Nimbostratus

Sounds awesome. I'd be very interested in joining this.

Spyro the Dragon

Party gains 18 XP Feline gains 2 Dark XP Francis gains 3 Axe XP Phyllis gains 2 Light XP Gazzak gains 2 Axe XP James gains 3 Dark XP Rhianne gains 2 Anima XP Syas expends one Vulnerary use to get Rivas back up on his feet. Rivas retreats. A lot of stuff happened, so here's an updated map

Geez. What difficulty is this on, again?

Party gains 7 XP Phyllis gains 2 Light XP Lloyd gains 3 Anima XP Enemy Phase Cavalier 1 moves to E4 and attacks Sweetgrape Archer 1 moves to W18 and attacks Gazzak Fighter moves to U20 Soldier 3 moves to T20 and attacks Villager 2 Soldier 2 chucks a javelin at Villager 1 Raider 1 attacks Villager 1 Party gains 4 XP Sweetgrape gains 2 Dark XP Gazzak gains 2 Axe XP Other Phase The villagers stand their ground. A pair of enemy Wyvern Riders swoop in from the north. Player Phase 5 Rivas must be revived within 1 turn! Another villager appears at E23. This one appears to be a magic user. (James has joined the party! I wasn't planning to do this until Chapter 3, but I think you guys need the help) [spoiler=Map] Spreadsheet

Okay, so now that I've blazed through the storyline of XCOM2 (GOTTAGOFAST) here are my thoughts on it. [spoiler=Here be spoilers][spoiler=no I'm serious, you probably shouldn't click this until you've finished the game]Although this will largely be a list of complaints, let's first be very clear; this is a good game. Is it a great game? I don't know, but maybe that's just because my expectations were too high from all the hype. But anyway, before I start grousing, here's what I liked about the game. First, the gameplay is fucking amazing. Although not much has changed from Enemy Unknown/Within (besides the new Concealment and Ambush features) that's fine, because there wasn't much that needed to be changed anyway- don't fix what ain't broken- and the game still feels very fresh, thanks to the new aliens and the polished character classes. I was also impressed by the wealth of character customization options. Granted, I didn't make very much use of it, but it's still a cool and quite versatile feature, and it's easy to tell that a lot of time and manpower was invested into it. Lastly, I love the music. This might sound like a minor thing, but that depends who you ask. Personally, I'm an audiophile, and I love anything with a soundtrack that helps to set the mood- and XCOM2 certainly fits the bill. As you might notice, I've made no mention of the plot thus far, and for good reason. To be honest, I felt the plot was very weak. Your goal throughout the game is to obtain information about the aliens' ultimate plan- exactly what are they doing, and why? But, by the end of the game, those questions ... still aren't really answered. The puzzle is still missing a few pieces. Probably because LOL SEQUEL HOOKS but fuck that, okay? Look, to all the writers out there, it IS possible to have a neat, thorough narrative while also leaving room for a sequel. The two are not mutually exclusive. (Now that I think about it, most of my disappointment comes from the second half of the game. The first half is fine, but the second half is sloppy.) My other major complaint is the characters. They ... aren't really very interesting. While doctors Tygan and Shen both have a lot of dialogue, none of it really adds much to the game. Then again, I guess the same could be said for Vahlen and Shen in EU/EW. The most interesting thing about Vahlen and Shen was the contrast between them and the conflict caused by their differences. Tygan and Shen are at odds sometimes, too- and while it's not for the same reasons Shen and Vahlen were, it still kinda has this 'eh, it's already been done' feel to it. The war-weary Bradford is a bit more interesting, but he's still mostly there just for flavor. My last complaint is a minor one, but it's kind of a moment-killer when you see it. The visual design of the Avatar- the aliens' ultimate achievement, and your ultimate enemy- is quite underwhelming. Granted, its abilities are still extremely dangerous- but it's quite silly to look at.

Oh, wow. I just found this, but it sounds like fun. I'd love to join for Round 3 if that happens.

Seriously, fuck off, Vahlen. Even in vanilla Ironman Impossible, being stingy with explosives is a horrible idea. Even moreso in Long War, I'd imagine.

according to Word of God, the things on the Viper's chest are "venom sacs" but you must admit, they are very ... suspiciously positioned. at first I wanted to do a Female Soldiers Only run with the rationale being 'all the men were seduced by Vipers' anyways, here's a character for ya

"Oh, Sword-senpai..."

[spoiler=lazy GM is lazy]Rhianne vs. Soldier 1: 13 vs. 84.5 - Hit! Crit roll: 31 vs. 3.5 - no crit Soldier 1 takes 8 damage Syas vs. Archer 2: 69 vs. 87 - Hit! Crit roll: 2 vs. 1 - no crit (so close... but who cares, he's dead anyway) Archer 2 takes 13 damage Archer 2 is defeated! Francis vs. Cavalier 2: 76 vs. 77.5 - Hit! Crit roll: 34 vs. 1 - no crit Cavalier 2 takes 10 damage Party gains 9 XP Rhianne gains 2 Anima XP Syas gains 3 Sword XP Francis gains 2 Axe XP

This isn't very helpful if we don't know the available options :v

Enemy Phase Soldier 1 moves to N31 and attacks Rivas Archer 2 moves to R28 and attacks Phyllis Raider 1 attacks Wall 3 Soldier 2 moves to I26 and attacks Wall 3 Fighter moves to T20 and attacks Wall 2 Archer 1 moves to U20 and attacks Wall 2 [spoiler=goddamnit Leeroy]Soldier 1 vs. Rivas: 71 vs. 85 - Hit! No crit (0% chance) Rivas takes 11 damage Rivas is knocked out! Archer 2 vs. Phyllis: 54 vs. 75 - Hit! No crit (0% chance) Phyllis takes 9 damage Phyllis counterattacks! 38 vs. 94 - Hit! Crit roll: 96 vs. 8 - no crit Archer 2 takes 5 damage Raider 1 vs. Wall 3: Autohit No crit Wall 3 takes 14 damage Soldier 2 vs. Wall 3: Autohit No crit Wall 3 takes 12 damage Wall 3 is destroyed! Fighter vs. Wall 2: Autohit No crit Wall 2 takes 15 damage Archer 1 vs. Wall 2: Autohit No crit Wall 2 takes 13 damage Wall 2 is destroyed! Party gains 2 XP Phyllis gains 2 Light XP Other Phase The villagers move into the chokepoints and stand their ground. Meanwhile, the cavalry arrives! ...but it's enemy cavalry. Player Phase 4 Rivas must be revived within 2 turns! (yes, I know what he did was incredibly reckless, but he's still the Lord. Save him now, berate him later.) [spoiler=Map] Spreadsheet

Rivas moves to N30 and attacks Raider 2 with his Katana [spoiler=that poor horse]Rivas vs. Raider 2: Autohit Crit roll: 93 vs. 6.5 - no crit Raider 2 takes 17 damage Raider 2 counterattacks! 64 vs. 49.5 - Miss! Rivas attacks again! Autohit Crit roll: 99 vs. 6.5 - no crit Raider 2 takes 17 damage Raider 2 is defeated! Party gains 5 XP Rivas gains 3 Sword XP

You are making this look so easy. XD (btw, please name a soldier after me, if you haven't already <3)

How was there not already a thread for this? Surely I can't be the only one here who likes XCOM Enemy Unknown/Within... And of course XCOM2 is coming out soon. HYPE.

[spoiler=Phyllis vs. Archer 3]23 vs. 89 - Hit! Crit roll: 91 vs. 5.5 - no crit Archer 3 takes 5 damage Archer 3 is defeated! Party gains 5 XP Phyllis gains 3 Light XP

Welp. Good luck. I've tried playing Long War before. I can't do it, not even on the easiest difficulty. (Feel free to laugh at me and heckle me with "git gud scrub" and other such taunts.)

Party gains 14 XP Sweetgrape gains 3 Sword XP Syas gains 2 Sword XP Miyako gains 2 Staff XP Douglas gains 3 Lance XP

Enemy Phase Bow Knight moves to E5 and attacks Feline Brigand 1 moves to F6 and attacks Feline Brigand 2 moves to H6 and attacks Miyako Brigand 3 moves to H7 and attacks Miyako Raider 1 moves to J26 and attacks Wall 3 Brigand 4 moves to M27 and attacks Phyllis Archer 2 moves to O29 and attacks Syas Archer 3 moves to P28 and attacks Syas Brigand 5 attacks Syas [spoiler=Blood for the blood god]Bow Knight vs. Feline: 39 vs. 84 - Hit! Crit roll: 100 vs. 4 - no crit Feline takes 9 damage Feline counterattacks! 34 vs. 74 - Hit! Crit roll: 2 vs. 1 - Anna is a cruel mistress (but fuck it, I'll give you the crit anyway) Bow Knight takes 39 damage Bow Knight is defeated! Brigand 1 vs. Feline: 58 vs. 57 - Miss! Feline counterattacks! 55 vs. 80 - Hit! Crit roll: 27 vs. 1 - no crit Brigand 1 takes 10 damage Feline attacks again! 18 vs. 80 - Hit! Crit roll: 99 vs. 1 - no crit Brigand 1 takes 10 damage Brigand 2 vs. Miyako: 84 vs. 53 - Miss! Miyako counterattacks! 85 vs. 87 - Hit! Crit roll: 27 vs. 2 - no crit Brigand 2 takes 11 damage Brigand 2 is defeated! Brigand 3 vs. Miyako: 91 vs. 53 - Miss! Miyako counterattacks! 87 vs. 87 - Hit! Crit roll: 1 vs. 2 - CRIT "May you find balance in the afterlife." Brigand 3 takes 33 damage Brigand 3 is defeated! Raider 1 vs. Wall 3: Autohit No crit Wall 3 takes 14 damage Brigand 4 vs. Phyllis: 52 vs. 64 - Hit! No crit (0% chance) Phyllis takes 10 damage Phyllis counterattacks! 35 vs. 94.5 - Hit! Crit roll: 94 vs. 7.5 - no crit Brigand 4 takes 9 damage Brigand 4 is defeated! Archer 2 vs. Syas: 99 vs. 85 - Miss! Archer 3 vs. Syas: 65 vs. 85 - Hit! No crit (0% chance) Syas takes 7 damage Brigand 5 vs. Syas: 61 vs. 56 - Miss! Syas counterattacks! Autohit Crit roll: 58 vs. 1 - no crit Brigand 5 takes 9 damage Brigand 5 is defeated! Party gains 29 XP Feline gains 5 Dark XP Miyako gains 6 Dark XP Phyllis gains 3 Light XP Syas gains 3 Sword XP [spoiler=Level up!]Rivas gains HP, Skl, Spd, Lck Douglas gains Res Miyako gains HP, Lck, Def, Res Rhianne gains HP, Spd, Lck, Def Sweetgrape gains Str, Mag Feline gains Str, Mag Lloyd gains Def Phyllis gains HP, Str, Skl, Spd, Lck Gazzak gains HP, Str, Skl, Lck, Res Syas gains HP, Lck, Def Francis gains HP, Lck The other enemies move toward their respective objectives. Other Phase A pair of armed villagers emerge from their houses. Player Phase 3 [spoiler=Map] Spreadsheet

[spoiler=The End] Soldiers cowering before the emperor's power, civilians suffering because of war, power that uses young people as weapons... General Girardot had seen what was happening and gave his life to stop it. Dervus knew what he needed to do. He now knew what he truly wanted to protect. People cling to power and numbers out of fear of being hurt, chastising that which is good as if it were evil, persecuting those who do not follow the masses. Telling themselves they cannot grow strong, they hide within their shells of denial. But Dervus would no longer run from himself. "Strife..." Dervus quietly stepped forward. Dervus finally gets to use Soul of Xianghua this time. For reasons. So, this is the last chapter of CotS and it's... a bit rushed, I think. I have no idea what the development process for Soul Calibur III was like, but this seems the kind of quick-and-dirty thing that would be pumped out by level designers with a looming deadline. Also, there are no friendly strongholds in this chapter. So if someone dies in this chronicle, they're gone for good, because there's nowhere to respawn. Honestly, the best thing to do on this map is make everyone Infantry and just have them dogpile the enemies one by one. Also notable is the for this chronicle. Whew, that's intense and creepy. Not a bad theme for the Very Definitely Final Dungeon. Anyway, there's not much to show besides the final battle, so let's get right to it. There were some level ups along the way, so here are everyone's stats. except Dervus, because I'm hiding something which I think is cool and climactic Aeneas is just an all-around good character and has the best availability (besides the main character) ... for whatever that's worth in this game. Abelia, on the other hand... I really don't like her character arc. Which is doubly sad because she's one of the few characters in CotS who actually has a character arc. Iron Sword OP pls nerf. Moving on. Honestly, I just brought her along because I wanted to try out her new weapon. :v So, let's put her up against the final boss and see how she does. And yep, the final boss is Strife. This is probably not surprising at all. The AI is pretty sadistic in this fight. (and yes, that is Soul Edge he's using, if you're curious) Let's see if Abelia can put a bigger dent in him. The one nice thing about fighting him is that Soul Edge slowly drains his health, so all you really have to do is survive for a while. ...huh. That's the first time I've seen that bit of dialogue. And yet nothing happens. It seems even his own most loyal bodyguards won't go out of their way to defend him anymore. Dervus gets to do the honors. Music: I've often wondered why the Burning Gallery stage was used for this battle. Is the castle literally burning down around us as we fight? I don't know but, all things considered, I guess it's a pretty awesome place for a climactic final duel. Dervus is using Soul Calibur. It can be used by multiple characters in SC3, but in Soul Calibur 1 and 2, only one character could use it: Xianghua. And I knew that Soul of Xianghua was one of the Dancer's disciplines, so... JUST AS PLANNED Well, that's all she wrote. He's dead Jim. Maybe now the war can finally be over. There's an ending, but sadly not much of one. Just a brief series of scenes with a VO narration. Emperor died. Both the evil blade and the holy blade disappeared into darkness. The Empire collapsed, and the people were left only with devastated lands and the memories of the terrible war. The people, however, eventually forgot the hardships. They rebuilt the razed villages and sowed new seeds upon the destroyed fields. Then, by the fireside, they told the tales of the great ones who spilt their blood upon those lands. So yeah, honestly pretty disappointing. In retrospect, this isn't a great game. Most of the characters ended up being pretty one-dimensional because the writers missed out on a lot of good opportunities for character development. Plus, the sadistic AI can make it rather unfun to play at times. But even so, I still have some nostalgia about this game (against my own better judgment) and it's still indirectly responsible for helping me discover my love of Fire Emblem, so that's something.

[spoiler=Operation: Snapping Turtle]Syas vs. Brigand 5: Autohit Crit roll: 92 vs. 1 - no crit Brigand 5 takes 9 damage Brigand 5 counterattacks! 33 vs. 56 - Hit! No crit (0% chance) Syas takes 7 damage Francis vs. Thief: 96 vs. 69.5 - Miss! Rivas vs. Brigand 4: Autohit Crit roll: 82 vs. 2 - no crit Brigand 4 takes 7 damage Brigand 4 counterattacks! 28 vs. 52 - Hit! No crit (0% chance) Rivas takes 9 damage Douglas vs. Thief: 81 vs. 89.5 - Hit! No crit (0% chance) Thief takes 9 damage Thief counterattacks! (0 damage, even if he hits) Rhianne vs. Brigand 4: 57 vs. 81 - Hit! Crit roll: 3 vs. 1.5 - close but no cigar Brigand 4 takes 11 damage Gazzak vs. Wall 2: Autohit No crit (you can't crit walls, silly) Wall 2 takes 17 damage Party gains 9 XP Syas gains 2 Sword XP Francis gains 1 Bow XP Rivas gains 2 Sword XP Douglas gains 2 Lance XP Rhianne gains 2 Anima XP

Virion

[spoiler=Chronicle 18] Who decides what is right? People merely act upon what they believe... He could see a figure at the front of the army. There was no mistaking her. It was Abelia. Behind her, a massive force of Grandall troops awaited her command. For an instant, the entire area seemed to fall silent. Then Abelia's mouth opened slowly, and the order that came forth shattered the silence. "Attack!" Strife: "The weakness and pain in everyone's hearts. All it takes is a slight push, and the rest will roll along on its own.. Now, let's see what you can do, Abelia." Map Tina: "Well, Commander...?" Abelia: "..." Tina: "Please answer!" Yuilin: "Commander Abelia! Please say something!" Abelia: "It's the perfect stage for our showdown, don't you think? Yes, if it weren't for you, I'd..." Tina: "Commander..." Abelia: "Grr... All units, move out! Destroy the traitors!" This chapter features some characters we've fought before, like Notus here. And this one was Ishtar, I think. There are also some generics. And now only Abelia is left. Music: Not much to say about this fight. Abelia here has the same 'juggernaut' effect as Chronicle 15 Girardot, but her AI isn't incredibly challenging. Huzzah. Ah yes, the time-honored Japanese tradition of converting someone to your way of thinking by beating the crap out of them. That chapter was pretty short. Let's keep going. [spoiler=Chronicle 19] A darkness that consumes the hearts of men- the cursed sword, Soul Edge... there was no question that it was the sword Strife had wielded. There was also that which could seal the dark sword, its equal and opposite, the spirit sword enshrouded in legend- Soul Calibur. He recalled the shining blue sword... what was Luna doing now, he wondered. As he thought about the past, the capital of the Grandall Empire, the fortress city of Parousia, came into view. Dervus shook away his idle thoughts and headed for the final battle. How are we losing? The battle hasn't even started yet! :v: Oh, hey, there's Luna! Luna: "I'll lend you this sword... take it!" Luna: "After the war ended, a troublesome old man named Girardot kept pestering me. He kept saying things like, 'If anything happens, I want you to take care of Dervus.' Honestly, why did he have to pick me, of all people? But relax, I won't hold a grudge. My unit's all okay, after all. Now, let's go!" Ishtar: "But... they're...!" Tina: "Commander Abelia..." Abelia: "I don't care what anyone says. I will fight alongside you!" Luna is basically like Athos or any other uber-powerful character who joins in the last chapter. Well... 2nd to last. Map. Chester: "It's time to continue what we started a year ago. Come on, Dervus. My troops will give you a warm welcome!" What a jerk. Say hello to the toughest character in CotS. Then quickly say goodbye because NOPE we're not fighting him. I really like the design of this map. It really does look like you're infiltrating a fortress-city. Yeah, well ... you're a butt. Nice outfit though. But some fancy duds won't save you. RIP Next time: Endgame

Rivas moves to M26 and swings his Iron Sword at the nearby Brigand