Which lord would you follow into battle?

[Refa]

None because I like living.

[onvars]

Negotiating is different from politics, I thought? Politics is government and negotiating is just that, talking it out.

I guess I am getting my concepts a bit confused there. Still, I feel like Roy is probably one of the stronger negotiators, while Ike (especially RD Ike) is more of a fight first, ask questions later kind of guy.

Edit:

I take it all back Refa's answer is obviously the best.

Edited September 27, 2016 by onvars

[Anacybele]

I guess I am getting my concepts a bit confused there. Still, I feel like Roy is probably one of the stronger negotiators, while Ike (especially RD Ike) is more of a fight first, ask questions later kind of guy.

Except in RD, you can have Ike try to talk Micaiah out of fighting (but he fails because Micaiah refuses to listen), so he's not really like that there at least. And maybe Ike didn't negotiate much in PoR at first, but he learns better skills over time. Mordecai did teach him how words can prevent a fight, after all.

Roy might be some kind of "prodigy" but that doesn't mean Ike and other lords didn't learn to be just as good as he is at leading. That's all I'm trying to say.

I feel Roy is an unrealistic character because he's a kid that's just so super smart and good at all these high ranking positions for some reason. No kid his age in real life can be like that.

Edited September 27, 2016 by Anacybele

[Augestein]

Roy. Competent, even tempered, and pretty slick when it comes to tactics. That's what I need in a leader. Even if he sucks in combat, the fact that he always fights is bonus points for me too.

[Refa]

I don't think Roy is portrayed as being super smart and amazing at his position. He's just practical, makes logical decisions, and doesn't do fucking idiotic things like every other lord (not sure if it's literally every one but in general) tends to do.

[Anacybele]

I don't think Roy is portrayed as being super smart and amazing at his position. He's just practical, makes logical decisions, and doesn't do fucking idiotic things like every other lord (not sure if it's literally every one but in general) tends to do.

Roy never makes mistakes at all? Wow, this just makes him even more unrealistic and Stuish to me. How does he become the fine leader that he apparently is? Mistakes and learning from them are part of being a good leader and growing into a good leader. How do I know Roy would own up to a mistake and learn from it? I don't know, especially because again, he's a kid. And kids may be too immature to take responsibility for their mistakes.

This is why I prefer people like Ike and Ephraim, they do make some mistakes and learn from them and become great leaders after.

Edited September 27, 2016 by Anacybele

[Fire Emblem Fan]

No kid his age in real life can be like that.

False. Very, very false. I've known SEVERAL people YOUNGER than Roy who are like that. One guy I know could write out the first 200+ digits of pi at age 13.

[Refa]

Roy never makes mistakes at all? Wow, this just makes him even more unrealistic and Stuish to me. How does he become the fine leader that he apparently is? Mistakes and learning from them are part of being a good leader and growing into a good leader. How do I know Roy would own up to a mistake and learn from it? I don't know, especially because again, he's a kid. And kids may be too immature to take responsibility for their mistakes.

I like how you interpreted what I said as Roy never making mistakes (next level logical leaps). Roy also doesn't start out as a fine leader, he gets a lot of help from the people around him and that's how he becomes a decent leader by the end of the game.

[MCProductions]

Roy DOES make mistakes tho, hell, Hector and Cecilia can easily attest to that.

The game does go into detail about how Roy learned this shit, learning it from Cecilia alongside swordplay somehow

[Anacybele]

Sorry for the misinterpretation, it just looked to me like you were saying Roy didn't mess up. But again, other lords go through the same, help from people around them to become better leaders later. I guess I just won't ever see what makes Roy so special and won't think he deserves the votes he's getting. Guys like Ike, Marth, and Ephraim all deserve more than him, imo.

False. Very, very false. I've known SEVERAL people YOUNGER than Roy who are like that. One guy I know could write out the first 200+ digits of pi at age 13.

Kids who would be able to lead armies and win wars? I doubt it. So no, not false.

Edited September 27, 2016 by Anacybele

[Magical Glace]

How is Roy competent? He's a terrible unit and doesn't promote until way late. Or are you talking about some other kind of competence? Either way, I'm surprised at how many votes he's getting. He's just a kid. And realistically, I thought nobody here would follow children.

If a fifteen year old repeatedly showed that he does indeed have the mindset needed to gain respect, I'd follow them.

Roy repeatedly made smart political decisions, despite being fifteen. While not being strong himself as far as battling goes, the game makes a point of the fact he's an intelligent leader. It's also worth noting he does deal with the mental implications of a fifteen year old in the position he's in (his supports with Shanna and Sue, maybe Lilina, idr), but also has the understanding that his position (which was forced on him by some unfortunate circumstances) requires he keep his composure for the sake of others.

And if I recall correctly, I'm pretty sure he was studying politics before the game.

His support with Allen also helps illustrate how his tactics on the battlefield are (it's basically what most FE players try to accomplish), showing he does put concern for his troops, the only other lord I can think of who gets anything specific about this is Robin, in their supports with Virion iirc.

This is a thread about leadership capabilities, not gameplay, so that's how Roy is winning by a few votes right now.

Edited September 27, 2016 by Glaceon Mage

[Captain Karnage]

Roy,

because after seeing binding blade I don't think any other lord has been through the levels of BS he's seen

[Fire Emblem Fan]

Kids who would be able to lead armies and win wars? I doubt it. So no, not false.

Yes, false. Please, go pick up a history book.

[Anacybele]

I'm sure other lords (sans Ike for obvious reasons) studied politics before the game too. They have to, as they're nobles and royals. So again, I'm not seeing what makes Roy different here and what makes people think other lords can't do what he does.

[fengaridotdll]

Roy might be dead weight in battle (outside of the final boss who's already easy enough) and kind of bland but he has a better grasp of what he's doing than the other Lords in the series

[MCProductions]

I'm sure other lords (sans Ike for obvious reasons) studied politics before the game too. They have to, as they're nobles and royals. So again, I'm not seeing what makes Roy different here and what makes people think other lords can't do what he does.

The difference is Roy actually has talent in the field, Marth got a free pass from everyone thanks to him himself being goshdarn essential for winning the war, Sigurd does so bad at politics that he got his own personal BBQ, Leif being a dipshit is a major plotpoint of FE5, Lyn was raised as a Nomad, Hector literally didn't care at all about it, and Eliwood is similar to Roy but isn't as smart, Ephraim focuses to damn much on combat itself over tactics and politics, Eirika being stupid is a plot point, and it's the same with Chorm and Corrin as Eirika and Leif.

[Kyne]

If this thread is all about leadership then while a lot of people seem to go for Roy I personally have to go for Ephraim (mostly because I haven't played Binding Blade). While YES he totally is a Gary Stu (particularly in the way of stats like wtf man) Ephraim shows time and time again that he is an amazing tactician.

Yes, it seems Gary Stu-ish that he manages to not only take Renvall on his own but also escape Valter and then return in time to save Eirika, but when you think about it... HE TOOK A NIGH IMPENETRABLE FORTRESS WITH ONLY 3 SOLDIERS (2 if you don't count Orson as most people avoid using him); escaped a platoon of Wyvern Ryders AND VALTER despite A- being an infantry unit, B- only having 2 cavaliers to help him and C- escaping eastward... FURTHER INTO GRADO; Sunk the Ghost ship that apparently no one else was capable of handling and invaded that largest military nation in the continent with a small retinue of soldiers.

Despite being somewhat reckless he clearly shows the same concern for casualties as Roy (particularly when they land in Taizel and Seth suggests the whole sacrificial lambs thing) and the only real blunders he's ever had in the game were A- Leaving Renais instead of protecting it (He was kinda busy taking the fight to Grado though), B- Getting tricked into taking Renvall (He fixed that issue right up though) and C- Letting Fomortiis take the Sacred Stone of Renais (however, Lyon tricked and stunned him, forcefully taking the stone from him... unlike a certain someone else...)

It's also pretty obvious that Forde, Kyle and Seth enjoy being led by him so he must have good traits to him right?

It's also interesting to see how he evolves from an amazing fighter and tactician that cares nothing for his noble role into the next "Peerless Warrior King".

Gary for office 2016

[onvars]

On the other hand, Ephraim is very headstrong and not at all good at negotiating. Like I said earlier, I don't want to die in a battle that could have been avoided if my leader had tried talking instead of launching into combat as soon as he could.

[Anacybele]

If you don't want to risk dying, why go into battle at all? You risk dying in every battle, regardless of who is leading.

[secondworld]

Hey guys op here, glad people are participating in my thread, just want to clarify a couple things:

-You don't need to be good at fighting to be a good leader

-I know not everyone would consider Elincia and Lucina as main characters for this kinda thing, but as I said before I allowed them so they are certainly valid for discussion

-This thread is not about favorites or characters you don't like, making arguments about one character being a better leader than another is of course fine and dandy, but ranting on how boring or mary sue-ish a character is doesn't seem terribly relevant imo

[onvars]

If you don't want to risk dying, why go into battle at all? You risk dying in every battle, regardless of who is leading.

Risking death is one thing, but I'd rather risk death as little as possible. If I had to choose between a leader where I have a 1% chance of death and one where I have a 5% chance of death, the second guy better have cookies or something.

[Anacybele]

Risking death is one thing, but I'd rather risk death as little as possible. If I had to choose between a leader where I have a 1% chance of death and one where I have a 5% chance of death, the second guy better have cookies or something.

Hm, valid point.

Hey guys op here, glad people are participating in my thread, just want to clarify a couple things:

-This thread is not about favorites or characters you don't like, making arguments about one character being a better leader than another is of course fine and dandy, but ranting on how boring or mary sue-ish a character is doesn't seem terribly relevant imo

Oh, I'm aware. Sorry if I came off like that. Ike IS my favorite, but a reason he's my favorite is because of how great a leader he is, so... xP

[Kyne]

Warriors (particularly medieval warriors, which is the type of setting Fire Emblem is based on) would never really fear death that much.

I mean the heroes that all of these warriors looked up to were heroes because that killed a shit load of people and were amazing warriors who were not afraid to get down and dirty. The role of a general, commander, tactician and others is to make tactics that will win with the least amount of casualties possible. Yes Ephraim is headstrong and reckless in the beginning but he evolves into an amazing king and leader, not to mention the other role of a general/king/commander: to inspire his troops, which, as I mentioned about Forde, Kyle and Seth, Ephraim is amazing at. His soldiers not only willingly risk their lives for him as they do it GLADLY.

That's the mark of a good leader, as well as the fact that he never picks fights he can't win (was that joke made already?)

He's reckless at times, but he's still careful, calculated, an amazing tactician and an amazing fighter.

As good of a tactician as Roy seems to be... I'd be a lot happier serving someone that actually can get shit done themselves.

[Anacybele]

As good of a tactician as Roy seems to be... I'd be a lot happier serving someone that actually can get shit done themselves.

This is basically what I've been feeling like here. Ephraim is my second choice after Ike easily.

[Jiac]

I admittedly was going to vote Celica prior to reading this thread. However, I have been convinced to rally behind Roy.

Although, Celica takes a similar approach to Roy in having a peaceful approach. Roy just does a lot more things that suggest he's a more capable leader.

Take his dialogue with Guinevere at the end of Chapter 2. It pretty much summarizes Roy as a leader perfectly.

[spoiler=Really Long Script ]Roy
"Guinevere!? That's impossible! That's the name of the princess of Bern!"

Guinevere
"Yes, that is who I am."

Merlinus
"What! Do you plan on attacking us now!?"

Roy
"Merlinus, wait a second."

Merlinus
"I beg your pardon, Lord Roy, but..."

Roy
"I want to speak with her. Give me some time, will you?"

Merlinus
"Hmph, if Master Roy says so..."

*Merlinus leaves*

Roy
"You are indeed Princess Guinevere from Bern?"

Guinevere
"Yes. I am not sure if you will believe me, however."

Roy
"Even if you are not the princess of Bern, I can tell from your actions and
dress that you are certainly someone of high social status. But...if you are
indeed Princess Guinevere, something doesn't seem right. Ellen told me that
you intended to meet someone from the Lycia Alliance."

Guinevere
"Yes, that is correct."

Roy
"Why, if you are the princess of Bern?"

Guinevere
"I want to find a peaceful way of ending this war. I figured that if I could
speak with someone from Lycia, I could find some solution."

Roy
"Your brother started this war. Is it in your power to stop it?"

Guinevere
"I certainly wish to stop it. No, it must be stopped."

Roy
"...I see. Anyway, will you come with us to meet the Lycia Alliance Army? I
want to meet Lord Hector and see what he thinks about this matter."

Guinevere
"Honestly...you will take me?"

Roy
"Yes. If there is a possibility to avoid bloodshed and end this war, then I
believe that we must try it, no matter how small the chance."

Guinevere
"Thank you! Thank you...truly."

You're not even 4 hours into the game yet, but the game already establishes Roy as a talented leader.

They cleverly showed this through his initial cautiousness with Guinevere and his understanding of how much of a political difference she makes on the war.

Edited September 28, 2016 by Jiegg