So I was pondering Sengoku Rance for my next Let's Play

[Balcerzak]

So... posting here because I'm just trawling for random thoughts. I may completely ignore any and all suggestions, I expect the thread to get cluttered up, and I'd rather keep the main thread clean(er) and neat(er) if/when I actual make it.

I'll answer a few brief questions about the game, and illustrate a few of the mechanics here via screenshots, because that way you'll understand what you're voting for.

Okay, to begin with, Sengoku Rance has impressively addictive gameplay, at least in my opinion. It's a hybrid Visual Novel/Strategy Game, and combines vaguely Romance of the Three Kingdoms-like empire and generals management with a turn based combat system where your generals command their armies (also a dungeon mode where the generals fight on their own skills), alongside very detailed storyline and strong character interactions.

[spoiler=Sample VN screens]

[spoiler=Sample combats]

Dungeon Combat

[spoiler=Sample world map]

[spoiler=Sample troop management]

[spoiler=Sample General Status]

...That said, it's also a hentai game, and features its fair share of sexual material which is obviously unfit for public consumption. (This is where question 3 comes in for you guys, I desire input on just how much censorship I should lay down.)

As far as Routes go, while for quite awhile the game follows pretty much a standard path, and one of them is the canon route, assuming you're playing on a file that has completed the game at least once, you can enter into alternate "What if?" routes, which branch off of the main storyline and focus on some of the other characters. A brief discussion of them follows below.

The True History route: This is the canon path, and deals mainly with Oda Nobunaga and his younger sister Kouhime. It chronicles the uprising of the Demon Xavier, as brought about by the accidental breaking of the gourds that kept the seal on him while Rance tries to unify the warring states. Also of note are the recurring encounters with the so-called Demon King, Miki, and her travelling companion Kentarou.

Uesugi Kenshin's route: This spin-off route focuses on the "Goddess of War", and involves an entirely different focus than most of the other routes (which involve fending off the Demon Army in one fashion or other). In this one, you accidentally trigger the Emperor Race, and have to try to get Kenshin to win it.

Yamamoto Isoroku's route: This spin-off route happens if... you let a tragedy occur in the plot of the main route. Following [spoiler] the focus is still on defeating the demons, but there's also the secondary mission of helping Isoroku to rebuild her house that had been destroyed.

Nanjou Ran's route: This route diverges quite early, and for reasons that will become obvious if I play any of the other routes. It's centered mainly around the Houjou house, and related affairs. However! This route also lacks much of a demon presence, and so the Shimazu house steps up to provide some antagonism, as they try to steal Rance's women out from under him.

As far as bonuses and such go...

[spoiler=New Game Prep Screen]

House bonuses are basically a collection of characters all tied to an opposing nation.

[spoiler=House Bonus Selection Screen]

For instance, if I were to grab the Takeda bonus, I would start the game with the four Takeda generals already hired and part of my army, but this will also result in the Takeda faction of the map beginning the game at war with me.

Single character bonuses are basically self explanatory.

[spoiler=Character Bonus Selection Screen]

Similarly the concept behind Item Bonus is also simple. Though, I should mention that Items are basically things that you give to your generals to either improve their stats, their skills, or various other things.

Miscellaneous bonuses is sort of the catch-all category.

[spoiler=Misc bonuses]

Gold is gold, Action fans govern how many actions you can perform each turn (this includes attacking provinces, visiting your commanders to increase affection, triggering plot events, etc.), Operation permits allow your Generals to take matters into their own hands and lead assaults (provided they have large quantities of troops and you don't tell them to do anything else), National Power governs the amount and quality of generals you can have hired.

Meh, I probably haven't given anywhere near enough information to let you guys make informed decisions, but it's hard to realize just what all needs explaining and what doesn't after you've logged countless hours on a game. I'll open the floor for voting and questions, though I'm probably heading to sleep soon for the night, and will likely have to field the replies tomorrow morning.

[Nightmare]

...That said, it's also a hentai game, and features its fair share of sexual material which is obviously unfit for public consumption. (This is where question 3 comes in for you guys, I desire input on just how much censorship I should lay down.)

DON'T SKIP THE HENTAI!!!!

[lolDeath]

I vote for what sounds like the most of a pain in the ass.

[Aleph]

Just put the hentai into separate clips and let us not flag them!

[Balcerzak]

I'm... not sure if a 5 star no bonus run is plausible without either progress slowing to a crawl, massive save-scumming or both.

I'll give a test drive and see how it works. If not, I have a couple of ideas on how to accommodate.