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some plague rats
Jun 5, 2012

by Fluffdaddy

FairGame posted:

Hey man, mind editing that out?

Someone beat me to it but my bad, didn't figure that for a spoiler but on second thought...

Got to say it's pretty masochistic doing this on hard. I played through 2 again before I went on to 3 and even on normal it was a slog, and the combat is even better in that game than this one

FairGame posted:

And I discovered that the ps4 and pc versions of this game are balance-wise rather different. The axe bros are...good? Wasn't expecting that. Update tomorrow.

What's the difference? Is it just a couple stats, or something more profound?

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Jack2142
Jul 17, 2014

Shitposting in Seattle

I actually got solid use out of axe bro's in my playthroughs, with some smart positioning their active ability can do pretty solid damage. They aren't the best human fighters, but they aren't bad.

I will say this what I actually really like about Banner Saga's combat, the fact that you don't have % that often outside of some items (as shown with the Rune), and newer abilities/ranks in latter games. So it is really nice so it leads to less :xcom: moments where you need to sink this 98% chance shot and you miss. Instead you can plan things much better. I also think combining combat power with strength is really cool and sensible. It makes sense that a fighter getting hacked apart would be less capable than a fresh fighter. I think the big problem with the combat system is the turn order mechanic, but they realized that and the next two games give you some ways to shake it up for the better and also incentivize killing enemies.

some plague rats
Jun 5, 2012

by Fluffdaddy

Jack2142 posted:

I actually got solid use out of axe bro's in my playthroughs, with some smart positioning their active ability can do pretty solid damage. They aren't the best human fighters, but they aren't bad.

They get shield wall which is nice because you can use them as tanks, since their active ability can be real useful even if their strength takes a beating. They're good lads

TheGreatEvilKing
Mar 28, 2016





HELP THE BROS. They see how it is.

Mechanical Ape
Aug 7, 2007

But yes, occasionally I am known to smash.
I like how you can see your party characters walking in the caravan with everyone else.

double nine
Aug 8, 2013

that village leader sounds like a total dumbass. Help the brothers.



Aside (because there's not really a different topic to place this in), I recently finished the game, and I really hope you include many many expletives when you finally get to the end. Because that final battle was difficult.

FairGame
Jul 24, 2001

Der Kommander

double nine posted:

that village leader sounds like a total dumbass. Help the brothers.



Aside (because there's not really a different topic to place this in), I recently finished the game, and I really hope you include many many expletives when you finally get to the end. Because that final battle was difficult.

The last fight of this game loving SUCKS and I hate it so much.

It’s not remotely fair.

But we will worry about that when we get there. Getting that Namejs Ring helps a bit, at least.

FairGame fucked around with this message at 03:19 on Sep 9, 2018

ArcadePark
Feb 4, 2011

Damn it, It's all your fault!
May I join this LP caravan?



I really find this really badass for some reason

Mogun posted:


Something about stating your weaknesses to imply that you do whatever you want seems incredibly Viking.

Which is odd, since the Varl are closer to Viking Culture than Men in this universe. Men seem to be mostly Scandanavian, but not in the Viking manner.

Clarste
Apr 15, 2013

Just how many mistakes have you suffered on the way here?

An uncountable number, to be sure.
I just want to say that Alette basically soloed the entire game for me in Banner Saga 2.

Torrannor
Apr 27, 2013

---FAGNER---
TEAM-MATE
I really like the story, I've read the first LP of this game. But the clansmen/fighters/supplies management sounds really complicated and apparently can make the game unwinnable if you do too many bad decisions throughout your playthrough, without becoming immediately obvious. I'm super worried that I can screw up my run and only notice it hours later, so I've been too scared to buy the game.

I will follow this LP, I'm really curious how the story continues after Banner Saga 1. I've tried to follow some other Let's Plays, but most of them were video LPs, and the combat isn't really interesting enough to keep me engaged. This just works a lot better as a screenshot LP.

some plague rats
Jun 5, 2012

by Fluffdaddy
If you're that worried just play on easy and spend your renown on supplies. Rest when you hit low morale and don't sweat too much about the decisions, some will gently caress you over in a completely arbitrary way but nothing is a game ender

FairGame
Jul 24, 2001

Der Kommander

Clansmen ARE useless in the first game. They’re just mouths to feed and do nothing of value for you. The only reason to protect them is because you are very invested. Which I am.

You cannot make the game unwinnable. You probably CAN make the final battle unwinnable on hard, as certain units are much better in that fight than others, and it’s possible to get those units killed. But as the last post said, just flip it to easy.

FairGame
Jul 24, 2001

Der Kommander

UPDATE 5: THE ROAD NOT TAKEN
By unanimous vote, we decide to intervene on behalf of the brothers.


Oh dear. Where'd Alette go?



Hogun and Mogun are identical twins and have virtually identical stats. Mogun (the scarred one) is more attack-oriented, and Hogun is more defense-oriented. But it's barely a difference. Especially because of their class.

Both of them are "thrashers," a sub-class/kit of the raider class. Meaning they get the shield wall passive (+1 armor to adjacent units.)

Their active ability is "bloody flail," which seems to've been significantly improved in this version of the game. It's an interesting ability. At melee range, you randomly do either strength or armor damage, 4 times. The final hit will do +1 damage based on however many allied adjacent units you have.

The damage when I last played was just 1 for each hit, so your bloody flail would do 4 points cumulative of armor or strength. Not very useful, though if you get lucky and hit 3 or 4 of the points in strength, you can weaken a heavily-armored target off the bat. Also nice in case Hogun or Mogun get maimed--the damage you do is independent of your own strength, so a 1 strength Hogun can still do potentially 4 points of damage to something.

It seems like rather than the FINAL hit being boosted, though, that ALL hits are now boosted by adjacency, because Hogun and Mogun ripped off some hilariously strong bloody flails in this battle. It also means enemy thrashers are a lot more dangerous than I thought, though I already had a habit of killing them early because nothing is more frustrating than getting bloody flailed for 4 strength points early in a fight.


Again, not sure if I got lucky here or if they patched down the difficulty of this fight. It was always winnable, but I'd usually get someone wounded. Now, though...there are 0 archers on the board. Iver is gonna run roughshod over these clowns.


As always, my first move is to stick Egil out to draw fire. An enemy thrasher uses bloody flail on him, and his "stone wall," which cancels up to 3 damage per hit, just completely trivializes the attack.


The most dangerous enemy unit on the board is the "backbiter," who spawned away from the rest of the dudes. There were some of those in the opening fight way back in the first update.

But Oddleif makes too tempting a target for the AI to ignore and the backbiter spends most of the fight trying to attack her and instead running headlong into her rain of arrow traps.


Mogun is next to both Egil and Iver, so his bloody flail does some pretty strong damage here. The battle is well in hand at this point.


Iver runs a backbiter through and becomes promotion eligible.


We finish off the fight with Rook using mark prey so that 3 units can get credit for a kill.


This was the correct choice, inasmuch as this game has "correct" choices. Had we sided with the villagers we'd have gotten a whole lot of nothing.

Instead, we get 2 hero units (who apparently don't suck anymore), a bunch of clansmen, a handful of fighters, some supplies, and a ton of renown.


Alette's fine, by the way. She just didn't want to be part of the fighting.


: Alette, I have something for you.
Oddleif has gathered up the long banner from the caravan, and smiles warmly as she passes it to Alette.
: What's this about?
: I was hoping you'd sew up the banner with everything that has happened since we left Skogr. Come find me another time, Rook, and we'll talk.
Before you can comment, she departs.


MUSIC!Just listen and ignore the intensely silly video
: Dad, are you...the chieftain now?
: It looks that way.
: Oh. Then that means...
You're both quiet for a moment, while Alette unfurls the banner.
: Oddleif has been teaching me how to sew.
: She speaks pretty highly of you.
: Can we read the part about mom?
You nod. On the banner has been sewn the story of the families who have lived in Skogr throughout the years, just as is done on every banner in every town.
: I wish she were here. But I'm kind of glad she isn't.
The section of banner about your family is short, but Alette has been sewing in colorful designs.
: Why do you say that?
: So she doesn't have to deal with...all of this. Dredge. Leaving home. And...why did you have to kill those men? In the village? I mean...if it's ok to ask...


: They would have killed others.


: But how do you know which ones are bad?
Editor's Note: This is one of the best questions in the whole series. You...don't.
: Because...the dredge are terrifying. Every time we have to fight them I just want to run. But...I don't want to kill a person. Please. Are you mad at me?
: I'm glad you don't want to.
Alette smiles at this, then her face sinks again.
: I guess I would do it, if I really had to. But, do we have to?
: I know what you mean.
: Yeah, I know. Dad...I think you're doing a good job.
She hugs you. You spend the rest of your time together, sewing new verses into the banner. For better or worse, the story of Skogr is your burden now.
There is an achievement, "innocent," for finishing the Saga without Alette harming a non-dredge unit. We...probably won't get it. It's possible, though!


Oddleif said to go see her, so let's go do that.


: How are you doing, Odd?
: I'm alright. Oh, but I realized after I handed you the banner I probably gave the wrong impression. My husband's still in and out of consciousness. It doesn't look good. It's harder than I thought it would be. Just...not knowing. People tell me I'm a "strong woman."
: It's funny, my father named me Oddleif before I was even born. He wanted a boy so badly. "Strong woman." What does that even mean?

These options matter a bit insofar as Oddleif's opinion of Rook.
: People look up to you.
: Don't take this the wrong way but I don't want to be known for handling my feelings. If I feel nothing about my husband dying people think I'm strong. If I cry because my insides feel like they're on fire I'm weak. Why does that feel so backwards? I'm sorry, Rook, it's been hard.
You're not sure what to say. In the many years you've known the chieftain's wife this is probably the most you've ever talked.
: You asked me to come find you?
: Yes. It's about the banner. I thought about it a long time. He asked me to give it to you, you know. In case something happened.

: Why me?
: He always depended on you, Rook. It should be mine. I could carry it. But I thought about why he named you. I get it. They won't follow a woman. Families would leave. Our banner would be divided.

: You're probably right.
: I know I'm right on this one. It's not just about our small town. What happens the first time we need something from another clan? How will that go? And the first time someone thinks they can take advantage of us? I think this is what has to happen.

: I rely on you.
: I'll be there when I can. Just don't expect any miracles. Listen, I know I dragged this out. The truth is, my husband and I could never have a child. I don't want our banner to end here. It'll be safe with you and Alette. I know you're going to take care of her.
She puts her hand on your shoulder as she heads back to the camp.


Well poo poo. If Oddleif is wise enough to see that she can't lead effectively because of patriarchal bullshit, and strong enough to step aside, I can make sure the rest of the Skogr crew is just as strong. Egil gets these 2 points in armor break.

You'd think it'd go in armor, but with stone wall I want him to have low armor so that he's an appealing target for enemy AI that thinks they can do strength damage.


Rook levels to 3 and puts his points in exertion. Now I can break 6 armor my first couple of turns.


Almost immediately upon getting back on the road, this pops up. We see them off with extra supplies. There's really no reason not to, and Rook isn't really in charge enough to keep them here if I wanted to.


We lose 8 fighters (permanently; the implication is that they don't find family and end up getting killed themselves) but gain 10 renown in the bargain. That's well worth it.


That drunk guy is causing trouble again, and this time it can't be laughed off quite so easily. We choose to punish him physically.
You're considering your options when Oddleif appears out of nowhere and doubles him over with a gut shot. "Endanger everyone again and you'll get more than a cracked rib!" she shouts, leaving in a huff. The others go back to their business, satisfied with the outcome.
Caravan morale goes up slightly, and Oddleif really should be the loving leader.


He...didn't learn his lesson. Moron. We let our clansmen deliver justice.
A swift and brutal beating befalls Rafnsvartr, one that leaves him begging for mercy. The next time he is offered mead, the man shies away in fear. As for the rest of the caravan, everyone seems pretty satisfied.
I guess "beating up the town drunk" is the best option here, as it improves morale slightly.


We approach Frostvellr, where our chieftain said we'd be safe thanks to the strong walls of the town.


Indeed, those walls look pretty impressive. But so does the encampment...outside the town? That's not good...



: This is not looking good.
: Why are there so many people in the fields?
: We can't stay outside in the open like this.
Oddleif finds you amongst the many refugees.


: Rook, I just talked to some of the women here. Nobody is being let into the city.
: Why?
: It's overrun with varl from Blotsbalkr, Greyhorn, people from Bitra, all the nearby villages. The dredge are everywhere. And the chieftain of Frostvellr has locked himself in his great hall. That's when they closed the gates.
: When the dredge come, these hills will turn red. We have to get in there.
: Where else could we go?
: With our whole caravan? South, but Sigrholm or Boersgard are so far away they may as well be horseborn lands.
: The dredge are moving south. If we keep going west we might get out of their path. Wyrmtoe is half as far as Sigrholm, and full of varl.
: and it's across the wastes. These people won't make it.
: I don't like any of these ideas.
: That's because they're all bad. There's no point talking about leaving. We have to get in there.
: We're getting in the walls somehow.
: I can get that gate open.
: Let' ssee if there's any other way before we start breaking down gates.

: I wasn't going to break it. Just push really hard.


There's nothing of particular value in the store. The jarl's seal gives +1 willpower per turn, and I thought about giving it to Egil so he can just use stone wall forever. But I thought better of it. Very few supplies available, which makes sense given how crowded the town is.


There are branching paths here. And the decision you make in Frostvellr matters fairly significantly. However, the first LP of this game took one of the paths so we're gonna take the other major Frostvellr decision. That plan Iver had? "I'm a loving giant varl; gently caress your gate?"

It sounds good.


Archers up on the walls make it clear that nobody will be getting in. Men and women below intermittently call for mercy and reason, when they're not flinging stones and curses.
: Iver, did you really expect to push these gates open?

: OK, give it a shot.


Then, unbelievably, the doors start trembling. The archers shout, more to those inside the walls than out. The creaking becomes louder, then a crack. Then the doors part, slightly. "Help him!" you shout to the rest of the caravan.

When you look back again you see that nearly everyone has thrown in to push. The gate finally succumbs under your combined effort, and you find yourself face-to-face with dumbfounded guards. You bark at the mob to attack!



There's no opportunity to set your battle party here; you plunge right into the fight. Fortunately I wouldn't change my lineup anyway. The only other character we have is Alette, and she doesn't want to fight humans.


That enemy archer is gonna be a pain in the rear end if I can't get to her, but fortunately she was only able to reach Egil this turn.


Iver has 4 armor break. Couple that with his exertion and he breaks the poo poo out of the enemy thrasher's armor. If Rook can get in position for a mark prey, Iver will autoattack and do a poo poo load of damage.


It doesn't quite turn out that way, as Rook has a chance to kill the enemy archer instead, but Iver nevertheless gets the last laugh against the thrasher.

Sorry I'm not showing how the whole battle unfolds, but really there's just not much to these. Basically it's a bunch of:
1.) Figure out ways to make the enemy waste turns attacking Egil.
2.) Break the poo poo out of enemy armor with Rook and Iver
3.) When opportunities present themselves, mark prey and have Iver maim people
4.) Maintain shield wall since with 3 units (Hogun, Mogun, Egil) on the map that can boost armor, I can keep pretty much everyone safe.
5.) Use Oddleif as a decoy with rain of arrows.


I hosed up here and mislicked. My plan was to have Rook mark prey so everyone but 1 of the thrasher brothers would get credit for a kill. Instead, Hogun hogs the final kill.


We could've done lots of things to get into the city. Such as:
1.) SEWER LEVEL! (Iver's too big to fit into the cistern so you have to fight without him)
2.) Wait for a supply cart from the city to come out and negotiate with them to be let in
3.) Wait for the supply cart from the city to come out, murder the supply cart's crew, and come back into the city in it
4.) Nothing at all; just make camp outside.

But Iver offers a direct approach.


: What in the depths are you doing?
: Letting ourselves in.
: I can see that. I'm very impressed. But all those people you just let in here? DEAD. All those women and children with you? DEAD. And thanks for killing the only ones holding this place together. Skal.


: What are you talking about?
The man orders his guards to get the doors closed again before more refugees notice.
: If I knew there were fighters and a varl outside I would have brought you in. I'm Ekkill. I'm in charge here. You heard about the chieftain?
: We heard he's hiding out in the great hall.
: Oh really? Think you mean hiding out in a grave. He's eating worms, if that wasn't clear.
: What happened in here?
: Soon as they heard dredge were coming, anyone who couldn't swing an axe got one to the head. That's the short story, anyway. At least three clans in here warring over turf and food, and the WORST are the god-forsaken varl!
He eyes Iver and shrugs with exaggeration as if simply stating the obvious.
: We're in more danger here than out there?
: Look, I was in charge here before things went to crap. You've got some people who can fight. You've got a varl who apparently has the strength of a god. I can keep your flock safe, in the great hall. You fight for me. And to take back Frostvellr.
: I don't take sides. Too hard to tell when the good guys have become the bad.
: Fine. Cut these sheep loose and watch your own asses. What do I care? All I want to do right now is get out of the damned streets. Think carefully about what you want.


This would ordinarily be a vote, but we're intentionally going with options that differ from the previous LP.
: We're not staying here. Let us out.
: I don't know if that's...
Ekkill has already shouted to his men, who stare daggers in return. They had just finished closing the massive doors.
: A fine waste of time, and lives. Now get out.
You pass again through the gates of Frostvellr, wondering if you just threw away your best chance for survival.
: Hope we know what we're doing.
: Making it up as we go, Iver.




And on that note, chapter 2 ends. Whatever happens to Rook and the Skogr refugees will have to wait, we're POV switching back to Ubin/Hakon/Ludin next time.

FairGame fucked around with this message at 00:11 on Sep 18, 2018

TheGreatEvilKing
Mar 28, 2016





Huh. I remember this part being a lot more involved when I played through...is it considered a spoiler to discuss paths NOT taken?

FairGame
Jul 24, 2001

Der Kommander

TheGreatEvilKing posted:

Huh. I remember this part being a lot more involved when I played through...is it considered a spoiler to discuss paths NOT taken?

Wait until the start of chapter 4. I skipped a bit of content but also suspect some of what you're thinking of is actually early chapter 4 stuff.

ArcadePark
Feb 4, 2011

Damn it, It's all your fault!
Why would you want to have someone that looks like this:

Protecting your walls? No wonder this place fell into shambles.

FairGame
Jul 24, 2001

Der Kommander

I hosed something up and we've had our first character death. I didn't even know this character could die.

More importantly, perhaps, the death of this character means one fewer vote y'all get to do. And also I have to post the entirety of Chapter 3 (the most boring chapter in the whole series; it's nothing but combat) without any thread input.

Hang with me, folks. If you can deal with the next couple updates (which I also suspect are the parts that caused people to stop playing, once upon a time, you're in for a real treat the rest of the time.

Zanzibar Ham
Mar 17, 2009

You giving me the cold shoulder? How cruel.


Grimey Drawer
I gotta say this update makes you up to be quite the rear end in a top hat (let's force our way in! oh, inside sucks, let's force our way back out!), although if maybe someone from the inside bothered to tell people outside that the inside is a warzone.... Unless they did but those outside didn't think to pass that information on to you.

FairGame
Jul 24, 2001

Der Kommander

UPDATE 6: YOU'RE THE WORST GODDAMN WARLEADER

Yeah, I'm absolutely doing some metagaming with Rook's party and we'll explain what's going on with that next time we see them.

Which won't be for a bit, because we have to do the worst chapter in the whole series now. Unless you like the combat, in which case it's probably the best chapter.


Sit tight, Rook. We'll see you eventually.


For now, it's time to play as Ubin...or not. I guess Hakon's the POV character now?


: Hakon. We're back. I was able to get about as many warriors from Strand as you wanted, and more weapons. Extra supplies, too.
You perk up, just now realizing Mogr has been talking to you. Since Vognir died everyone has been looking to you to make the decisions. It's exhausting.
: Hakon?


: Sorry, just tired. Go on.
: I was saying the valr we sent to Strand have returned. The governor gave us most of what we wanted.
: Good enough. Much resistance from the governor?
: Some. I don't think he was happy about us buying his figthers using his own money. He also insisted we take on a lackey of his to watch over his "property." A man named Eirik.

: Eirik? I met him. He seemed competent enough.
: Regardless, the governor will have to get over it unless he wants dredge crawling through his streets. We've put down every slag that has wandered through here while you were gone.
: Enough flapping of mouths, then.
: You're sure that wound has healed, Ludin?
: I agree. Enough has already gone wrong. If something happens to the prince on a mission of peace...the alliance would rot. Or worse.

: Ludin makes his own decisions.
: We would only be made to do this again later. And I will not suffer it all a second time. Either take us through the Wandering Road, or do your job and slaugther some dredge.
Ludin turns abruptly with a scowl. He stamps back to his ring of tents and followers.
: Wandering Road's not an option with this many.
: I could crush that boy's skull with one hand...
: If Ludin won't be deterred, you'll have to deal with it. Don't let Ludin get to you.
: Let's go. I'm sick of looking at this dump.
: What do I tell the warriors, Hakon?

: Tell them we cover the mountainside in dredge bodies.
Editor's Note: This is just flavor text. But Hakon isn't really a leader. He's a a figther, and the mantle of leadership doesn't sit well with him. I figure slaugthering the poo poo out of dredge is in character, and his class is literally called "warmaster."
This decision to RP a guy who loves battle...welll...you'll see.
: Good. Give the word, and we'll set off.


We're still in Vedrfell for now. Let's talk to Ubin and Mogr.


: You knew him well, didn't you?

: Vognir? No. Ah, well...I don't know. I remember him. Always rushing around with some important business. But I never knew him. Never got a chance to talk much.
: Longer than I did, in any case.
: I suppose so. When he spoke, varl listened. I knew that.
: I could use help there.
The scrivener leans back, considering the sentiment.
: I've seen worse. They respect you for your ability to swing an axe. They need to respect you for your actions. But you're not talking to the right varl. Mogr's got some skill there. Most I can do is hold a quill.
: I heard you were a terror back in your day.
: Do you know how old I am?
: Dare I ask?
: I'm competing, you know. Nobody knows how old we varl can get. Naturally. There's one by the name of Snorri. He's got a few years on me, just hunkers in Grofheim collecting rime. Bastard might actually beat me. Another one named Krumr is close, I think. But the addled son of a bitch still welcomes a fight. He'll probably be offed before I am. Although...
The scrivener gestures around him as if you remind you of the current situation. You chuckle.
: Anyway, point is what difference does it make? I'm just a delivery bairn for Jorundr now. Can't remember half of what I've done.
: Hence the journal?
: "Hence?" Don't get fancy on my behalf, Hakon.
: OK, I won't. What are you always writing in that journal of yours?
: How do you mean? What do I write? I write what happens.
: They've got a banner in Arberrang for that, you know.
: You mean the Long Banner? Yes, the Manders wove up something that writes its own history. You want my opinion? I don't trust it.
: No?
: It tells a broad story. I think there's some value in the narrow. Whose story does it write? Mine? Theirs? Ludin's? ...gods forbid.
: Hah, you relic. The gods have been dead a long time.
: Oh, have they? Old habits, I suppose.
: What do you suppose happened to the sun?
: Gods, how should I know? Never seen something like this before.
: Are you worried? Some of the varl in the caravan think the world's coming to an end.
: Others think it's the best thing that could happen. No more black months. I'll take it. If it's the end, I'm ready.
: What about the rest of us?
: To the depths with you.
: Hah! Get some rest. Always more marching to do.
: I've hoofed more hills than a horseborn with a grudge. Don't worry about me.

We'll go see Mogr next.

: I'd ask how you're dealing with Vognir's death, but I already know the answer.
: Do you?
: Steady old Mogr, which is good. I know most of these varl, but they're not under my command. They came to follow Vognir.

: Tell you the truth? I wouldn't want to be in your position either.
: Haven't you ever wanted to be in command?
: More than I am? Any more rope and I'd hang myself.
: I doubt that.
: I forget you weren't around back then. At one point I had more rope. I hung myself. So no, I'm not interested in command. It's all yours.
: Thanks. Anything you can tell me about the caravan?
: Throw together this many varl, half of them want to hit each other, the rest want to be left alone.
: Anyone I should keep an eye on?
: There's a couple of clan leaders trying to show off for each other. Not a big deal. I've got it under control. The figthers we just got from Strand aren't bad, but they're unruly. Give it a few days. And there are a few moaning about fighting for you instead of for Vognir. Those are the ones to worry about.
: What about Ludin's men?
: They don't want to hear anything from me, I know that.
: Any problems?
: Could be. Ludin's pet varl is named Bersi. I'm not sure what he came from or what his deal is. Bastard knows how to fight, but there's something I don't like about him.
His girl in red is scary too. Yrsa. She's probably the best figther Ludin's got, to be honest. I've overheard some of the varl call her "the witch."
: Why?
: The flaming arrows, I think. It's a good trick, but the fire upsets our varl more than the dredge.
: Still doesn't make much sense. "Witch?"
: They're not scholars, Hakon. I think they're mostly just afraid of her.
: That makes more sense. Don't let her find out. You think we're walking into a death trap?
: With this many varl? No, we should be alright. Things could get rough though.
: I don't like being the one to send varl to their deaths. I like worrying about myself, and that's the extent of it.
: Who would've expected Vognir to drop like that to a couple of slag?
: I'm still wondering what happened. He had hundreds of dead slag to his name. I don't get it.
: Just happens sometimes. No big moment. I'm sure it surprised him even more than us. Although...I have to wonder. Nah, nevermind. Anyway, I'll worry about the warriors. You worry about not doing something stupid.
: That's asking a lot. What were you holding back about Vognir?
: I'd rather not say, Hakon.
: Why not?
: It's the kind of thing that'd get stuck in your head, and you need a clear one. It's better if you let me worry about it.
: Sounds important. Tell me.
: How did Vognir die?
: He ran into dredge. Wasn't expecting it.
: When we found him he was lying face down, like he was struck from behind. Did he really get taken down by some random slag? Who else was there?
: You think Ludin...?
: He probably didn't, but...
: Dammit. We should keep an eye on that bastard. If you see anything else, tell me.
: I will.
: Let's get back to it.
: Let me know if you need anything else.
: I will.


Despite having the prince of men in our caravan along with 2 bodyguards mentioned by name, they're not playable. Eirik's back, though. And Gunnulf is still hurt from when he got beat up by those raiders way back in the first update.



We immediately level up those who are eligible. Eirik goes right to level 3.


Unlike Rook's party, we're chock full of fighting men and giant. And in good spirits. And have shitloads of supplies. This will be easy!


The first of many of these updates. Mogr sees dredge and lets us know. We could not fight them, but the fact is we need levels and renown, so...


: We'll deal with it ourselves.
The caravan stops and waits while you lead a small detachment up the hillside to take care of the dredge quickly. You tell Ludin to stay by the caravan. He folds his arms and mutters something about being treated like a child.


Not the best party with my heavy hitter at -4 strength, but it's a pretty easy fight.


We're significantly outnumbered, but most of the dredge are pretty lovely and can be maimed easily by Hakon or Gunnulf.


Stuff happens. Eirik and Gunnulf go down. Hakon and Mogr stay up which is the imporant part. Varl get wounded for 6 days when they go down. Gunnulf is now back to -6 strength (not -4 + -6, thankfully.)


Anyway, that optional fight cleaned up, we press on, until...


: Hakon!
You can hear Ludin's hard-booted trot as you set up camp the first day, and brace yourself.

: Can we speak? As equals?
: We can try.
: It seems clear to me you plan to kill a lot of dredge along the way. Am I right?

: In fact, I plan to go out of my way to kill them.
: I shouldn't be surprised, but...don't assume only the varl can fight. Do you understand me? That is my banner we fly to Grofheim. The banner of Arberrang. I insist on joining in battle.
: Almost gutted in your first encounter and ready for more? Whatever you like, prince.
: And...uh. I expected more resistance.
: From Vognir, maybe.
: They tell me you were his kendr. That's why you're in charge now. Some kind of next of kin...varl thing? Don't you take on his responsibilities?
: Why the tough act, kid?

: Don't look down on me again. Don't you dare.
: When you're nearly two hundred years, it's hard to take a twenty year old man...is that right?...seriously.
: You'd better start. We'll both be kings someday.
: That's the last thing I need to think about right now.
Ludin looks at you as though you just punched yourself in the face. He heads back to his tent before saying whatever was on his mind.


Might as well meet the rest of his crew.


: You have a moment?
As you approach Bersi, he lowers the book he was reading. He doesn't strike you as the book-reading type.
: You're Bersi.

: You're Hakon. We've gotten that out of the way, haven't we?
: I had some questions.
: Say what you want to say.
: What's a varl doing working for Ludin?
: What's a varl doing working for another varl? What difference does it make? It looks like you're in charge right now, so do me a favor and don't get Ludin killed.
: He's important to you?
: No. But that's one way to put it.
: Where'd you learn to fight?
: Same way as you. By fighting.
: You know what I mean.
: I robbed well-protected merchants for at least one man's lifeetime. Is that what you mean?
: Yeah. Not anymore?
: I've had a lot of jobs.
: Can I trust you?
: What a loaded question. Depends what you mean.
: Whose back will you have if things go wrong?
: Assume I'm looking out for myself and you'll figure it out.
: Does Ludin understand that?
: Ludin doesn't even understand that half his army is here just to protect him from the people he talks to.
You laugh at the unexpected gouge. Bersi grins, pleased with himself.
: I won't keep you any longer.
: See you on the battlefield, oh leader of varl.
: You could join us.
: I'm where I want to be. Don't forget what I said...about keeping Ludin alive. Got it?
As you step away, you can't help but wonder if there was a bit of threat behind that gravelly request.

Bersi is a warhawk, like Gunnulf. Only not like Gunnulf in that he actually has some points in exertion so he can get himself into position to hit things. Lower strength, so he's not as heavy a hitter as Gunnulf, but in general you'll get more use out of him.

Yrsa next.


: Yrsa, right?
She watches you appraoch with her head tilted back, and points a thumb toward Ludin's tent.
: No. Here for you.

: Oh?
: Can we talk?
Yrsa shakes her head 'no,' a smile on her lips, eyelids low.
: Why not?
: I don't.
In those two curiously contradictory words you get two impressions: she has a beautiful, obsidian voice. And this might be a complete waste of time. She watches you expectantly.
: You don't talk.
: No.
: You do, though.
: I don't.
She smiles warmly, clearly enjoying her game.
: You're Ludin's bodyguard?
: No, he's mine.
Before you have the chance to be confused, she cackles, abrupt and loud. Then looks slightly embarrassed.
: You are his personal guard though?
Her expression changes to "of course."
: How did you end up with someone like Ludin?
: Luck.
She raises an eyebrow.
: It's about the flaming arrows. Varl and fire don't get along.
All you get is a shrug.
: If you're going to use them...
She pulls an arrow. There's a flick of the wrist you don't quite catch. Suddenly a bird combusts in the tree behind you and falls to the ground, smouldering. Half the camp has turned to watch.
: Don't tell me not to.
She crosses her arms, a hand on her chin, and cocks her head to one side.
: Until next time, Yrsa.
: Hakon...
You stop, and look over your shoulder.
: I am a witch. So be careful.
She puts her forefinger to her lips with a soft "shhh." You depart, not quite sure what to make of that.


So now we have a full roster of heroes. And even one who can sit on the bench.

Yrsa is an archer. We've seen that class before. Puncture passive.

Her active, though, is interesting. It's called "slag and burn," and it's her fire arrow trick. She throws coals on the ground in a plus pattern (meaning 5 tiles catch fire). Anything that's directly in the ignition takes +2 strength damage, indendent of armor. Anything that's on the center of the plus sign takes armor break damage equivalent to Yrsa's break stat (which right now is just 1, but that'll change).

Her coals stay aflame until her next turn. Anything that walks over them takes +1 strength damage independent of armor.

So she's great at hitting multiple targets for chip damage, and can also do strength damage through armor. She's very useful.

The downside? She has like NO strength or armor, especially early on, and anything that gets past your front lines is liable to one-shot her.


Bersi's really not better than Gunnulf, but starting with a point in exertion is a significant point in his favor.


Like I said: 6/6 armor/strength is a great way to get killed.


We saw Ludin get creamed in the Vognir battle, but he's actually a very solid unit. His passive ability grants willpower to himself and any adjacent unit when he kills something. Handy.

His active, "impale," will move an enemy back 1 to 3 tiles, do strength damage (min. 1), and any tile the impaled unit moves causes it to take 1 damage. Very handy when comboing with battering ram, though Iver's not in this party.

Spearmen can also attack from 2 panels away, though the impale move requires adjacency.


Upon hitting the road, we immediately get this guy talking poo poo about us. Hakon gives no fucks.


So much for that nerd.
"What's his name?" you ask his companions. "Griss." "Take care of Griss," you reply. You hear them laughing at his misfortune as you wander off.
We get +5 renown for keeping our disaffected units in line.


Some time later, we hit some more folks. We tell them the road to Strand is clear.
They thank you profusely. One stops as he passes. "If you're passing by Denglr, do me a favor? My wife's brother stayed behind. You'll know him by a necklace with many rings on it. If you see him, say we are safely in Strand." You nod. After a short time they continue on.


Time for more fighting!
Dredge watch you, waiting to see what you do. "When's the last time you commanded a few hundred, Hakon?" asks Mogr. "Don't overthink it. The warriors can take care of themselves."



We are now at war. War battles consist of two waves, and the difficulty of the initial wave is determined by your battle command.

From most difficult to least difficult, Charge through Oversee.
Charge will give you a very difficult tactical battle, but if you win, you will save a lot of varl and figthers from being killed offscreen, thus weakening your army.
Formations, Hold them Off, and Oversee all make the battle easier but put your army in more danger.
Oversee skips the fight entirely but you take a shitload of losses and also get no renown.

Hakon will charge into every goddamn fight. Because I'm an idiot.


Here's our war party, charging in. 3 guys at level 1. Great plan.


Aw...gently caress. Most of these guys are pushovers, but there's enough of them that I'll get worn down.


Mogr's job is to break the armor of the toughest guy around so that he can die.
Also, a thing I failed to mention earlier about dredge: if you do 3 or greater armor damage to them, all adjacent units take +1 armor damage, down the line. You can get like a 5 or 6 dredge chain like this. It's moderately useful and not worth planning around, but it's a nice bonus to splinter a bunch of people at once.



Here's Hakon's sundering impact at work. He hits the middle unit, and the left and right units both take 1 armor and 2 strength damage too.


Apparently dredge bleed?


Yrsa fires off a slag and burn at the big guy. You can see 2 active coals and also 3 inactive ones to form the "plus sign" I referred to.


A nice thing about Ludin's impale skill is that the enemy AI doesn't recognize it. So sometimes an enemy will start walking and die of it, wasting their turn completely.


Ludin racks up another kill. This is going great!


Eirik kills the penultimate dredge, putting us in PILLAGE! mode. Hey, everyone's healthy! Let's fight the second wave!


What could go wrong?


Here's what could go wrong. That big guy spanws in right next to Mogr and Hakon, and neither of them can move before he does. Which means someone's getting OHKOed.


Bye, Hakon.


Bye, Yrsa.


Bye, Eirik.


I just don't have the DPS to take out the remainder. To make matters worse, the big stoneguard begins summoning reinforcements and I can't stop him. This battle is lost.


Bersi puts up a good last stand, but it's too late. He falls a moment after Ludin.


Well...at least we got some bonus renown for killing part of the second wave.


A bunch of varl and figthers die because we fail. Dying in the second wave is treated like dying in the first in terms of how the game penalizes you.

Fortunately, we're in no hurry. We can rest for 6 days since we've got 2 goddamn months worth of supplies.


Hey, more dredge!


We're going to draw some of them forward and split them.


Another fight. Another war.


We charge into battle again. At least this time we have some levels to our name.


An ENORMOUS number of the 2x2 dredge greet us. If we were a predominantly human party, that'd be great since we could just run circles around them as they got in one another's way. Against a varl warparty though, this is kind of a pain in the rear end.


Yrsa scores her second kill, ensuring I can armor her up a little bit next time I have a chance to promote.


Mogr tanks, armor breaks, and splinter chains armor to the point that Hakon can finish off wave one.

I've learned nothing. Let's see what wave two has to offer!


This isn't quite so bad. Plus 3 of them spawned too far to hit me on their first turn.


Ludin's a dick, but don't doubt his bravery? Or his value as a unit. Late in war battles you're low on willpower, and his ability to self-replenish and also help adjacent units when he kills something is pretty valuable.


Much like the last time I was dumb enough to do a second wave, Ludin and Bersi end up last standing.


Unlike last time, I'm strong enough to take them down.


My reward? ...a lovely level 1 item that gives +1 willpower. Goddammit.


More importantly, nobody in the entire caravan died.


...and we can sleep off the injuries again. Levels for everyone! I'm back in business and nothing can go wrong!




All 3 level up. I'm so strong now! What could possibly go amiss?


Hey, things are so good that I tell Griss he's got one shot and I get a free unit!
You tell him to report to Mogr. "I don't sit in the back lines. Make a mistake and you'll get your head caved in. Nobody'll lose sleep over it." He nods and goes to speak to Mogr.


Hey, let's take the fight to them! We have new levels! And let's see what Griss can do!


Griss is a shittier version of Iver. But being able to go 15/15 with armor and strength AND have 4 break makes him tremendously versatile. And a good partner for Ludin. We'll bring him.


Oh man, Griss right after Ludin! He's gonna battering ram so many impaled units! This is gonna be great!


So far, so good! I'm unstoppable.


Ron Howard Arrested Development Voice: He wasn't.


gently caress.


I really wanted to get into that town. A shop for a varl party that has very few items. And a vote that'd be impactful not only here, but in later games.


:gonk: Jesus christ.
:rip: Griss, killed by my hubris. I feel awful about this.

Next time: I still don't learn my lesson!

FairGame fucked around with this message at 00:12 on Sep 18, 2018

Sankara
Jul 18, 2008


Ha, that's amazing. I didn't know you could barge in then barge back out. Incredible.

Edit: Oh! Another update. drat, didn't know things got that brutal when you lost. I liked this chapter because having a bunch of giant dudes slam fools over and over felt satisfying after the misery of Rook's crew. I never lost any second wave fights, and don't recall them being particularly challenging. Maybe they changed it since I played? That was way back when the game first came out.

Sankara fucked around with this message at 03:30 on Sep 10, 2018

Gologle
Apr 15, 2013

The Gologle Posting Experience.

<3
I had no idea that could happen because I never lost those engagements. If my party was too heavily injured I just didn't do the second fight, but even when I did I was never actually defeated because Mogr and Ludin would always clutch it out through tanking and impaling, respectively. Oh well, it's a good thing you didn't waste renown on leveling Griss. I personally never used him.

Jack2142
Jul 17, 2014

Shitposting in Seattle

Gris is actually really solid 15/15 with 4 armor break if you level him, with some items you can kinda build him as a tank, strength or armor breaker. Also I am in the same boat, I didn't know he could die if you lost this fight. On my Hard mode run I almost never took the second wave stuff, you would just get too beat up in that initial wave almost always to make it worth it.

Jack2142 fucked around with this message at 04:04 on Sep 10, 2018

ArcadePark
Feb 4, 2011

Damn it, It's all your fault!
Oh, wow. I didn't expect Griss to die like that either. I mostly play it safe, backing out at the first wave if i don't have at least 3 units in full strength.
I really like how permadeath works in this game, opposed to most Fire Emblem games.


Units don't die when fallen in battle, but failing certain battles can get units killed. That's really neat.

Fat Samurai
Feb 16, 2011

To go quickly is foolish. To go slowly is prudent. Not to go; that is wisdom.
Well, this is an interesting situation.

I got distracted by something or other and didn’t finished the game, but enjoyed it quite a bit. My problem with the combat wasn’t the turn thing (after all, having units orderly move one after the other isn’t exactly realistic, either) but the fact that there is no easy way to protect your back units if some stone bastard decided your archer had to die. This, with Zone of Control and some more interesting battlegrounds would have been great.

double nine
Aug 8, 2013

that's what usually happens with me in these battles. then I reload and do a lot better, and don't go after second waves.

Gologle
Apr 15, 2013

The Gologle Posting Experience.

<3
Oh, also, a tip to the LPer and to people reading along, use the Training Tent. Units who fall in battle during those mock battles don't actually get Injured, so you can use anybody you want with abandon, and while you don't get renown or items for training, the most important aspect of the Training Tent is that any kill you get in those mock battles do count for promoting your units. I didn't know this until the second game, but it changed everything about the way I used some units, like Egil for instance.

Mechanical Ape
Aug 7, 2007

But yes, occasionally I am known to smash.
It just wouldn't be The Banner Saga if we didn't lose some named characters along the way. Gods speed, Griss: at least you died like a varl and didn't get beaten for drunkenness like that chump in Rook's group.

Jack2142
Jul 17, 2014

Shitposting in Seattle

Gologle posted:

Oh, also, a tip to the LPer and to people reading along, use the Training Tent. Units who fall in battle during those mock battles don't actually get Injured, so you can use anybody you want with abandon, and while you don't get renown or items for training, the most important aspect of the Training Tent is that any kill you get in those mock battles do count for promoting your units. I didn't know this until the second game, but it changed everything about the way I used some units, like Egil for instance.

I think that was back dated after 2 came out because they were annoyed no one used the training tent in one.

FairGame
Jul 24, 2001

Der Kommander

I will only use it in 2, and only because the renown rewards from special missions are baked into the renown economy.

mauman
Jul 30, 2014

Whoever's got the biggest whiskers does the talking.

Gologle posted:

Oh, also, a tip to the LPer and to people reading along, use the Training Tent. Units who fall in battle during those mock battles don't actually get Injured, so you can use anybody you want with abandon, and while you don't get renown or items for training, the most important aspect of the Training Tent is that any kill you get in those mock battles do count for promoting your units. I didn't know this until the second game, but it changed everything about the way I used some units, like Egil for instance.

Hmmmm...

That's interesting. That would make leveling a fair bit more intuitive.

I still dislike a combat system that actively punishes you for killing enemies though (at least that's how it generally feels to me).

mauman fucked around with this message at 20:15 on Sep 10, 2018

FairGame
Jul 24, 2001

Der Kommander

UPDATE 7: YOU'RE STILL THE WORST GODDAMN WARLEADER

Remember last update, most of which was spent fighting various dredge on identical snowfield maps?

Well I hope you liked it because that's what the rest of this chapter is. But then everything's good from here! Consider this the Babylon 5 season 1 of The Banner Saga.


Well hey, more varl are always good since I kinda got a lot of the old varl killed.


: You must be with Vognir.
: Was. Vognir didn't make it.
: You're serious? It's getting grim out here, but...didn't expect that.
: You're flying the Schlid banner. What's happening? Isn't Ulfar in charge there?

: I'm Fasolt. Ulfar's still in Schlid. In case he needs to be. He sent me to meet Vognir...well, you. We've seen nothing happening in Schlid, yet.
: What do you mean?
: No dredge. They never came through Schlid. They're all pouring out of Ridgehorn. We only just found out about it. One group went that way. We came here.
: Ridgehorn? The fort on the bay? That place has been abandoned for hundreds of years.
: Yeah. Maybe that's why they're there. By all accounts it looks like another damned invasion.
Ludin forces his way into the conversation.

: Wait a godless minute. What did you do?
: Careful now.
: You be careful! What did you start? You think men don't remember history? The Long Banner hangs in Arberrang! The second great war nearly screwed us all. What did you do this time?
: Who the faen is this?

: Nobody. No one to worry about, anyway.
Ludin's head swivels in your direction, eyes wide. He seems uncertain whether to be insulted or threatened.
: What orders did Ulfar give you, Fasolt?
: I'm supposed to offer any support you need. I've got three hundred thirty varl behind me, and Ulfar wants to know what's happening at Ridgehorn. What's your plan?

This is a choice that matters in that I can send Ludin and his retinue away, but I really need them. So I'm taking this choice away from you all.
: Forget...
As you try to give the orders to go to Grofheim, the words catch in your throat. You need to go to Ridgehorn.
: We're going to Ridgehorn. You're coming.
: I'll have my varl fall in line. Yours to command, Hakon.
: Are you insane? He just said an army of dredge are pouring out of that fort!
: Go on to Grofheim then, prince. Having your blood on my hands would be worse than doing nothing.
That shuts Ludin up a moment. You can see the battle raging in his head. He looks desperate for safety, but he didn't expect to look like a coward. He expected you to come along. He glances at his men.

: We're already this far. If this is the varl's doing I'll know if it, and so will my father. Besides, you need my help, and my fighters. If I go, so do Yrsa and Bersi.
Ludin's unexpected flip-flop catches you like a swift kick to the shins. Mogr can't contain a chuckle.
: Hah! The prince has courage!
: Do whatever you like, Ludin.
: Paint me the villain, Hakon! What do I care? I'm sick of you being the only one to do as he pleases in this alliance!
: These are varl lands! We're facing an army of dredge! How much experience do you have in these matters?
: True, mankind has never provoked them into a war! You're going for a third! Is taunting the dredge into genocide a game for your kind?

Believe me, I wanted to. But...Hakon walks away.
You curse and threaten pandemonium. The prince has chosen to be no responsibility of yours. If Ludin stays, so do Fasolt's warriors. They join the caravan.



Another war battle before we reach the next godstone. This one's...at least a little different.


You know the routine.


Fasolt stays on the bench. He comes with enough to promote to level 2 immediately, but we don't really need him.
Fasolt's a "Provoker," a kit of the shieldmaster. Same passive as Mogr and Iver (and Griss :rip:). His active, "malice," taunts an enemy and forces it to make a strength attack against Fasolt on its next turn.
Which would be really useful at level 5, as level 3 malice lets you piss off something in the back line and have it march all the way up to you. But at level 1 it's only useable against adjacent foes, and you might as well attack an adjacent foe.
In short, he sucks at low levels and as such it's not really feasible on Hard difficulty to get him to high levels.


Meet the bane of all varl: dredge slingers. They're ranged units. All really weak. But they have better movement than varl do, and they're really just a pain to fight.

All slingers have the "back off" passive: when they take armor or strength damage, they take 4 random steps AWAY from the attacker. Which makes Ludin's impale great, since it's a free +4 damage.

There are different varieties of slingers.
Some can drop explosive stones on your tile, which does 2 armor and 2 strength damage in a plus pattern around the explosive stone. It doesn't detonate until the slinger's next turn, though. So you can move away. Or kill the slinger.
Some can do an attack that makes you unable to use exertion on your next turn. Great for locking down poor mobility units.
I...think that's it. Later games have other varieties.


Bersi shines here. Enough mobility to get into tempest range, so he can maim multiple slingers at once.


This doofus was impaled, and used his turn to move into attack range, at which point he died of the movement.


Mogr takes out the big guy. This is going well!


Let's push my luck. I really want the guaranteed item that a wave 2 gets me, and surely nobody ELSE can die...


Tough luck for Bersi, had the enemy spawn in right by him.


Hakon has been maimed for a while, but Sundering Impact gives him 1 armor 2 strength minimum so he's still useful.


Eventually, though, he succumbs. Down to Gunnulf and Ludin.


Gunnulf is at 13 strength, which is a TON at this point in the fight.


We've got this.


Gunnulf finishes off the last slinger, and we get the Sprddrekt Bur, a weird little item that I've never used. I like it. A lot.


Not sure why some varl died. Maybe because we were outnumbered heading into the war fight. Still, 26 casualties is pretty good!


Oh right, nobody can die in the fight but now there's this bullshit.
Surprised varl pull weapons, but not before the whole cart slides off slick rock and a sheer drop, stopped suddenly by a low growl.


Gunnulf is just gonna keep the entire goddamn wagon using brute strength. Or die trying.
We order him to let go, because, uh...he'd die trying.


Gunnulf is simply too valuable to lose trying to save gold. This game doesn't even let you pay for poo poo in gold! It's worthless!
With a roar that sounds more like you stabbed him in the side than gave an order, Gunnulf lets go of the cart. It flips over the side in a flash, followed much later by a dull thud and a crack.

At the base of the steep cliff, hundreds of yards below, the treasure cart has exploded into a frozen firework of gold, valuables, and yox and dredge gore. "That was a costly mistake," grits Ubin between clenched teeth.

You wonder why the dredge went after the yox in the first place. Then you realize the bigger problem is the vast fortune now lying at the bottom of a cliff.

You try to recover what you can. You gather ideas for hoisting the loot, all of them difficult and time consuming. Eventually you settle on lowerin ga man by rope into the valley. He grabs a few valuables and covers up the rest, but not much else. You face the fact that you've got nowhere to put them and nothing to pull them with, even if you managed to recover them. A day later you're back on the march without much to show for it.



Au contraire, game! We have this artifact to show for it!
The 5% dodge str is as low as dodge goes, and I'd never bank on it. But +2 aggro...that's enough to make the AI do stupid poo poo, like attack Mogr's armor instead of try to maim one of my units.


At last, we reach Godstone Stravhs.


Hakon is many things, but he's no grave robber. He searches for the necklace.
In the midst of the pile of bodies a glitter catches your eye. You fish a gold necklace out from a jerkin to find five golden rings strung on it. The merchant's brother. "Guess he didn't make it," you mutter.

You toss the necklace to Mogr and tell him to hang on to it. If anyone can be trusted, it's him.

We don't get the necklace as an item, but we *do* get 10 renown for our honesty. It's actually a pretty even trade; the necklace is a very good artifact.



Every godstone in this game has an item associated with it. We punted on the item here--it was the necklace.



gently caress sending scouts. We do everything ourselves!


Oh, of course it's another fight. Not a war, though. 1 wave only.


Nothing too dangerous here. And our spawn point is such that we can set ourselves up to have Yrsa rain fire on people from safety.


I've been trying to get an image of this for a while. Dredge stoneguards (the 2x2 big guys) have a move called "Tremble." They slam their shield on the ground, and any adjacent units to the stoneguard take 1 armor damage and are pushed back up to 3 tiles, doing 1 armor damage per pushback tile.

It's devastatingly good when deployed against multiple units. But the AI is weird and it'll use it in the dumbest circumstances. Here, breaking Gunnulf and Hakon both is smart.



I did good at the captures here. Ludin impales the stoneguard, and then KICKS it onto the hot coal 2 tiles back.


I really am pretty good at this game. I can almost always finish a wave with no injuries. It's just...the second wave that's really screwed me.


Another 280 varl join our ranks. We're at 1000 fighters between man and varl now.




Ludin's still going back for the gold. I wish we could pummel him in his stupid face, but no. We just threaten him if he doesn't stop.


Stupid jerk. Really good and necessary-in-combat character. But a jerk.




As we get closer to Ridgehorn, this happens. Uh...ok.


Between that vision and not being able to avoid Ridgehorn in favor of Grofheim, something's not quite right.


That tower in the background is Ridgehorn. But, uh...we're not getting there without a fight. Several, in fact. So let's get this one out of the way.
"OK," says Mogr. "I'll ready the warriors. Careful Hakon. This isn't the time to start taking risks.


This is a war battle, and one with very favorable placement. With them surrounded I can bomb the poo poo out of them with Yrsa, use splinter when I break armor, and have my warhawks and Hakon do adjacency damage with heavy impact.


Pictured: a stoneguard slamming the poo poo out of...another Stoneguard in an effort to get Gunnulf. Except that stoneguard that's going flying was impaled, so he takes a lot of strength damage (and will take more when he tries to walk back.)


You know the routine.


The reinforcements are pretty weak. And slow. And don't spawn in on a side where I can't react in time and let them get the first hit.


Still, Mogr with that +2 aggro thing is a magnet for all attacks. He tanked very well but eventually he succumbs.


Hah, nevermind. I suck. No deaths as a result, though, and we sleep off the injuries.


At least it's not as bad as it could have been if you hadn't taken out a good portion of them already, you think to yourself.
: Get the others ready to fight, Mogr.
With the warriors readied, you burst from the woods at full tilt, weapons and shields at the ready, battle cries on the wind. The dredge may have known you were coming but still found themselves surprised. As you cut one wide-eyed slag nearly in half, you bark orders and engage!


Despite failing the previous battle, we split enough dredge and kept enough varl alive that we have a significant numbers advantage. Enough that CHARGE! is actually a smart move here, and not the role playing move.


That's...a really lovely spawn. drat.


We split the party, Bersi can tempest the upper two to death, Mogr can tank the big guy while Gunnulf gets into position, and the others can impale, heavy impact, and ignite the grouped up slow stoneguards.


Piece of cake.


Wave 2 isn't bad at all, and most of our units are at full health.


Everyone remains standing, and I get the Eyeless Rift as my prize.


A flawless victory.


The closer we get to Ridgehorn, the more lightning we see. It's only striking the top of the tower.


Tons of lightning strikes later, we arrive at the abandoned fortress, Ridgehorn.


But nobody's here. No dredge. No varl. Nothing.


: What is this mess about? Looks like a full-scale battle happened, and recently.
: But only dredge bodies remain.
: Maybe we'll see something from the tower. Have varl search the buildings and make sure there's no dredge waiting to spring on us.
: On it.
: And don't set up camp or make a fire. We'll take a look and then get out of here before anything else goes wrong.
: You mean MORE wrong...


The Eyeless Rift is a nice little relic. Never getting deflected means we can make strength attacks (with exertion) against an enemy regardless of its armor and always connect. Good for units that don't have strength-guaranteed attacks AND have high exertion.
Which to be honest doesn't really describe anyone in this caravan. It'd be quite nice on Iver, though.


We take a war party up the tower.


We find a bunch of dredge slingers and one stoneguard.


Oh, and 2 dead humans right at the top middle of the screen, nearly obscured by the horn.


This battle is a bit of a pain because the tower has holes in it, and your giant varl have a tough time navigating around them. The smaller ranged units on the dredge side don't, and a lot of units get pretty injured before they can close in. Poor Mogr got picked apart and is now running away as best he can, for example.


Yrsa is SO worth leveling up.


Eventually Eirik puts down the last enemy.





Well, maybe this man will know what happened. But first we have to do some more fighting!


While we were up in the tower, somehow a SHITLOAD of dredge showed up.


There's no opportunity to rest between fights, so staying healthy in the tower fight is a necessity.


You can see Ubin carrying the sole survivor of whatever happened here in the background.

The battle itself is pretty straightforward. No clever positioning tactics.


It wasn't necessary, but Bersi's Eyeless Rift procs its crit cahnce and he does 15 damage (double strength) to some poor bastard.


Mogr's drawing TOO MUCH aggro with that item, I think.


Who needs Mogr, though?


Or Hakon?


So Hakon and Mogr are hurt, but everyone else emerges unscathed. I hope I get something good for my trouble.


Huh. Well...interesting. It's a -2 aggro item. Meaning you can make things NOT attack you. I guess that could be good for Yrsa. Or Bersi or Gunnulf--get them into melee range for a nice big tempest without getting maimed.


: What's going on?
: I had one eye on the fight. Next time I looked down dredge are swarming into the courtyard. Can't tell how many more are waiting out there.
: But it's a lot. If we're getting back across the bridge it'll be a fight.
: Any options?
: Not really. Unless you want to wade into that valley we're going to have to leave the same way we came in.
: Hakon, I think you should take a look at this.
Nearby, the man rescued from the tower had been bundled and laid near a short wall protected from the wind.
: I think that man is a mender.
: That raises more questions than it answers.
: That's right. I knew his look was familiar.
: The spell weavers? In Ridgehorn? Why?
: Maybe they knew something about what's happening. If he's going to tell us anything we need to get out of here alive. Let's go.
: Hold on. We've got a lot of tired and wounded, Hakon. This is going to be rough.

: Each day we wait means more dredge. Or another ambush. Or we get snowed in.
: A heavy snow may act in our favor if we can get past the first line of dredge and lose the rest.
: I agree for once. I don't have any intention of staying here.
: Er. Look. It's your call, Hakon...but we can't run on this one. There's one way out. If any varl fall...if ANYONE falls fighting here, they'll be left behind.
: Ludin, what would you do?
: You want my opinion? How unexpected. I think there's no point in waiting. Let the wounded ones fall behind. If you've got any sense we'll get out now before they bury the rest of us.
: OK. Let's prepare to fight.
: Good. That wasn't so hard, was it?

NOTE: Had we elected to rest, we'd be able to, but Ludin would piss and moan and try to fight his own way out. This will get him, Bersi, and Yrsa killed. You can avoid this by PUNCHING HIM IN HIS STUPID FACE and knocking him unconscious. You lose him for the next fight since he's incapacitated. But it keeps him alive, and Yrsa and Bersi will still fight for you.

: If we're doing this now, we need an approach. We can't just go up there swinging.


Nah, Mogr. We're going to go up there swinging.


None of the plans work particularly well. You want something done right? Do it yourself.


Fasolt will take the place of Hakon this fight. Mogr is still useful at -6 strength since he can still tank for a while. A maimed Hakon is pretty useless. Sure, he still has sundering impact to do guaranteed damage, but his armor is low enough that he'll probably die pretty quick.


The 2 16 strength big guys are a problem. As are the slingers who have pretty good strength and we won't be able to get to for a while.


I miscalculate and Gunnulf takes a nasty wound.


A slinger puts some explosives around Yrsa, but Ludin responds by killing the slinger. So they'll never detonate.


Gunnulf goes down.


Slingers are an enormous pain, as Fasolt learns.


Team Arberrang finishes things off, with Bersi, Ludin, and Yrsa.


You know what's happening here. Unlike other fights, though, I can swap out units and everyone starts fresh.


One last hurrah.


Gunnulf is pretty useless, and Fasolt is useless when NOT injured, so this is what we'll do. I toyed with just going with 5 party members, but Hakon's the leader!


Yrsa hits rank 5 before we start, though.


No slingers. This'll be easy.


Yep. Easy. Except for Mogr. But that's kind of what he does. Tanks until he dies.


We slaughter our way out of Ridgehorn and we're in the clear.


So in the clear, in fact...



That we just sorta fast travel to Grofheim.


Some time later, we're on the outskirts of the varl capital.


: Hakon, join me a moment. There's something I thought you'd want to see.
: Is it a welcoming party from Grofheim, bearing mead? That's about the only thing I want to see.
: No such luck. The mender from Ridgehorn woke up. He says his name is Eyvind.
: Sounds like a mender name. How is he?
Editor's Note: It's also the name of EYVIND EARLE, who did a lot of the old Disney artwork in the mid 20th century. The art style in this game is modeled after his work. I really want to get an Eyvind Earle print but his estate apparently never sold out and Eyvind Earle artwork is ludicrously expensive. A pity.

: Not well. Where are we?
: A day or two from Grofheim. We found you at the tower of Ridgehorn. What were you doing there?
: Grofheim...no. No, no, that's the wrong way. Juno. Where is she? Where's the woman who was with me?

: She didn't make it, my friend. We only brought the living with us.
: No, we have to go back.
: I don't think so. We barely made it out two weeks ago. Do you know why the dredge were crawling all over Ridgehorn?
: Dredge? WE HAVE TO GO BACK!
: It's a damned graveyard, boy! I'm sorry, Eyvind, the girl was dead when we got there! What we have to do is tell Jorundr what's happening and prepare for a bloody war, so if you...
: She is dead. I couldn't save her. I couldn't save her.
Eyvind suddenly looks spent. He slips to the ground and you motion for some varl to help him onto the cart.
: Not what I had hoped to hear. Not sure what I was hoping. Come on, Ubin. Sooner we get to Grofheim, the better.


Ubin narrates this next section, despite it being Hakon's caravan.


That's, uh...that's the varl capital.


And on that happy note, we're back to Rook's party next time!

FairGame fucked around with this message at 00:13 on Sep 18, 2018

TheGreatEvilKing
Mar 28, 2016





Yrsa is probably one of my most-used characters in this trilogy. Slag and Burn is so drat good.

I'll hold off on my thing until we finish Chapter 4.

ArcadePark
Feb 4, 2011

Damn it, It's all your fault!
Unpopular opinion: Ludin was in the right here:

quote:

: These are varl lands! We're facing an army of dredge! How much experience do you have in these matters?
: True, mankind has never provoked them into a war! You're going for a third! Is taunting the dredge into genocide a game for your kind?

Varl seems to be the "Axe First, Ask Later" kind of race.

Zanzibar Ham
Mar 17, 2009

You giving me the cold shoulder? How cruel.


Grimey Drawer

ArcadePark posted:

Unpopular opinion: Ludin was in the right here:


Varl seems to be the "Axe First, Axe Later" kind of race.

ftfy :black101:

kw0134
Apr 19, 2003

I buy feet pics🍆

Maybe I missed something but hasn't the sequence of events so far been, "varl/humans wandering around, minding their own business, DREDGE loving MURDER EVERYTHING, caravans desperately fight to avoid destruction" so I'm not sure what this whole "provoking" thing is coming from.

Zanzibar Ham
Mar 17, 2009

You giving me the cold shoulder? How cruel.


Grimey Drawer
I'm assuming things happened before the game started, and during game-time but in other regions.

FairGame
Jul 24, 2001

Der Kommander

Humans and varl fought bloody wars against one another.

Eventually the gods were like, "stop fighting you assholes" and created dredge so that man and varl would have a common enemy, as the dredge were too strong for either side to vanquish independently.

The two sides took a long rear end time to form an alliance, and both sides blame the other for the arrival of this virtually unstoppable enemy.

Add in the fact that varl live for centuries, and varl remember what ACTUALLY happened. Whereas dredge are just fairy tale boogymen to most living humans, and interlinked with "the varl made the dredge happen."

Plus Ludin is just kind of a dick.

Mechanical Ape
Aug 7, 2007

But yes, occasionally I am known to smash.

kw0134 posted:

Maybe I missed something but hasn't the sequence of events so far been, "varl/humans wandering around, minding their own business, DREDGE loving MURDER EVERYTHING, caravans desperately fight to avoid destruction" so I'm not sure what this whole "provoking" thing is coming from.

There have been previous dredge incursions in history (years before the game started) and I guess humans blame the varl, rightly or wrongly, for provoking at least one of those.

There's a lot of lore in TBS but it's parceled out in bits and pieces. Heck, there's a lot to learn just from the map if you're willing to spend half an hour clicking on everything.

Gologle
Apr 15, 2013

The Gologle Posting Experience.

<3
It took me a long time to understand that weird dream Hakon had (like, I was in the 3rd and last game before it finally clicked), but saying anything now would be a spoiler so an explanation will have to wait. To be fair, the game never actually tells you the deal with it, but you can make a good inference.

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Sankara
Jul 18, 2008


I never put that Eyvind reference together, despite loving his work! How shameful of me.

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