Conquering the Fantasy Kitchen Sink - Let's Play Sengoku Gensokyo!

[IncoherentEssay]

Agreed, let's grab that territory.
How reliably can we capture it in one more assault? Would two waves of three give a better chance of capture? Our roster seems to be about 1-3 good, 4-5 decent & 6 poor as combatants, so 1,3,6 & 4,2,5 would be good for it.
So, go with whichever gives better chances of capture. Development would be a bonus.

[Mirrinus]

Next battle will be a lot harder because Mystia will be joining. Maybe Rumia as well, who knows?

I like to go in with 5 members if possible. I'm almost positive I cannot capture in just one battle if I go in with less than 5, so either I go all-out and take it in one turn or have to do it twice no matter how many characters I choose to use.

[catchthesun]

Originally Posted by Kendansa

There needs to be a Touhou doujin game along the lines of Disgaea, Fire Emblem, or Advance Wars~.

Off-topic but, apparently, there's one in progress.

[Mirrinus]

Let's Play Sengoku Gensokyo - Day 6

Spoiler

We set off to attack the Night-Blind Road once again. This time, Mystia Lorelei showed up to defend it. Still, their forces were both outnumbered and outgunned. Mystia's special ability lets her randomize all damage dealt by both sides until her next turn, but that doesn't really give her side a direct advantage, especially when outnumbered.

Marisa goes first, and immediately begins preparing Master Spark. Our enemies weren't in position to damage her well, so the attack goes off at full power, dealing about 120 damage to each of the youkai mooks and 75 to Mystia. Our remaining members pick off the rest of them.

No captures yet again, but one enemy unit has permanently withdrawn from the group. This usually doesn't matter except in cases of long stalemates, where you can actually reduce an army to the point where they can't field enough generic units.

Once taking the Night-Blind Road, I was pleasantly surprised to see that it had a RES score of 6 for now. That means an easy development for our last remaining member to accomplish.

**********

Wriggle's Youkai Army had lost one of their bases to Reimu's group. The loss had the members of the army in an uproar.

Mystia: Hey, hey! You were suppose to be so angry at them, yet they ended up winning so easily! What are we gonna do now!?

Wriggle: S-Shut up! We haven't totally lost yet!

You talked really big, but in the end, you're still so weak!

It's not me who's weak, it's all those youkai friends you brought along that're the weak ones!

Ah, how could you say that!?

So what~!?

In the end, the Youkai Army was a hastily-assembled mish-mash, and a single obstacle was enough to send them into collapse. But they had not lost the game yet.

...Let's stop this, it's not over yet. We still have a chance.

Then like I said, what are we gonna do!?

Uh...

No matter how long they tried to think, the situation remained the same. As the possibilities swirled in her mind, her eyes happened to catch a ball of darkness lazing around.

Hey Rumia, you try to think of something too.

She reached her hand towards the ball of darkness, and it slipped inside soundlessly, but there was still no reaction...Right at that moment, she had a flash of inspiration.

Hm...Yeah, that's right! We can use that!

Ehh? What?

Rumia, how far can you spread your darkness?

Rumia: Uhh, if I try really hard, I can cover this whole area, I think. It makes me really tired though.

Okay, then can you use your darkness to cover this area in battle from now on?

Ehh? That'll be so tiring...

You can take it though, right?

Hmm~...If it's that wide though, I can't make it all dark. It'll be about as dark as th enight without any moonlight.

That's fine. We won't be able to see if it's too dark either. But that would be enough to throw off humans.

Huh, you're using your head for once.

This is what decides battles!

Wriggle pointed towards her head, expecting praise for her smarts. Their plan to use their superior senses to beat the humans was a relatively sound one...But just how well will it work?

**********

Turn: 6
Ouki: 3352
Ryumaku: 11/21
Actions Available: 2

Our Territories:

Hakurei Shrine
Defense: 250/250
Cost to Develop: 24 RES

Night-Blind Road
Defense: 160/160
Cost to Develop: 9 RES

Enemy Territories:

Faintly Dark Path
Owner: Youkai Army
General: Wriggle Nightbug (leader)
Defense: 175/175

**********

We now possess 2 territories, but our next target won't be as easy. Some armies will deploy an additional strategy or gimmick to make their last territory harder to capture in battle. I'm guess you'd want us to attack the Faintly Dark Path next, but we still have to consider what to do with our remaining action for the turn.

This would be easier if we'd capture an enemy unit one of these days...could use another research monkey, if nothing else.

[IncoherentEssay]

I'd actually go with double-develop at this point, Izou+Souun -> Ayu+(Reimu/Souichirou*). Gets our wealth up and gives the enemy the chance to get themselves captured in a foolish assault .

*Can we rename units? I'd rather call him Bob or something similarly easy to remember .

Edit: Alrighty then, i hereby suggest that from here on onwards we call Minion #3, 'Souichirou', either by the name:
A)'Jack', to meet our quota*, and despite not having a chainsaw on his arm, he seems badass enough to be called Jack.
Or
B)'Sou', for obvious reasons.*

*TVTropes links warning .

[Mirrinus]

Originally Posted by IncoherentEssay

*Can we rename units? I'd rather call him Bob or something similarly easy to remember .

Afraid not. You can create custom units to replace generics in the post-game scenario mode, but not during the main game. I like messing around with my Xykon with the Human Harmer ability.

However, just for you, we ourselves can choose to call our units by nicknames if you so wish. Just make the suggestion.

[Rolaran]

Aw, but he shares a name with one of the most underrated characters in Death Note- Light's badass dad!

And I agree, let's double-develop that new road. When prisoners do start rolling limping in, it'd be nice to have the economy to support them already in place.

[Mirrinus]

Let's Play Sengoku Gensokyo - Day 7

Spoiler

Double development occurs at the Night-Blind Road, bumping up our Ryumaku by 2 additional points. This ends the turn.

**********

The Forest of Magic. A place where the sun did not shine, covered in darkness even at noon. And with the spores from monster mushrooms and miasma everywhere, it became a place which most human and youkai avoided. However, the forest was an excellent environment for magicians, and there was nowhere that Marisa Kirisame wouldn't live in. There was one other resident: the magician and dollmaster, Alice Margatroid.

Alice's mansion stood in one of the few places in the forest where the sunlight could get through somewhat. It was there that Alice and her handmade dolls were spending yet another fine day.

Alice: Hourai, could you bring a bit of that cloth to me? ...Yes, the light blue one.

The doll called Hourai tottered back with the cloth in hand, just as Alice had ordered. The beautiful fold-up cloth was quite big for a doll to carry, and Hourai struggled to bring it over without wrinkling it.

Hourai: .........

Thank you...Was it too big for you? I'm sorry.

.........*shake shake*

Hourai shook her head at Alice's apology. Perhaps she was trying to say that Alice did not need to apologize.

Alice's residence was home to several of her hand-made dolls that could move of their own will. Among those dolls were two special ones who were practically alive, and were given the cute names "Shanghai" and "Hourai". Though rather than being given life, they perhaps should be called quasi-living-beings. They took Alice's orders still, after all. Alice's dream of a fully autonomous doll was still far off in the distance. The ability to think and act based on one's own will...That day, Alice was once again working her way towards that goal of giving life to inorganic substances.

Hmm...Doing that will make it move at least, but...a living doll...I wonder if it's really possible...?

She had aimed to create a doll which acted on its own will for a long time. But even now, she wasn't able to make one as she liked. Turning dreams into reality would certainly take more than a human's lifetime.

???: .........*flit flit*

As thoughts of the unpredictable future were swirling around Alice's mind, a doll different from Hourai suddenly flew towards her.

Mm? What's wrong, Shanghai? What's the rush?

The doll known as Shanghai was holding a letter as big as she was. She placed it right in front of Alice.

Shanghai: .........*patter patter*

My, a letter...? Who is it from?

She looked all over the letter, but there was no sender marked. Alice suspiciously tore open the letter, removed the piece of stationery paper inside, and began to read.

Let's see..."Gensokyo's War Battle 1 Participation Information"? Who's the author...Yukari Yakumo. So it's her.

The things written within the form were extremely different from the one that Wriggle had received.

That youkai must be really bored to think of such a trivial game...How silly.

She continued scanning through the instructions. She got the gist of the contents, but had no plans to actually join in, and was about to throw the piece of paper away...until she read the last line.

As if I have the time to join such a...such a...

Alice's eyes fell squarely on that one point. Her eyes soon started to burn with anger.

What...What is the meaning of this? Why would she put this kind of rule there...?

Shanghai and Hourai looked worriedly at their master, whose mood was worsening by the second. Alice eventually noticed their concern, and put on a calm smile...which didn't look very genuine at all.

...Well, whatever...This feels like I'm being placed between a rock and a hard place... But if she's going to play like that, then I'll do the same!

Alice then abruptly stopped talking, and shut herself into her study, leaving Shanghai and Hourai behind. The two poor dolls could only look at each other in surprise...

**********

Turn: 7
Ouki: 4249
Ryumaku: 11/23
Actions Available: 2

Our Territories:

Hakurei Shrine
Defense: 250/250
Cost to Develop: 24 RES

Night-Blind Road
Defense: 160/160
Cost to Develop: 15 RES

Enemy Territories:

Faintly Dark Path
Owner: Youkai Army
General: Wriggle Nightbug (leader)
Defense: 175/175

Same situation as last turn, you know the drill.

[IncoherentEssay]

I suppose attack + partial develop is the best we can do for now. Pity we lack the numbers for a double assault. Seems like the next 3 turns would be:

1.)Attack(FDPath) + develop(NBRoad,Ayu)
2.)Attack(FDPath) + develop(NBRoad,Souun)
3.)Double-develop(NBRoad,Izou + NBRoad,Reimu/Sou/Ayu)

Maaybe followed by doubling up on FDPath afterwards, if patience lasts . Seems like there's enough events to keep things interesting whilst we develop. Not really a set-in-stone plan though, counterattacks and the like could very well change things.

[Mirrinus]

Let's Play Sengoku Gensokyo - Day 8

Spoiler

Ayu was sent to develop the Night-Blind Road, while the rest of the group sets off to launch an attack on the Faintly Dark Path. This is the last territory held by the Youkai Army, so victory is near at hand.

**********

Marisa: ...? Hey Reimu, doncha find this kinda weird?

Reimu: Just "kinda"? It's like nighttime now. And it was so bright just a little while ago.

It ain't cuz of the time...Look!

Marisa took about ten steps back, and her body was suddenly shining from the rays of the sun. Yet with ten more steps forward, all traces of the sunlight disappeared.

Right, they did say that they recruited some darkness-manipulating youkai.

Yeah, it's gotta be Rumia. This has'ta be her power at work.

This'll be tough, humans won't be able to see far in this darkness. Ranged attacks are going to be pretty badly affected.

Melee combat ain't my forte, but it looks like I ain't gonna have a choice.

At least these little tricks they're pulling are proof that we've driven them to a corner. Let's go and pressure them some more!

**********

Our army is met by Rumia and two other youkai. Rumia has a few advantages here: the darkness weakens ranged attacks, encouraging both sides to focus on melee combat. However, Rumia's special ability prevents her from being counterattacked at close range, thus giving her the advantage at close range.

Even with these tricks, though, our forces still blazed through the enemy ranks. Marisa and Souun went first, and even though their ranged attacks were weakened, two successive hits on Rumia were successful enough to substantially weaken her and sap her strength. Reimu leads the rest of our units to hammer the rest at close range. With Rumia downed quickly, her remaining allies fell swiftly, resulting in a resounding victory for us.

The Faintly Dark Path's defenses were severely crippled from our assault, and our army now threatens to take it entirely with another strong battle.

**********

Turn: 8
Ouki: 4967
Ryumaku: 11/23
Actions Available: 2

Our Territories:

Hakurei Shrine
Defense: 250/250
Cost to Develop: 24 RES

Night-Blind Road
Defense: 160/160
Cost to Develop: 9 RES

Enemy Territories:

Faintly Dark Path
Owner: Youkai Army
General: Wriggle Nightbug (leader)
Defense: 75/175

I did not expect such an overwhelming victory on this turn. I had been conservatively estimating taking the last territory in 3 turns, but now we have a good shot at ending the Youkai Army next turn. They'll throw everything they've got at us on their last turn, but victory is within our grasp.

[Cogwheel]

Everything they've got.

So... five mooks. Three of which are named Mystia, Rumia and Wriggle.

I think we'll be fine


Incidentally, I expected Marisa to be rather keener on running around taking over territories and generally blowing things up. I mean, between her attitude towards combat and ranged firepower, plus her position as a sorta-general, she's practically an Ork warboss in most games.

[IncoherentEssay]

Huh, so the original assumption was overtly optimistic, but worked out ? What level of shift can we generally expect from attacking then?
Sticking with the 'Attack(FDPath) + develop(NBRoad,Souun)' then, since Souun is a ranged unit so we won't miss him too much.

Originally Posted by Cogwheel

...an Ork Warboss...

Little known 'fact':
Reimu's original outfit was entirely white.
Marisa dyed it red so she would cook faster.

[Cogwheel]

Originally Posted by IncoherentEssay

Little known 'fact':
Reimu's original outfit was entirely white.
Marisa dyed it red so she would cook faster.

To be fair, Marisa originally looked a bit different too. Here's some concept art from the first few games, for example.

Spoiler

[Sliver]

KILL KILL KILL!

And develop if you KILL KILL KILL in one action.

[Mirrinus]

Let's Play Sengoku Gensokyo - Day 9

Spoiler

Reimu: Now now..There's nowhere left to run.

Wriggle: Ugh...We know already!

Heh heh heh...I'll make you regret ever picking a fight with me.

Mystia: ...You didn't need to say so, I'm already starting to regret it.

What are you saying!? This'll be a decisive battle! We'll show them the fighting spirit of the youkai! Mystia, Rumia! Let's go!

M: We're doomed, why bother trying!?

Rumia: Doo-med!

Marisa: ...Man, it's hard to tell who're the good guys here.

**********

We go up against Wriggle, Mystia, Rumia, and one more youkai. Marisa and Souun aim for Rumia first to reduce her melee capacity, while Mystia attempts to mess with all damage output with her special ability.

All resources and personnel were spent taking down Wriggle's allies, leaving only Wriggle herself to stand against us. In the end, we were unable to defeat Wriggle, but she was weakened enough to the point where her barrage of spells couldn't kill anyone on our side. Wriggle's poison effects triggered multiple times at the end, but with no more turns left for our side, the poison didn't get a chance to act.

Even with Wriggle still standing, our victory was assured. We take the last territory, and dissolve the Youkai Army.

**********

The country was lost, as youkai corpses littered the landscape...Actually, no one died...But the Reimu-led army emerged victorious, and the Youkai Army soldiers scattered and ran, leaving their leader behind.

Reimu: ...Now then~, how do you like that?

Wriggle: Uuuugh...I-I still haven't lost yet!

You've definitely lost.

Marisa: Utterly.

...Wahhhhh!

What happened to all your allies?

I don't know, they probably ran away in all the confusion.

They're youkai after all. And in the first place, this is the fate that awaits all who try to start a fight with me.

So, whatcha gonna do with her?

Fried or steamed?

I don't think she'd taste all that good...

Eeek, every insect will have her daaay!

It's a joke, we're not that hard-up for ingredients.

If we let her go, she'll probably try'ta regroup and fight us again. Since we already beat her, let's take her as a prisoner.

That sounds good. And if she keeps resisting, we'll just have to eat her.

I-I'll do as you say, so don't eat meeee!

...And so, the Wriggle-led Youkai Army that held such desire for revenge against the Hakurei shrine maiden disappeared from the stage.

Wriggle Nightbug was taken prisoner.

**********

We end the day with Ayu continuing to develop, this time on the Faintly Dark Path. 6 RES was just enough to develop it once.

**********

Reimu: ......

Marisa: .........

It was another day to relax at the Hakurei Shrine, with teacup in hand. At least, it should be, but there was something uncomfortable in the air. And the matter providing the discomfort was obvious...

......Hey.

What?

How long are we going to let this be?

It's not like I can do anything even if ya ask me...It's just...a bit of a bother.

They could feel the glare aimed at them from behind a tree. She was probably trying to hide, but it wasn't very successful. Calling out to her didn't seem like it would make anything better either.

She's looking at you, she must have some business with you.

No no, she's definitely lookin' at ya.

Ahh, geez! Okay, I know you're behind that tree! Just come out already!

Her endurance for the facade had reached its limit, and she stood up and called out to the tree. After a short period of silence, the girl emerged from behind the tree.

???: ............Hehe, very observant of you to notice me hiding there.

Observant? It was so obvious...Anyway, what are you here for, Alice?

A smile started to form on the lips of the girl known as Alice. Her entire body was overflowing with a murderous pressurizing aura.

Alice: What I'm here for? That's very simple...

Whoa!

Alice took one deathly glance at Marisa, then turned back to Reimu and thrust her hand out at her. A single piece of paper laid on the palm of her hand.

Reimu! Marisa! The "Forest of Magic Team" hereby declares war on you!

W-whaaaa!?

Marisa yelped out in shock, earning yet another stare of ire from Alice. Alice's anger seemed to be aimed more towards Marisa than Reimu.

H-Hey, whaddaya so mad about?

...Are you seriously asking?

Ah...Uh, well...

If that's how you're going to be, then that's even less reason for me to hold back. Prepare to be completely wiped out!

With those parting words, Alice turned on her heels and left the shrine. The other two were left dumbfounded at the cyclone that had just entered and left the area.

...So it was you she was looking at, huh? Just what did you do?

I didn't do anything...

You have to have done SOMETHING for her to get that angry...Anyway, I guess we'll be fighting Alice now.

At least we don't hafta go through the trouble of declarin' war ourselves.

This whole thing is basically your fault, so make sure you take full responsibility for it.

............

Reimu said a little more than she needed as usual, but Marisa took it with her usual optimism, seemingly thinking that everything would work out in the end.

"Forest of Magic Team" has been formed.
Magic Forest Entrance placed under control of the Forest of Magic Team.
Magic Forest Border placed under control of the Forest of Magic Team.
Magic Forest Interior placed under control of the Forest of Magic Team.
"Forest of Magic Team" - War has been declared.

**********

The Human Village. The area in Gensokyo with the highest concentration of humans, and the area where most of them reside. Youkai also enter like anyone else, but they usually do not cause a fuss inside.

The village sells many basic necessities, and is given protection by an elder youkai. All these qualities makes it especially safe for those without any special powers to live in.

However, not all of the villagers are powerless. Such as the human...or rather, half-human, Keine Kamishirasawa. On that day, she was buried again under a mountain of paperwork for the school she managed. She compiled the history of Gensokyo as her everyday work, while giving lectures to the humans of the village about history. She was normally very serious and strict, but she became less uptight when alone.

...But on that day, at a time where usually no one was around, an unexpected visitor came calling, and she was quickly on full alert.

???: Hehe...A dignified scholar should not be yawning quite like that.

Keine: ...Oh, it's you, Lady Akyu...Don't scare me like that.

Keine answered as she wiped away a tiny tear from her eye. Keine would normally not let herself be seen even slightly off the pace in the public eye, but it was nothing new to her and her visitor.

Akyu: Hello. Am I interrupting anything?

I was just planning to take a break, so not at all.

That is good to hear. Please excuse me, then.

The girl known as Akyu went to sit beside Keine after her greeting. She was holding a sealed letter in her hands.

If you're here to see me at this time of the day, I presume something of importance has occurred.

Akyu opened the letter in response to Keine's obvious inquiry.

You would be correct, actually...I encountered Lady Yukari just a while ago.

What...?

The Eternal Night incident flashed into Keine's mind. That period was when Yukari and the Hakurei shrine maiden caused havoc everywhere, so it was natural for Keine to stiffen at a reminder of the incident.

She left this sealed envelope with me, but the contents within are not something I can decide alone...

Keine took the sheets of paper from the envelope from Akyu and started to scan through them. The phrasing was different, but it was generaly the same thing that Wriggle found...Information to join the game.

Gensokyo War Battle 1, the winner will have any wish they have granted...What's this all about?

That question is not one I can answer, unfortunately...

Keine turned to face Akyu, wearing a worried frown on her face. It seemed Akyu wasn't able to figure out what Yukari was plotting either...

Large groups can participate...and the approach is different from the spellcard rules. Is that youkai trying to involve all of Gensokyo in her whims again?

Wrinkles started to appear on Keine's forehead. Letting a youkai get her way with every thought of hers was bad enough, but when it becomes an incident too...As the village's protector, she could not let this slide.

What shall we do?

We won't do anything. There's no reason for us to get involved in a game like this.

Akyu fully expected Keine's reply, but she still had a very worried expression on her face.

Hm? If you're making that kind of face, I suppose there's something more to the issue?

Yes, earlier you mentioned...that she would get all of Gensokyo involved. Knowing Lady Yukari, she has probably distributed this letter everywhere already.

...So you think she'd get us involved whether we want to or not? We could just ignore it all.

We could, but there is one detail that would not allow that course of action.

???: Ms. Keine, may I have a bit of your time?

A voice emerged from the entrance, interrupting Akyu. The two of theme turned their eyes towards the door, to find several men standing there. Keine called out to the familiar-looking man amongst the group.

...How do you do, sir? Is something the matter? It's unusual to see you traveling with such a large escort.

Village Head: My apologies for interrupting your work, Ms. Keine. Oh, Lady Akyu is here too, I see.

Shall I make myself scarce? It appears you two have important things to discuss.

No, do stay. I would like you to hear this as well, Lady Akyu.

The man, who was apparently the head of the village, produced a familiar-looking sealed envelope. So familiar, that the two could've sworn that they saw it just moments ago.

...That would be...

Yes, you see, this was given to me quite a while ago. I didn't recognize the person who gave this to me, but the contents were certainly surprising.

...Hm? You're holding something that looks awfully like this, Lady Akyu.

...Don't tell me the contents of that letter is...

Oh, I see. You received the letter as well, Lady Akyu? Yes, whoever this person is, she must be planning something very strange indeed. I have decided to come here to discuss what to tell the young villagers...What do you think of the situation, Ms. Keine?

Couldn't we just not play her game? We should not put the village in danger just for nonsensical games like these.

Yes, that may be true...But I don't think inaction alone will work. Have the two of you inspected the map that came with the letter?

...Yes.

Map?

Keine looked down at the sheets of paper she was holding, and her eyes locked on to the map among them. It showed all the designated bases in Gensokyo. Keine's face quickly darkened as she surveyed it.

This means...

...That was the other detail I had wanted to elaborate on.

Ms. Keine, as I'm sure you've figured out...We will be in the middle of the whole thing.

The map was large, and split into east and west sections. The base right at the center of the map with the most amount of other territories next to it, was the Human Village. Which meant...

So anyone who participates in this game will have to attack the village sooner or later...

Keine felt a slight spell of dizziness, but quickly regained her composure. She had finally accepted that even staying out of the game would not let the village escape from it, and could only let off a sigh.

Well, on the bright side, it seems that no real harm will come to the village, so we need not participate...But I believe there is a reason to do so...It as been something bothering me for a while, you see...This would be a good opportunity, if I do say so myself.

Opportunity?

To display the power of humans. There are many specialists in youkai extermination in this village, and the youkai are sure to pick a fight with us quickly. With the shrine in the state it is now, we can't count on it for protection. We must defend ourselves well, or those youkai are sure to look down on us.

The shrine he referred to was the Hakurei Shrine. Due to the shrine maiden's knack of befriending the youkai she's suppose to exterminate, rumours of youkai occupying the shrine spread quickly around the village.

Hmm...It's true that we have a lot of people who exterminate youkai just like how they attack humans...

Because of that, I was thinking that we should form a self-defense force and proactively join the game, so I came here to hear your opinion on this matter.

The many men behind the village head linked their arms and nodded as the head finished what he wanted to say. At the very least, they certainly seemed full of willingness and motivation.

...I believe that Lady Yukari predicted our way of thinking, and sent a letter to the village head in advance to facilitate the proceedings.

So it's all going according to her plan...

Keine was still hesitant, but she was starting to realize how the other villages felt. She didn't want to have things go as Yukari wanted them to, but it was going to be difficult to change their minds now.

...Alright, let's participate in this game. We'll be involved in the game anyway, so we might as well join it first. I will help to the best of my ability.

Oh, your reply is heartening to hear. You don't have to be worried about us, we will be able to protect ourselves from any unwanted pressure from our enemies. Now then, there will be a lot of preparations to handle, so I shall take my leave now. Have a good night.

Keine's agreement was indeed heartening, if the men's even more enthusiastic reactions were anything to go by as they left. Once the surroundings turned silent once again, Keine let off a loud sigh.

...Is this acceptable to you?

I wouldn't be able to dissuade them even if I tried. I don't know what that youkai is planning, but I hope it won't harm the village too badly.

I must apologize. If I had managed to stop Lady Yukari when she went to see me...

She was meticulous enough to make sure the village head got a copy, I doubt you could've done anything...it's late, I'll take you back to your mansion.

Please do not worry, I can travel back by myself. Thank you for your time today. Farewell for now.

Akyu bowed politely, just as she did when she first arrived, then left back to her mansion. Keine watched her figure disappear into the darkness, then looked up towards the sky.

Good grief...but perhaps this shows the flow of time. Long ago, youkai and humans were such enemies, that a game like this would be out of the question.

That was something that no one knew better than Keine or Akyu. What Gensokyo had become meant that this form of frolicking was actually possible, compared to the past...Keine almost thought she saw Yukari's all-knowing grin in the starry sky, and quickly averted her gaze away from the sky and walked back to the school.

"Human Village Corps" has been formed.
Human Village placed under control of the Human Village Corps.

**********

The Youkai Army had been conquered, and the "Night-Blind Road" and "Faintly Dark Path" was under the control of the Hakurei Shrine. Reimu and Marisa then had to decide what to do next.

Marisa: ...So, there're two ways to go from here. The "Forest of Magic" or the "Human Village".

Reimu: We're already at war with Alice, so maybe we should handle that first?

Whichever one we go for, we should concentrate on that one methinks. Though I've got no problems with a war on two fronts.

According to the map, the forest has three bases that we have to take care of. The village will probably be much quicker.

Well, I gotta say, I can't recommend goin' after the village right now.

Why?

Marisa pointed to the map to answer Reimu's inquiry.

Take a good look at the areas 'round the village. The lake that leads to the SDM, the thick Lost Bamboo Forest, the sunflower garden, and the border to the Netherworld. Once we take control of the village, we're gonna hafta fend all of 'em off.

Ah...Yeah, I get it now. They'll all probably come to pay us a visit eventually.

Yep. I'll leave the decision to you, though.

With that, Marisa put her hands behind her head and leaned back until she laid on the floor, as if she totally lost interest. Reimu soon put the map away and followed suit.

Whew...There's still a long way to go, huh?

Are ya getting sick of it already?

I've been sick of it from the start.

Then what ya need is a hot bath. Go and prepare one for us.

You...You have a hot springs at your house, don't you? Use that instead.

I'm extremely sorry to say that ain't got a hot springs. It's just a pulse.

...Oh really.

Pulses run all through the ground, through the bodies of living beings, and even through hot springs. That feeling of heat is proof of life, but to a philosophical Reimu, it was all starting to boil over.

**********

Turn: 9
Ouki: 5451
Ryumaku: 11/26
Actions Available: 2

Our Territories:

Hakurei Shrine
Defense: 250/250
Cost to Develop: 24 RES

Night-Blind Road
Defense: 160/160
Cost to Develop: 9 RES

Faintly Dark Path
Defense: 175/175
Cost to Develop: 9 RES

Enemy Territories:

Magic Forest Entrance
Army: Forest of Magic Team
General: Shanghai Doll
Defense: 180/180

Magic Forest Border
Army: Forest of Magic Team
General: Hourai Doll
Defense: 160/160

Magic Forest Interior
Army: Forest of Magic Team
General: Alice Margatroid (leader)
Defense: 210/210

Human Village
Army: Human Village Corps
General: Keine Kamishirasawa (leader)
Defense: 310/310

Prisoners

Lots of stuff going on now. Remember that recruiting a prisoner doesn't cost us an action. We can't use a recruited prisoner on the turn they join us, but 4 characters might still be enough to win the first battle should we choose to attack the Forest of Magic. Alternatively, we can declare war on the Human Village should we choose to go that route.

Huge update today. The floodgates have now opened.

Akyu is so cute in this game, and I think she's one of the most sympathetic characters too. Also, Keine is cute when she's angry.

Wait, did I just type all that?

[IncoherentEssay]

Going to vote for double-develop + recruit, since we have just enough manpower for developing both new territories and the recruitment.
No point in picking a fight with the village, let's sort out the forest first so we can start leveraging our surplus wealth.
Though could one of the other factions capture the village before we do, costing us the capture of Keine?

[Mirrinus]

Originally Posted by IncoherentEssay

Though could one of the other factions capture the village before we do, costing us the capture of Keine?

I do not believe that is possible. Looks like no one else will do our dirty work for us (and Keine's one of my favorite characters in this game anyway).

[Sliver]

I don't know if it's even possible but I had something I wanted to ask anyway...

What would have happened if instead of taking the other road territory and taking out the first opponent's army, you would have tried to attack the village?

[Mirrinus]

Originally Posted by Sliver

I don't know if it's even possible but I had something I wanted to ask anyway...

What would have happened if instead of taking the other road territory and taking out the first opponent's army, you would have tried to attack the village?

You're correct in that it's not possible. A territory cannot be attacked when it's not controlled by anyone, and the Human Village Corps isn't formed until after the Youkai Army is defeated.

You're forced to defeat the Youkai Army before any other enemies become available. From here on out, though, we'll usually have a choice as to which enemies to attack and which path to take, at least until we reach the endgame.

[IncoherentEssay]

Considering that we can't DoW people that haven't appeared on the map, skipping the Team (9) Roadcrew Division probably wasn't an option. Edit:ninja'd

Is this game as Plot Driven as it seems to be, considering how we can't interact with factions before we get the related event?
I suppose it's a good thing we don't have to worry about Eientei/SDM/others LOL-stomping the other factions behind our proverbial backs.
Having the rest of Gensokyo as a single united front would be quite the challenge, especially since most of the annexed factions would have their leaders in the 'freelancer limbo', denying us our otherwise guaranteed recruitable captives.

Though what would be essentially 'Risk:Touhou edition' could be interesting. Ah well, at least there is the Civ IV (and hopefully Civ V at some point) mod for a more freeform Gensokyo conquest.

[Mirrinus]

Originally Posted by IncoherentEssay

Is this game as Plot Driven as it seems to be, considering how we can't interact with factions before we get the related event?

It is rather plot-driven in the sense that enemies won't appear until a certain turn or a certain action is taken, but from here on out there is always at least two, if not more, choices for whom to attack. We're free to take out enemies in any order after they appear, and there are unique and missable cutscenes that we can get depending on which characters are part of our army when we attack a particular territory. In fact, there are a few parts of the story that may change if we don't have a specific character from a previously conquered army first, which, in at least one or two scenarios, will prevent us from recruiting a unique character.

[IncoherentEssay]

Considering how only the leader is an automatic capture, this would be a textbook case of Guide dang it, no?

Hopefully there are no long chains of such requisite-for-acquisition banter events?

[Mirrinus]

Originally Posted by IncoherentEssay

Considering how only the leader is an automatic capture, this would be a textbook case of Guide dang it, no?

Hopefully there are no long chains of such requisite-for-acquisition banter events?

No, there are no long chains, and most of the recruitment is pretty straightforward. In fact, the requirements usually make sense. There's one that takes a bit of a leap of intuition, but it does make sense if you look at it from a certain point of view. Another requirement is indirect, as the required character has no connection whatsoever to the recruiting character, but the cutscene gained from the first recruitment does have some character development that I guess is relevant. That one isn't important until much later on in the game, though.

There are only four characters that can be permanently lost in this game. The first one is actually rather hard to lose permanently, as most players will fulfill the requirement without even noticing. The second and third both require recruiting the leader of another army first, plus a few other prerequisite actions that must be done. The last character requires the third character to recruit. Out of the four, three I would consider among the best in the game.

Don't worry too much about missing these characters too easily. Chances are, we'd recruit most enemy leaders when we get the opportunity anyway, as most of them (with a few exceptions) are pretty good. If it comes down to it, I'll even suggest what to do when the time comes.

Also, the Youkai Army is one of only two enemy armies that we only take the leader from when we win. For most armies, at least one or two unique character subordinates will also surrender themselves to us once defeated. Even if we never capture a generic or freelance unit, we're sure to have more unique characters than our army has room for by the endgame.

[Terraoblivion]

I had somehow overlooked this thread starting. Anyway, if we have the units to recruit Wriggle and develop both the conquered territories for now i'd suggest doing that.

And after that i suggest throwing tactics to the wind and going straight for the village. Why? I direct you to look at my avatar and see the explanation, i want Keine to join. She's the first of the characters i really like to show up.

Also there are two things i wonder about. What is the area behind the the Forest of Magic and the field past Yuuka's garden? At least i imagine that the yellow field is the Sunflower Garden.

[Mirrinus]

Originally Posted by Terraoblivion

Also there are two things i wonder about. What is the area behind the the Forest of Magic and the field past Yuuka's garden? At least i imagine that the yellow field is the Sunflower Garden.

Behind the Garden of the Sun lies the Nameless Hill. Past the Forest of Magic is the Road of Reconsideration, and beyond that is Muenzuka.

The game tries to keep to the actual geography of Gensokyo as described in PMiSS.

[IncoherentEssay]

Whilst i do agree on getting Keine ASAP, i don't see the P as being right now.
Consider, we have very few members as is, so the capture of the village is a gamble as is. If successful, we have just set ourselves up for getting kicked in the face by all the remaining factions. You wouldn't want that for Keine, now would you ? The forest of magic detour is only some 7-9 turns, tops. Surely we can wait for the village for such a meager amount of time?
But yeah, if we don't purposefully misassign our efforts, we can easily pull off double-development and recruitment.
Incidentally, i concur 110% with the evaluation of AngryKeine.

[Terraoblivion]

But the Forest means recruiting boring old Alice and her dolls, while the village gets us Keine and possibly Akyu and brings us in contact with other factions that have characters i care about!

But perhaps we should discuss it after we've spent our turn consolidating and see what happens.

[Mirrinus]

Let's Play Sengoku Gensokyo - Day 10

Spoiler

Wriggle:...What do you want?

Reimu: Perhaps I came here to laugh at you.

How rude.

Taking Yukari's invite to form a team and join the conquering game seemed like the perfect way to take revenge on Reimu, but in the end, Wriggle was placed in Reimu's army's prison.

Isn't it funny, though? In the end, we meet like this after my attempt at revenge...Go ahead and laugh at me if you want.

Ahhh-hahahaha, what an idiot you were. You actually thought you could beat me? How hilarious.

You're not supposed to actually laugh!

You said I could. Well, who cares, that's not what I came here for today.

...What is it, then?

Will you join our army?

............Huh?

Wriggle was flabbergasted as she stared at Reimu, blinking her eyes in surprise.

Your staring is starting to make me feel embarassed...

Are you being serious?

Geez, is this how you treat someone who came all the way here to talk to you? Go ahead and refuse then, I'm sure you'll make an excellent meal with soy sauce.

That's cruelty to prisoner!!

So, are you really going to reject my offer?

......I don't know what you're trying to do, but if you need my strength so badly, then I suppose I should let you borrow it.

...That isn't quite what I said.

If you need to get youkai to help you, then you must really be lacking in manpower, after all. Fine, I'll help you out. You better be grateful!

Wriggle Nightbug became an ally.

**********

Our remaining members successfully develop twice on the Faintly Dark Path, increasing our Ryumaku by another 2 points. This ends our turn.

**********

Alice sat in a chair, reading a book and grumbling to herself. The grumbling was apparently more important, as nothing she was reading was actually registering in her head. The two dolls looked at her worriedly.

Shanghai: ........*tremble tremble*

Hourai: ........*shake shake*

After their mysterious "conversation, the Shanghai Doll placed a teapot and a cup onto a tray, and headed towards Alice. The dolls were worried about their master, but Alice was too busy being mad to notice.

Alice: Bah...She's pretty much never liked me from the start either...Maybe she's trying to insinuate something...

.........*sweat sweat*

The tiny hands holding the tray were starting to tremble, but Alice was still unaware. The Hourai Doll, seeing the Shanghai Doll looking so pitiful, decided to help and flew straight into the back of Alice's head.

Ow! What the...What was that for, Hourai!?

........*point*

........*tremble tremble*

Ah...I'm sorry Shanghai, I didn't know you were here...Thank you for the tea.

Alice took the tray from Shanghai, releasing the heavy load on her. Alice then poured the contents of the teapot into the cup, and took a sip, clearing her mind up a little.

Whew...This won't do, I must be calmer. Now, how should I do this? The forest is large, so I will have to delegate duties...Alright, Shanghai, take care of the entrance. Hourai, please guard the boundary.

*nod nod*

*nod nod*

Shanghai and Hourai accepted Alice's orders with a nod. Although they looked meek and helpless, they were the best of the dolls that accompanied Alice, and were capable of action even while away from their master.

I'll definitely win...Just you watch.

Thus, she had one more reason to win at all costs. Her fight was just about to begin.

**********

Marisa: It's probably cuz of me.

Reimu: Hmm? Are you finally regretting all the evil deeds you've done in your life?

Do ya have short-term memory loss or something'? I'm talking 'bout why she got so mad.

Ahh, yes yes. Go clean it up already?

What are ya talkin' 'bout now?

Hm, was I off the mark again? I was thinking how pitiful she must be, having to deal with a mountain of mushrooms at her entrance hallway.

Who would do that kinda thing?

Then just say it already, geez.

I'm guessin' that she doesn't like me bein' here.

Which means?

I live in the forest after all. If we go with the map, I oughta team up with Alice. But in reality, I'm her enemy right now. That's probably why she's so angry.

I can see the logic in that. I never actually asked, why are you here anyway?

Yukari said herself that we could team up with anyone we wanted.

Then I'm sure there were other people you could team up with besides Alice and myself.

...I just went with the one who had the best chance of winnin' this thing, accordin' to my calculations.

...Ahh, that's how it is. That's rather cunning of you.

Only the smart survive, doncha think?

I said cunning, not smart.

Reimu and Marisa had known each other for a long time. But there were differences in their points of view that both of them had yet to notice.

**********

Turn: 10
Ouki: 6120
Ryumaku: 13/28
Actions Available: 2

Our Territories:

Hakurei Shrine
Defense: 250/250
Cost to Develop: 24 RES

Night-Blind Road
Defense: 160/160
Cost to Develop: 9 RES (subsequent development costs 18 RES)

Faintly Dark Path
Defense: 175/175
Cost to Develop: 15 RES

Enemy Territories:

Magic Forest Entrance
Army: Forest of Magic Team
General: Shanghai Doll
Defense: 180/180

Magic Forest Border
Army: Forest of Magic Team
General: Hourai Doll
Defense: 160/160

Magic Forest Interior
Army: Forest of Magic Team
General: Alice Margatroid (leader)
Defense: 210/210

Human Village
Army: Human Village Corps
General: Keine Kamishirasawa (leader)
Defense: 310/310

We're now up to 7 members. Ready for our next orders!

[Terraoblivion]

Take over the village and turn Keine to the dark side to join us!

I mean hobo-miko and kleptomanian-witch have to be the bad guys in the great scheme of things.

[IncoherentEssay]

Still voting for taking the Forest first, it's 550 vs 310 for full capture.
Since the forest has a non-linear layout, we could rush the process by making a beeline for Alice, making the comparison 370 vs 310, or 5 vs 4 assaults. A short detour to make use of the surplus wealth to outfit our troupe with the appropriate Bling o' War seems like the best course of action here.
With the extra recruits from taking the Forest, we could take the Village with 5+5 double assaults, so (5+2) vs 4 turns in the end.
Besides, if the Village goes on the offensive, we might get lucky and capture one of them on the defense.