In Progress [LP CYOA] Tower

[Baltika9]

but that's the character Wrinkly has demonstrated up to this point: loyal, goodhearted dude who will do what's necessary even if it costs him.

Perhaps, but he has other qualities as well: doggedness, focus and determination. There are good in-character reasons to pursue B.

i thought we chose the hunter background to play a non-political down-to-earth character (that still gets to make an impact through kicking supernatural ass and uncovering secrets of the tower) for once?

But we always say that. I want to do politics for once.

 

[Nevill]

Guys, let’s not think like bio/bethards, there’s no reason for Lenin to make a measly librarian part of his grand plans, unless he knows of the doggie, in this case we will receive other offers of recruiting.

I would disagree with that, or rather, with the way you apply the term. You mean it in the sense that it is unlikely that we are the Chosen One who gets all the quests just by being there, am I correct?

Interesting things tend to happen to and around powerful/influental people. An assassin in the night, persecution by authorities, conversations held in hushed tones, notes delivered to safehouses, parcels and money passed under the table... A measly eleven year old librarian has no reason to be a part of any of this, but we won't always be a librarian, and we won't always be eleven. Something interesting will happen, inevitably, should we choose to stay in the eye of the storm.

And Uridimmu's prophecy all but guarantees that we won't have a nice quiet life cataloguing pamphlets.

Is it unreasonable to believe you are given a starring role in the show when OOC you are a quest protagonist, and IC a demon prince is vouching for you?

in a high-magic anime universe, codex choices based on the above:
- get better at housework
[...]
if we avoid drudgery and mundane (in before the wisdom of tending your own garden), we have supernatural forces at work, and political intrigue

i thought we chose the hunter background to play a non-political down-to-earth character (that still gets to make an impact through kicking supernatural ass and uncovering secrets of the tower) for once?

No, not quite. Codex has chosen to move to the city; the house chores were a part of living with another family and not leeching off them. When given an actual choice between a paying job and more housework, we chose the former.

It might be disappointing to not peddle our soul to every demon prince that wants a chew toy (what was that about baltikiosis? ), but we are in our formative years, and barring something going awry (like sneaking out into the ruins while getting sidelined by Rasputin, and being sent six floors away from home) won't have a lot of magical things happen to us until we reach the age of majority and bug off in search of adventure. We could look for trouble while still underage, but for some reason that didn't appeal to many.

As for the divison between political and supernatural you bring up so often... isn't it a bit artificial? The political landscape of the world we know was reshaped due to the discovery of the Tower and the phenomena that came with it. The Astras and the mad quest to go beyond the White Wall are the subject of court machinations and international intrigue. I don't think one can be separated from the other.

Besides, the very point of having a world like ours, but not quite, is to be able to have context without predictability. Without said context, Vladimir and Georgy would be two bearded nerds arguing on campus. With it, we are looking at something that may shake the foundation of the world. I don't think it would take entirely mundane means.

Lenin has plans for the Tower, and it does not get more supernatural than this.

I can respect the point about this being a not very "hunter" path. I probably wouldn't be considering it if it weren't for our prior encounter with Alexei and Rasputin.

 

[ChumBucket]

Perhaps, but he has other qualities as well: doggedness, focus and determination. There are good in-character reasons to pursue B.

That is why I see no bad choices. All have in character justification. Even going with Lenin. Wrinkly Has no problem joining someone who appears to show genuine interest in helping him. Doesn't mean he wouldn't change his mind if the Communist proves to be a manipulative power grabbing bastard, but Ilyich has yet to show that side of himself to us. Probably took an interest in us because we passed the useful idiot test when we refused to be a bomb jockey.

 

[Baltika9]

that means someone who does not get attached to every powerful butterfly (a.k.a. baltikiosis: see Rasputin - love Rasputin let's join him; see Tlali - love Tlali let's join her; see Demon Prince of Dog Eat Dog - love doggy let's join him; see Lenin - love Lenin let's join him...), but takes care of Rain (our first and most important attachment) and tries to make his own way in the world

I somehow missed this. The thing about 'powerful butterflies' is that they help you make your own way in the world. And they're much better at it than the 'not powerful butterflies' like Father McClellan and Ralph Bathory Bayther* who are our current patrons. The 'bootstrap myth' doesn't really apply to Cloud, we've been surviving off of the kindness (and 'kindness') of strangers since our house burned down.

As far as the medical condition of baltikiosis (btw, nice ) is concerned, I have been honest with my intentions from the start of the game: I want to explore the cool aspects of this setting and get embroiled in the political and the supernatural. Is Rasputin, as a character, cool? Yes. Are the Hound, Tlalli and Lenin, as characters, cool? Yes. Do I get fired up about pursuing cool story leads in a setting filled with the mystical, the magical and the political? Yes, I do and I'm not ashamed of it.

Lastly, any choices offered to us by treave are, by default, in character. He wouldn't have offered them otherwise.

*Btw, does anyone know the background of the Bathory surname? Are they Welsh or Bavarian?

 

[ChumBucket]

As far as the medical condition of baltikiosis (btw, nice ) is concerned, I have been honest with my intentions from the start of the game: I want to explore the cool aspects of this setting and get embroiled in the political and the supernatural. Is Rasputin, as a character, cool? Yes. Are the Hound, Tlalli and Lenin, as characters, cool? Yes. Do I get fired up about pursuing cool story leads in a setting filled with the mystical, the magical and the political? Yes, I do and I'm not ashamed of it.

In a lot of ways I feel we are still in the prologue for our character. Each powerful person we meet has a chance to be defining for us. Much like life you have to eventually choose a place to plant your flag, using the avenues life gives you. If you refuse to make that choice and take on the power and responsibility you leave that choice to the world. And rarely does that end happily. Baltika is merely drawn to these butterflies because he see's the opportunities they can provide. He doesn't want every single one all at once, but he is going to advocate for every single one because if we keep passing them up, we will be left with whatever scraps are left at the bottom of the barrel instead of the meals treave presented us. Baltika doesn't want us to pick EVERY one, he is just the advocate for us to PICK ONE.

 

[Kz3r0]

Btw, does anyone know the background of the Bathory surname? Are they Welsh or Bavarian?

Hungarian.

 

[ChumBucket]

And just for added clarification on my previous statement. Just because we accept Lenin's offer doesn't mean we are doomed to become a communist. We might actually become the towers biggest anti-communist as a result of our experiences on the inside of the machine.

 

[hello friend]

Fuck it

AC>BC>CC

CappenVarra is right about everything except Sophie

 

[ERYFKRAD]

CC> XC. Just don't leave the kid behind.

 

[Baltika9]

And just for added clarification on my previous statement. Just because we accept Lenin's offer doesn't mean we are doomed to become a communist. We might actually become the towers biggest anti-communist as a result of our experiences on the inside of the machine.

Nailed it. Thank you, bro.

I agree with Lambchop about one thing: there's no point randomly jumping between one thing and another.

I wasn't entirely sold on Commie Work, but we chose it, and then by not taking the bomb package, we also turned down opportunities within it. But if we then choose to rewind all of that and take up Tlalli's recommendation, what the hell was the point of leaving the village in the first place? We all knew that it's not like we were going to magically solve Liz's illness by sweeping her room for a few weeks.

We either came to the city for opportunities only the city can provide, in which case, we decided that was political hijinks, so we might as well take that up.

Lenin's offer is a direct result of our work at the KMI, in that we wouldn't have 'unlocked' this story line without working as a librarian for a bit, so it fits with this 'logic of continuity.' But I think that all of these choices do, really: continue the Internationale line, or the Hunters Association line, or the Take Care of My Bestie line.

Btw, does anyone know the background of the Bathory surname? Are they Welsh or Bavarian?

Hungarian.

(Ralph -> Ralf) Bayther
(Elaine -> Ilonka) Bayther
(Elizabeth -> Erszébet) Bayther

Yeah, I could see it. It would work with the all the other foreshadowing thrown out by treave. Still not sure what we can do for her given her condition; for the record, I'm inclined to agree that she's a vampire, but maybe the best thing to do is leave her to do her thing for a bit in that case. We can become a bloodsucking, baby-eating monster, and she can become a vampire.

but when given a choice between communism, XP boost, or love (and to paraphrase DE, love and communism get you killed)

Ah, but it was love that killed him. Communism pulled the trigger. To paraphrase Walter White, we're the man who knocks.

 

[ChumBucket]

To put it it another way. What if we are confronted with the horrors of collectivism and turn into this Bad Ass:

Spoiler

 

[CappenVarra]

i tip my hat SEVA helmet to you gentlemen, this is proving quite amusing to participate in



since i was born with a heart full of neutrality, i can see the other choices as having upsides:
- choosing Lenin might result in dreary updates with no future, but the replies from Lambchop are sure to be... amusing
- choosing the hospital will... uhm, allow us to ogle pretty nurses and peep at doctor's orgies, unlocking the secret hentai path?

however, none of these come close to getting our poor feral child a prestigious education that few get a chance at

just accept that a CHA 3 character will never be a political player, or will only manage to become a very minor one at debilitating opportunity cost - we might get +1 political level with the same investment that would get us +3 or more hunter levels, our starting background pretty much guarantees it

let's play the cards we've been dealt (and that we have chosen for the most part), and get ready to hunt some goddamn monsters already

let's learn some top-shelf skills at one of the best schools possible, and leave soiled linen to others - hospitals are not the army, you don't start as an orderly's buttbuy and work your way up the ranks - you finish some top schools and then you can start to practice medicine if that's what you want ffs

 

[ChumBucket]

Well since 1C appears to be winning I am going to jump back to my (slightly modified) original vote with my fellow grey hearted partisans. Vote is switching to: BC>AC.

 

[Baltika9]

just accept that a CHA 3 character will never be a political player, or will only manage to become a very minor one at debilitating opportunity cost - we might get +1 political level with the same investment that would get us +3 or more hunter levels, our starting background pretty much guarantees it

Our CHA is 4, we're just poorly socialized, is all. It is our beauty score that is 3, and being beautiful is not a prerequisite to succeeding in politics. Just look at Winston Churchill.

Wrinkly is a likeable guy, I'm sure that we have cards to play in the political arenas. Playing them right will be the fun part.

- choosing Lenin might result in dreary updates with no future, but the replies from Lambchop are sure to be... amusing

Nah. Lenin was fanatical about education; I think he'll expect us to learn and adapt at lightning speed and I legit see the potential for us to end up as a 'special operative' type given our personality, skills and background.

The 'hard part' will come from us being around revolutionaries and participating in a revolution, with all the physical and moral perils that come with such an atmosphere.

===Tally===

==1st choice==
A - 4 (1)
B - 6 (9)
C - 9

==2nd choice==

A - 0
B - 1
C - 17

Spoiler

Baltika9 - AC>BC
Nevill - AC
hellofriend - AC>BC>CC
Orbit - AC>BC

ChumBucket - BC>AC
CappenVarra - BC
Nahel - BB
Grimgravy - BC>BB>CC
Azira - BC>CC
baud - BC

Kz3r0 - CC
Kalarion - CC
Lambchop19 - CC>BC
asxetos - CC
ItsChon - CC>BC
Egosphere - CC
Nyx - CC
ERYFKRAD - CC
Life of the Party - CC

 

[CappenVarra]

 

[Nevill]

Wrinkly is a likeable guy, I'm sure that we have cards to play in the political arenas.

Wrinkly won't ever be a politician, riling people up and giving speeches from the top of armored cars.

But we can probably be a political player if we wanted to. SpecOps sound just right up our alley.

 

[baud]

BC

Our CHA is 4, we're just poorly socialized, is all. It is our beauty score that is 3, and being beautiful is not prerequisite to succeeding in politics. Just look at Winston Churchill.

I'm pretty sure Winston Churchill had a way higher CHA score than us. And by his birth, he had a very easy way into politics.

 

[Baltika9]

I'm pretty sure Winston Churchill had a way higher CHA score than us.

Eh, it's definitely something he developed. He was perceived as kind of a joke in his early life, if memory serves.

And by his birth, he had a very easy way into politics.

Yeah, his connections got him far, but we have the opportunities to make our own connections.

Edit: I'm just not convinced that Wrinkly is destined to be politically impotent for the rest of his life.

 

[Life of the Party]

C. Accept the apprenticeship at the hospital.

C. You will bring Rain together with you, as always. You'll resolve any problem as it pops up.

 

[Nevill]

We need more comrades.

If Liz is a vampire, isn't Lenin a better pick? He can use his practical experience with mausoleums to build her a proper crypt!
Or confiscate an Estate.

 

[Baltika9]

Interesting things tend to happen to and around powerful/influental people. An assassin in the night, persecution by authorities, conversations held in hushed tones, notes delivered to safehouses, parcels and money passed under the table... A measly eleven year old librarian has no reason to be a part of any of this, but we won't always be a librarian, and we won't always be eleven. Something interesting will happen, inevitably, should we choose to stay in the eye of the storm.

...

Lenin has plans for the Tower, and it does not get more supernatural than this.

This is what stands out to me with 1A: joining Lenin will place us at the root of the setting, since Astra is the lifeblood of this strange and familiar world. We will be arrayed against every single government on the planet. Yes, it will be dangerous, but with danger comes opportunity and endless room for growth.

As for why Cloud would join Vladimir Ulyanov's group, well, the man is offering to invest in our development in exchange for work. We're a clever young lad, not afraid of work and I can see someone like Wrinkly accepting such an offer. If nothing else, I'm sure that this will be a great adventure. For this reason alone, if nothing else:

- choosing Lenin might result in dreary updates with no future, but the replies from Lambchop are sure to be... amusing

Comrades! The war between the reactionaries is at a stalemate. Now is the time to seize revolutionary momentum and advance in a general offensive! Rally, comrades! Rally to 1A! All the negative consequences can be blamed on me!

 

[CappenVarra]

Edit: I'm just not convinced that Wrinkly is destined to be politically impotent for the rest of his life.

if it'll make you feel better, you can consider him as politically idempotent for the rest of his life instead

 

[Orbit]

AC > BC.

Time to search for new waifus.

 

[Nevill]

Preferably ones that come with light machine guns.

Spoiler

 

[Baltika9]

Time to search for new waifus.

Preferably ones that come with light machine guns.

This is a good point. We can meet a lot of rebellious girls through our work for the party. Surely Uncle Vladimir will advise his young protege in matters of the heart.

Forward, comrades! Let us seize the means of reproduction!