Shanty Pete's 1st Mate

Yeah, that's fair. My mentality is "it's better than nothing", which... is what I'm afraid we're gonna get. I don't need a game with top-to-bottom changes, but I'd like to see something new. Even some small touches, like this. Hero Mode definitely looks cool. Maybe a bit overtuned in the difficulty, in my opinion. Then again, the base game has become something of a cakewalk, so it's hard to blame them for overcorrecting. Some really interesting things they are doing, in any case. Looking forward to its continuation! Eh... I still think the original gauntlet works pretty well. Although, I see your point. The difficulty definitely isn't on the level of the Pit of 100 Trials - even the first fifty floors. Side note: I did consider a "Glitz Blitz" mode, where the added challenge is, no healing between matchups. Not sure how that would be incorporated, though. The "battle conditions" can affect the challenge too, so, maybe double up on the conditions. I.e. "no jumping" and "defeat within 3 turns". Or maybe throw new ones in, like "No Guarding (including Superguarding)" or "Let your Partner fall in battle." Could shake things up a bit. Ooh, I like these. Maybe Bombette could join the Bob-omb Squad? Or have Jr. Troopa bust in between matches, for the long-awaited rematch? A lot of possibilities here. I will have to think about incorporating some of them... ...Also, I do think there should be some sort of reward for completing Round 2, but I'm not sure what. A new and unique badge? A powerful item, like Zess Dynamite or the Jelly Ultra? Rawk Hawk as Mario's eighth partner? The "Stranger Sack", which holds 30 items? A lot of possibilities here.

Wasn't the Life Ring Thracia 776's version of the Seraph Robe? Turning these rings that you wear into rings that you... consume, I guess... was pretty confusing. And yeah, they are all リング (ri-n-gu) in Japanese. Seems like all the stat-boosting ones are referred to as Rings, while the skill-granting ones are alternatively Rings or Bands. Personally, I wouldn't mind if all the 20K ones stay Rings, while the 40K ones are Bands. That way, it's easier to remember how much everything costs. Here's an idea: what if Sigurd wasn't Arvis's target? There's someone far more threatening in his army: Father Claud. "Really, Claud?" you may be wondering. "The man with no movement, skills, or physical durability?" Yes, that Claud. He may lack all those things, but he does have two crucial powers: resurrecting the dead via the Valkyrie Staff, and receiving revelation from Saint Bragi. For all Arvis knows, Claud has already learned that Arvis is working with the Loptyr Cult. So he must die. And he may have informed Sigurd, and his entire cadre. So they must die. As for bringing back the dead - imagine the chaos if Claud were to bring back Prince Kurth. Or Reptor, or Rango. Can he even do any of that? Maybe not, but Arvis doesn't know for sure. Hell - maybe Claud could single-handedly resurrect the fell wyrm, Loptyr. By killing him now, Arvis might actually be frustrating Manfroy pulling a "pro gamer move", if you will. ...Of course, the Battle of Belhalla still happens, even if Claud died already. Still, the argument that Claud revealed sensitive information to Sigurd and company, before dying, is a salient one. How can a person who hires Niles, of all people, hate his femboy son? And don't complain about how they turn out when your version of parenting is "stick them in a bubble and hope they don't die". Garon gave his child four siblings, their own castle, their own maid service, a challenging but rewarding job - and, for their sweet 16, a cool glowing sword! What more could a child want from their daddy? See, this is why Alec is secretly the best father. For everyone. Because the Nihil skill means his children are immune to crits. Which includes effective damage. Or you could just dodge everything IDK. Ooh. I won't say any more. Just, looking forward to the reaction. And... then what? If Deirdre remembers Sigurd, then he's just screwed himself. He can't kill Sigurd - Deirdre would never forgive him. But he can't let Sigurd live, because his survival endangers his marriage to Deirdre. He would've ruined everything for himself. The upside is... Deirdre doesn't remember Sigurd. Which she already didn't. It's not like, after several years of not mentioning him, and not showing his face, Deirdre's memory would suddenly be jogged, apropos of nothing. And even if it were, that would've happened regardless of being exposed to him. Hell - exposing her to him makes it more likely. She'll have a distinct memory of Sigurd, and she may be able to "connect the dots" to her past life. Really just comes across as a moment of hubris, that could have ended up really badly for him. If they wanted it to happen - without the risk - they could've just had Arvis mention his marriage to Dierdre without bringing her out. Sure, maybe he wouldn't believe it. But who cares for the thought of a dead man, anyway? I've legit done this before. I hate how, once Sigurd seizes, he blocks the castle gate for everyone else. By Returning him back, I can get my other units in for Arena'ing, or weapon repair, or pawn shop business, or even sitting on the castle for self-healing. Then, once Sigurd is revived the next turn, I warp him straight back to keep going. ...Actually, one more thought I just had. When Sigurd seizes, it would make more sense for him to sit atop the castle, than to stand in its gate. Anyone can sit in the gate. That's nothing new. What's new is, having killed the boss, being able to take their spot. Actually, that's how seizing works in every other title - you kill the boss to vacate the spot, then take that spot. That would signify that Sigurd is distinctly replacing the enemy, and taking control of the castle for himself. "Raising the Blue Banner", if you will. Plus, it would allow his allies to conduct business within the Castle, without any of these Return-Warp strats. There would still be a place for Return-Warp strats - just not this specific one. Ooh, that battle quote goes hard. Especially since, I think, you'll only fight him after Aida's betrayal. "That Bow Knight ain't right, I tell ya hwat." Solid synopsis. Finally, Sigurd encounters a problem that he can't solve by Seizing. I love when FE4 does this. The other instance that comes to mind is in the Prologue, when Edain is captured. At first she pulls back and slows them down, then Gandolf says something, and she acquiesces. Really, telling extra bit of story and characterization through little unit sprite movements is super appreciated. Congrats on making it! "Six chapters" doesn't sound like a lot, but honestly, it can take as long as a whole 20-some-chapter campaign in other mainline games. Not only due to the hug maps, but to all the micromanagement that goes on. Plus, the lack of "speed up" or "skip phase" options that future games would introduce. I've really enjoyed what you've had to say thus far, and I look forward to how the latter half will turn out.

Ah, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. The second entry in the franchise - and, some would say, where it peaked. But I'm not here to debate the relative merits of the titles, nor to dunk on Sticker Star. Rather, I'm capitalizing off of my recent replaythrough of the game - and the fact that we're two months away from the remake. I still think it's a great game - but not a perfect one. What are some things that could be improved by a remake? Here's one of them: The Glitz Pit, Round 2. Folks who have played the game already probably remember the Glitz Pit, the key setting of chapter 3. But for the uninitiated, just know that it's essentially a wrestling arena. Mario, and his various partners, need to fight against a series of enemies in order to earn the Champ's Belt - and a Crystal Star. While the enemies start easy - literally Goomba-easy - they gradually ramp up in difficulty. Some of the latter foes - like the Tiny Spinies, Crawdaddy, or the Koopinator - might just leave you sweating. It all culminates in an epic grapple with Rawk Hawk, the Champion of the Glitz Pit. After completing chapter 3, you can return to the Glitz Pit. However, due to an in-narrative glitch or mistake, Mario isn't the champion anymore - rather, he has to climb his way up from the bottom again. So, what new challenges await Mario this time? Well... nothing. The enemies he fights are exactly the same as the first time. Even characters who are added to the roster during the story, such as Sir Swoop and Prince Mush, have absolutely no presence. If you were expecting an extra challenge - or even something new and interesting to discover - you're going to be disappointed. But... what if that were not the case? What if the Glitz Pit changed, during Mario's comeback tour? Here's what I'm thinking - after Mario completes chapter 3, the Glitz Pit will temporarily close. For certain story reasons, I think this makes sense. So, for the duration of chapter 4, Mario won't have the opportunity to return. However, after completing chapter 4 (for real this time), Mario will receive an email from Jolene, announcing the re-opening of the Glitz Pit. The slots have filled up fast, though, so Mario will have to work his way back up from the bottom. As in the vanilla game, it'd be a totally optional sidequest. But, how to make it rewarding? Why, introduce new enemies with a higher level of difficulty, of course! Maybe some familiar faces as well. After each enemy, I'll list its (HP, Attack, Defense), for added context. As for who those enemies will be? Well, I'm glad you asked. 19. The Family Goom 18. Sir Swoop 17. Klub Koopa 16: The Flying Spinies 15: The Crunk Rocks 14: Bigger Bob-Omb Squad 13: The Gimme-Grabbies 12: Sushie Rollers 11: X Marks the Naut 10: Whiggity Whacka Bonus: The Armored Harriers 9: Air Mail 8: Magikoopa Mystics 7: Hamma, Bamma, Chompy, and Flare 6: Spike's Storm 5: Yux it Up 4: Craw Kin 3: The Boo-jwah-zee 2: Koopinator II: Electric Boogaloo 1: Mr. L Bonus: Rawk & Roly Ch: Prince Mush Of course, each battle will have its own reward of Coins and Star Points. But, what more? Well, defeating Prince Mush will award the "Star Presence" badge. At a cost of 4 BP, this provides a 50% boost to Star Power when attacking, or executing "stylish" commands, but not when Appealing. So there it is, the revised lineup! Are there any changes you'd make? Any enemies you'd add in, or take out? Depending on the feedback, maybe I'll come up with a "Round 3" that opens up in the postgame. Thank you for reading, and feel free to share your thoughts below!

Yeah, I am definitely a fan of the Shield Ring on Erinys, at least some of the time. Shores up one of her issues, of not-the-best physical bulk. ...Although even in that aspect, she's not that bad. As for their chapter 3 appearance, it just feels really... random, I guess? You're on the opposite side of the continent at this point. And it's not like they even show up from the direction of Thracia. Fast players can seize Castle Silvail before they even make landfall. As for them showing up as mercenaries - while it makes sense Travant would want money for his Kingdom, how much does Chagall even have at this point? He's lost the throne, and been backed into a corner. If anything, it'd make more sense for them to contract with Grannvale to help finish off Chagall. Hell, it'd be really funny if you could "pay them off" like Beowulf - but instead of being recruited, they turn into green units and help you out. This is outrageous, it's unfair! He could've just said "Ares, Grahnya... forgive me..." before Chagall executes him, and we'd have this information already. Hell, we'd have more information. I don't believe Eldigan's wife is ever named within the game. A shame, especially when she has one of the best skill loadouts ever. I appreciate that the game gives an explanation for Travant's departure here. He doesn't want to endanger his new "investment". Way better than the usual "super-powerful boss who nopes out for no reason, sending an incompetent underling to get killed by your army". Very weird for Reptor to be saying this aloud. Aida is loyal to House Velthomer, so even if he's right, Aida wouldn't confirm it. And if he's wrong, Aida could later tell Arvis, putting Reptor in jeopardy. This makes more sense as something he'd say to a House Friege lieutenant. Or an aside that only the player can hear. Unfortunate that she wields Meteor at range. The Miracle Sword would give her much higher AS, so she wouldn't get doubled and could avoid more hits. Hell, she'd probably be a more formidable boss if she just left the Meteor tome at home. "But what if... I were to betray House Friege, and disguise it as an alliance with Sigurd? Oh ho ho, delightfully devilish, Liza!" Assuming we get a "C/B/A/S" support system - not something I'm necessarily advocaring for - they'll definitely get a chain up to at least A. Thinking on it, they remind me of Raphael and Ignatz. The himbo and the nerd who are best buds. Not gonna complain if people want to read gay vibes from it, though. That's the Achilles' Heel of effective weaponry, innit? If you're not hitting the foe, then you're not doing 2x or 3x damage - you're doing 0x damage. I wouldn't mind seeing a future game give effective weapons, say, +50 Hit against the right targets. Make them something you can't just dodgetank away. I'll take any mention! It's not a pairing I've done yet. But I figured it's better than basement-tier, for giving Lene the best possible combat, thanks to B-rank Swords and Luna. Not that Lene's combat matters all that much, but it's a fun niche. Better than, say, Jamke giving Accost, or Arden giving Vantage. And sad as it is to say, Garon is among the better fathers in that game. That would match with how, in T776, Diarmuid is implied to be Beowulf's child, while Nanna is implied to be Finn's. A curious choice, as this specific scenario is actually impossible to achieve in Genealogy. But it would allow for Nanna to be conceived after the Battle of Belhalla. Not too much to read into, IMO. Arvis has just been drinking his "respect women" juice. The fewer people who know of Arvis' planned betrayal, the better. If Arvis tells Vaha, and word gets to Reptor, then he'll lose the element of surprise. Reptor could say "I'm gonna rendezvous with them at the southern edge of the desert", and then just... leave. What's Aida gonna do, once he's outside of Meteor range? One more thing - Arvis already plans to double-cross Sigurd. So, if Vaha and her cadre manage to weaken them, and pick a few off in advance, all the better. As for letting his own troops perish for a tactical advantage? I'm shocked, I say, shocked! That is completely out of character for that boy scout, Arvis.

Of course: Mario, Luigi, and Greg! How could I forget about Greg Property? It's actually an AAAAAAAAA game.

Also promoted Lachesis and Leif. Warp is B-rank. Deirdre has B-rank Staves, so of course she can use it. Except... in chapter 3, she's stuck in the home castle, so she can't warp to anywhere else. And by the time another castle is seized, she, y'know... The tip stands for Return. Have Ethlyn spam it, and then sell it before the end of chapter 3. From there, it can be good on Lachesis, if she's not yet promoted.

Yep, Meowscarada would round this out quite effectively. With Armorouge as an alt costume, or maybe even an Echo Fighter? With its mouth, like Pichu! Anyway, one that came to my mind is Cyclizar. We've not yet had a playable Dragon-type Pokemon. It could have typical attacks on that front (i.e. Dragon Rush, Dragon Pulse), as well as its signature Shed Tail (I'm thinking a "warp" maneuver that damages itself, but provides brief invulnerability afterward). Maybe it could also have "Tera-type options": Electric to make it speedier (and give it a thundery Tera Blast), Fighting to make it hit harder (and give it a "flurry-of-fists" Tera Blast), or Normal to improve its durability (and give it a beam-like Tera Blast). I'm imagining it could "Tera" once per match, and once it dies while Tera'd, it can't do it again. Finally, the Final Smash. It would depend upon the "Tera Type". Normal, it's just a classic Hyper Beam. Electric, Miraidon shows up to do an Electro Drift. And Fighting, Koraidon comes forth to deliver a Collision Course. Anyway, that's what I'm thinking. Even if it's not Cyclizar, it would be neat if the Gen IX representative were to exhibit the Terastallization mechanic.

You're very welcome! Let us know how the run goes! Or if you have any more questions.

No problem. I definitely think it will be possible. And it's not like you need to get everyome to level 30. One suggestion I would add is, if someone can't beat a certain level of the Arena, get them a better weapon. The Brave Sword, in particular, is dynamite. High-powered, light, and accurate, with the Brave effect. It's costly, sure, but it can help if you buy it at a less-than-full use count. Don't repair it, or other weapons, until you have to. Finally, note that - if a weapon breaks mid-battle - the unit can keep using it until they finish. So, if Silvia does 1 damage to a 50 HP foe, she can beat him with a 50-use Iron Sword... or a 10-use Iron Sword. Obviously, the latter is cheaper.

My disappointment is immeasurable, and my day is ruined. On the flip side, maybe we could get Ted Turner to fund this? With original music by Killer Mike? The first AAAAAA game. That's three As for each Brother.

It's plausible, but that would depend on how much time there is between the end of chapter 4, and the beginnimg of chapter 5. I didn't think it was a very long break. True again, but... they don't settle in a small rural area, but at Castle Tirnanog instead. Perhaps it was abandoned when Isaach was defeated, and never retaken by House Dozel? Regardless, it seems like a rather conspicuous base-of-operations for an underground resistance. Cigyun!Arione x Arvis? I'm, uh, not sure how "fruitful" such a union would prove to be. I do wonder whether Chagall would be given minor Hezul blood in a potential remake. Seems like that's something he'd be expected to have. In theory, the blood could be "watered down" to undectability, but in gameplay, that never really happens. Only when a child would have two other blood types, does one of them get "suppressed". I was gonna complain about Ethlyn saying she would leave back to Leonster, and then just... not... doing so. But thinking on it, even if she had tried to return, the Thracian Dracoknights were showing up, like, right away. Even discounting the whole "backtracking through the desert", they probably would've caught up to her on her return home. Thinking more on it, perhaps the Thracian Dracoknights should've debuted in this chapter? It does establish them as a fearsome threat. Versus their appearance in chapter 3, which is marginal and largely irrelevant. And with Gen II, it's not as though there's any shortage of Wyvern enemies. Yeah, Grannvale itself doesn't have much of a discernible "culture", or "flavor", in the way that polities like Verdane and the Kingdom of Thracia do. You could argue that it's due to each House having its own domain. But then again, each House territory is too small to really feel like its own country. We learn a decent amount about House Friege, sure, but almost none of it happens in Friege territory. "Every Soul has its Dark."

So, for A-rank Tactics, you need 1000 levels-up. This can also be conceived as 500 levels-up per generation. And with 24 units per generation, that's about 21 levels-up per unit. Obviously, some can't get this many because they join at too high a level. So others will need to pick up the slack. Essentially, the "secret" to capping on experience is, pass the Paragon Band around. Especially when you're Arena-ing. Completing all 7 rounds awards 17.5K gold. The Band costs 40k, and can be sold back for 20k, so you're only losing out on 2.5k gold overall. A lot of your units are rich, so they can definitely afford the Band. That said, if they've already partially Arena'd it may not be worthbuying and reselling. Still, something to keep in mind for next chapter. Having said all that, this is your first playthrough of Genealogy, yes? If so, I wouldn't worry too much about Rankings. I would just focus on getting to know the story and characters. Find out what you like, and what you're not a fan of. Learn by experience. Then, you might be ready for the added challenge of Rankings on your next playthrough.

This seems like a losing bet. Only one of their children will be born with Major Naga blood, and there's a 50% chance of that child being a girl. I wonder what's more important to Azmur - having the right kind of magical blood, or having a dick? I always forget that Lübeck is supposed to be in Silesse. At this point, everything just looks like Grannvale. Who plowed all the snow, anyway? Wait, isn't that the plot of Harry Potter and the Cursèd Child? Erm, isn't Isaach under occupation by Grannvale right now, since they lost the war? Shannan will be in danger either way. Returning home would offer him more civilian support, but in turn, he'd be at a greater risk of being targeted by the authorities. Not pictured: babby Larcei, Scathach, Diarmuid, Lester, and Lana toddling after Shannan. Would've been neat if Sigurd gave them a horse to ride to Tirnanog, rather than expecting them to hoof it. Would help explain Oifey becoming a Paladin. And c'mon, we just killed all those knights. You can't tell me there aren't any spare horsies to go around! They targeted Loptyrians. Loptyrians. In my first playthrough, I let Erinys (then Ferry) die on Eldigan's blade. I didn't know Lachesis could talk to him, haha. I went the rest of the game without her... until this phase. This was my "time to use the Valyrie Staff" moment. Because in a game without Longbows, or playable Siege Tomes, Erinys is literally the only means of handling these jerkwads. Suffering_from_success.jpg I know you didn't use him much, but this is also Alec's time to shine. Nihil means he need not fear any Horseslayer. Holy shit, it's Weezer! And should, when it comes to Tyrfing! It doesn't matter how many uses Sigurd ends the chapter with, so long as it's not broken. "If you wouldn't mind killing a couple people on the way out, I'd really appreciate it." A shame we didn't get the classic Pokemon translators on Project Naga, or we could've gotten a "fufufu" or two from Manfroy. Leftists and capitalists are natural enemies! Like leftists and monarchists! Or leftists and conservatives! Or leftists and liberals! Or leftists and other leftists! Damn leftists... they ruined leftism! Actually, Byron got better offscreen. This grievous injury is entirely unrelated to the first one. Source: dude trust me.

If Hawke is the Chad, and Ced is the Vergil, then what is Amid? The Cath? And who the hell is Belf, anyway? Okay but like. Bow Fighter promotes into Sniper. In every other game outside of Jugdral, the class that promotes into Sniper is named "Archer". But hey, it's not as though Jugdral would also give us Sages that don't come from Mages, right? ...Right? But calling the promoted Sword infantry class in Thracia 776 "Mercenary" was an exceedingly silly choice to begin with. The Archanea-Valentia games established "Mercenary" as a first-tier class that would promote into something stronger. "Hero" in Archanea, or "Myrmidon", and later "Dread Fighter", in Valentia. But now, Mercenary is a promoted class? After taking a title off for something called "Forrest"? It feels like Jugdral being different, not in an interesting way, but in a way that is just prone to breed confusion. On the flip side, I do have to give these titles their due for inventing the Swordmaster class. And taking the first steps toward the GBA-onward "Mercenary/Myrmidon" split. Even though they were technically all "Sword Fighters" in these games. So we've got Boomer Arvis and Millenial Byron? ...Maybe the planet Jugdral is on just rotates in the opposite direction. *starts slamming desk* THIEF SWORD SIGURD! THIEF SWORD SIGURD! Not to keep, just to make some cash money if he so chooses. Hey now. Phila feels just as relevant as that one generic Pegasus Knight lady who shows up once on Ephraim's route to deliver a single piece of news. ....Or was it Eirika's route?

Oh yeah, I recall. Didn't mean to insinuate that this was some sort of debate between us. Just that this added detail reinforces the original point. Would've been nice to see an aged l-up Edain, even just as an NPC. Maybe give her unique conversations with Lester and Lana, if they return to the home castle. Well yeah, I know that much. But my assumption was that Diarmuid joined up with the Tirnanog crew sometime after the Battle of Belhalla. Either by his own volition, or because a surviving Lachesis dropped him off there. As for Nanna... wait... according to the wiki: So Nanna must have been born after Belhalla, because Lachesis would've never been to Leonster beforehand. In that case, Nanna wouldn't have been among the squad going to Tirnanog. In fact, she may have never stepped foot (hoof?) onto Isaachian soil. He'd pass it down, it would just be unusable. Like the Valkyrie Staff on Arthur. Oops! Well, at least you can buy it back, starting in chapter 8. The bad news, Status Staves cost a fortune in this one. If he sells the Paragon Band, then that's 20K. Exactly enough to re-purchase the Power Ring. Even if having to sell it, then buy it back, feels sub-optimal. I, for one, am looking forward to the impending maßacre. Even if it is a rather macaßre scene... Weird, I thought Eldigan's squad was pronounced "Ecks-Nights". If you were to use a mounted unit with the Return Band, then they could self-Return immediately after attacking.

Congrats on making it! That's some clever strategy. Yeah, chapter 13 tends to be a high water mark for difficulty.

In some regards, like Magic (base of 22) and Resistance (base of 17), Hawke outshines most variants of Ced. Oh, and he has a chapter 9 secret event that buffs each of these by 3 more points. Plus, very solid HP, Skill, and Speed, alongside Pursuit. Inheritance on Ced is great, but the number of generics who survive a round against Hawke's Light tome, I could count on both hands. Well, chapter 6 occurs 17 years after the Battle of Belhalla - at least, so sayeth the wiki. But some of the kids - Seliph, Leif, the Sword Twins - have already been born. Others, it's ambiguous whether or not they exist yet. It's a fair bet that they're all under 20 at the start of Gen II, at the very least. "But wait!" *Erinys pulls out the Brave Lance* "There's more!" Interesting maneuver. Come to think of it, I don't think any class is stuck with C-rank Bows. Bow Armors, Arch Knights, Generals, and Warriors all have B-rank Bows by default. Whilst all other Bow-using classes have A-rank. Not like Jamke would struggle as an Archer, though. The Killer Bow is already at C-rank. That's a funny way of writing "7x2 with Brave, or 13 with Silver, while wearing a Power Ring". C'mon, you know he can afford it... "Should I repair this blade for my son, or keep it at 30 weight to carry around with my dying breaths?" I do like seeing enemies with interesting weapons. That'll come up again, later in the same chapter... Ced with Forseti is hilarious, because he'll spam it every turn as a green unit. Without exhausting any uses. Not even recruited, and he's already pulling his weight. Will he be getting the Silence staff as well? Either of these could also go to Larcei, since she's not inheriting a ton yet. Or Diarmuid. The sooner you get a Sword, the more options you have with it. Admittedly, I'm no big fan of effective weapons in this game. Patty's a great pick for it, but Lester also springs to mind. Non-Killer Bows can get kinda heavy, while Killer Bows can get kinda pricey. Really, though, anyone with Pursuit will appreciate it. Get that lad a horse! Diarmuid and Nanna were canonically among that cadre, too? ...This is just reinforcing my "Let Edain go so that they have parental supervision" paradigm. No way did teemage Oifey, and tweenage Shannan, transport seven toddlers cross-country on their own.

Ooh, I'm replaying Gen I now, so I can answer this! In the original Japanese, the Cross Knights are the クロスナイツ, or "Ku-ro-su-na-i-tsu". So, as close to the English name as possible. "Please reconsider!" Reminds me of a technical note: Archers don't exist in FE4. Instead, there are Hunters and "Bow Fighters". But it's weird to think of Jamke as anything other than an Archer. Like, I could believe that Erinys became revered, after fighting alongside Sigurd and avenging her sister's death. But before that, she's just a generic Pegasus Knight. No holy blood, just the Pursuit skill. ...Actually, scratch that. Pursuit alone makes Erinys the best flier in the entire continent. Incidentally, it just occurred to me that this formula isn't sustainable. In a hypothetical Gen III, each kid will have 2.25 times their grandparents' growths. In the next gen, that becomes 3.375. Give it a few more generations, and we're talking Awakening-level growths! Huh, I thought I remembered Awakening doing female generics, but maybe not? Anyway, we definitely got them in Three Houses and Engage. But yeah, Genealogy was well ahead of the curve here. Good to see Kaga is so- Erm, well, let's leave it at that. In both cases, your units get to chow down on civilians in the fifth of six chapters. It's like poetry, it rhymes. Hm, maybe the Bragi peninsula could've had some Civilians to protect/munch on, in chapter 3? That could help Tailtiu get some early levels. Or Dew, as he goes there for his secret event. Both units I struggle with getting to promotion. Hey, it should be fine by then. Sigurd already did his pirate genocide. Well, first you'd need to actually hit him with the Sleep Sword. And the status swords are not renowned for their accuracy. ...I'd be really curious as to whether this will actually work.

Ah, the duality of Kaga. To be sick and twisted enough to make Thracia 776 in the first place, yet also benevolent and merciful enough to provide a slightly easier secret mode. Love that the original Japanese title - "Elite Mode" - makes it sound like it's gonna be harder. I wonder - have any games since done anything like Paragon Mode? Closest I can think of is Fixed Mode in Path of Radiance, but it's debatable whether that's slightly easier, or merely different. Yeah, Quan has become my closest thing to a "carry". Also I'm gaining more appreciation fo Naiose, who has been dealing more damage in one hit than Alec manages to exert in two. Plus, going Sigurdless means that Ethlyn and Ayra get to play around with the Silver Sword. So, not a total waste. Maybe I'll count how many turns this takes me, then count how many turns "Sigurd solo" demands, and see which one comes out on top (bottom?). But I've never done a Sigurd solo, so... more work, yay.

RIP Wind Sword. Gone, but never forgotten. Can't wait for one of Pamela's squad to "pull a Thracia", kidnapping Edain and robbing her of all staves. For my part, I like having Lex sit on the castle. He tends to be so defensive that the generic enemy Pegasi don't even try to attack. And with Paragon, getting him to the level cap is trivial. But I could see a promoted Lachesis working as well. So the best Silessian knights are Mahnya, Pamela, Deetvar, and Erinys? Out of everyone in the country, they have the most talent and experience? Why aren't old Pegasus Knights allowed to exist? Of course, that would get into FE's scant track record with older ladies in general, so... ...Y'know, she's not older-looking, but she's a woman and a villain. Thank you, Kaga, very cool. It's neat to see, when all the way through the DS era, female generics in non-female-exclusive classes were practically nonexistent. Heck, Genealogy is probably better in this aspect than any of the GBA titles. If only barely. It really bugs me how they all realize this immediately. Do they see her die? Hear her cry out in agony? Either way, it screws with the scale. I'd rather have Rahna realize it when Castle Silesse gets stormed. Something like "The castle is under attack? Then that means Mahnya... oh, gods...". Casual players: "Paragon is a great skill, because it doubles Lex's experience gain!" Me, an elitist: "Paragon is a great skill, because it means Lex doesn't have to buy the Paragon Band." Kinda funny to think that Paragon and Bargain, as different as they sound, kind of have the same endpoint in "optimal" play. I'm still not sure which skill I appreciate more. At first I thought Genealogy was the original Strand-type FE title. But then chapter 4 came around, and I discovered it was ahead of its time as a thumb-twiddling simulator. Nah, I think Beowulf would be into it. He couldn't be prouder of his hypercompetent uber-Paladin wife. I wonder - as useless as Strength is for Edain, maybe they gave her a growth so Lester wouldn't be totally up a creek? Since her growths partially determine his, and we're still over a decade from magical Bows happening.

Congrats on making it at all! I am impressed that it was possible, without too much misery. In the "challenge run" sphere, I am actually revisiting Genealogy right now, for a "Sigurdless" playthrough. What happens when your main Lord is only allowed to Seize and serve as an Authority bot? Time to find out!

You need to reach a certain column on the map for the northeast bunch to spawn in. Once you've moved far enough east, they'll spawn the next turn. Hm, maybe you could put Teach in a corner and have a couple other units surround them? That way, even with Pass, the enemy Thieves and Assassins couldn't get to Teach.

Thanks for the catch. I think it was in earlier fanslations. Per the wiki, her Japanese title was "Raijin", which is also the name of a God of Thunder in Shinto. So it's understandable for the fanslation. Obviously,any official localization trumps that. Oh yeah, I remember something like that. Very peculiar. Different teams at different times, I guess. We've had Kings and Queens, Emperors, an Empress and a Kaizerin. I wonder - will we ever see a Tsar(ina)? A Pharoah? Maybe a Sultan? Would be neat to encounter in a future title. I can agree with the "folk hero" aspect, but I'm coming from the perspective of viewing the difference between that title, and "god", as one of kind - not degree. As you and others have pointed out, though, that's not how Jugdral handles its mythology. I mean, so does Gharnef, and he doesn't have Dragonic blood (that we know of). So does Camoo. I don't know if the ability to persist beyond death is actually tied to having magical blood.

Thanks for the notes. Apparently, the barrier of entry to divinity in Jugdral is far lower than I had expected. Oh yeah, I remember Ishtar being called the "God of Thunder". Which was weird, because A. the notion of someone who currently exists in physical personhood, bring regarded as a god, is still bizarre to me, and B. shouldn't it be "Goddess", anyway? Or is this gonna be an "Emperor Edelgard" scenario, where the masculine form is treated as being gender-neutral? In which case, fine if they want to do it that way. But for the sake of fair play, Brian should get to be the "Goddess of Tomahawks", dammit! I was gonna raise the whole "just because the Saints are prayed to doesn't make them divine" point, but it's not like that's the only evidence for your case - far from it. We can still wonder hoemw this stuff'll turn out in any official localization - except for whatever's already in Heroes - but it definitely sounds like, in Sigurd's mind, his great-great-grandfather was actually a god.

Ziguludo-chan-sama-senpai is indeed the best character in Fire Emblem: Descent of Jihad. Fair 'nuff, I was more thinking of terms like "Father" and "Priest", which to me, convey ersatz-Catholicism. ...But on the other hand, "Priest" has been used for female characters as well, which is a big no-no under the Pontiff, so. True enough, but on some level... it's kinda arbitrary, isn't it? At least, within a fantasy realm. Like, say there is a religious "day of rest" in Jugdral. If we were using the Gregorian days of the week, then I think it would make the most sense to assign that day to Sunday. Given Jugdral being broadly inspired by Medievel Europe, where Christendom was dominant. Could we make it, say, Wednesday? Sure. But there wouldn't be any real rationale for doing so - at least, not that I can think of. Fair play! I do think, perhaps, the holidays should last for more than a single day? Perhaps a full week where characters can benefit from it? Not sure if 7 turns is too much. But a single turn feels hyper-specific. Widening the frame would provide the player with more wiggle room, rather than making it a "blink-and-you'll-miss-it" effect. Wait, are they? My understanding was, the Dragons who gave their power at the miracle of Darna (i.e. Naga, Forseti) were revered as gods. Whereas, the Crusaders were holy warriors - saints, perhaps - but not actually divine in their own right. Or did I miss something? Ah yes, my favorite months: Flotsam, Jetsam, Bedlam, and Smarch.