What Am I Doing To Myself? Let's Try and Play Fire Emblem: Thracia 776!

[Deme]

It's more like "I suck so hard I had to restart the game," since, really, what did him in wasn't his weakness, but that I didn't check the enemies again before going "Oh, he'll be just fine even though he's missing most of his HP."...But you have a point.

Well, if it's multiplicative, then yeah, they would have a crit chance of zero for any second strike they make.

With regard to the differing crit systems, the 776 system favors lower attack, higher defense. The GBA system favors higher attack, lower defense situations. I have some napkin math to show it, but basically the break even point where the damage evens out is when the attack power is double the defense value. Before then, the 776 system is superior in damage. After, the GBA system pulls ahead.

...Also, man! I just realized what all of that actually, functionally meant and how it is true and applicable. There's a place in the next chapter where I used this before I realized that I was thinking about what you're describing here. Very nice.

[Acanous]

Yeah. In GBA, you have a x3 multiplier, but it kicks in after Def is taken off. So if your Mt is 15, and the Knight has 14 Def, your crit only does 3 damage.

In 776, if you crit that same Knight, you're dealing 16.

[Perkinz]

...Also, man! I just realized what all of that actually, functionally meant and how it is true and applicable. There's a place in the next chapter where I used this before I realized that I was thinking about what you're describing here. Very nice.

Huh. Never expected the random number crunching I decide to indulge in to be actually useful. Most of the time it falls under the "Nice to know, but ultimately doesn't make a difference" category.

[Deme]

Well, it wasn't exactly useful...I only realized that this was what you meant after I used that principle to my benefit. But had I realized it before, it would have been useful. But remembering it probably will be useful again somewhere along the line.

[Perkinz]

Well, it wasn't exactly useful...I only realized that this was what you meant after I used that principle to my benefit. But had I realized it before, it would have been useful. But remembering it probably will be useful again somewhere along the line.

Yeah, that's usually what it ends up being. Sometimes I get bored at work and decide that I need a puzzle to figure out. That one ended up being the one today.

[dgnslyr]

On the subject of the ring, the typical protocol for stat boosters in a Fire Emblem game is to hoard them all game so you can save it for someone who "needs it", only to realize the entire game has gone by and everyone's stats are capped and you haven't used it at all. Then, you go on a stat-boosting splurge at the end and bump everyone's stats up into green, maxed-out numbers.

[Deme]

I'm not exactly going to do that, but I am planning on doing something like it.

Basically, my thought is I will take votes for stat-ups twice: once towards the middle of the game (and you can vote to save stat-ups), and once towards the end. This way, we will use some stat-ups while we have lots of time in which to make use of their benefits, but still save some to pull up units at the end.

Of course, this may change depending on inventory space.

[Deme]

Chapter 2: Ith Thith the Village of Ith?

Spoiler

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Funny story: I had to try both of my files before I figured out which one was my practice file and which was the one I was using for this. I used Leaf's stats to tell the difference. Your Leaf is better than practice-Leaf.



I apparently forgot to notice that they actually used the name of Eyvel's daughter at the end of the last chapter, and was like "Oh, so this is where they say it!" But I was wrong.
This is why you shouldn't write commentary before breakfast. I am sure I will find a perfect demonstration of why you shouldn't play strategy games before breakfast in a bit.

As a result, Leaf set on a journey to Manster.

This reminds me of an angry rant about the translation used for legacy names in Awakening, but I am not going to go into it now.
I'm not some sort of purist, who can't stand changes to names... But occasionally, they do things that seem pointless and ruin patterns and I dislike that. I like naming patterns remaining intact, or replaced with a new pattern, where possible.


And apparently, we're stopping there to kick some butt today!

And that's all the world-map prelude we have this time. "Leaf stopped by a town, and we all know that Leaf can't go anywhere without a fight happening. So here we are."


Once again, we start with our boss for the map (the guy with the axe) and some guy he's talking to!


Something about "Watch your killing." makes me giggle. It's just the right sort of dopey to be kind of enjoyable.

"Aw, shut up!"


A tactician, you say? Hm, that seems an out-of-place line of work for a guy chilling with bandi...ts...
Oh my god.

Oh my god.

...I just realized...
That Bucks has bucked teeth.

...
...
He suddenly jumped 50 points in my "tiny one-shot-boss no one should care about, but I do" list.
Because that is great. I am honestly giggling. Or maybe that is the lack of food kicking in.


"Besides, those fighters from Fiana won't be bothering us."
...You are in for an unfortunate wake-up call, new buddy Bucks.

Ohhhh....You are especially in for an unfortunate wake-up call. People got kidnapped because of you(r boss)! I had to reset my game! I spent a whole day on that map and commentary!

But if I kill you...I deny the majesty of Buck-Toothed Bucks to the world. A dillemna has emerged.



Yes, that is what that is called, Mr. 'Watch your Killing.'
Not using people's names before we've been introduced is annoying sometimes.


...Now I am a little bit nervous about this guy being excited/alarmed about the mention of Leaf being nearby.

"No wonder you were cast out of the order."

DUN-DUN-DUUUUUUH!

"Well...what to do now... I suppose I should first let my master know of this matter."
Is it possible you and your master want to find Leaf to throw him a party?
...You sure?
...No one ever wants to find the Prince of Lenster and throw him a party.

From here, Bucks gets into position...

And guys begin fanning out across the map.

They even torch a village, an immediate example that these guys can do that, to incentivize you guarding the villages.


There's a sidequest after this map, and to do it, we need to keep all the villages safe. This is an easy one, and I'm glad of it.


I guess they're a reoccurring problem for the Fiana militia, as the local "people who stop bandits, pirates, brigands, and ruffians" group.


Also, I was just explaining that, Leaf. We need to get to that sidequest.
...oh, and be good guys, that too.


And that's all the before-the-map stuff that happens. No one's even willing to debate whether to help the villagers or keep going and try to save the girls first. Good for us, being upstanding pirate-hunters!

Let's have a look-see at the map, shall we?


Shop in the upper left (directions being relative to me)


Wave of pirates descending from the upper right...


Burnt village on the lower right...


Us (Leaf already moved) on the lower left.

It's a relatively straightforward map, but introduces us to one of Thracia 776's favorite loves...Oh, but we'll get to that later. For now, we fight!

I just have everybody start moving up, not letting our prepromotes and Fin rush ahead to get kills they don't really deserve, etc.

I will, however, have Fin rush ahead and secure that house against trouble; it'd be unlikely for a pirate not to go to it on the enemy phase, after all.


Heck yeah I'll rescue her! We need a staff-user like nothing you'd believe! I’m not made of Vulneraries, you know!
"Here...I hope this vulnerary will help."
That will do for now. It's 600 we don't have to spend.



I just sort of move Eyvel and Dagda somewhere quiet and out of the way.


The pirates begin their slow descent down towards land. Pirates (the class, as opposed to pirates the affiliation) can walk over water, but do so slowly.


And down here, combat begins in earnest. The pirate misses...

And Othin shows off Wrath some more. I will never, ever, get tired of watching Othin crit things.


This is not a good idea, Mr. Pirate.



To my surprise, Othin's crit doesn't knock him right out... But his second attack does, so...*shrug* You have chosen poorly, sir pirate.


Since Tanya didn't see much use last map, I decide to get her some exercise here.

Except she misses. And gets hit. Sure, she hits her second attack, but...Darnit, Tanya!

Leaf helps pile on to soften him up some more, facing no reprisal because, well, archer...


And Havan finishes him off with a capture. Maybe I'll even let Tanya have his bow.

Dagda does the swap and trade this time, and I have a choice to make.
Do I send Fin up next to Othin, ideally a square above, to hurry forward to help fend off the northern pirates? Or do I put him behind Othin, which means he'd get there slower, but means he'd distract less EXP away?


I'll go with the former, passing Fin the short lance so maybe there will be survivors for our other boys.


Excellent choice, me. Excellent choice.

One of the pirates has a hand-axe, and decides to use it on Leaf.

And it hits on a freaking 20% hit chance! Stupid 20% actually meaning 20%...Grumble, grumble....


And now, Tanya gets her first kill! Yaaaay!
I kept my not-a-promise from my 'next time' and everything!


And levels!
+1 HP, +1 MGC, +1 SKL, +1 Spd, +1 LUK, +1 Def
Wooh! Look at those growths work!


...I have no idea what that means.

...
....
Oh, That's what that means! What, you don't see it?
LOOK! LOOK! THERE WAS A 6 IN HER MOVE SPOT AND NOW THERE IS A 7!
MOVEMENT GROWTH! She actually got a point of move! Good girl, Tanya! Very good girl!

Ok, I don't normally intend to use save-states too often in a map, except to take breaks or if I think not using them would slow the LP too much, but this...This I am saving.
No one will ever take it from me.

Calming back down...

Leaf advances, borrows a vulenary from Othin (who I also moved forward), and uses it on himself.



Havan will clean up down here.
And levels off of that kill!

+1 HP
...*sigh* Well, we've been having good enough luck with levels so far. I can't feel too mad.


As a reward for that splendid level earlier (not the last level. That was not spledid at all, Havan! And aren't you the axeman with the better growths?), I let Tanya have that iron bow we got as a spare.


And we meet one of Thracia 776's favoritest things in the whole world...
Reinforcements!

It's worth noticing that in Thracia 776, reinforcements pop up *before* the enemy phase begins. Some Fire Emblem games have it the other way around, where they show up at the end.
The difference between the two time periods is massive: when a reinforcement shows up at the end of the enemy phase, they have to wait a turn to attack. You can move units and prepare. At the beginning of the enemy phase? They get to act before you can do anything about it. Only constant vigilance will save you from sudden attacks at your back, sides, wherever.
As I said before...Thracia 776 loves reinforcements. It loves reinforcements as much as it hates you.

I'm glad they teach this to you now, in a safe enviroment, than later, when they'll just pop up and kill your squishy units (because they will.) I'm trying to be fair about Thracia's love of "SURPRISE! YOU GET TO SUFFER!" and this is the answer I've reached.


Tanya heals up. I think we'll just wait a while and let them eventually catch up, as opposed to waiting for them ourselves. It'll let us make sure we've got all the houses saved and such.


Oh, I should mention: I am pretty sure Thracia 776 is the first game where you can highlight an enemy unit's movement range. I may be forgetting one, though. I bet I am. It's pretty neat, even if all it does is tell me I'll be waiting a while.


We'll have Fin visit that house, leaving us with just one building left to worry about.

You're welcome, snarky citizen!
I love this guy. Can we trade Eyvel for him? He wouldn't even have to do anything. He'd just follow us around and sass us about all the trouble we cause and the rolling ball of violence we're involved in.


"Yeah, great job, really!"
He needs a name. LP followers, give him a name. Sure, we'll never see him again... But he'll live on. He'll live on in our hearts.


Also, we technically did not bring the pirates down on their heads. They were here before we showed up.
But, really, if you knew you'd only appear once, why not be sarcastic about it?

Sarcastic Man: "You should just mind your own business and go home!"
But where is home, exactly? The village that the enemy knows all about? The castle that was destroyed when Leaf was 2? One of the various cities that hid Leaf until presumably they couldn't hide him anymore, forcing him to flee? There aren’t really any options in the "home" department for Leaf.


It's cool. I like him more than I like you. This is a good chapter for random characters.

"He's just frustrated that all the hard work he's doing isn't paying off at all...Here, take this Magic Ring as an apology."
Thank you very much, young lady!

"You have my support. Good luck!"


Ooh, a speed ring! Gotta go fast!

Anyway, that's another (excellent) house down.

The enemy phase passes without incident, so we move on to the next round...Cleaning up more pirates.

Leaf starts us off, with a double but no kill.


Tanya's shiny new movement range lets her get close enough to attack the guy Leaf just weakened! I was pleased with her level, so let's do that.

Ah, lovely, lovely murder.
However, this leaves her open to attack from pretty much all sides; let's patch some holes and fix that.


I position everyone thusly, and we begin the enemy phase.

Leaf hurts a guy for trying and failing to hurt him. Nothing impressive, damage-wise, but we can probably catch him next turn.

When it happens again, I admit, I feel a teeny bit smug.

Now, our Fiana boys are starting to run a touch low in the iron axe department (well, Havan is; we used him a lot last map): we're using them pretty heavily here, after all.
Let's try and fix that, while we're surrounded by axe users.


I am hoping Havan will not crit this guy.

...Though I was also rather hoping he would hit more than once.

Well, it's still enough for Fin to carry the day and grab him. He's got a Vulnerary *and* an Iron Axe, for double the prizes.


Marty loots and releases the guy.


And Othin captures his own spare axe for a nice, shiny new level!

+1 HP, +1 Spd
...Ok, not that shiny. Kind of depressing, really.
But at least is has speed in it, and I can't stay too mad at a level with speed in it. I mean, one day, I am sure I will.
But today, I'm cool with this.

I decide to let Leaf clean up the last pirate...

I think he actually activated his skill there, since the pirate did not get his counter in the middle. Good boy, Leaf. Saving yourself a little bit of pain and all.


And I have Dagda do a more convoluted swap-trade-free scheme, this time with an extra trade for Othin.
I may actually sell that axe, though; the other iron axe is in decent shape.
We'll see.
I'll think about it as I play. I am sort of using this notpad file for some brainstorming as I go.

(I traded Dagda's hand axe to Havan, since he didn't have a ranged option.)

Suddenly!

More reinforcements!
We'll just let them play catch-up, and start moving towards the last house.
I check my odds and decide to let Tanya handle the archer-pirates to the north, since they'll just snipe at each-other.


And I get Eyvel to finish our sidequest requirements.


Where a young blue-haired man lives. He's got a name and a unique portrait, so you can already guess what our prize for this house is.


...It's a guy who is competing with Tanya and is most likely going to lose!

Oh, fine.


Don't worry, Mrs. Ronan's mom. The bench is perfectly safe. When we have enough people, he'll probably get a house there.
Anyway, I have to admit, I am OK with his moxie.

"I just can't take it anymore!"


We got a guy!
He's actually our strange unit, though he doesn't look it right now.

Future Edit: I forgot to screenshot it, but here are his base stats:
Lvl: 1
HP: 20
Str: 4
Mag: 0
Skl: 3
Spd: 7
Lck: 3
Def: 2
Bld: 7


Right now, he just looks to be a bit stronger than Tanya, and better able to lift heavy bows. Neither of those are bad things, but he's still an archer.



He's also got a skill -- Continue, like Leaf, an impressive 3 movement stars, and the same land-speed as our boosted Tanya. So he's a very mobile character, which is OK...
But, well, we'll talk about Ronan when we discuss his growths. There are problems to be found there.


Leaf hits his movement star when it's time for me to decide what to do now...So I think I'll have him undo that last movement and head him more towards our eventual foes.
Yaaay, useless waffling!

The pirates get their turn, and one of the archers decides to get at Eyvel through the house.

But if there's one thing the lady is, it's dodge-y.

The other one...Decides to give Ronan his first taste of action!


It goes fairly well for him, all-told.



Leaf goes on the offensive... And gets hit. Oh, this will not end well.

He also gets a level.
+1 HP, +1 Str, +1 Luk
*sigh* Strength is good at least. Now I'm worried, though; I was rather hoping that Leaf would not actually get hit.

I'd rather not risk losing Leaf needlessly...

Dagda! It's time for you to fulfill your destiny! Meat shield powers, activate!

For those of you familiar with other Fire Emblems, "help" is, in fact, rescue: one allied unit picking up another to pull him out of the action, with the rescuer taking carrying penalties. Like capturing, but it doesn't actually get rid of the unit, and you do it to your allies! Or to other units you need to carry/get out of the way!


Havan engages one of the other pirates, happily taking no damage in doing so.


It's seriously tempting to try and have Othin capture this guy...But with no-one who could relieve him, he'd be pounded on the enemy's turn. No, it's time to let blood fly.

Besides, we might have been denied that lovely critical! And that's just the Pugi axe being awesome, not the PCC or Wrath being involved.


Tanya handles one of the archer pirates...



And I send Ronan after the other guy, well-aware that the other guy would just *barely* fail to kill Ronan if he survives to see the enemy phase and gets all his hits in.


You know, Ronan. That would have been a great time to use those movement stars of yours.
Just saying. Would have been nice.


I'll send Fin down with the rest and hope for the best.
Heh. Rhyme.


...More pirates. Joy. I think we're probably going to try and end this before they can reach us, though.


The guy Havan didn't finish tries going after the burdened Dagda.

While the guy Ronan didn't kill sits back and heals.



I hope the enemy never realizes that attacking Othin isn't smart.

Havan takes his licks as-well. Yeah, we need to start thinking about getting out.



Dagda drops Leaf off away from the front lines.
I send everyone else to start heading back across the bridge, banking on getting payback in the enemy phase.


For which, of course, Havan heals up.


And I gamble with Ronan's life. Well, not directly. Specifically, Tanya is gambling with Ronan's life.


But I'm confident.


See? I knew she'd be able to handle him.

And get a level for it!
+1 MHP, +1 Str, +1 Spd, +1 Luk
Now, see, that's a nice level. It's got Strength, it's got speed, it's got some other stuff to round it out... Just a pleasant feeling. This is what Tanya brings to the team. Well, that, and truly crippling problems with build.


The hand-axe guy goes for Havan and hits...

The next pirate misses, though.


And this poor fool has thankfully not learned about attacking Othin. Though...You know, we could have used his hand-axe. And I think he had a vulenary, too. *Sigh* Oh well.


Well, since it looks like we need more medicine than we have, and have a turn to recover...
Let's increase funds, shall we?


Like so. Dagda will do the trade and release, Marty will give a vulnerary to Leaf.


And Fin will grab the other guy and make off with him.

On the enemy phase..


Havan gets attacked and shows off the PCC! Probably. It's statistically possible that's what's happening, anyway. First hit: not a crit. Second hit: Things go boom!

And gets a level for his demonstration!
+1 HP, +1 Skl, +1 Luk
...Coulda been better, there, Havan. Coulda been better.


Leaf uses his Vulnerary, and I contemplate that pirate coming towards us.
He has a steel axe. And a Vulnerary.
Do want.


I park Havan down on the far side of the bridge, to try and soften this maurading axe-man to give Fin room to manuver.
I swear, every time I try to get out, they keep pulling me back in!

On the enemy's turn, he goes after Havan, as expected...
And Havan manages to get a hit in without injury. Very good.
Future Me: I didn't seem to make a note or screenshot for what happens next, except that I get him to 13 HP somehow. Havan may have been involved? Sorry. Won't happen again.


It's a risk...But I think I'll take it!
This guy's level 10, so he's a tough quarry.

MWA.MWA.MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!


He's even buff enough that Finn gets a level from it!
+1 HP, +1 Str, +1 Skl, +1 Luk, +1 Def
A really nice level for it! Good work, Fin!


I give Leaf the light sword and set him on the bridge; he can handle a single pirate. Probably.


Ohhh, that's great. I feel great.


I send Dagda to market to sell one of the iron axes. With the steel axe, I don't need two back-up iron axes between the boys. Especially not since Othin's main iron axe is still in good shape.


And Leaf handles one of the two remaining pirates.



And he and Tanya finish up the last pirate on the next round. Nothing really eventful.


So, in the meanwhile, we send Othin and Finn up towards the boss. Let's look at our buddy Bucks, shall we?


Hii, Bucks! How's my favorite guy named after his dental problems?
Yup, he's promoted. Capable of healing, standing on a terrain that gives him high avoid and defense such that he does not take much damage at all. We can't just send Leaf with a light sword at him, since he's got a ranged weapon himself...
But it's a bow.
I have a plan.


Before I enact that, Dagda sells some stuff. We've broken 3k!

My plan goes thusly: I send Othin in with Pugi equipped (and I heal him), at a range where the boss can only hit him if he switches to his iron bow.
I'm going to wait, and let wrath hopefully help me out some.


He's taking the bait! Now I just have to hope my plan is not very stupid.


You know...I kind of do.

So far, so good.

I realize the crimp in my plan: Othin can't actually deal damage to this guy without wrath.

Future Me: Remember how I said I used the way Thracia 776's critical system is better-suited, without even realizing that this was what Perkinz was talking about? This is it. Othin's not strong enough to break this guy's defense with a regular hit. In the GBA games, his crits would still deal 0 damage, because 0x3 is still 0. But (16 x2)-16 is not still 0, so Othin's wrath-crits deal damage. GAMING THE SYSTEM!
I now return you to my regular-scheduled failing and scheming.

Well, the plan still will work...Just more slowly. I was hoping to hit him while he couldn't retaliate. Oh, well.


Othin heals and we prep for round 2.


it goes the same as Round 1, but with the enemy heals, first. Actually...

If only Othin had managed to lower 1, just 1, more HP...Then Fin could grab him and Bucks could live.

As it stands...Fin will have to finish the job before Bucks can heal completely. I am not made of Pugi uses.



So ends the life of a source of small joy into my life. With a censor-bar.


Fin got a level!
+1 str, +1 Skl, +1 Spd
Good! Got all the most important stuff, and some other things. Your sacrifice was not in vain, Bucks.


Now, let's blow this popsicle stand! Say goodbye to your mom, Ronan; you're working for Prince Leaf now! You’re not going home until I’ve beaten this game!



Oh. Him....Hii.


Blagi was one of the twelve crusaders, their staff wielder. His ecclesiastical order is the non-evil religious group in Jugdral.


The kidnapped girls will wait. We have a sidequest to do and people to help.
Nanna will understand. Marita probably will be angry, though. She seems the type.

"Also, I heard there was a cleric kept captive on the island."
Leaf has his eyes on the prize.


I was going to raise some objections on the grounds that he knows how to torture people and has mysterious plans for us...
But you have to admit, it'd make the trip interesting.

"Don't worry... I won't let you down. Leave everything to me."
Now, see, your words say 'don't worry,' but your use of them here says 'worry. Worry a lot.'



...But whatever this man has in store for us, we will not find out next time!

Character Growths

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Ronan
HP: 40%
Str: 15%
Mag: 55%
Skl: 45 %
Spd: 55 %
Luk 20%
Def: 5%
Build: 2%
Mov: 3%
PCC: 1

See? I told you we'd be getting a strange unit. He's just...Odd. Worse than Tanya in everything besides Magic, for one. By the way, guess how many magic-based weapons archers get? If you said "Zero," give yourself a prize. So...he's got good resistance and has a better chance of moving again? So he could be some sort of mobile mage-tank, maybe?
If we want an archer who's not mounted, stick with Tanya, I think. She'll outpace him in everything other than build fairly quickly.

Next time! Thracia 776 introduces a new mechanic to the series, this one enduring, leaving a legacy of suffering! Capturing named bad guys! Torment!

[Somewhere]

I'll say 127 for the reset counter. The Thracia playthrough at the LP Archive had 51 resets, and the author of that had played the game before.

[Geno9999]

Oh, I should mention: I am pretty sure Thracia 776 is the first game where you can highlight an enemy unit's movement range. I may be forgetting one, though. I bet I am. It's pretty neat, even if all it does is tell me I'll be waiting a while.

Actually, Mystery of the Emblem did it first, but as I've noted in my LP, it doesn't show attack range.

[Deme]

Ah...I think I may have actually played and written this before you started, but future-me (that is, the me that was putting this together this morning) should have caught that! I will edit my facts...At some point in the near future.

[Illven]

So Ronan needs to be offered to Anna in exchange for good level ups for the rest of your team. All for it?

[Javan]

Just finished catching up on reading, looking forward to more.

Reset counter guess: 78

[Deme]

"More" may take a little while. I haven't had a lot of time to play recently, what with feeling unwell and doing other LPs and Mother's Day and now my brother's graduating from med school and...So on.
That said, there is more coming at some point. I've played a little bit into 2x.

[Illven]

and doing other LPs

You're cheating on us, with another lp!? Deme how could you?

[Deme]

Technically, this LP is the other man.

[Illven]

Technically, this LP is the other man.

Oh, I see how it is, this lp isn't even good enough to be married?

Why don't you crush all this lp's hopes and dreams while you're at it!? I bet you're not even going to reset again

[Javan]

Quite a few LPs. I was scrolling through and looking at the authors, hey look one by Deme, oh look another, and another! I have no idea how you find enough time to update them all.
Hope you feel better soon.

Congratulations to your brother, that is an impressive accomplishment.

Take your time, I find that its worth it when you finally update.

[Perkinz]

Technically, this LP is the other man.

Does that make those of us watching this LP, and others, voyeurs?

Just wondering.

[Deme]

@ Javan: Mostly, I just have no life.

@ Perkinz: Nah. After all, you're an essential part of the LPing process, not just observers.

Chapter 2x, Part 1: Fog of Headaches

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WHEN WE LAST LEFT OUR HEROES...
They were forgetting what they were supposed to be doing, and instead were off to go defeat pirates. Chronic hero syndrome seems to result in really short attention spans.
But eh, it's on our way.


No map this time; anyway, we're probably not very far from Ith, so we wouldn't see anything new.


Ah, so we have a face to go with our pirate leader.

And the unique sprite train keeps rolling along, with what may be the worst captive-keeping ever. "Please, be my captive and do as I say? I'll do whatever you want." I don't think you get how this works.


Tahra, if you remember our map, was one of the places Leaf stayed at in his youth on the run. If it's in trouble or just starting a rebellion, well, Leaf owes the place a favor.


You sure, Lifis? Because if you are, I'll bring Othin right over.
Also, I feel the need to add that anything I say later about relatively high levels of nuance in this game more or less does not apply to Granbell's ruling evil cult.
Just before we get into it, this is not where you look for nuance and subtlety.

"We'll probably all be killed, but we have still chosen to resist. The citizens of Tahra are not just fighting for themselves... Our world will eventually be blanketed in darkness."

Truer words have never been spoken. And I'm not even talking about the bit where the bad guys technically won 13 years ago, and now it's just a matter of crushing the last hopes, picking up the last loose ends, ect.

"If we don't stand up now, the world will fall to the dark god, Lopto. I want you to fight for Tahra, and for the future of the world!"

To be fair, we won't actually be stopping him in this game. Sorry. But we'll do what we can! For chronic heroism!


What sort of evil torturing pirate are you, Lifis?

"All right, I'll convince the boys and go to Tahra. But you better keep your promise."
"Yes!"


Anyway, let's see how Leaf and crew are doing.

This isn't your normal everyday darkness...This is...Advanced Darkness.


"Yes, especially since we do not know these islands very well."

Yeah, we'll just find some torches. Some presumably currently un-lit torches.
They should be easy to see. In the dark.

Anyway, this begins the player phase, so let's look around the map.

In the north-west we have...

Inky blackness! (also us)

In the north-east we have...

More inky blackness!

A long scroll to the South-East brings us...

Black as the depths of the hate that lived in the heart of whoever designed this.

In the South-West...

More of the same. The map feels larger than what we’ve seen so far, but it's totally invisible.

If you haven't guessed, this map is a Fog of War map. And Thracia's Fog of War is 89.85% more hateful than regular Fog of War, where you can see the terrain and use natural choke-points to defend yourself from surprise attacks and so on.
In Fog of War, you have a limited range of vision, centered on your units. Certain items (torches, mainly) and certain units (thieves, unless this gets added later) can expand that range, but...
Oh, wait. Thracia 776 decides to give you neither before introducing you. Fun. I should add, for Fire Emblem newbies...That the AI cheats (of course it does.) You can't see all of its units, or even the terrain, but it will always be able to see you, and act accordingly.


But wait, there's more! And this time, it's not about suffering!

This is actually the first appearance of Fog of War in the Fire Emblem series. It's a happy member of the FE pantheon of things that screw you over. It haunts many players still, and we get to see its humble, extra-painful beginnings.
...I kind of lied when I said it wasn't about suffering. Of all the things this game could have left as its legacy, its ultimate addition...is Fog of War.
I think it's the way it would want to be remembered.


Since we can't see anyone, we can't fight anyone. I just start trudging people forward, paranoia brimming in my chest.
I let the enemy start their turn.


Surprise! Archer attack! Isn't Fog of War fun, boys and girls?

Lucky for us, he missed.


We send Othin to attack our newly-revealed friend...

For predictable results.
And the always-unpredictable level!

+1 MHP, +1 Str, +1 Spd
Well, if you have to pick just two stats...Those are the stats to pick, really.

I send Eyvel South, since I'd like to send Leaf there, and she and he can talk. I'll also equip the Light Sword, while I'm there.
You never know what's lurking...


Leaf, there is time to be talking like a pathetic pile of pitifulness (which is what you are), but now is not that time!

But it is his fault your daughter was kidnapped.
You know. Indirectly.

"Lord Leaf, when you capture Lifis, don't let him escape. We shall bring him back to Ith and make him apologize to the villagers."
Ok, Eyvel. You keep moralizing, I will keep translating this into game hints: We want to capture Lifis, but we don't want to release him. This is vital, and is part of what makes this map worth getting.



So, you may be noticing that Fin's range suddenly ground to a halt there. This is because that little area between islands is made of sand, and sand is bad for mounted units. It's bad for everyone, but if you're on a horse, it's especially nasty. If there were a lot of it, I'd have him get off the horse, but for now, it'll be OK. I don’t feel like bothering.


I send Havan down to guard Leaf and reveal more pirates! Well, A pirate. But I'm sure there are more of them.

At the start of the enemy phase, we pan across the great black abyss.


To find our pirate boss and his buddies discussing matters.

...You know, it's sad. I spend a while mocking him, knowing full well this is coming... And yet, when it comes, I feel lonely and sad. I think, deep down, I wanted him to be the world's most incompetent prisoner-taker. It was...I dunno, more interesting. Kind of endearing, in a buddy-movie-waiting-to-happen kind of away. Alas.

That said, I am also down with Lifis being a lying liar who lies. I am less OK with the realization that he probably means 'make her mine' in the sexual sense, not just in the captor-captive sense. Or something. Ew, Lifis. Not cool. She’s, like, 10 years younger than you.

"Shiva, that dastard ! He's just a mercenary, so where does that soft spot come from?"
Shiva was the guy who got the first line of the chapter. We'll be seeing him for ourselves soon.
...Regrettably.
Well, it could be worse. Eyvel asked me to make sure you'll live, after all. Your life is now mine, Lifis.

"All right boys, go get 'em! Catch 'em and feed 'em to the sharks!"

Back to violence!



When you're Havan, violence is a thing that you do to other people, in spite of their efforts to do some to you.


I was sort of hoping some of these guys would have hand-axes. And that maybe they would not all suicide into Havan so other people could get EXP. Darnit.

Well, anyway, so Havan critted and murdered everything. I kept him going South, and I decided to show off a little trick. This is going to be our friend during Fog of War, so I felt I should introduce it.

I move Leaf into the darkness. He has no trouble getting there, so there's no enemies there. Had he found an enemy, he would have stopped. At this point, I can still cancel his movement. So I do. Now I know there are no enemies in that path, and I'm not wasting time standing around uselessly. Hoorah for scouting!

Now, I admit: Leaf is a terrible person to do with this. Oops. But, well, it turned out OK, right?


Instead, I move everyone but Havan down the coast. Havan can handle himself, I think; he's catching up to Fin quickly.

On the enemy phase, nothing happens that I can detect. Yay? …I’ve got to say, the awkward, silent pauses that happen during the enemy phase here are incredibly unnerving. You know stuff is happening in that silence, but not what or where. Or is it happened? Is the game just trolling you? How would you know the difference?


Also, Ronan activates his movement star while there is nothing he can do.
...*sigh* This is going to be a thing, isn't it?


I got a little worried for Havan (those silent enemy turns turn me completely paranoid), and decided to send him some back-up. He gets Marty.
...Actually, I probably didn't do him any favors. Havan heals up and continues his advance into the darkness.


Leaf gets attacked by some guy with a bow.

Oh, a steel bow. Tanya may want this. Also, ha! I am vindicated for leaving Leaf the Light Sword! Vindicated!

...I feel I should add that Leaf is getting doubled by this guy. Which is just so swell.


I send Othin to fight that guy, deciding that, ultimately, Tanya does not yet want weapons she cannot lift. Future Me: She also doesn’t have rank to use it. I don’t realize this for some time.

And misses.



Leaf tries instead, but can't do enough damage to take him out.
It is at this point that I look at his inventory.


HIS STUFF. I WANT IT. Also, he can counter-attack me, and it will end badly.

I predict more reset-counter.


To try and soften the inevitable pain, I have Fin soften via Javelin. This guy has major problems with hitting people; maybe it will be OK.


Ow. No. No it's not!


FREAKING HECK!
The axe goes down...

And misses. Thank goodness. It's an RNG miracle!


+1 MHP, +1 Skl, +1 Luk
So...This may be the most Standard FE-Lord-like level possible. Except maybe the lack of speed.

And that's it! I survived!


Othin can catch this guy, so I will. have. his. things!


Fulfilling my hopes and dreams immediately gets Othin a level. Like, 14 to 4 of the next level cycle, one kill.

+1 Str, +1 Spd, +1 Def, +1 Bld
And it's a beauty! Oh, happy day!



I let Leaf heal up using the Light Sword for a change. Leaf’s going to need a lot of healing this map, and our Vulnerary supply just won’t cut it, so it’s best to save it for, well, everybody else.


And have Fin capture the other guy in our range. Just for kicks, really.



Since Fin's closer to the front line, Dagda's relieving him first. Those holding penalties are nasty.


Ronan once again wastes my good RNG numbers on his gosh-darn movement stars when he can't even hit anything.
Stupid Ronan.

Anyway, Havan's been making his lone trek for a reason. It's to get to the fort closer to the mountains here.

And get this!
A torch is an item that can be used to increase your range of vision in a fog of war map. It's pretty darn useful, and it would have been nice to have one from the start of the map. GAME.



A pirate emerges from the darkness to beat on Leaf some, on account of not being promoted. It's a much more even match than the last one.

There's a lot of uneasy silences as the enemy advances through the dark. I don't like this.

Anyway, first up, Dagda relieves Othin of his captive, and the captive of his stuff. All that steel gear.
And a torch! So happy.


We'll feed the pirate hitting Leaf to Tanya.


Leaf heals. Looks like the path splits a bit. I'll check it out.


I send Fin to poke around, see if anything's coming. Looks clean.

It's at this time I realize I could have just had Eyvel or someone use the torch.
Darnit.

Well, let's do that anyway. I move her closer to my eventual front line.

The torch lighting looks like this...

And produces results like *that*. Its range shrinks with each round, but...It's a good look-see, and balances alright with each torch being useful only once… Or, well, it balances for now.



Also, Leaf gets his movement star! He even could possibly kill a guy! There is a guy to kill in his movement range. See, Ronan?


...Well, if he weren't Leaf, he could kill a guy.

Future Me: I seem to have neglected mentioning Havan’s adventures, but I have a screenshot that I think are from them. Photobucket just sort of flings these around out-of-order, so working out which image goes where, or even if I have a place to use it in my notes, is tricky. But here: Havan’s heading back away from the forts. Because they are boring, and Havan is having adventures this map.





Leaf gets hit by one bow-wielding pirate, but avoids the other. Good boy.



An archer-pirate emerges to attack Fin. I guess it wasn't totally clear down there. He misses, though.

So I have Fin scamper back up. Havan can clean up down there...Fin's got bigger fish to fry on this map, requiring his special expertise in carrying people away on his horse.



Othin advances to clean up a pirate...




And I give the other to Tanya for a not-entirely-painless kill. And a level!


+1 MHP, +1 Skl, +1 Spd, +1 Luk, +1 Def
It's pretty painless. Defense is a surprise! But, honey, if you're betting on longshots...Build. Buuuiiilllldddd.


On the enemy phase, a pirate attacks Havan. I did pack him a Vulnerary, right?
...Riiiight?


Ok, yes. Good. Also, man, his inventory’s getting bloated.

Anyway, I'm brave-axing his situation.


For great results.


Everyone else is just advancing.

The enemy phase opens with...

Reinforcements. Lovely. Who's going to deal, who's going to deal...? Eh, I'll cross that bridge later.
I was playing this map at about 11, which is when I like to be thinking about bed, with a nasty headache. I think this is the point where I started getting kind of cranky about it. I have no idea why I was still playing, but I notice I seem to play these under unusual time circumstances, see last map’s reference to breakfast. My main LPs, I tend to play/write in the afternoon.


Right now, Leaf is having a bad day.

Ow. Too bad a day, too bad a day! Panic!

Luckily, the enemy phase ends. I am OK. I can stop panicking whenever my limbic system catches up to this. Anyway, that crisis having passed, Ronan actually gets a job!

He's softening this enemy for Tanya. That's his job.

Aren't you happy to be useful, buddy?



And Othin handles our other pirate. Leaf will retreat and heal.

You know what? My head hurts. What am I even doing? I'm...I'm just not going to worry about those pirates. Dagda, Eyvel, you take care of them. What are crutches for if not to help me out when I want to be going forward, but there’s stuff behind me? Marty, find him a weapon.

Even Dagda, FREAKING DAGDA, is in on using movement stars when there's no point.


It's time to hunt for pirates in Havan-land!


And more reinforcements. Thracia 776 feels unsatisfied unless there are always reinforcements.

But as for why I decided to put Havan on his brave axe... Well, it's because Brave Axe + Vantage, or whatever it's called in this game (My head hurts, OK? I don’t feel like triple-checking Serenes)... Is pretty awesome.
First off, Havan gets a hit in before the enemy can attack. Nice, but normal.

Then the Brave Axe comes in, letting him get a second attack in, on enemy phase, before enemy gets to attack. In other words, while it's not wrath, it helps turn Havan into a bit of a meat grinder.

And when all else fails...

He can *quadruple* guys (Only two of those happen before the enemy attacks). Of course, this means that brave axes get eaten pretty fast. But he's in a better situation now, I think. I can switch him off it.

...

More pirates.
That's it. I'm taking a break. I'm going to bed.


...Maybe one more turn.
I don't have a problem.


More pirates make landfall behind us.


ugh! I didn't notice these guys! Shoot, shoot, shoot!

Meanwhile, Havan gets a level off of not getting hit with enemy arrows.

+1 Mhp, +1 Luk
...A terrible level. Stop it.
Doesn't everyone hate luck-only levels? It is like the game is laughing at you.


Tanya starts thinning the myrmidon herd. Oh, yes. These guys are a new type of unit. They're myrmidons -- basically, what Eyvel was before she promoted. Weak-but-fast-and-crit-happy sword-wielders. Enemy myrms aren't usually too bad, except...Well... Actually, we'll be seeing "except" soon.


Ronan helps, too! Ronan helps with a crit.


Othin takes the guy out.
Leaf is in the corner, thinking about what he's done. What he's done is be Leaf.



And I send Fin to the front lines. There's a Warrior coming our way.



Havan sadly fails to kill the guy who lives in his corner of the map.

Anyway, onto enemy phase! (Did I forget something?)

Fin handles his situation well, I think.


As does Havan, really.
(Oh, yes. Sleep. I forgot sleep.)


And the warrior misses Fin, making this a good day.
(Listen, I'll just let the phase end, OK? Then I'll sleep. Promise.)

Future Me: At this point in time, I actually did go and get some sleep.


Havan continues cleaning up his corner of the map.


And he gets a rank in axes for it! Not bad.
...I think that's what happened, anyway.

I send Othin to chipping at the warrior...


And, while I wasn't expecting it, Fin finished the job with a surprise crit!

And even levels!

+1 MHP, +1 Str, +1 Skl, +1 Luk, +1 Bld
And get a very nice level for it. Good boy, Fin!

I set everyone to start creeping forward, having Eyvel and Dagda form a back line against piracy...

When Eyvel gets a movement star, too. When she is exactly where I'd most like her to be.
*groan*

On the enemy phase, the pirates start catching up.

Eyvel makes quick work of one of them...


And does a flashy crit to clean up the others. I wish I had grabbed the frame where she multiplied herself. I feel like I remember seeing a setting on the ZSNES where you’d grab the frames around what you snapshotted, but I can’t find it now.


And Havan handles some things in his corner. He'll advance and heal on my turn, making his way to the group.
Who, I feel, are in a bit of trouble. I know Shiva's somewhere in this darkness. I know I need to find him...

But I can't do anything risky, or risk leaving anyone exposed. I think I'll have to move Eyvel up and see if the torch’s mojo will last.


Oh, look! I found him!


Hello there, Shiva. Shiva is part of that “except” about enemy Myrms. Critical hits, you see, are really balanced to happen to other people. When they happen to you, it’s terrible. When enemy myrmidons start getting a good crit chance, that’s bad.
We’re not done here, though.
Now, for some reason, most Fire Emblems have someone like this: an enemy myrmidon with a portrait and a killing edge, a sword that grants a critical boost of about 30%. Shiva also has a PCC of 4, and is fast enough to double almost everyone we have. A guy like him is almost always recruitable, but since you've got to get someone specific in range to recruit him, without them getting killed or killing him, there's a bit of trouble.
Shiva isn't that guy. Or, well, he's not exactly that guy.
We can't recruit him now. In order to recruit him, he's got to make it to the chapter we recruit him in.
He needs to live.
We, we also need to live.
I am a greedy something and want his killing edge.

This is the last major obstacle of the map. He's got a killing edge and he's on a fort, which gives him a hefty defensive boost.


Actually, looking at this, he might literally be the last obstacle on the map.
Lifis? Lifis is special. We'll deal with him in a second.

So, I'm thinking that first off, I'll start poking him from range.

Fin, take the wheel.

Nuh-uh! I'm not a fool! I'm just greedy! And impatient! And not very numerically-minded! And forgetful! And… I should stop before I end up sounding worse.


Ok, actual damage done to him. Good. It's...Not a lot. But the name of the game is getting him into capture range without him critting us.


Othin helps, bringing him down a bit more. I know he'll heal some from the fort, but it's a start!


...Dangit. Not a big enough start. He's almost back to full...
The good news is, Shiva's happy where he is. He's not going to move. We can whittle him down more-or-less-freely.


Meanwhile, where Havan is, a lone pirate waddles into view. Actually, it’s rather more of a crab-walk sort of thing.

Anyway, back to Shiva. I consider my ranged options.

Huh. Leaf...May actually be really useful here. Forts don't do anything for resistance! This could work!

If he didn't miss.
Nice work, Leaf.

Let's see, options, options...

Not even worth the bother. Ronan?

Actually less worthwhile.


Eyvel, if you crit, I will hate you forever. Even after I reset. I will hate you.

Whew!....Wait, why isn’t this fight ending?

...I forgot to look at attack speed because I forgot how crazy fast Eyvel is, didn't I?


Resets +1
Total: 2

This ran a bit long, so we'll be finishing the map in my next post.
Next Time: How will Leaf and the gang get out of this one? Will Havan survive his solo adventure? Will we ever get a gosh-darn healer already? All these answers and more, next time!

[Illven]

That sucks. Resetting because your jegian is too good.

[CoffeeIncluded]

I say...89 resets! Oh man, this is gonna be good. For me. Not for you. Need some chocolate?

[Javan]

For chronic heroism!

[Perkinz]

I've run into that situation in the Fire Emblem playthroughs I've done.

"OK, so I'll attack this guy to feed the kill to the one that needs it."
*crit on 2% chance*
"Ooooor not. That's cool too. Don't mind me or my plans. Scumbag game."

The myrmidon that is extremely dangerous to recruit seems to be a recurring theme though. FE7 had Guy, FE8 Joshua, FE9 Zihark... I don't think 10 had one, nor did Awakening unless I'm missing something.

[Deme]

That sucks. Resetting because your jegian is too good.

Eh, I'd call that less a "She's too good," since she was really only being good in one area there... And more "Total player Error." I should have known she would double, but I'd gotten complacent with the idea of a unit not doubling Shiva.
It does, however, suck.

I say...89 resets! Oh man, this is gonna be good. For me. Not for you. Need some chocolate?

Not yet...But eventually. I will, however, take some now. You know. If you're offering.

I've run into that situation in the Fire Emblem playthroughs I've done.

"OK, so I'll attack this guy to feed the kill to the one that needs it."
*crit on 2% chance*
"Ooooor not. That's cool too. Don't mind me or my plans. Scumbag game."

The myrmidon that is extremely dangerous to recruit seems to be a recurring theme though. FE7 had Guy, FE8 Joshua, FE9 Zihark... I don't think 10 had one, nor did Awakening unless I'm missing something.

That's not what happened this reset. But only this reset.

Also, yeah. It's an archetype they've used like crazy. There are even more when you start thinking into games not released in the US (and Shadow Dragon): 1 (and therefore 3 and 11) had Navarre, 4 had Aira/Ira, and 6 had Rutger. They loooooove them some enemy myrmidon recruitment. 10 and Awakening didn't. Awakening didn't have a lot of recruiting the enemy.

Chapter 2x, Part 2: Capturing All the Units!

Spoiler

Show

Riiight. Let's take this...From Shiva's emergence. This time, he's pretty right to call me a fool. I'll admit it.
I'm going to take a look at what I need to make this happen:


Ok, so I need to get him within 4-8 HP, and get really lucky.
Fun.

It's all rather second verse, same as the first.




Except Othin crits.

Resets +1
Total: 3

Ok, let me just skip some stuff from my next attempt. Othin, Fin, the usual.


But Leaf actually hits!

And Ronan activates his movement star when I have nothing for him to do.
How many times has this happened this chapter?

Oh, and since I got to the end of the turn with no accidents, this means we're in a new enemy phase. Shiva heals to about 17 health.


And Havan wrecks a guy. He's been having fun adventures today.

Ooh, more guys. Fun.


Also, more Leaf missing when it would be great if he didn't. Havan hits him, and Fin misses. That's basically what I did before turned my attention...
To fun things.

Oh, wait! Time for an explanation!

You see that Iron Axe? Well, it's not really an Iron Axe anymore. I over-used it. It's broken. It's a broken axe.
Most FEs have a broken weapon just vanish from your inventory. In this game (and some others), it becomes a really, really bad weapon. But you can still attack with it. So, technically, we cannot run out of weapons. We can just run out of *good* weapons. Given the lack of money in these bits, it’s…really kind of a mercy.



Havan gets to attack people he can safely kill, which makes me feel happy.


Leaf, it would be really nice if you hit. Really nice.

Yaaay! Now maybe Fin can finish this stretch of gameplay!


Hope for the best. Hoping so hard!

Yaaaay! We did it! Now we get to pack up and leave!
...After I loot Shiva for his stuff, of course.




Dagda defends us from that pirate wandering around in the rear. He even activates his skill, initiating a round of attack that the poor pirate simply does not survive.



Havan will continue his long and murderous solo trek through the south of the map.

...He may be in a bit of trouble. But we're almost out. It'll be OK...Right?

Now, my sources aren't clear about whether it's better to free Shiva or hold onto him, so I'll just hold onto him and make a separate save. He's still alive when we leave the map, so it’s all good, right?

In the meanwhile, we'll take his stuff.


Now, let's look at Lifis. He's a thief, and therefore fragile and not very strong, but quick. Also, he's got lockpicks. He can pick locks, and he's got a skill that lets him steal stuff that weighs less than his build if his speed is more than the enemy's. Thief stuff.
That other item he's carrying is not a weapon. It's the Hezul Scroll. Hezul was one of the 12 crusaders (and a distant relative of Fin’s daughter Nanna via her mother’s family), and each of the crusaders has a scroll named for them. What do the scrolls do, you ask?
While a character is carrying a scroll, it alters the growths of that character, for a net bonus. You can carry multiple scrolls. The effects stack. This is awesome.
The Hezul scroll adds +30% HP, +10% Str, -10% Luck. Very nice. It’ll also stop enemies from critting, which is nice. I'll be letting you guys decide who gets to carry this, and any other scrolls we have, for any given map.


Now it's time to learn one rule about capturing unarmed units. This rule *can* be used by the enemy to spite you. Be wary.



You can just do it.
They don't get to put up a fight. You don't have to be able to beat them. You just heft them over your shoulder and go. No EXP, but no chance of failure.

Did you know that carrying a staff does not count as 'armed'? Yeah, this is kind of a double-edged sword.
Anyway, so we've got the boss of the map under our arm.



So Havan sees our last turn of combat. And levels!


+1 MHP, +1 Skl, +1 Spd, +1 Bld
And not a bad one at that! I feel warm and fuzzy.


I swear these are different screenshots.


Dang! How many pirates were hiding in the dark here?

Our man Havan doesn't even get hurt.

Anyway, it's time for the last player phase of the map.

I select Havan's opponent at random...

And see the end of fighting here. I think he'll be taking it easy next map; he's got 2 levels of Leaf and Othin from all of this.


Leaf, take us...Well, you can't take us home, for all the reasons I discussed last chapter. How about you just take us into somewhere better-lit?


Fled, were some mixture of defeated and captured...Whatever. Same difference.
"Here she is."


Is it really childish to say "Your nose"?...Because your nose, Leaf.


Leaf, come on! I was about to make a "Leaf can't be bothered to remember *every* woman he's met while in hiding." Sort of thing. And you had to ruin it by actually remembering her a little.


Really? Because he's not all that memorable. For a Fire Emblem protagonist, he's pretty nondescript-looking.
Actually, given that he's the only one with a natural hair color, he might actually stand out from the crowd. A paradox. Remarkably unremarkable.


"I couldn't be her friend... Lady Linoan is the daughter of the duke of Tahra. I am but her servant."
...That's a sad thing to say, you know that, Safy?

"What are you doing here? Is Linoan doing well?"

"Don't you know what happened to Tahra, Lord Leaf?"
We've sort of been living in the middle of nowhere. Leaf doesn't get news about anything.



I had commentary about this child-hunting stuff, but this is long. Let's hold off for now.

"The citizens couldn't take it, so they started a rebellion with Lady Linoan as the new duchess. They hired mercenaries and bribed the higher-uppers of the Empire in an effort to win their freedom, but King Blume wouldn't allow it, and Tahra was surrounded by Imperial troops. The mercenaries feared Empire's power and fled, leaving only a small number of citizen warriors putting up a hopeless struggle."
Hopeless struggle, you say? We could be ready for hopeless struggle.


...Yeah, we do apparently owe them a rather lot.
Ok, put us down for a hopeless struggle as our next appoitment.


Someone doesn't get how this whole 'hopeless' thing works. Well, it'll do us all some good, I'm sure.



Aw, but I wanted to keep him, Leaf. You never let me have any new toys that can let me have new toys.

Too bad, so sad.


As it turns out, that was a really useful lie.
"Lord Leaf, this man isn't as evil as he seems."
No, he's exactly as evil as he seems. Maybe slightly more. But if we let dubious integrity get in our way, we wouldn't be followed around by August, either.



Yaaaay! We spared your life so you're ours forever. Seems fair.


Oh, Lifis. You are a terrible, terrible person. Oddly enough, I'm kind of fond of you for it.

No! No! You do not do that to your new savior and master. Bad, Lifis! Don't make me get the squirt bottle.

That's it. Squirt bottle.

And that's the map!

Next Time: We finally have a staff-wielder! Side objectives! Rescuing! Dismounting!

Also, please tell me who you'd like to see with the Hezul scroll for the next map. I've put up images of everyone's stats (except for Safy and Lifis, who we'll be introducing as units next map) in the first post, since that has a point now.

[Javan]

I vote Leaf gets to hold the Hezul scroll.
Giving it to Leaf:
Health 100%, a guaranteed growth on level up
Strength 45%, almost a 50/50 chance
Luck 30%

Since he is the main character, I say give him all the help he can get in stat growth.

For comparison:

Giving it to Havan:
Health 110%, guarantee +1, potential for +2 growth
Strength 50%
Luck 20%

Giving it to Fin:
Health 90%, not a guaranteed.
Strength 45% matches Leaf.
Luck 35%

Giving it to Othin:
Health 115%, effectively wasting that 15% actually giving a guarantee +1 and a potential for a +2 growth
Strength 40%
Luck 45%

Giving it to Tanya:
Health 90%
Strength 45%
Luck 50%, she has a really high luck growth percentage

[Deme]

Oh, does Thracia 776's level-up system handle growth rates above 100% differently from other Fire Emblem games? I've been assuming it works the same, and a growth above 100% is a 100% of getting +1 and a Whatever-the-Tens-Digit-Is % chance of getting +2.

That's the sort of thing I can't seem to find information on, so if you know for sure, that'd be really nice to know.

[Javan]

Oops, my bad. I am not sure what I was thinking.

Some quick research seems to indicate that Thracia 776 handles the extra growth the same as other Fire Emblem games. But I do not know for certain.

[CoffeeIncluded]

I was a bit upset with not being able to recruit enemies so much in awakening. Though you could do it to some extent. Ah well!

[Perkinz]

I'm torn on who to give the Hezul scroll to. Both Leaf and Othin look to be pretty good candidates for it. Giving it to Othin makes a strong unit even stronger, but giving it to Leaf seems to make him more usable, plus he's your main character.

If there's a tie for who to give the scroll to, my vote goes to one of these two if it'll break the tie.

Question out of curiosity: can you trade the scroll between units during the same chapter and net the benefits (and detriments) for both characters? It sounds like it could be more trouble than it's worth in most cases, but if there's a unit that could use the catching up in some stats it might be an idea to consider.

I wish these scrolls existed in other FE games. There's any number of units I would've loved to toy with their growth rates. I'm lookin' at you, Eliwood.

EDIT - I just realized that the crit negation for enemies somewhat blunts the loss of luck growth. As far as I'm aware, the primary usage for luck is critical evade, with it providing a small boost to hit and avoid as well. Of course, this is assuming it's unchanged from the other FE games I've played.