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This is very late - I had to search up this thread - but I finally have a suggestion I really do think should be added!

Va zl pheerag eha, V orgenlrq Ibfuxbg naq gbbx uvz cevfbare njnvgvat gevny. Jura V gura zrg Qentbpra ba ghea 27, V rkcrpgrq uvz gb ng yrnfg zragvba vg: ur ersref gb uvf urve'f 'orgenlny', ohg gur urve vf evtug gurer! Ba gur fuvc!! Orpnhfr Mbenan fhpprffshyyl gevpxrq uvz!! Ohg vg qvqa'g pbzr hc ng nyy, jurgure V jrag jvgu uvz jvyyvatyl be gevrq gb qrprvir uvz. Gung fgehpx zr nf bqq!

:D I did it!!! I got the Turn 27 scene!!!!!!!! :DD

Now I just need to start over again focusing on some different stats I'll be needing...~ Naq V jbhyq unir fnvq gung V gubhtug Qrprcgvba jnf haqrecbjrerq pbzcnerq gb gur bgure Vagrenpgvba fxvyyf, ununun.

V'z n yvggyr fhecevfrq gung gur Yhzra fghss qvqa'g pbzr hc zber, gubhtu: va guvf cynlguebhtu V nyfb qvq Xebibf' dhrfg naq fbhtug bhg Rgreany Enqvnapr, ohg gur bayl eryrinag cneg V guvax jnf orvat noyr gb abgr gung bhe zbgure jnf fgvyy nyvir. Gubhtu V thrff vg pbhyq or eryrinag sbe urycvat uvz gnxr bire gur jbeyq...! (Cerfhznoyl qnq xabjf n ovg zber nobhg yhzraf?)

Nyfb.......aty. V gubhtug V jnf ernqvat vagb vg jura ur pnerffrq ure purrx. :'QQ V znl abg... or ragveryl bccbfrq gb gur jrveq-nff rivy qnqql-ohg-fbeg-bs-abg-qnqql/qnhtugre guvat tbvat ba gurer :'Q Naq V unq sryg fb gragngvir nobhg zragvbavat gung V xvaqn fbegn fuvccrq Mbenan/Ibfuxbg rabhtu gb jnag gb jevgr svp nobhg gurz (be erdhrfg gurz sbe Lhyrgvqr rira ohg jryy gung qvqa'g unccra sbe bgure ernfbaf unun)........ :'Q <3333 nuuu, eblny yvarntrf naq zntvp oybbqyvarf naq ehanjnl cevaprf naq fhpu: ubj pna bar abg svaq Ebznapr va guvatf bs gung angher?! <333

naljnl V tbg guvf raqvat naq gura yvxr. vzzrqvngryl unq gb tb sbe n anc. Qnl jryy fcrag :QQQ (ohg sbe erny V JVYY svaq jungrire zber V pna nobhg Ibfuxbg. gung snasvpgvba vf tbvat gb or PNABA PBZCYVNAG!!!!)

I seeeeee. I chose options that I felt were hinting at him being still alive (e.g. that Mazarin was trying to find him) so I guess that's why it didn't happen... :o

Hmmm. I wonder what's the latest time a question like that gets asked... but either way I guess I'll try to track down Yakau in the process, too!

Okay so!! Before I go into details, I have a question: what actually triggers Zorana to look into the science behind her father's disappearance?

I just today started a new run trying to keep that scene at bay by keeping science low until after I'd done Muistis' scene (though when I did that, I never got the option to suggest that he might not be dead; is that based on science? Or spirituality maybe? I literally rushed Mau so my skills were bare minimum), but uhh... it never happened. After going to Mau I immediately went to nab Lorkas as a Science minister so I should have had plenty [i.e. 60]? And then when it was taking a long time to show up I levelled science up to 30... But now I just got to turn 27 which is obviously important. And it never happened. :/

Either way, this run has been interesting: I've focused on different skills than usual, going for an engineering, spaceships, and gunnery-focused Zorana. I managed to impress Yakau easy, but unfortunately that was exactly one turn before the military was needed at Heru prime... and we were one planet away....... Maybe I should go back and try to meet with Yakau earlier to deploy him? I noticed that when I first went to talk to him it said that he was on his way to Heru Prime, but after I won his approval it changed to following the palace; I manually told him to go to Heru Prime so hopefully that's okay?

I also got to know Fire this time! I really love how much actual text all the marriage candidates get :D And it was really cool to see that perspective on the last Royal Wedding; these sorts of details really make the world feel alive! (Sadly though I... doubt this Zorana will be able to win the election, hah. No Fire Epilogue, most likely...)

Before all this, though, when the full game first released, I decided to do just a standard Win Run focusing on interaction and emotions. I hit an unexpected snag when I got an assassination attempt on Zorana's birthday jubilee; I'd chosen to switch it because I thought it'd be safer, as there'd be less time for her to gain major enemies, and it ended up being a little tricky because I hadn't put anything into Reflexes at all! (Luckily, Zorana's arts skills helped her notice the risk at least!) (Edit: also forgot to mention, but the hater was Milan?! Meanwhile in my new game I'm on turn 27 and Zorana *still* hasn't had anyone hate her that badly... maybe it really is a thing that electors get less angry at [seemingly?] less competent Zoranas, lol.) I decided to propose to Siniparrt; he's certainly a rather suspicious marriage choice, but this Zorana is pretty ruthlessly manipulative, so they might just make a good power couple...? :'D

I made that new run decision because I thought I'd have to re-earn all my achivements, but I'm really pleased that my old saves still work!! So I loaded a couple and reached a couple of endings I'd gotten before,  just to log them. I'd honestly like to try and activate on Steam all the checklist items I've achieved (and, y'know, also make them show up in the checklist again), which... actually probably wouldn't be too difficult given the sheer ungodly number of saves I make in each playthrough. :') So I'll do that, too!!

NGL, I did get to a point where I kinda felt like I wasn't sure what to try next in terms of the lore stuff. I could've sworn there was a time I did the Muistis quest before I followed up on the science, but I read on the forum that that miiiight lead to something? Or just, focusing on getting a different result for that sequence altogether? If I can get it to activate, anyway... :'D But, well: I did finally cave and read some tips. So let's see!!

V'z fgvyy abg fher vs gurer'f n jnl gb npghnyyl gbhpu gur pelfgny bhgfvqr bs gur rcvybthrf, gubhtu... Nf fbba nf Mbenan frrf vg fur frrzf gb whfg tvir hc 😔 Qba'g lbh xabj gung V qba'g trg gb cynl qverpgyl lbhe yvsr bapr gur ryrpgvba'f bire, Mbenan?! N yvggyr vzcngvrapr jbhyqa'g tb gb jnfgr, urer!!

So!!! um I am back :') Long story short: I went away on holiday for a month and had no access to my computer and so couldn't play Zorana anymore! I still had internet access and intended to mention this because I was and am still thinking about the game a lot but RIP my executive function.

Anyway!! I will play the game more soon but until then. I am probably the one (1) person who was actually happy to read the announcement that the game would be delayed. Because now I will be able to play it immediately when it fully releases :DDD <333

If you ever add more achievements, something to do with rapbhagrevat gur frn zbafgre juvyr gnxvat Fbyn sbe n wblevqr could be a fun one!! I just encountered that and it was totally unexpected and delightful <3

I think that having this stuff visible under high/max Imperial History would be really fun! I got a lot of enjoyment out of peeking at the electors' stats from max Media (IIRC?), and I did take this as an opportunity to make notes of good cabinet options, but overall my impression was that it was a neat bit of extra info as a reward for doing something that in itself wasn't really necessary for winning the game. (I mean, unless there is a check that requires max Media...? A really difficult blackmail one, maybe? :'D)

Maxing Imperial History is almost certainly not going to be something a new player does. It definitely feels like something you do a couple of playthroughs in, out of curiosity. (I've already maxed a few knowledge skills just to see if anything interesting happens!) So I think it'd be a good reward!

As for factions... it's funny: when it comes to, like, Traditionalists, or people who favour the empire or certain species within it, my instinctive reaction was that I have a fairly good idea of where any particular elector's feelings would be. But at the same time, uh... I definitely have gotten a lot of assassination attempts, lol. I've also had the experience of a few electors being unexpectedly favorable to me (I nearly fell over in my military playthrough when Oletko just agreed to vote for me immediately after I asked!! but, I figure he just likes the military and valued Yakau's support haha), and I still haven't really been able to track how Zorana gets the 'favours good relations outside the empire' epilogue screen. (I finally got it in my latest run! Damned if I know how, though :'D Was it just because she studied Galactic Relations a lot? I could've  sworn she did that in another winning game, though...)

I've got to admit: when it comes to the 'common route' scenarios (e.g. the drunk guy, the clone kids) I mostly have the impression that there are Best Options that minimise conflict and maximise empire stability and goodwill towards Zorana, usually tied to stats. Whenever I've tried to pick a different Not Best Option for a change, I usually end up feeling like the outcome is worse and that I'm being punished for choosing wrongly. So it's kind of hard to try to 'play' to different factions, for me. I like the idea of e.g. doing a more Traditionalist run, but I'm not sure how easy it would be to actually effect that mechanically. (Semi-unrelated, but favoring different electors can be tricky given how quick some are to pledge their allegiance; in my military run, Oberod pledged to Lukomir before I got the stats to complete his quest. But admittedly that was a very inefficient run, haha.) Weirdly, the one choice that epitomises the different philosophies for me is Exethae's question about the rogue priest: every possible answer feels like it expresses a possible version of Zorana without any being objectively more 'right'. Which is funny, because only Exethae hears the answer and presumably she has an opinion of her own, so there probably is a Best Answer there! (Aside from, ofc, just a Zorana who's given it thought and can articulate a logical argument.)

IDK - I'm rambling, haha. I really am curious about the factions, actually. (Like, how come Stoyan voted for me in my latest run even though Zorana never even went to Draug while two runs ago he tried to murder her despite being her Science advisor?????? I do not understand that man I am afraid. Sorry dude but Lorkas is only a little less Science for much less stress.) I think that for people doing a looot of playthroughs (as I am becoming), it would actually help with triangulating those choices - like, 'ohhh, this time these electors like me - I guess I've been favoring intergalactic diplomacy? Which choices would've set those flags? 🤔'

Okay so I tried to speedrun another Media + Rendesvouz run buuut it didn't go as well as I'd hoped? I did manage to pass Krovos' quest finally (I'd already seen it in a stream so I knew what'd happen) and that did give me some Very Interesting new narration in the rendezvous: V nz ireeel fhfcvpvbhf bs uvz pynvzvat jvgubhg urfvgngvba gung Yhzraf qba'g rkvfg. Cyrnfr qba'g or ylvat gb zr, oebgure...! (Gubhtu guvf vf qrsvavgryl srrqvat zl gurbel gung ur'f jbeevrq nobhg gur cbjre Mbenan jbhyq unir vs fur gbhpurq vg; qbrfa'g jnag gb tvir ure nal vqrnf, znlor?

I then backtracked to redo that conversation with higher Empathy so Zorana could get a sense for if he was lying in that thing he said, but - and I'm not sure if this is a bug or intended or I just did something different somehow - ohg jura V erqvq gung pbairefngvba jvgu uvture Rzcngul, Mbenan qbrfa'g oevat hc Yhzraf ng nyy - V whfg trg gur vagreany gubhtugf gung ur'f ylvat nobhg fbzr guvatf naq qbrfa'g jnag Mbenan gb trg natel, naq gura gur pbairefngvba zbirq ba. V thrff znlor Mbenan jbhyqa'g nfx nobhg Yhzraf vs fur nyernql guvaxf ur jba'g gryy gur gehgu, ohg... V'q rkcrpg fbzr gubhtugf nobhg gung, gbb? Naq vs nalguvat, xabjvat gung ur'f uvqvat vasbezngvba jbhyq znxr vg zber rira zber ernfbanoyr sbe ure gb oevat vg hc, va pnfr gung'f jung ur'f uvqvat? :guvaxvat:

Additionally, while doing the above (don't. ask me how many times I had to restart to get the Empathy and also the piloting/rhetoric stats I'd left for last minute lmao), I noticed something: if you go to the Neutral Space early, the conversation with Korundi happens immediately, not when it'd be time for the rendezvous. That kinda screwed me over if I expected to have more turns to level up Rhetoric. It's definitely not something that should come up in an ordinary playthrough - since I just wanted to test the conversation again I just went there ASAP to sit until turn 22 - and maybe it's intended, but it startled me when it happened! (and. I maybe didn't notice at first that it was happening 2 turns early and started going crazy wondering why I couldn't get my stats up this time hahaha;;;)

ANYWAY. this run didn't go so well; IDK if it's because this Zorana didn't put anything into Allure (how did I again fall into the trap of spreading myself too thin?!) but uhhHHH a lot of people wanted her dead. :'D Once again I got to the Jubilee and would have to wind back multiple turns to get the stats to survive it, so this run has also been quickly put aside for now. (I also didn't get Vahter's quest this time either lmao... guy is hard to make not like you!!)

and SO I after that decided to just. build up scouting and terrain immediately and go for his quest first chance possible. It wasn't what I expected but not in a bad way! Vg unq abguvat gb qb jvgu gur Pelfgny Abinaf be Yhzraf be nalguvat, ohg va ergebfcrpg gung znxrf frafr: V jnf rkcrpgvat fbzrguvat zber yvxr n fcvevghny ivfvba! Ohg vafgrnq, vg jnf whfg... ernyyl avpr naq cerggl naq uhzoyr, V guvax. :) Bar bs zl snibhevgr rnfvyl-zvffrq dhrfgf, V guvax!! Frrvat gung qrfpevcgvba bs gur sberfg sebz hc uvtu znqr zr srry ernyyl crnprshy! :)

Oh, and I forgot to mention, but in a previous run I tried Vahter's proposal option, and that was also so very sweet...!! He really does seem like a genuinely decent man who has Zorana's best interests at heart; it's almost a shame I never got to see that much out of him for a few runs because he's just so darn easy to win over and such a generally useful minister, hahaha. :D

SO I'm setting that all aside now. Time for a Military or Music run. (combine both somehow???) Someday I shall probably cave and look at the hints for how to unlock the secret plots, but I'm still enjoying myself experimenting :'D

I only had a teeny peek at the Actual Spoilers naq fnj Xkravn'f anzr - ubcrf sbe zntvpny tvey lhev ebznapr ervafgngrq <3

> Well it certain'y entertains and informs ME and that's what matters, right? :D

Absolutely!! The most important thing of all (especially in beta :D) !!!!!

I completed the Emotions run!!! :D It was very very successful, even if not in anything plot related: Zorana got 20 electoral votes, her highest number yet! She also got a new tattoo: Tngr bs Urnira. Abg fhcre fher jung vg zrnaf sbe guvf Mbenan? Ohg vg'f pbby gb frr! I also still got the 'Zorana doesn't trust outsiders' card, and I'm still not entirely sure what's causing that. But I really loved her ending with Pharae!! It's seriously so cool that we get these insights into not just their wedding but their married life as well, and they're actually really genuinely romantic (of the ones I've seen so far)! Oh, plus: for this run I finally got to see Chapadoc's alternate quest, which my Media- and Emotion-savvy Zorana totally blasted :D Even if her Arts were too low to get the achievement n.n; (I also got to see Jade's quest, and... seriously: vf rirelbar ba Ureh VI n znffvir sernx (be Evccyvat Rgreavgl)??? :'QQ ubyl fuvg. Zl yvggyr Zranpr-fxvyyrq Mbenan jnf ernyyl gelvat gb xrrc guvatf vagb cbyvgvpny greevgbel, naq gura Wnqr fgnegf jvgu gur juvccvat be fpernzvat... :'Q  

Though, and this is a weird complaint to make, but: V npghnyyl sbhaq gur Fpvrapr bcgvba sbe Wnqr'f erdhrfg n ovg gbb fvzcyr...? Yvxr, sbe fgnegref, Fpvrapr vf fbzrguvat V rkcrpg gb unir va *rirel* frevbhf cynlguebhtu hayrff zl Fpvrapr bssvpre gevrq gb xvyy zr (be, hu, V'z znxvat fbzr dhrfgvbavat ebhgvat qrpvfvbaf yvxr va gur arkg eha...), naq vg whfg frrzf n ovg... qvffngvfslvat gb whfg gnxr ure gb n ebbz naq vawrpg ure jvgu fbzr frehz sbe n fcyvg. V nyzbfg arire fnj Punva pbzr hc nf n erdhverzrag, naq V jbhyq irel eneryl rkcrpg gb unir be arrq vg urer. Abg gung V guvax bhe haqrentr cebgntbavfg fubhyq npghnyyl ratntr va OQFZ, ohg, hu... a.a;; Ubcrshyyl guvf znxrf frafr?

Now: next runs. Like I said, I'd started a run intending on doing better with the Crystal Nova plotline, and I had in mind to do Vahker and Krovos' quests (Gur svefg gvzr V qvq Xebibf' V qenax gur zhfuebbz whvpr naq whfg qvrq??? V jnf fb fubpxrq jura V fnj nabgure crefba'f cynlguebhtu naq. gurl fgnlrq nyvir yznb. Snibenovyvgl jvgu uvz, V thrff?) and *also* I wanted to see if I could win the High Pontifex's favor without having to play Starfall... but, yeah, getting all those stats up in time was just not working. (Oh, also, I had to go back and not appoint Mireille as a logothete, because otherwise Vahter would like Zorana too much to give her a quest :'D)

So, I tried again with Zorana 7, with the thought of taking my good time to come to Myrrka so I could get my stats nice and high for all those quests. Remembering that there were some good minister candidates around Heru (especially Grojdana), for the first time I tried heading there first! That... did NOT go very well at all :'DD Firstly, there are just soooo many electors there in quick succession, and not many of them had quick and easy ways to win them over, so I got really caught up trying to raise So Many Stats that I never even got the chance to raise the ones I was trying to pump! I totally forgot that some of my Science logothete candidates refuse to join the cabinet at all (I presume that with high enough stats or favour Zorana might be able to convince them but this one certainly couldn't), which left me with two sitting at 45 in the stat - which is Not high enough to get fast palace movement. In all that I didn't even manage to get scouting good enough to complete One Bite's quest, even though I also needed it for Vahter's, and to top it all off, by the time I got back to Myrrka 1, Krovos had put in his vote for Tsirkony (because of Course this was the one run I got the orphanage option and decided to pick it on a whim :'D) and Vahter agreed to vote for me immediately!!!!! 

After that I just went 'fuck it' and maxed out Spirituality because why not? But I didn't see any major consequences of that this time. I thought at least it's win Exethae over to me, but nope: she didn't want Zorana at the ritual!!! Truly uncertain what even caused her to dislike Zorana so much this time given that it took ages for her to see any assassination attempts because she wasn't achieving enough to upset anyone lmao. (Was it because Zorana took so long to go there? And was ignoring the Myrrkan areas in general?) I did get to pump up Empathy before the 'secret rendezvous' which gave me some interesting hints (Vf ur nsenvq bs Mbenan orpnhfr vs fur gbhpurq gur pelfgny fur jbhyq or vaperqvoyl cbjreshy?) and I confirmed that following up on the dream requires Intergalactic Relations which makes sense, but uhhh when it came to the Jubilee... she died. :'D And changing up the order doesn't seem to stop it, and this Zorana has basically nothing in the combat/control/condition skills, sooo I sadly decided to put this Zorana to rest.

Next plan: try *another* Crystal Novan run, but focus early on the Emotion stats and nab Sola. That seems to be the easiest way to maximise election success with minimal stat pressure, leaving me free to build up Galactic Relations and Spirituality. (Speaking of, even while pawing through the electors' internal stats with maxed Media from the last run, I found very few with an even decent Galactic Relations score? Ironically, Sola is one of those, buuut...) 

(Also, va gung ynfg eha V unq gb pna Xkravn orpnhfr fur jnf znxvat vg uneqre sbe Mbenan gb yrnea Tnynpgvp Eryngvbaf... juvpu vf fb fnq!!!! Va beqre gb qvfpbire gur gehgu bs Mbenan'f pelfgny zntvpny tvey cbgragvny, fur (cebonoyl) unf gb qvgpu gur crefba jub'q or zbfg rkpvgrq nobhg vg??? Cbbe Xkravn: fur jbhyq ybir n zntvpny tvey jvsr... 🥺)

Future ideas: I really haven't experimented much with Military at all. The option to send Yakau to a particular sector if you have his approval is Fascinating... and based on the achivements, there's gotta be a way to fnir rirelbar sebz gur Tevo pbybal zrff, right? I also need to go back and see if my max Intrigue run changes at all if Korundi defects, and I reaaaally need to get Galactic Relations high enough to finally make that snow globe check gift check early on...

Sorry for the walls of text, hahah n.n;; I really only know two modes: this, or silence. :') Hopefully this is all interesting/entertaining for somebody!! (That or it's  just a cool record of my runs for future me :) )

All right - I've started a new run. Two, actually: I began another Novan heritage focused run pumping Science and Spirituality, but then I got really curious about doing an Emotion-focused run and maxing out Intrigue, so I couldn't resist trying that out! Here are other thoughts I've had:

I'd never actually tried to just negotiate with Vahter before, and was surprised to be given a quest rather than just a pledged vote. But what /really/ made me curious was the content: a pilgrimage to get in tune with our ancestors...? That definitely sounds like a way to learn about Crystal Novan stuff, right?! Unfortunately, this Zorana isn't focused on Terrain at all, and I think I already got him as a minister in my plot-focused playthrough... But hmhmhm: very curious!

I also had the thought of seeing what happens when a knowledge skill gets maxed out. Maxing any skill seems like it'd lead to some interesting choices but the knowledge skills in particular offer more general passive buffs, and it's generally pretty easy to ignore them so long as you get good ministers. (Speaking of which, I tried some assignments I haven't thought of before and whoa, Bmnen unf 60 sbe Punapryybe naq Fvavcneeg 60 sbe Pbzzrepr?! Naq ur qbrfa'g rira npghnyyl unir znal rarzvrf, hayvxr gur bgure Pbzzrepr zvavfgref V'ir gevrq...?)

Which is to say: I just got to 95 Intrigue in my new playthrough! Qnza, vg ernyyl qbrf frrz jbegu vg, npghnyyl: orvat noyr gb oynpxznvy jvgubhg na rkgen fbpvny npgvba gb vairfgvtngr vf fhcre urycshy sbe na Rzbgvbaf eha! Zl bayl qvfnccbvagzrag jnf gung V jnf ubcvat gung orvat noyr gb vairfgvtngr Xbehaqv zvtug nyybj sbe fbzr zber vagrenpgvbaf jvgu ure, naq znlor rira n cbgragvny ebznapr...? Juvyr vg ybbxf yvxr vg whfg svyyrq va ure onpxtebhaq, juvpu vf fgvyy pbby, ohg... ubg ohgpu ynql. :Q Ohg V'z fgvyy ng 95, fb jr'yy frr vs 100 punatrf nalguvat!

Oh, that's really interesting! I'd also wondered why sometimes Zorana gets set to 'Cautious' from visiting Korundi and sometimes not. In my new playthrough I just visited her and she told me to avoid anywhere I might be cornered (I got an assassination at Negative this time as well, so it was probably about that elector) and she didn't get Cautious, so I'd guess the emotion change happens if there are multiple threats? Which makes sense :D

I managed to bring fourth Zorana to victory!!! \o/

Vg ghearq bhg gung gur guvat V qvq gb znxr Fgblna abg gel gb zheqre Mbenan jnf qrabhapr Mbybg, ununun. Tynq gung ur ungrf gung thl zber guna ur ungrf Mbenan, nccneragyl! :Q Jvgu gung, V jnf noyr gb trg hc zl ersyrkrf rabhtu gb fheivir gur Whovyrr (Enqbzvy jnf gur ryrpgbe frafvgvir rabhtu gb pbzzvg zheqre yvgrenyyl bire jurgure be abg uvf enpr jnf jrypbzrq svefg. Bxnl, oeb) naq pbzcyrgr Bar Ovgr'f dhrfg! V'z fb tynq V svanyyl qvq, gbb. Vg jnf ernyyl snfpvangvat! (Rira vs guvf Mbenan jnfa'g dhvvvgr negvfgvp be tbbq ng fcnprfuvcf rabhtu gb cebcreyl 'trg' gur hygvzngr tbny.)

Jvgu nyy gung, naq gur Znh orvat fhecevfvatyl cbfvgvir gbjneqf ure (ohg V nyfb fgvyy tbg gb qb Ghyvghvfg'f dhrfg! Sha!), Mbenan tbg rvtugrra ibgrf!

V qrsvavgryl qvqa'g shyyl svavfu gur Pelfgny Abina dhrfg; V qvq abgvpr gung V arire tbg n sbyybj-hc nobhg gur qernz yvxr V qvq va n cerivbhf eha, fb znlor Xebibf' 50 fcvevghnyvgl jnfa'g rabhtu? V'yy qrsvavgryl pbheg gur Uvtu Cbagvsrk arkg gvzr, naq znlor chzc Fcvevghnyvgl orsberunaq naq envfr Mbenan'f crefba yriry nf uvtu nf cbffvoyr? (V jbaqre vs vg'f cbffvoyl gb trg n qvssrerag bhgpbzr jvgu gur Znh frre nf jryy... ohg gung bar'f pbaarpgrq gb gur sngure dhrfg naq V'z abg fhcre fher jung gb qb sbe gung bar, nfvqr sebz tbvat onpx naq ohzcvat Bcrengvbaf orsber gur raq?) V nyfb abgvprq va gur Purpxyvfg gung 'gbhpu n zntvp pelfgny' jnf na bcgvba; qrfcvgr univat n ohapu bs fgrnygu naq ratvarrevat, Mbenan frrzrq cerggl qbhogshy bs ure punaprf gb nccebcevngr gur pelfgny, fb gung'f jul V jbaqrerq vs gur qernz jnf gur xrl... Be rira gur beo jr'er tvsgrq rneyl ba? Fbeel, Xkravn, ohg V zvtug arrq gb gel n qvssrerag sbervta nssnvef ybtbgurgr arkg gvzr... uzuzuzuz. Znal gubhtugf!!

V zneevrq Wnkbe guvf gvzr naq jnf fhcre unccl jvgu ubj gung nyy ghearq bhg! Zneelvat n Gunexna (naq gur puvyq bs n Guneeebj) vf n avpr cbyvgvpny zbir rapbhentvat havgl nzbat gur rzcver, naq vg jnf cerggl pbby gb fbzrjung jva bire Byrgxb; V rawblrq obgu uvf qvfzvffvir ernpgvba gb urycvat cyna gur jrqqvat, naq uvf fba'f irel cyrnfrq erfcbafr. :Q Naq ur frrzf yvxr n ernyyl puvyy thl naq n tbbq zngpu sbe Mbenan! V zneevrq Ybexnf' qnhtugre va nabgure eha gung arire tbg gb gur rcvybthr, naq abj V'z phevbhf ubj gung jbhyq'ir ghearq bhg...!

Overall, I super enjoyed it all! :D It was a bit frustrating at points but I went back and fiddled with my choices and was able to figure out how to get what I was going for, which is really satisfying! And now I have a better idea of how to play the game next time; I never realised, by the way, that when Korundi gives you seemingly generic advice r.e. the security threats, it's actually pointing at a particular mood task that might be lethal! (E.g. I used to get 'avoid being alone' a lot, which probably points to Brood Somewhere? Whereas this time I got 'leaders are often overturned by their military, so avoid spending time around there' which was definitely about viewing the military drills! And I did get an attempt there :D

Ready for my fifth run! Kinda wanna go meet Ibfuxbg ntnva: tbq, V nofbyhgryl nqber uvf qrfvta...! V ernyyl sryy va ybir jvgu uvz ng svefg fvtug <333 V'yy or fb birejuryzvatyl birewblrq vs ur qbrfa'g ghea bhg gb or rivy naq gevpxvat Mbenan :'QQQ Yvxr, gung'f boivbhfyl gur pyvpur, ohg...! Ur'f fb cerggl naq ur jnf fhpu n tbbq oebgure naq nuuu, V xvaq bs jnag gb jevgr snasvpgvba abj ununun...~

But! For the next run!!! For now I have dinner to prepare :'D

Edit: Actually, one other thought I had: both runs I've gotten to Epilogue with before, it stated that Zorana was distrustful of foreign cultures and focused on the empire. I never really got that impression either time? Maybe I'll see if I can try and choose more externally diplomatic choices next run and see how that goes...? 

(I posted this initially in the Beta thread, but then wanted to follow up and realised I should make a separate thread.)

I have soooo many thing to say about this game and am currently nearing the end of my fourth playthrough!! I hope to get down everything I'm thinking eventually but for now there is one big-ish thing I really wanted to mention:

Would it be possible to maintain the option of inviting an elector to become a minister even after you've won their vote? On my current playthrough, my science minister tried to murder Zorana late in the game,  and since she survived, they were of course removed. But Zorana had already spoken to almost everyone, and when she finally made her way over to a potential replacement, the vote had already been won so the option wasn't there. Ofc, this being late in the game, it wasn't as big of a deal, but I'm so used to having  a strong science skill backing me up that it's making me nervous... (Zorana has not had the opportunity to study any skills this run because she has been almost hilariously assassin-prone. My fault for trying out Krovos as spiritual advisor, probably!!)

Edit: welp, this Zorana did not manage to win enough votes to become empress - only fifteen. (It seems slightly rough to still need 17 minimum after three whole electors all got removed in disgrace... though obviously none of them would have voted for her, so.) Ahh, that's really frustrating... It was losing out on the fast spaceship movement that kept her from making it to Mau at all and meeting those electors, at least one of which would have been a definite vote!! I'll try to see if there's anything else I can do... This was the playthrough I really tried to prioritise the Crystal Novan plot and V jnf fb rkpvgrq gb trg gb frr gur phyzvangvba bs gung yvar nsgre gur ryrpgvba...!

Edit 2: Ohhhh my god. I have just found myself into the most difficult Catch 22 situation :') 4th Zorana really is cursed... (Krovos is doing his job, I guess!)

V erfgnegrq sebz n fnir orsber gur bcren rirag ubcvat gb svaq nabgure fpvrapr nqivfbe va gur Ureh nern gb ab ninvy. Ubjrire, fbzrjurer nzbat guvf V zhfg unir qbar fbzrguvat gb znxr Fgblna abg ungr zr dhvgr fb zhpu orpnhfr gur rirag jrag nurnq jvgubhg na nffnffvangvba nggrzcg! Lnl! Hasbeghangryl, V qvqa'g guvax gb fnir jura guvf unccrarq (V jnf fxvccvat naq oneryl abgvprq ng svefg), fb zl bayl fnir jvgu guvf fgngr bs gur tnzr vf nsgre gur pynffrf jrer pubfra.

Guhf, urer V svaq zlfrys. V pna trg Guerr Ebpxf Arfgyrq'f dhrfg qbar, ab ceboyrz -- whfg yvxr va gur bevtvany fnir. Ohg vs V arrq gjb zber ryrpgbef ba zl fvqr, Bar Ovgr jbhyq or n fhcre terng uryc. Naq V pna trg vgf dhrfg fgvyy, lnl!! Hasbeghangryl, V qba'g unir gur greenva fgngf sbe vg, fb V'q arrq bar zber ghea gb frpher vgf ibgr.

Ubjrire. Gur arkg ghea vf gur Whovyrr. Naq V unir svtherq bhg gung vs V qba'g pubbfr gb jrypbzr gur Zlexxnaf svefg, Mbenan qvrf. (Gur gheanebhaq vf uvynevbhf. Vzntvar trggvat gubfr vafgehpgvbaf sebz na ryrpgbe, frg hc jvgu gur qnegf naq rirelguvat ohg gbyq gb *bayl* tb nurnq be abg onfrq ba ubj cbyvgr gur cebfcrpgvir rzcerff vf.) V pbhyq rinqr vg nf V qvq va gur bevtvany fnir jvgu bar be gjb rkgen ersyrkrf... ohg V pna'g punatr zl pynffrf sbe guvf ghea nalzber, erzrzore!!

Ohg, bbcf!! Vs V qba'g jrypbzr gur Ureha svefg, *Bar Ovgr fgbcf gnxvat zl pnyyf.* Zrnavat V pna'g pbzcyrgr gur dhrfg nalzber. :')

V gubhtug znlllor vs V qrabhaprq bar bs vgf rarzvrf (Borevq, jub arire yvxrq Mbenan naljnl) vg'q znvagnva rabhtu nccebiny gb fgvyy yvfgra gb zr! Ohg gung frrzf gb natre gur Whovyrr nffnffvangbe rabhtu gung rira vs V chg Zlexxnaf svefg, Mbenan fgvyy trgf n qneg gb gur arpx. :')

V ernyyl ERNYYL jvfu V xarj jung znqr Fgblna qrpvqr abg gb nffnffvangr ure guvf gvzr... Vs V pbhyq bayl punatr juvpu pynffrf V pubfr V pbhyq fheivir gur Whovyrr naq qb Bar Ovgr'f dhrfg ba gur ghea nsgre... unuu.

I have soooo many thing to say about this game and am currently nearing the end of my fourth playthrough!! I hope to get down everything I'm thinking eventually but for now there is one big-ish thing I really wanted to mention:

Would it be possible to maintain the option of inviting an elector to become a minister even after you've won their vote? On my current playthrough, my science minister tried to murder Zorana late in the game,  and since she survived, they were of course removed. But Zorana had already spoken to almost everyone, and when she finally made her way over to a potential replacement, the vote had already been won so the option wasn't there. Ofc, this being late in the game, it wasn't as big of a deal, but I'm so used to having  a strong science skill backing me up that it's making me nervous... (Zorana has not had the opportunity to study any skills this run because she has been almost hilariously assassin-prone. My fault for trying out Krovos as spiritual advisor, probably!!)

Edit: welp, this Zorana did not manage to win enough votes to become empress - only fifteen. (It seems slightly rough to still need 17 minimum after three whole electors all got removed in disgrace... though obviously none of them would have voted for her, so.) Ahh, that's really frustrating... It was losing out on the fast spaceship movement that kept her from making it to Mau at all and meeting those electors, at least one of which would have been a definite vote!! I'll try to see if there's anything else I can do... This was the playthrough I really tried to prioritise the Crystal Novan plot and V jnf fb rkpvgrq gb trg gb frr gur phyzvangvba bs gung yvar nsgre gur ryrpgvba...!

I've created a TV Tropes page for the game and added a basic bio (cribbed heavily from the Long Live the Queen page) and some tropes! I highly encourage any and everyone to contribute whatever they can to it, especially in the areas of story/lore because I've only played a couple of playthroughs and don't know most of the secret stuff yet.

I haven't made a character page yet, but my current thinking is to put the electors on their own page and put the other main characters all together.

Please enjoy!

So I haven't played this yet but I just gotta say that reading the rules site (oh god I made/saved sooo many of those anime-style website layouts and graphics hahahaha :'D) finally got me off my ass to try and get access back to my old Livejournal account from 2007-09, and today it finally worked!!! Three years of rambling and raving and fanfics I'd totally forgotten ever made its way off my hard drive at all: archived!!!!

And I got all the way until the excitedly-written Gabe/Tycho from Penny Arcade slash fanfiction (completed with many XD emoticons over how very ~cracky~ I was being) before I properly cringed!! But it's still worth it!!! I believe!!!! OTL

Thank you so much for making this!! It's so hard to find thoughtful, artistic aro content like this, so I appreciate it so much! <3

Game asked me if I wanted to experiment with my friend. As I'm aroace, I said no. It gave me an extremely dreary end about ''dying alone'' accompanied only by my cat, as though this were some terrible fate, and lectured me vaguely about giving up opportunities.

Didn't enjoy, sorry. :(

[Reposting my Steam review here: tldr, I really really enjoyed this and highly recommend it!]

I first encountered this visual novel a day before it was released, and immediately I was excited – I love historical settings, and WWI doesn’t get nearly enough media attention, and the characters looked very varied and setting-appropriate, so I had high hopes. Having played the first act now, I can say that the VN delivered everything I wanted and more.

Firstly, this is a very well-researched story. Everything from the details of the trenches to the many different wartime roles that were available to the different kinds of reactions people had to the war – and how they changed over time – are replicated here perfectly. But it doesn’t feel either overwhelming or confusing – apart from a brief explanation of the political history of the war early on, there’s no exposition, instead allowing the reader to familiarise themselves with the world by watching it unfold. It’s worth noting now that this story isn’t technically based on the real WWI – the countries and their geography are different, with some interesting results – but if you want something that captures the spirit of WWI in a very personal, in-the-trenches way, I can’t fault it.

The art also contributes to the feel of it. While I actually wasn’t super fond of the CG art, the sprites are very well-drawn and expressive, and fit very well into the setting despite not being hyper realistic. And the music is perfect – from the very first scene, the usage of traditional classical music perfectly expresses the dramatic moment, and other scenes continue, whether it’s upbeat folk music for the scene where everyone is just so darn excited to sign up to go to war, or sour dirges for when things inevitably go to ♥♥♥♥.

And as I’d hoped, the characters are all very different, reflecting a broad range of attitudes towards the war, and towards each other. You have the eager young lad determined to prove himself a hero, the draft-dodger who is castigated by the townspeople, the lout who just wants to beat some heads of the other side… but they don’t end there in those boxes, either. Even over Act I, we see very quickly how the war affects people, sometimes in drastic ways. Things change, and in a very real way.

The romantic system is also worth a note. It’s kind of a mix of the traditional ‘choose dialogue options your character will like’ system and the more modern ‘just straight-up pick the person you want to date’ option, but with a very unique twist – once you pick a character to get on their route, you’re not locked in. You can totally change to get onto someone else’s route later, if you decide you like them better. Which is good, because there’s going to be even more love interests introduced in Act II (beyond the 10 already available!!). I really like this idea, allowing for more flexibility over your route choices, while still making your dialogue options feel like they matter (as you can’t get on someone’s route if they don’t really like you much).

Then there’s the Battle of Wits system – interestingly for a war game, the real gameplay is actually in debates, where you will have to choose the most persuasive or most accurate response in order to win an argument. But it does actually make sense in such a thoughtful vn, set in a time when people were starting to drastically change how they talked and felt about war. And it works well – both times it comes up in Act I, it makes a lot of sense how it would have an impact, and the choices were reasonable if you thought about it. (For what it’s worth, I got a perfect score… except on the coup de grace of the Elfriede vs Elfriede match. Which was instantly reloaded, because I myself probably would’ve been a draft dodger, given my cowardice :P)

But I’ve been dancing around the real reason this VN left such an impression on me. WWI wasn’t like any war that came before it, or really any after it. People really went in thinking it’d be a gallant, noble affair, over by Christmas, but it was the opposite in every possible way. It was dreary and dark and cold and depressing, unartistic and lifeless. And that truth hovers in the background during the first half of the story, through Elfriede’s cautiousness and dramatic irony, but when the second half comes around, it becomes clear that this game is not ♥♥♥♥ing around. The author understands this war EXACTLY, and through her writing, manages to communicate every bit of the hopelessness and tedium of it. But that’s not left for only the characters to experience. Be warned: characters will be injured, and maybe even die – and maybe even your favourite. In recent years, I’ve become skeptical of the writing choice to give character’s stories an early and unexpected end for shock value, but this is the perfect setting for it, aligning fully with the tone and themes of the setting and so subverting the expectations of a romance game to tell a true, realistic story. Because this stuff did happen. If you don’t think you could deal with that, knowing that your love interest is not safe, then this isn’t the game for you. But if you want a story that will punch you in the gut and deliver something you probably haven’t seen before, please do play it.

I should at least mention the few things I didn’t like. As I said, I found the CG art weirdly amateurish compared to the sprites, in a way borderline inappropriate for the setting. As this is Act I, not all of the characters get much attention – for a couple, it’s hard to see how Elfriede could have developed any positive feelings for them by the time it comes to pick a route, but that’s just a structural problem. And I could see others finding this Act too short for the price point, but as someone who measures stories more by impact than time taken, I am completely satisfied.

In short: this is a very well researched and written story with a wide variety of interesting characters well developed, which captures an atmosphere that isn’t quite like anything I’ve ever seen before. It is dark – the creator doesn’t consider it a borderline horror game for no reason – but it’s not so merely for shock or edginess points. These are events that really happened, for real reasons, and every sentence of the story exudes that. And that means that, even in between the awfulness and misery and tedium, there was also friendship, and laughter, and love. To what extent the latter will win out over the worst of the war will only be revealed over Acts II to IV, and I for one will be there on day one.