What's up with me and Touhou fangame LP's? Oh well...
Sengoku Gensokyo is another doujin game based off of the Touhou Project series, like my past completed LPs. This time, though, it's a conquest simulation game! Set in the fantasy melting pot of Gensokyo, we'll join main characters Reimu Hakurei and Marisa Kirisame as they attempt to take over the land as part of a mysterious competition. For those who followed my past LPs, please understand that this isn't a continuation of the plot I used from before, as this game's original story is strong enough to stand on its own, and I feel no need to add to it (also, Maribel has nothing to do with the plot).
This will be a screenshot LP with a large amount of audience participation. I'll be handling all the individual decisions in combat, but I'll need you all to make many of the broader choices for the game. This includes deciding what actions to take each turn, which territories to declare war on, who to use in battle, how to spend our resources, and more. We'll be playing on Normal mode, so the game will be more forgiving of mistakes. In other words, don't worry too much about messing up.
I'm hoping for this LP to move at a brisk pace. Each update will probably encompass just a single turn, so I'll try to update daily if possible. Since we're moving quickly, take note that enemies will slowly gain levels with each passing turn, so there is still a slight sense of urgency.
First, let me explain some of the basics for the game: (Spoilered to save space)
Spoiler
There are two important resources in this game: Ouki and Ryumaku (sorry, I don't have a translation for those terms).
Ouki is sort of like our money. It is necessary to heal our units after each turn and purchase equipment. It can also be converted into experience points for powerleveling characters, although this is somewhat expensive. Building up a large supply of Ouki will be necessary for survival in the late game, where relentless enemy counterattacks may ruin us if we run out of Ouki for healing.
Ryumaku represents the capacity our territories have to support us. Each territory we control contributes to our total Ryumaku, and that contribution can be increased by using the Develop action. At the end of each turn, we'll earn Ouki based on our Ryumaku amount. Each unit in our army has a Cost to keep around, and our total Cost should be kept well below our total Ryumaku amount if possible. If Cost ever exceeds our Ryumaku, we'll lose instead of gain Ouki every turn.
Each turn, our army will have a limited number of actions we can take. At the beginning of the game, we can take 2 actions per turn, but that increases to 3 after we control enough territories. Many actions will require a certain number of characters to participate, and each character can only participate in one action per turn. Here are all the things we need to decide on doing each turn:
1) Events
Events are little cutscenes, which come in two types: Chats and Special Events.
Chats are the only actions that require no additional resources, like Ouki or characters used. Their only purpose is to increase the affection score for a character. Once affection reaches a certain level, that character will receive an affection bonus, which will permanently increase a stat by 1 point, which is actually a big deal. Each character can only receive a maximum of 2 affection bonuses. Affection increases as a character is used in battle as well, so Chats aren't required for obtaining affection bonuses. This is usually a last-ditch choice of an action, if you don't have the characters available for other actions.
Special Events are story-related events that will show up under certain conditions. The most common of these are War Declarations, which let us declare war on an army that's currently neutral with us. War must be declared before we can attack another army's territory. Other events will show up based on the story, and some are required to complete the game. All Special Events have an additional cost of characters that must be dispatched. Each event has a quota of either Research or Negotiation points that must be met by the team of characters to be dispatched.
2) Develop
The Develop action lets us upgrade a territory's Ryumaku score. Each Develop action taken will consume 1 of the turn's actions and increase the Ryumaku score of a single territory by 1. In order to Develop a territory, we must also dispatch a team of characters with a total Research score that matches the Research quota necessary to upgrade a territory. This quota increases each time that territory is developed, making it harder and harder to develop as you progress, so sometimes it's best to spread out to work on other territories.
3) Attack
This action lets us launch an assault on a territory. Each territory has a Defense rating, and once a Defense rating is reduced to 0, that territory is conquered by the attacking army. Territories with less than its max Defense rating can also be counterattacked by the occupying army to replenish its Defense rating. We can only go to war against armies that we've already declared war on or have already declared war on us. Up to 5 characters can be used in an assault, and those characters will be unavailable for use in any other action for this turn.
4) Buy Items
This option is available after conquering all of the Forest of Magic territories. Buying items will consume 1 action, but we can purchase as many items as we want in one go with that 1 action. Because of this, it's usually more efficient to purchase multiple items at once when we have amassed a large amount of Ouki. Items come in two flavors: equipment, which can be swapped between characters each turn with no cost, and stat pills, which are 1-time use items that will permanently increase a single stat for a character.
5) Recruit Prisoner
This does NOT consume an action each turn. Whenever an enemy is defeated in battle, there is a chance they will be taken prisoner by us. Most enemy leaders are automatically taken prisoner as part of the story as well. To recruit a prisoner, we must dispatch a number of characters with a total Negotiation score equal to the Negotiation requirement of the prisoner. Once recruited, the prisoner will be available in our army starting the next turn, but will start at 1 HP and will need to be healed back to full health. In a few rare instances, some other requirements must be met to recruit a specific prisoner.
In the interest of space, I'll skip the details of how combat works, since I'll be handling that part of the game. However, let me still explain how to evaluate our characters:
Here's what everything does:
Species - Each character has a specific species: Human, Youkai, Fairy, Ghost, Doll, Magician, and so forth. This usually isn't very important, except for the few instances when special abilities that do extra damage to a particular species comes into play. Take note that Youmu and Keine both count as 2 species.
Level/HP - Leveling up only increases maximum HP. However, this is important because the game's damage formula takes into account the attacker's current HP when attacking. The higher your HP is, the more damage you deal. A character levels up once they have amassed 100 exp points. Exp points can be purchased using Ouki as well.
Melee - This stat determines a character's physical damage, which is used when attacking at close range. This (and every other stat besides HP) is capped at a maximum of 10, although it can still be increased further using equipment.
Ranged - This stat determines a character's ranged damage, which is used when attacking at far range.
Defense - This stat determines how much damage a character receives from attacks at close range.
Wisdom - This stat determines how much damage a character receives from attacks at far range.
Speed - This stat determines how often a character can act in battle.
Research - This stat is used to Develop territories, conduct reconnaissance on enemy armies, and fulfill certain Special Events.
Negotiation - This stat is used to declare war, recruit prisoners, and fulfill certain Special Events.
Cost - This is how much Ryumaku it requires to keep the character on your payroll. A character's Cost will slowly increase as their stats and level increases.
Special - Each character has a special ability for use in combat. Every unique Touhou character has their own signature ability, while generic units draw from a pool of shared special abilities. Generic units may learn new abilities as they level up. Abilities can be either static abilities that are always in effect, or activated abilities that have additional costs when selected in battle.
Aside from that, it should be noted that certain characters will receive either a bonus or penalty to their stats when fielded in battle alongside other specific characters. For example, Keine will receive a stat bonus when fighting alongside Akyu or Mokou, but will become weaker when working with Rumia. Seeing these characters on the enemy's side instead will have the opposite effect. These will usually make sense if you know the backgrounds for the characters, so keep that in mind. It's not hard to guess anyway; the game drops enough hints with its oodles of cutscenes.
The last thing you must know is that whenever a character dies in battle, there's a small chance that they will die permanently. Well, maybe not die, but they'll leave our army permanently. This applies to both generic and unique units. If this happens to Reimu and Marisa, it's an instant Game Over. I'll try to avoid this ever happening, but I can't guarentee anything!
I think that's enough for now. I might add more details on combat if it becomes necessary later. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I'll try to continue explaining all options as we go.
Here is the latest info on our army's status, updated daily: (Day 84)
Territories:
Spoiler
Turn: 84
Ouki: 2033
Ryumaku: 124/166
Actions Available: 3
Our Territories:
Night-Blind Road
Defense: 160/160
Cost to Develop: 33 RES
Faintly Dark Path
Defense: 175/175
Cost to Develop: 33 RES
Magic Forest Entrance
Defense: 180/180
Cost to Develop: 33 RES
Magic Forest Border
Defense: 160/160
Cost to Develop: 33 RES
Road of Reconsideration
Defense: 110/190
Cost to Develop: 30 RES
Human Village
Defense: 310/310
Cost to Develop: 36 RES
Garden of the Sun
Defense: 175/175
Cost to Develop: 33 RES
Nameless Hill
Defense: 205/205
Cost to Develop: 9 RES
Misty Lake
Defense: 225/225
Cost to Develop: 12 RES
SDM Gate
Defense: 230/230
Cost to Develop: 30 RES
Great Library
Defense: 195/195
Cost to Develop: 27 RES
Clock Tower
Defense: 210/210
Cost to Develop: 12 RES
Lost Bamboo Forest
Defense: 205/205
Cost to Develop: 15 RES
Hidden House
Defense: 195/195
Cost to Develop: 27 RES
Blossoms Barrier
Defense: 220/220
Cost to Develop: 9 RES
Hakugyokurou Stairs
Defense: 200/200
Cost to Develop: 15 RES
Yakumo Residence
Defense: 310/310
Cost to Develop: 18 RES
Magic Forest Interior
Defense: 210/210
Cost to Develop: 9 RES
Eientei
Defense: 230/230
Cost to Develop: 24 RES
Hakugyokurou
Defense: 235/235
Cost to Develop: 12 RES
Muenzuka
Defense: 215/215
Cost to Develop: 9 RES
SDM Top Floor
Defense: 225/225
Cost to Develop: 9 RES
Enemy Territories:
Hakurei Shrine
Army: Makai Goddess Army
General: Shinki (Leader)
Defense: 250/250
Characters:
Spoiler
Reimu - Very balanced stats, can fill pretty much any role.
Special: Hakurei Descendant, ignores racial effects and some special abilities of enemies in battle.
Marisa - Strong and fast ranged attacker, but is weak when at close range.
Special: Master Spark, an expensive but powerful multi-target ranged attack. Takes 1 round to charge up, and Marisa can no longer act for the remainder of the battle afterwards.
Souichirou (generic human male) - Very high combat stats except for his paper-thin defense.
Special: Youkai Hunter, unit deals extra damage to Youkai enemies.
Izo- Deserted/Deceased, Day 31
Ayu (generic human female) - Decent ranged stats, terrible melee power. Good research and negotiation scores for her cost.
Special: Full Power Charge, a single high-power melee attack. The user is stunned afterwards.
Souun- Dismissed, Day 58
Wriggle - Balanced stats, though not as good as Reimu's. Attack power is only average, but poison's damage is not negligible.
Special: Eternal Night Hermit, randomly poisons an enemy with each attack. Poisoned units will take damage for every action they make.
Fumi Doll- Dismissed, Day 64
String Doll- Deserted/Deceased, Day 31
Alice - Excellent stats with no major weaknesses, great ability if fighting alongside dolls.
Special: Doll Manipulation, increases the stats of doll allies.
Shanghai - Great melee stats, but poor at far range.
Special: Dolls War, a special melee attack that does good damage and may lower the target's speed.
Hourai- Dismissed, Day 72
Mayu- Dismissed, Day 61
Shikieiki - Exceptional RNG, WIS, and NEG scores. Ability is a bit unreliable, but her ranged offense alone is fantastic.
Special: Yama's Judgment, may stun and/or debuff one target.
Sousuke- Dismissed, Day 64
Akyu - Poor in battle, but has a very high NEG score.
Special: Chronicles, reduces a target's DEF and WIS.
Keine - Exceptional DEF and WIS scores, making her an excellent tank.
Special: History Concealer, stuns self and increases party's DEF.
Aya - Very fast and hits hard at range, but can be fragile, especially at close range.
Special: Wind God's Fan, a melee attack that moves the target to Far range.
Alice Doll- Dismissed, Day 66
Rosedia- Dismissed, Day 72
Medicine - Average stats, but punishes those who attack at close range.
Special: Suzuran Poison, debuffs enemies who use melee attacks on her.
Yuuka - Enormous MEL and RNG attack stats, with decent defenses to boot. A monster on the battlefield, kind of useless when off.
Special: Violent Blooming, raises offensive stats for all party members.
Cirno - Average stats, but can potentially mass debuff enemy speed.
Special: Perfect Freeze, damages enemies at random and lowers enemy speed.
Remilia - A strong and fast attacker, and great at recruiting enemies.
Special: String of Fate, increases the chances of recruiting defeated foes.
Flandre - Hits very hard, but has paper-thin defenses.
Special: Eye of Materiality, halves a target's defense and may OHKO.
Sakuya - Very balanced stats for filling almost any role.
Special: Time Manipulation, randomly rearranges the turn order.
Patchouli - Exceptional at ranged battles, but slow and terrible at close range.
Special: Royal Flare, an extremely powerful multi-target spell that must be charged and drains Patchouli's HP.
Meiling - Great at close range battles, is somewhat of a tank.
Special: Chi Meditation, heals own HP and buffs own stats.
Mokou - Good close-range fighter, awesome ability.
Special: Resurrection, restores HP back to full when first KO'd in battle.
Eirin - Well-rounded stats, but plays a better role as a powerful healer.
Special: Eirin's Medicine, fully heals an ally but debuffs their stats.
Kaguya - Solid balanced stats, although her ability isn't quite that useful.
Special: Instant Eternity, randomly lowers the enemy's battle counter.
Suika - Monstrous attack power, with a strong ability to match.
Special: Pandemonium, attacks random targets 2-4 times.
Yukari - High and balanced stats, and can mess with enemies with her special for no additional cost.
Special: Yakumo Frays, randomly debuffs enemy stats when attacking.
Ran - Balanced stats with an emphasis on close-range combat.
Special: Dakini's Possession, raises all of Ran's stats.
Items:
Spoiler
Items for sale:
(2500 Ouki) Magic Crystal - Equipment, increases RNG by 2 and Cost by 1.
(2500 Ouki) Protective charm - Equipment, increases DEF by 2 and decreases SPD by 1.
(3500 Ouki) Hurricane Wing - Equipment, increases SPD by 2 at the cost of DEF.
(2500 Ouki) Sacred Book - Equipment, increases WIS by 2 and decreases SPD by 1.
(4000 Ouki) Barrier Stone - Increases max HP by 100.
(4500 Ouki) Agility Pill - Consumable, permanently raises a character's Speed by 1.
(4500 Ouki) Strength Pill - Consumable, permanently raises a character's Melee attack by 1.
(4500 Ouki) Danmaku Pill - Consumable, permanently raises a character's Ranged attack by 1.
(2000 Ouki) Curiosity Pill - Consumable, permanently raises a character's Research by 1.
(2000 Ouki) Eloquence Pill - Consumable, permanently raises a character's Negotiation by 1.
I will update this section whenever new stock arrives (usually after defeating another army).
**********
I am pleased to announce that this Let's Play is complete!
Prologue
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5 - "Youkai Army" war declared
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9 - "Youkai Army" defeated; "Forest of Magic Team" war declared
Day 10
Day 11
Day 12
Day 13
Day 14
Day 15-17 - "Forest of Magic Team" defeated
Day 18-19
Day 20 - "Higan Guard" war declared
Day 21-22
Day 23-26 - "Higan Guard" defeated
Day 27-29
Day 30 - "Human Village Corps" war declared
Day 31
Day 32
Day 33 - "Human Village Corps" defeated
Day 34-35
Day 36 - "Strongest Fairy Army" war declared
Day 37 - "Doll Liberation Front" war declared
Day 38
Day 39
Day 40-41
Day 42
Day 43 - "Doll Liberation Front" defeated
Day 44-45
Day 46
Day 47
Day 48 - "Strongest Fairy Army" defeated
Day 49 - "Crimson SDM" war declared
Day 50-51
Day 52
Day 53
Day 54 - "Eientei Forest" war declared
Day 55
Day 56 - "Hakugyokurou Hades" war declared
Day 57 - "Crimson SDM" defeated
Day 58
Day 59
Day 60
Day 61
Day 62
Day 63 - "Eientei Forest" defeated
Day 64
Day 65 - "Setting a Feast Trap" event cleared
Day 66
Day 67
Day 68 - "Hakugyokurou Hades" defeated, "Yakumo Clan" war declared
Day 69
Day 70
Day 71 - "Yakumo Clan" defeated
Day 72 - "Humans and Magicians" event cleared
Day 73
Day 74
Day 75-77
Day 78-79
Day 80-81
Day 82-84
Final Battle (Part 1)
Final Battle (Part 2)
Final Battle (Finale)
Epilogue