Up in the North, the ponies have successfully found who, or rather, what was damaging the mine. But their quest is not over, as they go to look for the source of the trouble. In Baltimare, Iron, Silver, and Dark Star enjoy the fruits of defeating the cultists, while Midnight herds the remaining rescues.
We welcome any new players to join
/vx/ - Videogames and Paranormal
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1753 replies and 41 files omitted.
>>127104
"I don't know, precisely. I know they were smuggling in numbers of Maar worshipers fleeing the Inquisition in Griffonia. The process was disrupted by the naval blockade, sure, but it would have picked up again once the blockade ended. I know they were trying to recruit Baltimare's own alienated lower classes - natives and immigrants alike - into their numbers, and many of them did indeed join. I know they were trying to rebuild from when their numbers had been cut down before. I know that they were offering sacrifices to Maar. Sapient, talking creatures. They found an almost endless, untraceable supply of sacrifices in the great numbers of intercontinental migrants who enter Equestria unknown and unregistered to any local authority. They sought to gain followers the same way, and recruited criminal enterprises to aid in this process. I know they were going to sacrifice at minimum two tonight, likely three, ribs sawed through and cut open while still alive. I have to assume this is a regular process, at least every lunar cycle, and I have to assume it would have continued, perhaps growing as the chapter grew. I know that they were able to summon demons from beyond to fight for them, to raise the dead and to control the living as if they were puppets. I have no idea if they ended to summon some dark power to invade Equestria, or to subvert authorities. But I can say with certainty they were trying to grow their chapter. Two new inductees tonight, one from the Heartlands, one from Baltimare, and who knows how many new followers of Maar there would have been in the future, how many new sacrifices...."
He looks back to Dark Star
"Maar worship is an ancient practice and a very evil one. But this creature trafficking... this is a very new evil. And the two allied to compliment the other"
\r
"I don't know, precisely. I know they were smuggling in numbers of Maar worshipers fleeing the Inquisition in Griffonia. The process was disrupted by the naval blockade, sure, but it would have picked up again once the blockade ended. I know they were trying to recruit Baltimare's own alienated lower classes - natives and immigrants alike - into their numbers, and many of them did indeed join. I know they were trying to rebuild from when their numbers had been cut down before. I know that they were offering sacrifices to Maar. Sapient, talking creatures. They found an almost endless, untraceable supply of sacrifices in the great numbers of intercontinental migrants who enter Equestria unknown and unregistered to any local authority. They sought to gain followers the same way, and recruited criminal enterprises to aid in this process. I know they were going to sacrifice at minimum two tonight, likely three, ribs sawed through and cut open while still alive. I have to assume this is a regular process, at least every lunar cycle, and I have to assume it would have continued, perhaps growing as the chapter grew. I know that they were able to summon demons from beyond to fight for them, to raise the dead and to control the living as if they were puppets. I have no idea if they ended to summon some dark power to invade Equestria, or to subvert authorities. But I can say with certainty they were trying to grow their chapter. Two new inductees tonight, one from the Heartlands, one from Baltimare, and who knows how many new followers of Maar there would have been in the future, how many new sacrifices...."
He looks back to Dark Star
"Maar worship is an ancient practice and a very evil one. But this creature trafficking... this is a very new evil. And the two allied to compliment the other"
\r
>>127105
Every time you say that name, i picture bill mahr as an interstellar demon making deals with ponies
"I See....Are There Likly other enclaves of these degenerates?"
He Asks looking increasingly uncomfortable
Every time you say that name, i picture bill mahr as an interstellar demon making deals with ponies
"I See....Are There Likly other enclaves of these degenerates?"
He Asks looking increasingly uncomfortable
>>127106
"In Equestria? I don't know. Fillydelphia, Manehattan, and New Mareland have large populations of griffons and other non-pony creatures. If there aren't already chapters there, they may spring up later. There are almost certainly other chapters in Griffonia, especially in places that have driven out their Arcturian chapters. Equestria is well known to have its own native cultists - The Nightmare moon worshipers among its bat populations, and others. Equestria used to have its own Inquisition to that end, before eventually shutting down. I can say though, Boek's associates in that unhallowed chapter seemed to belong to traditions neither Griffonian nor Equestrian, but rather Zebrican. The devil worshipers of the Kaftar gnolls. The voodoo practitioners among the Zebras. All this, as well as a Maarite Black Knight."
\r
"In Equestria? I don't know. Fillydelphia, Manehattan, and New Mareland have large populations of griffons and other non-pony creatures. If there aren't already chapters there, they may spring up later. There are almost certainly other chapters in Griffonia, especially in places that have driven out their Arcturian chapters. Equestria is well known to have its own native cultists - The Nightmare moon worshipers among its bat populations, and others. Equestria used to have its own Inquisition to that end, before eventually shutting down. I can say though, Boek's associates in that unhallowed chapter seemed to belong to traditions neither Griffonian nor Equestrian, but rather Zebrican. The devil worshipers of the Kaftar gnolls. The voodoo practitioners among the Zebras. All this, as well as a Maarite Black Knight."
\r
>>127108
He nods to Dark Star, before answering the question, as if to say "Yes, I will tell you"
"Most segments of Griffonian society, historically at least, have included a warrior class, usually military service given in exchange for title to land. A knightly class. And so too do religious monastic orders create their own military orders of knights. The Knights of Arcturus are well known throughout Griffonia. My paternal line comes from them, in fact. And the Maarites, in their desire create perverse mirrors of everything holy, and defile it... they create Knights of Maar. They have not been common as Maarites have not often held enough land and power. But they have persuaded knights to join them, and they have occasionally taken hold a fief or so, and when they do, the same tradition rears its head of wearing wicked heraldry and black iron armor. They keep it alive in hiding. And one of those alleged knights without a fief came over to here."
He nods to Dark Star, before answering the question, as if to say "Yes, I will tell you"
"Most segments of Griffonian society, historically at least, have included a warrior class, usually military service given in exchange for title to land. A knightly class. And so too do religious monastic orders create their own military orders of knights. The Knights of Arcturus are well known throughout Griffonia. My paternal line comes from them, in fact. And the Maarites, in their desire create perverse mirrors of everything holy, and defile it... they create Knights of Maar. They have not been common as Maarites have not often held enough land and power. But they have persuaded knights to join them, and they have occasionally taken hold a fief or so, and when they do, the same tradition rears its head of wearing wicked heraldry and black iron armor. They keep it alive in hiding. And one of those alleged knights without a fief came over to here."
>>127110
"No, he was there, fighting for Boek. He did quite a lot of damage on the young grey pony, before the latter tripped him. Then the old unicorn finished him off... Dark magic reanimated him. Made him a puppet of Boek. But he was put down a second time."
"No, he was there, fighting for Boek. He did quite a lot of damage on the young grey pony, before the latter tripped him. Then the old unicorn finished him off... Dark magic reanimated him. Made him a puppet of Boek. But he was put down a second time."
>>127112
He nods again
"Very much so"
Blue Skies, who must have entered the room earlier, now quietly moves around Johann, and stands between the two
He nods again
"Very much so"
Blue Skies, who must have entered the room earlier, now quietly moves around Johann, and stands between the two
>>127114
She silents takes a glass, and holds it up
Johann turns to her and smiles
"Hello"
"Hello" she responds, with her mischievous smile. Then she looks back to Dark Star as she takes a drink
She silents takes a glass, and holds it up
Johann turns to her and smiles
"Hello"
"Hello" she responds, with her mischievous smile. Then she looks back to Dark Star as she takes a drink
>>127116
Are they still disguised? I'm autistic and I get confused whenever two posts go by without a physical description
Are they still disguised? I'm autistic and I get confused whenever two posts go by without a physical description
>>127120
"Because it's made in the Republic of Skyfall to a company owned there"
She takes another sip
"And we don't trade with Skyfall"
"Because it's made in the Republic of Skyfall to a company owned there"
She takes another sip
"And we don't trade with Skyfall"
>>127122
"Maybe... if there is a market for it in the New Mareland Customs Union. And if someone had the recipe..."
She takes another drink, looks over to Johann, and smiles. He too, took a drink
"Maybe... if there is a market for it in the New Mareland Customs Union. And if someone had the recipe..."
She takes another drink, looks over to Johann, and smiles. He too, took a drink
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>>127125
She shrugs, with her eyes closed
"Something to consider"
She smiles to Dark Star in her mischievous way as she takes another drink
She shrugs, with her eyes closed
"Something to consider"
She smiles to Dark Star in her mischievous way as she takes another drink
>>127122
>>127124
Also, anyone with a basic knowledge of brewing/distillation can tell you that it's impossible. The reason why drinks from specific areas are prized for their flavor is because of a complex system of criteria involving climate, soil, and grain. Even if you were to replicate all these somehow then there's the issue of the process of making the mash (the ale-like yeasty substance which whiskey is made from) and of distilling. Finally the alcohol is kept in venerable barrels that impart the unique aroma of aged wood into the final product. This is why some liquor can cost ten times as much as other brands.
Glass would be well aware of all this as a bartender.
>>127124
Also, anyone with a basic knowledge of brewing/distillation can tell you that it's impossible. The reason why drinks from specific areas are prized for their flavor is because of a complex system of criteria involving climate, soil, and grain. Even if you were to replicate all these somehow then there's the issue of the process of making the mash (the ale-like yeasty substance which whiskey is made from) and of distilling. Finally the alcohol is kept in venerable barrels that impart the unique aroma of aged wood into the final product. This is why some liquor can cost ten times as much as other brands.
Glass would be well aware of all this as a bartender.
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>>127126
Dark Star looks to johann..
"Its getting late. i think i'm going to retire."
He Looks over at mr glass
"Mr glass.i would like enough rooms for my friends that i brought in tonight."
Dark Star looks to johann..
"Its getting late. i think i'm going to retire."
He Looks over at mr glass
"Mr glass.i would like enough rooms for my friends that i brought in tonight."
>>127130
Glistening Glass had retreated from the scene shortly after providing the apple whiskey, but he may be summoned again. Reentering the room from the back, he says to Dark Star,
"Well, the purple Pegasus pony bought a room. I gave him the one for my bartender, who hasn't come back and hasn't worked his shift. That red... hippogriff, I think she is, has wondered off. But I could get another room, for ya"
Glistening Glass had retreated from the scene shortly after providing the apple whiskey, but he may be summoned again. Reentering the room from the back, he says to Dark Star,
"Well, the purple Pegasus pony bought a room. I gave him the one for my bartender, who hasn't come back and hasn't worked his shift. That red... hippogriff, I think she is, has wondered off. But I could get another room, for ya"
>>127131
"Thank you,Mr.Glass."
He looks over at johann
"Have a Good night."
He shakes the Inquisitors Claw
"Thank you,Mr.Glass."
He looks over at johann
"Have a Good night."
He shakes the Inquisitors Claw
I will be free tomorrow.
[i]cuddles griffin
Btw, I'll make life easy for you. As of >>118276 → Dark Star has 3 bottles of that deluxe whiskey (1 he picked up and 2 he came back for, evading an inquisitive zebra). Silver picked up as many as he could, perhaps the whole case. >>118905 → Seems like most of it was wasted making firebombs, though they chugged it beforehand like college grads. It's enough to potentially make my future character throw a fit.
Is it a good idea to keep a text file keeping track of current inventory as well as health, etc.?
Going back I found a lot of ugly drama. Oh lawdy the drama. I won't say any more about it, just that I hope it doesn't return (probably won't, because the players have matured).
>>127139
Two exhausted, biologically incompatible creatures who ought to be in a hospital cuddle each other
Is it a good idea to keep a text file keeping track of current inventory as well as health, etc.?
Going back I found a lot of ugly drama. Oh lawdy the drama. I won't say any more about it, just that I hope it doesn't return (probably won't, because the players have matured).
>>127139
Two exhausted, biologically incompatible creatures who ought to be in a hospital cuddle each other
>>127141
I should probably delete the drama
Probably should keep track of inventory
Hey, I'm counting Midnight's health checks and the medical equipment they used as as good as a hospital, or almost
I should probably delete the drama
Probably should keep track of inventory
Hey, I'm counting Midnight's health checks and the medical equipment they used as as good as a hospital, or almost
>>127145
Ironically I think my character will be the only one in all of Baltimare who doesn't suffer from severe PTSD.
Ironically I think my character will be the only one in all of Baltimare who doesn't suffer from severe PTSD.
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>>127147
Maaaybe, but their type of horror is being isolated in essentially a hostile land with rumors of windigos. They're not being cut to ribbons every other day or seeing other creatures get horrendously tortured, and the friends they make don't have PTSD to the same extent. The Baltimare group's Dionysian attitude toward life is actually quite understandable when you realize what they've gone through in just a week (though it's been a year outside the game).
Maaaybe, but their type of horror is being isolated in essentially a hostile land with rumors of windigos. They're not being cut to ribbons every other day or seeing other creatures get horrendously tortured, and the friends they make don't have PTSD to the same extent. The Baltimare group's Dionysian attitude toward life is actually quite understandable when you realize what they've gone through in just a week (though it's been a year outside the game).
>>127148
Well, maybe they haven't gone through quite what the southern group has, but I wouldn't discount the 'Purple Harvest,' nor the year or so long war of attrition, nor the repression afterwards. Or all of the events we see in the show, like Tirek and Discord
Iron and Silver cashing in on the gratitude of the female rescues, I am pretty sure is typical for liberators in time of war
Well, maybe they haven't gone through quite what the southern group has, but I wouldn't discount the 'Purple Harvest,' nor the year or so long war of attrition, nor the repression afterwards. Or all of the events we see in the show, like Tirek and Discord
Iron and Silver cashing in on the gratitude of the female rescues, I am pretty sure is typical for liberators in time of war
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>>127149
True and losing family and homes in the war seems to be a common, realistic theme. Even taking into account these common yet tough tragedies, we can count off what's gone on in the last week:
Pretty much everypony except Blue Skies, Meadows, and Undertoe (maybe I'm missing another major NPC) has been starved, shot, stabbed, shocked, scorched, socked, soul-sucked, or otherwise suffered severely enough to nearly have their lives flash before their eyes. I'm not too sure about how medicine canonically works: mechanically of course hitpoints can be instantly restored but, as we know from the show some injuries take a more realistic time to heal. Players of course act as if they're right as rain immediately, which is to be expected since role-playing limping and moaning gets tedious and a mechanical debuff would be frustrating if not dangerous. I personally lean towards a compromise between vidya health and "you broke a leg so you're now helpless for six weeks" by having first aid and health pots giving a "quick fix" but the wounds still requiring professional/magical attention afterwards to heal properly. That's just my headcanon I use to fit the "realistic" tone of the game.
Silver, who admittedly is the most solid mentally of the group has had to rescue colts from a pedophile, has gotten into an emotionally charged argument with said colts, has had some bad blood with his friend Dark Star probably some guilt too, has gone alone into a desolate cellar haunted with abominations that could kill him in one hit, has had demonic visions, and all this on top of both the Hoebuck shenanigans and reminders of losing his family. He's a tough pony but it's a little much even for him.
Iron who is mentally still somewhat of an adolescent was mentally raped, has had to deal with adult concerns of finance, romance and family for the first time, has a divinely-ordained mission that could spell disaster, and has witnessed the barbarity of see-vee-liz-ation that exceeds even the stereotypes of tribals.
Dark Star despite all his "woe is me" monologues ironically has had it the best, as he only got shot nearly to death once.
Midnight and Jubilosa had an emotional altercation where the former did an American cop maneuver on a fleeing suspect, which was quite not lawful good of her and which horrified poor Jubilosa. Fortunately that particular griffon didn't die, and despite her lack of a medical license she stabilized the would-be sacrifices, but what if things had turned out differently?
Jubilosa for her part was kept chained up in a corner opposite a colt and was treated quite poorly, though the realization of what could have happened to her should strike her. She's a member of a proud people and wrings her claws over how her kind is associated with Maarists as she dwells in an unwelcoming land. The graphic slaughter of griffons around her and the horrible secrets uncovered must haunt her for some time to come.
Meadows was drained to the point where she was confronted with apparently permanent damage until a pretty obvious quick fix was used. She was kept away from the worst of it all otherwise (along with Laputa) and is probably the happiest of the bunch.
"White Sands" was forcefed like a goose and sucked the love out of a ponies to an extent that disgusts even changelings. Although her thirst for revenge was sated she has to worry about her tender secret being uncovered.
Khoi Lua (great pun on Kahlua, btw) is as much a stranger to Equestria as anyone else and feels trapped between the horror there and failure back home. She unwillingly keeps silent regarding a hated changeling and has been generally neglected, even by Iron.
Undertoe has been heavily implied to be the unwilling consort of Maakie with all the implications and emotional baggage that entails. She's also burdened alone with this as the players have largely neglected her. Not that Silver or Iron likely have the finesse to handle her issues.
Mala has to deal with his past and the likelihood he's never going to be accepted by others anyway, and he likely is somewhat sociopathic.
Johann is Johann. He'll get over it as long as he has a gun, a cigar, and some whiskey from Griffonia.
The freed prisoners were stuck in dark, dirty tiny cells, often without plumbing. All the aforementioned characters had to witness secret murder that would impress even H.H. Holmes, cannibalism, griffon Satan being real, literal demons and possession, creatures burning alive, pony vivisections, and their new comrades practically turned into bloody heaps. Many of them had to fight and kill in a brutal fashion for the first time, some creatures they killed being accomplices but not willing combatants.
My personal recommendation is to let the players/characters unwind a little bit with a vacation and minor quests. It's both thematically accurate (with those results even Blue Skies would say they've earned it) and it allows time to be sped up a bit so there are a couple of weeks until the next mission (character development!). Maybe after Baltimare is "cleared" of its worst elements there can be transfer to a new city? Manehattan's been hinted at as an even wilder place. I'm sure whatever direction you take this next will be thrilling.
Btw, kudos for running the game with far more than the ideal number of players. It is undoubtably very high effort both in handling multiple parties and in balancing encounters yet it still looks fun and (mostly) discernible. I also like how you use the NPCs to provide IC moral pressure if the PCs act a bit irrational, but there are so many NPCs now that it's hard to for players to interact with them all adequately (I plan to help with this upon joining). Each character feels realistic and compelling which is highly impressive for a game of this scale.
True and losing family and homes in the war seems to be a common, realistic theme. Even taking into account these common yet tough tragedies, we can count off what's gone on in the last week:
Pretty much everypony except Blue Skies, Meadows, and Undertoe (maybe I'm missing another major NPC) has been starved, shot, stabbed, shocked, scorched, socked, soul-sucked, or otherwise suffered severely enough to nearly have their lives flash before their eyes. I'm not too sure about how medicine canonically works: mechanically of course hitpoints can be instantly restored but, as we know from the show some injuries take a more realistic time to heal. Players of course act as if they're right as rain immediately, which is to be expected since role-playing limping and moaning gets tedious and a mechanical debuff would be frustrating if not dangerous. I personally lean towards a compromise between vidya health and "you broke a leg so you're now helpless for six weeks" by having first aid and health pots giving a "quick fix" but the wounds still requiring professional/magical attention afterwards to heal properly. That's just my headcanon I use to fit the "realistic" tone of the game.
Silver, who admittedly is the most solid mentally of the group has had to rescue colts from a pedophile, has gotten into an emotionally charged argument with said colts, has had some bad blood with his friend Dark Star probably some guilt too, has gone alone into a desolate cellar haunted with abominations that could kill him in one hit, has had demonic visions, and all this on top of both the Hoebuck shenanigans and reminders of losing his family. He's a tough pony but it's a little much even for him.
Iron who is mentally still somewhat of an adolescent was mentally raped, has had to deal with adult concerns of finance, romance and family for the first time, has a divinely-ordained mission that could spell disaster, and has witnessed the barbarity of see-vee-liz-ation that exceeds even the stereotypes of tribals.
Dark Star despite all his "woe is me" monologues ironically has had it the best, as he only got shot nearly to death once.
Midnight and Jubilosa had an emotional altercation where the former did an American cop maneuver on a fleeing suspect, which was quite not lawful good of her and which horrified poor Jubilosa. Fortunately that particular griffon didn't die, and despite her lack of a medical license she stabilized the would-be sacrifices, but what if things had turned out differently?
Jubilosa for her part was kept chained up in a corner opposite a colt and was treated quite poorly, though the realization of what could have happened to her should strike her. She's a member of a proud people and wrings her claws over how her kind is associated with Maarists as she dwells in an unwelcoming land. The graphic slaughter of griffons around her and the horrible secrets uncovered must haunt her for some time to come.
Meadows was drained to the point where she was confronted with apparently permanent damage until a pretty obvious quick fix was used. She was kept away from the worst of it all otherwise (along with Laputa) and is probably the happiest of the bunch.
"White Sands" was forcefed like a goose and sucked the love out of a ponies to an extent that disgusts even changelings. Although her thirst for revenge was sated she has to worry about her tender secret being uncovered.
Khoi Lua (great pun on Kahlua, btw) is as much a stranger to Equestria as anyone else and feels trapped between the horror there and failure back home. She unwillingly keeps silent regarding a hated changeling and has been generally neglected, even by Iron.
Undertoe has been heavily implied to be the unwilling consort of Maakie with all the implications and emotional baggage that entails. She's also burdened alone with this as the players have largely neglected her. Not that Silver or Iron likely have the finesse to handle her issues.
Mala has to deal with his past and the likelihood he's never going to be accepted by others anyway, and he likely is somewhat sociopathic.
Johann is Johann. He'll get over it as long as he has a gun, a cigar, and some whiskey from Griffonia.
The freed prisoners were stuck in dark, dirty tiny cells, often without plumbing. All the aforementioned characters had to witness secret murder that would impress even H.H. Holmes, cannibalism, griffon Satan being real, literal demons and possession, creatures burning alive, pony vivisections, and their new comrades practically turned into bloody heaps. Many of them had to fight and kill in a brutal fashion for the first time, some creatures they killed being accomplices but not willing combatants.
My personal recommendation is to let the players/characters unwind a little bit with a vacation and minor quests. It's both thematically accurate (with those results even Blue Skies would say they've earned it) and it allows time to be sped up a bit so there are a couple of weeks until the next mission (character development!). Maybe after Baltimare is "cleared" of its worst elements there can be transfer to a new city? Manehattan's been hinted at as an even wilder place. I'm sure whatever direction you take this next will be thrilling.
Btw, kudos for running the game with far more than the ideal number of players. It is undoubtably very high effort both in handling multiple parties and in balancing encounters yet it still looks fun and (mostly) discernible. I also like how you use the NPCs to provide IC moral pressure if the PCs act a bit irrational, but there are so many NPCs now that it's hard to for players to interact with them all adequately (I plan to help with this upon joining). Each character feels realistic and compelling which is highly impressive for a game of this scale.
>>127149
I've finally caught up with everything. I'm probably the only anon who's read the whole story front to back in a relatively short time and so I probably have the best idea of the plot apart from the GM himself. I recommend lurkers to not read the 50000+ posts themselves but to ask questions instead. Where's Swedanon? We all miss him.
I've finally caught up with everything. I'm probably the only anon who's read the whole story front to back in a relatively short time and so I probably have the best idea of the plot apart from the GM himself. I recommend lurkers to not read the 50000+ posts themselves but to ask questions instead. Where's Swedanon? We all miss him.
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>>127150
Wow...
That's quite a detailed analysis. Thank you for paying that much attention to everything I've written over this past year
>>127151
Well that's very good. Are you sure you want to wait until summer to play? Couldn't hurt that much...
As for Swedeanon, I guess he just decided not to play. I am pretty sure he's the guy who's commonly on the writing threads on the main board, and more likely than not he's the guy who mentioned something about wanting to start his own campaign. If I had to take a guess, the relatively frequent sessions scared him off.
Wow...
That's quite a detailed analysis. Thank you for paying that much attention to everything I've written over this past year
>>127151
Well that's very good. Are you sure you want to wait until summer to play? Couldn't hurt that much...
As for Swedeanon, I guess he just decided not to play. I am pretty sure he's the guy who's commonly on the writing threads on the main board, and more likely than not he's the guy who mentioned something about wanting to start his own campaign. If I had to take a guess, the relatively frequent sessions scared him off.
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>>127152
You're welcome. That I want to sperg out over the nuances of your writing is a sign that it's good fiction. It may not be formal fiction but it's good fiction. I may not know much about DnD but it's quite obvious that the bar for a campaign, particularly an imaginative one like this, is set by the GM, and that is by far the hardest role. Interesting players are as necessary as an interesting GM of course, but the latter is much harder and defined by the limits of storywriting and all the pressure's on him. I think you've earned a bit of appreciation for keeping this up for a couple of years. Just don't let this get to your head.
Very likely I'll join before summer, sometime in early May if I'm optimistic. I don't need to get all my schoolwork done, but I have a couple of reports that can be written either now or then and only so much procrastination is justifiable. This is also why I suggested an in-game vacation totally not for selfish reasons.
Yeah, I wish writefags would join because it's the perfect atmosphere for creativity. I've actually considered making a crossover game of MLP and SS13 but that's overly ambitious if I've never played TT before.
You're welcome. That I want to sperg out over the nuances of your writing is a sign that it's good fiction. It may not be formal fiction but it's good fiction. I may not know much about DnD but it's quite obvious that the bar for a campaign, particularly an imaginative one like this, is set by the GM, and that is by far the hardest role. Interesting players are as necessary as an interesting GM of course, but the latter is much harder and defined by the limits of storywriting and all the pressure's on him. I think you've earned a bit of appreciation for keeping this up for a couple of years. Just don't let this get to your head.
Very likely I'll join before summer, sometime in early May if I'm optimistic. I don't need to get all my schoolwork done, but I have a couple of reports that can be written either now or then and only so much procrastination is justifiable. This is also why I suggested an in-game vacation totally not for selfish reasons.
Yeah, I wish writefags would join because it's the perfect atmosphere for creativity. I've actually considered making a crossover game of MLP and SS13 but that's overly ambitious if I've never played TT before.
>>127154
Brie's either going to become a legendary spymaster or become pony Joker. However, he was compelled at one point to speak the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth and essentially swore allegiance to the changelings so how he'll do that and not come into conflict with the rest of the party will be interesting. Chaotic-neutral really is the best alignment. His character is something like Daud from Dishonored.
Brie's either going to become a legendary spymaster or become pony Joker. However, he was compelled at one point to speak the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth and essentially swore allegiance to the changelings so how he'll do that and not come into conflict with the rest of the party will be interesting. Chaotic-neutral really is the best alignment. His character is something like Daud from Dishonored.
>>127155
>Spymaster
>Pony Joker
Can't it be both? Besides, when one operates outside the law and social constructs, what can be seen as acting in the best interests of one or more groups (even those sworn to) is open to interpretation. Not into vidya so I'll have to look up Daud, but otherwise I agree. This is my first Chaotic-Neutral character ever (I've done varieties of Evil before tho), and I'm quite enjoying the 0-fucks given mentality
>Spymaster
>Pony Joker
Can't it be both? Besides, when one operates outside the law and social constructs, what can be seen as acting in the best interests of one or more groups (even those sworn to) is open to interpretation. Not into vidya so I'll have to look up Daud, but otherwise I agree. This is my first Chaotic-Neutral character ever (I've done varieties of Evil before tho), and I'm quite enjoying the 0-fucks given mentality
>>127150
I'm admittedly quite surprised you've managed to extract so much more information out of the characters present.
Fuck, has Iron really neglected Khoi? Really didn't want it to come out that way, but bugs completely normal unicorns are a lot needier than I expected, meaning I'll have to keep her at forelegs length while I sort out the bugs' wants, needs and desires in a case-by-case basis for Iron to tackle
...not particularly sure if I should say the above OOC, but your analysis does enlighten some facts for me, so I suppose I can excuse it as more of a direct appraisal of your compilation, regarding it as helpful.
I'm admittedly quite surprised you've managed to extract so much more information out of the characters present.
Fuck, has Iron really neglected Khoi? Really didn't want it to come out that way, but bugs completely normal unicorns are a lot needier than I expected, meaning I'll have to keep her at forelegs length while I sort out the bugs' wants, needs and desires in a case-by-case basis for Iron to tackle
...not particularly sure if I should say the above OOC, but your analysis does enlighten some facts for me, so I suppose I can excuse it as more of a direct appraisal of your compilation, regarding it as helpful.
>>127157
I'd become a writer if socialism wasn't an existential threat.
Don't feel bad, having so many NPCs makes it hard to interact with them all. Also Iron is behaving realistically in being enamored with a changeling who wants to hog him away from the others, especially Khoi. I think behaving realistically is the best way to play, as long as it doesn't permanently derail the GM's grand plan.
Of course the other NPCs need attention but if the next couple of threads are more laid-back then it's not urgent and we'll get time for them. If I'm really needed then I could join early to fill the gaps in character interaction.
I'd become a writer if socialism wasn't an existential threat.
Don't feel bad, having so many NPCs makes it hard to interact with them all. Also Iron is behaving realistically in being enamored with a changeling who wants to hog him away from the others, especially Khoi. I think behaving realistically is the best way to play, as long as it doesn't permanently derail the GM's grand plan.
Of course the other NPCs need attention but if the next couple of threads are more laid-back then it's not urgent and we'll get time for them. If I'm really needed then I could join early to fill the gaps in character interaction.
Alright, I'm'a make some responses
>>127150
>Pretty much everypony except Blue Skies, Meadows, and Undertoe (maybe I'm missing another major NPC) has been starved, shot, stabbed, shocked, scorched, socked, soul-sucked...
While the amount of time Meadows was in the cocoon is ambigious, and thus perhaps not within the "past week" requirement you set out, she's definitely been starved and soul-sucked recently. She also would likely have been one of the creatures on the altar had Dark Star and Silver not disabled the gnolls and griffins who would have carried her, forcing them to find replacements from elsewhere. While Undertoe didn't get burned like Khoi, Zwolf, or Jubilosa because she knows how to make use of cover, she was certainly shot at and was prominent in the shooting.
>Dark Star despite all his "woe is me" monologues ironically has had it the best, as he only got shot nearly to death once
Don't understate the importance of the one time. It's the closest any character - besides Iron in both the Run Through the Jungle and Hoebuck, has come to dying, with maybe 2 hit-points remaining and certainly a single bullet away. All of this down from full health in a single encounter.
>Midnight and Jubilosa had an emotional altercation where the former did an American cop maneuver on a fleeing suspect, which was quite not lawful good of her and which horrified poor Jubilosa. Fortunately that particular griffon didn't die
I'm glad you caught that one. The griffin was female, unarmed (though she probably had one of those knives) and was trying to run past Midnight, who indifferently stabbed her and struck her down, and did not want to do administer first aid thereafter. I placed this griffin in the group of possible savable enemies because I felt kind of bad for her. (Note that in D&D, and in real life for that matter, being downed doesn't mean an enemy is dead, it means that they are disabled and have a very real chance of dying of blood loss in the next minute or so, so it only makes sense that players have the opportunity to stop "downed" enemies from dying). Realistically, the griffin that Mala chased down and mauled for a minute or so should probably have been counted as still alive, albeit with a half-eaten face and bites on the neck, but I didn't exactly want to "take the kill away" from Mala. Being mauled is rarely fatal, or when it is, it's not instantly fatal.
> a member of a proud people and wrings her claws over how her kind is associated with Maarists as she dwells in an unwelcoming land
This is all true, but there is an additional layer to it beyond that. Not only are the Maarists not something she wants her griffin-hood associated with, but they come from a completely different culture - The Griffonian Empire, which invaded Jubilosa's country centuries before, was a hated occupier, and was eventually driven out through resistance, so she absolutely does not want the ponies to mentally associate her with griffins that she knows come from the Empire, even before Jubilosa knows that these Griffins are cultists
>Khoi Lua has been generally neglected
I know... And at the beginning I thought she'd be the most waifuable. I think her personality makes her a bit less likable than other creatures like Jubilosa or Meadows, which is why she's been passed up by every single character in favor of somecreature else
>Undertoe is burdened alone with this as the players have largely neglected her
This makes me sad
>Mala has to deal with the likelihood he's never going to be accepted by others anyway
This also makes me sad
>Johann is Johann. He'll get over it as long as he has a gun, a cigar, and some whiskey from Griffonia
This makes me kek
>Maybe after Baltimare is "cleared" of its worst elements there can be transfer to a new city? Manehattan's been hinted at as an even wilder place
I'm wondering if I should comment on that...
>>127153
D'aww. Thanks
>>127155
>Brie swore allegiance to the changelings so how he'll do that and not come into conflict with the rest of the party will be interesting
Yes, this will interesting indeed
>>127155
>>127156
>Chaotic Neutral
>>127157
Leaving Khoi for the night seemed ill advised, as it left her vulnerable to be taken by both Dark Star and Silver. It turns out they both preferred other creatures, and neither of them said a single word to Khoi
>>127159
If behaving realistically de-rails a GM's master plan, then something has gone very wrong
\r
>>127150
>Pretty much everypony except Blue Skies, Meadows, and Undertoe (maybe I'm missing another major NPC) has been starved, shot, stabbed, shocked, scorched, socked, soul-sucked...
While the amount of time Meadows was in the cocoon is ambigious, and thus perhaps not within the "past week" requirement you set out, she's definitely been starved and soul-sucked recently. She also would likely have been one of the creatures on the altar had Dark Star and Silver not disabled the gnolls and griffins who would have carried her, forcing them to find replacements from elsewhere. While Undertoe didn't get burned like Khoi, Zwolf, or Jubilosa because she knows how to make use of cover, she was certainly shot at and was prominent in the shooting.
>Dark Star despite all his "woe is me" monologues ironically has had it the best, as he only got shot nearly to death once
Don't understate the importance of the one time. It's the closest any character - besides Iron in both the Run Through the Jungle and Hoebuck, has come to dying, with maybe 2 hit-points remaining and certainly a single bullet away. All of this down from full health in a single encounter.
>Midnight and Jubilosa had an emotional altercation where the former did an American cop maneuver on a fleeing suspect, which was quite not lawful good of her and which horrified poor Jubilosa. Fortunately that particular griffon didn't die
I'm glad you caught that one. The griffin was female, unarmed (though she probably had one of those knives) and was trying to run past Midnight, who indifferently stabbed her and struck her down, and did not want to do administer first aid thereafter. I placed this griffin in the group of possible savable enemies because I felt kind of bad for her. (Note that in D&D, and in real life for that matter, being downed doesn't mean an enemy is dead, it means that they are disabled and have a very real chance of dying of blood loss in the next minute or so, so it only makes sense that players have the opportunity to stop "downed" enemies from dying). Realistically, the griffin that Mala chased down and mauled for a minute or so should probably have been counted as still alive, albeit with a half-eaten face and bites on the neck, but I didn't exactly want to "take the kill away" from Mala. Being mauled is rarely fatal, or when it is, it's not instantly fatal.
> a member of a proud people and wrings her claws over how her kind is associated with Maarists as she dwells in an unwelcoming land
This is all true, but there is an additional layer to it beyond that. Not only are the Maarists not something she wants her griffin-hood associated with, but they come from a completely different culture - The Griffonian Empire, which invaded Jubilosa's country centuries before, was a hated occupier, and was eventually driven out through resistance, so she absolutely does not want the ponies to mentally associate her with griffins that she knows come from the Empire, even before Jubilosa knows that these Griffins are cultists
>Khoi Lua has been generally neglected
I know... And at the beginning I thought she'd be the most waifuable. I think her personality makes her a bit less likable than other creatures like Jubilosa or Meadows, which is why she's been passed up by every single character in favor of somecreature else
>Undertoe is burdened alone with this as the players have largely neglected her
This makes me sad
>Mala has to deal with the likelihood he's never going to be accepted by others anyway
This also makes me sad
>Johann is Johann. He'll get over it as long as he has a gun, a cigar, and some whiskey from Griffonia
This makes me kek
>Maybe after Baltimare is "cleared" of its worst elements there can be transfer to a new city? Manehattan's been hinted at as an even wilder place
I'm wondering if I should comment on that...
>>127153
D'aww. Thanks
>>127155
>Brie swore allegiance to the changelings so how he'll do that and not come into conflict with the rest of the party will be interesting
Yes, this will interesting indeed
>>127155
>>127156
>Chaotic Neutral
>>127157
Leaving Khoi for the night seemed ill advised, as it left her vulnerable to be taken by both Dark Star and Silver. It turns out they both preferred other creatures, and neither of them said a single word to Khoi
>>127159
If behaving realistically de-rails a GM's master plan, then something has gone very wrong
\r
>>127159
Yeah, I don't really make Iron interact with most of the cast save if it serves an extremely straightforward route the native can see helping him, so I doubt that excuse works here. Completely Normal Unicorn being possessive is valid, however, so I'll go with that.
Hopefully such a laid-back set of threads are coming soon, because he'll need all the calm he can get in order to properly set his keikaku in action.
>>127160
I suppose it's because Khoi's value isn't from who she was or is, but who she could be. At least that's my perspective of her. A mare that can be shaped into most roles if enough investment is put into her.
Sands, too, if I was honest with myself,
but I need to rid that big, pesky secret so her full productive potential can be achieved.
...not to mention lewd capabilities, but that's just the icing on the cake.
Yeah, I don't really make Iron interact with most of the cast save if it serves an extremely straightforward route the native can see helping him, so I doubt that excuse works here. Completely Normal Unicorn being possessive is valid, however, so I'll go with that.
Hopefully such a laid-back set of threads are coming soon, because he'll need all the calm he can get in order to properly set his keikaku in action.
>>127160
I suppose it's because Khoi's value isn't from who she was or is, but who she could be. At least that's my perspective of her. A mare that can be shaped into most roles if enough investment is put into her.
Sands, too, if I was honest with myself,
but I need to rid that big, pesky secret so her full productive potential can be achieved.
...not to mention lewd capabilities, but that's just the icing on the cake.
>>127162
Spark is in much the same position as he left. Everypony together. It’s early morning, and Brie was told the approximate grid of the locations ventured by the garrison
Spark is in much the same position as he left. Everypony together. It’s early morning, and Brie was told the approximate grid of the locations ventured by the garrison
>>127165
Well... I didn't get a clear picture as to where we were going last time I played... so I don't know where to look for clues.
Well... I didn't get a clear picture as to where we were going last time I played... so I don't know where to look for clues.
>>127169
gasps
Not if I war-crime you first!
>>127168
It is night outside, but under the light of a waning gibbous moon that is closer to setting than rising, Spark can see much. There is no activity in the mine nor the mill, and most surfaces are partly covered in a very thin layer of snow from as they were before. The bodies of the.... things have been removed, though the disruptions and blood they leave behind in the grass, dirt and snow can still be seen. Changeling blood rusts blue green rather than brown-orange-black, it seems.
Traveling past the mill, the dirt road continues, going through a set of pine forest. It continues after half a mile to a new pit, a little shallower and not as wide as the one under Blackwood. The edges of it can be made out in the moonlight, as well as a power shovel in the northern section. The road narrows to just a small dirt path, but Spark is told by the map that this leads to the lesser river. It's a decent walk, to say the least, as the road winds, requiring walking over a fallen tree at one point. The pine trees that line the road are tall and block much of the light, but above the canopy, the ponies can see a night sky far brighter and star-lit than any that can be seen in Canterlot, Baltimare, or the Crystal City. The trees sway in the wind, and the rustling of the trees provides a constant background noise, with the hooting of owls sometimes joining in. Eventually, the road comes down to the water, where there is an old cabin that looks uninhabited and a pier on the water. The flow of running water produces its own sound to compete with the wind-blown trees. It isn't a very large river. Indeed, your standard county road would have a trestle bridge to cross it. But this minor pathway has no bridge, and the water looks uncomfortable to ford. There is, however, enough space between the trees and the river to make walking along side the river possible
gasps
Not if I war-crime you first!
>>127168
It is night outside, but under the light of a waning gibbous moon that is closer to setting than rising, Spark can see much. There is no activity in the mine nor the mill, and most surfaces are partly covered in a very thin layer of snow from as they were before. The bodies of the.... things have been removed, though the disruptions and blood they leave behind in the grass, dirt and snow can still be seen. Changeling blood rusts blue green rather than brown-orange-black, it seems.
Traveling past the mill, the dirt road continues, going through a set of pine forest. It continues after half a mile to a new pit, a little shallower and not as wide as the one under Blackwood. The edges of it can be made out in the moonlight, as well as a power shovel in the northern section. The road narrows to just a small dirt path, but Spark is told by the map that this leads to the lesser river. It's a decent walk, to say the least, as the road winds, requiring walking over a fallen tree at one point. The pine trees that line the road are tall and block much of the light, but above the canopy, the ponies can see a night sky far brighter and star-lit than any that can be seen in Canterlot, Baltimare, or the Crystal City. The trees sway in the wind, and the rustling of the trees provides a constant background noise, with the hooting of owls sometimes joining in. Eventually, the road comes down to the water, where there is an old cabin that looks uninhabited and a pier on the water. The flow of running water produces its own sound to compete with the wind-blown trees. It isn't a very large river. Indeed, your standard county road would have a trestle bridge to cross it. But this minor pathway has no bridge, and the water looks uncomfortable to ford. There is, however, enough space between the trees and the river to make walking along side the river possible
Off in the distance, a wolf howls. Some seconds later, a second howl follows in reply, coming from a different direction
>>127171
No lights. Small, wooden.
>>127171
No lights. Small, wooden.
>>127173
The door is unlocked. It opens....
There is no pony inside. Just a bed with disrupted sheets, a couple dressers, at least two cut open empty cans, and a lantern
The door is unlocked. It opens....
There is no pony inside. Just a bed with disrupted sheets, a couple dressers, at least two cut open empty cans, and a lantern
>>127150
Damn, that's one helluva deep dive into the game, I'll give you that. I really want to do more interactions with Mala, Khoi, and Undertoe (especially Undertoe...poor hippogriff), it's just that there's so many new characters it's hard to balance time between them. Hopefully, when tomorrow (in-game) comes, Silver will get his chance to interact with them outside of a hostile situation.
Damn, that's one helluva deep dive into the game, I'll give you that. I really want to do more interactions with Mala, Khoi, and Undertoe (especially Undertoe...poor hippogriff), it's just that there's so many new characters it's hard to balance time between them. Hopefully, when tomorrow (in-game) comes, Silver will get his chance to interact with them outside of a hostile situation.
>>127181
There are a small number of cut logs next to the cabin. Not as much as a full winter supply. Next to the pier is fish trap. There is an axe near the cabin in a stump
There are a small number of cut logs next to the cabin. Not as much as a full winter supply. Next to the pier is fish trap. There is an axe near the cabin in a stump
Spoilers that non-GM players might want to skip
Equestria at War has a lot of secrets that flesh out the world.
Apparently there is even a Masonic/Illuminati faction that can be created: www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3YGb5hmjdk
Don't ask me why it's classified as "harmonist" though.
Also whatever happened to Zebrica being added? It was leaked a year ago.
Equestria at War has a lot of secrets that flesh out the world.
Apparently there is even a Masonic/Illuminati faction that can be created: www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3YGb5hmjdk
Don't ask me why it's classified as "harmonist" though.
Also whatever happened to Zebrica being added? It was leaked a year ago.
>>127184
Is this going to be a level of We Wuz Kangz never seen before in the history of fiction?
Spoilers: No, because zebras are not blacks.
Is this going to be a level of We Wuz Kangz never seen before in the history of fiction?
Spoilers: No, because zebras are not blacks.
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>>127184
>>127185
Equestria st War does indeed have quite a few great secrets in it.
Zebrica is allegedly slated for a 2021 release date. One if the developers did a livestream showing off part of one of the new nations.
I have a few problems with Zebrica as planned, the biggest being that it is needlessly larger than Equus and Griffonia combined, and most nations are vastly larger than the average nations in Griffonia. Saddle Arabia is alone is at least as large as the equestrian southeast, and much larger than Wingbardy. The continent really looks like it ought to be 30% smaller.
>Kangs
The developer mentioned that the most common question he is asked is about colonialism. He denied fervently that they would do any kind of “Hearts of Darkness” storyline. He said “there is so much more you can do with a fantasy world [than colonialism]. I really have to ask “like what?” According to him, Zebrica is “so large” that unlike Griffonia and Equus, which each have a single story uniting most of the events in the continent, Zebrica will not have a single story. So I really have to wonder what the point of making it so big is.
He and other developers have said that the biggest nations on Zebrica will be modern nations that are more modern and less suited for colonization than Griffonia.
Uh... that’s all of the negative things I wanted to say, anyways
>>127185
Equestria st War does indeed have quite a few great secrets in it.
Zebrica is allegedly slated for a 2021 release date. One if the developers did a livestream showing off part of one of the new nations.
I have a few problems with Zebrica as planned, the biggest being that it is needlessly larger than Equus and Griffonia combined, and most nations are vastly larger than the average nations in Griffonia. Saddle Arabia is alone is at least as large as the equestrian southeast, and much larger than Wingbardy. The continent really looks like it ought to be 30% smaller.
>Kangs
The developer mentioned that the most common question he is asked is about colonialism. He denied fervently that they would do any kind of “Hearts of Darkness” storyline. He said “there is so much more you can do with a fantasy world [than colonialism]. I really have to ask “like what?” According to him, Zebrica is “so large” that unlike Griffonia and Equus, which each have a single story uniting most of the events in the continent, Zebrica will not have a single story. So I really have to wonder what the point of making it so big is.
He and other developers have said that the biggest nations on Zebrica will be modern nations that are more modern and less suited for colonization than Griffonia.
Uh... that’s all of the negative things I wanted to say, anyways
>>127186
>needlessly larger
Well, I don't have a problem with that considering that Zebrica is supposed to be Africa + Asia and it has to squeeze in all the creatures that aren't native to either Equus or Griffonia. The issue is how they did it so willy-nilly without rhyme or reason, at least one I could see. I believe there's a Youtuber who nitpicks the issues of worldbuilding in fictional works and he could tear this apart.
The problem with size is that Equus and Griffonia are both colossal, essentially Middle-Earth sized on their own as they have their continent-specific storylines. Being so big there's not enough room for another fully fleshed-out continent, maybe a narrow continent in the extreme orient/occident or an Antarctica-type continent but these wouldn't fit the purpose the devs (or players) want. Clearly there wasn't initial thought when the mod was created in regards to global geography, certainly not in a professional sense. It's really impossible to gauge how big the globe is and that damages immersion. The only solution would be to completely redraw all three continents to be smaller in landmass and arranged to fit the desired climate. Personally I would like Griffonia to be smaller with its existing countries being practically micro-nations, and Zebrica having competing nations of the same race rather than merely singular ethnostates (something like the division of the yaks, but over smaller territories). These blobs look lazy as if the mappers went "Well, camels have to go somewhere so they live here in the middle. Let's have a Tibet but in the north instead." It's disappointing how very few fictional maps approach the interesting nuances that exist in irl geography.
Perhaps it is disappointing that we don't have any real colonialism, seeing as how EaW has embraced a darker timeline anyway, but on the plus side at least there won't be a "muh colonialism is evil" subtext in the mod. The worst I've seen in that regard is portraying batponies as oppressed in Equestria and having coercive integration through bureaucracy be the "good" option in events. Other storylines in the game, such as the Macbeth parallel in Darkclaw more than make up for these minor pitfalls. I still don't get why New Mareland exists as a colony yet there aren't other colonies, considering that its location certainly does not suggest being less modern and more "suited for colonization."
>needlessly larger
Well, I don't have a problem with that considering that Zebrica is supposed to be Africa + Asia and it has to squeeze in all the creatures that aren't native to either Equus or Griffonia. The issue is how they did it so willy-nilly without rhyme or reason, at least one I could see. I believe there's a Youtuber who nitpicks the issues of worldbuilding in fictional works and he could tear this apart.
The problem with size is that Equus and Griffonia are both colossal, essentially Middle-Earth sized on their own as they have their continent-specific storylines. Being so big there's not enough room for another fully fleshed-out continent, maybe a narrow continent in the extreme orient/occident or an Antarctica-type continent but these wouldn't fit the purpose the devs (or players) want. Clearly there wasn't initial thought when the mod was created in regards to global geography, certainly not in a professional sense. It's really impossible to gauge how big the globe is and that damages immersion. The only solution would be to completely redraw all three continents to be smaller in landmass and arranged to fit the desired climate. Personally I would like Griffonia to be smaller with its existing countries being practically micro-nations, and Zebrica having competing nations of the same race rather than merely singular ethnostates (something like the division of the yaks, but over smaller territories). These blobs look lazy as if the mappers went "Well, camels have to go somewhere so they live here in the middle. Let's have a Tibet but in the north instead." It's disappointing how very few fictional maps approach the interesting nuances that exist in irl geography.
Perhaps it is disappointing that we don't have any real colonialism, seeing as how EaW has embraced a darker timeline anyway, but on the plus side at least there won't be a "muh colonialism is evil" subtext in the mod. The worst I've seen in that regard is portraying batponies as oppressed in Equestria and having coercive integration through bureaucracy be the "good" option in events. Other storylines in the game, such as the Macbeth parallel in Darkclaw more than make up for these minor pitfalls. I still don't get why New Mareland exists as a colony yet there aren't other colonies, considering that its location certainly does not suggest being less modern and more "suited for colonization."
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>>127187
The continent of Zebrica is going to be placed on the bottom of the map, beneath Equestria, Griffonia and the ocean that seperates them, leaving no real room for any continent on the left side of the map under Equestria. I have tried to guage how big the continents are in terms of miles, but couldn't quite guess it. I think Equestria is around about 3000 miles across, or near the width of the continental United States. I think that with continents this big, realistically they should have giant deserts in the center for want of rain penetrating that deep in.
One thing the Equestrian and Griffonian continents do that I absolutely adore, and I sincerely hope is intentional, is that they appear to fit together like puzzle pieces in continental drift. All of the large islands, as well as most the peninsulas look as if they broke away from the larger land masses. So I have to hand that to them.
Don't put too much stock in what the name of the states implies in terms of races, because they can and have changed names of states between screenshots.
In the first screenshot of the continent I saw "Hyenia," which I disliked because it seemed to needlessly increase the number of races in a world that already had too many. Then I saw Puffin Forest's video on Captain Morgan, including cute little cartoon D&D gnolls. Then I went all in and added them to my campaign. And now in a more recent version, Hyenia has been replaced with "Qualidi Dervishes." Lovely.
Despite what that developer was saying, there definitely is some colonialism. Maregypt is supposed to start the game as a pony nation on Zebrica that is a vassal of Equestria. "Abyssinia," which in the comics is the homeland of the Kajit (and the name of a continent in the My Little Pony World), is invaded by Wingbardy, [because of course Beakolini was going to invade it with a name like that/i]. At the bottom of the map is a "Feathesian Indies," a clear reference to the Dutch Indies, and most of all, there is a clear Boer parallel in one nation in south Zebrica, with Feathesian Griffins as Afrikans. I also want to note that there is Nova Griffonia as a colony in Equus, the small deer nation as a colony, the zebra colony (that will be replaced in an update by something less interesting), and the Free Towns of Gryphus are basically a colony in the style of the Hansietic League and the Teutonic Knights in Prussia and the Baltic.
It's funny that you should mention the bat pony racism, because the stream I saw centered on a nation in Zebrica that is founded by Nightmare Moon worshipers who flee to the south. He said that they got a lot of feedback that the ponies rejecting thestrals didn't seem to make much sense, so this nation was added in some part to justify the ponies' attitudes towards thestrals.
Also, if you are going to complain about woke things in the mod, [i]nothing quite equals a few likes in "Twinkle Sprinkle's Guide to the World" in Manehattan: "As the premiere seaport of the continent, centuries of continuous foreign immigration has meant that alongside ponies of the Three Ties there exists substantial communities of threstrals, hippogriffs, zebras, kirin, and griffins within the metropolis. Canterlot may be the seat of the Diarchy, but it is the melting-pot of Manehattanite society that truly embodies the Equestrian spirit - that is harmonious coexistence, strength in diversity, and friendship free of prejudice." Jesus, it makes me want to vote AfD, Brexit Party, Trump and NDSAP all on the same ballot. Thank god it's tucked away in some place you have to basically go looking for it to find.
Another extremely obnoxious moment comes to mind in an event that pops up after the Herzlands update when playing as the Griffonian Empire, where a pair of pony tourists try to warn the Griffins of Changelings, just for the griffins to laugh, call them racists or something, and say that the Changelings are a part of the attache. It's just hammering in the fact that the mod completely overlooks the fact that Changelings are very literal parasites that feed on the emotions of others, and that, alongside their perfect ability to get away with crime or espionage, is why they are disliked. But nope! The mod even says that one of the generals in the attache "acquires a liking for Griffonian cuisine." Stupid bigoted ponies! Changelings aren't parasites! They eat whatever it is that Griffins eat
The continent of Zebrica is going to be placed on the bottom of the map, beneath Equestria, Griffonia and the ocean that seperates them, leaving no real room for any continent on the left side of the map under Equestria. I have tried to guage how big the continents are in terms of miles, but couldn't quite guess it. I think Equestria is around about 3000 miles across, or near the width of the continental United States. I think that with continents this big, realistically they should have giant deserts in the center for want of rain penetrating that deep in.
One thing the Equestrian and Griffonian continents do that I absolutely adore, and I sincerely hope is intentional, is that they appear to fit together like puzzle pieces in continental drift. All of the large islands, as well as most the peninsulas look as if they broke away from the larger land masses. So I have to hand that to them.
Don't put too much stock in what the name of the states implies in terms of races, because they can and have changed names of states between screenshots.
In the first screenshot of the continent I saw "Hyenia," which I disliked because it seemed to needlessly increase the number of races in a world that already had too many. Then I saw Puffin Forest's video on Captain Morgan, including cute little cartoon D&D gnolls. Then I went all in and added them to my campaign. And now in a more recent version, Hyenia has been replaced with "Qualidi Dervishes." Lovely.
Despite what that developer was saying, there definitely is some colonialism. Maregypt is supposed to start the game as a pony nation on Zebrica that is a vassal of Equestria. "Abyssinia," which in the comics is the homeland of the Kajit (and the name of a continent in the My Little Pony World), is invaded by Wingbardy, [because of course Beakolini was going to invade it with a name like that/i]. At the bottom of the map is a "Feathesian Indies," a clear reference to the Dutch Indies, and most of all, there is a clear Boer parallel in one nation in south Zebrica, with Feathesian Griffins as Afrikans. I also want to note that there is Nova Griffonia as a colony in Equus, the small deer nation as a colony, the zebra colony (that will be replaced in an update by something less interesting), and the Free Towns of Gryphus are basically a colony in the style of the Hansietic League and the Teutonic Knights in Prussia and the Baltic.
It's funny that you should mention the bat pony racism, because the stream I saw centered on a nation in Zebrica that is founded by Nightmare Moon worshipers who flee to the south. He said that they got a lot of feedback that the ponies rejecting thestrals didn't seem to make much sense, so this nation was added in some part to justify the ponies' attitudes towards thestrals.
Also, if you are going to complain about woke things in the mod, [i]nothing quite equals a few likes in "Twinkle Sprinkle's Guide to the World" in Manehattan: "As the premiere seaport of the continent, centuries of continuous foreign immigration has meant that alongside ponies of the Three Ties there exists substantial communities of threstrals, hippogriffs, zebras, kirin, and griffins within the metropolis. Canterlot may be the seat of the Diarchy, but it is the melting-pot of Manehattanite society that truly embodies the Equestrian spirit - that is harmonious coexistence, strength in diversity, and friendship free of prejudice." Jesus, it makes me want to vote AfD, Brexit Party, Trump and NDSAP all on the same ballot. Thank god it's tucked away in some place you have to basically go looking for it to find.
Another extremely obnoxious moment comes to mind in an event that pops up after the Herzlands update when playing as the Griffonian Empire, where a pair of pony tourists try to warn the Griffins of Changelings, just for the griffins to laugh, call them racists or something, and say that the Changelings are a part of the attache. It's just hammering in the fact that the mod completely overlooks the fact that Changelings are very literal parasites that feed on the emotions of others, and that, alongside their perfect ability to get away with crime or espionage, is why they are disliked. But nope! The mod even says that one of the generals in the attache "acquires a liking for Griffonian cuisine." Stupid bigoted ponies! Changelings aren't parasites! They eat whatever it is that Griffins eat
>>127189
>realistically they should have giant deserts in the center for want of rain penetrating that deep in.
It does look to be the case for Zebrica at least. The continental U.S. is lucky enough to have the Mississippi River Basin and the Gulf of Mexico to carry moisture through North America's interior, but I don't know if Equus has anything similar. The devs' hands are tied to show canon in this respect while Griffonia at least has that Erie/Eyrie lake and mountain ranges. It does bug me (pun not intended) that the Changelings live on the same latitude as Yaks and polar bears despite being cold blooded; there may be a western Gulf Stream going on there.
They can change the names of the states all they want, but they still mostly look like Mongolia-esque blobs with relatively few natural contours. Mongolia looks the way it does because it is a formerly nomadic nation in the middle of steppes and deserts; one blobbish country is okay but when half of them are like that it's border gore to me.
Good point, I do like the smattering of colonies and had forgotten about them I can't actually play the mod because my graphic card is terrible though it would be interesting if there had been one dominant colonial empire like the British or Spanish.
A breakaway country of essentially pony satanists adds some nuance to that attitude towards bat ponies though it doesn't really excuse everything.
>wokeness
It's actually a relief that the worst offending parts of the mod are very minor events. When you get six or more people working on a project chances are one is a progressive who thinks pushing his ideals is acceptable, in a way that if one were doing the inverse (such as implying Beakolini has a lot of justification or praising Blue Skies' view of Nimbusia) it would meet protest. And because NJew York has always been considered a "melting pot" it appears acceptable to the casual observer, nevermind that in the 1940's it was still diverse mostly in the European sense only. I'm just worried about the future because O'Sullivan's Law dictates it can get only worse once just one leftist gets a foot in the door. It's clear that the devs overall intend the mod to be fun and apolitical, but vigilant and influential members of the community have to make sure they stick to that.
>realistically they should have giant deserts in the center for want of rain penetrating that deep in.
It does look to be the case for Zebrica at least. The continental U.S. is lucky enough to have the Mississippi River Basin and the Gulf of Mexico to carry moisture through North America's interior, but I don't know if Equus has anything similar. The devs' hands are tied to show canon in this respect while Griffonia at least has that Erie/Eyrie lake and mountain ranges. It does bug me (pun not intended) that the Changelings live on the same latitude as Yaks and polar bears despite being cold blooded; there may be a western Gulf Stream going on there.
They can change the names of the states all they want, but they still mostly look like Mongolia-esque blobs with relatively few natural contours. Mongolia looks the way it does because it is a formerly nomadic nation in the middle of steppes and deserts; one blobbish country is okay but when half of them are like that it's border gore to me.
Good point, I do like the smattering of colonies and had forgotten about them I can't actually play the mod because my graphic card is terrible though it would be interesting if there had been one dominant colonial empire like the British or Spanish.
A breakaway country of essentially pony satanists adds some nuance to that attitude towards bat ponies though it doesn't really excuse everything.
>wokeness
It's actually a relief that the worst offending parts of the mod are very minor events. When you get six or more people working on a project chances are one is a progressive who thinks pushing his ideals is acceptable, in a way that if one were doing the inverse (such as implying Beakolini has a lot of justification or praising Blue Skies' view of Nimbusia) it would meet protest. And because NJew York has always been considered a "melting pot" it appears acceptable to the casual observer, nevermind that in the 1940's it was still diverse mostly in the European sense only. I'm just worried about the future because O'Sullivan's Law dictates it can get only worse once just one leftist gets a foot in the door. It's clear that the devs overall intend the mod to be fun and apolitical, but vigilant and influential members of the community have to make sure they stick to that.
File (): 94B31571EFBE9EABF0ACB2FFF0D36E1E-549368.png (536.5 KB, 1000x1413, 1586603908.png)
File (): A5F2317D71B7AB31CA9A3B1B2BEFB189-136040.png (132.9 KB, 795x718, 1586603492.png)
>>127189
Also a glaring issue I see lorewise is that of ideology. No one seems to know what Harmonism is and it is even less defined and understandable than democracy irl. "Harmonic" countries include the theocratic monarchies of Equestria and Crystal Empire as well as some other nations (I could swear that it includes the libertarian-esque merchant republic of Skyfall, various democracies, and the aforementioned Prywhen Masons/Illuminati, but the wiki says otherwise). I believe the mod sometimes uses Harmonism as synonymous with "democracy" though that makes zero sense due to Equestria/Crystal Empire being canonically undemocratic. The only thing substantial in the mod regarding Harmony that I know of is that it advocates peace which, due to typical public school education claiming democracy = peace, may result in that confusion. And of course progressives really do believe that Harmony = multiculturalism which is how we get such cucked flavortext, and it's in line with the later show which had the Diversity Six. It's at odds with /mlpol/'s take on harmony which is in line with the earlier seasons: harmony involves living unmolested with your own kind, using your talents for society's betterment, and staying out of each other's hair. You have your own spin on harmony by presenting it as a religion which, except for the organizational aspects, also follows from the show's lore, and it's a refreshing break from "harmony = democracy in MLP." Because harmony is so poorly explored as a concrete "ideology" fans just insert what they want. My personal hypothesis is that the divide arises from the difference between the Western/Christian concept of harmony and the Eastern/New Age concept. Christian harmony is pretty much as you show it, while the New Age definition is "there is no right or wrong, only oneness" in a very hippie sense. If you want to carry this over into the lore as a modernist heresy of Harmonism, you have my blessing. To know more about New Age stuff, which existed long before the 60's, I recommend listening to Fr. Mitch Pacwa's series of lectures
"Fascism" also has a similar problem. In WW2 you could describe one side as "fascist" though their ideologies were far from uniform, since all members opposed both democracy and communism and could rely only on each other. It was a contest to survive in a world of increasing global alliances. In-game said alliances do not exist and presumably the same conditions that predicated the rise of fascism irl do not exist. Moreover, there's no real reason why the fascist countries in EaW ought to team up at all (and they rarely do); Germany and Japan diverged politically (the former aided Nationalist China at one point) but signed an alliance because they were up against the same enemies. Beakolini and Chrysalis do not even have this excuse. The changelings may be classified as "fascist" in the sense that Independence Day aliens and the Combine could be called "fascist" but they're essentially just militarized aliens invading, whereas fascists elsewhere in the world are merely an ideological movement (again, to my knowledge without real background or cause). At least you can ascribe the existence and spread of communism to being a mind-virus feeding on envy, but fascism arises usually when there is a real or perceived threat and democratic or monarchical institutions are feckless to stop it.
This is a natural consequence of transplanting WW2 politics into a different timeframe or universe. In WW2 there were three clear ideological fronts: nationalists/NatSocs/actual fascists, socialists of various stripes, and liberal or even illiberal democracies. They of course blended into one another (France was and is much closer to communism as a democracy whereas South Africa at the time was closer to nationalism even as it was loyal to Britain) but you could easily identify the blocs vying for control with "non-aligned" being those who existed outside (traditionalist and monarchist nations). Good mods set in different times change it up because they realize they have to. Kaiserreich has broken the back of democracy as a superpower with "paternal autocracy" taking its place, while ideological movements like socialism splinter into subsets familiar irl to those knowledgeable of it. Millennium Dawn necessarily splits "democracy" into a number of different ideologies because almost every country is "democratic" nominally, with democratic socialism and social democracy on the far left and reaction/nationalism on the far right within democracy. Gameplay wise Kaiserreich works better because its setting has factions and alliances founded out of ideology, whereas the modern-day real world has its factions based almost solely upon realpolitik, but because HOI4 faction-making uses ideology as its basis you get hilarious results with Millennium Dawn. I guess this thread has been derailed from gameplay to ranting about the mod, but technically speaking it is the official EaW thread.
How do I spread the reply box vertically, this update is so annoying
>>127189
I always thought gnolls were the underlings of the Storm King, what are those guys called then?
Also a glaring issue I see lorewise is that of ideology. No one seems to know what Harmonism is and it is even less defined and understandable than democracy irl. "Harmonic" countries include the theocratic monarchies of Equestria and Crystal Empire as well as some other nations (I could swear that it includes the libertarian-esque merchant republic of Skyfall, various democracies, and the aforementioned Prywhen Masons/Illuminati, but the wiki says otherwise). I believe the mod sometimes uses Harmonism as synonymous with "democracy" though that makes zero sense due to Equestria/Crystal Empire being canonically undemocratic. The only thing substantial in the mod regarding Harmony that I know of is that it advocates peace which, due to typical public school education claiming democracy = peace, may result in that confusion. And of course progressives really do believe that Harmony = multiculturalism which is how we get such cucked flavortext, and it's in line with the later show which had the Diversity Six. It's at odds with /mlpol/'s take on harmony which is in line with the earlier seasons: harmony involves living unmolested with your own kind, using your talents for society's betterment, and staying out of each other's hair. You have your own spin on harmony by presenting it as a religion which, except for the organizational aspects, also follows from the show's lore, and it's a refreshing break from "harmony = democracy in MLP." Because harmony is so poorly explored as a concrete "ideology" fans just insert what they want. My personal hypothesis is that the divide arises from the difference between the Western/Christian concept of harmony and the Eastern/New Age concept. Christian harmony is pretty much as you show it, while the New Age definition is "there is no right or wrong, only oneness" in a very hippie sense. If you want to carry this over into the lore as a modernist heresy of Harmonism, you have my blessing. To know more about New Age stuff, which existed long before the 60's, I recommend listening to Fr. Mitch Pacwa's series of lectures
"Fascism" also has a similar problem. In WW2 you could describe one side as "fascist" though their ideologies were far from uniform, since all members opposed both democracy and communism and could rely only on each other. It was a contest to survive in a world of increasing global alliances. In-game said alliances do not exist and presumably the same conditions that predicated the rise of fascism irl do not exist. Moreover, there's no real reason why the fascist countries in EaW ought to team up at all (and they rarely do); Germany and Japan diverged politically (the former aided Nationalist China at one point) but signed an alliance because they were up against the same enemies. Beakolini and Chrysalis do not even have this excuse. The changelings may be classified as "fascist" in the sense that Independence Day aliens and the Combine could be called "fascist" but they're essentially just militarized aliens invading, whereas fascists elsewhere in the world are merely an ideological movement (again, to my knowledge without real background or cause). At least you can ascribe the existence and spread of communism to being a mind-virus feeding on envy, but fascism arises usually when there is a real or perceived threat and democratic or monarchical institutions are feckless to stop it.
This is a natural consequence of transplanting WW2 politics into a different timeframe or universe. In WW2 there were three clear ideological fronts: nationalists/NatSocs/actual fascists, socialists of various stripes, and liberal or even illiberal democracies. They of course blended into one another (France was and is much closer to communism as a democracy whereas South Africa at the time was closer to nationalism even as it was loyal to Britain) but you could easily identify the blocs vying for control with "non-aligned" being those who existed outside (traditionalist and monarchist nations). Good mods set in different times change it up because they realize they have to. Kaiserreich has broken the back of democracy as a superpower with "paternal autocracy" taking its place, while ideological movements like socialism splinter into subsets familiar irl to those knowledgeable of it. Millennium Dawn necessarily splits "democracy" into a number of different ideologies because almost every country is "democratic" nominally, with democratic socialism and social democracy on the far left and reaction/nationalism on the far right within democracy. Gameplay wise Kaiserreich works better because its setting has factions and alliances founded out of ideology, whereas the modern-day real world has its factions based almost solely upon realpolitik, but because HOI4 faction-making uses ideology as its basis you get hilarious results with Millennium Dawn. I guess this thread has been derailed from gameplay to ranting about the mod, but technically speaking it is the official EaW thread.
How do I spread the reply box vertically, this update is so annoying
>>127189
I always thought gnolls were the underlings of the Storm King, what are those guys called then?
As morning comes, the old unicorn starts to stir awake, feeling *very* sore from last night's events. He lets out a low groan.
>>127192
He is indeed very sore, particularly on his back - he can feel the gnoll bite still, and at several points along his belly. He feels as if stretching is inadvisable, lest a stitch be pulled out, and he has a groggy feeling. Not a hangover, but neither does he feel fine. Still, he feels more rested and "back to normal" than the night before. Judging by the light in the room it is well past sunrise. The space in the bed next to him is empty
He is indeed very sore, particularly on his back - he can feel the gnoll bite still, and at several points along his belly. He feels as if stretching is inadvisable, lest a stitch be pulled out, and he has a groggy feeling. Not a hangover, but neither does he feel fine. Still, he feels more rested and "back to normal" than the night before. Judging by the light in the room it is well past sunrise. The space in the bed next to him is empty
>>127193
His eyes shoot open upon the realization of the empty space on the bed. He rolls over onto his stomach putting his forehooves beneath him, and looks around the room to see if his cuddly griffin is anywhere to be seen.
His eyes shoot open upon the realization of the empty space on the bed. He rolls over onto his stomach putting his forehooves beneath him, and looks around the room to see if his cuddly griffin is anywhere to be seen.
>>127194
Yes. She is sitting down at the end of the room, staring out the window. One cloud is visible from his perspective, but near-blue skies.
Yes. She is sitting down at the end of the room, staring out the window. One cloud is visible from his perspective, but near-blue skies.
>>127195
He slowly scoots off of the bed, feeling a little stiff and uncomfortable. He speaks out to her.
"Sleep well?"
He slowly scoots off of the bed, feeling a little stiff and uncomfortable. He speaks out to her.
"Sleep well?"
>>127198
She does not look back, but sits there
"I fell asleep. At first. Then I woke up from a nightmare, and I couldn't quite go back to sleep, turning around. After a while I did... but I woke up again."
She does not look back, but sits there
"I fell asleep. At first. Then I woke up from a nightmare, and I couldn't quite go back to sleep, turning around. After a while I did... but I woke up again."
>>127201
"You do not think it would help to get it off your chest, even if I already know? I am always here if you need support."
"You do not think it would help to get it off your chest, even if I already know? I am always here if you need support."
>>127202
"Alright then. I may have killed someone last night, or helped in it anyways. I certainly saw it happen. I saw griffins burned alive. And I helped in the process. I did it, and in doing so I helped along not one but two governments that have tried to or are currently oppressing my people. I saw demonic.... things. I was stabbed. Stabbed pretty badly actually. It still hurts, especially when my chest moves in certain ways like when I twist my body to the right. And so much worse could have happened... That I don't want to think about. I had sex with someone I had only known for five hours... and a pony, no less..."
"Alright then. I may have killed someone last night, or helped in it anyways. I certainly saw it happen. I saw griffins burned alive. And I helped in the process. I did it, and in doing so I helped along not one but two governments that have tried to or are currently oppressing my people. I saw demonic.... things. I was stabbed. Stabbed pretty badly actually. It still hurts, especially when my chest moves in certain ways like when I twist my body to the right. And so much worse could have happened... That I don't want to think about. I had sex with someone I had only known for five hours... and a pony, no less..."
>>127203
Although it stings to have himself and what they did before bed among that list, he still stays there. He gives the griffon a hug, if she needs it.
Although it stings to have himself and what they did before bed among that list, he still stays there. He gives the griffon a hug, if she needs it.
>>127204
For a moment, she stays sitting upright, resisting the hug. Then she leans into him, turning her head into him, and shedding a few tears.
For a moment, she stays sitting upright, resisting the hug. Then she leans into him, turning her head into him, and shedding a few tears.
>>127205
He pats and rubs her back with a hoof.
"I am truly sorry you were put through all of that. No one deserves to be. I hope you know I am always here for you, if you need it."
He pats and rubs her back with a hoof.
"I am truly sorry you were put through all of that. No one deserves to be. I hope you know I am always here for you, if you need it."
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