[Press Ctrl+V]

[First word comes to mind]

[of] Persia 

[ike's steam platinums blog (latest one: 160. sonic mania)]

On 10/25/2022 at 11:40 PM, Integrity said:

XCOM: CHIMERA SQUAD (FIRAXIS, 2020)

Finished: 29/12/21. Playtime: 66.2 hours.

I really wanted to close out 2021 before I went to sleep tonight, so have all the posts in a row.

Here's perhaps my most absolutely nuclear PC gaming take I've ever had: XCOM: Chimera Squad is the second-best game in the entire franchise, 1994-today, only surpassed by XCOM 2 War of the Chosen.

Everything I said about Doom 64's reception is the opposite here. I genuinely do not understand the tepid reception this game got. The best I've got is that, if you've got a tiny brain, it's easy to believe that it gives you 'fewer choices' in tactical combat. In reality, the tactical combat has way more depth than any previous game except maybe XCOM 2, but the critical thing that it isn't is Bigger. It's like Fire Emblem Heroes was at its peak: it creates far more tactically interesting situations than the main games do by limiting you, but there's a huge subdivision of PC grognards that cannot see any number besides Scope. You only get four guys instead of <6 or 16>. There's only 4 to 10 enemies instead of <up to 5 pods of up to 4 / like 30? in the original?>. Do you understand? Chimera Squad's numbers are lower. That means it's less good.

It's unbelievably annoying. Chimera Squad has the audacity to try something new, and it works, and it still catches flak for not doing the same thing. It's still an isometric tactical command game, and it controls literally the same as the XCOM reboots, but it is lesser to the fanbase, because _. The good old Fire Emblem permadeath argument comes up a lot too - "the game gives me a game over when one of my chimera agents dies!" whines man who reloads whenever an XCOM agent ranked higher than Rookie dies. Every criticism I've seen of the game belies such a fundamental refusal to understand basic concepts like 'games design' and 'writing' that it makes me want to throw a gamer through a fucking brick wall. "There's fewer weapon options!" whines man who outfitted entire Terror from the Deep squad with sonic cannons. There's very few games whose Discourse makes me madder than Chimera Squad's does, and most of them are Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition.

E: uncoincidentally, both games have a significant portion of the fanbase mad at how 'woke' they are. never change, gamers.

To cut myself off, platinum was a chore for a single unintended reason. Most of the achievements are straightforward - there's a cheeky little challenge for using each unit which is flavored to them, beating the campaign on Impossible, and a grab bag of general little challenges. The only stumbling block is Every Timeline. The way the campaign is structured is fairly simple: there's three gangs that you're hunting, and you hunt them sequentially. Whichever one you hunt second will be scaled up to match you, with new tricks and toys; and whichever one you hunt third will have a significant power boost thematic to the gang. Every Timeline asks you to complete all three versions of all three gangs' final takedown missions across any number of campaigns. Theoretically, this means doing Gang A first, second, and third; Gang B first, second, and third; and Gang C first, second, and third. Three runs through, and two ways to mix them together for you combinatorics nerds like me. Problem is, the achievement was coded to only unlock upon completing of the three campaigns A-B-C, B-C-A, C-A-B. If you do it the other possible way (A-C-B, C-B-A, B-A-C) then the achievement doesn't unlock. Technically, I've beaten this game six times, but I have no shame in admitting that after I finished that second string of results, didn't get the achievement, and figured out why through creative googling, I cheated my way through beating the next three campaigns in the first string of results.

Still, despite being thrown through the game for an extra ten or so hours to cheat through three runs, I hold Chimera Squad up among the best turn-based tactical games I've ever played. Scope isn't everything, kids.

Huh. I know this was months ago, but this is the first time I've seen a take like this. I suppose the people I've seen talk about Chimera Squad knew it was an experimental title to test out some new mechanics, and the price tag was reasonable for that. I haven't seen anyone dismiss or dislike the game so much as they say their piece about the mechanics then go back to talking about XCOM 2. Interesting to see a different perspective.

While I do prefer Enemy Unknown/Within over it (mostly because I love how well the base building and tactics sides of the game feed into each other. I want to do well in one to get more tools in the other), I still love Chimera Squad. The breach system consistently provides interesting options, it's refreshing to have every enemy on screen at once instead of dealing with the pod system, and the timeline works better than I expected. I adore playing as the aliens the most, and XCOM 3 needs to keep this aspect and expand upon it.

1 hour ago, Integrity said:

METAL GEAR SOLID 5: GROUND ZEROES (KOJIMA, 2014)

I haven't played Ground Zeroes, but I did play The Phantom Pain last year, and it was easily one of my favorite games I played in 2022. It's a game I could legitimately talk about for hours, so I'll try to keep it brief. People do not joke when they say there are ten different ways to approach a single problem, and while missions can blend together, you're given so many different tools and scenarios that it never gets old. Even "joke" tools like the carboard box and water pistol have a surprising amount of intricacy and legitimate applications. Despite infamously being unfinished, the attention to detail and the amount of polish rivals and even surpasses games that are far shorter and less complex. If you're into the stealth genre, I can't recommend the game enough. (That's the short version. I could easily write a few paragraphs on how many different ways you could deal with a single tank.)

2 hours ago, Integrity said:

It's the only of those stealth-action games (Dishonored, Hitman, etc.) that has actually seen me being perfectly happy when I go loud, murdering a few guys and vanishing and continuing the mission instead of just checkpointing.

You won't be getting an S rank, but there were several times my stealth attempt went south and I ended up going the "guns blazing" route, and was surprised I still managed to get an A rank. You won't get as many rewards compared to successfully being stealthy, obviously, but as long you play well, you can still get far by playing aggressively, and the game gives you loads of guns and equipment to do so.

 

Since you seem to 100% games, I'd say keep in mind that MGS5 is one of those games that can have varying levels of "completion" The in-game marker just tracks if you've completed the side missions, side objectives, and how many missions you've S-ranked. You can reach 100% there without having researching every technology or still having things to unlock for the online component (which while I'm not a fan that you're forced to get an FOB whether you want one or not, at least you can set security to max and call it a day if you don't want to bother, while if you do engage with the online, you are legitimately rewarded for your time).

I also give a heads up that despite not being buggy, the game is unfinished and it does show at points. While it's most glaring with the plot, where the second half could be summarized as "things happen", there are parts of the open world that are empty which seem like there was something planned there, and while no mission is impossible, some definitely seem like they could have gone through a few more rounds of playtesting.

[Press Ctrl+V]

 

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

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

[First word comes to mind]

Cake

[Your Opinion of the Above Posted Video]

The sheer number of different ways to meme this scene never ceases to amaze me.

 

[Press Ctrl+V]

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

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…

 

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

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!

 

[Press Ctrl+V]

 

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

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.

 

[Your Opinion of the Above Posted Video]

It felt like I was watching 5 or 6 different parodies at once that were somehow mostly on the same page. I'm impressed I comprehended it at all.

 

[First word comes to mind]

Human

[Press Ctrl+V]

 

[New Preview Videos Dropping]

Gamesradar released a video earlier today:

Nothing too much to add that we didn't know already. They were a fan of the Break mechanic, as it allowed for some risky yet rewarding maneuvers and kept the "throw powerful unit at every problem" strategy in check, as even tanky units could be killed if you play recklessly.

The story seems simplistic but it gets to the point quickly. Unfortunately, while the characters weren't unlikable, they were very tropey in a dull way, and none of them stuck out. It should be noted they were still in the early parts of the game, but those were their first impressions.

They also thought the activities and minigames in Somniel were pretty random, but they're optional and nice to have for people who like more downtime between battles. Overall, they stated that the gameplay is the strongest aspect, while the characters were a step back.

[New Preview Videos Dropping]

4 hours ago, Etrurian emperor said:

In this podcast a reviewer gives some impressions about the game. What he has to say about characterization and story honestly sounds kinda damning. The story being overly vanilla, the cast very gimmick heavy and the worldbuilding consisting of ''these characters are from this country and that's all you'll need to know about the country''

 

I listened to the Engage portion of this podcast yesterday, and I'm honestly surprised at how much confusion it caused. I've seen people think the reviewers comments about how the map design remined them of Three Houses was a sign that the maps are bad, when no, he was just saying that their openness with the occasional chokepoint (such as a bridge) remined him of the game. The reviewer did state that it never reached the peaks of Conquest and they wish there were more varied objectives, but that seemed to be their only complaint on the gameplay front.

His comment that there was some romance but it wasn't the focus also caused some confusion. I personally got the impression he meant that some supports and character relationships leaned toward the romantic side, but it's not a outright gameplay mechanic like in Awakening or Fates.

Hearing the story is straightforward and the lore is alright is extremely disappointing. However I've noticed that no reviewer has said it is outright bad, and the podcast mentioned that the story is as skippable as Conquest. I'm hoping that Engage is the kind of game that knows you're primarily here for the gameplay, and gets to the action quickly. While I enjoyed Three Houses, the sheer amount of time spent on cutscenes and in the monestary when I'm primarily there for the battles did bring the game down for me.

I'm most concerned about the comments on the characters. While I enjoyed the "gimmicky" casts of Awakening and Fates, there were certainly problems with the approach. Awakenings characters could be overreliant on support conversations to flesh them out, which didn't help when Awakenings support quality could be all over the place. Fates cast could be fun, but there isn't much to talk about after the fact, and it didn't help that they used Awakenings flawed support setup with even more characters and less time for writing.

We don't have an exact idea of how Engage approaches its characters yet. I'm hoping that they're more entertaining than annoying, and if they are annoying that they're not in your face all the time.

[Press Ctrl+V]

 

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

ROOK'S CAMPAIGN DAY 1: Infiltrating the Rise

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.

Replies:

Spoiler

On 1/3/2023 at 3:19 PM, eclipse said:

And it's back!  Here's hoping that I get to see

  Hide contents

the purpose of that parasite.  My parasite did nothing but shank my max HP and give me a pet.

We'll see how much it evolves. I've had runs where it barely did anything, while in others it grew at a frightening pace.

I will for sure show off every Parasite card after I complete Rook's story. I love the card descriptions and how the effects change as the effects grow.

 

 

On 1/3/2023 at 3:56 PM, Saint Rubenio said:

  Hide contents

I had no idea they came out in Heroes. I... don't really follow Heroes news lol

The event occurred a day (technically 2, since I finished at midnight) before I posted. I don't pay much attention to Heroes banners, but I still check them out every now and again to see what characters were added. Apparently it's the year of the rabbit.

I will do my utmost not to forget.

Thank you. I am preparing myself ahead of time for the inevitable wave of yoga memes. 

Preach.

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.

Yeah, I can see how it'd suffer such a fate. It could easily be mistaken for a generic nostalgia-bait platformer, like so many others.

It is a real shame that it's been overlooked. Hell, I didn't find out about the game until September 2022.

While I'm at it, may as well share some other artwork the art-director, Simon S. Andersen:

Spoiler

Sources (First time sharing from twitter. I have no idea how the site works, since I never visit the hellhole normally)

https://twitter.com/snakepixel

 

Ahhh, I can see how that one would appeal to you.

They're fun to watch. Despite how I personally don't like jumping on them (and can't because of my back surgery).

Reality can be whatever I want.

Well, Griftlands does hint that there are timeline shenanigans going on...

So they kleim. But do they really?

Well, wordplay at least. "Klei rhymes with play" is their motto. The bandits go on crime sprees, the workers give a call to rise, and you often get money through shilling.

That's not even getting into the character and card descriptions.

She definitely would, if this wasn't a metaphorical, yet ultimately imaginary representation of Rook's gang of friends.

I wonder how well Kalandra would play the TF2 Spy.

Hah... I most certainly do.

For those not in the know:

Spoiler

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.

Yeah, I think we more or less agree here, we just interpreted the terms differently.

I've already mentioned my grips with different interpretations of terms, so I won't repeat myself here.

It's a topic I can talk in more detail about, but I wouldn't consider a screenshot LP the best place for that kind of discussion.

The one that will kill merchants.

I'll prepare myself for that route, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. I haven't even gotten to the big decision in Rook's story yet.

See? If only you'd followed your heart and done what Ruben would've wanted you to do, Rook's stache would still be alive. Let this be a lesson to you - always do as Ruben says.

Hindsight is 20/20.

Bagman

Bagman

... 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.

Frankly, I would expect them to just be Mexican zombies lol.

Well, parasites. Which amounts to enemies being able to use weapons, the parasite appearing occasionally when you blast someones head off, and swearing at you.

People never remember Spain exists.

... Sitting down to think about it, I can't recall any videogames that focus solely on Spain. If they appear in strategy games, they're usually one of several European nations. I know of more games that have conquistadors than those that focus on Spain, and each of those games are over two decades old due to the colonial period falling out of style as a setting.

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.

...Wow, he's a secret genius.

You work with what you're given in Griftlands. Apparently, that applies to NPC's as well.

Kill him if you ever see him again.

Gladly. Priests can the ability to Expend any cards, and the longer they're in the fight, the more morale your allies will lose, so it's best to kill them as soon as possible.

Well, at least you get to showcase it!

I suppose explaining the mechanic sooner than later could be considered a positive.

Ahahahahahahahaha!

At this point you might as well rename the LP to Dellands. Or Griftdells. Whichever you prefer.

Perhaps. I'll seriously consider it if he shows up during Smith's Story.

I never noticed that he seems to be sitting on a log in the middle of his fancy reception.

It seems to be one of the chairs or cushions that appear in the background.

That's a fair point, but I get the feeling that Fellemo was being sardonic just then haha.

I was going to make two points there, but I only remembered the first one.

You really can, yes. Though Rook is definitely the master of faces.

I'm starting to wonder how much competition Smith will offer in providing funny faces.

I think back when negotiations were still on the table, Kalandra said "we refuse to eat shit any longer" to Fellemo and he took it as inspiration.

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.

He really does. Looks like a viking with a monocle, this guy. Impressive!

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

Unspeakable indeed.

  Hide contents

Vectorini still has nightmares about being called a poopyhead.

Well, he is possibly feeding them repurposed shit.

Oho... I hope we'll see that, as I don't believe I saw it myself!

We'll see. I looked through my screenshots before I started the Let's Play, and I can share it there.

...Huh. "Sometimes"?

Perhaps Pengemunt does Admiralty work when he's asked, and does freelance work otherwise? Rook clearly found something to do after being discharged.

They make you pay for it too, hot DAMN 310 shills...

The high price is thanks to playing on Prestige 6, but even without that, it's still one of the most expensive Boons to buy. 

Oh, absolutely. That's horrifying.

It's another point for Griftlands in the art department.

I believe you already told me about this one, right? It did seem pretty nice.

I've shared it over Discord, yes. I still find it hilarious just how many games I've played that had a very grotesque aesthetic while Engage was showing off characters being colorful and cheerful.

Ah, the only appropriate finishing strike to any good negotiation: :V

They can never resist it.

I was hoping that the :V face would make it into the screenshots from time to time. I was not disappointed. 

Way to be an asshat, game.

Nah, it was an ass when it decided to kill me.

Yeah, you really don't want to discuss secrets in front of Del. He's a timeline traveler, he'll take the knowledge to the next life.

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.

Well, if that's not a thinly veiled threat...

Ah, and off comes the veil.

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

High heels are torture devices and it's impossible to understand why they're so popular. Slightly propped up ass really isn't worth their horrors.

I don't really have anything to add. They just look painful, plain and simple.

I concur. It's a great game.

Every character is viable at some point, the more sparks you gain, the more strategies open up, and the gameplay is incredibly tight and polished to a degree that I am impressed it works so well when there's not really many other games I can compare it too. It really is an amazing game.

 

Update:

Spoiler

Last time, I did two missions for the Spark Barons and upgraded my pistols. Now, we’re going to the Last Stand to see how Fellemo wants us to be a double agent.

Time for Fellemo to reveal his big plan.

Kalandra being the leader of the Rise is a well known secret. Not that she seems to care, as any attention on her means less eyes on other members.

Good question

I’m tempted to post the Shrek meme, but considering the conflict has already taken several lives and Fellemo is playing the long game to get rid of the Rise, this is probably Fellemo being realistic.

Won’t prevent those lives from being wasted if he doesn’t win...

And I would love to play a game about Rook’s Admiralty days.

There are less questions to ask Fellemo compared to Kalandra. To be fair, the Spark Barons can show up in the other two stories with varying frequency, while the Rise mainly make an appearance in Rook’s campaign.

It’s the simplest solution, yes. It’s also the one that asks for someone to replace her, and for that person to be even less reasonable.

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

There’s a reason Sal seems nervous about any talk about revolts or workers trying to get more rights:

Spoiler

I looked through the screenshots I had taken before the Let's Play. It doesn't have everything I would like to share, but there are still several details that I'd like to reveal some time in the future.

A reminder that these two are former military spies with decades of experience.

I have no choice but to accept the job.

Kalandra suggested bringing a “gift” to the Spark Barons to show Rook’s “loyalty”. This intel better be good, cause otherwise Fellemo is seriously relying on Rook’s wit and silver tongue for this plan to work.

Which is especially glaring given Fellemo’s lack of a back-up plan if Rook isn’t up to the task.

Fellemo heads off, and Wrux is in the middle of sneezing.

Another random event appears.

The healing supplies simply heals you. It can’t increase your max health. I’ve forgotten that many times.

The quiet clearing, on the other hand…

Instead of meditating, Rook regains resolve by napping.

I can try meditating, though…

I imagine if you meditate for the first time, it wouldn’t be a relaxing experience, but it could be an enlightening one.

80 Mettle is pretty high. May as well show off everything that it does.

Plundak appears in every mettle shop for every character, and if Sal dies, Plundack can occasionally show up to give Sal a card, item, or graft from a previous life.

Plundack is also the only “Dodge Scavenger” in the game, and seems aware of the fourth wall.

I’ve already unlocked all the flourishes. You gain Prestige Points by defeating bosses, and you gain more if you beat them at higher Prestige levels.

It wasn’t the easiest thing to keep track of when I started playing on the Switch. It didn’t help that by the time the mechanic was added to Early Access, I had already beaten most of the bosses on the higher difficulties, meaning I could buy most of the flourishes outright. Still, you’ll gradually gain points as you play, so I wouldn’t worry about it too much.

Can you tell I’ve played this game for hundreds of hours? Some of them before the mechanic was added?

The Full list of what Mettle can do:

I increase my Max Resolve.

Now to ask Plundack some questions.

You gain Mettle over the course of several games, and it carries over whether you survive or die.

There are random arguments that appear that can grant Mettle if you destroy them in time. It can also be granted from killing people in Battle if they have the symbol next to their abilities.

I’d say you’re generally better off keeping your shills instead of spending them on Mettle. Though if you have some money left over after buying the final items of the run from the markets, you may as well invest in Mettle.

I suppose it’s not dissimilar to players seeming to know how to easily deal with an enemy or boss with some experience, even if in-universe they’re considered a huge threat. I don’t even know how NPC’s comprehend speedruns in-universe.

Anyway, I head off to convince the Rise that I’m on their side.

May as well make the easy reference

So that’s Mettle! Overall, a mechanic that I don’t mind being present, though I also wouldn’t miss it if it was removed. It doesn’t really change my overall strategy for anything; It just speeds up the process of upgrading cards or accessing flourishes and the like. It’s probably the bane of completionists for how many runs you have to complete with each character to unlock everything, but to be honest, I don’t recommend 100% completing Griftlands in the first place. You are at the mercy of the RNG if you’re looking to make friends and enemies with every character, equip every graft, and unlock every achievement.

That out of the way, I go to meet a Rise patrol.

Though not before running into a random event.

This situation is a great example of how Griftlands handles randomness. Running into the event itself is left up to chance, but what each choice will do remains consistent.

For instance, if I taste the leaves…

I know I’ll regain resolve!

I don’t bother with the rest, since one heals you, and the other drains resolve and gives you the Rash card.

Now I go and meet a Rise patrol.

Fellemo was right on the money when he said they would be suspicious.

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.

Spoiler

 

The coin lands on Heads, and of course one stronger cards costs 2 actions.

Thus, I play Trickery instead.

Each of these options is tempting, but in the end I go with Carry Over. Call to Rise will constantly increase the costs of cards, and an extra action can go a long way in alleviating the issue, even if it is only for one turn.

Though do keep your deck composition in mind when selecting Carry Over. It won’t do much if you happen to draw some cards that cost 0 action to play.

I decide to go with playing Cordinal Pleasantries then Grumble instead of spending my two actions.

I try to get Snails before playing Grumble.

And succeed

In the end I did 5 damage, which is the same that Tall Pleasantries would have done. At least now I have some Influence.

I take two damage

Predictably, I play Blacklist and use it to destroy Brainwash before it can do anything.

I defend my Influence so it sticks around for at least another turn.

And I finish the turn with Head Shot since it does more damage than Burn.

Since Veerin has composure and Call to Rise affected Rationale, I attempt to steal it.

Okay. In an unforeseen event, apparently Snails attacks first, then Roughneck steals the composure. Meaning I took zero defense. Good to know for the future.

After that slight waste of time, I decide to use Mirrored Grumble to deal 6 damage.

And finish off with Pleasantries before my Influence is destroyed.

This is the last turn, so I use Head Shot to destroy Sympathizer to gain two extra actions.

Which I promptly sped to gain experience on Rationale.

And finish off with Mirrored Grumble.

Head Split: A little too risky for my liking, but by no means a bad card.

Helmet: 3 Composure is nice, but it requires having reliable ways to Prepare cards to be truly effective.

Spotty: Grants a bonus action, then expends. Can’t really plan around it, but an extra action is always welcome.

Even if it’s random, I’ll take the opportunity to gain an extra action.

 

We never learn exactly what intel Fellemo gives us, but he wasn’t joking when he said it would be valuable to the Rise.

We won’t be meeting Kalandra just yet…

Waltzing right into a rebel base and saying you want to join is exactly the kind of audacious thing that causes people to pause and listen to what you have to say before shooting you.

You’re not exactly young yourself, Flekfis

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.

And for good reason. He may be the muscle to Kalandra’s leader, but Flekfis still has a sharp brain in that head.

I can see why Fellemo mentioned there would be casualties. He must be leaving something vulnerable for the Rise to target for them to be this accepting of Rook.

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.

I haven’t engaged in much combat today, so this mission will be a good opportunity to gain some more experience.

You claim you are the bog, but there’s another faction who can truly say that… 

As they say, talk is cheap. Flekfis wants us to prove our loyalty by attacking and possibly killing the Spark Barons.

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.

Rook can nab Rise Equipment, but he has to pay for it first.

While Flekfis looks at the intel, I go to ambush a Baron convoy.

Zooming in, the mission icon is a knife stabbing the Spark Baron symbol.

Though I’m interrupted first.

I run into yet another Rise Pamphleteer.

You mostly get different dialogue depending on your choice. It’s been a while since I’ve picked the other options, though, so I could be misremembering things.

Looks like this one is actually doing their job of selling me pamphlets.

I politely decline.

Refusing will cause her to dislike me, so I tell her to leave me alone.

Spoiler

 

The coin lands on Snails, and Blacklist costs 3 actions.

I use it anyway

I am very glad I’m going to be in combat after this. I don’t feel like heading back to The Last Stand for drinks yet.

Spotty appeared before I could screenshot it. I have 4 actions to use this turn.

I target Brainwash before it can do anything. I use Assertive Grumble first to gain some Dominance.

Now Mirrored Grumble deals 8 damage instead of 6.

I upgrade Rationale while defending.

And I use Roughneck to gamble

Which blocks all incoming damage.

This round will be nothing but dealing damage.

That was thankfully quick

I’ll take the guaranteed Composure, thank you very much.

Dig: 3 Damage is respectable, especially for a card that can be played for free.

Clear Head: A solid Prepare card, and Rigging Heads can come in handy in some situations.

Agency: A straightforward attack card.

Dig was tempting, but Agency has the potential to deal more damage overall.

 

That was mean, but I don’t know anyone that actively enjoys being handed pamphlets.

I arrive without further interruptions. 

Looks like they brought a Cobblebot along. Smart choice.

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

What happened to them?

In combat, yes. Outside of that, maybe.

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

Talking will predictably be an option, but the combat odds will likely be in our favor.

Was Torque made with the remains of a Mortal Kombat arcade cabinet?

I could intimidate Waandra…

Or attack with superior firepower.

Spoiler

 

Spending a charge will give me 5 defense, so I’ll focus on offense this round.

I deal a total of 14 damage this turn.

Meanwhile, my allies defend.

Static Shock is annoying, though fortunately my current hand means I won’t be missing much no matter which card is discarded.

In hindsight, I could have upgraded the other Kick. Oh well.

Since I’m not being attacked, I may as well gain Charge.

There’s only one enemy, TORQUE. You don’t need to waste a turn specifically targeting them.

At least Malo attacked.

Now Waandra gained power.

Since she’s targeting the cobblebot, I add enough charge to gain 2 Overcharged.

Hair Trigger may have been discarded, but I still have two Blast cards.

I miss the animation here, but the cobblebot’s torso spins around before slamming their opponent.

I’ll let the Rise decide what to do with her.

I go with Charged Blast, as I usually lean towards spending charge over remaining Fully Charged.

Pulse: Ricochet is useful in group fights and useless against individual opponents. It’s nice to have, but I never go out of my way to nab such cards.

Bolster Shot: Since Rook has Kick cards by default, Bolster Shot has more opportunities to deal bonus damage compared to the other grifters. I don’t recall ever using this one, though.
Gallery: Its efficiency depends on how often you remain Fully Charged, but it’s always nice to have on hand.

Its usefulness may vary, but it’s nice to have Gallery on hand.

 

The Rise doesn’t deal in prisoners, apparently.

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

I gained a friend and an enemy.

Faulty Armor will be annoying to deal with, though I can work around it. It will be more problematic in quick fights compared to longer encounters.

I return to the Rise base to show that I’ve bloodied my hands for their cause.

Of course I go with the Graft that increases my max resolve.

This is Kalandra’s main outfit. Also a reminder that she has my favorite theme in the game.

I killed a single Spark Baron. Though I suppose I also prevented a food fight through diplomacy and got rid of some feral AutoDogs after they tore up some workers.

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.

 

[Story, characters or Gameplay]

Gameplay: It looks like it's going to be the best aspect of Engage. All the new additions look incredibly interesting, and I get the impression from previews that the game is tightly designed around these new mechanics. We'll have to see whether or not it's the best Fire Emblem game in this regard, but it's shaping up to be one of the stronger titles in regards to pure gameplay.

Story: I'm expecting some sort of twist. How much it will turn the game on it's head remains to be seen. Otherwise, it seems incredibly straightforward, which is a little disappointing. Hopefully it's the kind of game that knows you're here for the gameplay and doesn't waste time getting to the action. While I had fun with Three Houses, I thought that several of the story sections and supports could overstay their welcome, so I hope Engage has better pacing in this regard.

Characters: I expect them to be entertaining. But I had fun with the cast of Fates despite them being one of my least favorites in the franchise, so that's not saying much. I am concerned about how "tropey" they appear to be. Or perhaps I should say, I'm concerned about how they're introduced and handled. I love Awakenings cast, but I thought that many of them gave questionable first impressions, and you often have to dig through someone's supports to get a more well-rounded view of their character. The fact that people still think Kellam's gimmick is forgotten by his peers or that Ricken's complains about being treated like a child all the time despite their supports saying otherwise is pretty telling. I'm not expecting Engage's cast to be my favorite based on first impressions, but I they seem like they'll still be a ton of fun.

[2023 gaming resolutions thread]

On 1/5/2023 at 11:41 AM, 3PercentCrit said:

Start playing the Metal Gear series: I got Metal Gear Rising: Revengance and I realized that I know absolutely nothing about the actual Metal Gear series, and I love stealth games so I'm not sure why I never tried Metal Gear.

If you're looking into getting into the series as a whole, start with Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. It has the best balance between gameplay and story of all the Metal Gear Solid games. The plot is self-contained while also being the earliest in the timeline, so you don't need to have knowledge of any other games to understand what's going on. The gameplay is strong (with some annoyances, such the medical system) and it does a great job offering new environments and situations to sneak around in, with an impressive attention to detail. It's a good place to determine whether you're going to enjoy the rest of the series.

Metal Gear Solid 1 is also a fine starting point, even if does show its age as an early 3D stealth title. The game is 10 bucks on GOG, and I assume a similar price on PlayStations digital stores. You can start with Metal Gear Solid V if you're just interested in the gameplay, though in terms of plot it affected the series mythos the least.

[Your Opinion of the Above Posted Video]

When will "Legacy of Kain: The Musical" come out? Doesn't the series already have several theater actors involved?

 

[2023 gaming resolutions thread]

• Play Through The Homeworld Series: I learned about the games through Mandaloregamings excellent videos on the series, and I am curious on playing the game both for the 3D space combat and the stories (At least of 1 and especially Cataclysm). I'm currently playing through Deserts of Kharak, and am having fun. I suck at real time strategy games, but I'd like to sit down and learn how to get good at them, and it seems like the series will be an engaging starting point.
• Beat System Shock 1 and 2: I own both games, and tried the first game back in September. I had fun, but the controls of the first game, while surprisingly intuitive, don't transfer over that well between other games, and I was juggling too many at that point. Similar to Homeworld, I'd like to sit down and focus solely on completing these games.
• Buy and Play Through The Legacy of Kain Series: I keep forgetting to buy the games when they're on sale on GOG, and the more I see of the franchise, the more interested I am in trying it out.
• Try Team Fortress 2: I've had my eye on the game for years now. May as well take the plunge and try it out sometime this year.
• Earn All The Achievements In Warhammer 40K: Mechanicus: I rarely 100% complete games. If I think the process will be enjoyable I'll go for it, but if I find that a side quest or an achievement or whatever is more frustrating than fun, then I'm okay finishing a game without seeing every single thing. Warhammer 40k: Mechanicus was one of my favorite strategy games that I played in 2022, and every single achievement I see being obtainable.
• Beat XCOM: Enemy Within and XCOM 2 on the Harder Difficulties and Try Out Some Mods: The XCOM series quickly became my favorite tactical strategy franchise, and I'd love to beat the games on the harder difficulties. I've completed the XCOM: EW on Hard already, and I'd like to do so while Ironmanning the game. For XCOM 2, I'd also like to try out some of the more in-depth mods, as the game literally has thousands of mods to choose from.
• Play The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Fire Emblem Engage: I don't know if I'll pick these games up day 1 or wait for reviews and feedback first, but I'd at least like to try them sometime this year.

[Press Ctrl+V]

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

ROOK'S CAMPAIGN DAY 1: The Spark Barons Perspective

Happy New Year!

Update:

Spoiler

I’ll swallow my pride and play on Prestige 6. It’s more or less the same as Prestige 7, except Mettle is a factor, which I’ll explain in detail later. We’ll see how much of a difference it’ll make.

I swap out Resolute with Perseverance. Rook already starts out with the highest resolve of the three grifters, so I’m okay sacrificing some Resolve for the ability to survive one death. I don’t want a repeat of what happened last time.

I love this intro, so we’re seeing it again. Here’s the music.

For the first two days, I’ll try to skim through dialogue we’ve seen before without outright skipping it.

Yada yada first negotiation

Spoiler

 

You may have noticed that my starting cards already have some experience. There is also a new symbol next to my Shills in the upper left hand corner. This is Mettle, and while we’ll see its full effects later, for now just know it grants bonuses over the course of several games.

I just attack this round. This negotiation is straightforward, and I want to get through Day 1 in far fewer updates, so don’t be surprised if I don’t go into as much detail as usual.

I take 3 damage

And Dillawno steals two cards.

I take the opportunity to deal with All Business sooner than later.

I defend

Then see if I can land on Heads so Pleasantries does full damage.

It does

I block the damage and screenshot the text box before it’s filled out.

The Spark Barons steal more things

I play Trickery to gain experience since I can win the round this turn.

Similarly, I gain experience on Call It.

More experience

I use my final action to win this negotiation.

You gain 1 Mettle after every Negotiation or Fight. There are opportunities to gain more, but they show up randomly.

I also have the ability to regain health after negotiating. This is the work of Mettle again.

I was so impatient to get through this negotiation that I didn’t even bother seeing what the other options were. Needless to say, Rook will be cursing a lot more this time around.

 

I don’t bother asking questions and get immediately to business.

That’s twice now I screenshot the dialogue box before the text finished appearing. I go at a slower pace later.

Since we met Kalandra last time and learned about the Rise, I may as well use the opportunity to see what Fellemo has to say if you visit him first.

Blacklist doesn’t do much damage at the start, and the 2 action cost can be steep, but it eventually grows into one of the strongest negotiation cards in the game. I would say Shovel is the more versatile and useful card out of the two, but it’s a tight race and Blacklist is still a worthwhile choice.

I don’t recall any moments where I passed up on the opportunity to pick the Rugged Compression Gear. I’ve mentioned several times in the past that anything that increases your max health and resolve is worth going for.

See? Even the NPC’s know it’s a good pick.

Anyway, I ask about Fellemo, since we get new dialogue.

Oh, we’ll work for Kalandra all right…

Time to see the Spark Baron’s side of the story.

That kinda defeats the purpose, Lopli, but it shows that the Spark Barons are interested in innovation, no matter how silly.

Arnit’s not aggressive, but she’s still direct. And her theme still plays here.

I run into Del again? There’s more than one foreman in the game, Griftlands!

It’s the slimeball himself: Fellemo.

His all-to-fitting theme

One of the handful of times Docktown is mentioned in the entire game.

I don’t really know how insistent real military folks are about ranks outside of the military. Though in this case, Rook is doing professional work with a former colleague, so maybe the context is different.

Fellemo, meanwhile, doesn’t really care.

I ask questions to see what’s different with the Spark Barons.

I may have mentioned it before, but I really like the “frequently (but not currently) opposed” description of Rentoria. It gives the setting a sense of history, and is a dynamic I haven’t seen explored much in fiction.

Fellemo’s superiors have the right idea

Though I suppose hiring a spy is easier than training one.

Fraxl was mad enough about it to become the Day 1 Boss.

On murderous runs, I tend to send around 30 to 40 people to their graves. During the campaign, anyway. In Brawl that number is pretty standard.

That’s cold, but pragmatic.

It’s an interesting contrast to how Kalandra doesn’t care how many Spark Barons you kill, as she considers it “the scales balancing themselves” for every dead worker.

You can respect a virtue without having it yourself.

That’s not exactly related to what Fellemo said. I just wanted to point that out.

And the Spark Barons, but you can always hire more.

Rook is still going strong on providing funny faces. Rest assured that Fellemo will follow suit. It’s the easiest way to tell they were in the same squad.

Food Fight provides more shills instead of an item I probably won’t use.

…Do I want to know what “biomass extraction byproduct” refers to in this context?

Field rations are meant to keep you alive. Eating them daily when you’re doing menial work is not a good way to produce a happy workforce.

I miss the mission description.

Imiko has an amazing beard. I’m probably going to rank the beards in this game at some point.

Onto stop a food fight!

I can talk to both groups before making a decision on how to handle this situation.

Now I’ll talk to Vectorini.

If I convince both sides to compromise, I can handle the situation without violence or threats.

I talk with Yibbit first, as negotiating with laborers tends to be more difficult compared to debating with Spark Barons.

Spoiler

 

Since the coin started on Heads, I deal full damage with Pleasantries.

Next, I defend to block all damage this turn.

I play Call It in hopes of landing on Snails

It landed on Heads

Oh well. Damage is still damage.

Of course I draw 3 Diplomacy cards while Suspicion is active.

Blacklist didn’t do much, but the earlier I Take Names, the better.

Next, I Gamble to see if the coin will land on Snails

It does!

I damage though don’t destroy Suspicion

I take 4 damage

Since the only card that can deal damage is Foul Mouth, which discards a card, I defend first.

Next, I play Call It to see if I need to bother with a second Rationale card.

Not only did it land on Snails, it got rid of Yibbit’s Suspicion!

I defend again

And finish the turn by saying something mean to Yibbit

This turn can end very quickly if I get lucky with the RNG

Moment of truth…

Yep, the negotiation is ending this turn.

Dogged: Can combo nicely if you have several cards that benefit from being prepared. The 2 action cost can be a bit high, though.

Decency: An okay deal. Obviously, it’s more appealing if you have cards that benefit from Influence and/or drawing several cards on the same turn.

Roughneck: I used this last time mostly to gamble rather than steal composure.

We’ll see how I use Roughneck this time around.

 

I can still beat up Yibbit. I suppose it’s a last resort in case I fail to convince Vectorini to compromise.

I just convinced Yibbit to be reasonable.

Hopefully, you’ll do the same.

Spoiler

 

The coin starts off on Snails, dealing 1 damage.

Since Blacklist is in my starting hand, I may as well take Vectorini’s name.

Funny face, notepad, and we see the trick for how Havarians hold pencils.

Oh, and Blacklist will deal more damage in the future.

Since Blacklist took 2 actions, I finish the turn by defending.

I take 1 damage and lose 2 manipulation cards.

Once again I grumble about Spark Barons being All Business.

I gamble

Twice

Now Pleasantries will deal full damage.

Instead of freeing Rationale, I target Vectorini’s core argument. I can always drink after this mission is done, anyway.

Another Rationale card is stolen, along with Roughneck.

I decide I need a Rationale card this turn, and destroy an Appropriated Argument to get one.

I use the card immediately.

I gamble to see what to do next.

It lands on Snails, so I use Grumble.

It dealt 3 damage.

I gamble again, and it lands on Snails again.

I gain more vulnerability, take 3 damage, and lose Rationale and Pleasantries.

I upgrade another Grumble card

I gain some last second experience on Call It

And curse at Vectorini. Because nothing causes people to compromise like using swear words.

That Dominance can combo nicely, and it’s better than destroying a card.

Mirrored Grumble will always deal more damage than Strained Grumble anyway.

Trade: As the card title suggests, it’s a trade. Not a bad deal, but I personally don’t bother with Influence or Dominance that much with Rook.

Gab: There are enough cards that give you the ability to Prepare that it’s nice to have this one on standby.

Right now it will only do something with specific Trickery cards, but there are enough ways to prepare that it’s worth having on hand.

 

Diplomacy! It works!

There wasn’t a Food Fight, but Fellemo should be happy that his workers will (hopefully) be more efficient for a while.

Wild Pack of Baron Dogs pays better and has more encounters to gain experience on cards.

A very interesting laborer that can actually be revealed on Day 3, depending on which approach you take.

Similar situation with robots becoming more commonplace in industrial work. They speed up the process and still require human oversight in case something still goes wrong.

Hell, if the machining classes I’ve been to mean anything, we need more people in the industry. Most of the experienced workers are starting to get old and retire.

How would a robot dog go feral?

I mean, seeing an Aibo dog rise up against its masters could make for a funny movie, but we’ve already seen the Spark Baron’s AutoDogs, so it wouldn’t be as hilarious.

…Remember Aibo? The stupidly expensive robot toy dog that was neat but you were probably better off getting a real dog.

Also, I only know about Adventures in Tech because Luke Westaway went on to be a member of Outside Xbox/Xtra. Also the dude writes songs! (And it is a really weird experience hearing him swear) 

For reasons that will be pretty obvious once we see them.

That’s one way of looking at it…

Dog attacks can already be nasty. The damage a pack of metallic robot dogs could do is not something I want to imagine.

Since this mission can have negotiations, I’ll want to regain some Resolve first at The Last Stand.

This time I see what happens if I warn Pengemunt to mind his own business.

I keep forgetting that Rook isn’t as harsh as I expect when warning the coin collector to mind his own business.

Anyway, I trade coins sooner than later.

Once again, I go with the Marsh Coin. I don’t really get experimental with Rook’s coins.

I meet the other patrons of the bar before talking to Hebbel.

It legitimately takes less muscles to smile than to frown, so Voh is legitimately ripping people off by charging extra.

Wrux showed up in the previous run, and I still don’t know where he works.

Nodoloolis took a few attempts to pronounce. Though I suppose Atlantis isn’t exactly a common word outside the context of sunken cities.

Time to meet Hebbel again.

Instead of asking Hebbel a bunch of questions, I just thank him and get a graft and a drink.

All these Grafts are good, but I go with Perpetual Charger. It’s essentially free power, and makes loads of Overcharge cards far more viable.

May as well gain an early friend with my first drink.

Huh, I forgot about the Spark Baron Professional Boon. Seems pretty damn good. Too bad Professionals don’t appear too often, so there aren’t as many chances to make friends with them compared to other characters.

Anyway, I go to a corner of the map to find some feral AutoDogs.

While I could probably deal with the Autodogs by myself, it would be nice to have an ally. Especially since it’s likely to be a group fight.

Spoiler

 

Huh? Rationale suddenly costs two actions?

Blame Call to Rise, which forces a random card to cost 1 extra action each turn.

It really depends on the negotiation for how frustrating this ability is. Sometimes it’s a small annoyance, while other times it causes negotiations to drag. I don’t dread debating with the Rise, but I never look forward to it, either.

May as well spend those two actions defending. I don’t know what Call It will land on, so I don’t want to jump to relying on Pleasantries for damage just yet.

The coin lands on Heads! I won’t be taking damage this turn, and Pleasantries will deal max damage.

Brainwash adds Propaganda cards every turn it is active. While these can start out being surprisingly helpful, as they Prepare a card for free, they eventually start increasing in cost and clog up your deck. Oh, and destroying the argument while you still have Propaganda cards in your hand restores your opponents resolve. Lovely.

Surprisingly, I get rid of it as soon as I can.

That’s twice in a row I’ve used a card that costs two actions. I finish the turn by defending.

While I could have used Roughneck, I didn’t want to risk Pleasantries dealing less than max damage.

The coin landed on Heads anyway

The dominance won’t do anything, but I was using it for the damage anyway.

Sympathizer is situational, but you can do a lot with 2 extra actions if you get lucky with your hand. It’s also one of the few mechanics that is affected by the number of friends you have.

I spend two actions to gain them back.

Since I have no other attack cards, I defend and get rid of Slurred Speech.

Annoyingly, the extra action cost remains if you don’t play the card.

Since I’m reliant on Call It for defense this round, I select Gruff to reduce the amount of damage I’ll take.

I’ll take the defense, though I wouldn’t have minded Mirrored Grumble dealing 6 damage instead of 4.

That said, I can live with dealing 4 damage

I defend, the coin lands on Heads, and I block all damage this round

I play Roughneck partially to gamble, and partially to steal composure.

It’s removed instead of stolen, but I’ll take the extra defense.

I destroy Sympathizer to gain 2 extra actions.

Trickery will be more useful than gambling this time.

I unsurprisingly pick Aloof for the 3 Composure.

And finish the turn by dealing full damage with Foul Mouth.

I can also use Rook’s Negotiation Flourish now, though I’ll save it for next time.

Two attacks later, and the negotiation is over.

I’ve already said in the past that some cards and arguments activate by gambling, so I won’t repeat my points here.

Useful as preparing cards can be, I’ll take a semi-reliable way to deal 5 damage.

And Influence means I don’t have to rely on Heads to deal max damage!

Head Shot was the only new card of the three. It implies Rook sometimes hits people in the head with his coin.

3 Damage is respectable, but I’m mostly picking it for its ability to activate if you gamble Heads twice, regardless of it is in your hand or not.

 

Yeah, if the look didn’t give it away, the Bog doesn’t just affect organics…

Feral AutoDogs are the weakest enemy in the game. Obviously, what they lack in quality they make up for in quantity.

Spoiler

 

Feral AutoDogs only have 10 health, so they’re pretty easy to take down.

Okay, so it was 1 damage off, but the point remains.

To be on the safe side, I defend.

Jeez! That’s not a pleasant sight!

Seeing a freaky meld of mechanical, organic, and… swamp… is an aesthetic I haven’t really seen before. A shame, because I can see it making for an amazing art direction for a horror game/movie. The closest that comes to mind is Darkwood, which makes trees and plants horrifying.

I heavily recommend Darkwood, by the way. Especially if you’re interested in a horror game that relies on unsettling visuals, atmosphere, and excellent lighting rather than cheap jumpscares.

The first Feral AutoDog didn’t get through my defenses.

The second one did.

Cleme is also attacked twice.

Turn two, and I destroy an AutoDog

Another just takes its place, so I defend.

I finish the turn by seeing what I can use from Ammo Pouch.

I go with Tracer Rounds, as Burn will deal damage over time.

Cleme uses a can opener, which deals damage and adds Defect to the target.

I don’t know why a can opener would do this, though perhaps it’s referring to a different kind of tool. As a kid, it took me a while to realize that an ICE Pick could refer to hacking instead of the tool.

All the Feral AutoDogs take damage from burn.

The AutoDogs bite a lot. It’s more or less their only attack.

A Grout Knuckle appears. Annoyingly, the Feral AutoDogs aren’t stupid enough to target it.

Anyway, I Blast an AutoDog

And destroy it.

I target a second one that will be attacked this turn.

Since the AutoDog that is targeting me will be destroyed this turn, I get rid of Tipsy while I have the chance.

Cleme destroys another Feral AutoDog.

As does the Knuckle

The dogs jump around whenever a reinforcement comes in. Not the easiest thing to show using screenshots.

I Blast another AutoDog that will be destroyed this turn.

I destroy another one with Kick.

I Kick another Feral AutoDog.

And hopefully deal enough damage with Blast to destroy the last one.

Yep, fight’s over.

Another Mettle benefit is regaining Resolve after battle.

Posture: The defense is good, and Concentration increases the minimum damage of your attacks, which is always handy.

Striker: A good attack card to start off with, as you can potentially have more Overcharge to use the rest of the turn.

Fistful: I haven’t personally used this card, as I don’t really get much from drawing more cards. That said, if you’re lucky you can go from empty to fully charged with Fistful.

I’d like to cover my defensive options early, and Concentration will help with offense.

 

I could fail the mission and give up all the cores

Negotiate to give up half

Or attack her to gain all of them.

I decide to negotiate. I don’t feel like killing a member of the Rise this early on.

Spoiler

 

I start off executing the Coin Juggler flourish. Again. Don’t be surprised if I don’t use any other negotiation flourish for Rook.

I haven’t been keeping track of what Coin Juggler has been landing on, but it activated Head Shot.

I end the turn by playing Call It, technically gambling twice.

First turn, and Cleme lost 15 Resolve. That’s how powerful Coin Juggler can be when combined with a solid hand.

I don’t even take any damage.

I already took Cleme’s name, but 5 damage is 5 damage.

I play Trickery to give it some experience

And Coin Juggler activates Head Shot again, ending the Negotiation in two turns.

Jargon is the only new one. The ability itself is okay, though it relies on having reliable ways to prepare cards to use efficiently, and even then how much use you’ll get out of 1 composure for every card you play can be situational.

I grab Dogged in case I nab more reliable ways to Prepare cards in the future.

 

“Unearned”

I head back to Fellemo with half the cores.

I have to convince Fellemo in an easy negotiation that half the cores were lost.

Spoiler

 

The coin lands on Snails, which is good considering how quickly I’d like to deal damage this negotiation.

Turn 1 down. I should finish on Turn 2.

I forget to screenshot the other card that was stolen.

Every card I play this turn was simply to gain experience.

That was thankfully quick.

Same reasoning as last time.

Reckless Insults: This can potentially deal a ton of damage if you’ve been running a deck focused on dominance. I find that difficult to do with Rook, so I’ve never bothered.

Rant: I’d rather deal damage with that 1 action, thanks.

Burn: A simple but efficient card. It can be especially damaging against opponents that focus on using arguments for one reason or another.

It’s not the most damaging card Rook has, but being able to attack several arguments at once is hard to pass up on.

 

Some well placed kicks had a similar result.

Yes, all 5 that he has left.

Didn’t notice the mission reward was extra Mettle.

Eh, I don’t know how well they’d handle the missions you just gave me…

Man, I want to show him firing a gun so badly, except it would be too much of a spoiler.

Let’s just say Fellemo’s technique can be… Interesting.

I know this is a long update, but so will the next one. May as well get the optional event out of the way. I could make a friend with a Jake again

Or I could upgrade my guns

I really love this event and am disappointed it’s unavailable for Brawl.

I really like Frizz’s hair style and overall design.

Hawking rambles about this sentence for several paragraphs. Includes picture examples:

Spoiler

 

…Is it odd that that’s probably a bog standard hairstyle, yet I find it interesting when it’s on an alien dog? Like, if I passed by someone on the street or in a store, I wouldn’t think twice about it , yet here I think it’s neat?

Maybe it’s because “how do furry aliens do their hair?” is such a mundane question that most sci-fi settings gloss over, yet Klei went out of their way to make each character look distinct, now matter their species?

Maybe that’s also why I like Panne’s character design (even if I wish she had better armor):

Like, braiding her hair with her ears is such a mundane detail, but something I imagine rabbit people would do.

Don’t even get me started on my indifference towards dresses, yet I think the robes of Mechanicus look cool because they’re worn by cyborgs:

I now stand by robot spider leg supremacy. +3 Movement and +3 Health is difficult to pass up.

The only exception is high heels. No matter how mundane or fantastical the design is, they always struck me as painful, and I have no idea how they’ve remained in fashion for so long. Seriously, they look like they’re a pain to walk around in and I have no idea how they hell they’re supposed to look “stylish”. I know I would vow to kill the inventor if I was forced to wear them.

 

Anyway, I ask about the Admiralty.

Why the hell would you pick your vacation spot in a swamp?! When there are rising tensions between the Spark Barons and the workers?!?

Can’t criticize Frizz’s work ethic, I suppose.

I have no idea how authentic Rook’s Pistol description is. It doesn’t help that gun names in real life are dependent on the manufacturer.

I decide to Increase the charge chambers. The graft grants overcharge every turn anyway, and the extra defense is always nice.

That said, I can see the appeal of decreasing charge chambers:

Source: https://forums.kleientertainment.com/forums/topic/108989-shilling-memesclickbaity-but-will-get-your-attention/page/4/#comments

It requires getting incredibly lucky with the missions and events to earn enough shills to add two charge chambers. Especially on Prestige 6 and above when everything is more expensive.

I just add one.

It’s small and won’t always appear, but I enjoy their interaction. Rook’s story is pretty good about giving Rook a sense of history with characters that only appear once.

***

And with that, I got through half of day 1. Hopefully I'll get to Day 2 and 3 sooner than later.