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I'd have said in the first class chooser. Something like "you can choose skills. Right now, you only have [skill A and skill B] that your familiarity with your [snake/blob/falcon] taught you over time."

Also my experience! (I didn't make a list, but a reference planet/sector could be helpful)

This is so impressive. Awesomely done.

I used it across two playthroughs iirc. In one Zorana was perceived as a dutiful daughter following her father's vision (I know this wasn't the exact line. I was spouting the usual respectful-daughter lines so that part was easy to understand, but I can't remember what I was doing aside from that that was Dragocen-adjacent, and I remember wondering what policies of his I was following up on.)

In the other playthrough I was perceived as "someone who likes to enjoy herself" (I assumed because I was spending a lot of time in Indulgent though probably not the actual reason) and later on, as most of my playthroughs are likely wont to do, as "someone who favors compromise and peaceful solutions."

ok, thank you! I think because "fishing" has the same name form as "hunting" I found it confusing. I think I would have found "fishing strategy" clearer but it probably goes without saying.

Milan's quest shows "hunting + fishing" as a combined skill check, not sure if it's a joke on purpose.

Another thing that is probably especially not implementable (because the way I see it, it would require more scenes to sell the idea that Zorana would like to get with this person personally, not simply politically) but that I would love would be take concubines. Maybe one of the Scientists we cross paths with (this could also political, actually; Zorana would know what they were doing but it's a cushy position). Be - tbvat bss gur freinag jubz Mbenan pna crefhnqr abg gb zheqre ure ol oevovat ure - znlor vs bar bs gur freinagf gevrf gb nffnffvangr Mbenan, naq vg'f fbzrbar Mbenan'f orra sevraqyl jvgu orsber, naq gurl unir n ~flzcngurgvp ernfba~ sbe gelvat gb raq Mbenan'f yvsr. Which would probably be even MORE work than the other ideas! 

I just think being the existence of concubines is cool and it would also be cool if there was another possibility or so.

I wish Branekka voting for Lukomir would be delayed if Zorana 1)has Branekka's personal quest, and 2)denounced Milan. Or that Zorana could spend a social action sending a message to Branekka telling her "please hold until I return to Heru III," and if Zorana doesn't get there before the end of the game it's not an obligation to Branekka to vote for Zorana. It's beyond frustrating to denounce Milan and in the same turn having Branekka decide to vote for Lukomir after all. 

I wish that there was a way to know when Ethexae is so mad at you that she won't allow you to attend Agonalia without going all the way there. Maybe if someone is voting for you already on Myrkka II they could send you a message letting you know? Or you could spend a social action with high enough Intrigue/Media to know how Ethexae is feeling about Zorana at this current time, even if Zorana has never met her?

I wish there was a way to earn the right to attend Agonalia/convince Ethexae to let you attend even if she's hostile, because it's a wonderful scene/piece of worldbuilding, and it's a shame to be so often locked out of it. Or maybe one of the Electors can have you as their +1 - maybe you can reach one of them and suggest that as a way to earn their vote (isn't it a favor to them to show up as arm candy to someone?). Or maybe if Zorana doesn't get to attend anyway she can publish an interview where she can try to spin not attending Agonalia as a good thing to mitigate the results (either through implying the High Pontifex has it out for her but politely, or that Zorana believes it is more proper for an Imperial candidate not to bring politics into the realm of the religious, or to double down on saying that Zorana doesn't consider it appropriate because she wouldn't want to favor one religion above the others).

Still about Agonalia, but not only, I wish there was even more places in the story where someone told you/Zorana learned about what the rumors/the common people think. I'm thinking about something like the satirical poem that reaches Elodie, reaching Zorana after she fails to attend Agonalia. Not even as an event with checks or anything, just Zorana seeing the caricatures/satirical drawings of her looking down her nose at Ethexae if she wasn't at Agonalia, or maybe an Internet sketch mocking her turn 8 interview/mocking the interviewer if she did well, and being impacted by her mood. I love the "My Best Friend Confessed Their Love To Me And", and the existence of the turn 8 interview, and Kxenia keeping Zorana up to date on what's said on forum boards, but I would love more of these, especially as reactions/comments on Zorana and her choices.

I also wish but realize that it's not implementable if there was a way to steal people away when they've thrown their votes in with another candidate. Maybe only certain electors (Zolot, I'm looking at you) or maybe only after an enemy of theirs was caught behind as assassination of Zorana.

I've never had a lot of problems with assassins, except in one specific run where I took a decision that I knew was going to make a lot of people very, very angry at Zorana, and my general angle is generally Zorana Being Nice, so I don't know how much I can help, but:

- on the whole sticking to the left half of the mood wheel seemingly is less deadly

- Empathy/Etiquette can be enough to avoid assassination attempts on the left half, I definitely find Rhetoric very helpful when it comes to making a good impression.

- Physical skills - Condition and Body Control - I tend to consider as defensive skills against right half assassination attempts of the mood wheel. You usually need another skill (Layout, or Guns), but if they're sufficiently high you can make it through

- just reiterating what was said by previous people, visiting Korundi can put you in Cautious, which is generally but not always safer, and the snake puts you in the safer half of the mood wheel as well. 

- there's a few choices Zorana can make during the game that are offensive to some group or that some people will interpret as Zorana not caring for them. If Zorana shows lack of care for the same group a lot, then it'll be easier to pick up Electors from people who don't belong to that group, but that group might easily go from merely disliking Zorana to actively wanting her dead. Conversely, trying to balance out favor/disfavor means assassination attempts are less likely, but Electors might be less easy to pick up.

Personally I've found that what works best for me in the early game is getting a skilled cabinet from the Tharkan system and largely considering Myrkka II a wash. As far as I know you can't talk to the rival guy! He's not interested in being chummy with Zorana.  There's a trick to getting the admiral on board that I use a lot (you need a little Piloting and a lot of aplomb) which I find cost-effective but I don't know if it makes a lot of difference Elector-wise.

Do you do a lot of retrying from the start of the turn/the previous turn? I've found that a number of assassinations are easy to survive or avoid if you go back only or or two turns - if there's an assassination attempt in Compliant on turn 16, you could go to Social on turn 15 so on turn 16 you can only pick between Indulgent and Excited, and sometimes assassination attempts can be survived with an emergency double work session in a key skill. I did a lot of reloading in that playthrough I was facing assassins all the time.

!!! thank you, I've finally understood! (and implemented.) now I'm wondering what other ways exist to get the same info!

Just looked at it; I can't figure out how to get her to touch it. 

Do you have any pointers on how to get Zorana to use Eternal Radiance? I can get her to concentrate really hard and try to make light in her room, and fail, but that's it as far as attempts to be a Lumen go. 

I was testing to see if the Turn 15 convos about the Legend of Mazarin + Sideo's weird correcting himself when he talks about Dragocen leaving a gift for Zorana would give the opportunity, iirc. 

Fb sne jung V'ir vqragvsvrq nf guvatf gung tvir gur sbhegu bcgvba ner:

- ivfvgvat gur Oyvaq Rlr

- trggvat ratntrq 

Trahvaryl ab vqrn ubj gb qb gung. Gur bayl fprar V'ir sbhaq gung V pna npprff gur Eblny Gernfhel vf nsgre gur zrrgvat jvgu Ibfuxbg (naq jvgu rabhtu Fcnprfuvcf gb vqragvsl nf fbzrguvat gung ybbxf yvxr n fcnpr ratvar, naq rabhtu Zvyvgnel gb erpnyy gung vg'f gunaxf gb gur cbjre bs Abina fcnprfuvcf gung Pelfgny Abin unf arire orra pbadhrerq), naq nsgre gung abguvat. Qb lbh arrq gb trg TE bire 70 jura guvf fprar ebyyf nebhaq? 

Also, after re-reading through the log of a playthrough where I unexpectedly got the fourth option, no idea why thta fourth option was there at the time (unless it opens based on an accumulation of several "clues"; I tested with only one of what I thought might be a "clue" and I didn't get it).

Less of a strategy and more of an observation: 

Getting Krovos as your Spiritual advisor like "what if Zorana wanted to roleplay Elodie". Lbh'q guvax Yhxbzve jbhyq gryy gur crbcyr ibgvat sbe uvz gb fgbc gelvat gb xvyy Mbenan, that's costing him votes. (V'z zbfgyl wbxvat. Yhxbzve ybfvat ibgrf vf tbbq. Snpvat nobhg na nffnffvangvba n zbbq punatr cyhf guerr nffnffvangvbaf va gur znva ebhgr vf uneq, fb gung pbzcrafngrf n yvggyr.)

This was with Jaxor as an early fiancé - one of the only three I've had so far - and I'm liking Jaxor a lot (more than Fire, despite the fact that Fire has a portrait and Jaxor doesn't). Also it's really hard to not take Vasily as logothete of culture, with ulterior (having him as concubine) motives; the scene where he offers is lovely and so are the epilogues I've seen. I do want Zorana to have something nice.

Thank you, and my apologies!

Dragocen's former Logothete of Science now takes the position rather than petition

I'm playing the current 0.7.13.1 version and on turn 11 Dragocen's former Logothete of Science is seeking Imperial approval before accepting a post on Heru II, and Zorana can refuse permission. Is it intended?

It's not possible to  orpbzr n Yhzra guebhtu npdhvevat gur pelfgny, evtug? Lbh arrq gb svther bhg vg pna or qbar, ohg Mbenan pna'g npghnyyl unir gur Pelfgny orsber gur raq? Gur Yhzra ebhgr erdhverf svthevat bhg vg rkvfgf ohg abg npdhvevat gur pelfgny?

I got to the mysterious turn 27 situation for the first time, noting how I think I reached that here.

as far as I can tell, I got it by keeping ybj Fpvrapr sbe n juvyr (vqx jul; V tbg Fpvrapr 60 nsgre erprvivat gur eraqrm-ibhf gb trg gb Arhgeny Fcnpr ba ghea 22 sebz gur Abinaf, jvgu Tnynpgvp Eryngvbaf 40 fvapr ghea 4 be fb) + n ivfvg gb gur Nyy-Frrvat Rlr ba Znh (Mbenan jnf ratntrq ng gur gvzr, juvpu vf pyrneyl abg arprffnel gb gur ivfvg, ohg jnfa'g n qrgevzrag rvgure) gb haybpx gur snzbhf Sbhegu Bcgvba jura lbh trg lbhe fpvrapr uvtu rabhtu.

Juvpu va ghea vf rabhtu sbe ghea 27 gb or Vagrerfgvat. V unq Qrprcgvba 75, juvpu sryg fhssvpvrag, ohg orpnhfr V pbhyqa'g trg gb gur Abina eraqrm-ibhf va gvzr gung jnf gung. Jung n jbaqreshy neenl bs greevoyr Onq Raqf jr tbg gurer!

Going to Myrkka II when Mirelle has pledged her vote to Lukomir, it feels like the usual narration is lacking something. "There is only one guest with a critical role to play in the near future" as well as Mirelle saying "I look forward to speaking with you in more detail later", that makes me wish the scene mentioned that it's too late, or that narration would say something about these exchange of pleasantries being rather empty (or without being affected by mood - isn't it a little disheartening to meet someone who is perfectly nice and pleasant and who didn't even give you a chance to win her vote?)

(it's a very minor point because Mirelle decided to throw her lot in with Lukomir one turn before I reached Myrkka II and I was feeling ~betrayed~ due to never having Mirelle not give me her vote in previous playthroughs.)

I largely agree with the fact that there's less in-game incentives to dig into characters (Vasily and Kxenia were notably the characters I most wished I could research and had more things going on after my first run, simply because they're characters who appear several times during the story) and that I feel the turn investment needed to succeed at a personal quest is a lot heavier than similar side-quests/achievements in LLTQ, with much lighter returns (aside from the quest itself, which tend to be absolute joys to play through).

I'm not sure it's fixable within the game's current structure. Maybe if an Elector, or a non-Elector, or a member of your cabinet, came to Zorana with a request that would lead to researching/interacting with an Elector (I'm thinking of Brin's request for help with the nearby country, or the trial involving the woman accused of poisoning Kevan's sister - maybe one of Zorana's friend has a similar request)? None of the scripted events involve Electors.

I love the Hooded Cloak!!! The Evening Dress and the Arts outfit are classy,  Dark Champion and Fleet Uniform are fun. I'm less fond of the Engineering outfit, and in a lesser measure of the Environmnent outfit.

Piloting, Stealth and Rhetoric are vastly more necessary than I expected. (And so are the Engineering skills but I scrape by, taking only just what I need)

I still fall back on using Interaction/Emotion a lot, but I'm liking high Rhetoric more than high Etiquette, and I did not expect to get so much mileage out of Menace. Not necessary, but incredibly fun, and very useful. 

Most non-Stealth physical skills that aren't Condition or Body Control I only bother with if I'm angling to succeed a specific personal quest. which so far I haven't really done. I haven't done an Arts run either but it should be right up my alley.

Oh that's cool! Looking forward to what happens there/their final form!

I always have Basic Spirituality when meeting Ethexae, and that's specifically why I find the wording in this choice unclear : the successful check's information doesn't fit in with either choice.

I'm more likely to kneel if I don't have the check's information, because in that case I haven't discovered information that tells me that kneeling isn't considered culturally appropriate from the Imperial heir.

I would suggest either rewording "kneel" to "bow" or offer a third, correct option if Zorana passed the check.
ETA or simply rewording "you are expected to bow your head" for something slightly less specific, such as "you are expected to show deference", something to indicate that any outward sign of respect is better than treating her like an equal.

I just want to say that I'm very, very fond of the scientist who speaks to Zorana during the reports of the genetic testing if Zorana gets engaged, for all that they don't have a portrait of a name. I think it would be incredibly cool if there was something more there (the scientist disappearing, or being blackmailed, or Zorana being blackmailed), and I understand if it's utterly outside the range of what you want to do, Hanako, but it would be so cool if the scientist or consequences for the conversation came up again.

I never, ever understand what the "correct" option when meeting Ethexae is. A successful Etiquette check says "you are expected to bow your head", but then both options offered seem wrong ("kneel" or "remain standing"), and I don't understand which I should pick. "Kneel" is so much stronger than "bow your head" that it might pass for ignorance/lack of etiquette and not win Ethexae"s confidence that we're fit to rule; and "remain standing" says that Zorana meets Ethexae's gaze. 

oh whoops but I AM incredibly looking forward to it!!!! It sort of also feels it should impact the Agonaglia at least! (and maybe the visit to the All-Seeing Eye?) 

Ah! Okay, got it, I completely missed that.

Maybe getting rid of "leaning" when Zorana's Empathy is high enough? That way it's clearer that "generally positive" is vaguer than "positive". And you're left with "friendly" and "hostile", which I think read more intense than positive and negative. 

It's very funny to get the "River of Light" constellation when you've blackmailed your way to the crown (6 votes out of 17), and have Krovos as your spiritual advisor, but I wish there was some counter in the game that impacted the epilogue is Zorana's been a bit too blackmail-happy. (I have never blackmailed more than 6 people, so it's possible that there is one that I simply haven't stumbled upon, but in case there isn't...)

I also expected Krovos as spiritual advisor to have some flavor in the epilogue - it does reflect on Zorana's relationship to spirituality, and as it stands it doesn't seem to have much of an impact on Zorana's relationship with the High Pontifex in the epilogues.

Gur rcvybthr nyfb nffhzrq gung Mbenan zvtug jnag gb ybbx/jnagrq gb ybbx sbe jub nffnffvangr Rfzrenv (naq nyfb jbhyq uhag qbja Rfzrenv'f jvsr naq puvyq gb uryc), juvpu tvira ubj Mbenan unaqyrq gur ragver fvghngvba (jvfuvat vg jbhyq nyy Tb Njnl naq tvivat Rfzrenv onq frngf ng gur bcren ba checbfr), pnzr nf n fhecevfr gb zr. V fhccbfr nf gur jvaare Mbenan pna nssbeq gb or tenpvbhf, ohg gur gbar bs gur fyvqr znqr vg frrz yvxr vg jnf bayl angheny. V'z abg fnlvat V jbhyqa'g unir ghearq qbja gur bccbeghavgl gb gel naq qb n yvggyr nffnffvangvba ba gur fvqr, gubhtu znlor gur bcgvba rkvfgf vs Xbehaqv unfa'g tbar gb Yhxbzve.

Fvzvyneyl - tvira gung fur pbzrf hc va guvf rcvybthr, V'z ergebfcrpgviryl fhecevfrq Mbygna'f ovegu zbgure qbrfa'g pbzr hc va gur rcvybthrf jurer Mbenan nqbcgrq uvz. Hayrff fur'f zragvbarq (qbrf Mbenan rire gel gb ybbx ure hc bapr ure fba vf byqre, be abg ng nyy?) vs Mbenan erfcrpgrq ure jvfu gb unir gur puvyq anzrq Gfvexbal?

Not quite dialogue, but I find the distinction between "leaning" and "generally" confusing. Based on the icon and interactions, I expect that "leaning" is stronger than "generally", but based on pure vocab connotations I (ESL experience) expected it to be the other way around. Is it on purpose? Or could "somewhat" be swapped in for "generally", or "very" for "leaning"?

Second win! this time I decided to challenge myself by avoiding as much as possible Interaction/Emotion. I ended up with 50 rhetoric for the turn 22 neutral space event, but that's that - all the other Interaction/Emotion where at 0.

This time I went for the Tharkkan group, picked Ozara, Rejt, Lorkas, and got my friends on board because any stat is better than no stat. Also got Sola's vote. I had to abandon Zolot, Milan and Ixil to Lukomir because I was snagging Mirelle and had the good fortune of meeting and persuading Yakau for the first time. I liked him! Then midgame I successfully did the turn 22 neutral space event, went to Mau for the easy friendly vote, got Vahter and Krovos on board (Vahter hit me with a personal quest for the first time), pushed to Draug, then I tried the Pontifex' personal quest for the first time (with only mixed results due to very middling Sports). Final push I went to the Heru group and stole a truly outrageous number of votes, including Grojdana by naming her Lord Chancellor. I did a try where on turn 20 (the same turn Lukomir got the votes of Branekka and Radomil) Zorana got engaged to Eve's son (fascinating! I'm very glad I went for it.), went to the end, then reloaded and tried to do the same without Eve's vote (turned out better because Zorana could get Rippling Thunder's deal), and easily got enough votes. 

It feels like naming the correct ministers + being a generalist in stats pays off, I didn't specialize much (I think I had only the Spaceship group around Graduate level) and most of the quests where pretty doable. I regretted not having picked up enough Stealth for the Heru III quest, and sometimes I had to reload to study a non-optimal skill so I could do the day's quest, but on the whole it didn't feel difficult. 

It did absolutely require the Science bonus, I don't know how I could have done without it.

I got to the election once (after one loss at the election, and a few reloads for assassination reasons - they're a lot easier to deal with than in OG LLTQ but I can see how it might not seem so easy if you're stuck between two assassination attempts on the mood wheel). I went mostly Interaction+Emotion, which tended to be my go-to in LTTQ, with decent Stealth (and picked up the Leotard and the Training Outfit before the end as well).

I followed some advice on this thread - Myrkka II's personal quest, Myrkka I (where I tend not to do great. judicious Blackmail turned out weirdly positive), then after several turns of not feeling like I'm amounting to anything going for Draug for the Science, then down to Heru to open the planets, where I picked up Grojdana and got involved in Heru politics. I would love to delve deeper there. Then Neutral Space (the plot flew way over my head but some merchant goes free I guess), then Tharkas - which I hadn't even reached on my first attempt. 

After that I returned to Myrkka I in time for Turn 24 (I need to skip that to see how badly it hurts Zorana), then down to the Tharkkan sector. By this time there was only one vote to pick up there and delving into the Elector's background made her a natural fit for one of my only open position among my advisors (I'd retained my friends as advisors because Student stats are better than 0 stats). This was too late in the game to be truly useful but that was a strong Council.

Up to Mau for Tulisti and see if having completed Krovos' quest makes any difference in Muistis' quest, then back to Tharkkan sector on the way to Heru sector. Lukomir stole two of the votes on Heru III, where I was planning to spend the last few turns, but it was too late to change plans. There's precious little time between the announcement that you won't be able to move and being unable to move (I find the last turns pretty punitive), and it wasn't immediately clear to me that "sector" referred to the Electors on that planet and not the Electors of the planet group (ex: Myrkka I + Myrkka II as opposed to just Myrkka I)

Then I accepted Vasily's offer to make him my concubine and reached the election with 17 votes and no betrothal. I'd been feeling like I was playing pretty aggressively (I consistently had twice as many promised votes as Lukomir) and juuuuuust squeaking by makes me think I'm not playing this as intended, especially with all the hanging plot threads.

Are there mechanics to get people voting for Lukomir to drop out or is it something that needs to be solved before they vote for him? I haven't figured out yet why the option to dwell into their BG etc remain open once their vite is secured by our opponent, when we can't do the same with our cabinet members. I haven't tried to offer Lukomir electors a cabinet position, but could you offer them a cabinet position to bait them into trying to murder you, then use that against them to prevent them from voting?

Given the need to secure votes the game feels it's at a more break-neck speed to fulfill the plot than LLTQ (that might be inexperience speaking), like there's less time to get things done.

Otoh I love the personal quests. They're so varied and cool! I LOVED the Dungeon's Master, what an absolute treat of a character dynamic there. The physical stats seem like they mostly come into play here. I have no idea what Ixil wants and that makes her pretty scary ngl.