds to the funny face pile.

Hah! Look forward to those!

On 1/7/2023 at 10:00 AM, Hawkwing said:

Yep, Sal’s mother was the ringleader of a previous revolt.

Oh God, I had missed that. That's interesting...

On 1/7/2023 at 10:00 AM, Hawkwing said:

Ah, but little did you expect, Felly, your old pal is playing 6D chess. He's everyone's ally and secret enemy, at the same time!

On 1/7/2023 at 10:00 AM, Hawkwing said:

Plot twist: He didn't actually wink. His eye light just malfunctioned for a moment.

On 1/7/2023 at 10:00 AM, Hawkwing said:

As many jokes that could be made with “beat up Veerin to establish your dominance”, I don’t even entertain the idea and talk to him instead.

Yeah, imagine the other Rise walk in on you beating the shit out of their guard. I don't think they'll accept "I was just establishing dominance" as an explanation.

On 1/7/2023 at 10:00 AM, Hawkwing said:

I like the massive grin. It's no :v face, but it's good for a generic man.

On 1/7/2023 at 10:00 AM, Hawkwing said:

Flekfis is Kalandra’s second in command, and has his own theme. It reminds me of a western standoff, and implies that he’s not someone to mess with.

What's with these bodyguards and having the most threatening themes in the game, seriously...

On 1/7/2023 at 10:00 AM, Hawkwing said:

This is a little random, but you may have noticed that Flekfis is extremely hairy. That is because he canonically has the thickest fur of all the Jarackles. He is literally a fluffy boi.

…Which is weird to say considering Flekfis is one of the older characters in the game.

Well, of cousre. Had plenty of time to grow all that fluff.

I just like that he's sporting a big doggo mustache. I've said it before and I'll probably say it another couple times before all's said and done: I love the alien staches in this game. They're a wonderful little design choice.

On 1/7/2023 at 10:00 AM, Hawkwing said:

When I first saw Wade, I wondered why she was the only Shroke with hair, and why it’s green. Then I realized it was part of her helmet.

Doesn’t stop me from headcanoning that she’s secretly an anime fan and would totally have a crazy colored hairdo if given the chance.

That's 100% weeabo hair. She watches anime, guaranteed. Probably rom-coms, too.

On 1/7/2023 at 10:00 AM, Hawkwing said:

I run into yet another Rise Pamphleteer.

I like this one. Her eyes are really flat and it makes her head look like a pancake.

On 1/7/2023 at 10:00 AM, Hawkwing said:

Malo worked with the system until it turned against him. Making him one of the more grounded Rise members.

HAHAHAHAHA HIS NAME IS LITERALLY BAD IN SPANISH

HE'S BAD

Oh how I love when this happens. Random Spanish words used as names is the best.

On 1/7/2023 at 10:00 AM, Hawkwing said:

It was already apparent, but it seems they don’t have Asimov's laws of robotics in Havaria.

I mean, isn't this already how technology rolls in real life, Asimov or no Asimov?

On 1/7/2023 at 10:00 AM, Hawkwing said:

At least Malo attacked.

Of course he did. He's bad.

On 1/7/2023 at 10:00 AM, Hawkwing said:

I decide to kill the survivors myself to gain a friend.

Ahh, war crimes. Truly the bonding experience.

On 1/7/2023 at 10:00 AM, Hawkwing said:

I gained a friend and an enemy.

Who cares about Lopli, you now have the power of Bad on your side! By Del, that's great.

On 1/7/2023 at 10:00 AM, Hawkwing said:

With that, all that’s left is the boss fight. After that, we’ll be seeing what else can happen during Rook’s second day.

I wonder who we'll be beset by this time around.

 

[Hawkwing]

ROOK DAY 1 BOSS FIGHT: Rook Rescues a Friend, Resists Arrest, and Wrestles With The Past

Replies:

Spoiler

On 1/10/2023 at 2:02 AM, eclipse said:

Fights usually don't dump everything on you for the first two turns, so I think working around Faulty Armor shouldn't be too bad.

Yes and no. It's not the worst bane to deal with, but as we'll see, it can still be a pain in the butt.

 

On 1/10/2023 at 4:29 PM, Saint Rubenio said:

  Hide contents

Personally, I was rather on the fence, but at this point I think I'm going to bite again and get it on release. The loads of preview footage we've gotten have done the trick to assuage some of my greater worries. Then again, story and characters were never two of those, so my case is different from others.

After seeing more previews and giving it some thought, it's not going to be a Day 1 purchase for me. I'd like to see some word of mouth regarding the story and characters first, as I wasn't sold on what was revealed through twitter and I know the reviewers were limited in what they could reveal. Looking back, knowing ahead of time that Fates story wasn't good while the gameplay was great helped me set my expectations accordingly, and I feel it personally helped the experience when I dove into the games myself. I still plan on getting Engage sooner than later, as the gameplay looks incredibly fun, and that's the reason I play Fire Emblem in the first place; I just want to know a little more of what I'm getting into on the writing side of things before diving in.

You know, it's funny you mention the username, seeing how it originated in Team Fortress 2... A game where I literally made a "play Berwick Saga" sign. I straight up murder people with a Berwick advertisement.

One of my better ideas, if I do say so myself.

Yeah, I remember that video. Kind of surprised TF2 allows it, though I suspect it's only for certain servers and what not. I forget where I learned it from, but I do recall how some spies used images to get easy kills.

Oh wow, that HD Wario Land. That's amazing.

He apparently does these both for art practice and to help with gameplay ideas.

I can recommend them as well, it's fucking great.

I consider it thee go-to example for how to do reference humor. The joke works first, and the reference adds to it. And there are a ton of jokes that land.

I really wish I knew what I was going to say there.

As do I

But sure. Bagman.

Bagman

I really went crazy with those two. I feel you can kinda tell in Sun God's Wrath that I was getting a bit tired of it, but I think I peaked with those two.

I really need to sit down and read through them again. I haven't gotten to the Sun God's Wrath, and like I said there was a lot of story to keep track of with the Kaga games.

Ah, so we're undone by hubris. Like the real Spain!

Reminds me of Overly Sarcastic Productions video about El Dorado, where Conquistadors literally found a civilization that had so much gold they regularly threw it into a lake, and though "Naw, that's too little! There has to be an entire city of gold that these people are getting it from!" And proceed to die in the jungle as they search for a city that never existed. For several centuries. And that's just the tip of the iceberg for the oddly karmatic consequences in the story.

All in all it makes a disturbing amount of sense, doesn't it...

I don't know if there's an official term for it, but I would say "Cartoonily Grounded" is a good description of the Spark Barons. Yeah, workers being fed reprocessed shit or being torn apart by feral robot dogs on their way to work is on the fantastical side, but companies skimping on feeding or protecting their workforce to save a few bucks is unfortunately not unheard of. Where the Spark Barons are incompetent, it can be funny but also concerning because of how their actions are not that far fetched.

While the Rise are still my favorite faction in terms of story, there is a surprising amount to dissect with the Spark barons.

Aww. Show anyway?

Sure:

Then again... This is Del we're talking about, that may not be enough...

Oh God is he behind me right now--

I don't know how Del suddenly became a running gag, but I'll roll with it.

Hah! Look forward to those!

We'll see how things go when the big choice comes around.

Oh God, I had missed that. That's interesting...

They did expand upon this aspect when they were rebalancing Sal's campaign, but it was always there to some degree.

Ah, but little did you expect, Felly, your old pal is playing 6D chess. He's everyone's ally and secret enemy, at the same time!

I am still impressed with the amount of backstabbing the game lets you get away with.

Plot twist: He didn't actually wink. His eye light just malfunctioned for a moment.

Yeah, imagine the other Rise walk in on you beating the shit out of their guard. I don't think they'll accept "I was just establishing dominance" as an explanation.

While the Rise aren't hesitant to use violence to achieve their goals, I doubt a faction that aims to give workers more rights is interested in "might makes right" philosophies.

I like the massive grin. It's no :v face, but it's good for a generic man.

Add it to the pile of funny faces. At this point, I'm wondering how much competition Smith's route will have...

What's with these bodyguards and having the most threatening themes in the game, seriously...

They have threatening themes because they're actually competent at their jobs and have brains in their skulls.

Well, of cousre. Had plenty of time to grow all that fluff.

...I just realized I never really thought about how Jarackles treat their fur. Like, I know cats clean it themselves and cough up hairballs, but how do other animals take card of their fur? Eh, I'll go through the research rabbit hole later. I have to finish this first.

I just like that he's sporting a big doggo mustache. I've said it before and I'll probably say it another couple times before all's said and done: I love the alien staches in this game. They're a wonderful little design choice.

There will be a fashion show showing off all the alien beards before the Let's PLay is over, mark my words, and possibly a ranking, if I can find a way to make that work. 

That's 100% weeabo hair. She watches anime, guaranteed. Probably rom-coms, too.

Well, she is a Rise Rebel, and they regain morale every time they do damage. Wade is totally shouting anime nonsense whenever she attacks.

I like this one. Her eyes are really flat and it makes her head look like a pancake.

You're probably not far off, considering how flat Smith's head is at certain angles.

HAHAHAHAHA HIS NAME IS LITERALLY BAD IN SPANISH

HE'S BAD

Oh how I love when this happens. Random Spanish words used as names is the best.

Well, he was a former foreman. Maybe it was intentional?

I mean, isn't this already how technology rolls in real life, Asimov or no Asimov?

Not yet in robotics. They still have some kind of human overseer. Though I wonder if we'll live to see the light of day where automated combat robots become a thing.

Of course he did. He's bad.

I wonder how much mileage you're going to get out of this joke.

Ahh, war crimes. Truly the bonding experience.

Freindship makes good men better and bad men worse.

Who cares about Lopli, you now have the power of Bad on your side! By Del, that's great.

To bad the bad man doesn't like me enough to get the boon, while I have to deal with a bad bane.

I wonder who we'll be beset by this time around.

You'll see...

 

 

Update:

Spoiler

Another Random event appears after meeting with Kalandra. I can run into Krog again.

Or I could deepen my friendship with Malo!

Friendship is one of the secrets of the Bog, after all!

Sadly, Yacka’s does not have unique voice lines for yodeling. At least her goggles are cool.

I could engage in a yodel duel…

But I’d like to get some more combat experience before the boss fight.

Putting the fight in a spoiler because the boss fight took up enough room as is:

Spoiler

 

Since I have two attack cards and Ammo Pouch needs a spare charge to be useful, I start the turn focused on gaining concentration.

Now Hair Trigger and Blast will deal full damage.

Like so.

It’s quick, but Promoted Dockhands do a neat trick with their blunderbuss where they eject the cartridge then catch it again by flipping their gun.

Less neat is I have to deal with 2 Evasion.

Faulty Armor may not be immediately debilitating, but man can it make trying to block damage not fun.

Since I can’t get through Yacka’s Evasion this turn, Rook angrily Kicks a Spark Mine.

Trick shots seems to be the name of the game for Promoted Dockhands. At least I’m being injured in style.

Though I could have gone without the Wound and Exposed combo.

Yodeling Yacka still has Evasion left, so I attack with my weakest card.

I finish the turn with a solid Kick

Yacka performs the same trick.

Of course I gain the Faulty Armor bane when my next opponent repeatedly adds Exposed…

Since I can’t damage Yacka this turn, I once again target the Spark Mine. First with Blast to upgrade the card.

Then with Hair Trigger to spend a charge and gain slightly more defense.

Second verse, same as the first.

Sigh

I regain a little more concentration with Posture

And Kick the Spark Mine again because Yacka would otherwise dodge.

At least this time Yacka decided to just shoot me.

Though I could go without the wound.

Rook is now fatigued. Which is unfortunate, as once I play Crank…

I’ll be fully charged enough to hit everything with Gallery…

And blow up the mine with Blast!

As a bonus, I finish the turn by reaching Rook’s Flourish!

Sure, I still take damage

But with some good old Posture…

…Which grants me Concentration…

I can guarantee the fight will end this round!

I don’t see a reason to get on the Jakes bad side right now, so I let her yodel another day.

There are more situations where Burn will be handy compared to remaining Fully Charged.

Situational, but I’ll take it over outright destroying the card.

Kickochet is an amazing pun, and Ricochet is more useful than drawing a card when playing Kick already takes 2 actions.

Focused Strike: Really handy if you tend to keep your guns empty, and the damage is respectable, though not outstanding.

Sear: Any amount of burn is nice, and the card is thankfully affected by power and concentration.

While I never focused on Burn, it’s still nice to be able to apply the debuff.

 

Allies tend to surrender when the fight has already gone downhill. That said, Morale Boost can still be handy during longer fights when surrendered allies are able to rejoin combat, so it’s a nice boon to have just in case.

Before confronting the boss, I go to the Last Stand for some drinks and food.

I meet Pluk.

As well as Garet, whose steely gaze is hidden behind some sleek sunglasses.

Give me some food, Hebbel. Hopefully the kind not made from shit.

Being a laborer, I’ll probably run into Pluk again. I order some drinks…

And gain Slurred Speech and Tipsy.

Heavy Lifting is a solid Boon. Doesn’t help out in longer fights, but I’ve gotten a surprising amount of use by hitting hard on the first turn.

I’m ready to face Rook’s past.

Though I still run into a random event.

I’ve seen more ironic, but Brash’s name is still fun.

That’s a fair amount of cash. What is she hiding?

Respect The ‘Stache

Too bad, I’ll waste your time by asking what’s in the package.

Sure, it’s easy money.

I could enter an uneven fight.

Convince Quarryn that Rook’s ‘Stach is respectable and can’t be ruined.

Or sell brash out in an uneven deal.

Since the odds are in my favor I resist arrest.

This is a Quick Fight:

Spoiler

 

May as well use the flourish now. It’s not like it’s going to do anything if I save it for later.

I generally use Guns Blazing against single opponents. It’s not as immediately damaging as Sal’s Hemomancy card, but it can last longer if you have ways to apply Scorched.

After setting Quarryn on fire, I play Posture to gain both defense and more reliable damage.

And since I’m not satisfied with 12 Burn, I turn up the heat.

Now for a final bit of defense, I spend my only charge.

Despite not being attacked, Brash Slips away. I can only hope the Spark Baron will target her next turn so her ability doesn’t go to waste.

I take 1 damage thanks to Faulty Armor still applying to my empty cells. I also gain Static Shock, which makes me hope I won’t randomly discard Gallery from playing Hair Trigger.

I thankfully discard a defensive card instead on a turn where I’m not being attacked.

Predictably, I play the only other attack card in my hand.

I give the remaining Hunker Down card some much needed experience.

Thanks to burn and the combined assault, the fight is over before I know it.

Because it was so easy, I get rid of Bloated.

Which unfortunately discards Blast before I can upgrade it. Darn.

Eh, I gain experience on Crank instead. Brash will shiv Quarryn anyway.

Well, knee cap him, but he’ll surender anyway.

I think Brash will appreciate me killing the Spark Baron that is suspicious of her.

Brutal, yet pragmatic.

Annoying as the 5 damage is, being able to Stun on demand needs to have some kind of drawback. I typically don’t use these until the boss fights, but I suppose it’s not too bad to have the item in my deck just in case.

Quick Fire: This is pretty much Hair Trigger, but you don’t start with the card in your deck.

Take Aim: Mark can be useful if you’re running a deck that benefits from constantly gaining charge. I’ve already said my thoughts on “Draw a card” cards and the same applies here.

Blinders: If I benefit from gaining charge frequently, this is a good ability. It’s situational otherwise.

I could go with another attack card that spends charge.

 

I suppose people would get that impression from killing someone over a box.

Nice! Cheaper drinks and I can access the Black Market without hurdles!

Though I could give up the Boon to keep the mysterious package

Or sacrifice the Boon for 50 shills

But I can see more uses for Bargaining than a random item card or some shills.

I barely took a scratch in the last encounter, so I approach the boss without fear.

…Huh? We get Fralx again?

This is weird. The game never repeated the exact same boss fight in a row for the randomized fights. I suppose my death in the last run caused something to go awry?

Well, I did say I wanted a second attempt to get the guy’s animations…

But first, I traumatize him

Snails deals 1 damage to Fralx’s core argument

Since Dogged is Prepared this turn, I use it.

It only dealt two damage. Doesn’t matter which card I prepare right now.

Gab activates, and I gamble twice. The first flip lands on Snails…

The second on Heads.

I give experience to a Pleasantries card.

And finish off with the strongest one in my hand. Afterwards, I remember the extra damage would be turned into composure during this boss negotiation.

I take 2 damage

I miss it, but I drew Spotty this turn, so I have 4 actions to work with.

Since I really don’t want to deal with protecting several Moment of Weakness bounties, I guard it heavily.

I gamble to see if the coin will land on Snails.

Fortunately, it does

I attack with Grumble

And since I have an action left, I Gamble with Roughneck, which ends up landing on Heads.

My composure holds

May as well see what Unstable will play this time.

Slurred Speech. It was going to be destroyed anyway after this negotiation, but I suppose I’m glad it’s no longer clogging up my deck.

I protect Moment of Weakness as best I can right now.

And gamble to see which card to play next.

It’s Heads. I’ll take the extra defense.

Since Burn won’t target every argument, I instead attack twice randomly with Agency.

It won’t destroy Fear this turn, but it’ll be vulnerable next time.

Sigh. At least I entered this negotiation with full Resolve, so I can afford to take a few hits.

I instinctively use Blacklist, though I learned my lesson last time and target Fralx’s core argument first before getting rid of Fear.

I gamble again.

And land on Heads

I destroy Fear with Mirrored Grumble, as the second attack will be seperate from the first, bypassing the composure.

Though Rook decides to grumble about another Fear instead of targeting the core argument.

I’m still in the conversation, but I’m starting to take more consistent damage.

I defend the Moment of Weakness bounty that is targeted the most.

I’m satisfied with 2 Defect. I target Fralx’s core argument with my final action.

I defended enough damage to activate Rook’s Flourish. Unless something seriously goes wrong, I’m close enough to winning that I’ll save it for next time.

Especially when I have a hand that can deal enough damage to end the negotiation right now!

Negotiation won! All that’s left is the fight.

As much as I hate destroy cards, they at least make the decision making process easy.

Yes! More Boosted Rationale!

Snail in the Pocket: Meh. I can see the uses, but it’s not enough to nab it for myself.

Weight: I can see this being beneficial if you have reliable ways of gaining influence. Unfortunately, those runs aren’t common.

I skip this round

A reminder that Rook is not a good guy.

Since I only get two chances to make the most out of Defect, I gain some concentration first.

Of all the cards in my hand, Kickochet will deal the most damage.

Charged Blast is the second strongest card in my hand.

Overall, I’d say turn 1 went better than the last time I fought Fraxl.

Enjoy the different angles of Fraxls animations. I did a better job catching them compared to last time.

Concentration helps, but Lumin Daze is still annoying. I get rid of my only charge with Quick Fire.

Which does 6 damage

I defend the rest of the turn.

Fralx shoots me twice, and a Loot Cluster appears to distract me.

Unsurprisingly, I am successfully distracted.

Even if it does low damage, at least the burn can do a little more.

I know I just said “low damage”, but come on! Couldn’t you do more than 1?

Fralx breaks every gun safety rule and ironically gains 10 defense.

Doesn’t matter. I wasn’t planning on attacking him anyway.

I start off with defense.

And since I don’t want to waste my Shock Core but could potentially get more out of Gallery, I see what I can do with Ammo Pouch.

Since I plan on attacking the Loot Cluster with one attack card left, I’d say Burn would help destroy it faster than Wound.

Gallery doesn’t destroy the Loot Cluster.

But the Burn does.

I know firing two guns simultaneously is more accurate than firing one at a time, and that holding a pistol sideways while shooting is an actual technique, but Fralx’s pose here doesn’t strike me as particularly beneficial.

Anyway, I block the damage, but still gain Lumin Daze.

I really don’t like the amount of damage I take this turn. I Hunker Down.

And gain some concentration along the way.

Sear is still affected by Lumin Daze, but hopefully it can deal some damage.

It deals the max 6!

Fralx takes some damage from Burn.

Which he attempts to get rid of by spinning. It seems he only remembered the last step of “Stop, Drop, and Roll”.

Doesn’t stop him from dealing 8 damage.

I thankfully draw nothing but attack cards on the turn Fraxl doesn’t target me.

I upgrade Blast, but unfortunately Lumin Daze does its job and I don’t deal any damage.

I finish off by applying Burn, since it will still take effect even if I don’t break through his defense.

I play Posture again for the defense and concentration combo.

And attack Fralx twice this turn to destroy his defense. I really need to start dealing more consistent damage to the boss.

I’m starting to really hate Lumim Daze

I predictably start the turn with defense.

I then see what I can do with Ammo Pouch.

I’ll take any extra damage I can at this point.

Hopefully Fiery Blast does solid damage with that wound.

Apparently not. The damage shown came from Burn.

He’s not attacking this round, so I go all out on offense.

I really hate Lumin Daze

Sigh

Whatdaya know? I start the turn by Hunkering Down.

I have to get lucky to even break through Fralx’s defense. Instead, I keep him on fire.

May as well get rid of Tipsy to keep it from clogging up my deck.

Slowly but surely, he’s dying.

Unfortunately, the same could be said about Rook.

Hopefully I get something useful from Ammo Pouch

 

I’ll gladly take the Impair

Tempted as I am to use Quick Fire, I really need to focus on defense this turn. Hopefully all the maneuver cards will eventually get rid of Lumin Daze.

Another turn where I do nothing but attack.

Gallery did 3 damage.

Fraxl takes damage from burn one last time. For now.

He celebrates no longer being on fire by twirling his guns.

Please break through his defense…

Ya did minimum damage. Sigh.

I light Fraxl on fire. Again.

Holy shit I’m on the brink of death!

Pleasehavesomethingusefulpleasehavesomethingusefulpleasehavesomethinguseful…

Sometimes the best defense is a good offense.

Pleasedealdamagepleasedealdamagepleasedealdamage…

Boo-Yah!

Holy shit that ended on an intense note.

I wish we saw someone else tonight, but, uh, I suppose I should thank you for the dramatic fight, Fraxl.

Got quite a few rewards. The Jammed Blaster came from the loot cluster.

As useful as burn was this fight, I’ll generally do more damage shooting twice.

I go with Boosted Trigger. I won’t always have 2 charges to spend.

Disregard: I like making the use out of a bad hand. That’s the entire appeal of roguelikes for me.

Kicker: A straightforward Discard card. Drawing a card is a situational bonus.

Snail Bite: I can see how this could be powerful, but 2 actions is a bit much.

I have Foul Mouth. May as well nab a card that could combo with it.

Energy Loop: The picture is hilarious. Any kind of healing is welcome, and spending every charge at once can be a nice way to gain a defensive boost.

Arc Deflection: If you often have Overcharge, then this can come in handy if you need defense now.

Amplifier: It makes every Scorched card immediately useful. Not something you’ll always pick, but it’s a solid ability to have on hand.

Even if I can only use it once per fight, I’ll gladly take the ability to heal.

I can pick a Graft, and I choose Interior Drill to play a card with a reduced cost.

May as well see this conversation again.

Ha ha, Rook didn’t always have his mustache.

Now die.

Disappointing that we didn’t see who else Rook could fight, but I suppose I can use that as a selling point to convince others to buy the game.

At least his item is useful.

I got some shills to spare. May as well see what the black market has tonight.

Hah, puns.

To be honest, after that boss fight, I just want to get this day over with.

Well, I did kill a man so she could keep her package. That’s a sight of trust, right?

Don’t worry, I won’t kill anyone in here.

I meet Plocka.

I forget to screenshot my options so apparently none of them were worthwhile.

I meet Yacka again, who is surprisingly chill considering I beat her up earlier. Perhaps Yodelers don’t hold grudges?

Backfire is a really damn good ability that typically appears later. You bet I’m spending half my shills to get it early.

Time to hit the sack.

I eat first, since you only regain half your health and resolve from sleeping at Prestige 3 and above.

So that was Day 1! It took 2 weeks instead of a month to get through. Like last time, I should be able to do the Spark Barons and Rise missions in one update. Fortunately, there’s a lot new on day 2, so I won’t be retreading old ground.

 

[Hawkwing]

ROOK'S CAMPAIGN DAY 2: Playing Both Sides (Again)

Alternative Title: Meeting Familiar Faces and Shooting Them in the Face

Spoiler

The start of Rook’s second day, except I survive this time.

Before doing anything else, I swap out my coin.

I go with the ever reliable Bog Coin.

I've tried the Psychic Coin once. Adding Doubt is really fun, but it makes it glaringly clear just how limited Rooks options are for gaining composure.

I forgot to swap Rook’s outfit for Day 2. Whoops.

Since I started with the Spark Barons this time, I go to see Fellemo first.

Though not before running into an old friend.

Stem and Twig are back, and we’ll see how much of an effect they’ll have this time around.

That out of the way (for now) I continue on to meet Fellemo.

Ever have moments where you wonder how you missed the glaringly obvious?

This is a really, really painful screenshot to look at in hindsight.

Morning Fellemo. Who am I killing today?

Come on! I was (partially) joking!

Did she pirate manga?

I’m going with pirating manga. It’s the most fitting with my headcanon.

Seems simple enough

Wade is apparently just chilling in the swamp right now. Wonder what the bit of technology in the lower left corner is?

Hi. Got anything to say about stealing manga?

Rook gets to the point.

I could just convince Wade to leave.

But she’ll dislike me either way, and my instructions were clear.

There’s probably an anime cliche somewhere for this battle setup, but I’m not well versed enough to know for certain.

There was much internal screaming during the writing process whenever I see exposed and look back at my failure to get rid of the Bane.

Groans of increasing comfort aside, I defend.

To get the fight over with sooner than later, I attack twice with Mirrored Blast.

The second shot broke through the Shroke’s natural defense.

Tempting as it was to gain more experience for Ammo Pouch, I decide to go with the reliable damage of fire.

A good choice too. The fire damage unlocked Rook’s flourish.

I know the game mirrors sprites, but it’s weird seeing it in the combat animations. I’m used to the oddness happening during talking sequences.

Anyway, Wade gains back some morale for dealing damage, probably shouting anime jargon at Rook.

Coincidentally, Rook goes Super Saiyan.

Wow, two mines just popped out of the bog. Why would you make your camp here, Wade?

Anyway, I use Energy Loop. I welcome the healing, the empty cells will help with blocking damage this round, and the card has Burnout anyway.

Tempting as Backfire is, I’d like to Hatch the Jammed Blaster sooner than later. I play Posture to help it deal damage and block all damage this turn.

Slamming a jammed gun to get it working again is a common trope. Rook decides to use it more efficiently by slamming said blaster against his foe.

Right, Faulty Armor still applies to defense gained through empty cells.

Since I have Pale Kick in my hand, I spend a charge with Charged Blast.

Now it costs one action instead of 2.

I finish the turn with Gallery.

Both the Spark Mines and Wade defend this turn.

Twig makes its first appearance in the fight.

I play Sear. Even if it doesn’t break through the defense it will still apply Burn.

Since I can finish the fight with Quick Fire, I gain experience on Hunker Down first.

I finish the fight with Quick Fire.

I don’t know why the Spark Barons want you dead

I’m sticking with Piracy

Piracy of Japanese comics, that is.

Pffffft hahahaha!

His large smile was funny enough, but this is the first time we’ve seen this hilarious face.

Anyway, I guess Veerin was also an anime fan and that’s what he and Wade discussed during their free time. I suppose friendship is a pretty big theme in most shonen anime.

Jokes aside, Civil Unrest is an unwelcome bane, but it’s mostly annoying when you have pets. It really only matters during group fights, and even then you typically have some leeway in how much damage you can afford to let your allies take.

Guerrilla Tactic is pretty much the same as the Spark Core. Really, the only difference is slightly lower damage in exchange for not damaging you. I’ll probably save this for boss fights anyway.

Clean Open is the only new card. It has an appealing ability, but personal experience tells me that the effect from empty cards doesn’t come into play as often as you would expect/like.

I skip this round. I’m satisfied with my current deck and don’t want to add more cards than necessary this early on.

Apparently, the Spark Barons consider pirating manga to be a crime worthy of the death sentence.

I apologize to anyone who wasn’t onboard with the anime headcanon jokes, but at least they’re over now.

Anyway, I head back to Fellemo to tell him Wade has been dealt with.

*Internal Screaming*

I’ve only used High Pitched Whine once or twice and I still don’t know what the purpose of Whine is.

Anyway, Rugged Wiring will help end battles sooner than later, no matter how long I manage to keep the temporary power.

I leave before Fellemo is finished talking.

Since that mission was short, I go see what Kalandra wants me to do today.

I don’t know why kalandra is letting Leeqi guard the building. I suppose she believes in “keep your friends close and your enemies closer”.

This mission again? With Del? AGAIN?!?

Not as weird as seeing Fralx as the boss again, but this is still an odd repeat of events.

At least he’s in his room instead of the company store this time around.

Hi. We met in an alternative timeline. You were a jackass that ignored safety measures there too. Only you become my friend because I spared your life after killing a Spark Baron.

I threatened him last time.

I feel like permanently jabbing that toothpick into his mouth this time.

He brought a drone along this time.

Since it’s the first turn, I play the Backfire early on so the ability actually sees some use.

After doing that, I use my Flourish and deal damage to everyone with Salvo.

I deal 11 damage thanks to Rugged Wiring.

Since I can’t play Kick and don’t want to spend any items this fight, I Hunker Down.

The power was nice while it lasted.

Backfire is already proving useful.

The drone charges up its attack.

While I kinda wished someone else showed up for the boss fight, I can’t complain about Fralx’s death loot.

Even with the Impair, I defend this turn.

And see an opportunity to get even more use out of Backfire.

Del shoots me thrice.

So Rook returns the favor!

I really like when Rook counters several times in a row. Personally, it weirdly reminds me of the hammer power up from Donkey Kong.

The drone charges up again.

I’m fully charged

Of course I use Gallery

And get the most out of Energy Loop!

Eh, it’s worth the risk.

I deal max damage and destroy the drone, so I won’t take any damage this turn.

Del reloads

Since I’ll be shot several times again, I focus on defense this turn.

And see if Ammo Pouch has anything helpful.

Impair was helpful last time.

Unfortunately, I realize I can’t counter without any charge.

Twig shows up for the first time in this fight.

Del is reloading again. I once again try to unjam the blaster with brute force.

I seize the opportunity to upgrade Posture.

And use my final action to give experience to Quick Fire.

Either kick will do the trick, so I give experience to Hunker Down first.

Hopefully Del takes this as a lesson not to skimp on workplace safety again.

Hell yes I’ll take more defense!

As much as I’m using Posture for the Concentration, I’ll get more use out of 6 defense than 5 Concentration.

Gun Smoke: Can you believe this card originally didn’t Expend? It was straight up the most powerful card Rook had, as spending 1 charge to gain 2 actions is a ridiculously good deal. Seriously, there are cards that spend more charge and do far less.

Pistol Whip: The Empty ability doesn’t apply as often as I would like, but it does solid damage even when it does cost an action.

Squeeze: I suppose it’s not the worst card to use when you’re going on the offensive. I’ve never used it.

Even with the Expend nerf, this is still one of Rook’s most powerful cards.

Kheven?! He was the Spark Baron I killed last time. The same dude who worked alongside Del. Small world, huh?

His character description is oddly appropriate.

I could talk my way out of trouble, somehow

Beat him up. Again.

Or pay a bribe.

I go with convincing Kheven that Rook beating up Del is nothing to worry about… somehow. It’s the least suspicious and I could balance out the day with a negotiation after fighting twice.

Since Rook’s Flourish is available, I start the turn with it.

If you predicted I would use Coin Juggler, then congratulations! You don’t get a prize for guessing the obvious.

You also don’t get a prize for predicting that I would use Blacklist this turn.

Coin Juggler causes the coin to land on Heads twice, which activates Head Shot.

I use my last action playing Cordinal Pleasantries to gain Influence while dealing damage.

The coin sure is landing on Heads a lot this turn.

Anyway, I see what Unstable will play for free before ending the turn.

Nice! It’s a card that normally costs 2 actions!

Coin Juggler adds to the damage by finally landing on Snails.

And Preparing a card activated Gab, which leads to even more gambling.

A reminder that Kheven started the negotiation with 40 Resolve, and this is still the first turn.

Despite all that, I still took 1 damage.

Annoying, but I can decide when to save those cards later.

Kheven gains 8 defense from All Business thanks to drawing 4 hostility cards.

Unfortunately for him, I have an easy way to get rid of all of it.

Coin Juggling weirdness means that the Composure was removed instead of stolen, but damage was still dealt after landing on Snails.

Thanks to the combination of being free to play, the coin being on Snails, and providing Dominance when I have to other hostility cards in my hand, I play Assertive Grumble. 

Which helpfully destroys All Business in one go.

Head Shot activates, damaging Kheven’s core argument.

Which causes the coin to flip again and land on Snails.

Which I take advantage of by attacking everything with Burn.

The coin landed on Snails again.

Done on turn 2!

That was a short but fun negotiation!

Bottom Snail: Never used.

Decency: I’ve already made clear how little I use “Draw a card” cards, and I already have ways to gain influence right now.

Unsurprisingly, I skip.

I have no idea what Rook said, and apparently neither did the writers because he gets away with this.

Time to leave before Kheven recovers from losing the negotiation so quickly.

I head back to Kalandra for my reward.

I forgot to mention it earlier because of my surprise over being given the same mission, but Kalandra is wearing her normal Rise attire instead of her foreman outfit. I don’t know why siding with the Spark Barons causes her to never put on her other costume. It doesn't affect gameplay at all; It's just an interesting oddity.

I regain a single point of resolve.

Before meeting with Rook’s mysterious employers, I can do another random event. I can either get a Spark Grenade.

Or eradicate Veerin.

It’s not the worst Bane, but it’s best to get rid of them anyway.

I don’t see a reason to wait.

I should be able to kill the rebel pretty quickly.

Nice! He’s defending and I have an extra action! I can go all out on the offensive from turn 1!

I save Gun Smoke and the High yield Lumim Bomb for later. I don’t need more actions or impair right now.

I play Backfire before really thinking it through. It’s a habit to play ability cards as soon as I can.

I think about defending…

But decide I need to be on the offensive for this fight.

He has no morale to gain, but I still take damage.

After this, I’ll see what the Jammed Blaster will upgrade into!

The Bog Blaster, apparently.

I don’t know what exactly sets this gun apart from other weapons, aside from the good damage and Replenish.

May as well see it in action.

Oh, hey. It has a unique sprite.

I’ll take it.

It’s not much, but I use Energy Loop before I lose it.

Veerin defends again.

Twig’s not a good sign.

Not the best hand I could have drawn. I play Posture for the Concentration.

It won’t break through the defense, but experience is experience.

It’s the only other card I could play. I’m not spending a one-use item here.

Both of my opponents defend, and his contact will be arriving next turn.

A contact I’m about to meet soon since I can’t kill him this turn. I can come close through the use of Burn, though.

I finish the turn by upgrading another Hunker Down card.

Of course the Burn will kill him next turn…

Veerin’s contact is… Toeren.

Since this is an isolated location and I have no relation to the worker, I can kill her without much worry.

Also, the Grout Knuckle burrows into the ground to appear in a different position.

I gain Fatigued. You know the drill about playing Posture for the Concentration at this point.

Since Veerin will burn to death, I focus on damaging Toeren.

Toeren arrives just in time to see her contact burn to death.

I see if I can do anything with my charges using Ammo Pouch.

Impair is pretty welcome right now.

I attempt to block some of the damage.

I think I’m going to enjoy the Bog Blaster throughout the rest of the run.

It did enough damage for Rook to regain his Flourish.

I take 4 damage and counterattack.

Twig appears again.

This will likely be the last turn, so I deploy the bomb.

I don’t think your arm is supposed to bend that way, Rook.

I finish off with Boosted Trigger for no reason in particular.

I have no idea why Toeren was carrying an Anchor around. Especially in Grout Bog; It seems like you would want to be carrying less weight around in a marshland.

Anyway, the card itself is fine, though the 2 action cost is pretty high, and you better hope you get lucky that the temporary power will actually be useful on the next turn. We’ll see if I use it at all.

Thank you for the Boosted Hunker Down, Griftlands!

Release Valve is the only new card.

I pick it for the easy defense. If I’m spending charge in the first place, it’s often because I want the extra defense.

I think this is a good place to call it. Next time we’ll see what the other mission Rook’s mysterious employers will provide. Fortunately, I didn't die this time!

 

[eclipse]

It's not that Wade was pirating anime.  It's that the anime was really bad.  So bad that Fellmo called in a hit.

[Saint Rubenio]

Honestly relieved I didn't start writing up the replies until now. Imagine losing the progress to this update. Oof...

Spoiler

 

On 1/14/2023 at 1:47 AM, Hawkwing said:

After seeing more previews and giving it some thought, it's not going to be a Day 1 purchase for me. I'd like to see some word of mouth regarding the story and characters first, as I wasn't sold on what was revealed through twitter and I know the reviewers were limited in what they could reveal. Looking back, knowing ahead of time that Fates story wasn't good while the gameplay was great helped me set my expectations accordingly, and I feel it personally helped the experience when I dove into the games myself. I still plan on getting Engage sooner than later, as the gameplay looks incredibly fun, and that's the reason I play Fire Emblem in the first place; I just want to know a little more of what I'm getting into on the writing side of things before diving in.

Fair. Honestly, I've only gotten MORE hyped since the leaks started rolling in. Every spoiler I've eaten has made me so happy.

On 1/14/2023 at 1:47 AM, Hawkwing said:

Yeah, I remember that video. Kind of surprised TF2 allows it, though I suspect it's only for certain servers and what not. I forget where I learned it from, but I do recall how some spies used images to get easy kills.

You're thinking of sprays, those are only allowed on community servers. The sign, however, works anywhere. They're... woefully unmoderated, you can see some real shit in those.

On 1/14/2023 at 1:47 AM, Hawkwing said:

Sure:

Gahahahaha, I love it.

On 1/14/2023 at 1:47 AM, Hawkwing said:

Bagman.

Bagman

Reminds me of the time I did the Revolver Ocelot meme with Julius in the TRS LP.

...I'm far behind enough as it is, can't spend so much time doing that again. So instead, I'll just post the man himself!

On 1/14/2023 at 1:47 AM, Hawkwing said:

Well, he was a former foreman. Maybe it was intentional?

He was a bad foreman, that's why he was fired.

On 1/14/2023 at 1:47 AM, Hawkwing said:

To bad the bad man doesn't like me enough to get the boon, while I have to deal with a bad bane.

You need to be badder to earn his bad respect.

On 1/14/2023 at 1:47 AM, Hawkwing said:

Another Random event appears after meeting with Kalandra. I can run into Krog again.

Or I could deepen my friendship with Malo!

If you didn't do it... Well, let's just say, it would be unwise.

 

 

 

 

 

And bad.

On 1/14/2023 at 1:47 AM, Hawkwing said:

I could engage in a yodel duel…

This is funny on so many levels.

On 1/14/2023 at 1:47 AM, Hawkwing said:

I don’t see a reason to get on the Jakes bad side right now, so I let her yodel another day.

Don't lie, you just recognized how much of a shame it would've been to lose a promising yodelling talent.

On 1/14/2023 at 1:47 AM, Hawkwing said:

Allies tend to surrender when the fight has already gone downhill. That said, Morale Boost can still be handy during longer fights when surrendered allies are able to rejoin combat, so it’s a nice boon to have just in case.

Might not be the best boon, but what's important is that you gained the love of Bad.

On 1/14/2023 at 1:47 AM, Hawkwing said:

I like how you made that "respect the stache" comment, and then this showed up. That looks like the kinda man that would definitely respect the stache.

On 1/14/2023 at 1:47 AM, Hawkwing said:

Since the odds are in my favor I resist arrest.

Here we go. A battle of the beards. May the best facial hair win.

On 1/14/2023 at 1:47 AM, Hawkwing said:

Well, knee cap him, but he’ll surender anyway.

That... That looks REALLY odd. In the best possible way.

Apparently she pisses glowing blue stuff

On 1/14/2023 at 1:47 AM, Hawkwing said:

Brutal, yet pragmatic.

A tragedy for beards all around.

On 1/14/2023 at 1:47 AM, Hawkwing said:

Though I could give up the Boon to keep the mysterious package

Aren't those two statements redundant? What, does she EXTRA hate you?

On 1/14/2023 at 1:47 AM, Hawkwing said:

Look at poor ol' Rook. He too recognizes the horror of what he has done. Such a mighty beard...

On 1/14/2023 at 1:47 AM, Hawkwing said:

…Huh? We get Fralx again?

Welp!

That's unfortunate.

On 1/14/2023 at 1:47 AM, Hawkwing said:

Pleasedealdamagepleasedealdamagepleasedealdamage…

Very unfortunate.

On 1/14/2023 at 1:47 AM, Hawkwing said:

Boo-Yah!

Woo!

 

Spoiler

 

On 1/15/2023 at 8:57 AM, Hawkwing said:

The start of Rook’s second day, except I survive this time.

 

Good, good.

...Wait, spoilers--

On 1/15/2023 at 8:57 AM, Hawkwing said:

Stem and Twig are back, and we’ll see how much of an effect they’ll have this time around.

Last time they did a whole grand lot of nothing. Sky's the limit!

On 1/15/2023 at 8:57 AM, Hawkwing said:

Ever have moments where you wonder how you missed the glaringly obvious?

This is a really, really painful screenshot to look at in hindsight.

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Dellands continues as normal.

On 1/15/2023 at 8:57 AM, Hawkwing said:

There’s probably an anime cliche somewhere for this battle setup, but I’m not well versed enough to know for certain.

Ehh, not enough power of love.

On 1/15/2023 at 8:57 AM, Hawkwing said:

I’m sticking with Piracy

Piracy of Japanese comics, that is.

Yarr harr fiddle dee dee, do what you want cause a pirate is free...

On 1/15/2023 at 8:57 AM, Hawkwing said:

Pffffft hahahaha!

His large smile was funny enough, but this is the first time we’ve seen this hilarious face.

Wow, that truly is the face of hatred.

On 1/15/2023 at 8:57 AM, Hawkwing said:

I don't know why, but something about this hilariously deadpan message is slightly funny to me.

Only slightly, though. Death is no laughing matter. Even if it is the death of a pirate. Criminal scum, why not just ask your Uncle at Nintendo for shit?!

On 1/15/2023 at 8:57 AM, Hawkwing said:

*Internal Screaming*

You can run.

You can hide.

But you can never escape.

On 1/15/2023 at 8:57 AM, Hawkwing said:

This mission again? With Del? AGAIN?!?

BAHAAHAHAHAAAAHAAHAHAHAHAAAHA

This is too much. The RNGoddess must be Del's wife or something.

On 1/15/2023 at 8:57 AM, Hawkwing said:

I feel like permanently jabbing that toothpick into his mouth this time.

No c'mon, don't do that! Del's cool, we know him! We know him REALLY well lol

On 1/15/2023 at 8:57 AM, Hawkwing said:

Hopefully Del takes this as a lesson not to skimp on workplace safety again.

Ah, he lives. Good, good. Was worried for a little moment.

For you. No telling what multiverse traveler Del would've done if he found out you killed one of him.

On 1/15/2023 at 8:57 AM, Hawkwing said:

Kheven?! He was the Spark Baron I killed last time. The same dude who worked alongside Del. Small world, huh?

Very small, holy shit where are the other dozens of characters you could get?

On 1/15/2023 at 8:57 AM, Hawkwing said:

I have no idea what Rook said, and apparently neither did the writers because he gets away with this.

I mean, in other scenarios the option to negotiate provides a vague explanation of what you're doing. Here it's just "talk your way out of this mess." Clearly the writers couldn't come up with anything and just said "screw it, he does it with his Rook magic."

On 1/15/2023 at 8:57 AM, Hawkwing said:

I forgot to mention it earlier because of my surprise over being given the same mission, but Kalandra is wearing her normal Rise attire instead of her foreman outfit. I don’t know why siding with the Spark Barons causes her to never put on her other costume. It doesn't affect gameplay at all; It's just an interesting oddity.

Huh.

 

14 hours ago, eclipse said:

It's not that Wade was pirating anime.  It's that the anime was really bad.  So bad that Fellmo called in a hit.

That's now my headcanon. I'm stealing it.

[Hawkwing]

ROOK'S CAMPAIGN DAY 2: A Special Delivery

Two more days...

Replies:

Spoiler

On 1/16/2023 at 10:28 PM, eclipse said:

It's not that Wade was pirating anime.  It's that the anime was really bad.  So bad that Fellmo called in a hit.

On 1/17/2023 at 1:15 PM, Saint Rubenio said:

That's now my headcanon. I'm stealing it.

I am also stealing this headcanon

 

On 1/17/2023 at 1:15 PM, Saint Rubenio said:

Honestly relieved I didn't start writing up the replies until now. Imagine losing the progress to this update. Oof...

Don't know what to make of the new layout yet, and I don't understand the purpose of badges. Like other site updates, I'll get used to it in due time.

  Hide contents

Fair. Honestly, I've only gotten MORE hyped since the leaks started rolling in. Every spoiler I've eaten has made me so happy.

My main concern is how over-the-top Engage seems. I'm uncertain if I'll find the game to be the entertaining kind of ridiculous, or if I'll find the antics annoying. I'm expecting most of my reactions to be "WTF is this?" and I'm hoping I'll be laughing instead of facepalming at the game.

You're thinking of sprays, those are only allowed on community servers. The sign, however, works anywhere. They're... woefully unmoderated, you can see some real shit in those.

I see. Considering it's an online game, unfortunately I am not surprised.

Gahahahaha, I love it.

Glad someone did.

Reminds me of the time I did the Revolver Ocelot meme with Julius in the TRS LP.

I vaguely remember this.

...I'm far behind enough as it is, can't spend so much time doing that again. So instead, I'll just post the man himself!

Man, it's been over 2-3 years since those let's plays were started, and it doesn't help that 2020 and 2021 were very busy years to say the least. I'll probably reread the kagasaga LP after I'm done with Rook. I really need a refresher.

He was a bad foreman, that's why he was fired.

You're getting more milage out of this joke than I would have expected.

You need to be badder to earn his bad respect.

If you didn't do it... Well, let's just say, it would be unwise.

 

 

 

 

 

And bad.

...

Hah

This is funny on so many levels.

Yodel duels are an untapped well.

If Griftlands ever gets an update, DLC, and/or a sequel, there needs to be a  mission that you can resolve through a music duel.

Don't lie, you just recognized how much of a shame it would've been to lose a promising yodelling talent.

Sure.

It would also have been a shame to loose the offer of Backfire.

Might not be the best boon, but what's important is that you gained the love of Bad.

This isn't exactly relevant, but the joke came to mind and I couldn't resist.

I like how you made that "respect the stache" comment, and then this showed up. That looks like the kinda man that would definitely respect the stache.

He certainly would have listened. Unfortunately, I decided I needed some experience for my combat cards.

Here we go. A battle of the beards. May the best facial hair win.

Quarrryn will be somewhere on the list of Griftlands amazing beards.

That... That looks REALLY odd. In the best possible way.

Yeah, the combat animations can look odd when not in mot-

Apparently she pisses glowing blue stuff

...

A tragedy for beards all around.

As was Rook's death last time. Quarryn's demise is meant to balance the scales or whatever.

Aren't those two statements redundant? What, does she EXTRA hate you?

Well, one option causes her to hate you, and the other to dislike you. Regardless, they want you to think about whether or not you're fine with loosing a strong boon.

Look at poor ol' Rook. He too recognizes the horror of what he has done. Such a mighty beard...

Maybe in another life, they'll be friends. Just not this one.

Welp!

That's unfortunate.

Seriously, I've never had a boss repeat like this before. I don't know what happened behind the scenes.

Very unfortunate.

What's a roguelike without the risk of death?

Disregard how I wrote the last update in a single 4 hour sitting because I felt like it and wanted to get to the new parts of Rook's story.

Woo!

Seriously, that was an intense fight. Fun to write, but damn...

 

  Hide contents

Good, good.

...Wait, spoilers--

I've mentioned several times I survived Day 2 to assuage fears that I would waste anyone's time this time.

Last time they did a whole grand lot of nothing. Sky's the limit!

It's too early to tell, but it seems they'll see more action this time around...

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Dellands continues as normal.

We'll see if I hate the opportunity to get rid of her in Day 3.

Ehh, not enough power of love.

I think it's more "X comes out of nowhere to say Y want's the hero dead", but anime.

Yarr harr fiddle dee dee, do what you want cause a pirate is free...

I am so happy the anime piracy joke was the first thing I though of

Wow, that truly is the face of hatred.

The screenshot should be put into a museum.

I don't know why, but something about this hilariously deadpan message is slightly funny to me.

This immediately came to mind when I first read this. Same energy.

Also, the entire video is hilarious.

Only slightly, though. Death is no laughing matter. Even if it is the death of a pirate. Criminal scum, why not just ask your Uncle at Nintendo for shit?!

Of course jokes about piracy would mention Nintendo at some point...

You can run.

You can hide.

But you can never escape.

Not until the next day. Hopefully.

BAHAAHAHAHAAAAHAAHAHAHAHAAAHA

This is too much. The RNGoddess must be Del's wife or something.

The outcomes are different, but I forgot just how many characters I ran into again.

No c'mon, don't do that! Del's cool, we know him! We know him REALLY well lol

I know. That's why I'm beating him up this time.

Ah, he lives. Good, good. Was worried for a little moment.

I would be worried too. I would have failed the mission if he died.

For you. No telling what multiverse traveler Del would've done if he found out you killed one of him.

I've put over 300 hours into the game. I've killed almost everyone at least once by this point.

Very small, holy shit where are the other dozens of characters you could get?

I don't know. Maybe the game is using this as a marketing scheme to convince people to buy the game if they want to see more characters?

I mean, in other scenarios the option to negotiate provides a vague explanation of what you're doing. Here it's just "talk your way out of this mess." Clearly the writers couldn't come up with anything and just said "screw it, he does it with his Rook magic."

Maybe Rook just distracted Kheven with coin tricks until he went away?

Huh.

Don't know what programming weirdness causes it, but it's interesting all the same.

 

That's now my headcanon. I'm stealing it.

As will I

 

Update:

Spoiler

After doing jobs for both the Spark Barons and the Rise, I gained a fair amount of shills. May as well see if there is something to spend them on at the Black Market.

Though I run into a random event first.

That’s quite a wide range. The Spark Barons do hold a monopoly on exporting Vagrant Age tech. On the other hand they are digging it out of a swamp while hoping it doesn’t explode. That’s a combination to expect quality of all kinds.

Where did he even get this equipment?

The price is affordable and I’ll get more use out of it than a combat drone or a box of grenades. I purchase the Autodog.

Rook doesn’t have many opportunities to display this trait, considering how difficult it is to get a pet on his route. Not as hard as Smith, but it’s still reliant on what random events you run into.

I hope there wasn’t someone out there that wanted to buy all three items.

I still have enough shills to purchase something at the Black Market.

I’m going to be gaining several Grafts in a row shortly, so I add more space for them.

Now for the battle graft slot.

Off to The Last Stand to get a meal.

I run into Keebee again. It’s not as egregious as Del but we’ll see if she shows up in the future.

I bet he plays as the TF2 Heavy, too.

Mileeree’s description is interesting, as I’d agree that there are several NPC’s in leadership positions that definitely shouldn’t be. At the same time, while I wouldn’t say every story important character got their position through hard and/or honest work, I wouldn’t describe any of them as lazy. Even Fellemo, who is currently complacent with power, was a former Aerostat soldier and can still hold his own in a fight.

I can only afford one meal.

I can work with 58 health.

That out of the way, I head to the Dead Drop.

How he describes both factions will remain a mystery for the ages.

As will who picks up and delivers these messages.

Whoever it is, they want Admiralty weapons on the Black Market in Grout Bog. They seem interested in the conflict heating up. This is also the third time I’ve been asked to kill someone as part of the mission.

Seems like we’re going to see the gate again.

I don’t have enough shills for bribes, so I could convince Dillawno to look over the paperwork again.

Or fight her, which doesn’t seem like a good idea. I need Cadwa alive long enough to deliver the weapons. This seems too risky.

Rook recalls his Admiralty days to sort out a paperwork issue. I’m no expert, but I don’t find this too surprising considering how military and police jobs have a lot more paperwork involved than some might expect.

Cadwa adds a bounty and Rook gains some free defense.

30 shills may not be a ton of money, but I’ll gladly take any cash that doesn’t require completing a mission first.

Unsurprisingly, I kick off a negotiation about paperwork through the use of Blacklist to gain some wealth.

Trickery is free, so of course I use it.

I’ll gladly take a defensive card for free so I can focus on offense with my final action.

Unsurprisingly for paperwork issues, swearing occurs shortly thereafter.

I block the damage.

Eh, I can live without either of these cards for a while.

All Business, on the other hand, I target sooner than later.

I can block Dillawno’s attack for free, so of course I play Boosted Rationale next.

I gamble to hopefully land on Snails.

It lands on Heads instead.

I see what Unstable will give me.

An Assertive Grumble

That frees the stolen cards.

Since I have an easy way to get rid of Dillawno’s composure and possibly land on Snails so Mirrored Grumble does even more damage, I play Roughneck.

It lands on Heads. On the bright side, Head Shot activates.

It damages Dillawno’s core argument. I’ve learnt a few tricks since our first meeting, eh?

Since everything else seems intent on targeting anything other than All Business, I destroy it myself.

I once again block all damage.

That’s twice now Kicker was stolen before it appeared.

Stem appears too early to do anything worthwhile. I play Agency for free random damage.

Nice

I destroy Scruple with Tall Pleasantries.

Ah, that sweet, sweet damage.

Since I have influence, I don’t need to worry about the coin being on Heads for my diplomacy cards to deal full damage.

It lands on Heads anyway.

I play Visionary Pleasantries and hope that I draw a worthwhile card.

I draw Spotty! Giving me an extra action!

As much as I don’t care for “draw an extra card” cards, I won’t pretend like they don’t have their uses.

Anyway, I finish a discussion about paperwork appropriately Dogged.

Grunt: We already saw Grunt in action last time, so I’ll let that speak for itself.

Drawback: If you’re lucky, you spend one action to play two Hostility cards for free. A good deal, though it’s reliant on how lucky you get when drawing cards.

Grunt was useful last time. It will be helpful once again.

I don’t know of real live places where people actually talk like this, but I would dread actually working there. I hate legalese and how much crap is hidden or obscured in laws just because politicians don’t want their bullshit easily discovered.

I really like this quote. It fits Rook well.

Cadwa and an Oshnu have joined the party. Fortunately Brash’s recommendation means I won’t have trouble getting into the Black Market.

Getting to the Black Market, on the other hand…

This is the second time Rook heard an ambush before he was attacked.

It’s easy to forget just how many things we take for granted nowadays weren’t always the case. Weekends, in this scenario.

The weapons make sense. People wanting to get their hands on stronger equipment in a staple of human history.

Kidnapping someone for ransom also makes sense, but is less morally justifiable.

Her Bane won’t matter because the Admiralty barely, if ever, appear during Rook’s campaign. I doubt Rook’s boss(es?) will be happy to hear that Cadwa was kidnapped instead of killed, though.

I could intimidate Rugis into leaving us alone, in exchange for gaining his ire.

Or I could enter an evenly matched fight in self defense.

Combat is the only option that won’t make anyone mad. Hopefully.

I take damage from Twig before I even play any cards.

Since I finished the last battle with full flourish, I start off this encounter with Salvo.

Thank you Grafts

It’s generally better to play Ability cards sooner than later.

I use my final action to defend.

Seems my allies had the same idea.

As did the Rise. Rugis tosses up his grenades and catches them to defend.

Hard to see, but the Cobbledog blasts me.

Rook counters

I could use the concentration, and my newly bought AutoDog TRINARY needs some defense.

I target the Cobbledog, since it can’t surrender and no one will be angry if it gets destroyed.

Speaking of which...

One down, three to go.

Not as freaky as the Feral AutoDogs, but I imagine being bitten by a metallic dog would be deeply unpleasant.

I appreciate the effort, Cadwa. Though I’d prefer results.

Rugis spins while throwing grenades, and we see some animation weirdness I never noticed before.

I mean, I’m planning on killing her anyway. Though please hold off until after we’ve sold these weapons, thank you.

I don’t have as many charges as I’d like for this, but healing is healing, and Energy Loop has Burnout anyway.

Good damage, it attacks everyone, and Impair will last two turns

Of course I use it

I don’t claim to be an expert on grenades, but are there any actual techniques that throw grenades this way?

Klonni has the lower health. I aim to take her out of the fight so we can focus on Rugis.

Better than expected!

I don’t know if having the weapon be guarded in the chassis of a robot is a good idea to protect it from getting damaged, or a faulty one since more moving parts generally mean more things that can go wrong.

That’s how it’s done, Cadwa! Thank you for doing something productive.

Klonni surrenders, and everyone takes burn damage.

My AutoDog takes damage, though.

My allies will deal 17 damage. I can possibly do enough to end the fight this turn.

Thank goodness I have Concentration to deal reliable damage, because while my allies would kill him after playing Mirrored Blast…

I can cause him to surrender with the Bog Blaster!

These two can scurry back home with their talks between their legs for all I care.

I have a mission to complete.

Targeting Core is… Okay. Targeted is nice for group fights if you want your allies to focus on a specific opponent instead of spreading the damage around. Thank goodness it has replenish or otherwise it would easily clog up your deck.

Perpetual Charger can now be upgraded!

This is essentially free power, which is always welcome. I could maybe start focusing on cards that utilize Overcharge now.

Chimney: Scorched isn’t a guarantee, but it helps keep opponents burned for longer.

Mantle: I can see this being destructive if you’re running a burn deck, but even then 2 actions is a pretty high cost to apply Scorched.

I have enough ways to deal burn that the chance to apply Scorched will make a destructive debuff even more deadly.

Destroying robots can often mess with the post battle dialogue, as the games acts like someone died even if the NPC’s were spared. I’d say the writers generally account for these situations so the wording is often ambiguous, but it is something you start to notice after playing long enough.

With the Rise ambush thwarted, we continue on our way.

I would say otherwise after helping you get you through the gate, though to be fair I’m not tasked with selling these guns.

Says the yodeler.

Also, Plocka is right there. Even though I doubt she cares much about the ongoing conflict as long as she can sell Grafts.

It’s the Griftlands. You shouldn’t be trusting anybody.

Anyway, I may as officially get my payment before killing the clerk.

The Coin started on heads

May as well make the most of it with a Pleasantries Card.

It drew Blacklist, and I instinctively played it.

I really appreciate that the names taken remain even when the person is killed.

Since it’s free, I play Grunt, which deals max damage.

I also Gamble to hopefully block damage.

I suppose a good offense can be the best defense.

Cadwa adds Planted evidence and deals two damage

Spotty appears so I gain an extra action.

Annoyingly, it didn’t draw an extra card, and my graft means I didn’t need it anyway.

Regardless, I play Burn to attack every argument.

Like so.

I hope Tall Pleasantries destroys Paper Pusher.

Nah, it decided to deal 1 damage.

I upgrade Head Shot and see which argument it targets.

Thank you

Rook curses his luck at drawing Spotty but not enough cards to use every action.

Cadwa gains 3 defense and deals 6 damage.

Stem appears and affects Roughneck. It will hatch the next time it’s drawn.

Since I have 2 cards that cost two actions, I decide to upgrade Trickery before playing either of them.

Rook’s lack of easy access to composure granting cards becomes more and more apparent the larger your deck grows.

It’s risky, but I really need the extra defense.

The composure is removed instead of stolen.

Yet the defense from Heads still prevents Planted Evidence from being destroyed. I don’t think I’ve used Roughneck for its intended purpose of stealing composure once this run, yet I’m still getting a lot of milage out of the card.

Anyway, I finish the turn with Cordial Pleasantries due to being free.

All damage is blocked

I start off the turn seeing what Unstable will do.

Upgrade a Rationale card. Nice.

It even defends the argument that is being targeted this turn.

I’ve mentioned this before, but “attack 2 random targets” can often mean “attack the same thing twice”.

Since I have nothing but Hostility cards left in my deck, I play Call it to hopefully Gamble for Snails.

Thank you

I play Assertive Grumble for the Dominance. It’ll guarantee that Mirrored Grumble will deal enough damage to finish the negotiation.

Like so

Pale Head Shot may not do as much damage, but it will make up for it by how often it will appear.

I always go the promoted route for these type of cards.

Blank is the new option. It’s similar to Pleasantries cards, except you gamble before playing.

I don’t need any on the cards on offer, and I’ve mentioned repeatedly the importance of not overcrowding your deck.

That was my mission, after all.

Oh, you won’t be staying here for long…

I head to a secluded location…

Predictably, Cadwa tries to bargain.

Though the Boon sounds tempting, it only helps out when there are Admiralty present, and because she’ll “disappear” she won’t randomly show up to help me with negotiations or combat.

Besides, I’m nothing if not professional.

I just said that.

The defense won’t help much, but two Charges will.

I play Quick Fire first since it needs the experience.

And finish with Boosted Trigger.

It dealt 12 damage.

My AutoDog decides to defend instead of attack.

I gain two Injury cards from Paper Cut.

Twig is slowly but surely evolving.

The boss fight is right after this, and I don’t want to have Injury showing up during it.

I also don’t want to spend my Guerrilla Tactic, so I spend my remaining actions using Kickochet.

If only you did one more damage, TRINARY

I play Gun Smoke just to give it some experience.

I finish the fight using Mirrored Blast.

Didn’t even need to use my second shot, leaving a literally deadpan surprised look in Cadwa’s eyes.

That was quick, though to be expected considering that Clerks are on the weaker side in combat.

The Impair will come in handy in the future. I have to be careful with it though, as I’m only getting one.

Burner: As the name implies, it applies Burn. Not much more to say.

Cyclone: If you’ve been running a debuff heavy deck, this can be a pretty powerful card. Otherwise, 4 extra damage is good but it may be worthwhile to leave the debuffs alone.

I currently have 30 cards in my battle deck. At this point I don’t want to get over eager with adding new cards.

Mission accomplished. All that’s left is to give the badge to Hebbel.

I arrive without trouble.

I don’t know how much Hebbel knows about Rook’s employers, but he knows who to give the badge to, and he won’t ask questions.

I gain shills, mettle, and a Graft.

Of all the Grifters, Rook needs the extra health the most.

Um, which organ?

*****

A bit of an abrupt end, but rest assured, the boss fight is next, and we’ll see what the context is next time…

 

[eclipse]

Spare cybernetic tongue, of course!  Especially if it's silver!

[Saint Rubenio]

Engage has been keeping me distracted. It's a great time. Etie's very cool.

Spoiler

On 1/19/2023 at 1:54 AM, Hawkwing said:

Yodel duels are an untapped well.

If Griftlands ever gets an update, DLC, and/or a sequel, there needs to be a  mission that you can resolve through a music duel.

 More games need to have that kinda mission.

On 1/19/2023 at 1:54 AM, Hawkwing said:

Yeah, the combat animations can look odd when not in mot-

Apparently she pisses glowing blue stuff

...

What? You can't deny the undeniable, Hawkwing!

On 1/19/2023 at 1:54 AM, Hawkwing said:

Well, one option causes her to hate you, and the other to dislike you. Regardless, they want you to think about whether or not you're fine with loosing a strong boon.

I'm thinking about the one blurb that says "she will hate you" and ALSO "she will have a lower opinion of you." You'd think the first statement would make the second obvious haha.

On 1/19/2023 at 1:54 AM, Hawkwing said:

Seriously, I've never had a boss repeat like this before. I don't know what happened behind the scenes.

Somehow I'll bet Del's involved.

On 1/19/2023 at 1:54 AM, Hawkwing said:

We'll see if I hate the opportunity to get rid of her in Day 3.

Her? With that stache?

On 1/19/2023 at 1:54 AM, Hawkwing said:

The price is affordable and I’ll get more use out of it than a combat drone or a box of grenades. I purchase the Autodog.

Ayyyy mecha pet! So cuuute!

On 1/19/2023 at 1:54 AM, Hawkwing said:

I run into Keebee again. It’s not as egregious as Del but we’ll see if she shows up in the future.

These two really need to stop hogging the spotlight.

On 1/19/2023 at 1:54 AM, Hawkwing said:

 

 

I bet he plays as the TF2 Heavy, too.

You think Rook has ever used his spy powers to outsmart bullet?

...Or his stache magic.

On 1/19/2023 at 1:54 AM, Hawkwing said:

Unsurprisingly for paperwork issues, swearing occurs shortly thereafter.

This game's getting too real now. All that's needed is for the website to malfunction in the middle of a procedure. After paying.

...Didn't happen to me, but I witnessed one of my coworkers going through this magical experience. That was a whole another can of worms to deal with after the thing was done.

On 1/19/2023 at 1:54 AM, Hawkwing said:

Combat is the only option that won’t make anyone mad. Hopefully.

I mean, it'll make Rugis mad for as long as his life lasts.

On 1/19/2023 at 1:54 AM, Hawkwing said:

Rugis spins while throwing grenades, and we see some animation weirdness I never noticed before.

HAH

Head went bye bye.

On 1/19/2023 at 1:54 AM, Hawkwing said:

Thank you

Ooohhh, the rare ¬<¬ face. Now that's a killer blow if I ever saw one.

On 1/19/2023 at 1:54 AM, Hawkwing said:

Besides, I’m nothing if not professional.

I just said that.

You stole Rook's line. He's going to unleash the :v on you now.

On 1/19/2023 at 1:54 AM, Hawkwing said:

He's... way too happy about this confirmed murder. It even spooks Rook, and he's the one who did the murdering lol

On 1/19/2023 at 1:54 AM, Hawkwing said:

Um, which organ?

You don't wanna know

 

On 1/19/2023 at 8:14 AM, eclipse said:

Spare cybernetic tongue, of course!  Especially if it's silver!

If it's sharp enough, he could use it to kill - literally!

[Hawkwing]

ROOK'S CAMPAIGN DAY 2 BOSS FIGHT: Rook, The Hero VS The "Digging" Automech Bossbit

It's audience participation time again! I'll try using a strawpoll again, see how well that works this time.

Replies:

Spoiler

On 1/19/2023 at 2:14 AM, eclipse said:

Spare cybernetic tongue, of course!  Especially if it's silver!

On 1/24/2023 at 10:37 AM, Saint Rubenio said:

If it's sharp enough, he could use it to kill - literally!

I don't know which idea that jumped to mind I love the most: The image of Rook firing a cybernetic tongue like a projectile, Rook detaching his tongue to use as an improvised knife, or if it extends like xenomorph tongue so he can stab people with it.

On 1/24/2023 at 10:37 AM, Saint Rubenio said:

Engage has been keeping me distracted. It's a great time. Etie's very cool.

Can't blame you. I've been addicted to Marvel's Midnight Suns for the past two weeks, the point that I accidently stayed up till 4 AM playing it. Twice.

I recommend checking it out if you're a fan of strategy games and enjoy Marvel. The strategy combat is incredibly tight and polished and despite using cards you still feel in control of what's happening. The developers heavily emphasized using the environment as a weapon, and they weren't kidding. Knocking enemies into each other or explosive barrels or off buildings is incredibly fun, as is knocking trash cans into foes or dropping an overhanging crane on top of their heads. The game also does a good job about making each character feel distinct to use without having to relearn the wheel.

The developers also seemed to like the Monastery from Three Houses but disliked the same aspects that most players did, because the Abbey is an improvement in every way. Every gameplay relevant facility is in the same area and a quick walk between each other, the hangouts are better tea times thanks to having various activities to pick from and how characters have actual conversations, and exploring is beneficial but ultimately optional and something you can do at your own pace. It has issues (I still would have liked a menu to handle the gameplay aspects, it can go overboard with the amount of dialogue there is, and you miss out on some neat rewards if you skip exploration entirely but you do get diminishing returns if you explore frequently), but ultimately it feels like a straight improvement over Three Houses. Oh, and there's no lecturing, so you can jump into fights far faster.

Just a heads-up; I noticed the dialogue was incredibly divisive when looking at reviews, and after playing it myself, I can see why. It is incredibly quippy, has superheroes that have saved the world before drop jokes during high stakes situations, and the game is unafraid to drop a cheesy superhero line with varying degrees of self-awareness. I know some people enjoy that while other's can't stand it, so just keep that in mind.

Also there are gameplay benefits from petting a dog. And a cat if you can find it.

  Hide contents

 More games need to have that kinda mission.

Musical duels are underutilized in general.

What? You can't deny the undeniable, Hawkwing!

I was focusing more on how brash knee capped Quarryn with a sickle. I've mentioned before that Sickles are brutal weapons, and a slash to the leg... yeesh...

I'm thinking about the one blurb that says "she will hate you" and ALSO "she will have a lower opinion of you." You'd think the first statement would make the second obvious haha.

Yeah, it is an oddity. Perhaps they added it so players knew they could loose the boon just as quickly as they gained it?

Her? With that stache?

I don't know what you're referring to here, but I am okay with getting blood on my 'stache if it means getting rid of faulty armor.

Ayyyy mecha pet! So cuuute!

I suppose. I just hope this one doesn't go feral.

These two really need to stop hogging the spotlight.

They really do. We'll see if anyone reappears during Smith's campaign...

You think Rook has ever used his spy powers to outsmart bullet?

...Or his stache magic.

I was immediately reminded of this Lazypurple clip.

Anyway, considering that defense in Griftlands is intentionally ambiguous, not to mention Evade exists, I'd say the answer is maybe?

This game's getting too real now. All that's needed is for the website to malfunction in the middle of a procedure. After paying.

...Didn't happen to me, but I witnessed one of my coworkers going through this magical experience. That was a whole another can of worms to deal with after the thing was done.

Yeesh. I hope your coworker got the issue sorted out. That doesn't sound pleasant to deal with.

I mean, it'll make Rugis mad for as long as his life lasts.

It was one failed ambush that he walked away from. He'll have another chance. Better than his corpse being lost to the bog.

HAH

Head went bye bye.

Animation weirdness is always fun.

Ooohhh, the rare ¬<¬ face. Now that's a killer blow if I ever saw one.

I was not expecting the :V face to become this much of a meme, though I'm not complaining.

You stole Rook's line. He's going to unleash the :v on you now.

Eh, I'm used to it by now. He'll have to pull a new face to truly intimidate me.

He's... way too happy about this confirmed murder. It even spooks Rook, and he's the one who did the murdering lol

Hebbel's just happy about a job well done.

You don't wanna know

I already read the "silver tongue" joke by the time I reached this one, and I'm still laughing about the concepts.

 

 

Day 2 Update:

Spoiler

I barely have time to rest after completing my last mission before Flekfis appears.

I’m not certain about the specifics, but if you lean towards helping the Spark Barons or the Rise, either Flekfis or Arnit will confront Rook about it. I suppose I have been doing more dirty work for the Spark Barons recently.

And I’ll enjoy the fight. But this isn’t the time nor the place, so I listen to what he has to say.

So I need to take down a digging robot. They can be dangerous, but they’re not built for combat.

Oh

If I had to describe the Spark Barons in a single exchange, I would show them this.

You two are both old.

I mean, Kalandra won’t be happy, but my loyalty is being bought with Shills, and Flekfis knows that.

As long as you keep your mouth shut after this.

I’d say I have enough Resolve and Health to deal with the boss. I head towards the mayhem.

I ask about the automech first.

A mech having an extra weapon if one of its limbs is damaged or destroyed is a surprisingly forward thinking design. It also sounds like it would add to the manufacturing cost, arguably needlessly. Comes with the territory with mechs in general, though. It’s interesting how the mech genre either fully embraces how impractical they are and focus on being ridiculously awesome, or go out of their way to ground and legitimize them in a setting.

Attacking this thing head on is too risky. I need some back-up if I hope to win.

This card only appears for this negotiation. It’s probably the least subtle the game gets about hinting that you should be aware of your deck size without being a tooltip.

I start the negotiation with an extra action thanks to Spotty.

Each bounty I destroy grants me an ally for the fight ahead. I also have to protect them afterwards.

Since I have 4 actions, I might get some use out of an extra card.

Of course it drew one that costs two actions…

Anyway, I play Agency.

Nice

To be on the safe side, I defend.

And I once again use Roughneck to Gamble. The coin fortunately deals damage by landing on Snails.

Blocking the damage unlocked Rook’s Flourish.

Yes, I have used other flourishes before. No, I won’t break routine this time.

It’s free and will upgrade, so I start the round with Rationale.

Prepare to see Pale Head Shot at least once per turn for the rest of the negotiation.

Anyway, I play Promoted Trickery before attacking.

I pick Boosted Carry Over because I don’t need to defend and those two extra actions might come in handy.

The coin dealt damage with Snails after playing this.

Have to be careful not to focus on dealing more damage than necessary, as the leftover damage doesn’t go anywhere in this negotiation.

Thanks for destroying that argument, Snails.

The Cobbledog is the weakest bounty and also the weakest ally. I target it with Tall Pleasantries in case it only does one damage.

Honestly, it wouldn’t have done much even if it dealt the full 5.

The damage is blocked, but a bounty gains composure.

I have 5 actions this round, and start the turn by playing Unstable.

The Parasite card evolved into Tinnitus, and will deal 2 damage every time it shows up. Annoying, but so is actual tinnitus.

Pale Head Shot shows up, and the flavor text for the Tinnitus card does a simple rendition of the ringing noise.

Conveniently, Blacklist will do the exact amount of damage necessary to destroy the bounty, even with the composure.

Coin Juggler just adds to the damage.

Thank goodness I have actions to spare. The cobbledog is being targeted this turn, and I want at least some composure to defend it.

It landed on Heads… and gave it to Coin Juggler.

Which gives its thanks by defending the cobbledog.

I aim to destroy the final bounty this turn and hold out until Receive Support reappears.

Done, now I just need to focus on defense.

Speak of the devil, I can end the negotiation this turn. I gain experience on Burn first.

And play Receive Support to bring my allies to the boss fight.

Hopefully it will be, Rook.

Sigh. I suppose one of these was going to show up sooner than later. We were having such a good streak too…

Bottom Snail: Never used this card. The discard bonus is okay, though Rook has fancier options.

Blockade: Hebbel is a tough nut to crack. 3 Composure to all arguments is nice, but I don’t like relying on luck for defense.

Upright: If you have a way to gain influence, then this is one of the easier ways to prepare cards.

I skip this round. In hindsight, I could have nabbed Upright, but I’m satisfied with my current deck.

I get that you’re scared, but the more people involved in the fight, the more likely we can succeed.

You could help prevent that by joining, Kyrgian.

Anyway, we approach the mech.

Bossbit looks like a DJ here.

A battlemech that plays music at full volume and attacks in line with the rhythm is a concept I could see being ridiculously awesome, darkly hilarious, or utterly terrifying depending on the execution. Or all three simultaneously.

Coincidently, the new Fire Emblem came out a few days ago. Sadly, Marth will not help out in this fight, but that’s why I convinced Kyrgian to spare some members of the Rise.

I said this earlier, but having a rocket leg in case the mech loses one is either a smart idea or a waste of resources.

Regardless, I start the turn breaking through Bossbit’s defense with Gallery, upgrading the card in the process.

Next, I attack twice.

The second shot did 7 damage

I use my final action to give more experience to Ammo Pouch, as I have a charge to spare.

Robots can’t be wounded, but they can be set on fire.

My allies defend

Annoyingly, so does Bossbit.

Bossbit can’t be damaged at all until all the Feral Autodogs are destroyed. Of course, it can still attack while shielded.

Hopefully I can kill one in a single shot.

One Feral Autodog is destroyed, and now Rook’s Flourish is available. I’m going to be saving it for later.

I target the Feral AutoDog that will take 5 damage from allies with Sear. Even if it’s not a one-hit kill, the burn damage will be enough to ensure it dies when my allies act.

Yep, another AutoDog is down.

While I could have destroyed the other autodog with Bog Blaster, I focus on giving experience to Crank instead. It’s not always the easiest card to upgrade.

The Cobblebot wastes a turn targeting a Autodog that will be destroyed anyway. Lovely.

Morale is thankfully a separate stat from health. Especially when the Rise Rebel is the only one in my party who can retreat before being killed.

The Cobbledog destroys the Feral one. Their Spark Blast isn’t as fancy when compared to the Spark Barons AutoDog, but I suppose that’s not surprising considering the differences in resources and manufacturing between the two factions.

Not only does the rocket leg help the AutoMech stay up, it can act like a machine gun that applies burn when hit. It fires rapidly, so I only caught a few screenshots.

And the remaining Feral AutoDog bites me.

Twig is very close to evolving

Since it’s the only thing I can attack…

The shield is gone, though my allies won’t break through Bossbits defense.

I spend my two actions getting rid of Bloated. I don’t need the extra action from Gun Smoke right now, and since I’m not being attacked I don’t need the defense from Release Valve.

Hopefully the Cobblebot will get some attacks in before Bossbit gains another shield. Not a huge fan of how they scan their targets before attacking.

The rebel wisely defends

The Cobbledog doesn’t break through the bosses defense.

That is a surprisingly athletic robot.

Everyone takes burn damage

I don’t need to defend and only have two cards that deal damage, so I may as well gain Backfire now.

Much as I would like to save this for an AutoDog group, the boss won’t be taken down by saving my damage dealing cards.

The bomb didn’t break through the defense…

…But my allies did!

Robot gymnastics is a sport I have not personally seen in fiction. Which is a shame considering how much creativity could stem from the idea.

The last of the burn damage. For now.

I’m fully charged and hurt, so why not?

Anything to keep me in the fight longer.

Since I’m empty, Pale Kick only costs one action.

I show the robot how powerful Rook’s kicks are!

I finish the turn by applying Chimney.

I unfortunately don’t deal enough damage to apply Scorched.

The Cobblebot adds Defect.

The Rise Rebel keeps her spirits up.

And the Cobbledog blasts the mech.

Annoyingly, Bossbit regains its shield.

And we have another pack of Feral AutoDogs to deal with.

I upgrade Crank while I have the chance.

I use Total Focus to block any damage taken this turn, and gain considerable Concentration to boot.

I upgrade Ammo Pouch

And add some impair to a Feral AutoDog that is targeting me.

I use my last action giving defense to the Cobbledog, which is on its last legs.

Two of my allies defend

While the Cobbledog acts like a… slinky?

Bossbit almost looks like he’s going to kick the Cobbledog like a football in this screenshot. Makes me wonder if the sport has an equivalent in Havaria.

We once again see the freaky bite of the Feral AutoDog.

Rook remembers the last time he fought the things and punishes them accordingly.

Twice

The burn damage from Sear will destroy the Feral AutoDog even if the initial attack will not.

I gain some defense

And finish off another AutoDog.

Two of my allies defend.

While the Cobbledog finishes off the remaining Feral AutoDog.

Bossbit rappid fires on everyone again.

While Rook goes to retaliate.

He only dealt 3 damage.

Burn damage

Thank you Cobblebot for adding Defect. Chimney deals 20 damage and guaranteed Scorched.

I use the final Defect with the stronger Boosted Trigger.

And finish off with Charged Blast

A total of 56 damage was dealt by Rook’s attacks alone, not counting burn. I welcome these moments considering how much Bossbit focuses on defense.

The Cobblebot goes to attack

And the Rise Rebel follows up.

And the Cobblebot finishes with a Spark Blast.

I dealt the most damage, so Bossbit targets me.

I miss the flip

And Rook counters for two damage.

Rook is now fatigued, so I don’t need to worry about experience the rest of the fight.

Not that it matters, since I don’t want to spend either item and only have two attack cards worth using. I’ll save Gun Smoke for later.

The Cobblebot gets some hits in before Bossbit defends.

I don’t know why the rebel decided to defend.

And the part-slinky Cobbledog gets another bite in.

I take damage from Twig

I kill the Feral AutoDog that would otherwise kill our Cobbledog.

I target this Feral AutoDog specifically thanks to providing 6 mettle if I kill it. Notice the symbol the other enemies don’t have?

The Cobblebot defends.

While the rest of my allies destroy the remaining Autodog.

The shield is gone, but Bossbit gets another attack in.

I should be able to deal enough damage to end the fight this turn.

Bossbit’s down. I expect the Rise will destroy the rest of the evidence.

I gained quite a lot from victory.

Screamer is an okay item, and one of two boss items that summon an ally. Feral Autodogs are weak partners, but considering every other summon item has a limit and Joel’s drone (the one of Sal’s Day 1 bosses) is deals damage to you if it's destroyed, it's fair for an item that can be deployed once per fight.

Upgrade time!

Unsurprisingly, I go the promoted route with Ammo Pouch.

I’ll get more use out of the defense than the charge.

Twisted Gallery does less overall damage, but in exchange it doesn’t need to be fully charged to hit everyone.

I take more reliable damage with Quick Fire.

Vulgar: I may have covered this card before. An okay card if you’re running a largely hostile deck. I’ve never used it.

Strategy: Not as strong as another argument card, but this can be pretty damn powerful if you have several cards that can Prepare. I’ve had runs where Strategy did a solid chunk of the damage in most negotiations.

Headbang: The implication that Rook occasionally headbangs to some music in the middle of a discussion is hilarious enough. The two action cost is actually more reasonable on this card, especially when the coin is on heads, as it can deal up to 16 damage, which is pretty nuts.

Past experience has shown that Headbang deals a considerable amount of damage, and I’m gaining influence semi-regularly. 

Spurs: Similar to Release Valve, except instead of defense it grants counter. I’ve mentioned before that spending all charges is useful for emergency defense, and Spurs leans into that mentality by letting you deal some damage to your attacker.

Offset: Situational in some runs, and a straight up bonus in others. Goes without saying that it depends on how many debuff cards you have.

Amplifier: It essentially ensures that any Scorched card will be immediately useful.

It’s essentially a more offensive minded version of Release Valve, and I can work with that.

Ouch, though sometimes the truth needs to be said out loud.

Still, at least Kyrgians' cowardice is understandable. Better than the Spark Baron equivalent to this event.

I have made a fair amount of progress in just two days.

To be fair, I am still a double agent.

In other words, there is still more dirty work you want me to handle.

There’s a reason I nabbed some more graft slots earlier today.

…Though Flekfis could have brought some better gifts.

I take the shills this time. 

I think you got scammed with that graft selection, Flekfis.

With the boss fight over, I head back to The Last Stand to start the second day.

Though not before running into one more random event.

Wait, grifter?

Hey, it’s Sal! We got the event where you run into her!

Indentured servant from the derricks. Which is worse, though Grout Bog is certainly heading that way. I'm not here for nothing, after all.

We met a lot of people in Murder Bay. Wonder which one is the target.

A pretty good deal. I ask some questions before accepting.

First, who’s the target?

Presumably one of Sal’s Day 1 bosses. They were all Spark Barons with unique technology.

We took her down personally, so yes.

Kashio did provide an intense fight.

They changed this dialogue when rebalancing Rook’s campaign (he didn’t get as many interesting changes compared to Sal). To be honest, I preferred their original exchange, where Rook said the admiralty claimed they took down Kashio, where Sal replies “so that’s what they’re saying now” before hinting that she was the one to do so. It kept it ambiguous who Sal worked for (since either the admiralty is taking credit for her work or covering their ass after a bandit took the bounty on Kashio) and whether or not she killed Kashio.

Here's the original dialogue, if you're curious (spoilers for the rest of the event):

Spoiler

 

Well, your ending did say you had some old wounds that needed tending too…

Probably

I agree to the deal. 200 Shills is quite a lot of money.

Yeah the bugs here can be… unpleasant…

Look’s like we’re fighting Sparky again. That’s two boss fights in a row this update.

I could betray Sal for (supposedly) more money, though that would cause Sal to hate me. Her bane is pretty nasty (like using doubt? Imagine an enemy being able to add some), though her death loot is solid (it grants free power). There are legitimate gameplay reasons to betray Sal.

Of course, there are also legitimate reasons to help Sal.

A three on one, with the advantage that I have far more upgraded cards compared to a typical day 1 boss fight.

Of course I start off with primarily defensive cards. I use Stone Crank to gain some charge will I will then spend with Release Valve.

Like so

I swear I will kill Lopli the first chance I get tomorrow.

My allies defend

Everyone takes some damage from Spark Grenade

I upgrade Sear

I Hunker Down even if it provides miniscule defense.

And spend my only charge with Charged Blast.

Sal elbows Sparky in the gut. Twice.

While TRINARY goes through the whole Spark Blast routine.

Sparky takes damage from burn.

And throws another grenade

Not the ideal situation to use Energy Loop, but I have no ways of gaining charge, so 2 health will have to do.

I attack first with Twisted Gallery

Which dealt 7 damage and unlocked Rook’s flourish.

I finish the turn using Mirrored Blast to attack twice

Sal also attacks twice with Gut Shot

While the Autodog adds Dread.

Twig only needs to appear one more time to evolve. Sparky gains counter while charging up a powerful attack.

At this point I can’t be arsed to deal with the counter and a powerful attack next turn mere minutes after destroying Bossbit and just stun Sparky.

I’m not entirely certain what tool Rook is using, but it deals damage and inflicts stun.

I spend my only charge with Quick Fire.

I deal 13 damage

Pale Kick only costs 1 action and will cause Sparky to surrender.

Sal breaks Sparkys jaw with a Haymaker

While TRINARY bites him with metallic teeth, leaving Sparky with 1 morale.

Morale that is quickly removed after being burnt one last time.

Bounties typically pay more alive, after all.

To be honest, I’m not really picky about the inconsistent damage Sear is doing, so I pick Tall Sear.

Crackle: While it requires having some cards that apply burn and utilize charge, Crackle combos surprisingly well several playstyles and is impressively versatile. That extra charge can provide overcharge, causing the rest of your attacks to deal more damage, or they give you more charge to spend for various benefits, or even both depending on the situation.

Tight Spot: My previous run showed the benefits of this card in practice.

Blinders: A nice ability to have if you want ways to quickly regain spent charges. I don’t use it often since I prefer to keep my cells empty, but it is beneficial on runs where I lean towards being fully charged.

My previous run showed how useful Tight Spot can be. It should be a similar case here.

You’re talking to the guy that rarely retreats or surrenders in most games. I have to take considerable damage to even entertain the idea most of the time.

Interesting how both Sal and rook both use dual weapons.

Sal will give you a choice of one of her combat cards if you refuse to take the money. You can potentially get some of her strongest cards with few strings attached, though keep in mind it is pulling from a huge selection.

My current battle deck is sizable enough as is, and I could use the money on the difficulty where everything is more expensive. Sal will love me either way.

Rugged imperfections have their own appeal.

Wonder how Fssh’s trap hobby is doing…

A really versatile boon. Especially since you’ll have both on the first turn.

After the second boss fight in a row, I’m ready to go to bed.

There is something to uncover here, but I’m tired after writing all of that.

A pretty combat heavy day, all things considered.

Day 3 Update:

Spoiler

Rook’s day 4 dialogue is the most striking, but this implies he’s had to do this in the past.

Especially since The Last Stand is supposed to be neutral ground. A bomb will just cause more pointing fingers and escalation.

Griftlands is a roguelike that isn’t interested in randomly killing you, after all.

This is the big choice. Do we give the information to the Rise or the Spark Barons? Do we stay loyal to one side, or engage in some backstabbing? You decide!

Strawpoll here (PM me if it doesn't work): https://strawpoll.com/polls/40Zmq6QNoZa

[eclipse]

Is it Griftlands if it doesn't involve backstabbing in some way, shape, or form?

[Saint Rubenio]

Spoiler

On 1/26/2023 at 4:01 AM, Hawkwing said:

I don't know which idea that jumped to mind I love the most: The image of Rook firing a cybernetic tongue like a projectile, Rook detaching his tongue to use as an improvised knife, or if it extends like xenomorph tongue so he can stab people with it.

 He makes the :v face and starts machine gunning sharp tongues at the enemy.

On 1/26/2023 at 4:01 AM, Hawkwing said:

Yeesh. I hope your coworker got the issue sorted out. That doesn't sound pleasant to deal with.

He did, yes, but it wasn't a fun time.

On 1/26/2023 at 4:01 AM, Hawkwing said:

I like how chipper he looks about it. Rook x Flekfis crack ship? I mean they both share a kinship in staches

On 1/26/2023 at 4:01 AM, Hawkwing said:

Blocking the damage unlocked Rook’s Flourish.

Have we seen a frame of a character turning red before?

On 1/26/2023 at 4:01 AM, Hawkwing said:

Bossbit looks like a DJ here.

A battlemech that plays music at full volume and attacks in line with the rhythm is a concept I could see being ridiculously awesome, darkly hilarious, or utterly terrifying depending on the execution. Or all three simultaneously.

He'll burn you alive with fire tuns.

On 1/26/2023 at 4:01 AM, Hawkwing said:

ROOK ANGRY

On 1/26/2023 at 4:01 AM, Hawkwing said:

I miss the flip

That pose is actually hilarious. He looks like he's engaging in some kind of philosophical debate with Rook while using the dog as a chair.

On 1/26/2023 at 4:01 AM, Hawkwing said:

I would've thought Kalandra would've filled in at least her second-in-command that Rook is supposed to infiltrate the Barons.

On 1/26/2023 at 4:01 AM, Hawkwing said:

Hey, it’s Sal! We got the event where you run into her!

Ayyyy, there she is!

On 1/26/2023 at 4:01 AM, Hawkwing said:

We met a lot of people in Murder Bay. Wonder which one is the target.

Is it Del?

On 1/26/2023 at 4:01 AM, Hawkwing said:

EMBLEM-- Okay, no.

Kinda would've been interesting to betray Sal, see how she does when she's on the opposing side.

On 1/26/2023 at 4:01 AM, Hawkwing said:

HAH! She deployed the :v face too. Rook's influence extends far, I see.

On 1/26/2023 at 4:01 AM, Hawkwing said:

Wonder how Fssh’s trap hobby is doing…

She has already acquired a new identity: Fred Jones.

On 1/26/2023 at 4:01 AM, Hawkwing said:

I don't know why but there's something really funny about this exchange and the face Rook makes at the end there.

 

 

[Hawkwing]

ROOK'S CAMPAIGN DAY 3: Swamp Lawyer

Alternative Title: Narratively, This Is My Favorite Mission In The Game

Replies

Spoiler

On 1/28/2023 at 1:30 AM, eclipse said:

Is it Griftlands if it doesn't involve backstabbing in some way, shape, or form?

Good point.

 

On 2/4/2023 at 5:41 AM, Saint Rubenio said:

  Hide contents

 He makes the :v face and starts machine gunning sharp tongues at the enemy.

I must thank you for the hearty laugh this gave me when I first read this

He did, yes, but it wasn't a fun time.

Glad to hear it was sorted out, though I'm not surprised it wasn't fun to deal with.

I like how chipper he looks about it.

Rook is attempting to gleefully feign ignorance. It doesn't work

Rook x Flekfis crack ship? I mean they both share a kinship in staches

Have I given off the impression that I give a crap about ships that aren't in space or on water?

Have we seen a frame of a character turning red before?

Maybe. I mostly catch it during combat rather than negotiations.

He'll burn you alive with fire tuns.

Nice pun. Appropriate, too, considering Bossbit's attacks deal burn damage. 

ROOK ANGRY

He's fed up with Bossbit hiding behind a shield so frequently.

That pose is actually hilarious. He looks like he's engaging in some kind of philosophical debate with Rook while using the dog as a chair.

Alternating between negotiating and fighting sounds like it would be a cool idea, even though I don't know how it would work mechanically. I wonder what Bossbits Core Argument would do.

I would've thought Kalandra would've filled in at least her second-in-command that Rook is supposed to infiltrate the Barons.

I gather that the lieutenants put a few 2 and 2's together, though of course not all of them. Besides, being a double agent isn't as effective the more people know. 

Ayyyy, there she is!

I rather like the few events were grifters meet each other. I'm fine with them being rare, but I wish there were a few more.

Is it Del?

Not this time.

EMBLEM-- Okay, no.

Funny that you say that, as one of my biggest concerns before playing Engage is the quality of the dialogue. As flawed as their stories can be, what characters actually say to each other is an aspect about the franchises writing that I feel is underappreciated. It ranges between games how much I would promote it as a selling point, but point being it's an aspect about the series that I don't have much criticism towards (heck, even with Fates I thought that the conversations were either "so bad, it's good" or bland, nothing struck me as downright awful).

I know debating the quality of the Engages story is a big talking point right now (mechanically, everyone seems to agree that it's good. It's telling that any issues I've seen people have tend to be the out of battle mechanics, such as resources or Sommiel), and while I haven't been impressed with any of the story details I've been spoiled on thus far, I'll reserve judgement until I actually play the game. My biggest concern is whether I'll enjoy the moment to moment interactions or make it through them with gritted teeth.

Kinda would've been interesting to betray Sal, see how she does when she's on the opposing side.

I appreciate that there are pros and cons to deciding whether to help Sal or betray her.

Better than the event where you meet Rook. His personal item is an underwhelming "draw an extra card" card, and his bane is one of the nastiest in the game.

HAH! She deployed the :v face too. Rook's influence extends far, I see.

I'm honestly a little surprised that the :V face only became a meme during Rook's campaign, when it showed up during Sal's story. Must be the mustache.

She has already acquired a new identity: Fred Jones.

Huh. I never thought about how the Scooby Doo Crew would function in Griftlands

I don't know why but there's something really funny about this exchange and the face Rook makes at the end there.

He's trying to make the best of the situation.

I've mentioned it before, but I'm real curious how well Smith fares in the funny faces game.

 

 

 

Update:

Spoiler

Votes are in. Seems like I’m going to side with the Spark Barons, then backstab them.

Before doing any of that, I go to my room to change clothes.

I’ll play with TRINARY first

Don’t know how comfortable petting a metal dog would be, but I suppose the aibo exists. Well, existed.

Anyway, I remember to change outfits this time.

“Saboteur” remains my favorite of Rook’s uniforms, but I still like Shadow as an alternative costume.

Before heading off, I see if Pengemunt has any coins to trade off.

I almost always pick the Turtle Coin for Day 4, and sometimes on Day 3. The lack of damage means negotiations can take longer, but the extra composure ensures that you can remain in the debate longer. I nab it this time since Rook’s reliability on getting composure has been a tad hit and miss.

You gave it to me yesterday. To be fair, the Bog Coin is really good.

With nothing left to do at the bar, I head off.

I have a choice who to give the intel to first. Due to the vote, I visit the Spark Barons.

Okay, Lopli. Time to…

…be… unable… to… fight… her…

…

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

After internally screaming, I talk to Fellemo, who is reminiscing.

It’s easy to look back at dangerous times with fondness after you’ve made it through alive, I suppose.

Anyway, I hand Fellemo the dossier I got this morning.

Fellemo can be a clever fellow.

This is not one of those times.

I see if Fellemo has a basic plan in mind yet.

I’ve killed 7 people in 2 days and already advanced both factions' goals in the same amount of time. “Ruthless tactician” is a good description of Rook.

…What is my paygrade? I know it scales depending on the day, but what did Rook’s contract look like?

In contrast with Flekfis, who is content serving as Kalandra’s second in command, Arint runs more of the show than Fellemo thinks.

Kalandra claims that the Boggers are Spark Barons who went crazy with too much free time on their hands. Considering how crazy Grout Bog makes people in general, it could easily be both.

Not to mention what Rook’s parasite can become…

Not a good sign that shooting trespassers is considered to be just another business expense.

Now to get work

Crime Scene pays a little more, but I go with The Best Defense, since it is my favorite mission in the game in terms of narrative.

Do I need to restate that Fellemo is a jackass?

I don’t blame Kalandra or the Rise for not batting an eye at the deaths of Spark Barons.

Immediately deciding on execution when holding a trail sets a dangerous precedent if they emerge victorious.

…Fuck you, Fellemo

I’ll accept the job, but only to save someone's life and prevent the Rise from acting rashly.

Huh. Didn't know Malo had some skill in kidnapping.

Seems Malo is drinking at The Last Stand.

I really need to count how many times Rook has run into a random event on the way to a mission sometime.

What the heck is the cult doing in Grout Bog?

That’s a long way to go just to investigate some potential heresy.

Though I suppose I’ve seen stronger reactions before:

Spoiler

Fire Emblem cults would be a lot more entertaining if someone like Xerxetes was in charge.

Also Mechanicus's dialogue is amazing and I almost went down the rabbit hole of looking through my thousands of screenshots I took of the game's writing.

Tempting as it is to say “or what?” or “on whose authority?”, it probably isn’t wise to provoke the cult until I hear exactly who they’re investigating first.

Seems Brash lived up to her name and said some things she shouldn’t have.

Okay, that changes things.

It seems I can give another name…

(Also, I forgot to screenshot what backup she has if you decide to fight. Whoops)

Sigh, I wish it was Lopli, but Del will do. Maybe Hesh will teach him a lesson not to jump dimensions.

I’m actually killing him because he keeps showing up instead of showing off the other foremen, but sure. We’ll go with that.

Spoiler

Tinnitus appears

And destroys my dominance. Which sucks but I’ll take it over damage to my core.

Just as a heads up; I didn’t really bother much with keeping track of what side the Turtle coin landed on when taking screenshots. Its ability boils down to “more composure”, so don’t be surprised if I don’t comment on where the sudden defense came from or on what side the coin landed on.

Anyway, I get back some of the lost dominance.

And see what randomness Unstable will bring.

Flipping the coin with Roughneck, I see. For an opponent that never uses composure.

It lands on Snails, giving each argument one composure. I appreciate the cute detail of the Snails side being the turtle in its shell.

I deal six damage with Agency

And would have loved for Grunt to have been prepared. Damn Tinnitus.

Pau predictably plays the same two arguments that every single Hesh member starts out with (well, except for a new cult class that only appears on Smiths route and in Brawl)

It’s free, so I get rid of the main source of damage for Heshians first.

Two turns in and I am already appreciating Sal’s Boon of starting negotiations with free influence.

I flip the coin entirely so Dogged costs one less action.

Pale Head Shot activates and targets Pau’s core argument.

Now I destroy Wrath of Hesh with Dogged

It doesn’t really matter which card I prepare.

Gab activates regardless

I only play this because I have actions to spare. Also because I tend to forget that the Turtle coin doesn’t do damage. It takes a few negotiations to adjust, as the Turtle coin isn’t always my go-to coin to upgrade. Heck, I’ve had runs where I just stuck with the Bog coin the whole way through.

Pau’s Prayer of Hesh argument heals her core for 2 resolve and shields it next turn.

Since the coin is on Snails, I damage each argument with Burn.

I target Prayer of Hesh with Blacklist so the leftover damage goes to the core.

We’ve already seen how strong Blacklist can be, and Day 3 and 4 show the card at its best.

I don’t destroy Wrath of Hesh this turn, but I use the free card to make sure it won’t last long.

I gamble for some free composure

With some free damage to boot

Turns out, Wrath of Hesh deals the full 4 damage this turn.

I lose my influence and take some damage to my core.

I can regain that lost resolve by destroying Tithe

Rook destroys the argument and regains some resolve by rocking out

It’s pretty easy to see why this card normally costs two actions to play.

I target Wrath of Hesh with Cordial Pleasantries, which deals full damage.

Pau’s core takes some damage and I gain some Influence.

This is one of the few times a cult member targets me directly, so I use my final action to defend.

I take two damage

Spotty appears, giving me an extra action.

I can finally play Kicker, so I swear to discard it.

I even get to draw a card thanks to the coin being on Snails!

Yes!

No!

It drew Tinnitus! And destroyed my influence! Damn it!

It’s free, so I see what Promoted Trickery will provide.

I’m not being attacked, so setting the coin or incepting flustered won’t help me at all.

Giving Headbang 3 extra damage, on the other hand…

It does the exact amount of damage necessary to win the negotiation!

All these cards have shown up before, and I don’t need any of them right now. I skip.

Del is dead. I couldn’t deal with him directly, so I resorted to a classical writing excuse: Killing him offscreen.

Back on track, I go to the The Last Stand to ask Malo about the kidnapping.

There he is

I ask what Gode did to deserve being put on trial.

…Huh. I can see why Kalandra asked me to intimidate Del into following safety protocols. Not that the lessons stuck, as I had to drill it into his mind twice.

I could convince Malo that Gode deserves a fair trial…

Intimidate him into giving away the location…

Or just beat him up…

I convince Malo Gode deserves a fair trial, since it’s the only one that won’t damage our friendship.

Rook makes a really good point here

Spoiler

Nodoloolis helps out by giving me Double Duty.

Snails provides composure to every argument I have.

Since it’s the only damage dealing card I have, I play Burn.

I temporarily forgot about this when playing, but Double Duty plays the first card you play twice. It is only for the first two turns, but you can get in an impressive amount of damage depending on your hand.

The only other thing I can do with my actions this turn is defend.

And see what Roughneck will land on

Heads, which thankfully blocks all damage and activates Pale Head Shot to boot.

Malo deals no damage and adds the Brainwash argument

Visionary Pleasantries costs two actions this turn thanks to the Rise’s core argument ability.

Dogged is free and prepared, so I use it to destroy Brainwash before it gets the chance to do anything.

I leave Grunt where it is, since it has an effect when prepared.

I do this twice thanks to Double Duty

Grunt deals full damage, and Rook’s flourish is now available.

It seems that I haven’t taken Malo’s name yet

Let’s remedy that

Roughneck now deals damage. The only difference between upgrades is whether or not you want the coin effects to be swapped.

I go with Twisted Roughneck, as I haven’t had much luck trying to steal composure as is.

I believe Radula is the only new card. Nice if you really need the effect of Snails right now. I’ve already said that I’ve already said my piece on spending an action to draw a card.

Another easy skip.

Admittance is an important step. Especially considering the topic at hand. You’ve already made more progress than most people.

Off to be an improvised lawyer and prevent a hanging trial!

Time to head to the courtroom!

Though there is trouble on the way there

This screen lies. We’ll be fighting far more erchins than this screen would suggest.

Not the battle cry I would have expected from Rook

Spoiler

This should be a quick fight, so I start the turn giving experience to Backfire.

If I get lucky, I can cause all these erchins to run away with a single attack.

Ha! They all retreat!

Only to be replaced by three more

Nice play on words. If I kill this erchin, I gain some mettle.

My allies defend

I play Energy Loop entirely so I can upgrade it.

Well, and to play Pale Kick

I unfortunately don’t kill it

I’m tempted to shoot this erchin so it retreats…

But decide instead to protect my autodog. I don’t know how many scuffles I’ll get into today, and I don’t want it to lose unnecessary health for a filler fight.

The autodog howls and fills two of the erchins with dread.

Malo comes closing to killing another erchin

The spark mine defends

While an erchin decides it’s a good idea to headbutt a spikey explosive

Meanwhile, another uses TRINARY as a metal springboard

I have enough cards in my hand that playing Gun Smoke is a no-brainer.

First, I cause this erchin to retreat with the Bog Blaster

It retreats and is replaced with a new one, while I set another erchin on fire

I spread the flames to the erchin that won’t die or retreat this turn.

I use my final action to search my ammo pouch

I’ll get more mileage out of wound than impair, so I go with the Boosted Yote Shot

Depending on my luck, the erchin will either retreat or die

It runs away

It’s replaced by yet another erchin. This one doesn’t have morale, so we’re reaching the end of the pack.

My autodog kills the erchin

While Malo defends

As does the spike mine

The burn damage causes the erchin to retreat. The last one shows up.

Of course I draw nothing but defensive cards…

I have two cards in my hand that benefit from spending charge, so I gain two more

I spend my charge on Spurs so I have some offense this round

The empy cells will give me enough defense to block the next attack. Since my autodog is being targeted this turn, I give it 6 defense. The Concentration is a nice bonus.

The tag team of TRINARY and Malo bring the erchin down to one health.

Unwisely, it decides to headbutt me

Rook kills it with counter. One of the few times I do so deliberately, as in my experience counter is the greatest source of accidental kills.

The erchins skill with flipping makes me wonder if Havaira has any pet talent shows.

Twig appears…

And evolves into Neurotic Haze!

This apparently causes Rook to ramble but gives off an electric breath.

Anyway, this isn’t the easiest card to use, as by default you draw 5 cards without grafts or replenishment cards, so you’ll likely have more actions than cards to use them on.

Still, I have two attack cards that could end the fight right here and now, and parasite cards won’t grow if I don’t use them…

Good thing Mirrored Blast kills this erchin on its own

I have three Erchin Musks. Rook can show people the smelly inwards of a dead animal to remove their composure and gain some dominance.

I debated for a while whether to go for Stable Energy Loop or Boosted Energy Loop. I decided to go with Boosted Energy Loop, as the card Expends either way, and the extra healing may save my life.

Loader: Situational, though considering you can gain 8-12 temporary power if you play this when fully charged, you can do a ton of damage with the right hand.

Double Time: Dealing max damage isn’t the fanciest effect from being fully charged, but it’s hard to complain about. Especially because if you’re fully charged, you’re also likely to have some overcharge.

Shock Therapy: 2-3 damage isn’t much on its own, but gaining 3 charge immediately after playing makes this a good attack to start a turn with.

I gain one overcharge each fight, so Shock Therapy will always be dealing at least one extra damage.

I still intend on defending the foreman, but we see first hand how poorly the Spark Barons are at protecting their workers.

We arrive without further interruption.

Seems everyone here is expecting me to fail miserably.

Let’s prove them wrong.

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

I was debating whether or not to reinstall paint.net to make an Ace Attorney joke, but Rook’s :V face is memetic enough on its own!

I could object with violence…

But I swore I would defend Gode through a fair trial, so damn it! That’s what we’re going to do!

Spoiler

Even if it was prepared, Dogged would still cost two actions thanks to Call to Rise.

This is the trail of the century for all I care, so I break out the big guns early!

I’m not breaking tradition

Though it is pretty hilarious to picture Rook constantly flipping his coin in the context of a courtroom debate.

Honestly, this whole scenario is a comedy gold mine to visualize.

The first damage dealt is through a Head Shot!

Next, Rook establishes his Agency as an improv lawyer.

With signs of being Unstable…

By mentioning the nice weather of Grout Bog!

I drop a swear word in court!

It deals 5 damage. Hesh Spit indeed.

The judge remains unconvinced

I resist Cleme’s attempts to Brainwash me by Headbanging to the Ace Attorney soundtrack, I suppose. I really need to try out the series at some point.

Pale Head Shot also activates.

To rub it in, I end the turn with a sick Burn about how bad a precedent this will set for the Rise if they got their way.

Cleme is annoyed by how much Rook is flipping his coin and asks him to stop.

And ends her segment with some composure.

It will take some extra effort to engage in some of Rook’s lawyer tricks…

But he can be rough when he needs to be!

Pale Head Shot appears once more!

Rook Grumbles about the whole situation

I gamble because I forget again that the Turtle coin doesn’t deal damage.

And end the turn with Promoted Trickery

I picked Boosted Sleight, and am saving it for the future.

Rook remains unfazed

I gain an extra action thanks to Spotty.

And Rooks Tinnitus acts up, destroying Coin Juggler.

I rest my case on a positive note with some Cordial Pleasantries.

That was probably the fastest and most fun I’ve had writing a negotiation.

I decide that Rook needs to use stronger language.

Fallout: This argument is the entire reason why I choose the gambling route for Call It rather than setting the coins. Yes, it is exactly as powerful as you expect it would be when combined with Coin Juggler.

Spin: 1-4 damage isn’t a lot, but gambling up to four times in a row can make the attack worthwhile.

Head Split: 3 damage to every enemy argument is a solid deal, though I’m not a fan that you have a chance to deal no damage.

I go out of my way to keep gambling for Call It just for this card. Easily one of Rook’s best arguments.

Rook ends his statement on a strong note.

I suppose that’s the easy way to use someone else's argument as your own.

We saved Gode and prevented the Rise from becoming a hanging jury! I call that a job well done.

Time to tell Fellemo the good news!

Of course it wouldn’t be that simple…

I don’t know if I’d say Jand has a mean look. She has some neat hair, though.

When people think the justice system failed them, they tend to take matters into their own hands.

Jand is the dangerous one here, but this is a winnable fight.

A sad truth

Rook is unfazed by that frontier justice seems to be the default in Havaria.

Spoiler

Rook’s flourish is ready. May as well start the fight targeting everyone.

Hopefully Jand will learn quickly that Rook’s stint as a lawyer was just a side gig, and that he’s first and foremost a soldier.

May as well keep the damage train going

I use both boss items I own on the same turn, and call in a Feral Autodog to assist.

I spend my final turning block all damage this turn.

Gode and TRINARY defend

The Feral Autodog decides to attack. Now we have the creepy attack on our side.

Jand says some mean things about how Gode should have been executed.

Both of the Cobbledogs attack me, to no avail.

One Cobbledog is toast. I hope to destroy the other one with a single attack.

Close, but no cigar

Before deciding my next move, I see what I can nab from Promoted Ammo Pouch.

I don’t normally bother with drawing more cards, but since I have Neurotic Haze in my hand…

The sooner I hatch this card, the better.

I loose two defensive options in exchange for two more actions.

May as well gain some Concentration before attacking.

I know I can destroy the Cobbledog, but Rise Radicals are the strongest class for the faction. That RPG isn’t for show.

Gode barrages the Cobbledog with 3 shots

TRINARY finishes the job with a nasty bite

The Feral Autodog wounds the radical

I see Jand went to the Halo school of “how to use a rocket launcher as a melee weapon”

The other Cobbledog avenges it’s fallen comrade with poetic justice

I can think of worse debuffs

It’s almost always a good idea to start a turn with Shock Therapy

3 overcharge turned into 6

The cobbledog will be destroyed this turn, so I focus on damaging Jand.

I don’t think it’s a good idea to introduce fire to someone holding a rocket launcher at that range, Rook…

I end my turn. I don’t want to waste my stun cards right now.

Gode and TRINARY target Jand

While the Feral Autodog destroys the last Cobbledog

Jand finally decides to use her RPG properly

And avenges the Cobbledog by destroying the Feral Autodog. Seems to be a theme for this fight. Funny, considering we’re fighting entirely because Jand couldn’t accept that Gode could walk free after I defended him in court.

Might as well

Kickochet may do more damage, but I’d like to give some experience to Tight Spot. An example of how the card having Burnout changes how you approach certain turns.

Gode reloads

TRINARY attacks

Jand takes some damage from burn

And gains some power in the process

I play Backfire so I can upgrade it

I really don’t want to kill Jand over this.

I hope that the burn damage will cause her to surrender before my allies send her to the grave. In hindsight Boosted Quick Fire would have done enough damage to cause her to surrender without killing her, but I was paying more attention to her morale than total health.

I'm harshly reminded that burn activates on the enemies turn.

Gode kills the radical who wanted him dead.

A victory, though with blood I didn’t want to spill.

Least I got an RPG out of the deal. Deals good damage across every opponent.

I choose Ambush to have the ability at the start of my turn. The sooner I get it, the more it pays off.

Accelerant: Ensures that the burn applied will last a while. Combos nicely within any deck that focuses on burn damage.

Vent: Apparently Rook’s bald head gets hot under that helmet. Somehow, he turns this into an attack.

My combat deck is large enough as is. I don’t want to risk overstuffing it.

I can’t tell whether he’s still shaken how many people want(ed) him dead.

Hopefully we get to Fellemo without any more interruptions.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

I return Gode safely

Shut up. Your defense was literally “Ditto”.

I appreciate your appreciation

Looks like I made a friend with a foreman.

Double checking, Gode was the foreman that Kalandra wanted me to bring in as a “gift” to the spark barons. The one that was thought a rebel when in truth he just didn’t want to work.

Weird how that came back.

I have enough cards that benefit from spending charge that starting with two more will be a boon.

I think this is a good place to wrap it up. I want to give my thoughts as to why I love this mission, and any more would distract from that.

*****

I will be honest; This update should NOT have taken me several weeks to make. I know I had to wait for voting to wrap up, and there were a fair amount of screenshots to sort through here and gameplay to write about, but this should have only taken me a few days to arrange.

I don’t even have any family excuses or unexpected events that happened. No, in truth I just got distracted playing other games. Specifically Rogue Legacy 2 and Hitman 3. The former was my game of the year for 2022, is one of my favorite games of all time, and I decided after a few months of not playing to dive back in and try to complete the New Game + mode after the game saw a few updates. I got re-addicted, to say the least and Rogue Legacy 2 remians one of the few games where almost every single moment fills me with joy. I can not recommend it enough.

As for Hitman 3… I got way more addicted to the game than I would have thought. You see, the game has several large levels, and each of them has several challenges to complete, ranging from killing targets in specific ways to finishing the level using nothing but a sniper rifle or getting silent assassin wearing only your suit or finding several easter eggs and way more. I could have beaten the game dozens of hours earlier than I eventually did, but I legitimately spent several hours redoing the tutorial missions just because I found the challenges to be that fun to complete! And that’s not factoring in the side missions, the “Patient Zero” campaign, or contracts, or the other game modes, or the new roguelike Freelancer mode that I haven’t tried out yet…

Yeah, it’s a game with a ton of stuff to do. And you get the entire series with just a single purchase.

Why this is my favorite mission in the game in regards to story:

Spoiler

(It may seem like I'm pointing out the obvious in this section, so bear with me)

So some of you may be wondering why I consider this to be my favorite mission in the game, at least in terms of story. The short of it is that even without knowing the larger picture someone can put together the conflict between the Rise and the Spark Barons, it shows the Rise are fallible without reducing their cause, and it gives some interesting interpretations for Rook’s character.

I’ll start with my first point, that anyone could understand the conflict even without prior knowledge of Rook’s campaign. From the first conversation with Fellemo, it shows that both factions aren’t nice people. The mission starts Rise straight up kidnap a foreman:

Though the Spark Barons are shown to be no saints either:

Fellemo easily brushes off accusations that the Spark Barons aren’t providing enough rights to their workers, which doesn’t put the organization in a good light.

The Rise are holding trails, and resorting concerningly fast to executions. Not exactly a quality you want in a heroic faction.

Though in case you thought the accusations against the Spark Barons were exaggerated, Fellemo then states that he’s more interested in saving the foreman just to save money, and otherwise couldn’t care about losing someone who works for his organization.

After the set-up with Fellemo, we meet the Rise member who helped with the kidnapping

Assuming the Rise isn’t exaggerating, there is a reason why the Rise are holding a trial, and why they may want this person executed. We aren’t being asked to rescue a nice guy.

Notable here is that Rook doesn’t need to say that the foreman deserves a fair trial. He could easily get his way through intimidation or brute force.

If you do decide to point out that the foreman deserves a fair trial, Rook probes by asking about the defense.

The Rise member reveals the foreman doesn’t have one. This could set a dangerous precedent if the Rise trial goes through with the execution, as they could potentially kill anyone they want if this is the kind of justice system they will implement.

Rook can rightfully point this out.

However remember that he had the options of intimidating or beating up the Rise kidnapper. This already opens the question of whether Rook is going this path because this is the right thing to do, or because he’s looking for options that don’t include violence. There is also the possibility that Rook knows how damaging this could be for the Rise’s future and sees this as an opportunity to nip that dangerous bud before it grows.

Rook seems to encourage giving the foreman a fair trial on the grounds that it will show that Rise are truly superior morally to the Spark Barons.

The Rise member reveals that they’re acting out of anger, and no one is unbiased enough about the Spark Barons to give an adequate defense.

Rook offers to be that “neutral” party.

Along the way, we run into dangerous wildlife.

Another reminder that the Spark Barons are failing at their duty to protect their workers. The last time you can think about whether the foreman really deserves a fair trial as a Spark Baron.

When you arrive, the Rise members are mocking Rook’s proposal to defend the Spark Baron. They’re sticking around because they think the grifter will fail miserably and want to watch. They’ve already concluded the foreman is guilty and doesn’t deserve a defense.

With a few lines, we see that the judge has already decided to execute the foreman, who doesn’t know how to respond. 

Rook does, however.

You have the option of defending the foreman, though note that you can also just attack everyone there and rescue the Spark Baron that way. While this falls in line with a Rook that would intimidate or beat up someone to learn the location of the Rise trial, it could also imply that Rook suggested defending the foreman simply to get to the courthouse without any actual intent to ensure the Rise trail is truly fair.

As an aside, this portion of the mission is hilarious to visualize, considering all the options Rook for negotiations. It’s not all seriousness. 

Again, there is the question of how genuine Rook is being here. Does he stand by the foreman being a fellow worker of the Rise, and that they shouldn’t be blamed for the actions of the Spark Barons as a whole? Is he stating this so that the trial is legitimately fair and so the Rise don’t run a hanging court? Or could he not give a crap about whether the foreman is in the right or the wrong, and is simply focusing on his mission of bringing back the foreman alive, with the trial being a way out that doesn’t involve violence?

The Judge isn’t happy with the result, and is cynical that the foreman will continue to do the Spark Barons bidding, but agrees that they don’t deserve to be executed.

Whether intended or not, Rook has prevented the Rise from considering this style of justice to be their standard.

On the way back, Rook is confronted by members of the Rise who are clearly not happy about the foreman going free. They see that the attempt at court justice has failed them, and have decided to take the matter into their own hands.

Rook doesn’t seem surprised that the Rise are resorting to frontier justice. A hint to people who may not know much about the game regarding the kind of setting Griftlands is.

At the end of the day, Rook is being paid for rescuing the foreman, regardless of Rook’s reasoning for his methods.

That was wordier than I intended. This mission, even without former knowledge of Griftlands or Rook’s involvement of the story, shows that the Spark Barons and the Rise are both fallible factions, and these shortcomings are reinforced several times. The Rise still come out as the nobler of the two, but they have concerning flaws that prevent them from being undeniably heroic, from nearly holding a hanging trail to taking “justice” into their own hands.

What I find most interesting is what you can dissect with Rook. Offering to give the foreman a fair trial is an option you don’t need to go through with. As I’ve mentioned throughout, there is a basis that Rook sees the dangerous precedent this could set if the Rise emerge victorious from the conflict, and sees an opportunity to prevent that. Or Rook simply believes in a fair trial in general, regardless of who is involved, and is willing to defend someone no one else is if it means upholding that ideal. Or this is just another job and opting to be the foremans lawyer was a way to handle the conflict without jumping to violent options.

There is food for thought here, and I always appreciate that.

 

[Saint Rubenio]

 

Spoiler

On 2/13/2023 at 6:16 AM, Hawkwing said:

I must thank you for the hearty laugh this gave me when I first read this

 Anytime, pal.

On 2/13/2023 at 6:16 AM, Hawkwing said:

Have I given off the impression that I give a crap about ships that aren't in space or on water?

No, but I just thought I'd throw it out there.

On 2/13/2023 at 6:16 AM, Hawkwing said:

Funny that you say that, as one of my biggest concerns before playing Engage is the quality of the dialogue. As flawed as their stories can be, what characters actually say to each other is an aspect about the franchises writing that I feel is underappreciated. It ranges between games how much I would promote it as a selling point, but point being it's an aspect about the series that I don't have much criticism towards (heck, even with Fates I thought that the conversations were either "so bad, it's good" or bland, nothing struck me as downright awful).

I know debating the quality of the Engages story is a big talking point right now (mechanically, everyone seems to agree that it's good. It's telling that any issues I've seen people have tend to be the out of battle mechanics, such as resources or Sommiel), and while I haven't been impressed with any of the story details I've been spoiled on thus far, I'll reserve judgement until I actually play the game. My biggest concern is whether I'll enjoy the moment to moment interactions or make it through them with gritted teeth.

It's, uh... Ehhh. I liked the characters, but the plot itself is just... bleh. Very bleh.

On 2/13/2023 at 6:16 AM, Hawkwing said:

I'm honestly a little surprised that the :V face only became a meme during Rook's campaign, when it showed up during Sal's story. Must be the mustache.

Anyone can do a :v face, but not just anyone can do it as masterfully as Rook.

On 2/13/2023 at 6:16 AM, Hawkwing said:

Votes are in. Seems like I’m going to side with the Spark Barons, then backstab them.

Same thing I did in my own run, funnily enough.

On 2/13/2023 at 6:16 AM, Hawkwing said:

I get it's due to game mechanics, but I find it hilarious how Rook feels the need to announce to the bartender that he is going to pay a visit to his accomodations, every single time. With Sal and Fssh it makes sense because they're friends, and later on Sal needs Fssh to turn off the traps before she can get there. Here it feels like Rook just wants to pester Hebbel for no reason.

On 2/13/2023 at 6:16 AM, Hawkwing said:

Don’t know how comfortable petting a metal dog would be, but I suppose the aibo exists. Well, existed.

That thing had a cute design. No replacement for the real thing, of course, but on the other hand, a robot pet cannot suffer from neglect or mistreatment, so perhaps it'd be for the best in some cases.

On 2/13/2023 at 6:16 AM, Hawkwing said:

“Saboteur” remains my favorite of Rook’s uniforms, but I still like Shadow as an alternative costume.

Is that his "trying outfits on" face?

On 2/13/2023 at 6:16 AM, Hawkwing said:

Okay, Lopli. Time to…

…be… unable… to… fight… her…

…

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Alas, foiled by societal conventions.

Also I love how Del would've jumped to her defense. Always a nuisance, that guy...

 

On 2/13/2023 at 6:16 AM, Hawkwing said:

…What is my paygrade? I know it scales depending on the day, but what did Rook’s contract look like?

Rook's paygrade is "stop asking questions and do what I say." Or, so Fellemo would like to believe.

On 2/13/2023 at 6:16 AM, Hawkwing said:

In contrast with Flekfis, who is content serving as Kalandra’s second in command, Arint runs more of the show than Fellemo thinks.

You can tell because her theme is really awesome.

On 2/13/2023 at 6:16 AM, Hawkwing said:

Do I need to restate that Fellemo is a jackass?

The fun-when-strictly-fictional kind, though.

On 2/13/2023 at 6:16 AM, Hawkwing said:

…Fuck you, Fellemo

See?

On 2/13/2023 at 6:16 AM, Hawkwing said:

Huh. Didn't know Malo had some skill in kidnapping.

Hahahah! Oh, but that's so appropriate. Let us not forget, after all, he is bad.

On 2/13/2023 at 6:16 AM, Hawkwing said:

Sigh, I wish it was Lopli, but Del will do. Maybe Hesh will teach him a lesson not to jump dimensions.

He probably won't be pleased about that next run.

On 2/13/2023 at 6:16 AM, Hawkwing said:

Del is dead. I couldn’t deal with him directly, so I resorted to a classical writing excuse: Killing him offscreen.

I suppose it is a fairly appropraite end for this hilarious character.

On 2/13/2023 at 6:16 AM, Hawkwing said:

Pfffffffffffft

He just tried howling like a dog or something.

What a secret dork you are, mustache man...

On 2/13/2023 at 6:16 AM, Hawkwing said:

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

I was debating whether or not to reinstall paint.net to make an Ace Attorney joke, but Rook’s :V face is memetic enough on its own!

I would be tempted to make an edit, but no you're right. This is perfect. There is no need for anything else.

On 2/13/2023 at 6:16 AM, Hawkwing said:

The judge remains unconvinced

The judge is indeed not convinced.

On 2/13/2023 at 6:16 AM, Hawkwing said:

We saved Gode and prevented the Rise from becoming a hanging jury! I call that a job well done.

Not bad. Now let's just hope Gode doesn't beat a worker to a bloody pulp as vengeance and everything will be fine.

On 2/13/2023 at 6:16 AM, Hawkwing said:

...Well. So much for that. I mean yeah it was self-defense but this is still a terrible look

On 2/13/2023 at 6:16 AM, Hawkwing said:

Looks like I made a friend with a foreman.

Double checking, Gode was the foreman that Kalandra wanted me to bring in as a “gift” to the spark barons. The one that was thought a rebel when in truth he just didn’t want to work.

Weird how that came back.

Hahahah! Oh, this guy. I don't know whether to say he's scum or the best.

On 2/13/2023 at 6:16 AM, Hawkwing said:

I don’t even have any family excuses or unexpected events that happened. No, in truth I just got distracted playing other games. Specifically Rogue Legacy 2 and Hitman 3. The former was my game of the year for 2022, is one of my favorite games of all time, and I decided after a few months of not playing to dive back in and try to complete the New Game + mode after the game saw a few updates. I got re-addicted, to say the least and Rogue Legacy 2 remians one of the few games where almost every single moment fills me with joy. I can not recommend it enough.

It's okay, I can take the wait if it means getting a game I like sponsored!

On 2/13/2023 at 6:16 AM, Hawkwing said:

That was wordier than I intended. This mission, even without former knowledge of Griftlands or Rook’s involvement of the story, shows that the Spark Barons and the Rise are both fallible factions, and these shortcomings are reinforced several times. The Rise still come out as the nobler of the two, but they have concerning flaws that prevent them from being undeniably heroic, from nearly holding a hanging trail to taking “justice” into their own hands.

What I find most interesting is what you can dissect with Rook. Offering to give the foreman a fair trial is an option you don’t need to go through with. As I’ve mentioned throughout, there is a basis that Rook sees the dangerous precedent this could set if the Rise emerge victorious from the conflict, and sees an opportunity to prevent that. Or Rook simply believes in a fair trial in general, regardless of who is involved, and is willing to defend someone no one else is if it means upholding that ideal. Or this is just another job and opting to be the foremans lawyer was a way to handle the conflict without jumping to violent options.

There is food for thought here, and I always appreciate that.

You make some good points. A thoughtful analysis, aptly put.

 

[Hawkwing]

ROOK'S CAMPAIGN DAY 3: We Never Had This Hilarious Conversation

Replies:

Spoiler

On 2/17/2023 at 5:24 PM, Saint Rubenio said:

 

  Hide contents

 Anytime, pal.

Don't have much more to say than thank you.

No, but I just thought I'd throw it out there.

Funnily enough, none of the grifters show any sort of romantic interest across their stories. Makes sense, considering Sal is more interested in revenge, Rook has be a double agent for two factions while secretly working for a third, and Smith has to gain support. Those aren't really situations for romance to step in

Who am I kidding? When has that ever stopped shippers?

It's, uh... Ehhh. I liked the characters, but the plot itself is just... bleh. Very bleh.

Not surprising considering what I've seen from reviews. I'll reserve judgement until I play the game myself. That might be soon, considering I want to pick up a physical copy of Metroid Prime and have enough cash to spare to buy two full price games. I don't know how busy I'll be the rest of this week, so I don't know when exactly I'll do so.

Anyone can do a :v face, but not just anyone can do it as masterfully as Rook.

Must be the mustache.

Same thing I did in my own run, funnily enough.

Don't blame you. Hard to resist such an amazing backstabbing opportunity.

I get it's due to game mechanics, but I find it hilarious how Rook feels the need to announce to the bartender that he is going to pay a visit to his accomodations, every single time. With Sal and Fssh it makes sense because they're friends, and later on Sal needs Fssh to turn off the traps before she can get there. Here it feels like Rook just wants to pester Hebbel for no reason.

Maybe Hebbel has the key to his room? I doubt Hebbel would give his guests the key to their own rooms, considering how easy it is too lose things in the bog.

That thing had a cute design. No replacement for the real thing, of course, but on the other hand, a robot pet cannot suffer from neglect or mistreatment, so perhaps it'd be for the best in some cases.

If it weren't for the possibility that they'll be corrupted by the Bog and turn into feral beasts, the Spark Barons could make some good money by making offering robotic 

Is that his "trying outfits on" face?

Maybe. None of the grifters seem to care too much about their appearance.

Alas, foiled by societal conventions.

Lopli doesn't drink either, so I can't fight her in a bar. It's the one time I'll curse teetotaling. 

Also I love how Del would've jumped to her defense. Always a nuisance, that guy...

He just wants the attention. Why else would he jump into a different timeline?

Rook's paygrade is "stop asking questions and do what I say." Or, so Fellemo would like to believe.

Funnily enough, I often end up with the most money in Rook's campaign. Ironically, 

You can tell because her theme is really awesome.

It may not be my favorite soundtrack, but Griftlands has several bangers.

The fun-when-strictly-fictional kind, though.

See?

I've said this before with the Spark Barons, but while Fellemo's behavior is exaggerated, it doesn't strike as being that out there. I don't know of any managers that would be dismissive of their employer being in danger, but it's not far fetched for people in charge to care more about profits than their employees wellbeing, or to dismiss legitimate concerns because they're inconvenient.

Hahahah! Oh, but that's so appropriate. Let us not forget, after all, he is bad.

I'm surprised I forgot to make a joke about that. It practically came gift wrapped.

He probably won't be pleased about that next run.

We'll see if he appears in Smith's story.

I suppose it is a fairly appropraite end for this hilarious character.

He messed with the timeline

Pfffffffffffft

He just tried howling like a dog or something.

What a secret dork you are, mustache man...

Perhaps it was a failed attempt to scare off the wildlife by acting like an autodog?

I would be tempted to make an edit, but no you're right. This is perfect. There is no need for anything else.

I'm surprised this section hasn't become much of a meme. Oddly enough, I haven't seen that many memes of Klei games, despite Don't Starve being pretty well known.

The judge is indeed not convinced.

I still need to play Ace Attorney

Not bad. Now let's just hope Gode doesn't beat a worker to a bloody pulp as vengeance and everything will be fine.

I dearly hope so. Wonder what he'll be doing after tomorrow, considering that Grout Bog will be seeing some major changes...

...Well. So much for that. I mean yeah it was self-defense but this is still a terrible look

It was blood on my hands I didn't want. Almost went down the rabbit hole of trying to apply game mechanics to real life, but needlessly to say Griftlands combat doesn't transfer well.

Hahahah! Oh, this guy. I don't know whether to say he's scum or the best.

I'm tempted to say both.

It's okay, I can take the wait if it means getting a game I like sponsored!

Seriously, it's an amazing game. I heavily recommend checking it out.

You make some good points. A thoughtful analysis, aptly put.

Thank you

 

 

Update:

Spoiler

After three days of work, Fellemo gives some seemingly sincere praise towards Rook’s accomplishments.

Thanks, I guess. Not exactly a fan of being praised by the manager of the Spark Barons, considering everything we’ve seen of them. At the same time, Fellemo and Rook are war buddies.

Back to business, the information Rook gave the Spark Barons was true, and the Boggers are sitting on some powerful technology.

Of course both sides are going to be interested in the tech. Fellemo hopes to set a trap first.

I’ve mentioned this near the start, but I love how well the double agent aspect is handled with Rook’s story. Both faction leaders are fairly savvy about what employing one entails.

Huh, first time I’ve seen this random event. Usually I trade in the autodog for an actual pet or it’s destroyed by now.

Yeah, if TRINARY were on the brink of death, I might consider it.

As is, I don’t see the point in dismantling my pet, so I go to meet Brash to get some Brain Gills, whatever those are.

Veep’s face looks awfully familiar…

Hi Brash. I hope you weren’t friends with Del.

Hopefully this should speed up the process of leveling up any last-minute cards I gain.

Considering I have nearly 1000 shills, I see what I can spend at the Black Market.

Though not before running into a different random event.

Hey, it’s Shel! She’s a recurring character similar to Rug and Krog, who tends to be in over her head. Klei seems to have a soft spot for her, as she’s the star of Shel’s Adventure, an example mod made by the developers to show off what you can do in the game.

It’s a fun distraction, with the goal to gain as much money as you can through trading commodities and doing bounty hunter work. I’d say the mod does a good job showcasing that modders shouldn’t worry much about artwork or animations and instead focus on making fun gameplay scenarios.

I ask if the reckless merchant needs help

Counterproductive as it sounds, I don’t jump in to help, and instead wait to see how it goes.

Shel is squashed, and I have to deal with the beast myself.

On the bright side, we get to see a Grawkit in Grout Bog. Phroluk knows his stuff.

Spoiler

I curse under my breath that I couldn’t kill Lopli.

I’m using this more for the extra defense from empty cells than to heal, but I’ll take the 9 health regardless.

I finish off the turn by dealing damage and applying burn.

Seems Shel took off 78 health off the Grawkit before being squashed. That’s a respectable amount of damage considering she’s a lowly merchant.

 

TRINARY defends, despite not being targeted.

I take half the damage from the charge. This would normally stun NPC’s, but Grifters are fortunately immune to being stunned. I believe that’s still the case during the rare situations where you fight other grifters, so keep that in mind.

I use Pale Kick and Tall Sear this turn. The Grawkit isn’t attacking, so I don’t need to defend or apply Impair, and I’ll save my RPG for a larger battle.

TRINARY fills the creature with Dread

While it gains 17 defense after taking 7 damage from burn

I have to get lucky just to break through the beast's defense, so I focus instead on protecting my Autodog.

I also call in some help

I finish the turn by attacking twice to break through as much of the Grawkit’s defense as I can.

I seem to keep missing the impact of Mirrored Blast. Anyway, it did a combined total of 10 damage.

TRINARY deals the exact amount of damage that the Grawkwit was guarding against.

Seems the body chassis opens up when Feral Dogs bite. I never really noticed that before.

Anyway, the bite does what you’d expect.

TRINARY is stunned, though fortunately the Grawkit plans on defending rather than attacking this turn. A turn when almost every card in my hand deals damage.

If I get lucky, I’ll have two more attacks this turn

Sigh… at least it’s closer to evolving into something hopefully more useful

It’s not defense, but Counter is still nasty to deal with.

Fortunately, my hand is loaded with defensive cards.

First I project Trinary against Counter damage

I then make a futile effort to project the Feral Autodog, as I’m more interested in the Concentration.

And finish the turn by gaining some Charge

I guess the Grawkit has some psychic abilities, because it just moves its head to counter.

The Feral Autodog bites one last time.

Though this time the beast counters far more violently

The Feral Autodog is squished, to the displeasure of Rook.

Have I mentioned before that it’s almost always a good idea to start the turn with Shock Therapy?

My attempt to give Guns Smoke some experience proved fruitless, as I didn’t notice Rook was Fatigued until writing this update.

I scare off the beast with a good old fashioned kick.

I’ve been in enough fights for Rugged Wiring to upgrade.

Twice as much power. Awesome!

Gemini: A solid, if situational attack card. Obviously you’ll get more mileage out of it if you lean towards being Fully Charged.

Sucker Punch: The Empty effect doesn’t apply as often as I’d like in my experience, but 5 damage is still fairly solid.

I’ve been alternating between gaining and spending charges frequently, so Sucker Punch may be able to shine sometimes. Besides, it does more reliable damage than Gemini.

Well, ran away. Just like a cartoon character, Shel survived being bellyflopped by a walking boulder.

She’s legitimately charging me for a fight she started and refused my offer to help.

Speaking of which, you only get this conversation if you let Shel fight the Grawkit on her own. If you help, she just storms off mad because of the unwanted assistance.

I appreciate not having to deal with a Grawkit at full health, but there is no way in hell I’m paying the fee.

Shel’s description. She is consistently optimistic in the face of bad odds, and tends to pick poor fights.

I don’t care if the fee is hilariously small. I already said I ain’t paying!

Although…

She won’t be a damage dealer, but Shel does surprisingly well in a supportive role during fights.

Anyway, I go to the Black Market before meeting with the Rise.

Give me more graft slots, Plocka

I do this twice, and reach the max amount of slots available for battle grafts. I head off without buying anything else.

I meet Nekdo before talking with Kalandra.

I’ve never kept the cache a secret. I should try the option sometime.

Now is not that time, since I plan on sticking a knife in the Spark Barons back anyway.

All those automechs you see? Those are a comparatively recent invention, and it was Kashio who found them and got the robots to work. She was once a laborer, friends with Sal and her parents along with Fssh before becoming a Spark Baron. When push came to shove and the earlier rebellion happened, Kashio clung to power rather than friendship. Don’t know why she went the path of becoming a crime lord, other than debt brokering is a profitable business in Havaria.

Whatever tech is here is big enough to bring the conflict to a close, that’s for sure. In the meantime, I ask for work.

Trade Secrets pays more, but Mole Fixer has funnier dialogue, so I’m going with that.

Okay, speak to Frash, and convince him to start talking again. Should be simple.

I reach Frash’s home without any interruptions.

I love this entire conversation

Add another recurring character to the list. Vectorini was the one to greet us at the gate during my first attempt.

Says the kettle to the pot

I could ask for payment, but that would cause Frash to dislike me.

I agree to solve the problem with no strings attached.

I don’t really have much to comment on here. This conversation is perfect.

I go the rec center without any issues. I embrace the lack of randomness while I can.

I wonder if the rec center has a pool table or foosball? Or whatever their griftlands equivalents would be? Maybe the pallet minigame from Beyond Good and Evil?

…Man it’s been too long since I’ve last played Beyond Good and Evil. I remember having a ton of fun with the minigame, to the point I was always disappointed when your opponent ran out of money to gamble with. I mostly thank the music.

I haven’t played Engage, but I’ve heard that the exercise minigames are actually pretty lame. Which sucks because I was predicting them to be a hilarious meme, and now they’re a feature most people seem to have already forgotten about.

This is the only place where I can naturally rant about that, frivolous as it may seem.

Attacking Vectorini here is a bad idea, as it will draw unwanted attention.

Instead, I trick Vectorini into isolating himself.

Spoiler

Shell’s argument gives the Hush Money card, which we’ll see soon

I gain By The Book as an authority card

The coin starts off on Snails, and I play Fallout immediately. It’s an argument that’s better to get into action sooner rather than later.

It may not be as powerful compared to if the coin was on Heads, but 8 damage is nothing to scoff at.

Glad I played it when I did, as I lost my influence.

Kicker and Mirrored Grumble were stolen

While I gain Hush Money

It’s free, so why not?

Similar to how I won’t always mention the composure gained from the Turtle Coin, I won’t always mention the damage Fallout deals. There will be times numbers will just be flying around.

Looks like Twisted Roughneck was the right call, as I actually stole defense for once. Pale Head Shot activates to boot.

I follow up with Agency, the only other damage dealing card in my hand.

Which is no longer the case as I’ve regained the stolen cards

I destroy All Business with Mirrored Grumble, which will also damage Vectorini’s core argument.

Before playing anything else, I see what Unstable will do

Play Blacklist for free, I see

I ain’t complaining

May as well knock out one of Vectorini’s intents

It got rid of one of his potential arguments.

I take one damage and gain Strawman

The Spark Baron steals two more cards

While I gain more Hush Money

I have an argument to use By The Book on, so I start off the turn with it.

I upgrade Burn while it is free to play.

And am happy I recovered Tall Pleasantries so it could deal 5 damage to the Spark Baron’s core argument.

I see what Hush Money will get rid of

It prevented the attack against my core argument. I’ll take it.

I use my last action to gain some Influence when dealing damage.

Fallout is damaged but not destroyed, while I lose one resolve thanks to the leftover damage from Strawman.

I don’t know how or why Vectorini stole my Tinnitus, but thanks?

While I can end the neogitaion this turn with Dogged, I Gamble to see if I can destroy the Appropriated argument with some luck.

Huh, Tinnitus didn’t evolve. I suppose it does say in its description that it applies when drawn.

Anyway, I persuade Vectorini to follow me while upgrading Dogged in the process.

Interior Drill is now ready to upgrade, with Myelin buffer not far behind.

This really only becomes useful if you have some expensive cards in your deck, but it’s hard to complain about.

Considering how many arguments Burn can target, I’ll take the more reliable damage.

I nab Rooted Dogged. 2 actions is a lot for potentially 2 damage, regardless of how many ways I can gain influence.

30 cards is enough for my current deck. I skip this round.

Vectorini walks right into my trap.

We reach the secluded area without issue

Well…

If I let him go, I get a free friend who can’t be killed…

Or I could keep my word and kill them.

I have one more chance to sleep. I suppose it could be nice to upgrade a card at the start of Day 4…

I let Vectorini go, and now I have to think up a story of how our fight could have gone.

I go back to Frash

If you killed the Spark Baron, you wouldn’t need to go through with the negotiation.

This should more or less play out similarly to negotiation with Vectorini.

Spoiler

I gain Hush Money and By The Book again

Nothing says “I killed this person, yessiree” like starting a conversation by Headbanging

Ah, the sweet sound of double digit damage

Pale Head Shot is just icing on the cake

It’s free, after all

It doesn’t really matter which card I prepare right now

Gab activates, gambling twice

Both times it lands on heads

I finish the turn by swearing, as it potentially deals more damage than Burn.

Doesn’t really matter which card I discard

I lose my dominance, but my core remains unharmed.

Frash steals a rationale card and an Erchin Musk. I suppose he doesn’t mind the smell of the beasts inwards?

I gain Hush Money

And start the turn playing Promoted Trickery thanks to it being free

Considering most of the cards in my current hand are defensive, I don’t need the Flustered from Gruff or the rigged coins from Set. The extra actions from Carry Over, on the other hand, could prove handy.

I play another free card

I’m thankful Brain Gills has unlimited uses in exchange for expending.

Whatever. I get rid of All Business using By The Book. I’ve already made the observation on the fittingness/irony before.

Rook’s flourish is now available. I’ll save it for later, considering how close this negotiation is to being finished.

I don’t remember why I targeted Appropriated instead of the Core Argument

Not that it really matters

I use my final action to defend. I’ll save Hush Money for later.

I take no damage and gain Strawman

Grunt and Mirrored Grumble were stolen

I also gain another Hush Money

Tinnitus appears and destroys Strawman

It evolves into Scrub, a far more useful card.

Rook loses ringing in his ears in exchange for some, uh, concerning scabs.

On the bright side, I can play this even if I don’t have any status cards in my hand

I don’t even take damage from it. Shame it expends. I don’t know how many negotiations I have left in this run.

Anyway, I use Blacklist to destroy the argument containing Grunt and Mirrored Grumble. Thank goodness I have 5 actions this turn.

This negotiation will be over really soon.

That was quick

With another Graft to upgrade

Any increase to my resolve is welcome

Pressure: It can do some solid damage, though it’s hard to say if sacrificing some influence to deal 4-6 damage is really worth it.

Dead Draw: I’d rather spend those two cards are actual cards in my hand, thank you.

Decency: You already know my thoughts on “draw a card” cards

I skip this round

I know I didn’t have much to say about these conversations, but they’re some of my favorite exchanges in the entire game. They really do speak for themselves.

With the Mole back to doing their job, I head back to Kalandra

Even Rook can’t help but keep the theme going with the final line of the quest.

I forgot to show the other options, but Arc Loader was an easy pick. It’s hard to say no to more overcharge.

Seems Kalandra still has more to say.

Well, he did thank me at the start of the update.

Oh, I will.

Next update is the boss fight, so I may as well resolve the random event now.

Of course I go to make another friend in the bog.

Pardon the pun, but it’s not unheard of for your other senses to be sharpened after losing one.

We’ve seen our fair share of all three.

I ask about the research, even though I already know her response.

Anyway, I agree to help

I gained Spooked last time

Once again, I keep going

We’re beset by boggers instead of animals this time. It’s a nice change of pace.

I could scare them off…

But this update has enough negotiations. May as well end things with a bang.

Spoiler

Sure. I could use the extra health. I didn’t eat after getting more graft slots.

I’m empty, so Sucker Punch will have a bonus effect.

I know I said it’s a good idea to start the round with Shock Therapy. That’s still the case; I just forgot to do so this time.

Roono wisely gains evasion

While Shell slashes

And the Autodog defends

There are only so many ways to use a shield as a weapon. Though it would be more effective to use the rim of the shield. The force is concentrated into a smaller area, increasing the damage dealt.

Ronno dodges the other boggers attack

A Loot Cluster appears, and you bet I’m destroying it first.

Before I do that, I upgrade Hunker Down by protecting Ronno.

Similar story with Tight Spot

I finish the turn by hopefully destroying the Loot Cluster this turn

Huh? The Bogger attacked!

Yeah, play enough cards, and Bogger Clobbers attack on their own.

Also, I don’t know why they aren’t wearing pants, much less in a bug and parasite filled marshland, and I don’t want to ask.

Ronno shivs the Loot Cluster

Shel gives the Jake more power

While TRINARY damages one of the boggers

They all take damage from burn

Ronno is bashed twice

I destroy the Loot Cluster and damage everyone in the process. Can’t think of a better deal.

Rook’s flourish is now available. I’ll save it for the next fight.

This guy will surrender if I shoot him right now

So I do

While I could have played Gun Smoke first, I aim to upgrade Neurotic Haze right now.

It turns into Fever.

I hatch it even though I have no debuffs to get rid of. Too bad it expends.

I have nothing to spend the actions of Gun Smoke on, so I play it solely to give it experience.

Roono didn’t appreciate that, but I won’t have to worry about protecting her after this fight.

She retaliates by knee capping this poor guy

While Shel really doesn’t like this blogger

TRINARY deals the finishing blast to Yupu

Felena retaliates for causing her friend to panic

I play this entirely to give the card experience

If I get lucky, I’ll deal enough damage to cause Felena to surrender

I got lucky

We’re in the middle of nowhere, so I can kill these two without consequence.

Brutal, yet efficient.

Rook added in a spinning flourish before killing the last bogger.

Swamp Smasher combos nicely with any stun card. Not exactly a common situation, but one to keep in mind.

The Jammed Blaster will become usable after four strikes.

Not ideal, but I’ll take it over permanently losing a defensive card.

Brain Tick: GET THIS CARD AS SOON AS YOU CAN!!! It’s an easy way to remove debuffs, and you get free healing to boot. On top of that, it works with Fatigued, so you can survive ever so slightly longer in more difficult fights.

Char: A card I’d recommend you’d grab even if you aren’t running a burn deck. It is difficult to go wrong with the chance to gain a free action for a normal debuff.

This will help keep me alive. Of course I grabbed it.

Like last time, I could convince Ronno to give me money.

And like last time, I’ll take friendship instead.

With that out of the way, next time will be the boss fight!

 

[Saint Rubenio]

Been a while. I got a bit overwhelmed by a few things to spend my free time on.

Spoiler

On 2/23/2023 at 3:02 AM, Hawkwing said:

Maybe Hebbel has the key to his room? I doubt Hebbel would give his guests the key to their own rooms, considering how easy it is too lose things in the bog.

Huh... Not bad. That does make a lot of sense, in these circumstances.

On 2/23/2023 at 3:02 AM, Hawkwing said:

He just wants the attention. Why else would he jump into a different timeline?

 There's an interesting idea for a villain there. Someone who is so desperate for love and attention, that he actively becomes a dimension traveler so he can find somewhere he'll get the following he believes he deserves.

On 2/23/2023 at 3:02 AM, Hawkwing said:

I've said this before with the Spark Barons, but while Fellemo's behavior is exaggerated, it doesn't strike as being that out there. I don't know of any managers that would be dismissive of their employer being in danger, but it's not far fetched for people in charge to care more about profits than their employees wellbeing, or to dismiss legitimate concerns because they're inconvenient.

No no, I agree. That's why I said fun-when-strictly-fictional. Fellemo is fun because he doesn't exist. The real Fellemos? Not so much.

On 2/23/2023 at 3:02 AM, Hawkwing said:

I'm surprised I forgot to make a joke about that. It practically came gift wrapped.

's okay, got you covered.

On 2/23/2023 at 3:02 AM, Hawkwing said:

Veep’s face looks awfully familiar…

SEE

They cannot be one and the same! He's there, and he's there! Therefore stache is Rook's default look. Checkmate.

.

On 2/23/2023 at 3:02 AM, Hawkwing said:

Hi Brash. I hope you weren’t friends with Del.

Considering characters in this game just magically know you've killed a friend of theirs the instant you do, clearly not.

On 2/23/2023 at 3:02 AM, Hawkwing said:

Hey, it’s Shel! She’s a recurring character similar to Rug and Krog, who tends to be in over her head. Klei seems to have a soft spot for her, as she’s the star of Shel’s Adventure, an example mod made by the developers to show off what you can do in the game.

The moment I saw her, even before I looked down to read your commentary, I felt there was something weird about her. Despite being in the right artstyle, the design doesn't fit Griftlands, somehow. She looks too... medieval, I think? Either way, developer recurring characters are always fun.

On 2/23/2023 at 3:02 AM, Hawkwing said:

Shel is squashed, and I have to deal with the beast myself.

...Welp. R.I.P. Shel.

On 2/23/2023 at 3:02 AM, Hawkwing said:

I curse under my breath that I couldn’t kill Lopli.

That thing is so tiny though, how exactly did it trample Shel?

On 2/23/2023 at 3:02 AM, Hawkwing said:

Well, ran away. Just like a cartoon character, Shel survived being bellyflopped by a walking boulder.

Oh.

On 2/23/2023 at 3:02 AM, Hawkwing said:

Now is not that time, since I plan on sticking a knife in the Spark Barons back anyway.

Rook makes up his mind to perform some triple agenting with a determined :v face.

On 2/23/2023 at 3:02 AM, Hawkwing said:

I love this entire conversation

Ahahahah! Oh yeah, I believe I saw this one in my Rook run. I loved it too.

On 2/23/2023 at 3:02 AM, Hawkwing said:

...okay, this part may be even better though.

On 2/23/2023 at 3:02 AM, Hawkwing said:

. I mostly thank the music.

I started this without reading the title. Kinda flipped out when the music started singing in my language lol

On 2/23/2023 at 3:02 AM, Hawkwing said:

 

I haven’t played Engage, but I’ve heard that the exercise minigames are actually pretty lame. Which sucks because I was predicting them to be a hilarious meme, and now they’re a feature most people seem to have already forgotten about.

This is the only place where I can naturally rant about that, frivolous as it may seem.

Yes, sadly what you have heard is correct. The minigames in general become old very fast. You end up going to the Somniel for the two or three actually useful things, and to visit Sommie. Sommie is the one "superfluous" feature that never gets old.

On 2/23/2023 at 3:02 AM, Hawkwing said:

Nothing says “I killed this person, yessiree” like starting a conversation by Headbanging

Rook is extremely passionate about his dirty work. The dirtier, the better. You might catch him making triumphant :v faces if he's ever ordered to commit a war crime.

On 2/23/2023 at 3:02 AM, Hawkwing said:

Rook loses ringing in his ears in exchange for some, uh, concerning scabs.

That could easily be mistaken for some killer tattoos.

On 2/23/2023 at 3:02 AM, Hawkwing said:

Sure. I could use the extra health. I didn’t eat after getting more graft slots.

I like how those idiots tried ambushing a party that outnumbers them two to one. Good plan!